- Greg & Nikki
For church camp this summer, we used xtranormal to make a short video to talk about why planting a new church can be a really good idea (and what it means to "plant" a church). We decided that it's worth sharing here and hope that you enjoy it! - Greg & Nikki
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Rattling around in my head lately has been this concept of "passion" and how it relates to ministry. It's something that comes up often if you talk about church work, missions, needs, service and leadership. A couple of Sundays ago, a quote was made and it possibly may have been made before, but this time it really jumped out at me: "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." - Frederick Buechner When I headed off to Bible college, the biggest question on my mind was "What is God's specific will for my life?" I knew a few things to start: I felt led to go to Bible college, I felt led to pursue a missions degree, and I had seen the need in Europe firsthand. (Note that this is me who will dither for an hour over what flavor ice cream to get if there are 2 that I like. Big things though, no sweat!) But I wanted a piece of paper with a timeline and dates and the big things circled in red pen. I wanted to know the who, when and where all in advance. I wanted to MAKE PLANS. I actually have a really hard time staying focused on something without a solid, written-on-paper-for-the-ages plan. The funny thing about how God works, though, is that we don't get handed this magical paper. I guess, if I had known the future, I could have seen that Kontaktmission brochure as a HEY THIS IS IT paper, but I tucked it in a drawer for future reference. Eventually I forgot about it, more or less, but this burden I had for Europe never went away. In fact, when people talked about Europe, it was always one of the first things that popped into my mind. And for the last several years when people asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I said two things: be a missionary in Europe and get a PhD so I can teach at a college. (We'll see what happens with #2. I've set the bar high and said I have til I'm 50 to do it, haha.) The idea of missions work in Europe has always come with some mixed reactions. Don't we need people in America? And why would you ever leave America? Isn't it scary to go somewhere different? Yes, people in America need ministered to. Yes, it's a little scary to go somewhere different. So with that in mind, here is a little something I've learned along the way: Not everyone is going to necessarily share your vision. And that's ok. Let me put it another way. If you're passionate about something, you're not always going to understand others who aren't and they might not always understand you. You might even be tempted to get frustrated at these people. After all, how can they not see this need the way you do? Take heart though, because this is perfectly normal. In fact, instead of getting discouraged, you should be glad for it. Maybe it means that you've found something that you should pursue. Maybe it means that you should seek out like-minded people and band together to accomplish what's on your heart. God made us passionate about different things and gave us different strengths and abilities. Sometimes the only reason something is going undone is because we ourselves haven't been willing to step out on faith and get it going. While I really feel that we need to encourage all kinds of ministries even if we are unable to be a part of them, if something is really on our hearts we should do what we can to be personally invested in it. We have to become less afraid of failure and more interested in trying. After all, what is "failure" if what you do helps even one person? I've been asked "So what? You think you're going to go to France and change the world?" My response was pretty simple. "No, I don't think I'm going to change the world. But I might impact one person's life. And anyway, it's God who changes people, not me." Who am I to think that I can go do something great on my own? But none of us knows what God will do through us simply because we were willing to go and do. So whatever need is weighing on your heart, see what you can do about it. Really try. Be unafraid and unabashed. Give it everything you have. The world is a big place with hundreds of needs. Maybe you are the person who has been chosen to meet that need. There may be others who will take a stand with you and they just lacked the courage or know-how. You'll never know until you take that chance. So what has God burdened YOU with? There are hundreds of countries, territories, semi-autonomous regions and island nations in the world. Some are quite well known, some are old and some are very new.
It’s very difficult to choose one place without going to every place. There might be some country sitting out in the middle of Asia or the Pacific that suits me quite well. I’ll never make it to every country and region of the world. It’s not on a bucket list. It’s never been a real goal of mine. So when people ask ‘Why France?’ the answer is difficult to respond to. I thought I’d take a moment to hash out some of my personal answers to the question in a free-flowing way. 1- Language I spent 4 days in Germany. There was about 14 seconds of that time that I understood what was going on (ask Rob and Nikki about my German GPS navigating skills). I spent 12 days in Japan. Japanese is a beautiful language. I spent a few years learning French. My teacher, Mlle. Johnson, taught me well because the language stuck. I felt comfortable with French, even when I had no idea if I was paying 2 or 200 Euros for a cup of tea (at a bar on a Sunday morning none the less). It just felt right. I was comfortable in being uncomfortable. There were moments when it all went over my head and I was confused other times when it went over my head and I was giddy. 2- Excellent Teaching After landing in Stuttgart, Germany (man was it clean there) we rode a van to Crash Weekend. The crazy part was we stepped off a plane ride (featuring 6 or 7 hours of lost time) and went right to an event where there were speakers and sitting. I was tired. I didn’t fall asleep. Hearing the leaders of Kontaktmission talk about calling and why missionary work was enlightening and invigorating. We heard some very interesting talk about being careful to not put words in God’s mouth and never losing track of the calling that we all have. I realized Germans have an obsession with tropical fruits. I knew from that weekend that Kontaktmission was an organization I wanted to be a part of. I knew that Rob and all the other leaders were serious about church planting and could meet our needs and furnish us with goals and encouragement to do what we felt we need to do. KM has never planted a church in France before but the ambition to reach Europe has driven them to open new fields and when we said ‘France’ they, through Rob and an interpreter were pleased to see what the field had in store. (it was also there in Germany that I played Rummikub Word in English and German at the same time. Oddly, my request to throw French in was denied.) 3- Take Pictures of the People Rob gave us some good tips while on our trip. One simple one was, ‘include the people of whatever city you were in in the pictures you were taking.’ Europe is a vacation spot, ancestral homeland and foreign exchange land for most Americans. It’s very easy to get caught in the castles, donjons, and bratwurst. It’s easy to have that silly grin when your ticket gets taken by a pleasant English woman on a train in London. It’s easy (for someone like me) to wonder how many military men have stepped on the ground you are on intent on taking it for themselves. Europe is ripe with history. It’s easier to look at the people around you and know they have no idea who God is when you forget for a moment or two that you are standing on some place only kept in dreams and travel agency pamphlets. The Church in Europe (France being no exception) is winning victories but the Churchless are still hopeless. Yes, it’s the same in America, Botswana, Laos and Vanuatu but for those moments when I was there in France- it was striking. The people need something and I am partially equipped to deliver it. I want to be fully equipped and ready not just for me and for God but for a generation of French Christians coming behind me. - Greg |
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