Tag Archives: Christianity

Partnering with God: A Ministry Leader’s Guide

14 Tuesday Oct 2025

Posted by in Christian Living, Ministry

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This post is written with ministry leaders in mind. As I am using ministry leader here, I have anyone from an ordained clergy person all the way to a lay person who is leading or doing ministry in any way at all. 

If you are trying to be faithful and be used by God in some way in the world, this is for you. I hope it helps you understand one key aspect of ministry that I have never heard anyone talk about in this way. My hope is that fleshing this out will encourage you to press through the risk that is inherent in ministry and remind you that you are not alone.

The Gospel Is Really Real

I did not grow up going to church. I had a typical evangelical conversion experience when I was in 8th grade. This meant that I came to believe that Jesus Christ had died for my sins and that he was willing to forgive me of all my past sins if I gave my life to him. Unpacking this would be a post of its own. Maybe someday.

For now, I want to say that there was something about my conversion that had an innocence and simplicity about it. I both really believed I was called to give my life fully and completely to Jesus and was aware that I did not know how to do this. 

I read the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew 5:48 was fascinating to me: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Over the next decade or so, I discovered that most American Christians found the expansive, demanding, and what seemed to me all-encompassing nature of the moral vision of the New Testament to be largely irrelevant. It was almost like an inside joke: You had to be there to understand it. And, well, basically don’t worry about it too much. It isn’t really how we have to live.

This, by the way, is why I am so drawn to Dallas Willard’s work. Willard was an anonymous mentor whose work gave me permission to take the New Testament vision seriously on its own terms and hope that Jesus really could save me from the condition of sin and the frustrating consistency with which I committed individual sins. (If you haven’t read Willard’s Divine Conspiracy, you should. It is demanding but it is one of those books that is worth struggling with.)

Here is the point I need to make for the rest of this post to make sense: At some level that I could not articulate for a long time, I knew that the Gospel was really real. Faith in Jesus was supposed to change everything, even if it hadn’t yet.

Over the years, I also came to have an increased sense that a relationship with the Triune God also meant that in some mysterious way he wanted to partner with me to change the way things are in the world.

Can I give you just one example from the Gospels?

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14)

If that doesn’t awaken your imagination for what is possible through belief in Christ in this life, probably nothing will.

From Theological Buffet Line to Making Truth Claims I’d Stake My Life On

In seminary, I was initially overwhelmed by the post-modern confusion of the mainline seminary I attended. It felt like basic Christian doctrine was like a buffet line. If you like broccoli, take it. If you don’t like it, just leave it. Don’t worry about it too much either way. Except, in this case, “broccoli” might be something more substantial like the divinity of Jesus, or the resurrection of Jesus.

I remember feeling deeply frustrated one day as it just became obvious to me that I could not succeed as a pastor by “living the questions” or whatever nonsense I was being offered at the time. I had a basic understanding that I needed to make truth claims I was willing to stake my life on and that I believed others should build their lives on as well.

The place where I began to feel like I was making some headway was when I took Methodist History and Doctrine in seminary. In that class, I read about John Wesley’s rigorous and disciplined approach to the Christian life that was combined with what I’ve come to refer to as an audacious optimism that the grace of God is sufficient to break every chain in our lives, to free us entirely from the grip of sin on our lives.

There may be a bewildering array of ways to think about being a Christian broadly conceived. But, as a seminary student in my early 20s, I thought I could at least speak with confidence about what it means to follow Jesus in the Wesleyan theological tradition. I felt like there was a there there. (The irony is that over the following 15 years, I had a front-row seat to the collapse of Methodism.)

The Holy Spirit Works Through Us

All of this was background to recently being able to articulate something simple but extremely important.

As I came to faith and initially grew in my faith, I had a basic belief that God is alive and active. I believed the Lord is involved in the world he has created. I don’t think I could have articulated it well, and it still often feels like sand falling between my fingers when I try to nail it down systematically, but there was a clear conviction that the Holy Spirit wants to use me or partner with me to do his work in the world. Somehow, God does not need me to accomplish his purposes and also delights in my desire to be used by him. 

The Hardest Thing to Do in Ministry Is Hold Space for God to Do What Only He Can Do

Here is what I’m building to: I have learned that the hardest thing I do in ministry is hold space for God to do what only he can do. I am also certain that this is the most important work that I do. I think this is the most important work anyone does in ministry.

It is hard because it is always vulnerable, and it always involves risk. It is vulnerable for me because I have come to a place of conviction that must be named. “I believe God wants to do something right now.” 

And I might be wrong. 

The only way to know if I’m right is to take the risk. And then I have to wait for two things:

1. Does anyone respond?

2. Does God do what I have said I believe he wants to do?

This is vulnerable because it is when I am most aware that I am not in control and I am not God. I know I can preach a sermon that will not completely embarrass myself, at least most of the time. I have quite a bit of control of that. But I also know that I want to see the fire of God more than I want to give a careful sermon or play it safe and just do what I can do in my own strength.

I know that what I am able to give is nowhere near sufficient for the needs of, well, anyone.

I know this because I know my own need for the Triune God himself to meet me with his grace and empowering presence.

I stumbled through this for several years, saying things like: “We need to write checks that will bounce, unless God makes them good.” (I know. No one writes checks anymore.)

This Takes Work!

If you want to be part of ministry that makes a difference for eternity, you have to connect with the Lord in a way that goes beyond your natural ability and giftedness. You have to develop a prayer life, struggle to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit, and risk saying publicly what you believe you have heard.

And then you have to hold space for people to respond and for the Lord to move.

I think doing this is the most important work in ministry and doing it well is one of the key markers of mature Christian leadership. 

Discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit takes practice. And I think it is a skill everyone who is in Christ can learn.

It also has never stopped feeling vulnerable and risky to me. 

This summer, I preached a sermon at Asbury Church, where I sensed the Lord wanted me to invite people to be anointed to do the works Jesus does. I was preaching John 14:12-18, part of which I cited above. I was as confident as I could be that the Lord wanted me to give this invitation. And yet, the moment inevitably came when I had to take the risk and see whether anyone would respond and whether the Lord would move. (You can watch the sermon here.)

The Lord moved in a powerful way. Many people who were present that day said they felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in a special and remarkable way.

It was awesome!

And it is one of the most recent instances of a pattern I’ve noticed.

I have a conviction God wants to move in a particular way. And he wants to use me to speak that to his people. I get to decide whether to speak or not. And then his people get to decide whether they will respond or not. And then those who respond get to see what the Lord will do.

This Never Gets Old and It Never Gets Easy

It never gets old. This space is where I feel the most alive and fulfilled. And it also never stops being challenging in the moment. 

If this is new to you, start small. Ask the Lord for a word for someone you are talking to in a private conversation. Or, pray for someone in private and ask for a word to encourage them. If you sense something, take a risk and share it. Ask them if it makes sense or lands. Taking these kinds of low stakes risks will help tune you in to the Lord’s voice. You may miss it sometimes. You will also begin to experience the Lord himself moving through you to encourage others. And both of you will be so encouraged.

One of the reasons I think this has always been challenging for me is because I am not in charge. If it were easy, or I had a guarantee that I wouldn’t be embarrassed on the front end, then I would be ministering in my own strength. And that is not what I want. 

What a privilege that the Lord wants to partner with us!

I have so much to learn. But at this stage in my life, I think I have learned some things. And this is why I think holding space for God to move is the both the most challenging and the most rewarding part of ministry.

I hope this helps you and is an encouragement to keep wrestling to hold space for the Lord to do what only he can do in the places where you are in ministry.

God bless you!

P.S. Don’t forget to register for the next Underground Seminary event we are having at Asbury with Rev. Andrew Forrest on his new book Love Goes First. It is going to be so fun! Details here.

Kevin M. Watson is a Pastor and the Senior Director of Christian Formation at Asbury Church in Tulsa, OK. He is also on the faculty at Asbury Theological Seminary, anchoring the Seminary’s Tulsa, OK Extension Site. His most recent book, Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline describes the purpose of the Wesleyan tradition and the struggle to maintain its identity in the United States. Affiliate links, which help support my work, used in this post.

Underground Seminary: Love Goes First with Rev. Andrew Forrest

08 Wednesday Oct 2025

Posted by in Book Review, Christian Living, Ministry, Underground Seminary

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Underground Seminary is back! 

The first events we have done have been so fun! And I am more excited about this conversation than any that we’ve had yet. I can’t wait!

Francis Asbury statue at Asbury Church in Tulsa, OK

What is Underground Seminary?

There are some things that don’t fit in courses I teach, or perhaps even in the seminary curriculum at all, that people preparing to lead in the local church need to wrestle with, think about, or just have someone tell them. There are also conversations that I want to have with people who are preparing to in the church that I think will be helpful to them and I don’t know where they would fit in specific classes.

In my role for Asbury Church, I’m still interested in shaping pastors. So, I have been working on optional, not-for-credit, opportunities that typically come alongside classes I am teaching for Asbury Theological Seminary. I’m calling these special events “Underground Seminary.”

Underground Seminary is for people preparing to lead in the church who are hungry to learn and grow. They want to gain as much wisdom and experience as they can from as many different places as possible as they are prepared and equipped to lead.

I’m most excited to work with people who know God has more for them and they are going after it. Underground Seminary is for these people.

Our next Underground Seminary meeting:

Rev. Andrew Forrest, Asbury Church’s senior pastor, will lead our next Underground Seminary on his new book Love Goes First.

Yesterday was the official release date for Love Goes First. I believe in the message of this book and I am really excited for this book to be out in the world. (If you can’t make it to this event, you should still buy the book!)

I wrote a review of the book, last week. Here is an excerpt from my review:

Here is the unique challenge facing the American church today: For the first time ever, we are faced with reaching a culture that has been exposed to the gospel and is largely built on Christian foundations but is now post-Christian. As Forrest puts it, “It is certainly nothing new for the church to be hated… but it is unprecedented for the church to be hated by a culture that once used to honor and respect it.” (8-9)

And so, Love Goes First is “about how we, as American Christians, can reach the people who believe we are the problem, those who hate us and all we stand for.” (7)

Here is the big idea of the book: 

“If you want to change the world, you have to go first, because love goes first.” (10)

Read the review here.

Andrew is a brilliant strategic thinker about the local church and its role in the world. He has boldness and courage that I admire. He is willing to do the deep work it takes to get to clarity about hard things and big ideas.

If you are a pastor or want to be a church leader, Andrew is someone you should learn from. He has a proven track record as a church planter, leader, and pastor.

To give just one example: In his first three years here at Asbury Church, in person attendance has increased by nearly 25%.

This Underground Seminary gives you the opportunity to hear from Andrew in a smaller more intimate setting than the places he typically speaks. I think this will be challenging, convicting, and fun.

How to join us:

This Underground Seminary will be Thursday November 6th from 12:00 – 2:30pm here at Asbury Church in Tulsa, OK. Those who register will receive lunch and a copy of Love Goes First. Registration is $10. You can register by emailing amiller@asburytulsa.org. You will receive details on the exact location after you register. Deadline to RSVP is October 30th. 

This event is sponsored by Asbury Church. This should be obvious, but lunch and a copy of the book will cost the church more than $10 per person – the book itself is currently $18.78 on Amazon. The point of having a cost of registration is that when people have skin in the game, they tend to follow through and show up. In other words, you can get a copy of the book for basically half price and a free lunch! The church is not making money off of this event. Rather, we are investing in you because we are committed to raising up the next generation of leaders for the church.

There is a lot of mystery and chance in the world of publishing. It is very difficult to predict the success of a new publication. I don’t know if Love Goes First will get the kind of boost needed for it to become a spectacular commercial success. I do know it is the rare book that is worthy of a wide reading. Love Goes First is on the short list of the most important books I’ve read in my ministry career. I think this book is going to be a catalyst for bringing together a new network of Christian leaders who are willing to step into the unknown and risk everything for the Gospel for such a time as this.

Let’s go!

Kevin M. Watson is a Pastor and the Senior Director of Christian Formation at Asbury Church in Tulsa, OK. He is also on the faculty at Asbury Theological Seminary, anchoring the Seminary’s Tulsa, OK Extension Site. His most recent book, Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline describes the purpose of the Wesleyan tradition and the struggle to maintain its identity in the United States. Affiliate links, which help support my work, used in this post.

John Wesley’s Theology: A Great Question (and Better Answer) about Band Meetings

13 Tuesday May 2025

Posted by in Accountability, Christian Living, Holiness, Methodist History, Teaching, Wesley

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I want to share one of my favorite memories from teaching this semester.

I had the privilege of teaching The Theology of John Wesley, which is one of the core classes at Asbury Theological Seminary this spring. Every student, regardless of degree, must take The Theology of John Wesley to graduate with a Master’s Degree. This is one of the ways Asbury anchors its identity and resists institutional drift. And I love it!

The class also gave me the opportunity to re-read core texts on John Wesley’s theology. First, we read sixty (yes, 60, not 6) of John Wesley’s sermons, including all of the original Standard Sermons. (Whether you want 44 or 52 in the list, they are all in the Collins and Vickers edited volume of Wesley’s sermons!) And we read my colleague Professor Kenneth J. Collins’s John Wesley: A Theological Journey and The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace. These are both masterful!

The class is a deep dive into Wesley’s theology. It is thorough and has been expertly crafted through decades of experience. I taught the class exactly the way it has been taught by those who have gone before me this semester. I had a blast because I was able to teach in an area I really enjoy teaching. And I was able to continue learning and growing as a follower of Jesus Christ and as a teacher.

Ok, so here is the memory I wanted to share:

One of the places there is always lively discussion, if students are tracking and understanding the material, is around John Wesley’s conviction that one who has experienced justification and the new birth does not commit outward sin. This is based on John Wesley’s reading of the canon of Scripture, particularly passages like 1 John 3:7-10:

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. (ESV)

Collins brilliantly summarizes this in John Wesley: A Theological Journey:

Justification delivers from the guilt of sin, regeneration from its power or dominion, and entire sanctification from its being. Unfortunately, these distinctions are often neglected in contemporary Methodism where a decided “shift” has taken place; that is, freedom from the power of committing sin is attributed not to the new birth, as it should be, but to Christian Perfection, with the result that freedom from the being of sin is then relegated to the afterlife and glory. (190)

The conversation in class around freedom from the power of sin in regeneration led to a great question. I reached out to Professor Collins to get his perspective and his response was so good I asked for his permission to share it with my students and then to share it with all of you here. Here is how I framed the question:

How do I best talk to students about the correct definition and understanding of the new birth in connection with the band meeting, which both has a prerequisite of the new birth (and more), and weekly questions connected to sin.

I.e., if a students says, If someone does not commit outward sin after they receive justification and the new birth, why are the band meeting questions focused around sin? (I.e., “What known sins have you committed since we last met?”)

Here is Dr. Collins’s reply:

First of  all,  given the small numbers of people in the band meetings there may not be many responses to the weekly, sin-probing questions among the children of God, but there will likely be at least some responses over time.  Real Christians do at times break faith and commit sin of the high hand, so to speak.  The way forward then would be and must be one of repentance, of doing the first works afresh.  So then, when Wesley affirmed that a born again believer is free from the power and dominion of sin (“The Marks of the New Birth,” “The Great Privilege of Those that are Born of God”) he  was not teaching that real Christians would never sin again (a common misunderstanding among my students) but that Christian believers would have grace sufficient to remain faithful and to walk in a trusting and accountable way in the graces of regeneration.   How do we bring all of this together?  How can we summarize this basic and precious gospel truth which Jesus Christ, himself, affirmed (John 8:34-36)  and which John Wesley repeatedly taught?  I offer the following summary of the several elements here, though this language is not Wesley’s but my own.   However, I do believe that such language captures Wesley’s basic meaning.  And so here goes:    “Willful, intentional sin,  breaking faith with Christ,  should be the grave exception in the Christian life and not the rule.”  Our problem today, however, in American Christianity in general, and even at times in Methodism in particular,  is  that we have made sin the rule and grace the exception.  We need to turn this upside down.   Jesus Christ died for far more than to leave people in the bondages of which they are ashamed. 

Second, I think the very great value of  such questions for the saints that played out in the band meetings during Wesley’s lifetime is that they are a wonderful means of grace that ensure that responsibility and accountability will remain in place.   Think of  band members, for example, who are sorely tempted during the week but who in the midst of  that temptation are reminded by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth,  that they will have to confess such a sin (if it is committed) before several trusted and beloved others in just a few days.   At that  point the power of the temptation is broken (1 Cor. 10:13) by the light of the prospect of upcoming fellowship,  accountability and love.   That’s precisely the point!   In other words, the questions of the band meetings are themselves a wonderful means of grace, used by the Holy Spirit,  as a means by which faithful Christian discipleship is strengthened and lived out to the glory of God.  Put another way, evil and sin love the darkness; however, Wesley made sure that the infrastructure of Methodism in general, and the band meetings in particular would be flooded by an abundance of light in the form of relationship, accountability and the richest love.   In short, those questions are both precious and necessary  for serious Christian discipleship. 

So good!

Want to know more about the band meeting? Scott Kisker and I wrote a book that is designed to reclaim this practice. Check it out here.

Reflections on Teaching and Learning at Asbury

24 Thursday Apr 2025

Posted by in Life, Methodist History, Ministry, Teaching, Underground Seminary

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I have previously shared here about my conviction that the culture or atmosphere of the classes I teach is more important than being sure I say all the words I want to say or get all the content in before the class ends. 

I am not sure I always get this right. Actually, I’m sure I don’t always get this right. 

However, I am increasingly confident that students are most impacted by the things that happen in my classes because I intentionally create an atmosphere that is open to the Holy Spirit than they are by the lectures that I give. And maybe even more than that, I find that students are more willing to listen to what I have to say when they are convinced that I care about them. So, I think that prioritizing the culture or atmosphere of classes I teach enhances student learning and engagement with the content of the course.

And I don’t think this goes the other direction.

This week, I’ve found myself reminiscing on the things I saw the Lord do over the past month. I wanted to share a few highlights here.

I taught back-to-back intensives a few weeks ago. And they were such a blessing!

Before my Basic Christian Doctrine class, I put together the second Underground Seminary event. We called it “What They Don’t Teach You in Seminary.” It was led by Rodney Adams, the Executive Director of Asbury Church. Rodney gave a detailed behind the scenes look at how a large church like Asbury is run, the strategic decisions he makes as Executive Director, and the challenges of leading that are particular to a church. (You can read about the original announcement here.)

From my perspective, it was a fantastic success. There were 23 people who came to this meeting, which was immediately before a class that had 16 students. I am encouraged both by such a strong turnout and that the Underground Seminary idea is building energy for what is happening at Asbury-Tulsa. It is energizing to me to have people in the building talking to each other about ministry. I am best at inviting people to things I passionately believe in. Asbury Church is one of those things for me.

During the class itself, I had a sense that the Lord wanted to minister in some ways to the specific people in the room. I am still learning and growing in how to lead and take risks appropriately in this space. These students were so gracious and hungry for Jesus. It was wonderful. The highlight of the weekend for me was checking in with someone at the end of class that I had particularly felt a burden to pray for and they said, “I feel like myself again for the first time in a year.”

Thank you, Jesus!

Several students stayed with members of Asbury Church. On Sunday morning, one of the students ran into the family that had hosted them, and they were so excited to see each other. The hosts sat with the group of students and my family in worship. I was so blessed by such a tangible connection of my church loving my students well and seeing church and academy connected in such a lovely way.

The next week I had another hybrid. First Methodist Church in Tulsa hosted a Holy Spirit Conference that was amazing. I was invited to lead a breakout on spiritual parenting. This is something I have thought a lot about and am passionate about but had not had a chance to teach on to a group of people. I learned a lot in preparing and was challenged and blessed in thinking it through in order to lead the workshop. I drove straight from First Methodist to Asbury to prepare to teach my second intensive in two weeks, The Theology of John Wesley (with 23 students).

I love getting to teach this material. It has been a blessing to systematically read through Wesley’s sermon corpus in a short window of time. (I highly recommend this if you are a leader in a Wesleyan context and have not done this.) The biggest gift for me personally was rereading two great books by one of the academics I most respect, Dr. Kenneth J. Collins. The two books are core texts for The Theology of John Wesley (which is a required class for every major at Asbury Theological Seminary) and I highly recommend them both. Read Collins’s John Wesley: A Theological Journey first to get a sense of Wesley’s life. It is a great book because it unpacks Wesley’s own life and legacy, but from a rich theological lens. 

After you read this, you should read The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace. In my opinion, this is Collins’s masterpiece. Reading this book in preparation to teach helped me teach with greater clarity than the last time I taught this material. Collins does a masterful job explaining core concepts like justification, the new birth, and entire sanctification. He is fearless in his fidelity to the witness of Scripture and Wesley’s understanding of it.

In addition to this class just being a delight, there were some powerful moments where the Spirit met us. Rev. Graeme Collett, one of the associate pastors at Asbury Church, preached for the Asbury Seminary chapel service on Friday. Graeme has become a good friend and one of the best surprises in our move here to Tulsa. And unlike any sermon I’ve experienced here yet, the Lord gave Graeme a clear word for this specific class at this specific time. (And this is saying something, because we’ve had an embarrassment of riches in terms of the quality of preaching we’ve had in our chapels here!) The highlight was Graeme’s burden to anoint students to remind them of their callings and to seal the work of the Holy Spirit in them. I believe every single person in the room came forward for prayer at some point. Lots of beautiful Holy Spirit tears and ugly crying. It was one of those times you are just aware the Lord is doing deep work in people right before your eyes. I am so thankful for Pastor Graeme’s leadership and for the Spirit’s presence with us in chapel.

We lost track of time and went more than thirty minutes over, but that is one of the special things about these intensives. It didn’t matter! Sometimes people will say in ministry that “the trains have to run on time.” The great thing about the intensives I teach is that there is one train and we’re all on it! So, we got where we were supposed to go when we were supposed to get there.

The second highlight of the Theology of John Wesley hybrid was a word I felt like I got from the Lord on Saturday morning, before the last day of the intensive. As I was praying that morning, I had the impression that the Lord wanted me to start the day by inviting people to share testimonies to what they had seen the Lord do so far in our time together.

I need to admit that this is often hard for me. Sometimes I’m afraid nobody is going to say anything, and it will bomb. I’ve gotten more comfortable holding space as time has gone on, but it is still an area I’m growing in. And I felt that Saturday morning. 

Goodness was I wrong to be concerned. There were so many wonderful testimonies people were ready to share about how the Lord had met them. God is so good!

That part went so well, the Lord nudged me to notice the second thing I had written down as I had been praying that morning: 

“Deliverance?”

In part, I think this came from witnessing a powerful deliverance at the Holy Spirit Conference the Wednesday night before my class started. I also think it came from reflecting on how important deliverance ministry was in John Wesley’s own ministry. (For more on this, see Dr. Peter J. Bellini, Thunderstruck! The Deliverance Ministry of John Wesley Today )

I gave what felt like a pretty timid invitation to receive prayer for deliverance if someone felt like they needed it. I am not going to go into details here for a variety of reasons, except just to say that the Father, again, showed me His desire to communicate with His children. I also experienced the power and authority of Jesus Christ in a deeper way that I don’t think I can adequately express. It was just a blessing.

I have so much to learn. One thing that I have found really helpful is thinking about my classes as laboratories. Here is what that image means to me: in a lab, you do something real but you also reflect on it and can interrogate the experiment itself. So we can meet in a small group in my Wesleyan discipleship class and talk authentically about the state of our souls. And we can also then ask how the conversation felt, what could we do differently? Was there something that felt unhelpful or could have been more helpful? Lowering the stakes and explicitly thinking of the time together in class as a learning environment gives permission to make mistakes and raises the expectation for pursuing excellence. I love that combination.

I’ve seen this with prayer for healing in my classes. I’ve seen this with seeking to hear the Lord’s voice and be guided by the Holy Spirit. And I’ve seen it in lively classroom conversations about deep matters of theology. It is challenging. And it is fun.

I can’t wait to see what the Holy Spirit does next!

P.S. Did you know that I am launching a Fellowship Program at Asbury Church? We are hiring two Fellows that will be paid full-time positions, with benefits. Starting this August. More details about the Fellowship Program and how to apply here.

Raising Up Next-Gen Church Leaders

21 Friday Feb 2025

Posted by in Christian Living, Ministry, Teaching

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I’m trying to think more clearly about how to raise up the next generation of leaders for the church. It seems clear to me that things are shifting and changing, sometimes dramatically. Institutions are changing and sometimes failing. Key leaders are leaving the scene, sometimes because they have retired or died, and other times because a moral failing has been exposed.

I don’t have it figured out yet. But I want to start talking about it more.

My writing often comes from a burden to figure out what I think about something and then try to communicate it as clearly as I can. I think some of my best writing comes when there are two things working in me:

First, I notice that I am working over a problem in my mind and am working hard to get clear about what I think is at stake (something that seems important and complicated or confusing).

Second, I notice a sense of pressure to not talk about it. This is usually unspoken and intuitive on my part. This means I could be wrong, or I could be seeing things. The pressure to not talk about it can either be because it seems like everyone views something as settled, while I have questions or concerns. Or, silence could come from the sense that speaking out could be problematic in terms of upsetting people in power.

Here are two examples of writing that has come from this:

1. I urged churches to start reopening five months into the Covid-19 pandemic. 

2. I expressed my concerns with the proposal of United Methodist bishops to make affirmation or prohibition of same sex marriage dependent on the surrounding dominant culture. 

Neither of those posts are perfect. In rereading them today, I would say things differently in both. But they both helped me think more clearly about matters that were very important to me (and to the church I was part of) when I wrote them. I am proud of them because I believe the Lord used them to help people think more clearly and make hard decisions during very challenging circumstances.

If you aren’t familiar with my writing, these will give you a sense of it. I hope they show my commitment to telling the truth. Of course, I also make mistakes. One of things I think I have often done well is move a conversation forward and bring clarity where it has gotten bogged down or stuck.

So, I’ve been thinking about raising up the next generation of leaders for Jesus’s church.  I’ve been thinking about this longer than I usually think about the kinds of things I write about here. And to my own frustration, I don’t feel like I’ve made as much progress as I usually would have by this point.

I want to articulate why I think this it is hard. It is important to work to understand the moment in which we find ourselves. And I want to begin by naming two models that have been used to raise up the next generation of leaders for the church. I want to suggest that people in my networks have almost completely missed the importance of the second model. But first, why is this so hard to think through?

The church in the United States is experiencing major challenges due to massive shifts in the culture, academy, and the church herself.

Aaron Renn does a great job talking about the changes in the dominant culture and how it impacts the church. Check out his book Life in the Negative World [Affiliate link]. I also follow his work at aaronrenn.com.

The academy is also undergoing massive change, which includes theological education (the seminaries where pastors are trained). This would be another post, so I won’t unpack this further right now.

And finally, the church herself is undergoing dramatic change. I think most of the changes in the church come from the influence of the first two. Many large non-denominational and congregational churches have also been impacted by the fall from grace of senior leaders of these churches. This has happened enough over the past few years, many feel uneasy in these kinds of churches, even if their own local church has not been directly impacted.

Here is an image I have used to describe what I think is happening:

Tectonic plates are shifting in the culture. When tectonic plates shift, there are earthquakes. There is rumbling. There is shaking. Often major edifices are damaged or even collapse when tectonic plates shift.

I think we are seeing this kind of major disruption and change in the church today.

There have been (at least) two major models for raising up leaders for the church.

I’m sure much more nuance could be added here, so feel free to fill this out in your own thinking or experience. The point here is to get some things in place in order to move forward.

My own experience was largely with the first model. I will call it the ecclesial bureaucracy model. I’ll use my experience to explain it:

I received a calling to ordained ministry through a short-term mission trip to Mexico when I was a junior in college. One short week changed my life in so many ways. By the end of the week, I had a deep sense that there was nothing more fulfilling I could do than give my life in service to the church, by the grace of God. I remember time and time again being stunned by how joyful it was to serve the Lord through the church.

I knew nothing. I had no clue what I was getting myself into. And I made a lot of mistakes along the way.

But there were also a lot of things that were clear and decisions I didn’t really have to make. I was a United Methodist and didn’t question whether I should pursue ordination in the UMC or not.

The blessing of this was that the path forward was clear. The obvious next step was to attend seminary after I graduated from college. I began having conversations with the senior pastor of the church I was attending, who was generous with his time and wisdom. I formally applied to become a “certified candidate” during my first year of seminary.

I did not have a long-term relationship with the same local church throughout my time in the ordination process. I moved quite a bit from my freshman year of high school through seminary.

So to summarize: Once I felt a calling to ministry, I basically got on a moving walkway where the next step was fairly clear. And if I was approved for ordination by denominational authorities, I would also be appointed to pastor in a local church. If approved for ordination, I would, literally, be guaranteed an appointment (a pastoral position in a local church).

I think there are strengths and weaknesses of this model. And they could be done better or worse than it was done in the UMC when I went through the process. When I was teaching United Methodist polity, I used to tell students that the number one value of the UMC ordination process appeared to me to be persistence. If you kept going, you would almost certainly be ordained. 

(This was most evident to me when someone in the conference I was ordained in clearly revealed that they did not believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. They were not discontinued or removed from the process at that point. They were deferred and had to rewrite and repeat the interview process the next year. They were then approved and ordained. Is it more likely this person’s views on the bodily resurrection of Jesus changed, or that they found a more acceptable way to present (or cover up) their heretical views?)

The second model I’ll call the apprenticeship model. It was not my experience, so I can’t give as much detail. I think this approach is most common in non-denominational and congregational church polities. For this reason, I also suspect it is less uniform and more organic and relational.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. A person is raised up for leadership in the church by someone who is recognized as an excellent leader in the church. Preparation for ministry comes by being invited to get closer to the senior leader with behind-the-scenes access. Over time, they are given opportunities to lead with the senior leader’s oversight and feedback. And eventually, they are released to lead on their own, though likely with continued oversight or spiritual covering.

Sometimes a person in this system will replace the senior leader when they step down. Depending on the system, they might move to a different context taking on significant leadership responsibilities.

This model is highly relational. The person who is being raised up for leadership in the church spends significant time with the person who is discipling, mentoring, or apprenticing them. It is inefficient in the sense that it requires proximity and a lot of time together. It is also driven by the needs of the person being raised up and so is very contextual and responsive to where they are and how they need to grow. It is also inefficient because one person cannot have this kind of relationship with an unlimited number of people.

Another way to think of this model is to think of Robert Coleman’s Master Plan of Evangelism and other relational discipleship making tools. These are usually focused on discipleship as the goal for all who come to faith in Jesus Christ. It is not surprising that those who are raised up to lead in these kinds of contexts continue to be raised up to lead in this way.

I suspect that very often a sense of calling to lead in the church comes within the context of these discipling relationships.

During the season when I first began to feel a tug to rethink some of my assumptions about how to best raise up leaders for the church, I started getting to know a non-denominational church near where I lived. The folks in this church were very gracious to me and the senior pastor met with me. I wanted to ask him two questions in particular:

How did you get to be in your position? I remember the answer, though it was more fleshed out than just this, because I had heard it from others in the same church family: I lived in Buddy’s basement. 

In other words, the founding pastor invited him to come closer, literally into his home, for a season. And he poured into him and raised him up.

The second question was: Is there anything that I do that can help you and those you are raising up? We developed a degree at Asbury Theological Seminary that came directly out of my conversations with this pastor and the pastor of another large non-denominational church at another place I taught. (Send me an email [scroll down] if you want to know more about it.)

I think both models would be improved by the other.

Non-denominational and congregational churches that don’t require any formal education outside of themselves make themselves vulnerable.

Large denominations that have heavily bureaucratic ordination processes have greater risk in my view.

My working hypothesis is that the most effective pastors in the United States at present came up through more of the apprenticeship model than the ecclesial bureaucracy model. My experience is that almost all of them end up pursuing a seminary education, but it usually comes after they have been leading in meaningful ways in the local church.

So, Now What?

For most established leaders reading this, the action step is most likely to look for people to bring in closer to walk with you and build them up. One of the problems with bureaucratic approaches to ordination is that they are so depersonalized. People don’t grow in self-awareness because the kind of one-on-one conversations that happen in an apprenticeship don’t happen nearly as often.

Here is what I am seeing: I believe the church, particularly healthy large congregations with stable leadership and deep roots, is only going to be more important going forward for the work of raising up leaders for the church. All churches are important in this work. The local church is the ordinary context for hearing a calling to ministry. I think larger churches just have the capacity and the resources to invest in the next generation for their own sake.

I think large churches will develop coaching trees like Nick Saban did at Alabama. People will serve for a season in these churches and experience accelerated growth in a host of ways in these contexts. Some, who can joyfully stay long-term in an associate type of role, will stay for decades. But most will serve for a season, be built up, equipped, and sent out to lead with excellence.

And I have a feeling this will be less dependent on denominational affiliation than it has ever been in the history of Christianity in the United States.

This vision excites me because Asbury Church (where I am) is the kind of church that can do an excellent job of apprenticing people to be excellent leaders.

Asbury is a conservative evangelical church from the Wesleyan theological heritage that averages about 2,500 in person in weekly worship at one campus. At Asbury, intentional and strategic attention is given to the culture of the church. Asbury not only has a great culture, but the senior leaders can tell you why they are doing what they are doing and how to work to set, shift, or move culture. This is so important! And there is a clear emphasis on discipleship. As with our work to build and maintain a great culture, the church can articulate a coherent vision for how we make disciples.

And one of the most unique things about Asbury Church, within the context of this post, is that Asbury has a passion for education. Asbury hosts the Asbury Theological Seminary Tulsa Extension Site on its campus. So, a person preparing to become a pastor could come to Asbury Church and be in seminary here at the same time.

Asbury Church’s commitment to education is also evident in its decision to launch Asbury Classical School this year.

One of the saddest things to me about my time in theological education has been seeing the negative impact a seminary tends to have on local churches in the immediate geographical area of the seminary. At a previous institution, someone commented on the “dead zone” that surrounded the seminary. 

What a gift that I get to teach at a seminary whose mission and values I agree with at a church I am proud to be part of and that I am confident will bless my students.

If you, or someone you know, is wrestling with a calling to ministry, I would love to connect with you. Maybe you should move to Tulsa and see for yourself. I am learning more and more that proximity and time within a relational atmosphere are crucial to raising up the next generation of leaders for the church.

I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Kevin M. Watson is Director of Academic Growth and Formation at Asbury Theological Seminary’s Tulsa, OK Extension Site. He is also Scholar in Residence at Asbury Church. His most recent book, Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline describes the purpose of the Wesleyan tradition and the struggle to maintain its identity in the United States.

What I Have Learned from the Salvation Army

08 Thursday Feb 2024

Posted by in Holiness, Life

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Last week, I had the privilege of speaking to the Salvation Army Officers of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Division on the theme of “Holiness unto the Lord.”

If you are not familiar with the Salvation Army’s structure, officers in the Army are the equivalent of clergy in most churches. So, this was like a retreat for all of the active clergy in the Salvation Army serving in Arkansas and Oklahoma. I love the schedule at Officer’s Councils (at least at the Divisions in the Southern Territory where I’ve been a guest). There are typically two sessions of worship and teaching in the morning and then the rest of the day is unscheduled. 

It is a blessing for pastors to have time away where they have time and space in the schedule to truly rest, relax, and reconnect with each other. This is a rare gift and I’ve not experienced that kind of intentionality given to actual rest, rather than busyness and business at this kind of gathering.

The Salvation Army also does hospitality exceptionally well. My goodness! Unpacking this would be an entire post of its own. I’ll just give one example: one time the Army not only flew my entire family to be with me because it was my daughter’s 10th birthday, they also ordered a special cake and balloons that were waiting for her when we arrived. They have loved us so well!

I want to share a bit about my connection to the Salvation Army and what I have learned, so far. This is a bit vulnerable for me to share. I am not intending to boast in Kevin here. I am intending to give glory to God. I also hope it may help some of you recognize when the Lord provides similar places of blessing in your lives.

The Lord has blessed me with a special connection to the Salvation Army. It started at a moment when I did not expect it all. And it has truly been a sheer gift from the Lord.

The first invitation I received to speak at an Army event was as the Commencement speaker for Evangeline Booth College, in Atlanta, GA at the beginning of the summer in 2021. I went to that event very naïve. I knew a little bit about the Salvation Army. I knew, for example, that they were founded by Generals William and Catherine Booth in England. I also knew that they had strong connections to the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition and that their impressive social work came out of this heritage.

I also knew that Ezekiel Elliott sometimes jumped into a giant red Salvation Army kettle after he scored a touchdown on Thanksgiving back when he played for the Cowboys.

I didn’t know much more than that, however, when I spoke to the Cadets (students) who were graduating from Evangeline Booth College.

This first Salvation Army event came at a strange time in my life. I had just resigned a tenured faculty position at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. After stepping away from this position, I didn’t think I was going to be doing much of this kind of speaking anymore. Something about that moment brought focus, freedom, and courage to speak very candidly about the need for the Army to remember that its identity is first and foremost an army of salvation through Christ. They are also a people committed to holiness and full salvation. I pressed them to remember that they were raised up to be an intentionally strange people and that they should not lay aside the things that set them apart from the world to hope to receive the world’s approval.

For me personally, it felt like one of the most bold and true talks I had ever given. I think a piece of this was that I kind of assumed this was a one-off opportunity just before we moved away from Atlanta. 

It can be easier to be bolder with strangers than with friends.

In ways I could not have known, however, the Lord blessed me by giving me favor with the leaders of the Southern Territory who were there that day. I did not have the opportunity to visit with them at length at Commencement. But, that event led to further opportunities to minister within the Salvation Army and get to know its leadership.  

Since speaking at Evangeline Booth College, I have spoken at Bible Conference in the summer of 2022, Officer’s Councils in three different divisions (Kentucky-Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Arkansas-Oklahoma) and at a Holiness week at the College for Officer Training in the Eastern Territory in Suffern, NY.

Every single one of these experiences has been a tremendous blessing to me.

Last week brought some things together for me that I want to share:

First, I want to publicly thank the leadership of the Salvation Army for loving me and my family so well during a challenging time for us. Lt. Colonels Tom and Julie Louden, currently serving as Divisional Commanders for Kentucky and Tennessee, first invited me to speak at Evangeline Booth College’s Commencement. They also prayed for us many times throughout this season and even sent a care package to my kids at Christmas in 2022.

Just as encouraging to me, I have been surprised in the best way by the wisdom and moral courage I have found among many of the leaders of the Salvation Army, especially in the Southern Territory, where I have had the most engagement. I have often been looking for wisdom, moral courage, and leaders who provide godly spiritual covering for the people under their car. I have seen that in the leadership of the Southern Territory in ways that have strengthened and encouraged me.

Finally, I want to share what I think could most easily be misunderstood as boastful. But I am going to risk it in hopes of giving glory to Jesus Christ and his work in my life. I also want to share it here in case it helps you recognize the places of abundance in your life.

The Salvation Army has been for me what a dear friend of mine calls a “land of my anointing.” I did not see this coming or expect it at all. But again and again I have come back from Salvation Army events and said to my wife, “I feel like the Lord prepared this particular people for exactly what he has put in me.” I am learning to simply trust and receive this as a gift from the Lord. 

When I minister in Salvation Army contexts, I consistently receive feedback that things I’ve sensed or said have landed, often beyond what I could have expected. I think every time I’ve spoken at an Army event I have received testimony that I have spoken prophetically in ways I didn’t anticipate. This has been humbling to me because it has not come from my own wisdom or hard work. It has simply been the Holy Spirit’s work moving to bless his people.

These experiences have helped me learn to pay attention and intentionally listen for the Spirit’s guidance and direction anytime I preach or teach. It has been so much more fun working with the Spirit than trying to do it on my own!

I have seen the Lord move in powerful ways renewing the strength of officers to recommit to the fight for souls, press into deeper relational connectedness particularly through reclaiming Wesleyan class and band meetings, and even blessing officers with the gift of entire sanctification. I’ve also seen God’s heart for officer families.

I have been able to invite people to receive the gift of entire sanctification in multiple contexts. And the Lord has moved in miraculous and transforming ways. At the last Salvation Army event, I heard a powerful testimony to entire sanctification just before I preached on 1 Thessalonians 4:1-6 and 5:23-24. I then invited people to receive the gift of entire sanctification in faith that Jesus has already done everything that is needed to break the power of canceled sin in their lives. 

I used a specific image that was given to me by the Spirit in the moment and multiple people testified that the Holy Spirit fell on them in a powerful way through that image. This was especially humbling for me because when the image was brought to mind, I did not like it. It seemed corny to me. But I offered it because I felt the weight of the Spirit on it. 

What a great reminder that the Lord knows so much better than I do!

Two people have testified to me that they received entire sanctification through the Spirit’s work at that session.

God is so good!

I am learning to gratefully accept that the Lord in his wisdom has made the Salvation Army a place of particular anointing in this season of my life. It has been fun and a joy.

I don’t know how long this season will last. I am aware that I am not in control of any of it. I just know it has been a blessing to me in a rough stretch. I am thankful for what I have seen the Spirit do over these last few years. I have learned so much and am grateful for all of it.

Is there a place for you that consistently seems to be synced up with the Holy Spirit? Where there always seems to be fruit beyond your expectations in a way that is clearly separated from your performance or achievement? Look for your land of anointing. Is there a place, a people, or a topic, where the Lord consistently brings his blessing to your work?

When you see it, receive it in humble and joyful submission to the Lord.

I know for me it has been a gift to see such a concrete sign of how God has intended to use the things he has put in me for his purposes even before I could have anticipated any of it.

To God be the glory!

When Methodist Distinctives Aren’t

06 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by in Christian Living

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Methodists, particularly United Methodists, have a very bad habit of making sweeping statements about what makes the Methodist tradition distinct or unique. The main reason this is a bad habit is because when Methodists do this they are often claiming ownership of things that are basic to Christianity or that are at least at the heart of the values or beliefs of other parts of the Body of Christ. When Methodists do this, it makes us look oblivious at best, and obnoxious and arrogant at worst.

Since joining the faculty at SPU two years ago, I have had more interactions with Christians who are not United Methodists than I had previously. More than once, I have heard someone ask why Methodists claim something as a distinctive of their tradition when it is a basic Christian affirmation. Just yesterday, a colleague pointed out that Methodists do not have the market cornered on holiness.

I am trying to do a better job of being more humble and accurate in what I claim as a distinctive of my own branch of the Christian family tree. I have also become more sensitive to just how often Methodists make rather grandiose claims about the marvels of our own tradition.

Here are the three most common ways I have heard people describe Methodism’s distinctiveness that are not unique to Methodism.

1. Methodists believe in grace.

Asserting that grace is a distinct belief of Methodism would understandably be offensive to other Christians, because they believe in grace too! Ask your brother or sister in Christ from a non-Methodist tradition whether they believe in grace and let me know when you find someone who says no.

John Calvin talks extensively about grace in his Institutes of the Christian Religion. Here is one example, that is particularly important for Methodists to read because it refers to the role of grace in both justification and sanctification:

Christ was given to us by God’s generosity, to be grasped and possessed by us in faith. By partaking of him, we principally receive a double grace: namely, that being reconciled to God through Christ’s blamelessness, we may have in heaven instead of a Judge a gracious Father; and secondly, that sanctified by Christ’s spirit we may cultivate blamelessness and purity of life. (Institutes, III.XI.1)

Grace is very important to Methodism because it is very important to Christianity. When Methodists claim that we are distinct because we talk so much about grace, we look foolish to other parts of the Body of Christ and damage our own commitment to having a “Catholic Spirit.”

2. Methodists allow you to use your brain.

This affirmation, when I hear it, seems to do two things at once. It is a way that Methodists congratulate themselves on being so educated, open-minded, and tolerant. At the same time, it indirectly insults people whose views are less sophisticated than we perceive ours to be.

While there are some parts of Christianity that don’t affirm the role of theological education to the degree that most Methodists do, every classic Christian theologian I can think of would insist on using your mind to love God.

Faith seeking understanding did not originate with Methodism!

The way that I sometimes hear Methodists talk about our being unafraid to use our minds smacks of a kind of elitism and arrogance that is disappointing, particularly when coming from members of my own ecclesial family. And it is all the more problematic (and ironic) because it is sometimes used as a way to dismiss someone else’s beliefs without actually using one’s brain to make a reasoned argument as to why something is wrong and something else is right.

3. Methodists are connectional.

The ideas behind this are more complicated, but this is basically an assertion that Methodists are distinct because we are a church that is connected to each other in a variety of different ways (conferences, itinerant preachers, general boards and agencies, etc.).

Intentionally or not, this affirmation implies that other denominations are not interested in working together or connecting with each other. Though the polities are not the same, I imagine that the Roman Catholic Church, or the Eastern Orthodox Church, or the Anglican Church (and others) would see themselves as a connectional church in a way quite similar to Methodists.

Could it be that a distinctive of Methodism is taking credit for things that belong to the legacy of the global church? I hope not. Maybe every tradition succumbs to this temptation. As a Methodist, I have found myself wrestling with the pretension of my own tradition over the last two years.

Have you noticed the tendency of Methodists to claim basic Christian beliefs, values, or practices as uniquely Methodist? What other claims of distinctiveness that aren’t actually distinctive of Methodism would you add?

Consumerism: The Major Threat to American Christianity

05 Tuesday Feb 2008

Posted by in Book Review

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Now I understand Matt’s enthusiasm for Alan Hirsch’s book The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church. (Check out this post and this post that Matt wrote.) I may try to write a more organized review later, but for now I just need to tell you to go out and get this book if you haven’t already read it.

Sometimes you read something that you just need to go ahead and post. Hirsch’s thoughts about the threat consumerism poses to Christianity is one of those things:

  • “I have come to believe that the major threat to the viability of our faith is that of consumerism” (106).
  • “Christianity has become a mere matter of private preference rather than that of public truth” (108).
  • “This is our missional context, and I’ve come to believe that in dealing with consumerism we are dealing with an exceedingly powerful enemy propagated by a very sophisticated media machine. This is our situation, but it is also our own personal condition – and it must be dealt with if we are going to be effective in the twenty-first century in the West” (109).
  • “I found out the hard way that if we don’t disciple people, the culture sure will” (111).

This section just hit me pretty hard. Consumerism has become so much a part of our culture, even within the church, that we often don’t even recognize it. Hirsch encourages the Church to remember that “discipleship is all about adherence to Christ” (106). And that should impact everything we do, and how we do it.

Finally, please know that this is not the essence of this book. There is so much more, this is just something that really hit me as I was reading it and wanted to put it out there.

So, what are your thoughts? Is consumerism the major threat to American Christianity? Is Hirsch overreacting?

Christian Responses to Colorado Shooting

13 Thursday Dec 2007

Posted by in Ministry

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I stumbled on some passionate discussion about the shootings last weekend in Colorado.  It helped me to think a bit more about what had happened.  I have to admit, I thought it was very surreal to hear the senior pastor of New Life Church calling the security guard who shot and killed the armed man (though an autopsy later revealed the fatal gunshot was his own) a hero.  I was also surprised that a basic premise of that church was that it was good to have an armed security guard on site, who was prepared to shoot to kill. It strikes me that it is a sad reflection on the church when the best response we have to offer to a sick and hurting world is to take out the sick and hurting people if they threaten us. I don’t have anything to add to the discussion beyond what has already been said, but I want to draw attention to Dr. Ben Witherington’s post, and a response to that post, which I am much less sympathetic to, at the methoblog.  In some ways, I can identify the most with Andrew’s post about the shooting at Thoughts of Resurrection, which mostly conveys deep sadness.  

Being Open-minded is Overrated

13 Thursday Dec 2007

Posted by in Ministry

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When I was getting ready to go to seminary, I remember many people giving me the standard don’t lose your faith pitch. I remember wondering why so many people were worried that learning something was going to damage my faith. I also remember thinking it was slightly disturbing that so many people seemed like they would be more comfortable with an uneducated pastor than an educated pastor. It felt like the unexpressed fear was really that their faith couldn’t stand up to close scrutiny.

I went to seminary figuring that I had a lot to learn. I wanted to get as much out of the experience as I could, so I decided to hear people out on every possible subject. I tried to start from scratch. The one exception was that I was going to consider everything as a Christian. In other words, my identity as a follower of Jesus Christ was not up for discussion, because by this point in my life it had become part of who I was – not something I was trying to intellectually dissect.

For the first year and a half of seminary, I felt like open-mindedness was the number one virtue that was preached to me. The biggest sin you could commit, or so it felt, was to view what someone else was doing with a clean conscience as wrong or a sin. Now I want to be clear: I learned a lot during my time in seminary. Taking the time to really try to understand where people were coming from on different sides of controversial issues was very important to my development as not just a pastor, but more broadly, as a Christian. (Though, I also have to admit that I am sure I didn’t do a perfect job of understanding where people were coming from on either side of many controversial issues.)

Nevertheless, I did get to know and become friends with many different people with many different experiences. These were positive experiences for me. But they were not life-changing or life-giving. I know many people would disagree with me on this, but for me, trying to understand where everyone else was coming from was not causing me to grow in my relationship with God. In many ways it was an important step in learning to love my neighbor, but I don’t think that just accepting someone where they are at is the goal of Christ’s command to love your neighbor as yourself. (My goal for my own life is certainly not just to accept myself where I am at.)

The most transformative experience for me in seminary was the result of taking Methodist History and Doctrine and reading John Wesley’s sermons. I realized that this was a person who expressed much of what I intuitively felt about God. I always had a deep sense that the Christian life was a life of trying to give all that I knew about myself to my best understanding of who God was (though even that articulation has been strengthened by Dr. Doug Strong, one of my mentors in seminary). This meant that I expected to grow in my faith throughout my life because my understanding of God and where I was spiritually were both continually changing.

Around the same time that I took Methodist History and Doctrine, I was invited to join a Wesleyan band meeting. This was a group of five men who met weekly to confess their sins to one another, to vocalize the forgiveness we find in Christ, and to pray for one another. It was a powerful group that brought Wesley’s understanding of how to practice Christian faith to life for me. So I came to realize that I was Wesleyan theologically, and I was Wesleyan practically. Or, I could embrace a Wesleyan doctrine and a Wesleyan discipline.

What does all of this have to do with being open-minded? These experiences have led me to the conviction that it is crucial in the postmodern matrix to be able to identify where you are standing. Many people seem to get confused by all of the options that face them and just sort of exist in this plurality of choices. But for me at least, I found that I only had something to say, I only could confidently say I had a contribution to make, once I knew where I was coming from.

In other words, there is a sense in which close-mindedness may be more difficult and more important than being open-minded in the twenty-first century mainline church. Now, I would not take this to extremes. We are called to love our neighbor, even when we disagree with them. We would never harm those whom Christ died for with our words or our actions. But, do you see what I am saying? I think there is a sense in which we need to know where we stand before we have much of anything to say. I feel like I have something to offer when I talk with another Christian, or someone who is not a Christian because I am speaking not just as Kevin, but I am trying as best as I can to represent the Wesleyan tradition, which I am convinced is the best path to the life that God created us for.

Sometimes in our efforts to be open-minded we forget that we actually believe something is true about the world.  It seems that in far too many places the church has lost its passion for transforming the culture that it is sent in mission to, and I can’t help but wonder if that is because we have become so open to anything and everything that we have lost our voice.  We just don’t know that we have anything to say.

What are your thoughts or reactions? I would love to hear your response.