Pastorpreneur
Tired of playing it safe, this pastor hears a higher (and harder) calling.
John Jackson
October 1, 2003
By the time I was 35, I knew God had called me, gifted me, and used me in some significant ways. But I lived with a secret: My life was too safe. In my heart, I knew I had never been willing to lay it all on the line for Jesus.
I'd successfully managed many things, but I'd never been willing to focus on one thing, one dream—"this one thing I do," as Paul defined his ministry, risking personal failure to accomplish something only God could accomplish.
While at a retreat center in Wisconsin seven years ago, I wrestled with this tension. I went outside and walked in the snow. I felt like God had put a burning ember in my stomach. He seemed to be saying, "Would you dare to dream big dreams for me?" I knew the answer to that question carried a price tag.
Instantly I responded, "No!" I had a nice salary, a big office, and all the perks that come with being a denominational executive. I was not exactly happy in my current role, but I assumed that eventually God would let me go back to a local church where I'd be happier and more fulfilled.
God's question was more than I bargained for.
He was asking me to take a huge risk. Was I willing to put aside my salary and security—to walk into the unknown?
In the hours that followed my snowy encounter, God clarified the issue. He was calling me to work with people who had given up on the traditional church but who hadn't given up on God. The more I thought about it, the more I realized this was unmistakably God's calling for me.
I also found a new vision of the pastorate—the "Pastorpreneur"—an enterprising innovator who is willing to take great risks in church ministry with the hope of great gain for Christ and his kingdom. Like a good entrepreneur, this leader isn't wild-eyed and foolish. He assesses ...
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