Church Culture Shock

We have been attending New City Fellowship in University City since the week we moved to town.  This church is in the PCA and broke the mold for us in terms of PCA expectations.  It maintains solid theology and has great preaching.  And it's focus is on racial reconciliation.  The church is made up of quite the eclectic mix of people.  Each week we sing in English and various other languages (French, Spanish, Lingala, and a couple other African tribal languages).  Each week, it seems, we sing at least one Negro spiritual (along with many call-and-response songs).  The music is kind of jazz-rock to boot.  The service is well-orchestrated (its the only church I've ever been to where a bulletin isn't needed and you won't get lost in the service).  The preaching is good-to-great.  

Although it is very far outside of our comfort zone and personal preference, we were settling in.  Kathee and I serve in the Firm Foundation Tutoring program.  Kathee serves in the nursery once in a while and attends women's Bible study there weekly.  

As part of my Spiritual and Ministry Formation class, I did a bunch of page paper on my "divine design."  Basically I took like 10 assessments (Myers-Briggs, spiritual gifts inventory, DISC, etc, etc, etc).  Upon completing that and turning it in, I then set up a meeting with Doctor Douglass for Kathee and I to go and get my palm read.  Due to being in ministry for almost 15 years, he didn't need to help me discern my calling to ministry.  But he did say a few things that were a bit unsettling (not bad, just unsettling).  Bear in mind that he's not God and we are not taking everything he said as gospel.  But he is the longest-serving professor at Covenant (28 years) and has meet with first year students, helping them discern what it is they are to be doing in God's flock.    

To start he said that I am uniquely gifted for ministry (something I don't think I've ever heard someone in authority over me say to me/about me before).  

Second, he said he thinks my days in youth ministry are over.  Due to my personality make-up, he said he was very surprised I was in youth ministry at all, and secondly that I thrived in youth ministry.  And he said due to my personality type, my effectiveness in youth ministry will wain once I'm 18-20 years older than the kids I'm serving (he said if I was another personality type it could work).  However, he said he thinks I need to be serving as the pastor at a church of 800-900 people (not because I'm that good, but because a church that size would have the infrastructure--my word-- that will allow me to use my giftings the best).  

His statement about my youth ministry days being over didn't sit all that well with Kathee.  She shared with Doctor Douglas that I have been a fantastic youth pastor and that one of my gifts is that I can be off-the-wall crazy one moment and then the next moment settle the kids down and be talking about deep theology and things of weight.  She said she thinks someone like me is needed in youth ministry as youth pastors (many) are very flighty, immature, not deep, and are too transient.  He listened, was understanding, and held to his guns (so did Kathee).  

But this also led to another unsettling thing.  He suggested we might try a few other churches as the one we attend will not allow me to be an intern there for pastoral ministry (I have already been offered to serve with one of the outreach arms of the church as an intern, but that won't give me church pastoral experience).  So he suggested a couple of churches for us to try.

We attended New City Fellowship in South City a few weeks ago.  This is the other campus than the church we currently attend.  I don't think we'll go back to that location.  The other church he suggested is the church he (and other professors from Covenant) attends.  He even said he'd be willing to call one of the pastors (who oversees interns) and get me in.  I'm a bit gunshy of attending there as many of the profs attend there.  

So today we drove to St Peter, MO, to Grace Presbyterian Church.  A friend of mine at Covenant suggested we try there as it was recommended to him by someone.  And the Polks, who are missionaries in Ethiopia who we support, suggested it, too.  They are home as Liz is due to have their daughter and that's where they attend.  It's also where Jason interned when he was at Covenant.  

There she sits, in farmland, on farm property.  It was comfortable and familiar to us.  But boy was it a shock for me. Today was "Blue Grass Sunday."  Not one song in Lingala or Swahili.  It was much more rural feeling.  Not urban and suburban folks.  The preaching was good Bible storyline, but zero application.  Not a ton a ton a ton of application.  It was much quieter and decently and in order.  

So we'll see what happens.  

This finding a new church thing is very difficult.  And it's hard when we thought we'd be finding a church of our choice but are finding out that finding a church where I can do field education and internships (for school) is needed and determinitive.  

So our being unsettled in St Louis continues.  We continue to hear that it takes a year to feel settled.  This week we were told that it takes two.  So we are right on schedule.  

What I am delighting in is seeing the various ways that worship happens (even within what seems to be to be a very homogeneous denomination).  All are worshipping the Lord, together, as the body of Christ.  All are basing it on solid Bible and theology.  All are contextualizing it those in their midst.  And all is glorious (even the places we go where we don't readily want to return).  Our God is good, He is leading the way, and we are contentedly along for the ride.  

Our adventures continue!