news article

Young Pastors Network: Dream bigger

February 4, 2015 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

By the Rev. John Martin*

Editor's note: This article is part one of a six-part series.

This past year, I was a part of a small group of young clergy gathered from across the United States to spend some time in community and mentoring alongside the Rev. Mike Slaughter and the Rev. Adam Hamilton. This opportunity included trips to both the Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church (Rev. Slaughter’s church) and the Church of the Resurrection (Rev. Hamilton’s church). This was an incredible opportunity to learn from two of the leading pastors within our denomination, and while only approximately 40 of us were a part of the Young Pastors Network, I thought some of the insights I learned might be worth sharing with all of you! I invite you to look for this column in your Advocate for the next several issues as I try to share a little of what I learned.

The first and biggest take away I left this program with was to dream bigger! Living in the Northeast, specifically in the Upper New York Conference, few of us have had a lot experience with vibrant, growing and healthy congregations, especially not big ones. For many of us, the “good old days” were long ago, and what we consider success actually isn’t all that successful. Revs. Hamilton and Slaughter encouraged all of us to not limit God’s vision and plan in our own lives and within our congregations.

Our first trip was to the Ginghamsburg UMC, located in Tipp City, Ohio. Tipp City has a population of roughly 9,500 people (or roughly equivalent to Upper New York’s communities of Corning, Hamburg, Ogdensburg and Watervliet); Rev. Slaughter’s church runs right around 5,000 people each Sunday! When he made this point to us it was not to brag, or compare his church to any of ours, but rather to say that God can do great things in places we might least expect!

This encouragement to dream bigger wasn’t simply about attendance numbers, budgets or statistical reports. Over and over again, we were told stories of people who had a dream for this ministry or that, who were given permission to dream bigger and then to follow their dreams! One of these ministries entailed the group going to an auto garage, where one person had a dream of fixing up old and broken down cars and then donating them to people in need. The ministry has become a huge part of Ginghamsburg’s outreach into the surrounding communities and has grown to include several mechanics and dozens of cars given away each year!

Friends, hear these words as encouragement and permission to dream bigger! As you’re looking to your plans, your upcoming ministries and out into your communities this year, don’t limit God. Don’t allow past success, old expectations and current standards to limit how God can use you and the people you are called to be in ministry with and alongside. DREAM BIGGER!

*The Rev. John Martin is pastor at the Adirondack Community Church in Lake Placid.