You've Got To See This...

This week our youth took over the worship service, and I’m so incredibly thankful they did. (above is a live painting by Madilyn Fowler)

They read Scripture with grace and wonder.

They shared testimony with joy and passion.

They served in every corner with love and invitation.

And I am very proud of them.

One thing I mentioned on Sunday as we opened the service is that I hope you’ll receive these youth as full Christian leaders in our church, even as many of you remember them as children or infants. Maybe you even remember something they did just a few days ago that made you ask, “Why?!”

But I’ve got to be honest—this isn’t simply an acknowledgment of their growth and maturity. It’s actually a mark of maturity in the rest of us.

We’re in a series right now titled How to Grow a Disciple, and the purpose is to move farther along our discipleship path, growing closer to God and God’s call on our lives. There’s the personal growth that comes with discipleship, and there’s the growth of the church as well. As we grow as a church community, we’ll need new leaders.

Some of those leaders will come from the youth we raise and nurture. Others will be people who find their way to our church. Still others will be new Christians who discover God’s love through the witness of this community.

The truth is that encouraging new leaders means making room for them to lead. It means listening to their hopes for the church. It means inviting them into the work of ministry. It means giving them a voice in the leadership of the church, even when it requires us to step aside.

This is what it means to grow disciples as we continue growing as disciples ourselves.

Our maturity should lead us to recognize others who are being called by God to serve faithfully. It should help us see the Holy Spirit at work in their lives and celebrate the gifts God has given them.

So this week, I invite you to do two things:

1. Encourage someone you see growing in faith

2. Ask God who you might help take their next step in leadership.

After all, one of the clearest signs of a growing disciple is a willingness to help someone else grow too.

From My Heart,

Rev. Steph Margeson