Today, while I was participating with my community of faith, I was captivated for a few minutes by a small young lady about 16-18 months old. Her mom and dad were setting right in front of me. They had let her down during musical worship. First, she wandered about one row toward the front, then she returned and put her hand in a cup that her mom was holding and got some cheerios. She was smiling and dancing around to the music. After her second time back to mom for a refill, she ventured about two rows away, then returned. Next, she ventured three rows away and returned. Then, she ventured into a row with some other folks and danced around, then returned. Next, she discovered there was another whole area behind her she had not yet explored. She refilled and went toward the back. The parents set calmly and watch their daughter enjoying herself with great big smiles of enjoyment on their faces. On one occasion, she got out of the sightline of the parents, her father got nervous and went to rescue her.

As I watched, I thought how wonderful it is to have a relationship with a heavenly parent who allows me to wander off, explore, and dance around a bit all the time enjoying my exploration, and then offers me a bit of refueling when I return, but when I wander too far off course, nervousness sets in, and I sense the rescuing hand of a loving parent scoop me up just before a possible catastrophe occurs.

Wow, isn’t freedom great?

You are quite correct in observing that the traditional seminary will train you for the body of Christ in residence, and the denomination will deploy you among bodies of Christ in residence, and those franchised bodies of Christ in residence will fully expect you to stay in residence! Keep office hours, maintain fixed worship times, renovate the property slowly and with great concern for memorial plaques, and above all, keep the other residents happy! Mission Mover: Beyond Education for Church Leadership. 92.

When I read the above paragraph from Mission Mover, I reflected on my own experience of the first two churches that I pastored in SoCal. They were “resident churches” and they wanted me to stay in residence abiding to office hours, washing my car once a week so that it set an example to others who arrived on Sunday morning and saw the car in the Pastor’s parking space. They wanted to have church at the “holy” appointed times Sunday AM and PM and Mid-week worship on Wednesday. They wanted me to be the caretaker of the property including mowing the grass on the front lawn so the church property would look picturesque to those passing by in their cars. They wanted me to keep the “memorial plaques” spit shinned. They certainly wanted me to keep everyone happy.

Well I was a complete failure! I did not keep regular office hours. I refused to wash my car on Saturday or park in the Pastor’s spot on Sunday. I changed the holy Sunday service to a different location and format. I refused to mow the lawn, I moved the “holy altar benches” into the men’s room of the gym so the guys would have a place to sit and tie their gym shoes. I moved the trophy case and trophies from the foyer to the gym. None of these changes made the “saints” happy. They were rather “crappy” in their attitude instead.

Of course, I did not last long in the “resident styled” church. I’ve always wanted to be innovative and missional. That hasn’t changed.

If you are thinking about theological education, you might want to read this book.

I teach a course presently at Bakke Graduate University which help those pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree to begin forming their thoughts about their dissertation. Yesterday, on Saturday evening, I attended the graduation ceremonies at Bakke held in the historic First Presbyterian Church in downtown Seattle. The graduating class this year had five graduates with a Masters of Theological Studies and twenty-three graduates with a Doctor of Ministry. Attending this service reminded me of my own graduation just a little over a year ago from George Fox University with my second Doctor of Ministry degree. My, how time files.

Donna and I missed the first part of the service because of a forty-five minute traffic jam getting into downtown Seattle, and on a Saturday evening at that. The service had one note of sadness. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Norm Maleng passed away unexpectedly the end of May. Ray Bakke, the present Chancellor and Norm Maleng grew up together in a small rural town in Northwest Washington. Ray and Norm road a bus to an from school for eleven of their twelve years in school. One thing stood out in Ray’s small eulogy. Ray, Norm, and one other boy attended a small church and their Sunday School teacher according to Ray “poured his life into those three children.” One went and served in Africa for twenty-two years, one became the Chief Prosecuting Attorney for King County, Washington for twenty-eight years, and the other spent twenty plus years pastoring and teaching in Chicago before returning to Seattle to become Chancellor of a graduate school which reaches students all around the world.

That Sunday School teacher may have never knows that the small but faithful and persistent thing he was doing would be used by God to reach more people that that one Sunday School teacher could have ever imagined. Small things count, and sometimes God often makes big things out of them.

It was fun to introduce my wife to faculty and those who work in the fabric of Bakke on a day to day basis. Well it’s 1:45 am Sunday morning. Guess I better “hit the hay!”