Do you want to know what my dream is as a minister? Probably not. But you won’t hurt my feelings because I won’t know if you don’t read on.

My dream has to do with the questions I constantly ask?

• Why do I bother to minister?
• Why is Relationship Church (RC) here?
• Are we satisfying Jesus’ purpose for us?
• If Jesus was the earthly Senior Leader of RC how would it be different?

I am constantly reminded of the sacrifices of being a minister for God. Some of these are carrying my cross daily, denying my self, being misunderstood, people offended at you, giving up temporal rewards for eternal ones, being misjudged, and the rage of the devil.

When I listen to other ministers explain the purpose of their church, I often here answers like these (not in these exact words of course):

• We have a great Bible study with 7 points and a 4 color glossy cover.
• We have great national speakers with worldwide ministries coming through on our platform.
• We are building a trendy new high tech, high touch, color matched building.
• We have the best kid’s program in town complete with visits from the Wise Men, Shepherds, and live animals.
• The latest band with a name that is ‘cool’ sounding will be at the next youth meeting.

These are all nice and I don’t mind attending these things. I don’t even mind having some of these things at our church, with the possible exception of the live animals. But in the quietness of my soul, I ask, am I willing to go through the sacrifices that are involved to do these things as a minister?  To be honest, no. They aren’t worth it to me. If this is all that ministry basically consists of, I am going to stop and visit the Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun). They have a better show and it’s cheaper.

What do I dream of as a minister?

I dream of 3 things. I dream of seeing a group of people:

1. Getting to know Jesus intimately not just as a doctrine.
2. Maturing into character like Jesus’ not just ‘cleaned up’ on the outside.
3. Doing the same things Jesus did when He was on earth with power.

I know that this is a lofty goal. Maybe it truly is just a dream.

I don’t care about buildings, cool sounding events, theater chairs in the auditorium, and 4 types of lattes in the lobby. At 48 years old, I don’t feel like competing with Carmike Cinemas for people’s attention. I don’t dream of doing American church. I dream of people moving with meaning and doing with direction.

Impossible? Pie in the sky? Nope. In all honesty, the dream is coming true. I have found myself walking with people who are not only striving for these 3 things but are walking in them. Maybe not fully, but we are. It’s truly good to be a minister of Jesus. I am blessed. I am living my dream.