I can honestly say that over 10 years and two churches, I have been a pretty good employee. I actually work 40+ hours, show up on time and even dress semi-appropriately. In fact, I’ve almost been fired only one time. Personally, I think that one time over 10 years is pretty good. So, why did I almost get fired? I’m glad you asked.
Xanga
Before the days of Twitter, Facebook ruled the Internet. Before Facebook, MySpace was all the rage. Before MySpace was Xanga. If you remember this you’re borderline old—like me. As a young youth pastor, I took to Xanga like a fiend in an attempt to get on my students turf.
Gone Emergent
At this same time I opened a new vein of study. I randomly picked out a new book because I liked the cover. The book was Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. For the record, I read this book before you did. I WAS A TREND SETTER!!!
I read it in one sitting. It still remains one of my favorite books. The Salinger style and the fresh approach to faith blew my mind. I quickly read The Art of Prayer and Volkswagen Maintenance and moved on to other authors of what would later be dubbed the Emergent Movement—Rob Bell, Dan Kimball, Brian McLaren and many others.
At this point in my life, I was just a few years out of Moody Bible Institute and I found this new theology to be incredibly intriguing. All this reading and thinking needed a processing outlet so naturally I began writing on my Xanga account. And this is where I got in trouble.
Not that kind of Old School
Did I mention that I was working at a Baptist church—A Baptist church that had been a stalwart in baptism theology for over 100 years? 100 year old Baptists aren’t down with Emergent theology. I guess I didn’t put together that people actually read my Xanga and considered my theological exploration to be hard and fast positions.
I was exploring, thinking outside the box and deciding where to settle theologically. In the end I adopted new language, a much more relational understanding of God (Thank you Searching for God Knows What), a more missional approach to church and a theology not that far from where I started in the first place, but at the time it sounded to my Baptist employers like I took a swan dive off the deep end.
One fine afternoon, my boss took me for a walk. We’d never done this before so I sort of thought maybe I was getting a raise or something. I was surprised when instead I got reprimanded. To his credit, my boss gently explained why it was a problem that I was processing theology and church practice in such a public place. Instead of getting upset he applauded my curiosity and exploration and at the same time explicitly warned me of what my current employment would look like if I kept processing the way that I had been.
Process Appropriately
That conversation had a profound impact on me. The lesson I learned is that we as pastors need to be careful where we process. Our exploration can deeply impact the people who follow us—especially if they are adolescents. We also need to be sensitive to the historical and cultural settings in which we are employed. At some point, God may call us to challenge the norm but how we go about that is incredibly important.
I’m thankful that my boss was gracious and yet direct. At a time when I was struggling with organizational church, if he had mishandled the situation I may have reacted negatively and been fired or left the church. Instead, I was simply almost fired and went on to continue to grow and explore in more appropriate environments.
How about you? Ever been almost fired? Do share.
