Looking Back
Earlier today I got a call from an old friend. One of the guys that was a part of an old missional community I led for runners. It’s funny, that as I consider my feelings about the group at the time, the first thing that comes to mind is how difficult that time was. In addition to the personal things that I was working through with God, the meetings and training that went into our missional community was very draining. A lot of those feelings, I think, stem more from the nature of small group discussions and leading in general, than from specific situations and issues that arose from the group.
Sacrifice
The fact is, leading missional communities takes a lot out of you. Though there are endless ways to structure these efforts and serving activities, you will be required to take risks, challenge others, and wrestle with expectations and personal demons that most other people don’t have to on a regular basis.
That being said, as I talked to my buddy, who was one of several people that came to know the Lord through our group, I was reminded, as I sometimes need to be, that for all of the intermittent stress and fatigue that came from leading the group…a lot of good came out of that time we all spent together. At the end of the day, I would not be the person I am today without that experience, and the same can be said for the majority of people that were involved in our group. We are all still dealing with our issues, but are doing it from a place of understanding God better, and in many cases, have matured past some of the sin issues that we dealt with all those years ago.
Worth it.
This entry is really written to affirm current missional community leaders. What you guys do, it is changing the church. Sometimes you’ll wonder where the behavioral lines are while engaging society outside the church. Other times you will be discouraged with your teams and accountability partners. Still others, you will feel that for all of your conversations and attempts to serve and pray for others, God is doing little to change things in your corner of the world.
But I assure you, He is…it is all very much worth it…and you will never regret the time you have spent on mission in your university