Following God's Nudging - My friend Hank
If you read my last post about Andy Stanley's sermon then this story will resonate with you. I work with a guy that has felt for some time God's call to the ministry. He has struggled with this over the past year or so and finally settled on God's call to start a new church in north Phenix City/Smiths Station. He has spent the past year+ reading, studying, outlining what he felt God was calling him to do. He has some very strong beliefs about the church and can back up his points with scripture. He feels the call to do some very unconventional things.

Problem is, he has a family to think about and financial needs. He knew that starting a new church was going to probably mean he'd have to have another "full-time" job until the church could get up and running. It would mean probably meeting in a house or a shopping center or store front until enough critical mass could be reached to build a building. His timeline was probably to start the church in the spring and hope to have enough folks to consider a permanent location in a year or so. His plans...

God had a different plan and just like in Andy's sermon, it was far greater than Hank could imagine. A few weeks ago he was invited to preach at a small church in South Phenix City with an elderly membership. He agreed to do it so he could get another sermon under his belt. About the same time a friend put him in touch with a principal in one of the P.C. schools. Seems there was a vacancy for a 7th grade math teacher. Hank's hope was that he could land that teaching job and that would give him a year of a decent salary and insurance and hours that were compatible with the plan to start a church. So he applied for the job.

Last week, he found out he got the teaching job - a perfect job to help him during the transition to full-time ministry. Meanwhile, the small south PC church liked Hank's sermon and began to ask him about possibly coming on as their full-time pastor. The church has 19 regularly attending members and they are old. He wrestled with this but decided to follow God's plan (vs. his plan) and agreed to meet with the membership. At the 2-hour meeting, Hank laid out his specific points for the call God had given him. Hank's challenge to the church was essentially, "Here is what God had laid on my heart and here is the vision I have for the church and here are the key points to God's ministry through me, I'll only come if you will agree to this upfront."

The church voted Sunday 19-0 to elect Hank as their new pastor paying him a good bit more than he expected. (God's provision)

So, all of a sudden, Hank has a teaching job with a decent salary - a job perfectly suited to the launching of his ministry. All of a sudden, Hank has the job as a pastor of a 200-seat, paid for church in South P.C. with money in the bank and a group of members hungry for a vision.

Hank heard God's call and took the bold (really bold when you think about all that was at stake) step of following God's call. Hank's vision was a church in the north part of PC. Hank's vision was a "make-do" start up church until enough mass could be obtained to build a building. God's vision was a paid for, 200-seat church in south PC surrounded by trailer parks. God wanted Hank right there and provided a total blessing to Hank for following His lead, His nudging, His inspiration.

Here is to Hank - a man after God's will. A man willing to throw off all the "you shouldn'ts" of the world to soar.