Thank God, I am Not Alone

October is coming to a close and with that we close our “Pastor Appreciation Month.”  It is good for churches to recognize those pastors who labor hard to shepherd God’s people.  It is a difficult and unending job filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  A couple of weeks ago our staff and elders officially and publicly recognized me and gave thanks.  I am very appreciative of the gift and their recognition.

But I am far from alone in leading New City and it seems unfair that I would let the month go by without giving public thanks for God’s good grace to me and to New City in the staff and elders we have.

I want to first say that God has given New City a very unique (in a good way) staff.  Often the church vocation world is just like all other vocations.  Church staff members often see their position as a “steppingstone” job.  This church position will be good to get them to the bigger and higher paying church.  I don’t see that in our team!  They genuinely want to be at New City Church.  They believe in our mission and vision and even in how we are trying to bring that about.  They love their areas of work.  But even more, they love Jesus and they love our people.
They want to see people come to love and follow Jesus.  They want to see our people grow more and more to be like Jesus.  This is more than a job for them.  I am thankful that God has graciously given us servants like he has in our staff.  Thank you Joey, Amanda, Rhett, Arthur, Amy, and Nick for all that you do at New City for the Kingdom.

I am also incredibly thankful for the men who serve New City as elders.  Elders at New City are truly pastors who shepherd well.  I am not alone in the job of pastoring New City Church Macon.  In many churches the elders are primarily an advisory board or a board of directors.  In those churches they direct the Lead Pastor and staff in ministry and authorize or deny spending and staff decisions.  That isn’t how our elders serve!  New City’s elders meet with young couples for pre-marital counseling, they meet with husbands and wives when their marriages are in trouble.  They are in community with our church through Missional Communities.  They gather in small groups that we call DNA groups to disciple others.  They teach our people in our Missional Communities, our Quarterly Trainings, and as they preach.  They have been huge in putting together our Church Planter and Replanter Residency and they continue to lead in various sections of it.  They help with sermon planning.  They fill in for preaching when needed in Macon, Milledgeville, at East Side and other churches as well.  They are gifts of grace from God.
They love Jesus and his church.  They love and support me.
Thank you Dan, Donald, Greg, Lawrence (East Side), Adam, Justin, Patrick (Milledgeville), and Larry (East Side) for all that you do at New City and for the Kingdom.

My words, here or spoken really cannot express my gratitude.
New City Church, these people are evidence of God’s grace to you!
I hope that you see it.  And if you do, would you take just a moment to tell them you are thankful for them?  And maybe when you pray, would you pray for them? 
They labor hard for our good.