Starting From Scratch
Starting from scratch is a difficult thing to do.
It's been a very long time since I've been a part of something completely brand new, and I've never been in a role of responsibility in this type of adventure before.
It's been almost two months since my wife and I moved from Colorado to Birmingham, Alabama to be a part of the new ministries her home church is launching including a new campus. Now my wife and I are not new to the church campus world - we were very involved with a campus for our church in Kansas City where I was on staff. However, this is the first campus launch for this church. It's a completely new world for them. I've been asked to oversee worship and tech (though that's not been a formal thing - just that I'm the one with tech experience) for the modern worship service they are launching.
I'm familiar with the world of worship. When my dad "planted" his church, (almost 18 years ago... wow) my family and I were some of the foundation members of the worship team. Contemporary worship was a new thing then - it was new for all of us - but as a 10/11 year old, there wasn't much actually sitting on my shoulders. From college and until now I've worked in some capacity in worship with local churches. It's part of who I am now - it's in my blood, meshed with my DNA. However, starting from scratch is not something I'm accustomed to. And I guess that's the same for a lot of us.
It's not that I'm worried things will fall apart; not worried about forgetting something crucial or important. I know that through some formative experiences we will be able to build a rich worshipping culture here where volunteers love serving and their families love their service to the church. I know the quality of the music is going to be great. It's just that I can see that the mountain is quite high, and the path is mostly unseen at the moment, and it's my job to lead us toward the summit.
It's a responsibility I do not take lightly. It humbles me when I think about it. And it causes a similar fear to what I've felt before. Often when leaving for a trip, my mind is racing, digging through my suitcases and bags in my mind, trying to see if I've missed anything crucial - if I packed enough spare pairs of socks. And my wife just says the same, calm words to me every time - everything's going to be ok; you've got everything.
I feel like it's that set of words I hear when I allow myself to calm down and listen for the Lord is this time. I hear those same familiar words - "everything's going to be ok." And then I wake up and remember that I'm not actually the one doing the work anyway. I'm just making myself available to be a part of what God wants to do here in this community. And it's that realization that calms the fear, shuts up the worry, and gets me incredibly excited about the journey ahead.
