Recently, I was in a conversation with one of my accountability partners, about when Christ comes to us and gives us new insights and wisdom through “Missional Teachable Moments.” I shared about a time, when shortly after being elected, as the district superintendent of the best district in the whole wide world – the New England District. How during a pastoral search meeting with a church board, Jesus showed me, how important the words we use, can easily include or exclude an idea, a concept, a model, or a group or class of people. I remember asking the board the standard question, “What skills, abilities, or traits do you think the next pastor should have to lead this great church?” Each member of the board responded in the same manner with comments such as, “he should know how to preach” and “he should be a leader.” He should be a family man and his wife should be able to play the piano.”

At that moment, I realized that I had not asked the right Missional question. I was in shock. I said to them “are you sure about these abilities and skills?” I’m sure that you are joking about “the spouse playing the piano.” A woman whom I will call Rose, spoke up and said, “She must be able to play the piano, and she must be a helpful wife in the ministry.” The board thought that there should be a “certain type or model for pastoral ministry.” I recognized in that session that they did not have a clue that they had just excluded many gifted and talented individuals by the usage of their verbal language. The he and the she model. The Lord showed me that I needed to develop a different model and to be intentional with my own use of language. At the next meeting, I asked the following question, “What skills, abilities, and traits, do you think the Holy Spirit, would like to see in the next pastor of this great church?” A Missional Teachable Moment had begun!

As I have been reading through the Gospel of John, I am mindful of the urgency of the message of unity that was given by our Lord and Savior. Jesus wanted so much for us to understand Him and also to understand one another. In John 17:20-23, when He was in the garden, He prayed and hoped, that all believers would “be one” just as He and the Father was one. Furthermore, in that scripture, He said that if we are one, the world would believe that the Father sent Him. He expanded His thought on unity by sharing, that He would give us His Glory, so that we can be as one” and that we might work to have “complete unity,” to show the world evidence of HIM. If we allow God to be God, He will give us the models and the people we need to advance his kingdom! We simple need to allow God to give us each those “Missional Teachable Moments!

As I shared with that board, and with many others since, that we have to equally invite others to serve at His table, and if we allow Him to, He will guide and direct the “right model” for us to use. I do know that our Heavenly Father has a sense of humor, because when we did the Installation Service at that great church, something special and unique took place. All of a sudden, in the middle of the service, unplanned and unscripted, the new pastor stood up and stated, “That he wanted to give a love offering to the Lord.” He went over to the piano and played one of the most beautiful pieces of music that I have ever heard. I just beamed. I had never shared with the couple that the board wanted a spouse who knew how to play the piano. It is God who determines what skills and gifts are 26 needed and by whom.