"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you." -Hebrew 13:17
You hear them preach once or twice a week from about 50 ft. away, you take notes from their sermons, and you quote them when talking to your friends/family about church or God, yes I am talking about your Pastor. Listening to your pastor preach once or twice a week is great but when it is available, (because pastors have a busy schedule) build a deeper relationship with your pastor/leader. The impact that they deliver from 50 ft. away in a sermon is often talked about but can you imagine having a more specific and focused guidance from your leader? I am privileged to say that I have developed that kind of relationship with my senior pastor.
To give a little back drop about our relationship; i met him and his family when I was 18 years old. I met them through one of the students from their youth ministry. I had my own home church but the first time I sat in on their service, that night I got into my car, I felt whole-heartedly that that was the church and the leadership I was to be under. I soon made the transition to that church and have been serving under my pastor ever since. Having served under him has brought me to learn and accomplish things (sometimes willingly, other times...not so much) in my life that I know are ultimately attributed to God placing him in my life. Below are some of the things that he has taught and instilled in me that have brought me to where I am at today.
1) "God Has Called You"
In my past I dealt with a low self image and self esteem. This produced a lack of self confidence and I had a very hard time believing that I would ever be good or successful at anything. However, being told that I was "called" was nothing new when I heard it from my senior pastor because I had heard it from plenty of others before so I grew to accept it. The difference here was that my pastor actually believed in me! It wasn't like he just said it but I could tell that he meant it because he treated me like he did. Now I am not saying that my pastor gave me my calling, we all know that was Jesus, and you may be thinking "Jesus believes in you, that should be enough" but the truth is that I needed that person in my life to believe that I could, indeed, "do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13) because based on what I saw or thought about myself it wasn't going to happen. I am now youth pastoring under my senior pastor and am still striving to be the great pastor God has called me to be because I know I can be.
2) "God First, God Always"
Many times we do not see the toll that leading a church can take on a pastor or leaders. I have seen some of the headache and the suffering my pastor and his family has endured as we've began the church planting journey. The problems may vary but the stress seems to always be present and I can't help but to ask myself how my pastors maintain their sanity. In the midst of pain, hurt, or anger my pastor has always taught me that his strength, passion, and perseverance are all derived from his relationship with God. This isn't only about the hard part of ministry but in just about every decision needed to be made, every situation needing a resolution, and every command that needs obedience. My relationship with God is key and what sustains me in my daily life, in and out of church. My whole life is made to please and glorify God and my pastor has modeled this for me greatly. He has taught me that no matter what, God comes first and it's always about God.
3) "Good is Not Good Enough"
I remember when my now senior pastor was my youth pastor and I was helping out at church in a way that I deemed significant. I had taken on several small tasks before the youth service would begin and some after the service concluded. This night I was on my way to my pastors house to tell him how proud I was that I was doing "so much" in the ministry and how proud of me he should be. When I told him all that was on my mind his response really shocked me, he said "you're not really doing anything." Now he did indeed elaborate as to what he meant by what he said but this was the main phrase that stuck in my mind. I was so excited because I could run cables and set up chairs and I felt like such a winner. I was so used to never striving for something greater that a small win seemed like the championship. My pastor responded to me the way he did because he saw that I was capable of so much more; this was merely the beginning. This isn't to say don't celebrate the small steps but it is to emphasize not to be so satisfied with the small steps that you choose to remain there. As I stated earlier, I never really believed that I could ever be great at anything so this resulted with me being very complacent in many areas of my life. My pastor didn't want to see me repeat what I had already seen so many times in my life before.
4) "Don't Stay Down: Too Great for Pity"
One of the hardest yet most liberating things I ever exercised with my pastor was exposing my weaknesses. At the beginning I had a mix of feeling of expectations as to how he would respond when I came clean. A part of me believed that he would kick me out of church and want nothing to do with me but that was far from what happened. The other part of me expected that he would have pity on me and just say "I understand." I know they seem like two very different extremes but I think part of me always hoped people would feel sorry for me and just "understand." That they would understand why I wasn't greater, why I didn't try harder, why I didn't get back up and keep fighting. Although, in these moments I was shown love and grace I was also shown that I was too great for pity. That if the God of the universe believed in me and called me, then there was no excuse as to why I wasn't going to answer his calling and fulfill it. In these moments my pastor was patient with me but also pushed me to get back up and press on because "he who is in me is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
5) "I Don't Know Everything"
This has probably been one of the hardest lessons I have had to learn and that's simply because of my pride. Admitting that we are wrong isn't usually greatly accepted by most and this case wasn't any different. I remember when my pastor would advise me in certain situations of my life and I would ignore him because I didn't like feeling like i didn't know what I was doing. I would often convince myself that he was wrong about this specific situation although he had been right before. When I finally learned that he was right and his counsel was sound then I would feel even stupider. After having learned "the hard (or stupid as a synonym here) way" then I would approach him and he would love on me and again, encourage me to get up and press on. My pastor taught me that I don't know everything and that it's okay not to. That he was in my life to help teach me and learn along the way. I didn't have to pretend to have it all together and have all the answers because to do so would elongate the actual learning process. I, to this day, don't know everything and have come to terms that I never will and that is okay. I can always ask for help. Which is weaker, to ask for help and attain it or to seem as if you have it but be lacking it?
This post it to encourage you in the same ways that my pastor has encouraged me. To challenge you, if possible, to develop a closer relationship with a pastor, mentor, or leader in your life, seeing how it will be a blessing to you. If you are a leader/pastor/mentor, for you to realize that you truly play a significant role in the development of your mentoree and that they are indeed paying attention; do not take your position lightly. Lastly to my pastor, Angel Chavarria, thank you for all that you have done to help get me where I am at now in life. Thank you for not giving up on me, for praying for me, and for believing in me. I love you and your family very much and can't wait to see all that the Lord has in store for you.
Blessings,
Allan Guido
Casa de Adoracion (Youth Pastor)
You hear them preach once or twice a week from about 50 ft. away, you take notes from their sermons, and you quote them when talking to your friends/family about church or God, yes I am talking about your Pastor. Listening to your pastor preach once or twice a week is great but when it is available, (because pastors have a busy schedule) build a deeper relationship with your pastor/leader. The impact that they deliver from 50 ft. away in a sermon is often talked about but can you imagine having a more specific and focused guidance from your leader? I am privileged to say that I have developed that kind of relationship with my senior pastor.
To give a little back drop about our relationship; i met him and his family when I was 18 years old. I met them through one of the students from their youth ministry. I had my own home church but the first time I sat in on their service, that night I got into my car, I felt whole-heartedly that that was the church and the leadership I was to be under. I soon made the transition to that church and have been serving under my pastor ever since. Having served under him has brought me to learn and accomplish things (sometimes willingly, other times...not so much) in my life that I know are ultimately attributed to God placing him in my life. Below are some of the things that he has taught and instilled in me that have brought me to where I am at today.
1) "God Has Called You"
In my past I dealt with a low self image and self esteem. This produced a lack of self confidence and I had a very hard time believing that I would ever be good or successful at anything. However, being told that I was "called" was nothing new when I heard it from my senior pastor because I had heard it from plenty of others before so I grew to accept it. The difference here was that my pastor actually believed in me! It wasn't like he just said it but I could tell that he meant it because he treated me like he did. Now I am not saying that my pastor gave me my calling, we all know that was Jesus, and you may be thinking "Jesus believes in you, that should be enough" but the truth is that I needed that person in my life to believe that I could, indeed, "do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13) because based on what I saw or thought about myself it wasn't going to happen. I am now youth pastoring under my senior pastor and am still striving to be the great pastor God has called me to be because I know I can be.
2) "God First, God Always"
Many times we do not see the toll that leading a church can take on a pastor or leaders. I have seen some of the headache and the suffering my pastor and his family has endured as we've began the church planting journey. The problems may vary but the stress seems to always be present and I can't help but to ask myself how my pastors maintain their sanity. In the midst of pain, hurt, or anger my pastor has always taught me that his strength, passion, and perseverance are all derived from his relationship with God. This isn't only about the hard part of ministry but in just about every decision needed to be made, every situation needing a resolution, and every command that needs obedience. My relationship with God is key and what sustains me in my daily life, in and out of church. My whole life is made to please and glorify God and my pastor has modeled this for me greatly. He has taught me that no matter what, God comes first and it's always about God.
3) "Good is Not Good Enough"
I remember when my now senior pastor was my youth pastor and I was helping out at church in a way that I deemed significant. I had taken on several small tasks before the youth service would begin and some after the service concluded. This night I was on my way to my pastors house to tell him how proud I was that I was doing "so much" in the ministry and how proud of me he should be. When I told him all that was on my mind his response really shocked me, he said "you're not really doing anything." Now he did indeed elaborate as to what he meant by what he said but this was the main phrase that stuck in my mind. I was so excited because I could run cables and set up chairs and I felt like such a winner. I was so used to never striving for something greater that a small win seemed like the championship. My pastor responded to me the way he did because he saw that I was capable of so much more; this was merely the beginning. This isn't to say don't celebrate the small steps but it is to emphasize not to be so satisfied with the small steps that you choose to remain there. As I stated earlier, I never really believed that I could ever be great at anything so this resulted with me being very complacent in many areas of my life. My pastor didn't want to see me repeat what I had already seen so many times in my life before.
4) "Don't Stay Down: Too Great for Pity"
One of the hardest yet most liberating things I ever exercised with my pastor was exposing my weaknesses. At the beginning I had a mix of feeling of expectations as to how he would respond when I came clean. A part of me believed that he would kick me out of church and want nothing to do with me but that was far from what happened. The other part of me expected that he would have pity on me and just say "I understand." I know they seem like two very different extremes but I think part of me always hoped people would feel sorry for me and just "understand." That they would understand why I wasn't greater, why I didn't try harder, why I didn't get back up and keep fighting. Although, in these moments I was shown love and grace I was also shown that I was too great for pity. That if the God of the universe believed in me and called me, then there was no excuse as to why I wasn't going to answer his calling and fulfill it. In these moments my pastor was patient with me but also pushed me to get back up and press on because "he who is in me is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
5) "I Don't Know Everything"
This has probably been one of the hardest lessons I have had to learn and that's simply because of my pride. Admitting that we are wrong isn't usually greatly accepted by most and this case wasn't any different. I remember when my pastor would advise me in certain situations of my life and I would ignore him because I didn't like feeling like i didn't know what I was doing. I would often convince myself that he was wrong about this specific situation although he had been right before. When I finally learned that he was right and his counsel was sound then I would feel even stupider. After having learned "the hard (or stupid as a synonym here) way" then I would approach him and he would love on me and again, encourage me to get up and press on. My pastor taught me that I don't know everything and that it's okay not to. That he was in my life to help teach me and learn along the way. I didn't have to pretend to have it all together and have all the answers because to do so would elongate the actual learning process. I, to this day, don't know everything and have come to terms that I never will and that is okay. I can always ask for help. Which is weaker, to ask for help and attain it or to seem as if you have it but be lacking it?
This post it to encourage you in the same ways that my pastor has encouraged me. To challenge you, if possible, to develop a closer relationship with a pastor, mentor, or leader in your life, seeing how it will be a blessing to you. If you are a leader/pastor/mentor, for you to realize that you truly play a significant role in the development of your mentoree and that they are indeed paying attention; do not take your position lightly. Lastly to my pastor, Angel Chavarria, thank you for all that you have done to help get me where I am at now in life. Thank you for not giving up on me, for praying for me, and for believing in me. I love you and your family very much and can't wait to see all that the Lord has in store for you.
Blessings,
Allan Guido
Casa de Adoracion (Youth Pastor)