A good part of my professional life has been dedicated to helping local churches become more effective in reaching lost people. Call it “church growth,” “the Great Commission,” or simply “effective outreach”—the focus has always remained the same. This is my calling. It started when I became a pastor of an inner-city church on the east side of Detroit. It was my first ministry assignment.
The “backstory” is that I wasn’t much of a Christian in my early years—no fault of my parents, church, or pastor. I just wasn’t interested in “religion.” I got the call to ministry in my senior year of high school. (1) My parents were shocked; (2) my friends couldn’t believe it; and (3) my pastor called it a “miracle.” In reflection, my backward journey had a benefit. I personally knew what it was like to ignore Jesus and consider church “boring.” From that journey, I learned to appreciate faith from the perspective of a semi-churched person.
It should be no surprise that, once I got “the call,” I expected mission training in college. Instead, I got loaded down with Greek, German, sociology, chemistry, and Hebrew. It felt like a “test” to see if I was serious: that I would do whatever it takes. After four years, I moved on to seminary. I couldn’t survive without doing some outreach. So, I founded an extracurricular movement called Christ for Youth Today. It was a volunteer effort to reach young people for Jesus. Several of my fellow students joined the movement.
Read the entire Church Doctor Report by completing the form below.
🗣️ Spread the good word: Give your ministry associates a boost—share the Church Doctor Report and let the transformative content speak for itself.