They went because I told them to go

From the Pastor’s Desk (293)

I immigrated to New York City in February 1978. I had just completed seventh grade. That February, a massive snowstorm hit New York, shutting down schools across the city.

During my teenage years, I lived in Flushing, located in the borough of Queens. New York City is made up of five boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Brooklyn lies south of Manhattan, and the Bronx to the north. As you know, traffic in New York is notoriously bad—especially in Manhattan. Because of this, people who live in Brooklyn rarely go to the Bronx, and vice versa. Though the distance is only about 20 miles, it often takes more than an hour to drive.

While attending Rice University, Jay and Evelyn began attending our church. They became members and steadily grew in their faith. They were faithful in house church and served diligently until graduation. Eventually, they got married, and I had the privilege of officiating their wedding.

Evelyn majored in piano, and Jay went on to medical school, later becoming an orthopedic surgeon. He is now a professor at New York University. Although they left Houston years ago, they still reach out to me from time to time. They currently live in Brooklyn, having moved there last year when Jay joined the NYU faculty. Not long after their move, they contacted me and asked if I could recommend a church that practices house church ministry.

I was at a loss—because honestly, there are very few (if any) house churches in New York City that I could recommend. The presence of house church ministry in New York is nearly extinct at this point.

There is one church in the Bronx that still practices house church. It was previously led by a female pastor who has since retired, and a younger first-generation Korean pastor has taken over. He is a solid man, and his English is quite good.

However, most of the English-speaking members at that church are of Puerto Rican or Dominican descent and live in underprivileged and challenging environments. Years ago, I led a retreat for that church, and I heard that many of the same members are still there today. The church has about 20 members in total.

I shared all of this with Jay and Evelyn and suggested they visit the church. But I also told them that because of the distance and cultural differences, they didn’t have to feel obligated to stay if it didn’t work out.

Several months passed, and now they are faithfully attending that church. They’ve become members, actively participate in house church, and even took vacation time to serve at the church’s VBS. They went simply because I told them to go.

Stories like this remind me of the weight and influence of pastoral leadership—and how seriously pastors must take both their words and their lives.

If their members are listening to them, they must be careful what they say and how they live. They must not make promises they won’t keep. They must remember and follow through on the promises they do make.

They must not ask their members to do things they themselves are unwilling to do. And when God places something on their hearts, they should practice it first—then boldly challenge their members to do the same.

Instead of obsessing over how to grow New Life during my time in ministry, I want to focus more on how future pastors and New Life members can continue building Jesus’ church with joy and conviction long after I’m gone. I also want to set my sights not only on New Life, but on churches around the world—the universal Church—so that together we may be built up in health and unity. I believe that kind of ministry pleases God, and it’s the one I want to commit my life to and finish well.

Your pastor,

Eric