He is at it again.’ Every time I hear this phrase, I cringe. Since arriving at my parish, I have heard my congregants comment on the social media antics of a local parish leader. Sadly, this person considers it appropriate to weaponize the Bible against the theological traditions of nearby parishes that belong to different denominations. Initially, I responded by encouraging my flock not to pay lip service to the leader, to ignore his behavior, to pray for him, and to simply move on. However, it is easier said than done.

Over the past two years, these attacks have continued, and at times, I feel like a fish in a river struggling to swim upstream against the current. It has begun to wear on me, too. All I want is to find an eddy behind a rock in which I can rest.

What really digs at my heart is that this person organizes our Lenten ecumenical services, during which various churches host midweek services and luncheons. 

The sinner in me wants to walk away and have nothing to do with this. Yet my soul says these luncheons were designed and organized for the good of the community, and we mustn’t forget that.

This past Lent was hard. As I saw more and more hateful behaviors from this “leader,” I found myself asking ‘How can I continue to work with someone who attacks not only my brothers and sisters who are a part of a neighboring flock but also those of my own?’ Yes, those condemning social media attacks also painfully hit home for my congregants.

Just before the annual organizing email went out, this leader posted another attack on social media, prompting me to phone a friend: a pastor with a long-standing relationship to our town as a community event organizer. I needed another Christian with rock-strong values who was also neutral in the situation to talk to about my struggles, who would offer constructive criticism if my reaction was off base.

As I explained the issue to that pastor, he saw the social media posts and, having known my flock for a few decades, understood why my flock and I were hurt. From our phone call, it became evident that the defunct ministerium for our community needed to be revived. Later on, I reached out to another fellow pastor who has known this leader for a long time, and he suggested following Christ’s instructions to speak with the pastor one-on-one, and if he is not receptive, bring it up to him in front of the Ministerium.

This past Lent, did we host a midweek service and luncheon? Yes. I was thrilled to see nearly 60 people attend and hear my ecumenical message on the importance of unity within the body of Christ. In case you were wondering I did call the leader in question, left them a few voicemails asking them to call me, and received no response. Thus, the current is still flowing swiftly.

Fast forward a few months, and I cringed once again. This time, someone who usually doesn’t say anything about the aforementioned leader’s antics said something. Just like that, I found myself back in the stream. Where I once thought I was getting some respite in an eddy, this new attack washed me out and back to fighting against the current.

In the past week leading up to yet another cringe, I began reading John C. Maxwell’s book Becoming A Person of Influence. The book’s premise is that leaders can have a positive or negative effect on those they lead, and this must remain at the back of a leader’s mind at all times. As parents influence their children, so too do pastors shape the habits and character traits of their congregants.

I carry a great responsibility as a called and ordained minister in the Church of Christ to be a positive role model. My vocation is to demonstrate to people what it means to live out their calling as disciples following Jesus Christ. Admittedly, the sinner in me does want to respond similarly to this pastor’s claims of condemnation. However, what message does that send about my character to those who look to my leadership? If I did that, I would be a hypocrite.

There is a quote that says, ‘If the devil can’t destroy or defeat you, he will distract you.’ He enjoys keeping us busy or making us tired. When we are entertained or overwhelmed by something else, that thing draws the followers of Christ away from what he has called us to do through the Great Commission. The devil will use distractions, lies, and discouragement against us, to which we must remain vigilant. Those attacks fit the description.

As our solid rock, we can stand on the Word of Christ to guide us, or, in my case, he is the eddy in which I find respite from the current that repeatedly attempts to drown me.

 

“…take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan…” Joshua 4:3

We wish God’s blessings upon Dean Rostad, president, and the Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute.  This is the third of a series of three articles about various residential discipleship ministries for young adults.   We began in January by featuring Faith Greenhouse, connected with Faith Lutheran Church (LCMC) in Hutchinson, Minnesota.  We continued in March with the Awaken Project (TAP). TAP is a non-profit organization housed on the campus of Mt. Carmel Ministries in Alexandria, Minnesota.  We thank God for these ministries and pray for them as they work to raise up a whole new generation of followers of Jesus and leaders in the Church. 

After 40 years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites were about to experience God’s saving work in a profound way – walking through the parted (piled-up) Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. So that this God event would never be forgotten, God instructed them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan. These rocks of remembrance were to become physical pointers to God’s saving action in their lives. God never wants us to forget how He has moved in our lives.

My name is Dean Rostad and I have the privilege of serving as the President of the Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute (CLBI) in Camrose, Alberta. CLBI is a campus-based Bible college through which 1000s of young adults have been trained to become disciple-makers in their churches, neighborhoods, and professions. In 2023, CLBI’s vibrant discipling community comprises 45 students, staff and committed volunteers. Just as Jesus discipled along the road, around the table and in the community, we also do.  Our students experience a different Bible class each week taught by high-caliber instructors from all over North America and beyond. Some weeks learning is off campus through inner-city ministry experiences, canoeing/hiking in the mountains, or serving cross-culturally. Each student is discipled one-on-one and is part of a rich weekly discipleship group that meets in a staff home. All of this is done to help CLBI achieve its mission of discipling young adults in the way of Jesus and equipping them for a life of mission in their vocations (be that as a pastor, baker or candlestick maker). I never know how Jesus is going to make a profound impact in our students’ lives, but I am completely confident that He always will.

When I ask alumni how God impacted their life while they were at CLBI (aka their rock of remembrance from the Jordan), the answers are incredibly varied: their faith took three steps deeper in Romans class, while being discipled by a staff member, they realized that they needed to stop trying to prove themselves to God and others and simply rest in the gospel,  a late-night conversation in the dorm led them to finally forgive someone, a cross-cultural ministry experience awakened a calling within them to bring the gospel to those who have never heard it, when they discovered they had found the spiritual family they had longed for. These are all significant transformational rocks of remembrance.

Currently, two members of the CLBI community are in online seminary studies with the Institute of Lutheran Theology. Both had no intention of going into pastoral ministry when they first came to CLBI. Once again, I love watching how Jesus changes the trajectory of people’s lives.

Since 1932 Jesus has been changing lives through this school. Please pray with me that God will continue to raise up all of the students and donors needed to ensure that current and future generations will have the opportunity to encounter Jesus in this holy place. For American students, the complete cost for eight months is just over $10,000 USD. That even includes a January trip to San Pedro, California for our students to connect with another Lutheran discipling community. To learn more about this incredible jewel of a school, visit clbi.edu.

What is your “rock of remembrance”? What is your significant God experience that marked a new trajectory for your life?