 You recently became the Lead Pastor at Forefront Church in Manhattan, with leadership over both that campus and the Brooklyn campus where you’ve led as pastor since 2012. Tell us more about that transition.
This is the never-ending question! Yes, I went from Lead Pastor of Forefront Brooklyn to the Senior Pastor of Forefront NYC. Forefront is made up of both the Manhattan location and the aforementioned location in Brooklyn.
I can say that literally every day is a learning experience. That being said, I’m truly learning what it means to rely on God. I used to think that was a trite thing to say. I refused to say it because it’s one of our “canned” statements. But with the transition I am realizing that I can meet with every single member of our church, never see my family, run myself ragged, and burn out, or I can trust that God might actually be in control of this thing. It takes a lot for me not to default to the former. God has a plan in place and I’m thinking that God might know a little bit more than I do.
I think the most surprising thing is the support of our church family. Transitions are never easy and our church has been incredibly supportive of my family. I’m so grateful for their love and their ownership of our church community.
Related to that, what’s something going on at Forefront these days that you’re excited about?
If I had to pick one thing, it would be our Guilds. These are small groups based around the passions, professions, and talents that make New York great. We have several guilds right now including photography, hackers (website design, coding), dance, fashion, writing, and we just launched a design and architecture guild. These have been incredible ways for our community to encourage one another creatively and to invite our friends not associated with Forefront to take part in life-giving work. We have a Guild Collective this spring, which will highlight and celebrate the work of our guilds throughout the year.
At the ECC you’ll be speaking on “building bridges, not walls.” Can you give us a sneak preview of one thing you want people to take away from this message?
At the beginning of Acts, Jesus tells the disciples that they’re going to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. You read for eight more chapters and the disciples are still in Jerusalem. They’re afraid to go anywhere! There’s some persecution, a few brave people, and the work of the Spirit that finally gets people moving. Every step of the way it’s different, uncomfortable (Paul tells Timothy to get circumcised before they go to Athens!), and out of their context and culture, and yet if that doesn’t happen the church would not be here today.
I think sometimes we “wait around in Jerusalem” asking people to be part of our culture, our tradition, and to assimilate to our comfort zone. That builds walls. How do the early Christians teach us to get uncomfortable, utilize suffering, truly listen to the Spirit, and build bridges? That’s a little taste.
We’re excited to hear Jonathan speak Saturday evening! |
