Church Visit - Impact

This last Sunday, June 21st, I was able to visit the first church on my Sabbatical schedule: Impact Church in Elk Grove. Susan and I first visited Impact when they were meeting at a local college in 2001. At the time, the church was meeting in the college theater and the children's ministry was in the lobby. From those humble beginnings Impact has grown into a positive and powerful church in Elk Grove. They have had their bumps along the way. Barry Smith, the pastor of Impact, even wrote a book about their struggles called "Full Disclosure." I read the book last month as it described the ups and downs that Barry has experienced at Impact.

I visited Impact church with the hope of being encouraged and hopefully learn something from observing the way they do ministry. I wasn't disappointed. Here's a part of what I gleaned from visiting Impact...

1. My heart's focus has to stay on Jesus, not the success or growth of New Song. As I drove away from New Song on Sunday (after dropping off our kids) I was shaken by how much I rely upon myself for what's happening at New Song. It kind of scared me to think that New Song was happening without me there. Roger Gibson spoke at New Song and from what I heard everything went great, but it reminded me once again that it's all about Jesus I am just his servant! My visit to Impact reminded me once again that following Jesus means fulfilling God's goals, with God's strength, for his glory!

2. Impact is a great church with a great spirit that comes from Barry's faithfulness in following Jesus. As I looked around the church I quickly saw how Barry's personality and personal growth has helped Impact grow into what it is today. I was reminded how much the personality and spiritual maturity of the pastor influences the personality of the congregation. Barry was fun and casual while being very serious about what God calls us to from the Bible. I saw the same attitude in the people I talked with at the church.

Here's one example. As Barry started his message his microphone was going out, he tried a hand held microphone, then another wireless mic, and eventually went back to the handheld. Through the first ten minutes of his message Barry had to change microphones four times. For most pastor's that would be a very frustrating experience, I know it would have been for me. The great part was that Barry was very light hearted about the whole thing, which helped the church really connect with him and the message. So, the technical difficulties turned out to be a great addition in making the message personal and practical.

Overall, I was reminded once again how God has called me to follow Jesus. Anything that I do as a pastor or in leadership is a reflection of that calling. As I lead I can only ask people to follow me as I am following Jesus. It's all about him. This is part of the reason this Sabbatical is so important for me right now. It gives me a chance to focus on Jesus and my relationship with him above all else.