The Greater Yes
By Dr. Dan Erickson
Rev Magazine March/April 2007
Churches don’t always pay well, but they do pay every two weeks.
That financial stability – and the extreme busyness that comes with pastoring – can combine to squelch the dreams that God has etched into our hearts.
I stand guilty of the above. For me, it took chest pains, hospitalization and two stents in my heart for God to get my attention and to begin an exciting new ministry.
How did I get to that place?
With decades of ministry behind me, I was extremely busy (some would say frantic) and productive in my role as executive pastor of a large Midwestern church.
Despite this success, I sensed that God was calling me to a work that he had been preparing me for all of my life. But I resisted.
Following that dream would mean giving up a reliable paycheck and the benefits I had grown accustomed to. It was easier to live a harried existence of meetings, cell phone interruptions and speaking engagements than to contemplate a bold step up faith.
When God called, I was busy. So he chose to initiate an emergency breakthrough. Laying in a hospital in 2004, I felt God speaking: “Because of your fear and lack of trust in me, you have settled for the lesser over the greater. I have a ‘Greater Yes!’ for you.”
I began to understand that I would never find true fulfillment and realize my full potential until I started living out God’s “Greater Yes!” for my life.
My wife Cathy and I had already identified that calling and had taken preliminary steps toward it. I gave my “spare” time to it, but kept postponing the plunge into the unknown.
My health crisis and the clarity of God’s voice made it clear that this vision should be sidelined no longer.
For me, the “Greater Yes!” came through leaving the pastorate and launching People Matter Ministries, an organization that helps organizations and individuals to discover, develop and deploy their divine fingerprint of potential. This includes a special emphasis on helping single mothers and the poor.
In addition to recharging my soul, this “Greater Yes!” has also resulted in renewed physical health as I lost 50 pounds and have maintained a consistent exercise routine for two years.
These have been the most gratifying, faith-filled days of my life. And I almost missed them by settling for second best.
Two ministry colleagues, hearing of my story, sought me out to share their pent-up visions. One wanted to be a missionary to Latin America, but felt there was no way he would receive the support of his senior pastor.
Another felt God calling him away from a strong youth ministry to plant a church in a rural area.
It would have been easier to shelve both ideas. But today, both men have said yes to God’s “Greater Yes!” and are serving in the bull’s eye of his calling.
You may already be living out your “Greater Yes!” with confidence. In that case, you can challenge the members of your congregation to move beyond safety and mediocrity and to deploy their full potential in Christ.
Sharon, a woman in her 50s, felt that her divorce had disqualified her from Christian service. When I explained that God still had great plans in store, she was overwhelmed. Today she is a full-time volunteer in a church, where she manages a food pantry and specializes in the challenging work of serving the poor.
Gary, a wealthy businessman, had all the marks of worldly success. Yet his marriage disintegrated and he became estranged from his son. When I shared that God had not written him off, Gary’s life began a transformation. He mended family relationships and is now raising funds for a foundation that ministers to the poor.
How many Garys and Sharons are sitting paralyzed in our pews today, waiting to hear that a “Greater Yes!” awaits them?
As we lead out, our people will follow.
Dr. Dan Erickson, author of “Finding Your Greater Yes!” (Thomas Nelson Publishers), is chief servant leader of People Matter Ministries (www.peoplematterministires.com). He has held leadership positions with the National Coalition of Men’s Ministries and Promise Keepers and pastored in four dynamic churches.