confessions of a church planter

The young gun I’m referring to is Stephen Walters.  If you don’t know, he’s my younger brother.  I’m blessed to have two great brothers, and Stephen is quite possibly the best younger brother in the world. This isn’t about Stephen’s brotherly abilities.  This is about who he is as a man of God.  One of the reasons I wanted to blog about him on Tuesday is b/c outside of his birth, rebirth, and wedding, Tuesday was perhaps the biggest day of his life.  Tuesday Stephen was ordained as a minister in the UMC.

Stephen’s one of those cats who accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior at a very early age.  Unlike many people who have that same testimony, Stephen never wavered in his commitment to Christ.  I know he wasn’t a perfect kid, but he was darn near perfect.  In fact, I’m willing to say that Stephen’s level of personal holiness and integrity is unparalleled among anybody I know his age.  That’s one of the attributes of a young gun.  Their personal lives match-up with their public testimony.  Stephen’s did as a kid, teenager, and now a young adult.  I admired Stephen’s teenage integrity so much that I used to devote time every morning during college to pray for his purity.  I didn’t want Stephen to make any mistakes that would discredit his witness.  He made it and he’s still making it!

When Stephen was an early teen, God called him into ministry.  The timing of his calling is blurry to me, but I seem to recall that he was 14 years old.  That fact alone puts him into a pretty good cast of Biblical young guns.  People like David, the original disciples, and Timothy were all called as young men to serve as a leader of the people of God.  Over the course of time, it became evident that not only had God called him into ministry, but God had equipped him for ministry.  He was a leader of those above him and below him in age.  Though I was his youth pastor, he taught me just as much as I taught him.  One of the things he taught me is that he received revelations when he read and communicated God’s word.  Since his early days until now, when Stephen spends time in God’s word, he hears a message from God.  Then, he communicates that message with creativity and power. I love what I do, but one of the things I miss the most in being a pastor is that I don’t get to hear Stephen preach.  The times I have, I’m blessed, the people are blessed,  and more importantly, God is blessed.   I long for the day when I get to hear Stephen preach more often than I hear myself preach. Whether that’s podcast or serving on the same church staff, I’d love for that day to take place.

On Tuesday, this was recognized by more people than just those who know him best as he was ordained.  In fact, about 2,000 people recognized.  The ordination process in the UMC is a little more difficult that most ordination processes.  It took him a undergraduate degree, a three-year Master’s Degree, two rounds of paperwork and interviews over a span of 3 years, and proof of vocational calling.  Stephen and a few others made it through this year.  The ordination service included him answering questions, kneeling at an altar, placing his hands on the Bible, and having the hands of past and present Bishops placed on him.  The best part of the ordination service (for me at least) is that each ordinand has a sponsoring elder.  Well, Stephen asked me to be his sponsoring elder.  The role of the sponsoring elder is to place a red stole (symbolizing being yoked by Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit) around the neck and shoulders of the ordinand.  So, that’s what I did.  It was an amazing moment for me.  I hugged Stephen for as long as I could and then I gave him what our friends called a “man kiss” on the cheek.  Do I regret the man kiss?  Heck no.  He’s my brother and I love him.

Even though I have years of experience on Stephen, I am amazed at how God has matured him in a short amount of time.  He knows much more than I did at his age.  I’m not sure if that’s a result of having an older brother in ministry, his personal experience, or something else, but let’s just chalk that one up to the favor of God.  He’s a favorable young gun.  I pray that he grows in favor with God and man!

Need to confess?