Someone asked me the question the other day, “What are you going to do about all of these leaders who are leaving 19north?” The first thing I thought was, “What leaders? I didn’t know we had leaders leaving!” Then we began to discuss more specifically about whom this person was referring.
“Ben Rath and Laura Steidel are helping with a church plant, Sarah Weaver is in Zambia for long-term missions, Mindy Melton is having a baby…” they said, concerned. I then added, “Shannon Oster has begun her magazine, Jeff Melton is helping with a church plant… and the list goes on.”
As this person had a sense of concern, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction… I mean, this is why the church exists, right? When God does something in someone’s life, it’s not usually for that particular church; rather, it’s for the mission of Christ.
19north exists to greatly impact young adults, that they can make a great impact in their world.
Though it’s a temptation to look at these leaders as a “loss” to 19north, we’re looking it as a gain to the mission of Jesus. I can’t tell you how excited we are that not only they are fulfilling the call of God on their lives, but also that people are rising up to take their place within the ministry… great leaders desire that their ceiling is the next generation of leaders’ floor, and that’s what I’ve seen in these transitions. Young leaders are rising up to take very important roles at 19north, and they’ll take their areas further.
But what about you? Where’s God calling you? Children’s ministry? Missions? Youth Ministry? A church plant? If what God does in our hearts in Victory Family Church does not impact the world around us, then we’re missing the point… God isn’t just calling Sarah, Ben, Laura, Mindy, Jeff, Shannon, and the young leaders who are taking their place; also, God’s calling you. At 19north, we have 5 steps we feel anyone can take to finding and impacting the world around them…
- Invite: It all starts by making the effort to come to church… not just once, but over and over. We really believe that if you continue to come to 19north, you will…
- Experience: Experience God. The next step is that you begin to get a hold of what God has for you personally. Learn about worship, learn to navigate through the Bible… Learn to understand what it is to walk with God in everyday life.
- Connect: Connecting with the ministry, connecting with Victory Family Church, and connecting with the great people at 19north will provide accountability so you can begin to…
- Grow: Jesus called us to “make disciples of every nation.” When someone is converted to Christianity, it doesn’t stop there. I often question if our failure to make disciples is stemmed from a failure to be disciples… We’re not just called to experience God once, make good friends, and die; rather, we’re called to follow Jesus. Once we begin to grow spiritually, we’ll naturally begin to…
- Impact: That is the outcome of some amazing leaders who are moving on from 19north to a more specific call on their lives… They’re impacting Africa, 20-somethings, Beaver County, and more, but it’s directly a result of their spiritual growth…
How can someone Impact the world if they haven’t grown spiritually? How can someone Grow spiritually if they haven’t made the right connections? How can someone Connect if they haven’t experienced God? How can someoneExperience God if they haven’t been Invited?
Our mission isn’t to start a following, it’s to start a movement–A movement in the 20-somethings of Pittsburgh. That’s what God’s up to at 19north and Victory Family Church.
