Can Punk Rockers Become Pastors?
What About Church Planters?
Church planting is something that has always interested me. I have never been a church planter, and God’s calling on my life has always leaned toward church revitalization. However, I’ve visited church plants and I’ve been involved in assisting or supporting a few of them. And they’ve always interested me.
Perhaps, my interest stems from an entrepreneurial bent I’ve always had, previously in a sales career, which God transformed toward evangelism. I have a passion for new ministry ideas and projects. Who really knows? Nevertheless, something in my heart leaps whenever I hear about churches being planted.
Is Church Planting For Wimps?
Back in the day, when I was serving in my first ministry position, as a youth pastor, I had mentioned to our senior pastor that I might want to plant a church one day. He responded by giving me a book titled “Church Planting Is For Wimps: How God Uses Messed-up People to Plant Ordinary Churches That Do Extraordinary Things” by Mike McKinley.
At the time. my book list was sky-high, but it was a small book that potentially looked like a quick read. So I took it, and a few days later I cracked it open. Within a few pages, I literally could not put it down! A couple of hours later, I closed out the last chapter. It was incredible!
Why? I felt connected to the author.
Mike McKinley starts his book with a brief life and ministry history. He talks about his church planting journey (more like church revitalization before it was a thing). It started when he was 29 years of age, mentioning that it had been a four-year ministry, making him 33 at the time of writing the book.
I was reading those words as a 33-year-old, which perked my interest. Then McKinley continues by explaining his teen years. He was involved in church when he was a child but had a rebellious streak. This wasn’t a big shocker for me. If you’re human, you rebel on some level, and many teens experience a season of rebellion.
What did resonate with me, was how instead of pouring his teenage angst into addictive behaviours, he found a love for punk rock music. “What?” I replied out loud! “A punk rock church planter?” I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
The Punk Rock Connection
This was the last thing I thought I’d be reading about, with a guy who revitalized a church in Virginia. That little detail sealed the deal for me and I was hooked. It connected me with the author. I had also lived some pretty rough teen years, but my late teens were composed of an awesome youth group, great (real) Christian friends and lots of punk rock! (And ska…it was the late 90s!)
Much like Mike, within our church settings, my friends and I found punk rock as an outlet for minor rebellion. During that time, Tooth & Nail Records made sure we had a steady stream of options! And although we may have complained from time to time, inside we loved the old folks giving us (and our coloured hair) dirty looks.
Through whispers and foyer rumours, we’d hear “Those kids must be on drugs!” And we enjoyed every minute of it! We knew that we were signed, sealed, and delivered Believers in Jesus. But we also wanted to shake things up a bit.
Sometimes I wonder if anyone ever rebuked their comments by saying, “Those kids will be leading our churches someday!“
Join the Conversation, Leave Your Thoughts
- How have experiences shared in a book inspired your ministry?
- How has punk rock (or another music genre) connected you to someone else’s story?
- What kind of interest and experience do you have in church planting or church revitalization?
Good article, Jeremy. Your article does cause me to beg the questions: “Why (does it seem) one’s personal walk with Christ often defined by their career/hobbies. Unless you are doing something seriously wrong (pornographer, gambler etc) It is not necessarily correlated” As i watch the debates for the upcoming election, it deeply bothers me that some believers align themselves with a political party – simply because that “employee” goes to church or believes in God. I would think this is exercising poor judgement as this profession of faith does not necessarily mean this person will be a good leader – but yet the person seems to know saying such a thing will “buy votes”. In a church, we are often too quick to judge. I can attest to how difficult it is for BOTH a teen and later an adult to seek Christ humbly and to be in an honest relationship with the church body. Personally, i constantly feel the need play a certain part within a church body. I get uncomfortable at bible studies when it is my turn to talk (even though i have 4 years of bible school under my belt) simply because i fear i will say something/interpret scripture in a way someone else does not believe. It is unfortunate and yet i think it is partially “human” to fall into the trap of judgement as we all seek to do what is right and just in the eyes of God. But it is not our place to judge. Who cares if a punk rocker planted a church. The point is that a church was planted and fellowship/support for each other can begin!
Thanks for leaving your thoughts Michelle! A couple of comments…in regard to politics, everyone wanted Jesus to be a political and/or military juggernaut. Turns out, he wasn’t that interested in either. I’m not saying we shouldn’t vote, but I agree that we should be careful in playing the game WWJV (Who would Jesus vote?)
As for discussions in church settings (i.e. bible studies), we should remember that Paul was greatly impressed with the Berean church because of their desire to question and discuss. They simply did not take what the leader (Paul) was saying as fact and they were not worried about offending him. I’d encourage you to state how you feel based on what you see in Scripture. Be confident, yet if someone shows you a contradiction, take it lightly. This is how we should study/discuss in unity. Coming to truth together, not solely depending on one person to be “right”.
Thanks again for your support!
Jeremy Norton