Dr. Matt Powell

Learning to Pastor

May 23, 2012 by Matt Leave a Comment

I find that I am constantly learning what it means to pastor… and what it means to be a pastor. I find myself in a very familiar place, the more I learn brings me to the realization that I do not know much. To my fellow pastors out there, be very weary of ever coming to a place where you think you have pastoring figured out. Further, to you church goers out there, be very weary of the pastor who acts like he has it all figured out.

Here are few of the ways God is growing me right now:

I’m slowly separating my unconscious association of pastoral leadership and business (CEO) leadership. (this is a LONG intricate process)
I’m allowing myself the ability to break away from the compartmentalized pastoral life I once viewed as correct.
I’m learning to walk courageously in the authority Jesus has graciously bestowed upon me.
I’m learning how to grow in the spiritual gifts God has given me.
I’m learning that although many people will say they like to be spiritually fed, they still need to be walked through the difficulty of spiritual growth. (this is true of myself as well)

That is just a fraction of the process in which God is working in me. However, I have not done one of them justice by the way I’ve described them. Each one has taken me through brokeness sometimes with tears, anger with a raised voice of despair, and silence out of such a great flood of thoughts that a single word couldn’t be found.

Matt Powell serves as teaching pastor at Crossings Community Church, a body of believers whose mission is to engage, equip, and empower homes for gospel transformation in Katy, TX.

The Process

December 10, 2011 by Matt Leave a Comment

The process is always the same: prayer, exegesis, exposition. What comes out at the end always looks different. It is always exciting seeing how God chooses to work.

Matt Powell serves as teaching pastor at Crossings Community Church, a body of believers whose mission is to engage, equip, and empower homes for gospel transformation in Katy, TX.

Suburban Isolation

July 6, 2011 by Matt Leave a Comment

If we are constantly trying to be someone else – or trying to project an image that is less than honest – no one will ever truly know us. If no one truly knows us then we are living in isolation. You may be surrounded by people all day long yet still be emotionally and relationally isolated. Moms can be surrounded by kids and even other moms and still be relationally isolated. Men and women can work amidst a sea of people for 40-60 hours per week and remain relationally isolated. It can easily happen to any of us. How do you know if you have crept into relational isolation?

Is someone asking about your well-being?
Is there someone who can see through your staple responses? (friend, “how are things going?” – you, “everything is going well” – friend, “liar.”)
Is someone asking about your marriage?
Does someone know your unique struggles and ask regularly about them?
Is someone available and welcoming of your phone call anytime of the day or night?

Isolation creates a petri dish where all sorts of problems take shape. To the surprise of many, pastoral leadership can create a very isolated environment. I have to be incredibly intentional to foster these kinds of relationships. So, I would be the first to say that it is much easier said than done. However, the struggle pays unspeakable blessings.

If you cannot answer a resounding “YES” to those five questions then I challenge you to seek deeper relationships – at least one. Fight the suburban isolationism that can easily breed all types of unhealthy thoughts and emotions.

My Church vs Your Church

June 21, 2011 by Matt Leave a Comment

There is a competitive characteristic in our DNA that seems to have been injected with Adam & Eve at the fall. We all pick our sides and fight for them in some area of life. Maybe for you it is politics. You have taken your stance and YOU know all the right answers. Maybe it is about how babies must be fed organic baby food. I’m serious, there are people who seem to be willing to die over these issues. Suburbia is a breeding ground for this mine vs. yours mentality. It could be my cable company vs. yours or it could by my sons tae kwon do studio vs. yours. In the end it is all the same root spirit of I am right and you’re not. I practice a given activity correctly and you don’t. I support the best organization and yours is not only inferior but wrong.

It is no surprise that we often approach church the same way. Now, this is far from a plea for universalism. Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with God and the Bible is the only inerrant and infallible word of truth. When I talk about church here, I’m referring to the big church, small church, traditional church, contemporary church, missional church, seeker church, emerging church, emergent church, my church, your church players on the field. Then, there seems to be smaller nuances of each of those larger categories.

My fellow church planters are plagued with this mentality. It seems that in order to pioneer a new church you have to be against all of the other churches. It really hurts and angers me when I hear this sort of language from other pastors, of all people.

One of the biggest riffs I’ve seen in recent years in my sphere is the big church (or mega church) vs. small church inflamed positions. To be involved in one or the other often necessitates a stance against the other option. Here in suburbia that has created churches which are isolated and disconnected from each other. Churches are so concerned with their own turf or methods and programs that they often have no idea what is going on in the larger community of faith.

I have a unique view point. I have been employed and deeply involved in huge churches and smaller churches. For the first time, just over the past year, I have been connected slightly to what is happening in some of the other churches in our community. I’m not casting blame on others in this respect but accept full responsibility. But, through this God has given me some pretty counter-cultural thoughts and questions.

The church I now pastor is a small missional community nestled inside the suburban sprawl we call Katy, Tx. Katy is a suburban community of about 300,000 people. Our church, by God’s grace, has impacted a lot of homes in this community. By his continued grace, I believe we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of what He will do through us. We can do ministry in a way that other churches cannot. We are a small community – where everyone will know your name – moving forward on mission. You walk in and you quickly feel the family atmosphere of what God is doing in and through our church.

Within our Katy community there are huge churches, tiny churches, and everything in between. Each one of those churches is uniquely equipped to impact this local community in a way that the others will not be able to duplicate. This is formed by the story of the church, the pastor, and the people – the unique fingerprint of each church gathering. The resources which are available to each church vary widely – financial resources, people resources, gift and ability resources. Sit down, take a deep breath, and think this through with me…

What if all of these bible-believing, gospel-teaching churches leveraged the ability they would have together as a unified movement? What if the resources of small, medium, and large churches overlapped like the job descriptions of each member playing on a baseball diamond? I believe it would be monumental. What if it wasn’t about my church vs. your church? What if all of our energy was put behind leveraging my church AND your church for the sake of gospel transformation within this grand community?

I don’t have the answers yet but I’m praying for a day that we are all, as leaders and followers of Jesus, are wrestling with these questions. Thanks to Mitch Maher at Redeemer Community Church and the effort he has put into getting the local gospel leaders together… I’m at least asking the questions.

Would you be willing to pray and ask God what your role in all of this might be? It doesn’t matter if you are a local church attender or one of the pastors of any of these churches… God wants to use you. How do you fit into this movement? Your story and gifts have a role to play. What are the baby steps you can take in hopes of seeing greater gospel impact?

Growing in Authenticity as a Suburban Pastor

June 13, 2011 by Matt 1 Comment

The projection of perfection is the umbrella under which we suburbanites live. When I began learning how to research a culture during my doctoral studies, one of the first things we talked about was the difference between an insider and an outsider. There are both pros and cons to looking in on a culture from the outside inward. Also, there are both pros and cons to studying a culture from the inside (as an insider). I have done extensive study in the area of suburban culture. But, I am both limited by and blessed through my view as an insider of the culture.

At some moments I can see things others can’t and then at other moments I seem to be blind to truths that jump to the attention of others. One of the biggest characteristics of suburbia is the facade of perfection. There is a social pressure to project the image of perfection in all areas of life. We project the image of perfect parenting by all the activities in which our children participate – and how many stickers for those activities we can put on the back of our SUVs. We project the image of professional success by the long hours and busyness we advertise during everyday, normal conversations. Have you ever noticed how often someone tells you about how many hours they work or how late they come home? We’ve correlated the amount of time we work with an appearance of success.

It has become very evident to me that I inherently try to project an image of perfection as well. Sounds hypocritical doesn’t it? Well, it is what it is… My natural inclination is to hide the specific struggles that I am experiencing. I have really noticed this in my preaching. Just today I taught on “Journeying Through Struggles” from 1 Peter 4:12-19 and it was so difficult to be authentic. It was so incredibly uncomfortable to even reference the struggles I have walked through over the years. I did some, but I could feel myself pulling back… not wanting to go too deep. Some of my motives are very healthy – I want the scriptures to be front-and-center at all times. I don’t want to justify the issue away by this reason alone. Other times, I regret to say, I am just incredibly uncomfortable letting people see that I don’t have everything all together. Who am I really fooling? It is such a sinful inclination for me to be this prideful.

Growing in authenticity as a suburban pastor is one of the ways God is stretching me right now. This is the area where he is growing me personally and growing me as a pastor and teacher. He is teaching me to find that zone where I can make much of him through being completely honest about me. The gospel begins to radically transform individuals and families when they come to a point of honesty, authenticity, and transparency with Jesus. I have been called by God to lead people to this place of authenticity. The manner in which I will be able to lead them there is not by words alone but by my example.

What are some ways that you can be more authentic and honest with those around you? Where are some areas of your life where God might want you to lower the facade and allow some other people in to journey with you? Not one of us is perfect, you know…..

Doing Mission in Suburbia, Katy Tx

June 11, 2011 by Matt Leave a Comment

“Those who can’t do, teach.” I’m sure you have heard that saying some place before. The saying alludes to this idea that people who are not able to succeed in a given field can revert to teaching in that field. Well, I have not hidden the fact that I am the pastor of a church called The Crossings. We are a church in the middle of stereotypical suburbia. Every word I speak in the pulpit or over coffee is placed within the suburban context. God has called me – and so many others, I believe – to be a missionary in this suburban sprawl called Katy, Tx.

There has been one very small thing that we have done which has produced more encouraging moments than anything else over our five years of residence in this neighborhood. It really is ridiculously stupid to admit this is a “new” engagement for us. But, we fall into the same traps that everyone else does here in suburbia – we get too busy. It really is true that we find ourselves too busy managing church to talk to our neighbors about Jesus. How asinine is that? I’m ashamed to admit it… but I’m committed to being honest with my journey.

Here it is… we have started spending time outside. Yup, it is that simple. We realized after living in our current home for five years that we really did not truly know a single neighbor. Sure, we waved and recognized some faces on the way to the mailbox. But, the fact remains, we were not in the habit of having life-on-life conversations with the community in which God had placed us. So what did we do?

As a family we began to sit outside and let the kids play. We sit on the front porch and play with our children and our puppy. At times we allow the kids to eat their evening meal outside and then spend a few minutes playing. We look for every opportunity to just be there – visible. I don’t have any mind-blowing stories of how we have seen Jesus heal demonized home owners. What has happened is we have begun to see the same people repeatedly while meeting others for the first time. The conversations between us and our neighbors has multiplied exponentially. It has been amazing how God has connected the dots. We will talk to one neighbor who mentions seeing us out with the kids or throwing the retriever dummy for the dog – it seems to break walls and create some comfort. We have had some pretty deep conversations with some and just a hello to others… but it is PROGRESS!

We are praying that God continues to use these interactions as an opportunity to live as Jesus – incarnate within a community, through relationships. What would it look like for you to spend more time outside? If you have kids, sit in the driveway and let them play… If you have a dog, play with it or begin training it… How about a flowerbed? Do you have a flowerbed? Start working in your yard and looking for opportunities to engage life with those who live around you. Just take that simple little step and GO OUTSIDE!

Journeying Through Pain (2 of 3)

June 11, 2011 by Matt 1 Comment

The story God is using to transform me can be read in the first post, Journeying Through Pain (1 of 3). This writing slowly begins to open the door of realizations that God has impressed on my heart. I’m processing these ideas for this Sunday’s sermon which will directly precede my surgery this next week. The passage I will be preaching is 1 Peter 4:12-19. The ideas here will be a slight explosion on those thoughts.

These are the statements that have brought me comfort in this season. These statements give me some direction and hope as I have wrestled between the thoughts of my flesh and the nudges from the Spirit.

My struggles are planned catalysts of transformation.
My struggles are an opportunity to deeply experience Christ.
My struggles are an avenue to greater Christ-driven JOY.
My struggles are a means of walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
My struggles are ultimately purposed to draw attention to God.
My struggles are crafted for my ultimate good.
My struggles are an exercise of my faith.
My struggles are a call to radical obedience.

I plan to write one more post in this series that continues these ideas after I arrive on the other side of my surgery.

Matt Powell serves as teaching pastor at Crossings Community Church, a body of believers whose mission is to engage, equip, and empower homes for gospel transformation in Katy, TX.

Statistics Regarding Pastoral Ministry

May 26, 2011 by Matt Leave a Comment

I often find that pastoral ministry is really an indescribable experience. I am able to feel some of the greatest joys that anyone could every feel. I get to see amazing things happen inside of homes that are nothing short of miraculous. I get to see Jesus make himself known inside the hearts of people on a regular basis. I see people being dramatically transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ weekly. I feel so incredibly blessed that God chose to make himself known through my weakness.

I have also had some difficult times in my ministry career. Honestly, I have seen more of those times after I began pastoring The Crossings some years ago. Somewhere within the collision of Lead Pastor and Church Planter there emerged a new set of obstacles.

In a very awkward way, reading statistics like this are comforting. Before you question my sanity let me tell you a little more… they are not comforting in what they directly communicate but rather what they cause me to remember. When I see things like this –

Hours and Pay

90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.
50% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
70% of pastors feel grossly underpaid.

Training and Preparedness

90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.
90% of pastors said the ministry was completely different than what they
thought it would be like before they entered the ministry.

Health and Well-Being

70% of pastors constantly fight depression.
50% of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if
they could, but have no other way of making a living.

Marriage and Family

80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families.
80% of spouses feel the pastor is overworked.
80% spouses feel left out and under-appreciated by church members.

Church Relationships

70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
#1 reason pastors leave the ministry — Church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastors believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.

(more HERE)

… I am reminded that we as pastors are fighting a spiritual battle that is so very real. I was called specifically by God to give my life proclaiming his message and discipling his people. I was called to give every bit of me to every bit of him. God not only called me but he appointed me to a position to walk in that calling. If ANYTHING receives the attention of Satan (the deceiver and accuser) then such a calling as I have described would be one of those things.

Reading statistics like this are encouraging only because they remind me that my calling places me on a battle field surrounded by the enemy. Although I know that my sword and shield will triumph that does not mean I will avoid a bloody fight. Understanding the nature and reality of the fight are foundational to mustering the endurance to suit-up every day. I pray that by God’s grace he will protect me and my family from becoming one of these statistics… and I pray that he will deliver those who have already found themselves deeply embedded within these numbers.