The Power of Generativity

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

I recently came across a term that caused me to furrow my brows in consternation (if you've ever seen my eyebrows you know that's quite a bit of furrowing going on). You've probably had it happen to you as well--you're reading, sailing right along, and then all of a sudden you stumble across a word that doesn't register. It happens to me quite a bit. The term this time was "generativity" and while I recognize words like "generate" I had never heard of "generativity" before. It might be made up for all I know and maybe hasn't found approval from Webster, but now that I've run across it I believe it's an important word in the life of a Church.

It was defined in the book that I was reading as "the positive caring for the next generation by giving of self."

How does that apply to the Church?

We have so many opportunities for adults to pour themselves out and give to others in our local Church. There are opportunities for the application of spiritual gifts. There are opportunities for usefulness in the Kingdom of God. Each follower of Jesus is a gifted minister!

The concept of generativity is at the center of the teaching ministry in a local Church where adults are teaching preschoolers, children, youth and young adults the life-changing and worldview-forming truths of the Bible.

As adults, when we accept God's call to teach and lead others we are the ones who grow in Christ. I've experienced it personally in my life, and it's the testimony of many of the teachers in our Children's Ministry. Do you want to grow in your relationship with Jesus? Give yourself away for the sake of others who need you to pour yourself into their lives!

I believe God has called each of us as adults to a self-giving & self-sacrificing ministry, also known as generativity. So, the question remains: how are you giving yourself away and serving others in the local Church? If you're not, it's time, and I'd be more than glad to point you to a few possibilities! Feel free to call me or shoot me an email!

Never Will I Leave You (Part 3)

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

The following is adapted from a sermon by Dennis Johnson on Hebrews 13:5-14 that deals with change and I thought it would be appropriate for us to consider as we transition from Phil (who was with us for 28 years) to a new Lead Pastor. 

In this installment we'll take a deeper look at the second of two wrong ways to respond to change based on Hebrews. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.


The second incorrect way to respond to change is trying to insulate ourselves from change through money. This response is addressed by the author of Hebrews in 13:5-6:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

There are many reasons why people love money. We like the things that we can buy. We like to feel important and comfortable. But in Hebrews God warns us against loving money "as a source of security." Why? Because money may never say to you what God can: "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

In chaotic times it's tempting to think that money can be a shield for us. That it can protect us from the hardships of change. But money doesn't last, in fact, Jesus' parable in Luke 12:13-21 is a perfect illustration of this truth. A farmer had no place to put all of his grain and so he he said, "I'll build bigger barns, and then relax and celebrate! I'll be secure for years!" But God said, "You fool! Tonight, your life is mine!" And the farmer died, unable to enjoy all of his money.

Hebrews tells us to not place our faith or our hope of security in money. Or in love and relationships, for that matter. So, if we can't look to those things for certainty during change where can we look? That's where we'll go in Part 4!

Never Will I Leave You (Part 1)

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

The following is adapted from a sermon by Dennis Johnson on Hebrews 13:5-14 that deals with change and I thought it would be appropriate for us to consider as we transition from Phil (who was with us for 28 years) to a new Lead Pastor.

Change is difficult. It takes us out of our comfort zone and ushers in the unknown. Even for the self-professed "change lovers" (like me!) there is still stress involved whether the change is pleasant or painful.

In fact, psychologists have assigned numeric value to the stress caused by different kinds of change. It doesn't matter whether it's getting married, losing a loved one, buying a new home, having a new baby or going through a divorce--all change involves some sort of stress. And if we rack up enough of those "stress points" we start to go into melt-down.

The book of Hebrews was written to a congregation of Jewish Christians who were going into melt-down because of change. They were experiencing change in two different ways:

1. They had grown up in Judaism with its temple centered worship and now they were Christians with Jesus centered worship. (They could no longer touch and feel and see the sacrifices. They were now being fed by the Word of God as their pastors proclaimed the Good News into their lives.) Because of this change, or conversion, they were also experiencing persecution from their family and friends. They were shunned because they believed Jesus was the Messiah.
2. This Hebrew congregation was also experiencing a change in leadership. There was a shift happening from one generation of leaders to the next. And evidently, this new generation of leadership was not receiving the respect of the congregation, which their office deserved. Perhaps the people were saying things like, "We like how Pastor so-and-so used to do things back in the day." Or, "These new guys don't do things like we've always done them." Whatever the reason, there was conflict in the midst of a change of leadership.

So, in the book of Hebrews the Holy Spirit tells us how we should respond to change and how we should not respond to change as a fellowship or a local church.

We should not respond to change in two ways based on the text:

1. Retreat from change by clinging to the past.
2. Try to insulate ourselves from change through money.

We should respond to change in the following way: Focus our thoughts and rest our hearts on Jesus, our ever-living, never-leaving leader.

(In the next installment we'll take a deeper look at the two wrong ways to respond to change based on Hebrews.)