Greg Stier - Firing Jesus

ENDORSEMENTS

You read a good book once. A great book a few times. But a remarkable book becomes an annual pilgrimage that feeds your soul, strengthens your call and clarifies your focus. Greg has written a remarkable little book. Pastors, elders, youth leaders, parents and students should bless themselves by reading Firing Jesus.

Derwin L. Gray, Lead Pastor, Transformation Church, Charlotte, NC

Firing Jesus highlights exactly why Jesus is described in the Bible as a stumbling stone and a rock of offenseHes nothing like the attentive butler and nice-guy genie Hes often been reduced into in a culture thats in love with spirituality but at war with the exclusivity of Jesus. Greg Stier is passionate about Jesus and the person-to-person spread of His gospel, and Firing Jesus vividly re-imagines how that rock of offense would turn the tables on the complacent power structures inherent in many of todays churches. If youre a youth worker, this is a must-read.

Rick Lawrence, Executive Editor, GROUP Magazine Author of Jesus-Centered Youth Ministry

Greg Stier is a prolific soul winner who without a compromise speaks truth to the hearts of saved and unsaved. This book forces you to look inside yourself, but please dont just look if you feel the voice of God speaking to you to change. PLEASE change!

Reggie Dabbs, Motivational Youth Speaker

Firing Jesus has the capacity to radically change the way everyone looks at teenagers. I pray that more youth leaders will encourage evangelism as a lifestyle, not a thing-you-do-once-a-year-on-a-mission-trip-or-after-a-youth-conference. This book is a vehicle to drive people to that kind of passionate faith.

Katie Payne, Student

Firing Jesus

Copyright 2012 by Dare 2 Share Ministries, Inc.

All rights reserved.

A D2S Publishing book

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

This is a work of fiction. With the exception of known historical characters, all characters are the product of the authors imagination.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior permission of the publisher.

Editor: Jane Dratz

Stier, Greg.

Firing Jesus / by Greg Stier.

ISBN: 978-0-9857352-1-0

To all the youth leaders who put

their jobs on the line every day

by acting like Jesus.

Three-and-a-half months ago JC Davidson was hired as the youth leader at Spring Valley Church. But his unorthodox approach to youth ministry has raised more than a few eyebrows and stirred up controversy. An emergency meeting is called to force the issue of whether he should stay or be let go. The reactions, political maneuvering and plot twists that ensue will keep you riveted and get you thinking, Could this happen at my church?

Firing Jesus takes you on an intriguing imaginary journey to explore how Jesus might lead as a youth pastor in the 21st Centuryand how the church would likely respond.

Will he make the cut or get crucified? The answer may surprise you.

Sorry this meeting was so last minute, guys, Pastor Ryan Coleman apologized as he fumbled with his keys on the front doorstep of Spring Valley Community Church. Three other members of the elder board clustered around him on the chilly March evening. The church secretary, a petite, spry older lady, hurried up the walk to join them, emerging silently from the now ominously dark parking lot.

No problem, assured Scott West. Your message sounded urgent and we dont get too many emergency elder meetings around here.

It is urgent, Pastor Ryan affirmed. Its very urgent.

It better be, joked Pete Fisher. I had to leave the fire station even though it was on fire.

All of them laughed, though even a casual observer could see that Ryans and Scotts efforts to join in the humor were clearly forced. Together they made their way into the churchs office area where Pastor Ryan guided them into the smallest conference room.

I thought you were working tonight, Pete, commented Ryan.

Yeah, there was a mix up. But Im glad of it, because I wouldnt want to miss this meeting. Saw it on my iPhone, Pete responded, holding it up in his large, calloused hands with a smile. So whats the big emergency?

Ill tell everyone in just a few minutes. Lets all get situated, make sure everyone who is gonna show up, shows up, and then Ill explain whats happening.

Pete had the distinct feeling that Ryan didnt expector wanthim to be there. This made him all the more eager to find out what was going on.

As they sat waiting for others to arrive, Sam Brooke wondered to himself why they were meeting in the small conference room with only five metal chairs drawn around the small, circular table. After all, there were currently a total of seven elders on the churchs board, counting the senior pastor and executive pastor. Then with the non-voting church secretary who took the minutes added into the mix, meetings typically topped out at eight. But before he asked the question, Sam thought to himself that there was probably some legitimate reason they couldnt meet in their usual room. After all, more chairs could be squeezed in around the little table. He remained silent.

That was Sam. He liked to give people the benefit of the doubt. He had only been an elder at the church for two years and had a reputation for being traditional, wise and, well, quiet. He didnt speak much, but when he did, he spoke with a sense of authority. Not from a loud voice, but from a life that screamed a steady, stalwart consistency. He had lost his wife to cancer three years earlier and had weathered that storm with grace. He was a kind soul who moved with a gentle strength around the church. Kids would flock to him on Sunday morning for their free piece of candyif they quoted a Bible verse, of course. Though quiet, no elder meeting was ever complete without Sams unassuming wisdom and practical insights stirred into the mix.

On the other side of the decibel scale was Scott West. He was loud and proudproud of his charter member status in the church, proud of his successful church construction business, proud of his position as chairman of the elder board, proud of his ability to make things happen. Although he and the senior pastor often clashed, he usually got the best of it. He knew the church constitution better than the Bible, and he knew the Bible better than most. It was his influence that got Ryan Coleman hired in the first place.

Ryan had not been the elder boards first choice as the executive pastor. Most of the guys still thought he was too youngif 30 is youngand needed some more ministry experience. Sure, he had been a youth pastor for four years out of seminary, but that seemed hardly enough experience to be the EP of a church of 500. But Scott saw in him what he called a hunger to learn, which would be important when Ryan took the reins of leadership once Senior Pastor Jonathon Griffith eventually moved onwhich Scott intended to make certain was only a matter of time. In reality, Ryans hunger to learn was really just a moldable nature that Scott the potter took advantage of to implement his own agenda at the church.