Allen R. Hunt - Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church

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ISBN: 978-0-9841318-3-9

Nihil Obstat: Rev. Theodore R Book, S.L.L. 15 February, 2010

Imprimatur: + Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory, S.L.D.,
Archbishop of Atlanta, 15 February 2010

The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free from doctrinal and moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

All Bible quotations and citations come from the NRSV CE New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, unless designated by a *, in which case the translation is my own. Any Bible quotations provided in bold letters indicate an emphasis that is entirely my own.

Peggy Noonan, John Paul the Great, Penguin Books, 2005

Joan Carrol Cruz, The Incorruptibles, Tan Books, 1977

Published by Beacon Publishing

T wenty years ago, no one saw it coming. Not even David.

He was a young man working for a prestigious management consulting firm and he was in New York working on a project. Early one morning, David and a colleague jumped out of a cab and dashed through the freezing rain toward a Wall Street high rise, only to have to step over a homeless man who was sleeping in the doorway, blocking the entrance. David could not avoid facing the stark contrast of that scene.

Here he was, a young, slightly overconfident man, entering a monument to success and aspirations, and below him was an anonymous vulnerable human being trying to soak up the warmth coming through the grates from the subway down below.

David stopped in his tracks, and heard the Holy Spirit whisper in his ear. When are you going to stop serving yourself and start serving me?

That day David flew home and told his fiance that the time had come. Im leaving the world of business to become a pastor.

For the next fifteen years, Davids career would blossom from one ministry to another, culminating in his dream job. He became the senior pastor of a mega-church, the most well-attended Methodist congregation in the South, and one of the largest in the country. Somewhere between four and five thousand people worshiped there each Sunday, listening to David preach. Eight thousand gathered there for Christmas and Easter services. The church sponsored one of just two K-12 Methodist schools in the nation, had a full pregnancy resource center, a counseling center, a child care ministry, and maintained partnerships with vital missions on every continent around the globe.

David had risen to what he considered the best position he could have in the Methodist Church in America. And then, twenty years after his first epiphany, he would have another, one that would be equally shocking and create deep conflict in Davids life. It would stun his family. It would cost him a number of friendships. It would put an end to all he had worked for in his career as a pastor. And it would be impossible to avoid.

It culminated on Sunday, January 6, 2008, the feast of the Epiphany. David, the former pastor of a mega-church just twenty miles away, stood before the congregation at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Atlantas oldest Catholic church.

He was no longer the very public and well-respected Methodist minister. He would not welcome the congregation, deliver the homily, or stand outside and greet members as they left, but instead would be just like any other lay person there.

But then, finally, the moment came.

David walked to the front, and the priest gently placed the Body of Christ in the palm of Davids hand for the very first time.

And David began to weep.

Tears slowly streamed down his face as the years of journey climaxed in the enveloping presence of the Holy Spirit.

During the twenty years since that fateful rainy day in New York City, God tested Davids faith, challenged his health and overhauled His call to ministry. He revealed Himself to David in wonderful ways until David had no choice but to walk away from his generous salary, his small local celebrity and his job security. He would leave behind people he had loved deeply, and he would do so without the accompaniment of his family. David was that sure of Gods calling him home to the Catholic Church.

In case youre wondering, yes, I am David, and this is my story.

How did my transition occur? Not in a single moment of great revelation, but slowly, through a series of experiences. More like a mosaic of God-encounters. Or better yet, like a journey on a boat that begins in the Atlantic Ocean, without a real plan or destination. One day you wake up, look around and realize that youre somewhere in the Pacific. Youre not sure when you crossed from one ocean to the other, but you know youre there, and theres no going back.

Often, I was leading that wonderful mega-church, and deep inside I began to feel a longing to be a part of what I was convinced was Gods One Church. Over time that longing grew until I could deny it no more.

How and why did this happen? In the pages that follow, youll get the answers to those questions. In fact, youll get six answers. Those are what I came to see are the six hidden treasures of the Catholic Church, treasures so powerful that they changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. And perhaps theyll change yours too.

I call them hidden treasures because they are so often over-looked or misunderstood or taken for granted. Ive written this book for a variety of readers.

It is for those who, like me, have been curious about, or even had negative feelings toward, the Catholic Church. It is also for fallen-away Catholics who feel a yearning to rediscover the wonder and beauty of their Church. And it is for practicing Catholics who may have lost sight of what is right under their noses.

To demonstrate the hiddenness of the treasures of the Church, Ill use an analogy of an old house, and I will guide you through it and point out to you what Ive discovered there. It is my prayer that, whoever you are, youll discover in the walls of that house the beauty and truth and wonder that I did.

Most of all, I pray that the real-life recommendations I provide at the end of the book will give you real-life ways to experience the grace of God, and the treasures of the Church, for yourself. In providing these practical ideas, my hope is to offer life-giving insights for everyday living.

Finally, I should admit that writing this book has been difficult for me, because I share some of my deepest struggles and personal secrets. Not only do I make myself vulnerable in doing so, I could also risk someone misinterpreting my journey as a criticism of their own beliefs. Please know that this is never my intention. My hope is that by being honest about my own experience and conflicts and journey, others will be helped in similar ways. I write this book with great love. I love the Methodist Church, for it birthed my own faith in Jesus Christ. And I love the many persons who have shaped my journey from childhood and since those days when I stepped over that vulnerable homeless man in New York City.