Living in the Resurrection Bubble

Last week, I suggested that if a church is not growing, it is dying and I wanted to take a moment to respond to a comment from my friend, Jimmy Taylor. He pointed out that I am a young pastor serving at a high energy church with significant leadership.

He is absolutely right. My pastoral identity and understanding about how churches operate has been significantly shaped by serving at Resurrection. In fact, this was my first appointment out of seminary and I continue to be appointed here. I have no other appointment context against which to gauge my experience here. It is certain that in many ways that Resurrection is an anomaly among United Methodist Churches.

I am aware that in some ways I live in a "Resurrection bubble." There are both good and bad aspects to this reality.

I strive to pay attention to the best practices of ministry at Resurrection that have nothing to do with numbers or dollars. I do my best to maintain connection with the annual conference where I was ordained and where my membership resides.

Do pastors live in a bubble of their own context? Can you help me normalize my experience? Or provide some perspective and commentary?