A Pastoral First

This morning at the conclusion of our second service at FCF we had two families come up to join our church. Each of these families went through the process of church membership and are great families to have for our ministry. Now families joining FCF have been somewhat of a regular occurrence with our growing church...but what happened during that time was a first for me.

As a Pastor, one of things I take pride in is remembering names. While I don't know everyone that comes to our church, I try to remember the names of people I have the privilege of meeting personally, especially ones who are committing with us.

As these couples came up front to be welcomed into our church family, I introduced the first couple. The second couple I had the privilege of meeting at their house on Tuesday. A great young family, three cute kids and just recently committed to helping lead our new Faith Kids Worship Service. As I moved to introduce them...my mind went totally blank...I had forgotten their names!

It was wholly embarrassing and impersonal. In that moment, something I take pride in became humbling. The first thought of course was "this can't be happening to me." Secondly I thought "I certainly am not old enough for this to be happening."

What made this situation more interesting, was the response of the family. I had just preached a message on grace (from our What is Salvation Series). While the theme of the message was on God's grace in salvation, this family exemplified that grace in their response to me.

While I am certain it won't be the last time I forget someone's name, I am certain I will never forget their names now. But in greater ways, I am thankful for new families that are willing to demonstrate grace and Christlikeness...even to their very human Pastor.