How did Third Wave strengthen your role as a pastor?
Ministry’s hard sometimes. So when things are difficult, to be reminded of this kind of glimpse of heaven that you had at Third Wave, the fact that you’re a part of something much bigger than just this one local context, and that God is at work in so many different ways and in the lives of so many different people around the world— those are the kind of things that really encourage, strengthen, give hope in the times that are a bit harder. There’s really nothing quite like attending an event like that.
Recently you’ve moved from England to Australia and taken on the role of business manager at NTC Australia and New Zealand. How did attending Third Wave impact that decision?
We know as Christians that the Kingdom of God is bigger than our local church, it’s bigger than our city, it’s bigger than our country. But actually experiencing that first-hand at something like Third Wave does make something like moving 10,000 miles across the world a little less daunting because you know that even though you don’t know many people—the Nazarene Church is one that welcomes and embraces…there’s just going to be this sense of family already there.
How has the shift from pastoring a church to working in an office changed your perception of serving in ministry?
I’ve always been a pastor, but for this season, it looks like working at a college rather than pastoring a church. One thing that helped me in that was knowing so many people who do the same thing—and Third Wave is a part of that—seeing people who are called to ministry but serve in different ways and different roles, not in a church, it was good to be reminded of that.
One of the [Third Wave] workshops was around mentoring, and that really helped me in terms of realizing the need for mentoring, and the need to be looking for young people that you can mentor and disciple. As I am responsible for the management of the tenants at NTC, some of whom are not yet Christians and are not connected with a church, there are complex issues that arise where experience in pastoral care is helpful.
You attended Third Wave at 29–already a spouse, mother, and pastor. What would you say to someone considering attending the conference, especially those already established in their career and life paths?
I would say absolutely do it. It will be life-changing. If their district, if their church has asked them to go—that means that they have seen something in them that means they want to invest in them in this way, and that they should trust their church, trust their district, and trust God, and be open to what they will see at Third Wave, what they will hear. It’s just a joy and an honor to know you’re going to meet people from Nazarene churches from around the globe.
