My pastor at the time, who was also a great mentor figure, took me out for lunch one day. I was explaining my problem to him, and he surprised me with his response. Instead of sympathizing with my plight he actually rebuked me for my lack of faith. It’s one of the very rare times that I can recall when someone in church leadership actually rebuked me. He said, “If you don’t go forward with this, I think it will mean that you have doubts either about your calling or God’s ability to provide. Which is it? Because if you’re questioning God’s ability to provide you should settle that before you try leading a church.” This was uncomfortable and unexpected but looking back on that moment from all these years later I know he was right. I was confident of God’s calling. I had heard Him correctly, but strangely I was not confident that God would make a way. He was right to call me out on that.

After that conversation I went home and enrolled in an online program to pursue a Master of Divinity degree, and here’s the amazing thing, from that moment until I graduated with my MDIV degree different people came alongside to generously and unexpectedly help pay for it. It never came out of our family’s budget.