Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Justin Howard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Justin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?
I am a pastor in vocation. My job and focus is different than corporate America. The Church is not primarily focused on profits and losses, but on the glory of God. The Church is a God-centered institution, focused on the message of the Bible, which is that Jesus Christ died to save sinners. Success for the Church is faithfulness to God, His glory, and His word. Even though these principles are clear in even a cursory reading of the Bible, Christians are still impacted by the culture. Success in corporate America is determined by bottom lines. Success is about growing profit, through a product that serves people (hopefully!).
I mention these things, because I am currently in the process of leading our church to merge with another church in our city. My church was planted about six years ago. We have seen growth and decline, joy and hardship, good and bad. Yet, we found ourselves in a precarious situation. Since being called as a pastor in June of 2021, I have seen the church grow spiritually. Yet, we have not seen many of our visitors stay. We found ourselves growing qualitatively, but not quantitatively. After a season of prayer and seeking counsel from leaders in the city, a relationship was formed with the leaders of another church. That church has offered to receive us into their church, recognizing that the members of our church are pursuing a vibrant, active, and deepening relationship with God.
This brings us back to success and how one defines success. From a business stand point, the merger of our church means the dissolution of our church as an organization. That could be viewed as failure. But, the Church measures success differently. From a spiritual perspective, this merger will increase the display of God’s glory in our city. Like all organizations, churches have strengths and weaknesses. Our church is no different. As I think about this merger, I think about the needs of our church, and realize that the church we will likely merge with has strengths in those areas. Likewise, our church has gifts and experiences that will help to strengthen their church. All of this is a win as far as the Church is concerned, because our stories picture the central truth of Christianity. In Jesus Christ, God reconciles people. Rather than seeing other churches as competition to out perform, churches of the Lord Jesus are partners. As our churches come together, we as testifying that the God we worship is our source of unity and mission.
Justin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ. He has saved my soul and given me everlasting and ever-increasing joy. Rather than see myself as a nice polished “finished” Christian, I am simply one beggar telling others where they can find bread. After that, I am husband to my beautiful wife, Joani. Of all the women in the world, she surpasses them all. She is adventurous, creative, loves deeply, hospitable, and a fantastic mother. We have one daughter, Ellowen Rose. She is just over a year old. Ellowen Rose, like Joani, is adventurous, smart, and funny.
My wife and I spent two years living overseas working with evangelical churches in Bulgaria. We loved every minute of it. When our time ended, we returned to Charlotte, NC where we attend seminary. In June of 2021, my home church called me to be their teaching pastor. Our church is a rather ordinary church, which in a day in age where there is a constant need to be relevant, we find this emphasis on ordinary refreshing. We try our best to focus on the main things. We love God, His Word, His people, and our neighbors. We strive to follow God in community. So if someone wants lots of programs, or entertaining worship, then we will disappoint. However, if one is looking for a sincere community, that loves God, His Word, and His mission, then you would find a good company of people at among us.
I have been serving in that role since, and I hope to finish my graduate studies in May of 2024.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In August of 2021, my daughter was born. My wife had a natural, healthy birth. Nevertheless, recovery took time. Shortly after she got a bad case of hand, foot, and mouth disease, which is much harder on adults than children. It took her nearly a month to recoup. Then her gallbladder needed to be removed. We spent close to a week in the hospital. About three weeks later, she had some complications and needed to have another procedure. Again, we spent close to a week in the hospital. In the midst of this, I still had my responsibilities as a pastor and my school deadlines. Thankfully, I had another elder who was able to step in and preach on short notice(s)! This was a really difficult season for my family, but by God’s grace, we made it through. My wife is health now, our daughter is healthy, and I continue to love being a pastor and a student.
Have you ever had to pivot?
During college, the decision to change my major was a pivotal moment for me. I started out as a history major on track to teach high school. I also wanted to coach high school football. All that changed the more I got into the degree and realized all the restraints that I would face a public school teacher. Pretty quickly I knew I didn’t want to do that, and needed to change my major. I considered dropping out, because I did not want to waste my parent’s money and my time.
My parents and friends strongly encouraged me to stay in school. Majoring in business seemed like the obvious choice for someone who doesn’t know what they want to do with their life. The problem was I didn’t really like my business classes. I did, however, love the philosophy class I was in at the time.
In the end, I decided to change my major to philosophy. It was a daunting move at the time. I was walking away from a known career path to a very unknown future. Today, as a pastor, I grateful for my degree. It taught me to interact with views I disagree with, and it has helped me relate to various kinds of people.
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Photos belong to Midlands Church