I’ve been giving some thought in recent days to what it is I actually do. I think just about every student I’ve ever had the privilege of working with has asked at some point something along the lines of “What do you do all day?” I think a lot of people assume that I have youth group from 6-8 on Wednesday nights, and that the rest of my time is spent practicing dodgeball. Which, isn’t entirely false…but I think there’s more to the story.
In truth, there’s a lot wrapped up in what I do. My technical job title is Associate Pastor for Youth, Contemporary Worship, and Media. Basically I’m a youth pastor who also dabbles in video production while pretending to be a rock star. I’ve had that job title for about two years now, and I’m still trying to make sense of holding all three of those ideas together. So for me lately, the two words that have been coming to the fore are “Creative Theologian.” As with just about any theologian, that sounds super pompous and arrogant, so what exactly do I mean by that?
I think at our core, just about every theologian is about studying and proclaiming the truth of God. We each take different tracks to get there, but that’s what we’re after. We want to know the truth, sure, but we want to proclaim that truth to everyone we meet. To be a creative theologian in my case is to say that I will use art, creativity, writing, filmmaking, music, and storytelling as the tool kit to get the truth out there.
And let’s be honest, the world needs the truth of God right now. Not the “you’ll all burn in hell if you don’t believe exactly what I believe” kind of truth that all too often gets shopped around. Those people need to take a seat and relax. I’m talking about the truth that God loves us. God loves you. God has loved you even before you knew who God was. God loves you in spite of yourself. God loves everyone.
My job, is to tell people all about that love. And throw a dodgeball or two in the process.