Last fall, the elders began a period of prayer and consideration about where we feel that God is leading the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ. These strategy conversations were held in eight specially called sessions between November and April. From these significant discussions emerged the idea of becoming a welcoming community that receives both disciples and the lost. We want to allow God to transform all of us into the fullness of Christ.
Staffing Update: New Youth Ministers
November 1, 2015 – This morning we are sharing exciting news about our Youth Group Ministry Team at Harpeth Hills.
First, the Lord apparently likes a bit of irony. On this day 18 years ago, the Harpeth Hills leadership announced that two new youth ministers, Jason and Jennifer Pagel, would be joining our ministry team. Rita and I, along with many others, were ecstatic about the announcement. We had no idea how richly these two would bless all of us over the next 18 years. Jason and Jennifer, thank you for your love and commitment to Harpeth Hills. They are writing the final pages in their chapter as our youth ministers and beginning an exciting new chapter as discipleship ministers at Harpeth Hills. We look forward to the great things they will soon undertake.
Now we are sharing exciting news relating to our search for youth ministers to succeed Jason and Jennifer and work alongside Ayesha. But first, we want to share a bit about the process.
Over the summer, Jason, Jennifer, Ayesha and I worked to capture the key characteristics we were looking for in our new ministers. Just a few of the characteristics include:
- Someone who is fully committed to his/her faith in Jesus Christ
- The ability to clearly, authentically and passionately communicate their faith
- A love for youth and their families
- Humility and willingness to work as part of a team
- A passion for missions
- The ability to form, manage and empower teams
- A commitment to personal and corporate spiritual formation
With this as our guide, we spent the summer identifying qualified individuals and building a list of potential candidates. Once summer activities were completed, we all participated in initial interviews followed by in-person meetings to determine who the right candidates might be. As a result of the process, we identified several highly qualified individuals.
As we made our way through the process, we prayed specifically that God show us the way to the right man and the right woman. I, along with all those who participated in the process, would concur that the Lord had a plan and He showed us the way to the right candidates. Once we identified who we believed to be the right candidates, we had them spend time with the elders, the coordinating deacons over the Youth Group and their wives, and our entire ministry staff.
I am excited to share with our fellowship this morning that we have succeeded in securing two outstanding youth ministers – Hayden Parrish as our male youth minister and Kinsley Crothers as our female youth minister. We are confident that God put both Hayden and Kinsley in our path as an answer to prayer. Both Hayden and Kinsley have a love for young people and are extremely enthused about the opportunity to join the Harpeth Hills ministry staff.
Hayden is currently the youth minister at the Campbell Street Church of Christ in Jackson. He has been at Campbell Street for the past three years and served as an intern at several churches prior to settling in at Campbell Street. Hayden is married to his high school sweetheart, Miriam, and they have one son, Charlie, who is 18 months old. Miriam, in addition to being a mom, is a nutritionist. Hayden and Miriam are graduates of Lipscomb University.
Kinsley is currently the female youth minister at Hillsboro Church of Christ. She has been at Hillsboro for the past three years and served as an intern at several large churches, including Ayesha’s home church in Atlanta, prior to settling in at Hillsboro. Kinsley is married to Garrett Crothers, who is in pharmacy school at Lipscomb University. Interestingly, Kinsley and Garrett met while working together as church interns and served alongside one another during three youth group internships. Kinsley is a graduate of Tennessee Tech. Also of interest, Kinsley and Miriam, Hayden’s wife, have known one another for many years.
This morning Hayden and Kinsley are sharing the news with their churches. As part of the process, I spoke with leaders at the two churches. In both cases they were disappointed to lose very capable and greatly loved ministry team members but understood the opportunity that awaits them here at Harpeth Hills.
Ayesha’s reaction to this effort and our outcome:
“Kinsley and Hayden are an answer to many, many prayers over the past five months. It will be a blessing to watch our Father reveal exactly why He brought them both, along with their families, to Harpeth Hills. I’m grateful to have a front row seat for it all.”
Jason and Jennifer’s response:
“When we set out to find new youth ministers, we hoped to find two people who would bring a fresh perspective and thoughtful approach in working with our teenagers. We wanted them to have a long-term passion for working with adolescents and their families. We wanted their heartbeat to match the personality, values and mission of this church family. And we hoped that they would have humility and willingness to be enthusiastic partners and collaborators with our ministry team. In both Hayden and Kinsley we unreservedly believe we have found each of these qualities. But far more importantly, we believe these two to be deeply and relentlessly in love with Jesus and, when they speak of him, they do so compellingly and contagiously. This is why we are eager for them to be with us and for our own children to learn from them.”
Hayden and Kinsley are spending November winding down their work at their respective churches and are beginning their work with us on Tuesday, December 1.
We would like to express our gratitude to Jason, Jennifer and Ayesha for their hard work as we walked through this process. It is not easy to choose your successors. And, of course, please pray for Kinsley and Hayden as they make this transition.
David Solomon – For the elders
New Instrumental Worship Service
Our desire is to be a welcoming community for disciples and the lost. We also want to be openhearted and minister to those who are hurting, both inside and outside this church. We want to be transformed into the fullness of Christ, and we want that for others. So what does this mean and what does it look like?
First, we want to be more intentional about spiritual growth among all members. While our children and youth programs have specific ways of accomplishing this, we are less intentional with our adults. Our initial step in addressing this need was the decision to name Jason and Jennifer Pagel as Discipleship Ministers.
Second, as we reflect on this vision we recognize and admit that we do not have a day-to-day passion for the lost. We have programs like Open Door at Napier, and we are periodically involved in outreach through short term mission trips, but as a church fellowship many of us are not passionate about the lost. Or at least we don’t put our passion into action. We as your elders confess this to you. I confess this to you. Rarely do we as a church family bring one of our friends to confess the name of Jesus. Your shepherds have a vision that we can become a church that does this.
We are also concerned about our young people, in and outside of this church. Across America we see a younger generation that is increasingly estranged from the Lord and from organized religion of all kind. Perhaps for centuries older people have had concerns over “this younger generation,” but it is no longer a cliché. It is the truth. The generations under 40 are increasingly becoming un-churched.
Growing out of this desire to be a welcoming church and to reach those we are currently not reaching, we are launching a third worship service on Sunday mornings in August. This assembly will take place in the Youth Center, most likely at 11am. That service will be instrumental. In tone and feel, the service will be more informal. Our 8:30am and 10:45am worship services in the Auditorium will continue to be led by Blake Parker and Robert King and will remain a cappella.
We have hired Warren Lipscomb to lead the worship at the instrumental service. Warren grew up worshipping in this church and was a part of our youth group. He is now a senior at Lipscomb University. Warren is a skilled musician and worship leader. He possesses a rare combination of talent, humility and passion. We look forward to the worship he leads.
The elders have asked Chris to address the topic of instrumental worship and our a cappella tradition over the next two Sundays. Next Sunday, June 21, he will discuss the topic, What Does the Bible Say About Instrumental Worship? Then on June 28 he will deal with the question, Why Are We Doing This? Your elders, coordinating deacons and ministers have already heard these sermons, and we think you will find them helpful.
As leaders we are united in believing that this decision is the right one for Harpeth Hills at this time. We have talked about this decision for months, and submitted to prayer and fasting.
Many of you have asked for a service like this for years. And then many of us have witnessed with joy the way our own young people are moved by instrumental worship. Both of these factors played a role in our decision.
But we want to be sure that you hear our heart on this matter. Ultimately we came to believe that if we were serious about evangelism, we needed to remove an unintended barrier to such evangelism—our worship tradition. Most of us dearly love a cappella praise, and we always will. But there is a world out there that does not connect to it. It is not their heart language. We want to reach these people. We at least want to try to reach these people.
I grew up believing, as many of you did, that the only proper and pleasing way to worship God was
a cappella. That is about the only way I have worshipped for my 61 years. I am very comfortable in our worship tradition; I enjoy our a cappella heritage. But when I read of Paul’s example in
I Corinthians 9, that he has become all things to all people so that by all possible means he might save some, I ask myself, “What is more important, my tradition of worshipping a cappella or offering a worship style that communicates better with today’s generation?” I believe, your shepherds believe, that Paul would set aside his preference or tradition in favor of saving some. He does this for the sake of the gospel.
It is our hope that all of our services, the a cappella services in this room and the instrumental service downstairs, will become more outreach focused as we worship God. And certainly this goes well beyond one hour a week. What would happen if we started noticing the people around us? Our friends, our neighbors, our acquaintances—do they know the Lord? Do we care?
It is our hope that this family – our family – will remain united as we focus on transforming lives into the fullness of Christ.
We believe that Chris’ sermons will put instrumental worship and our a cappella heritage in proper perspective and will answer some of the questions you may have. If you have questions after listening to his sermons or if you want to discuss this with one of us before then, our door is always open. We welcome your comments and solicit your prayers. We ask that God will continue to guide us as your leaders, as we seek His will for Harpeth Hills.
The elders
What is the mission and purpose of adding an instrumental service?
To provide a venue with a different worship expression, in hopes of engaging people we are currently not reaching. A third service also provides room for numeric growth.
Where and when will this service take place?
11am in the Youth Center. This time may be adjusted as we continue to work on details.
When does the service begin?
Sunday, August 9.
How was this decision made?
The leadership began an intensive time of reflection beginning in October 2014. We discussed the future of Harpeth Hills and where we sensed God’s leading.
Is everybody on board with this?
The elders and ministers are unified in this decision and believe adding an additional service provides another avenue for our community to experience the love of Jesus.
Will there be any teaching and explanation of this decision?
Chris Smith is preaching the next two Sundays about worship.
June 21 – What Does the Bible Say About Instrumental Worship?
June 28 – Why Are We Doing This?
I would really like to talk to an elder or a minister about this decision. How do I do this?
Feel free to reach out to any elder or minister. Our door is always open.
Who is leading the instrumental service?
Warren Lipscomb, who grew up at Harpeth Hills, has been hired to lead the service. He is a senior at Lipscomb University and is both a gifted and passionate worship leader.
What happens upstairs?
We will continue to have a cappella services in the Auditorium at 8:30 and 10:45am. Blake Parker and Robert King, along with the praise team, will continue to lead these two services.
What will the instrumental service look like?
The initial plan is a single leader (Warren) with an acoustic guitar. The service will have an informal atmosphere.
Will the service have live preaching?
Chris Smith will preach the same message live at all services. We may experiment with sermons on video but only after we have an established rhythm.
Will I always have a choice?
Yes. We will always have an a cappella service at Harpeth Hills.
What is our commitment to a cappella music?
We are in no way de-emphasizing our commitment to a cappella worship. We love our heritage. Our commitment to a cappella worship is steadfast. In adding an instrumental service, we are providing options.
Who will attend the instrumental service?
We expect all generations to be represented in all three of our Sunday services.
June 14 – Looking Ahead
mp3 | iTunes Podcast | View on Vimeo
June 21 – What Does the Bible Say About Instrumental Worship?
mp3 | iTunes Podcast | View on Vimeo
June 28 – Why Are We Doing This?
mp3 | iTunes Podcast | View on Vimeo
Staffing Update: Jason & Jennifer Pagel
On Sunday morning, May 10, Ronnie Rummage read the following announcement from the elders, describing Jennifer and Jason’s transition to their new role as Discipleship Ministers.
Last fall, the elders began a period of prayer and consideration about where we feel that God is leading the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ. These strategy conversations were held in eight specially called sessions between November and April. From these significant discussions emerged the idea of becoming a welcoming community that receives both disciples and the lost. We want to allow God to transform all of us into the fullness of Christ.
Next, we moved to the question of how to focus more intentionally on becoming this kind of church. We noted areas in which we have been successful in achieving this purpose and areas in which we felt that we could improve. Included in this discussion was our previous attempt to hire a Women’s Minister who would have fulfilled a similar role in the spiritual support and development of our ladies.
Our discussions led to an interest in developing a ministry with both an internal and external focus: to nurture our own members spiritually and at the same time to emphasize ways in which we can reach the lost. After much prayer and consideration, the Lord brought us to the realization that already in our midst are two highly qualified, much loved spiritual servants, Jason and Jennifer Pagel. For the past seventeen and a half years their influence on our young people and their families, as well as our entire congregation, has been immeasurable. We have asked them to become Discipleship Ministers, working with our adult members much as they have ministered to our young people. Though they will work with all adults, we anticipate that there will be times when Jennifer will work more closely with women and Jason more with men; thus, we will not continue our search for a women’s ministry position.
Jason and Jennifer transition to their new roles in the fall. For now, they will continue as Youth Ministers through another busy summer of camp, Youth Interns, mission trips and so many other activities. Tristan Wheeler, our Youth Resident, will remain with us through the summer to assist in this transition. His youth residency position ends on August 31. Ayesha Nasmyth will continue her current role as the Youth Ministry Administrative Assistant. On Tuesday, May 12, we begin a search for both a male and a female Youth Minister. Jason, Jennifer and Ayesha will head that search committee. We hope to have these new Youth Ministers hired by the end of the summer or early fall. The Pagels will mentor and help to transition this new youth ministry team for as long as needed.
We are very excited to see where God is leading Jennifer and Jason in this new discipleship ministry, and we appreciate their willingness to share their God-given talents with our adult members.
The elders
• May 10, 2015 audio (mp3)