The Shaping of our Philosophy
During our college years Pam
and I were impacted by “The Master Plan of Disciple Making” by Robert Coleman
(2 Timothy 2:2). Thanks to people like
Dave Giles, Brady Bobbink and Bob Stone for investing in me! For the past 35
years we’ve resisted the corporate consumer driven mindset that pushes
Christian leaders to be financially and numerically successful more than
biblically and spiritually fruitful.
Bigger and faster is not how Jesus made disciples. His approach was fewer and longer!
One of my seminary professors
shared in a chapel service something that confused me back in my 20’s, but
makes a lot of sense 35 years later. “The cultural values of efficiency and
productivity (gods of corporate America), are mutually exclusive to the
biblical values of spirituality and community”.
Thank you to those friends
and mentors who modeled to us and equipped to make disciples who are:
· Spiritually alive in Christ
· Relationally connected to one another
· Missionally engaged in the world
By building communities
that:
· Connect people into relational networks
· Equip them to Pursue
God’s truth at the heart level
· Unleash them to Respond
with a life of sacrificial service
Face to Face and Heart to Heart
In our Haven for the Heart ministry
we invest personally and relationally in a few faithful leaders who will be
encouraged and equipped to be a Haven for the Hearts of those in their lives or
ministries. As we help start and
strengthen a wide range of biblical communities, we take long seasons to invest
deeply in a few faithful leaders who have great impact in their regions and
denominations. One such leadership
couple, is Todd and Lisa Fetters. We
were invited to be a haven for their hearts, as they were a haven for the
hearts of others.
“When it was first announced that I was coming to the UB National Office, Mike was one of my first phone calls. He was integral to my loving and serving Devonshire Church well in my last five years with them. Because of Mike, I was able to finish well at Devonshire.
My path intersected with Mike in 2007 through the encouragement of a mutual friend. I didn’t know Mike and he didn’t know me. However, we hit it off instantly due to Mike’s contagious love for Jesus and his ability to identify with hurting pastors who have lost their way in ministry and desperately want to find it.
In 2007, I was plagued with insecurity, anxiety, and dread. Mentally, I couldn’t dream or think my way through any personal or ministry challenge. Relationally, I trusted no one and consequently, was cold and distant with my family, my friends, and my parishioners. Spiritually, I was dry as desert sand as God and I were hardly on speaking terms. Twenty-one years of pastoral ministry had taken a toll on me and those around me.
Mike’s ministry is that of a true paraclete. He came alongside and mentored me with his CPR for the Soul strategy (Connect | Pursue | Respond). Here’s what Mike’s ministry looked like for me:
· Mike helped me CONNECT with compassionate friends and courageous mentors. Mike knows that every spiritual leader needs friends who share the journey of ministry. He came alongside our entire ministry leadership team and helped to develop us into an authentic spiritual community. Trust was forged as we lived out the “one anotherings” of scripture. We prayed together. We shared one another’s burdens. We loved and forgave one another as Christ loved and forgave each of us. As a result, I was never alone in ministry again.
· Mike encouraged me to PURSUE the truth of God’s heart that transforms the soul. Like a true brother, Mike entered the battle for my soul with me. He pointed me in Jesus’ direction, making it clear that uninterrupted and unapologetic time alone with Jesus was the only way out of my spiritual dryness. Over the course of 2-3 years, with the Gospels as my close companions, my heart was touched by the Holy Spirit and revived with a refilling that exists still to this day.
· Mike challenged me to RESPOND with a life of passion and purpose. Eventually, vision returned. This time the vision was not my own, but the Lord’s. I learned that the only thing worth doing is walking with the Lord, doing only what the Lord wants done. I re-learned that God’s will is not something that I discover alone. Rather, the Lord’s will is caught through the still small voice of the Holy Spirit and godly voice of His people that I serve.
Today I serve in this denominational leadership role with a responsibility for the spiritual health and vitality of our pastors. Mike and his wife, Pam, are dear partners with their Haven for the Heart ministry. I’m pretty particular about who sees our pastors. The Dittmans are compassionate, dedicated, and trustworthy. Their love for the Lord is genuine and infectious. Together, Mike and Pam are Haven for the Heart. They are tremendous hosts who make sure that their home is a place where space is given for the Holy Spirit to speak and be heard. But, as hospitable as they are with their home, it’s their hearts that are most hospitable. When Mike and Pam serve you, you are truly never alone.” – Todd Fetters
The CPR process that Todd referred to is central to how we do biblical counseling and spiritual direction, plant churches and lead groups, build marriages and strengthen families. It’s simply the three dynamics for how God transforms lives.
· I’ve posted three blogs, which summarize what I taught and demonstrated at the pastors retreat about CPR, titled “Facilitating Transformational Communities.
· Go to our blog resource section to listen and watch a
video clip of what I taught and demonstrated with these people concerning CPR
(this will be posted by March 15th).
· Come experience a haven for your heart and be equipped
to be a haven for the hearts of others! For more information download our Haven
for the Heart Retreat packet.
Please Note
Thanks for your prayer
support, personal encouragement and financial investment! Rather than using our
newsletters or blogs to communicate with those of you on our P.A.S.T., we have
decided to connect with you through personal emails, phone calls and
visits! If you are interested in being a
part of this team, let us know!
Never Alone,
Mike and Pam
