Vision is Key

Part 4 in series “What I’ve Learned as a Leader” by Steve Long, Catch The Fire Toronto Ambassador

The Importance of Having a Vision

I mentioned in my last blog that I'm intentional. I know the plan, I live the plan, and I execute the plan. I don't easily get sidetracked. That is because I highly value vision. The Bible has many stand-alone principles, and here is one that is full of wisdom:

"Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint, but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction" (Proverbs 29:18)

Another way of saying it is people who don't know where they are going end up going nowhere. They waste their lives doing meaningless things. The concept is simple. No plan, no purpose, no vision? Then nothing good happens. This is true for individuals, companies, and congregations.

Jesus saw this in the nation of Israel. In Matthew 9:35-38 he discerned the people were in three categories. Helpless (they don't have resources), harassed (they don't know what they are up against), and aimless (like sheep wandering). Jesus’ solution was Shepherds – Helpers to reveal the kingdom of God. The new kingdom rules for living would give people hope! Spiritual people should know how to help others. We know that the demonic is real and Satan is an adversary. We know how to change from aimlessness to seeking direction from the Lord.

Aligning with God’s Vision

In my first blog in this leadership series, I tell the story of how I joined Catch the Fire, and how in my journaling Jesus redirected me from a possible church in Kingston, ON, to serve John and Carol Arnott. That was God's vision for me. The kicker was I was not just to serve John and Carol but to serve their vision. So that's what has been my focus for the last thirty years. Sandra and I have stayed true to the task Father God gave us. When I joined Catch the Fire in 1993 as a consultant for the conferences, the church's vision was: "To walk in God's love and give it away." Easy. That's the great command from Matthew 22:34-40 Love God, and love others as you love yourself.

Because God chose our church to be the epicentre of the Toronto Blessing, with twelve years of nightly revival meetings, we needed to add to our vision. We weren't just a small church by the airport anymore; we started to have a global impact.

Our vision statement was adapted: "To walk in God's love and give it away to Toronto and the World." It was the same vision, but it evolved to help us as a church to remember we were still rooted in Toronto, but we also had a more significant international mandate. That vision led us to start a School of Ministry to raise leaders for our city and the world. That vision led us to start 15 churches in the GTA and ten others in Canada. That vision led us to release leaders from Toronto to start Catch the Fire churches worldwide.

The vision statement about God's love means everything we do is based on our understanding of God as a Father. He loves us unconditionally and extravagantly. This love will transform people's lives. We value presence and loving others and transformed lives for everyone

Our vision statement is very similar today, but now it is said differently: "Encounter God's transforming presence." (If you are new to Catch the Fire, click here to see our fuller vision statements.)

To help others encounter God, we first need to love ourselves. That means we value inner healing and deliverance. Our leadership team repeatedly receives spiritual counselling, trauma ministry, and emotional healing. Why? It's part of our vision. I myself have had six whole weeks of inner healing with Restoring the Foundations. I'm currently having trauma ministry to release things my body is holding on to. Sandra and I have had marriage ministry several times, even when I didn't think we needed it. Apparently, Sandra felt one of us did.

Vision comes from God. A unique personal calling Father God gives to each of us. He calls us, into business or politics, to be kingdom people. He calls us into education to bring salt and light. He calls us to be married and raise Godly kids. Whatever our calling, it's all vision.

Vision is the reason why we encourage everyone to know how to hear God's voice. Week one at our Leaders School. Week one at our five-month School of Ministry. Day one of our International Leaders Schools. Day one of our in-house leadership training. Hearing God's voice is a primary value, and we make it a priority in all of our schools. Why? Because now we are wired to hear Father God's vision. Vision will keep us from living aimlessly.

Jesus only did what he heard, saw in the Spirit, and knew in his heart. Jesus' vision for his life was God's vision for him. He had function and purpose. Seven times in John's gospel, he says,

"Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” (John 5:19)

Each of us will have a unique vision for our lives, for what we do, and for what we are to accomplish. Mine has been and still is to serve John and Carol Arnott. First, that was helping with the revival meetings and coordinating conferences. Then it was raising up connect leaders and pastoring our pastoral team. Then it was as Senior Leaders. Now it is to pastor about 50 of our Catch the Fire Partner churches in Europe, the UK, the Middle East, and Africa. My personal vision helps me to know what to say yes to and what to say no to. I have focus. I've become good at saying no, and redirecting people to others who can help them better than I can. I don't need to be the fix-it person for everyone, nor can I be if I stay true to my vision.

In Acts 4, a potential racial challenge came to the church. Greek widows felt Hebrew widows were getting preferential treatment, especially regarding food help. I love how the apostles handled the problem. They told the Greek women to nominate seven men to help them. The criteria were men full of the Spirit and faith. Once seven names were presented, the apostles laid hands on them, commissioning and anointing them for this new task of food distribution. The apostles didn't jump up and run to the kitchen. They didn't drive their cars around the city, dropping off food parcels. No, their vision determined their intention. They stayed focused on prayer and proclaiming the kingdom. I love it. They solved a problem and remained faithful to their calling.

I've already mentioned the passage where Jesus talks about the crowds of people who were helpless, harassed, and aimless. The solution wasn't for Jesus to keep doing meetings and doing all the ministry. The solution was for Jesus to choose twelve people he would train to help him in ministry and for them to lead the meetings eventually. Once this transition happened, we rarely see Jesus doing large events such as the Sermon on the Mount, or feeding the 5000. His vision to seek and save the lost was implemented by his raising up leaders.

Seventeen years ago, when John and Carol asked us to become the senior leaders, we were given six months' notice, and the church was given three months' notice. Very little time for our transition. John shared his two main concerns with me at that meeting about becoming the next Senior Leader. He said, "Steve, you have no business experience. That's a weakness." He also said, "You say yes to too many people."

My first thought on the business topic was to take an executive MBA. I approached three businessmen I knew and respected, intending to ask them to fund me. They all said the same thing. "Steve, don't you get an MBA, hire someone who has one." Bryan Stephenson, who happened to be a retired Major General, and chief strategist for the Canadian Armed Forces, was that someone. His hire was the best decision Sandra and I made. He helped us with team and vision implementation.

On the topic of being a "yes man," I signed up for ministry immediately. It turns out the core issue was abandonment, which caused me to want everyone to like me, which caused me to always say yes, even when I knew I should say no. I came back from that counselling changed. I was often met with looks of shock from my colleagues, who were used to a quick yes. I may not have been liked as much, but I became a better leader because my weakness was revealed and ministered into.

Vision has guided my life as a leader. I believe Catch the Fire is a better church because we've sought to hear from the Lord and stay true to what He says as a leadership team and congregation.

God will do that for each of us! Hear his voice and be led by His Spirit!

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Steve Long is the former Senior Leader of Catch the Fire Toronto. He and his wife Sandra led the church for 16 years and have been on staff since 1994. They now function as Ambassadors on behalf of the church. He is the author of several books, including The Faith Zone and My Healing Belongs to Me. Steve and his wife Sandra serve on two apostolic teams; one for the City of Toronto and Catch The Fire World. They live in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

My Keys to Leading Well

Part 3 in series “What I’ve Learned as a Leader” by Steve Long, Catch The Fire Toronto Ambassador

Leading Well

I’m using the opportunity of stepping away from my role as Senior Leader of Catch the Fire Church in Toronto to reflect on some of what we have learned that has helped Sandra and I lead well. I am assuming that we have led well for the most part. Hopefully, our church family feels that way too!

I've been in a full-time ministry role for 40 years. I started as an intern, working side jobs, lived on little income, served other people's vision, started a church, assisted in the largest Baptist church in Scarborough, helped in a recovery church project in Mississauga, and then served and led a revival church.  Lots of opportunities to learn and then lead. Age is supposed to help grow you in experience and wisdom, But the opposite can be true; that one can get into a rut and stay locked into a format or style. Meanwhile, the goal you were reaching for has moved.  (I recommend reading the book: Who Moved the Cheese to learn about adapting to change.)

One of my strengths as a leader is that I am both pragmatic and intentional. A pragmatic person is all about the best way to do something the simplest way, the easiest way, etc. Those of you who like my preaching style do so because there is always a life lesson that one can implement before leaving the building. Intentionality means I stick with the plan, know the plan, live the plan, and execute the plan. I don't easily get sidetracked, other than in my sermons. Focus is easy for me. 

This blog will focus on three essential keys, I have stuck to over the years that have helped me learn how to lead well. They are not original to me; I found I needed to remind myself of them over and over again. 

Start with the heart

Of the five offices of church leadership (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher), the pastor is the one most people relate to. 40% of people, followers of Jesus or not, are heart people. They think about others naturally, care, and are able to be empathetic, feeling others' pain and joy. That's not me. Apostolic-minded people think about plan, purpose, and kingdom; then, we start to think about how people fit into the plan. We place people based on their giftings, their skills, and their time to help us accomplish kingdom goals. We build, and people are a part of the building blocks.

It may sound harsh, but I don't naturally think about people or hearts first. My wife Sandra does that part well. We are a good mix as she quickly raises the "this will impact people" point. She reminds me the kingdom wouldn't be built if it were not for people.

Sandra once suggested we delay starting church by 15 minutes so a lady she had just talked to who was struggling to travel to our services could arrive in time for the beginning of the meeting. A pastor's best friend is the last person they were with. That's Sandra caring for others because her heart is pastoral.

Some of you will remember my mum, Mary, who attended our church for many years. She'd had a stroke, so she wasn't as independent as she would have liked. Often, as she waited for Sandra and me to leave a Sunday meeting, she'd be in her wheelchair waiting by the door, where I'd be greeting and quickly solving people's problems. Because she was physically close to me, I'd often introduce her to our church family. She enjoyed that and could pick up conversations with people when she next saw them. One day, as I was driving her back to her senior residence, she said something interesting."Do you know you always introduce me to people by telling me what they do and not necessarily by their name?" No, I had not realized that. But that is how an apostle thinks; plan and purpose. Someone's name isn't naturally what I retain when I talk to people; I'm quickly storing information that may be a part of a plan down the road.

What I have learned is I need to, I have to, always start with the heart. No one likes feeling used, part of a clog or machine. I've had to use my intentionality to plan to listen to people, to hear their stories, and to feel their pain.

I primarily have done this as a leader in two ways: First, by being at the door when people arrive for a meeting. Second, by being at the door when people leave a meeting. I intentionally plan to be with people and "appear" to care. I'm joking, friends; I do care! The door to a church is where I can be accessible to our family. I can quickly make eye contact with almost everyone who comes in and out. I purposely seek to connect with everyone by looking them in the eye and teasing them about their hair, shoes, hat, etc. I want everyone to know that I saw them and valued them coming to and being a part of our church that day.

In the Scriptures, we read King David lost the hearts of his people because he wasn't accessible. His son Absalom picked this up. Absalom stood at the gates of the city with the other elders and stole the hearts of the people. (2 Samuel 15:1-6)

That passage has always stuck with me. David wasn't with the other elders where he should have been; David wasn't accessible. Did David somehow feel connecting with people wasn't now important, perhaps because of his established kingship? Wrong! You know the rest of the story, how his son Absalom slowly turned people away from his dad David, a great king. The lesson for me that has been part of leading is being visible and available. I lead well because people know and still know I care for them.

I used to joke in my sermons if you need a hug today, see Sandra. If you need a problem solved today, please let me know. Both of us were at the door before and after meetings. We wanted to lead first and foremost from the heart, not our head. A typical Sunday for us begins at 8:30 am when we arrive to quickly move around the building to connect with the worship team, the technical team, the greeters, the intercessors, the coffee shop team, our maintenance, and the safety team. We connect with people. Then the plan's second stage kicks in; we are by the main doors, smiling and ready to greet our church family. If I am not on the stage on a given Sunday, I'm often at the doors from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm; five hours of connecting with upwards of 1000 people!

Another point I've also learned in team meetings when there is a discussion is the first people who need to speak are the heart people. The strategic and evangelistic people will dominate if I open the conversation up. The heart people won't get a say and will often feel left out. So, in meetings, I let the heart people go first. That usually means Sandra gets the first word.

It takes work for me to be pastoral but I have learned to rewire my priorities and lead with heart.

Team is better

I mentioned two of the five offices or leadership roles the Bible says are needed for the church to do well. Sandra functions as a pastor, and I'm in the apostle group. Evangelists, prophets, and teachers are also essential to be in the mix. The larger the organization, especially faith-based ones, the more critical it is to identify who naturally functions in these roles. The reason is each category brings a unique mix of God-inspired giftings to the table. 

I'm not looking for balance or compromise; I'm looking for the best outcome. If it is just pastoral people making a decision, they will probably miss what the others bring to the party. Apostles think big looking at the end game. If it is a room of apostles making decisions, people will likely be used and feel hurt.

Prophets are usually black and white on issues. They are wired by "what is God saying?" and "what is the right thing to do?"

Evangelists are thinking about people who don't yet know Jesus and teachers believe that information is critical to people living right and making the best decisions.

No one group is correct; no group is wrong. The skill of a leader is to draw the best out of everyone; I'll give you an example:

We used to do an event called The Big Give. It started in Ottawa and has moved across Canada, where churches on the same weekend have a massive garage sale with a twist. The twist is everything is free. We were the first church in the greater Toronto area to do this event. All of these have been a huge success.

This is primarily an outreach, so our evangelists got a big say in what happened. The team of about 25 evangelist-minded people came up with a plan. We will do The Big Give in the 268 Attwell parking lot, out in the open so no one will be intimidated about going into a Christian church if they are from another faith.

We will have bouncy castles so their children will want to stay longer. We will have free food, so the men will want to stay longer. Longer on-site means more opportunities for our guests to interact with our church families who will serve at the various connection points.

We will have our worship team play secular songs from a stage so non-Christians will feel comfortable (our experience is that Christian music doesn't feel safe to someone from a different faith background. They quickly feel this is a religious event, and my friend tricked me into coming.)

We will do our "connect people to Jesus" in the coffee shop, another casual place with secular music playing in the background. We will have smiling adults of all ages and cultures on the Spirit Café team ready to facilitate God encounters. Every guest will hopefully see someone their age and ethnicity.

We will have the pastors, the caring people, walking around making sure that our guests felt cared for and looked after. The team will offer free delivery of what our guests are taking home. They will serve hot dogs and soft drinks.

The prophets and evangelists are on the Spirit Café team in the coffee shop, ready to read people's mail and lead them to Jesus. The apostles help with the execution and planning. The teachers have the day off!

My point is that a day like this, where we have 300+ first-time people come our way, is better and has excellence and purpose because it is a team effort. The Big Give evolved into a Canada Day Party we did in our local community, where 1400 people came! The outreaches we did last summer – with a combined total of about 5000 lives impacted – are directly because the team got involved in planning a significant event. Each event was full of excellence, fun, free food, and stuff to take home.

One of the things that Sandra and I have done well is collaborating. Almost every week, we've had a staff meeting on a Tuesday morning for everyone to be on the same page. We have pastors and directors’ meetings weekly for the same purpose. We think ahead and we think with a purpose. We think as a team.

I've learned with a team if I speak to the plan first, others don't say what they need to say. They will hold back to honour our position or because they may think the plan is set and want to keep what Steve's already got going. So most often, I present the problem or the opportunity and listen. I do clarify as the team shares; I summarize as options come up; I say no sometimes because I know things they might not know. I often don't get to implement my original plan because what has emerged is better.

Did Jesus need the Twelve on his team? Peter often came up with a bad plan. Thomas questioned the plan. Money went missing because Judas was on the team. The Twelve were not yet in step with being led by the Spirit as Jesus was, which is why they got things wrong. But Jesus needed them because he was modelling that “team is best.” Paul, the apostle and primary writer of our New Testament, was always championing the team. There are no books he wrote where he doesn't begin or end by mentioning people with him on the team. Paul started out being led by Barnabas. Barnabas was the first one to recognize that Paul was a genuine follower of Jesus. He connected Paul to the apostles (team) in Acts 6:1-4. Eventually, the "apostolic" mantle kicked in with Paul and he became the leader. When he travelled, there was always a team.

One of our business leaders at Catch the Fire is Derrick. He has started businesses, bought some, and flipped most. He is now a venture capitalist and mentors the people who run the companies where his money is. He told me he had a partner in every one of his companies—with two reasons for that. The first was the business cost him half of its total price. Second, his partner had skills that he didn't have. Team!

In summary, two things I've learned on my way to being the Senior Leader of Catch the Fire: lead with heart and team is better. I’m looking forward to sharing more lessons with you in my next blog!

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Steve Long is the former Senior Leader of Catch the Fire Toronto. He and his wife Sandra led the church for 16 years and have been on staff since 1994. They now function as Ambassadors on behalf of the church. He is the author of several books, including The Faith Zone and My Healing Belongs to Me. Steve and his wife Sandra serve on two apostolic teams; one for the City of Toronto and Catch The Fire World. They live in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast

Part 2 in series “What I’ve Learned as a Leader” by Steve Long, Catch The Fire Toronto Ambassador

How Our Culture Evolved

The first person I heard say, "culture eats strategy for breakfast," business leader Eric Peterson, who has since become a friend of mine. He spoke to the leadership team of Catch the Fire World on culture.  The backstory is four years ago, John and Carol Arnott, our founding pastors, merged the two organizations they oversaw as apostles. Partners in Harvest was a large gathering of independent churches that loved revival. It was a relational network of churches and ministries that was global. The Arnott's also oversaw a smaller network of Catch the Fire branded churches, of which Toronto was the "mother ship." John And Carol made the decision to join both networks to become one. After six months of bringing leaders together from each group, prayer, strategies, etc., a new group to be called Catch The Fire Partners was about to emerge. Catch The Fire Partners would be formed as an apostolic network, led by an apostolic team, called Catch The Fire World. We gathered the apostolic team for a week to discuss strategy and implementation. Duncan Smith, whom John and Carol asked to be the President of this new group, brought in some business leaders to help us in the process. Eric Peterson was one of them. He and his wife, Cindy, own the largest fireplace company in the western half of the USA. His success comes from being a savvy businessperson and a person who listens to the Holy Spirit. to Holy Spirit. Eric said to us the culture of Catch The Fire Partners will be the culture of Catch The Fire Partners would be more important than the strategy. We should be focusing on building people rather than a well-run organization. That phrase "culture eats strategy for breakfast" got to me, as I love strategy. But here is a godly business leader saying something else is more important. That got Sandra and I thinking, so we began talking with our leadership team here in Toronto about culture. We had several staff meetings discussing developing a culture of people to look and behave in a way congruent to what God has given us here at Catch The Fire Toronto. The list of kingdom values, character, and integrity topics was long. We needed to simplify this. We tasked a team to clarify what Catch the Fire Toronto's culture should be based on the feedback from our staff, and what they were hearing from God in that season.  The team was headed up by leaders:

• Gordon Harris (School of Ministry Director) 

• Lillian Brown (Supernatural Director)

• Jonathan Clarke (former Worship Pastor)

• Natalie Gingerich (Staff Care Director)

• Ben Jackson (former Executive Director)

• Dallas Wigston (Worship Pastor) 

Our Cultural Values

Our Culture Team came up with seven statements our staff, our leadership, and hopefully everyone who is a part of our church family, lives by. For almost everyone reading this blog, this will be your first time seeing the seven statements in writing. Most likely, you will have heard these cultural values shared via our sermons and, more importantly, seen in action by our leaders and staff. Reading the list below, I hope our church family feels "this is us!" 

Stay humble, be teachable. We put off all forms of pride and arrogance, seeking to elevate one another rather than ourselves. We are teachable, embracing curiosity, growth, and a life of learning. We prefer to ask questions rather than assume we have the answers. We are selfless and supportive, giving ourselves in service to one another. 

Do the right thing. We demonstrate integrity, choosing godliness over comfort. We take accountability for our decisions. We are unafraid of ownership and apologize when we make mistakes. We are willing to be seen. We practice transparency, authenticity, and consistency. We resist compromise by consistently checking the purity of our motives. 

Care about people. We proactively build relationships within our team. We use clear and kind communication, considering and validating the feelings of others. In conflict, we keep the relationship bigger than the problem. We foster environments of warmth, care, and connection with one another. We extend compassion and generosity in all of our interactions. We believe the best in one another, intentionally cultivating trust rather than withholding. 

Get there together. We accomplish more together than we can apart. We honour the value and expertise each person brings. We seek to understand one another, recognizing the uniqueness and diversity of each person. We practice inclusivity, making space for every team member to be known and celebrated. We celebrate cultural diversity. We win or lose as a team. 

Be clear, eliminate confusion. We leave no room for confusion in our communication. We pursue mutual understanding. We are polite and courteous in our interactions and committed to building a safe and caring environment. We always demonstrate respect and value for each other in moments of confrontation. We communicate fully to enable understanding, trusting each other to handle the truth. 

Hold nothing back. We exude passion for God and His Kingdom. We care deeply about our mission, rejecting apathy and embracing passion. We take bold risks to fulfill the vision even at the cost of our personal comfort and security. We pursue creativity and innovation, overcoming the fear of failure. We stay positive, hopeful, and solution-oriented. We pursue excellence and care about the details, desiring to do everything well. We have fun and take time to celebrate victories, failures, risks, and each other. We question behaviours and decisions that are inconsistent with our vision and values. We commit to brave and honest communication. 

Stop and pray. Our team exists only by the direction and grace of God. Therefore, we stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit and submit to his leadership in everything. We seek after the heart of God and make decisions based on hearing his voice. We approach every situation with prayer and thankfulness. Catch the Fire Toronto is what we are today because of these cultural values. They are all Bible-based, exemplified in the life of Jesus, and taught and modelled throughout our Bible. 

This is who we are and seek to be. Culture eats strategy for breakfast!

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Steve Long is the former Senior Leader of Catch the Fire Toronto. He and his wife Sandra led the church for 16 years and have been on staff since 1994. They now function as Ambassadors on behalf of the church. He is the author of several books, including The Faith Zone and My Healing Belongs to Me. Steve and his wife Sandra serve on two apostolic teams; one for the City of Toronto and Catch The Fire World. They live in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

My Journey

Part 1 in series “What I’ve Learned as a Leader” by Steve Long, Catch The Fire Toronto Ambassador

My Journey as a Leader

Leaders are both born and raised. Some come from families where skill sets to lead come second nature. Others learn to lead through university courses and life experiences. I inherited skills from both camps. I've been in Christian ministry and various forms of leadership for over 40 years. I have learned a few things! What to do and what not to do.

On top of these, there is a spiritual gift of leadership called the apostolic. Once it kicks in, people with this gift have a unique God-given ability to lead. The apostolic isn't limited to faith-based leaders. Most business leaders have this gift too.

Before I share with you some of the things I've learned as a leader, let me take you on my journey to becoming a leader.

For some, leading people, managing, and making decisions come easy. For others, it is hard work. I live on the easy side. I'm not saying that leading is easy, but it comes naturally to me.

I've been blessed to have a mother who grew up in a prestigious family. Way back, my heritage in England was knights. My mother's maiden name was Knight. Her siblings were bankers, professors, etc. My grandpa was an entrepreneur. He owned businesses and a football team that produced movies and travelled the world.

As a child, whenever I faced a problem and wanted to quit, my mother would remind me of the story of a little train engine that "could." I hated that story as a kid. But my mother encouraged me to persevere and conquer the issue. She was a great leader and my first inspiration.

My dad's family was the opposite. My grandfather had post-traumatic stress disorder after he came to Canada from Scotland following the First World War. My dad grew up in Scarborough, in poverty. My dad learned to be an overcomer. He taught his kids about tithing, being generous, and being grateful. 

Despite my parent's low income as church planters, we lived well above our means due to these principles. My parents started a church in Pickering Beach, the poor part of Ajax, ON. I never knew we were poor because my parents acted as if we were rich. We took vacations every year when none of my friend's families did.

At age 18, I knew there was a call from God on my life to be in Christian ministry. I eventually enrolled in a Baptist Bible Seminary, where I was trained to lead a church of 100 people. I was fortunate that opportunities came my way to begin to think outside those limitations.

I began to read books on the science of growing a church. I took specialty courses on leadership with people like John Maxwell. I travelled to be a part of conferences where big-picture people like Zig Zigler were presenters. Something in me knew I needed to be ready for more.

The first time a prophet said the word "apostle" as it related to my life was perhaps 30 years ago. I wasn't sure what one of those was. But my spirit did, and I embraced the thought that this meant leadership.

In 1993, before the revival that began in January 1994, I took a course at our church on hearing God's voice (Mark Virkler was the presenter). Soon after, I heard the Lord say differently in my journaling related to Sandra and me moving to a different church from my Baptist church.

My journaling went something like this. "Jesus, should I take the church job in Kingston, Ontario?" I heard "NO!" I wrote that down in shock, followed by, "What?" I hadn't expected that answer. In a panic, I then wrote, "Then where?"

This time I felt the Lord say to me that I was to "serve John and Carol Arnott for the rest of my life." Again, I wrote, "What?"

My two accountability mentors for journaling felt the next step was easy. Could you talk to John Arnot and see if he has a job for you? And so, I did. John knew me but didn't really. The long story is that after he blew me off (despite me paying for breakfast), I took one more shot at getting his attention.

I said, "John, the Lord asked me to help you to accomplish your vision. That's why I'm here." I don't remember John's response, but I shocked him. He went home from breakfast and told Carol, "I've just found the answer to our prayer request!" 

It turns out that in 1993 John and Carol were spending their mornings with the Lord. They prayed most days for the Lord to send them someone "to help them accomplish their vision." I had just quoted their prayer to them.

The following week, they offered for Sandra and me to join their leadership team. It was June 1993, before the revival. John was in year five of starting Catch the Fire (we used to be called Toronto Airport Vineyard Christian Fellowship). John wasn't taking a salary, and there was no money for us either. We delayed saying yes until there was a salary for the job.

Then Father God showed up. A full-out revival that touched the nations happened in our church. We hosted something like 4 million people over 12 years. Every week people came for the nightly revival meetings. Leaders worldwide came—faith leaders, business leaders, politicians, entertainers, etc.

Someone was needed to organize all this on behalf of John and Carol. That, someone, was me. On day 10 of the revival, I was volunteered by John Freel, my senior leader in the Baptist church, to be on loan to John Arnott until they could pay my salary.

Sandra and I officially joined the leadership team in June 1994. Sandra served in kids' church with upwards of 90 pre-schoolers in the Ark. I organized the teams needed for the nightly meetings. I also hosted 3 of the meetings each week for ten years. I was learning to lead on behalf of John and Carol.

In 2004, John and Carol and our leadership team responded to several prophetic words about the revival needing to change. Instead of hosting people, we were to train and release people to return to their churches, jobs, and cities with a revival culture and a new set of kingdom values.

So, the process began of Catch the Fire becoming a church again, rather than being a "Christian Disneyland." In part of that process, Sandra and I were asked to step away from the revival meetings to focus on raising leaders, primarily via connect groups.

We did that and loved it. Many of those connect group leaders went on to become campus pastors. Catch the Fire Toronto has started 25 churches in the GTA and across Canada. Sandra and I have also helped to coach church plants in cities such as Manchester, UK, Myrtle Beach, Houston, and Orlando in the States, and Halifax, Moncton, Saskatoon, Kelowna, etc., in Canada.

The next significant shift was sixteen years ago. John and Carol Arnott met with us and asked if we would become the Senior Leaders. We said yes because doing this was a part of what the Lord has said to me; to serve John and Carol for the rest of my life. We now were serving them by leading the church they started.

So here we are now, 16 years later. Sandra and I are turning the senior leadership role over to Murray and Ash Smith. We step into a new position, actually two functions.

First, we will become Ambassadors of Catch the Fire Toronto church. We will serve Ash and Murray and be like grandparents to the church. We expect to be in Toronto on average 2 Sundays per month.

Our second role is that we are now coaching our 50-ish Catch the Fire Partner churches in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. That will take us away from Toronto on average 3 Sundays every two months. We will be helping leaders become better leaders.

At least that's the plan!

Here are two simple things I've learned.

1.     It is more important to be led by the Spirit than by opinions.

Being a people pleaser is a quick way to fail in leadership and ministry. As a follower of Jesus, all of my best decisions have come because I've learned to hear the voice of God and be led by the Spirit of God.

Everyone has an opinion when it comes to making a decision. The easy thing is to read the room, find out what most think is right, and then act. I do lean on the advice of others. I do research. But at the end of the day, I ask the Lord to speak to me about what to do.

An example is the building we call our home, the Attwell Centre. (I think you didn't know that our venue has a name and a website for when we host corporate events.)

In November 1994, we were about to have a prophetic conference, and we'd booked half of a convention room at the former Constellation Hotel. We were expecting about 1500 people. I had a dream one night where Jesus walked me through what happens when you are bumped from a hotel contract.

Jesus gave me a scenario where the hotel would say our venue would not be available. He told me in the dream what questions to ask, what compensation to expect, etc. Then at the end of the dream, Jesus said, "That's going to happen. Be by your phone at 9 am!"

At 9:02 am the next day, my desk phone rang, and it was the Constellation Hotel. They told me the group in the other half of the conference room could also use our side. They were exercising that option, and we were out. Calmly I went one by one through the topics Jesus and I had discussed in the dream. The hotel said yes to everything!

They moved us to the Attwell Centre, where we are now. And as the Lord had it, this venue was perfect for conferences and a growing revival.

The short form of this story is that we never moved out after that conference. Our previous venue maxed at 300 seats, and our lease was up. We could lease the Attwell Centre, which sat 5000, for the same price. Only God! (2600 is now our capacity due to our renovations of adding a stage, bathrooms, green room, café, coffee shop, a welcome center for newcomers, nursery, ark, etc.)

Being led by the Spirit has helped me over and over again in making important decisions for our church family. We are debt free as a congregation primarily because of decisions made due to being led by the Spirit of God.

2.     Courage is the separator between leaders and great leaders.

I'm constantly shocked that when Joshua was about to become the leader of Israel after Moses of how many times, he was told to be "strong and courageous." I think that phrase is used 12 times in the Bible, and eight are directed to him.

But he was courageous already. He had been one of the 12 spies. Only he and Caleb spoke up against the other ten who said this "promised" land wasn't for the taking. When the people saw giants, Joshua and Caleb saw a bigger God!

Joshua is then Moses' chief of staff for the next 40 years. He was the number two guy in leading several million people. He lived in the Tent of Meeting, where God would speak to Moses.

But somehow, when it was Joshua's time to lead, he needed to be reminded over and over to be "strong and courageous." Had he lost his edge, become complacent, or was it a word from the Lord about what it takes to be a great leader: courage?

Everyone will have an opinion on what to do during a crisis or even in good times. But nations are not led by committees. The stockholders don't lead Fortune 500 companies. Churches aren't led by everyone having a vote. Great churches, such as ours, are led by men and women of courage.

Sandra and I don't lead in a vacuum. We do have a great leadership team around us. We have a solid board of directors full of faith and wisdom. We also have mentors such as John and Carol Arnott, who we run every big decision through.

But in the end, the leader needs the courage to make the decision! That was our role!

I've told this story before. A recession hit the world in 2008-2009 and caught us as a ministry. We had almost 75 staff, and we were doing good stuff all over the world; starting churches, doing missions, magazines, daily TV, etc. Somehow, we found ourselves in a perfect storm with an unmanageable debt load. Our bank was about to step in and take over the day-to-day management.

Tough decisions were made to cut staff size, stop the TV and magazine, etc. When Sandra and I became the Senior Leaders, we inherited a short-term debt of almost $1,000,000. These were bills overdue past 90 days. On top of that were mortgage payments of $13,000 per month.

Sandra and I gathered our pastors for a night of prayer. We repented, asked God for mercy, forgave debts others owed us, rebuked the devourer, etc. As we were leaving and shutting off the lights at the end of the evening, I heard the Lord audibly speak to me.

We were with Jeremy and Connie Sinnott, our former Worship Pastors and now Senior Leaders of Catch the Fire Barrie. As we walked by the staircase to the upper level, I heard the Lord say, "Invest in the anointing!"

I knew what He meant. We were to hire John and Patricia Bootsma as campus pastors for our Airport location. (At that time, we had eight campuses/venues, which have since become church plants.) We were also to hire an unproved straight university worship leader by the name of Jonathan Clarke.

In the face of cutting staff, shutting down ministries, and a spending freeze, we hired three key people. That took courage. But it was the right decision. We were caught up in paying our bills on time three years later! Father God rewarded our courage, I believe.

John and Patricia were excellent leaders and stewards of the presence of God, allowing Sandra and me to spend most of our time raising the campus pastors. They were with us for seven years before becoming the coaches for our church leaders in Canada and the US.

Jonathan Clarke, who married Alice within a year, gave us ten years rather than the three he promised. They took us to new levels of worship. During this season with the Bootsmas and Clarkes, we developed our vision statement of Encounter God's Transforming Presence.

Courage!

I've got a lot more to share with you about what I've learned as a leader at Catch the Fire. I'll do that about every two weeks in this new blog series.

Did you know that culture eats strategy for breakfast? That's the next blog.

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Steve Long is the former Senior Leader of Catch the Fire Toronto. He and his wife Sandra led the church for 16 years and have been on staff since 1994. They now function as Ambassadors on behalf of the church. He is the author of several books, including The Faith Zone and My Healing Belongs to Me. Steve and his wife Sandra serve on two apostolic teams; one for the City of Toronto and Catch The Fire World. They live in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

Politics & Christianity: The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

By Steve Long, featuring Derek Schneider

With a provincial election happening in Ontario in June and a leadership race with one of the Federal parties, let’s talk about a warning Jesus gave to his followers.

 The warning comes from Matthew 16:6.

“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

 What was Jesus talking about? The twelve disciples asked the same question, so we may not be alone in trying to figure out exactly what the warning meant.

 Pharisees and Sadducees were the two political parties of the day. Both were also religious parties. From other passages in the Bible, we know the Pharisees were the more orthodox of the two, with the Sadducees being more liberal in their theology. Both the Sadducees and Pharisees combined faith and policy, hoping to bring betterment to the nation of Israel. (Today, 13 different political parties are active in Israel, a third of them being religious.)

 The Pharisees were the ruling party during the time of Jesus. Because they were in power, they had more recorded interactions with Jesus. They were constantly at odds with Jesus regarding rules and Bible interpretation. This attitude continued as they argued against the church's leaders while churches were being established in Europe. An example is Acts 15 – when Paul and Barnabas engaged in a sharp debate with some members of the party of Pharisees.

 The warning of Jesus is about combining one's religious opinions with a political party. Is that happening today? Oh yeah!

Let’s look at the life of the disciples before we talk about today’s politics.

 The Twelve, the men closest to Jesus, had a preoccupation with the hope that Jesus was going to set up a political kingdom. They hoped that Jesus would overthrow the Romans and re-establish a pure Jewish government. Jesus consistently redirected them away from politics, and they kept going back to the topic.

 You may remember that after Jesus fed the 5000 men, the crowd tried to force Jesus to become their king. If his purpose was to be a political leader and change the nation, this was it! But instead, Jesus slipped away from them as that was not his mandate. (John 6:15)

Perhaps the worst example of the idea that Jesus was supposed to save the nation is the day that Jesus ascended to heaven. Let’s look at the passage from Acts 1.

 “4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John immersed with water, but in a few days you will be immersed with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-8, NIV)

 It is shocking that while Jesus is giving his last talk about the Holy Spirit, they interrupt him to switch to politics.

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (vs. 6)

 His answer back is firm.

“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. (vs. 7)

Let me bring this passage into today's world. Imagine we are with Jesus, and he is pouring his heart out to us on the need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. One of us says this. 

 “Excuse me, Jesus, but what do you think about government overreach?” 

 Another follows up with, “Jesus, our Prime Minister/Premier/Mayor isn’t righteous. Are you with us in getting rid of them?” 

Or another, “My political party is the only party that your followers should join, right Jesus?”

In my opinion, these statements are what Jesus was warning his followers against. The blending of politics with one's version of the kingdom of God. Jesus was quick and sharp with the crowd when they suggested that re-establishing the nation of Israel was the priority. He said, “not for you to know.” In other words, not your problem, not my mandate.

Jesus then sought to reconnect them to his plan for world domination. His plan was for them to wait in Jerusalem, to get filled with the Spirit, and then they could be his witnesses about His kingdom – not an earthly kingdom. He planned to bring the good news to everyone everywhere. 

We know politics have a way of blending the lines between morals and power.

The blending of Jesus and a political party in the last US election caused many people to turn away from the Christian faith and not vote for President Trump's re-election. Well-known prophets said that Trump would win. The concept, especially in white America, was that if you love Jesus, you will vote Republican.

I have friends who lead churches in the US. They shared that the election caused more people to leave their churches than the various Covid and lockdown restriction issues. At one church, which took no position in the last election, people left because the church didn’t support their party, and others left because they assumed the church was quietly backing the party they didn’t like. 

The yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees is a divisive political spirit. This spirit breaks fellowship. This spirit divides followers of Jesus along political lines. The word “Christian” isn’t meant to be an adjective where we have Christian Green Party members or Christian Liberal Party MPs.

 
Andy Stanley leads a mega-church in Atlanta, Georgia. He has an extensive network of churches and is a great leader of leaders. His latest book is called “Not In It To Win It.” He spends a lot of time challenging the view of many Americans (and the same is valid for Canadians) that would feel that if you are a Christian, you are obligated to vote Republican. 

Here is his first provocative question to determine if this “yeast thing” has negatively affected you or me:

“Are you willing to follow Jesus regardless of where He leads you politically?”

Andy’s summary as he looks at the blending of faith and politics is this.

“When a local church becomes preoccupied with saving America rather than Americans, it has forsaken its vision. The moment our love or concern for our country takes precedence over our love for the people in our country, we are off mission. When saving America diverts energy, focus, and reputation away from saving Americans, we no longer qualify as the ekklesia of Jesus. We’re merely political tools. A manipulated voting demographic. A photo-op. We lose our elevated position as the conscience of the nation.”

Sadly, what I saw in the last Federal election in Canada was similar.

Friends, Jesus’ focus wasn’t on fixing the issues of Israel. His mandate was to restore people to the Father.

He didn’t comment on many of the relevant topics such as slavery, women’s rights, or the abuse of tax dollars. Jesus said things like, “Give Ceasar what belongs to him,” and when conscripted by a Roman soldier to carry his bag a mile, “Carry it two.” His focus was on establishing the rule and reign of God’s kingdom on earth, bringing the good news of salvation, and bringing hope.

In this section, I wanted to include a Q & A Derek Schneider.

Derek leads History Makers, a ministry based in Oshawa that seeks to bring transformation to the nations. He and his wife have just started a new church in Oshawa, and Derek is a long-time friend of our congregation. He’s spoken at the Freshwind youth conference with our young adults and did his training school with us in the past.

I’ve asked him for his insight on a few thought-provoking questions that I’d like to share in this blog:

Derek, do you see this political spirit at work in Canada or U.S., and how does it manifest?

“Absolutely yes. The political spirit in this arena produces a division and distraction for the church that almost takes on a spiritual blindness when full-blown—even to the point of Believers seeing other Believers as enemies that must be fought with and defeated based on the political party they promote. I use the word “promote” rather than “support” intentionally. We see this manifestation when the “party spirit” is loose, even within a local church. The division comes, people leave, and the church is left weaker and less able to accomplish anything on earth. One thing is for sure – whether it’s prophets declaring God will violently smite a political party’s elected leader, or the belief that a President or Prime Minister is the only one who can disciple a nation, the political spirit works hard at weakening the Church of Jesus.”

Every follower of Jesus is called to bring transformation and reformation to their family, place of work, community, etc.  How do we do that without becoming political?

“One of the greatest tools for a societal impact that Jesus gave us is “grace and truth” (John 1:17). These are tools that any Believer can connect with! The grace of Jesus is the supernatural power of God to bring Heaven to earth in a way that produces a change of “eternal value.” Not necessarily a temporary political outcome. The “truth” of Jesus are the principles of God’s Kingdom that we can live out in a way that influences the world around us, in any social setting – No matter who is in political power at the moment.”

How would you encourage people called to politics and government to function in those roles without succumbing to this spirit? 

“I would encourage people who are called to the political and governmental sphere to view themselves as influencers of change and witnesses of the truth of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Ultimately “we have a Kingdom that cannot be shaken,” and our “kingdom is not of this world,”  but this does not mean we minimize or abandon political influence. Politics influence nations. However, we must remember that political leaders come and go, both the righteous and the wicked. We are people of eternal Kingdom perspective. The stakes will never be high enough in politics to compromise our Christianity by allowing ourselves to be consumed by the leaven of the Pharisees.”

So, what’s the conclusion?

I am not saying don’t be involved in politics. Catch The Fire has consistently encouraged people to run for office and volunteer for their chosen party. 

I am saying to stay far away from believing the party you support and the candidate you follow is God’s choice and must be supported by other followers of Jesus. That is divisive and separates the disciples of Jesus.

Former and present attendees of our church include MPs, MPPs, mayors, council members, school board trustees, etc. We have a rich history of people listening to the Lord and serving at various levels of government.

Stay away from declaring and prophesying into the political realm. The US election showed that too many nationally recognized prophets got it wrong when they said Trump was God’s man.  They either had to repent (some did) or doubled down, saying that the election was stolen from Trump. 

It was a big mess that showed the political bias of many of these prophets. They lost some of their reputation as a prophetic voice, and in some cases, people left their churches. “If they got an election wrong, what else did they get wrong?”

Here is the position of Catch The Fire church:

We bless everyone running for public office, but we don’t ever say what party they align with.  Many Christian leaders differ, but this is a Federal law that charities need to follow. I like this law as it stops the political spirit from taking hold.

We have a conflict of interest policy that none of our staff can hold office in a political party. For example, they can join a party but not become the president of their riding association. We have had three pastors step away from their roles because they were running for office or held a position within their party.

We encourage everyone to have a say when elections happen. Romans 13 has lengthy teaching on how governments (even bad ones) are God’s servants. We encourage people to volunteer for the candidate of their choice and, on voting day, vote. 

We encourage everyone to join a political party during a leadership election. If you’d like to stay a member of the party, do it, or step away after having a say in who the national leader is.

I joined the Liberals when Prime Minister Trudeau was chosen, I joined the Conservatives when Andrew Shearer and Erin O’Toole were chosen, and I joined the Green Party when Annimee Paul was chosen. I get a say and help select the leader of each political party.

I correctly voted for Trudeau and Shearer and got the other two wrong. After the leader is chosen, I resign from the various parties. I have now joined the Conservative Party for a third time as they are selecting a new leader to replace Erin O’Toole. For $15, I get a say in helping to shape our nation. I’ll quit the party again once I cast my vote.

My biggest regret in the area of politics was many years ago when I shared a story on social media about a meeting with our current Prime Minister. This meeting was before Justin Trudeau was even the leader of the Liberal party. My statement was taken out of context by a media personality, a follower of Jesus, and it went viral. Still, today I have Liberal and Justin Trudeau haters who want me to comment on this “quote” from 10 years ago. I have consistently refused to reply as my comment became divisive.

So, what is the meaning of the warning of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees?

The warning of Jesus to his followers is that this political spirit functions as yeast. It starts small and then quickly takes over the bread. No one sees the yeast, but we see the results of the yeast as the bread gets puffed up. The warning to us as people who love our nation is this; be aware that demonic spirits are at work constantly seeking to sidetrack and minimalize the effectiveness that we each carry. Jesus would say, “don’t let this spirit get to you, and if you know it's been at work, repent and get rid of it!”

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Steve Long is the Senior Leader of Catch The Fire Church (Toronto). He is the author of several books including The Faith Zone and My Healing Belongs to Me. Steve and his wife Sandra serve on two apostolic teams; one for the City of Toronto as well as Catch The Fire World. They live in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

Church is calling Heaven down to earth

We are inspired and compelled to bring the supernatural reality of the Kingdom of God to the world around us.

When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city… But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Acts 8:6-8,12

Because God is with us and we are all carriers of Holy Spirit; we can represent Him everywhere we are. We are able to demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom of God through healing, prophetic, compassion, and miracles.

Watch Director of Supernatural Ministries Lillian Brown, expand and share this vision with our Senior Leader, Steve Long as we continue our vision series.

Church is praying in faith and authority

We pray in faith and in authority and see the impossible happen. Our prayers matter.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:16-18

Again I tell you truly, that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three gather together in My Name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:19-20

This, then, is how you should pray: our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10.

We believe in the power of prayer. We believe that when we join our prayers with God’s heart, breakthroughs happen. We are known worldwide as a group of people whose prayers make God famous. We pray with confidence knowing that God hears us, agrees with us, and decrees positive outcomes.

Watch Director of Supernatural Ministries Lillian Brown, expand and share this vision with our Senior Leader, Steve Long as we continue our vision series.

Church is being faithful to our calling

We are passionate about our mission and committed to helping fulfill our vision.

Where there is no revelation/vision, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction. Proverbs 29:18

We exist to continually encounter God’s presence, leading people in transformation so we can bring the Kingdom of God to our city and the world. Clear vision drives purpose. When we know who we are and where we are going, we are to be focused, determined, and prioritize what God has mandated us to do. We don’t need to do everything as God has other churches for other priorities. We want to be faithful to our calling as a church to help people encounter God’s transforming presence.

Watch Senior Leaders Steve and Sandra Long, expand and share this vision with our Executive Director, Benjamin Jackson as we continue our vision series.