Ministry is often a string of cramped positions, where problems and limitations are just disguised opportunities for ministering in new and creative ways.
— Larry Osborne

When I first came to North Coast, the walls of the "sanctuary" were not lined with stained glass. They were spotted with the remains of innumerable food fights. While we rented the facility on Sundays, Monday through Friday it served another function: lunchroom for the local high school.

Obviously, it wasn't an ambiance that lent itself to traditional worship. One Sunday a dog wandered up the aisle in the middle of my sermon, nuzzling and sniffing at the faithful. Another Sunday, a boisterous gang of adolescent skateboarders decided to show off their skills right outside a row of large Plexiglas windows.

On top of that, I had taken a cut in pay from my previous salary as a youth pastor in a large suburban church. As the new pastor of a fledgling church plant, I no longer had at my disposal a secretary, copy machine, or many ...