Miles McPherson

How

THeRockGot Its FoundationMiles McPhersonT H E O U T R E A C H I N T E R V I E WB y S c o t t M a r S h a l lP H O T O G R A P H Y B Y m A T T m c f A R l A n d

OutreachMagazine.com 77

Miles McPhersonT H E O U T R E A C H I N T E R V I E W

86 November/December 2009

A forMer stArting sAfety for the National Football League’s San Diego Chargers and currently the pastor of one of the Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches in America (No. 19 and No. 36, respectively), Miles McPherson is no stranger to the spot-light. He’s the founder and leader of The Rock Church in San Diego and the national youth ministry Miles Ahead. He has spoken at conferences nationwide and has written six books—including the soon-to-be-released Do Something! Making Your Life Count (Baker). He spoke at the 2008 Republican National Convention, has appeared on national network news programs and emerged last year as a leading voice in the gay-marriage de-bate as he supported a California proposition that permits only marriage between a man and a woman.

However, his notoriety is far removed from his middle-class upbringing in a largely seg-regated neighborhood on Long Island, N.Y., in the 1960s and 1970s. One of five children born to a father who worked as a police officer and mother who toiled as a nurse, his football skill led him to the University of New Haven and, ultimately, the NFL. But he also experienced firsthand the scourge of drug use, from the marijuana he began smoking at 16 to the co-caine he snorted as a young professional athlete until he finally submitted to God’s call on his life 25 years ago.

Today, McPherson exudes enthusiasm and energy and a commitment to spread the Gospel. He recently spoke to Outreach about his life experiences, his dependence on God and his views of ministry today.

Q What were you exposed to spiri-tually as a child?

AWe went to Catholic Church every Sunday. My mother had five kids in six

years. We’d sit there in a row in our suits, and we wouldn’t peep. We’d kneel down, stand up, genuflect, boom, boom, boom, sign of the cross. I don’t think our father came to church one time, other than maybe at Christmas and a wedding. We did first Communion and confir-mation, but it was more of religion and going through the motions. When I left the church in ninth grade, I never went back.

Q Your new book refers to “white hippies” witnessing to you when you were 19. Starting with that, lead

me through how you became a Christian.

A I was waiting for my girlfriend as she was getting off work. My friends were there; we had been smoking pot. And these hippies

walked up. They came over to me, had Bibles in their hands, and I knew what they were saying was true. I intuitively knew that we’re people of

Miles McPherson’s latest book, Do Some-thing! Making Your Life Count, is the basis of a new churchwide campaign from outreach Inc., this magazine’s parent company, to help church attendees increase their impact on the unchurched and live a life of significance. a church campaign kit, the book and a small-group study guide, and outreach tools are available. (Baker Publishing Group is releas-

BOOKS BY MILES

ing the book for sale to the public in January.) For more information on the campaign, visit DoSomethingoutreach.com.

Do Something! Making Your Life Count (Baker, 2010)“you and I are not messiahs, of course, but just as Jesus came to do something to love this world, we too have a mandate to do something loving and in our own small way, to bring hope to someone who is hopeless. Just as God made all the necessary preparations for Jesus to accomplish his purpose, he has done the same for our success as well.”

I Don’t Want Your Sex for Now (Bethany house, 2001)

Parenting the Wild Child (Bethany house, 2000)

Bad to the Bone: Fifteen Young Bible Heroes Who Lived Radical Lives for God (Bethany house, 1999)

21 Jump-Start Devotional: Getting Started on Your Incredible Christian Life (Bethany house, 1999)

The Power of Believing in Your Child (Bethany house, 1998)


“Don’t be a pastor if it’s just an option.

it has to be the only thing your heart burns like

fire in your bones to do,

because it will

kill you.”

90 November/December a da da da diviiviiviivisiosiosiosion on on on of Bf Bf Bf Bakeakeakeaker Pr Pr Pr Publublublublishishishishs inginginging Gr Gr Gr Groupoupoupoupwwwwwwwww w.w.w.w.chchchchososososenenenenbobobobookokokokks .s .s .s . cocococommmm

“This is an amazing testimony.” —Chuck Colson, founder, Prison Fellowship

The unflinching story of one man’s double life —and miraculous redemption.

Held Hostage by Ken Cooper

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuussssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd....................... FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.................................... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn..........................................

relationship, and it would make sense that God would want to have a relationship with me. It clicked immediately. I was so strongly convicted that it was the truth that I said, “I’ve got to accept this.”

Q But you didn’t get discipled or follow up after that. Did you still feel the presence

of Christ in you, or did you just go back to the way things used to be?

A I did go back to the way things used to be—and then worse. I did cocaine when I went to the NFL, but I

could tell you now that every day, the Lord was telling me, “You know that prayer you prayed was real, and whenever you’re ready, I’ll get you off marijuana. I’ll get you off cocaine. That girlfriend right there (a different girl at that point) is going to be your wife.” He told me every day when I would sin. I was convicted by God’s truth. That haunted me every day, but it took me five years to heed the haunt.

Q What made you finally respond?

A I was using cocaine for a year and a half or so. I had an experience at a crack house, watching my

friend smoke crack, and he looked like he was going to die. I remember after he smoked from the pipe, I went into the other room and did powder cocaine, thinking, Why am I any better? I’m in here by myself putting this in my nose for what? What am I doing this for? I just kept going, I need to give this up, but I kept feeling like I’d be missing out on something. Then, sometime later, on April 12, 1984, I just said, “This is not making any sense.” I decided to obey God with my life. I stopped using cocaine and never did it again.

Q After that day, you started working with youth at Horizon Christian Fellowship

in San Diego. You eventually became a youth pastor, and then you started the ministry Miles Ahead. To what do you attribute your passion for reaching youth?


A I can only really say God. I think the first high school where I went to speak on my own was Mira

Mesa High School in San Diego. My heart broke seeing and hearing these kids’ stories about what they were going through. I did drugs in high school and slept around, and I knew exactly what they were talking about. It hurt me because I had something that could help them.

What started me in ministry was a 16-year-old kid who lived next door to me. His older brother got arrested at 5 in the morning one day. Later that day, he was sitting in his brother’s car. I called him in the house and led him to the Lord. I said, “Go get your sister.” She came over, and she got saved. I said, “Go get your other friends.” We ended up having nine races and nationalities in that house, and these kids were from local high schools. They just came over. I said, “Is this that easy—to get people saved and see their lives changed?” I just saw the fruit in it, and it was fun. I said, “Why don’t I just do this?”

Q Why did you decide to start a church instead of trying to be-

come a pastor at an established church?

A I was at Horizon, and I was teaching Sunday nights for five years. I was very content doing that. I knew

I wasn’t going to take over that church. That was not my intention. When I decided I wanted to take the ministry to another level, I thought, The only thing I can do now is start another church.

5087

Church Chair® Others

Check & SeeHow We Stack Up

Use the Church Chair® Checklist

For close to a quarter of a century, Church ChairIndustries has been producing chairs of outstandingquality, comfort and value. So, before you invest inthe future of your church, check and see why ChurchChair® is the right choice for you.

www.churchchair.com

• Call for details on how to receive a FREE sample chair

• Fully manufactured on site in our own factory

• Eliminate costly middlemen - Buy factorydirect

• Custom capabilities

• Superior customer service

• Unrivalled warranty

• Quickest shipping in the industry

• Factory outlet open on location

Do they make their own chairs in their own plants?

Do they produce chairs andmaterials here in the USA?

Do they build quality lumbar backsupport and comfort into everychair?

Do they have a wide variety ofdesigner fabrics to choose from?

Do they offer FREE durable chairconnectors on metal chairs?

Do they offer you a choice of bothsteel and oak frames?

Do they offer completecustomization and quick delivery?

Do they specialize in building only stack chairs?

Do they offer a FREE andcomprehensive WrittenGuarantee?

Do they send you a FREE sample chair if you’re consideringa purchase of 100 or more? You Can Rely on...

800-331-5411

“My constant reliance on god and communica-tion with god just reminds me that no matter what happens, no one can snatch me out of His hand.”


Q What advice would you give to someone who’s starting a

church now?

A Make sure God is calling you to do it. If there’s anything else you can do and be

fulfilled, do that. Don’t be a pastor if it’s just an option. It has to be the only thing your heart burns like fire in your bones to do, because it will kill you. The other thing I would say is, in the end, you have to walk by faith. Theory and leadership slogans are not going to sustain you because God is always going to call you to step out of the boat. The only thing that’s going to hold you up is trust-ing in the Word of God.

Q The Rock is a pretty diverse con-gregation. What does the broader

Church need to do to become less segregated?

A Many times, a church reflects the pastor in different ways—in attitude toward the Gos-

pel, attitude toward culture. They’re going to follow the lead of the pastor in how they live their Christi-anity in general. They’re also going to follow him in age and style and demographic. I am a blend physi-cally. I have white, black, Jamaican, Chinese and Scottish ancestry. And I’ve grown up in a blended world. We all have, but I was forced to interact with all kinds of different people, and New York is a big melting pot. But I think for other churches, other pastors, it’s going to be an issue of do people have music they can relate to? Do people see themselves in leadership? Is their life reflected in the message illustrations and communication style?

When you go to seminary, they teach you to tar-get a homogeneous group to build a church, which, to me, seems backwards. We just encourage people to do something for the Lord wherever they are and don’t segregate or eliminate groups of people. But when you bring them, you’ve got to have a service, an experience, those people can relate to. That’s where seeing people like them and hearing a mes-sage and music that are relevant to them factor in.

Your church won’t thrive unless people

are sharing their faith.

1. Present the gospel in a simple, compelling way.2. Lead someone across the line of faith. 3. Respond in a positive way if someone is not receptive.4. Deal with questions that may come up along the way.

In just four one-hour sessions Dr. Kent Tucker will show your church how to:

Call for information 909-518-9633 www.howtoshareyourfaith.com

LEE STROBEL, Best-selling author of The Case for Christ

“How to Share Your Faith will give you the confidence you need to lead people to Christ. It’s simple, clear

and easy to learn. I highly recommend it.”

“if we have everybody here talking

Christianese, we’re doing something wrong.”


Q You have talked about people coming to The Rock who need to be here, including

one man who said, “F---, you. I’ll park where I want to” when he was told his car might be towed for parking in a nearby shopping area. Is it a positive that at least people like him are here, or are you ever disap-pointed that some are not changing?

A If we have 100 percent in small groups, we’re doing something wrong. If we have

everybody here talking Christianese, we’re doing something wrong. I don’t ever want that. I’m try-ing to get everybody saved and discipled, but I’m also trying to ensure that there’s always someone to save and be discipled. We have people here who are active strippers, active drug addicts, active drug dealers, active everything-you-can-imagine, and I’m glad that those kinds of people are here. We hope that they get converted and sanctified and go get the type of people they were.

Q Why do you think an active stripper or an active drug dealer

comes to church here on Sunday?

A Why did people go to Jesus? They heard that He would hear them and love them.

I think people have heard that there are people here who would love them and won’t judge them.

Also, we have people in strip clubs minister-ing to them. We have people on skid row. We have people in the convalescent homes, in the foster homes, in the jails, ministering to these people. They are experiencing the love of Christ on site, so they think, I want more of that. They come and hear a relevant message, and of course, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God work in their hearts. They come back, and then they go get their friends because they know their friends have the same issues they have.

Q The Rock is one of the Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches

in America. You’re reaching a younger demographic that a lot of churches are not, and yet, you were a leading

voice on California’s Prop. 8 and the issue of gay marriage—an issue that seems to be one that makes people say they think Christians and the Church are judgmental, hypocritical and unloving. How do you balance remaining

Church Maturity

The global church needs you.New believers rely on teachers every step of the way to help them develop into mature Christians. Rev. John Stott has devoted his life to this ideal. Now your congregation can connect with indigenous Bible teachers and help mature the global church.

Your church can partner with: • Indigenous Christian authors • International Bible teachers • Tomorrow’s church leaders

Visit us at Booth 105 at the National Outreach Convention in November.

See the video at www.johnstottministries.org/video

Champion of Global Church Maturity for 35 years650-617-0390

“ The new world Christianity – the growth of the non-western church – is going to change the world. John Stott Ministries is a leader in equipping the global church to grow in maturity. I can think of no more strategic work. They have my full support and should have yours too.” – Tim Keller, Senior Pastor,

Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City

Untitled-7 1 7/16/09 7:46 AM


true to biblical convictions while reaching out to people who see those as intolerant?

A It is a complete testimony to God. How can we be the bigoted church in San Diego—we are the gay-hater

and the most judgmental, to some—and yet we’re growing, faster than maybe any church in San Diego? God said to me, “I’ve given you that church. It’s My church. It’s not yours. And I’ve given you the success you have. I want you to use it for Me. If you use it for Me, I will bless you. You just have to trust Me.”

So fighting for Prop. 8 as diligently as we did was a step of faith out of obedience to God. We didn’t do it hatefully, even though we were accused of that. We did it God’s way, and God said, “I’m going to honor you for that.” And we did it while remaining true to who we were. We were still doing the things that brought people here before.

Q The Rock has several ministries started or led by laypeople who

developed a passion for certain areas because of their life experiences. How do you encourage and empower laypeople to know that they can and should be starting or leading ministries instead of relying on you or the staff?

A We believe, especially based on Ephesians 4:11-12 and Exodus 18, that the people should

be doing the work of the ministry. We fail if we don’t equip them to discover and utilize the gifts God has given them. Then, we challenge them every week to do something. We give them opportunities to go to ministry fairs to either join a ministry or start a new ministry. And, then people create their own minis-tries based on what God has called them to do, and that’s how all the ministries have come about.

Q Anybody in a position where people are focusing on them or they receive

a lot of attention probably has to struggle with how to keep pride in check and not “be-lieve your own press.” How do you do that?

A The more well-known you get, the more nega-tive press you get. It’s really a misnomer that

when all the bright lights are on you, it’s all good be-cause there’s a lot of bad and a lot of disappointment and attacks and betrayal. Look at Jesus’ life, David’s life, Moses’ life—every leader in the Bible—they all were betrayed by very close people to them, so I think any leader who’s out there trying to do something is going to get the darts thrown at him, and those darts,


those thorns in the flesh, will keep him humble. In addition to that, we run regular staff evaluations on all the leaders and congregational evaluations on sermons, so I’m always getting anonymous feedback from people about things I’m doing well and not doing well. That helps keep everything in perspective.

Q On the flip side of that, do you have anything in place to encour-

age you when you get bad press or a negative comment?

A Every day, before I get out of bed, I pray and ask God about my day and get a sense of

what’s going to happen today. My constant reliance on God and communication with God just reminds me that no matter what happens, no one can snatch me out of His hand. The ups and downs and the darts, I know, are part of it. I liken it to football. You are going to get hit, but that’s just part of the game. Keep going. My life’s goal is not to avoid that, it’s to be obedient and fulfill God’s calling in my life.

Q A fair number of people probably think of the Caribbean just as a

nice vacation spot. What did you see on your mission trip to Jamaica last year that people should know about?

A We took 280 people on the trip. We had 60 medical professionals who dispensed about

$4.5 million in medical services in four clinics, and they literally saved a few people’s lives from ailments they had. We also built a wall around a school where people were coming onto campus and raping the girls in the bathroom. We cleaned the school’s bathrooms and fixed the plumbing. We had school assemblies. We had people ministering to the deaf community at a camp up in the mountains. We were off the beaten path, ministering to people.

Q What effect did that have on you?

A I’ve been to those places many times before. I think the big impact was how it affected

the people that we brought. They were all people using the gifts God had given to them to minister and change people’s lives. It was all what God had put on their hearts and what God had worked

through them to get it done. Not only were they blessed, but obviously, the people they served were blessed.

For more information about McPherson, visit OutreachMagazine.com

Does God exist?

Is Jesus the only way?

Why is there evil?

What is truth?

Is the Bible trustworthy?

What about evolution?

People haveQUESTIONS.Are you READY?

TRAINING YOU TO DEFEND THE FAITH IN THE 21ST CENTURYResidential and External Studies Programs offering many degree options

Help equip your teen for college with Stand Strong in College by Dr. Alex McFarlandFind this and other great resources at www.TheApologeticsBookstore.com

(800) 77-TRUTH www.ses.eduUntitled-1 1 1/28/09 7:32:53 AM

Miles McPherson

Documents

Transcript of Miles McPherson