Thanks, Marko

I would like to be the first (even though I may not be the first) to say “Congrats, Marko!” on your recent firing/release from President of Youth Specialties by their parent company, Zondervan. While many others are offering their condolences, I can’t help but want to throw a party for the latest person in ministry who has had to struggle with the complexities of serving in a corporate-America environment. While Zondervan is indeed a publicly-traded company, many of us  serve in churches who try their best to act like they are, too!

Those of us who do so recognize that as much as we’d like to make ourselves to be the holy righteous minister in the evil, corporate church world, it simply isn’t that simple. We know deep down inside that our churches are trying to carry out God’s mission. We understand that we can’t caricaturize them that way, even though our differences were so severe that it resulted in our firing, our resigning, or our perpetual suffering as we continue to serve in that environment.

Case in point: When we leave, we feel torn away from the work we felt God had us do–the only work we knew how to do. We walked away from deep relationships, and we discovered a deep loneliness/lostness–we weren’t in the trenches, doing what we’ve always done. As much as we want to demonize the institution, we are constantly reminded of the redeeming qualities we found there.

And now what to do? Go to another church and start it all over again? Or work in the “secular world”? It all feels second-best. Either way, it probably means subjecting ourselves to the corporate mindset. But then we remember what Paul said: “They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

So it really doesn’t matter where we go, does it? Wherever we go, whatever we do, we do it all for the glory of God. Yes, as Mike Yaconelli would say, “Congrats, Marko! Congrats on getting fired for the glory of God!”

You’ve joined an elite group of people who are struggling to serve God faithfully–even after being pulled away from the way you’ve always known how to serve Him. While some who don’t know all the facts would be quick to demonize Zondervan and praise you, you know it isn’t that cut-and-dry. And you know that the only person who deserves any praise is God.