Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Manning.
Joshua, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up, I spent more time in church than many of us ever will. Sunday mornings included worship and Sunday School. I also attended worship on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday evenings, Let’s not forget rehearsals on Thursday evenings sometimes Saturday as well. As if fanatically attending church weren’t enough, I, unlike the other kids, spent the moments before and after gatherings volunteering with my dad to clean the church. Eventually, I found a way to make a contribution that was all my own: music.
During one choir rehearsal, my mother, who worked overnight shifts as a nurse, thrust me forward to audition for a solo. She grew weary of my obnoxiously loud singing, waking her during those precious midday naps. Needless to say, I was too shy to sing for real. And in the way that only a mother could, she got me together in less than 2.5 seconds to try it again. I closed my eyes and went for it. From that moment on, I have found myself using my voice in different ways to help connect people to the divine.
I begrudgingly followed that call to the pulpit (preaching) and later on after relocating to Dallas and completing seminary to the pastorate (journeying through life’s many ups and down with others). Three years ago, I was offered to job of my dreams, leading a church in an urban context. I often joke that after being forced to spend so much time in church, it is no surprise that I ended up in pursuing pastoral ministry as a career. Though, to be fair, I did not even know it was an option until a few years ago. That said, I would not trade what I do for the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
Months after completing my undergraduate studies, I left my home in Long Island to chase this crazy dream. I relocated to Dallas without job prospects or housing so that I could attend seminary. I did not know a single soul, but I was certain at first that I was supposed to be here. I spent those matriculating years frustrated with myself for underachieving and jealous of my classmates who appeared to have a clearer path to success. At one point, I didn’t even know if Dallas had anything to offer me. The events that transpired during my last year of study are proof of that.
In my final year of seminary, I: 1) took a summer job as a chaperone traveling around Kansas and Nebraska with a bunch of college students; 2) spent six months living in St. Louis on a failed internship; 3) got married to a wonderful woman and became the father of a precious baby girl, and 4) secured a part-time position as the Pastor of a historic church that fell on hard times.
It does not stop there. As recent as a year ago, I struggled with being bitter toward the people who could not see my pain. There were many months when payroll was late, but the bills were still due. Accruing credit card debt to pay the rent and mounting student loan interest caused my faith to wane. I started to lose faith in myself and my calling. I questioned my motives and gifts.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Warren UMC story. Tell us more about your work.
Our church was started in 1916 as a spiritual home for the residents of the Queen City neighborhood here in South Dallas. Despite numerous relocations, renovations, and a devastating fire, we have continued to call this community our home. One of my favorite things about our church is that you feel the love emanating from each smile and warm embrace.
Right now, we are working to build upon the legacy of our church during the Civil Rights movement, which provided safe organizing space for community leaders. We aim to become a place where people are inspired by their faith to become the change they desire to see in the world and connect them with opportunities to do so. A place where seeds of change can take hold and are nourished to full bloom.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think that we will continue to see a decline in organized religion/institutional church as people are growing increasingly hostile toward broad-stroke ideologies. This is not dissimilar to what other industries are already experiencing. More and more, we value personalized experiences something that people can currently get from the comfort of our homes.
Many of us are already able to engage our favorite speakers on demand so I believe that local churches will learn how to stop treating worship attendance as the goal. In turn, becoming better stewards of resources that allocate larger portions of their budgets to serving people and less toward debt servicing/building maintenance. Hopefully, this will also lead to a consolidation of assets and resources to be put to good use for generations to come.
Finally, I believe that we will continue to see a rise in the number of micro churches or small scale worshipping communities whose vitality is measured by how they live out their discipleship in accountability with one another. What I am really saying here is that I believe churches will work harder than they ever have to regain trust and give people more than a banging worship experience.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3028 S. Malcolm X Blvd
Dallas, TX 75215 - Phone: 2142564344
- Email: warrenumcdallas@gmail.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/warrenumcdallas
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