On Point invites you into the conversation with church leaders across Europe. To learn where they’ve been, where they’re going, and how they’re getting there. On Point is hosted by Luke Boettger, Executive Director of the European Church Growth Initiative (ECGI), whose mission is to equip churches, pastors, and leaders for influential ministry. ECGI makes connections, creates experiences, and tells stories. This podcast is one of the ways in which we create a platform for leaders to tell their stories. Whether you are a church leader, a church goer, or someone interested in learning more about what it means to be a part of the Church, we hope that you get value from this podcast. For episode one, Luke is joined by Pastor PJ Stenstrand who is the lead pastor of Life Center Church which is a part of the Hillsong family and has three locations across Sweden. Pastor PJ is an influential leader and mentor to people all over the world and his collection of stories are sure to equip and inspire you. This episode kicks off with a simple question: Where have you been?PJ grew up in a pastor’s family. Both of PJs parents pastored all over Sweden, so serving in the church was something PJ was surrounded by from day one. PJ talks about his experience moving around every 4-5 years to the major Swedish cities, and from an early age he found church to be “exciting” - not the first adjective that many people think of when describing church, but in this episode we find out more about why PJ finds church “exciting”. PJ talks about his experience moving beyond just living on his parents’s faith and making his faith his own. He talks about his experience being baptized in the Holy Spirit at an early age, tagging along to a youth retreat with his parents, and how transformative that was. PJ then talks about the influence music had in his life and how in 1979, at age 14, when he heard Bob Dylan’s album Slow Train Coming, he was inspired to find more ways to make church exciting. This is indicative of much of the conversation - that as church leaders we must be rooted in spiritual teachings and discipline, but that we should also be looking for opportunities to tap into the zeitgeist to make church exciting and accessible. PJ also talks about his experience trading a trumpet for a guitar amp, like a true rocker. Through his teen years and early twenties music seemed like it could be his calling, but a seed had been planted early that the local church was PJs calling and that is where PJ has dedicated his life since he was 15. PJ goes on to talk about his maturation process in his understanding of what it means to serve the local church. Luke and PJ then unpack what it means to “pastor” in your sphere of influence, no matter what your vocation is. Everyone has an opportunity to make an impact in the church which does not only reside within the walls of the physical building, or confided to the discrete service times. PJ talks about the joy of serving Chris and the joy of pastoring. It is hard, but it is not all suffering. He talks about the importance of making it fun and exciting. PJ then goes on to tell stories of how he got started in ministry as a university student, also serving as a youth pastor and then going into full time ministry after graduating. PJ shares his experience serving under a lead pastor in two locations, seven years in each, and the importance of submitting to leadership and coming under someone to grow. He then moved on from this to start Life Center Church where he has been serving as lead pastor for 21 years and is now in a position of being a leader that others are coming under and growing through. PJ talks about what it meant to be planting a church and how it opened the opportunity to be free in how he built this church to reach people. An important principle he talks about is “chasing” this movement, and “chasing” God. There has always been a pursuit to know God deeper, and to find ways to connect with people at a deeper level, a principle that has been foundational since he heard that Dylan album in 1979. PJ talks about how there was some tension in this pursuit. That there was a hunger for revival, but there’s also an apprehension to move past what is traditional. PJ talks about the importance of having a renewal in the expression of our faith while being rooted in strong fundamentals as well. Luke then shares his fascination in the ways that an undeniable presence of the Holy Spirit can permeate the environment of church, no matter what the experience. PJ and Luke then talk about the importance of relevance in culture, making church accessible, while being spirit led. A strong word that sticks from PJ: Style has never saved anyone, and neither has justice. Justice is good, and a transformational power, but it is not a saving power. We can do both, but we can’t alter theology. The main thing is still that people are lost and need Christ, and we ...
