This commentary was first published in The Coronado News, a media partner of The Coast News. This letter is running in response to a previous commentary criticizing Awaken Church, which has North County locations in San Marcos and Carlsbad.
By Mike Yeager
I want to start off by thanking The Coronado News and Dennis Wagner for taking the time to actually come and visit an Awaken service so that he could convey what others can expect from a Coronado Awaken campus.
I’d like to use the platform afforded to me by The Coronado News to provide clarity for my neighbors in the Coronado community around some of the concerns around our church.
I understand that my reasoning will probably not be satisfactory for some and there will be people who simply disagree with me, my world view, and the mission of my church.
The main concern seems to be centered around the political outspokenness of our church and our lead pastors.
The etymology for the word “politics” stems from “of the people.” I can’t think of anything more important for the Church to be involved in than the matters “of the people.” Our church believes that God created the universe to function a certain way and that when we align our lives with those principles, we flourish.
In the same way that the designers of the Toyota Prius did not design it to traverse the Rubicon Trail, God has designed human beings to live a certain way.
Nothing is stopping a Prius owner from going on the Rubicon. You can certainly try. But that is not what it was designed for. It will be a rough ride and you probably won’t get where you intend to go.
Priuses were designed to save on gas and sneak up on people in parking lots. Likewise, people don’t have to live according to the principles that God has dictated will lead to maximum human flourishing.
Our church believes the Bible when it says in Proverbs that, “when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.”
The Bible is rife with examples of political involvement.
John the Baptist publicly rebuked the amoral behavior of King Herod, a political leader. Jesus very aggressively opposed the philosophies and actions of the Pharisees and Sadducees which were effectively political parties in ancient Israel.
Daniel lobbied the King to change public policy. Christians should absolutely be a part of the political process. That said, the motivation should be because we love people and want to see them prosper in all areas.
The Rev. Jurgen Matthesius, my pastor and the lead pastor of Awaken Church, is an amazing husband, father, leader, friend, and disciple of Christ.
The Bible teaches us that we are to judge a tree by its fruit and I see a flourishing church, lives transformed, the Gospel preached, and eternities altered when I look at Matthesius.
It is no secret that he is very politically outspoken as are many of the pastors at Awaken, myself included. It is important to understand that Matthesius was born in Germany to a father who fled communist East Germany through a minefield after his release from a Russian concentration camp.
Matthesius loves America more than anybody I have ever met and part of that love stems from the second hand knowledge of the horrors of tyrannical forms of government. He is passionate about the long term well being of this nation and we need more American citizens like him.
Ultimately, however, political matters are peripheral to the primary mission of our church which is to plant campuses all over San Diego so that nobody is more than a 15-minute drive away from a life-giving, Bible preaching church where they can find community and encounter the transformative power of Jesus Christ.
Wagner’s article describes Brad Willis as the “nemesis” of our church. And while Willis may think of himself as our nemesis, we certainly don’t think of him as ours.
I sincerely hope that he has a radical encounter with the love and power of Jesus Christ, like I have had. The Bible says that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” People are not our enemy.
Willis was quoted as saying that he would welcome our church to “come to Coronado, preach the gospel, remind us to love our neighbors, hold peace in our hearts, and serve those in need.”
I think what he actually means is to preach a diluted gospel that only looks at the convenient teachings of Jesus.
Of course, Jesus taught that we should love our neighbors, make peace, and serve others. But he also said that He didn’t come to bring peace but a sword. He went through the temple cracking a whip and flipping tables over. He called the Pharisees white-washed tombs.
He unashamedly called out sin and called people to repentance. He told His disciples that following Him would cost them everything.
Our church does its very best to be faithful to all of the teachings of Jesus and, by proxy, the Bible as a whole, not just the parts that are warm and fuzzy and don’t offend other people.
But I want Coronado to know that it comes from a place of deep love and compassion for people. I believe that Awaken Church, in concert with other churches in Coronado, can bless our amazing city.
I want to see an end to suicide on our island. I want to see a resurgence of value placed on the nuclear family as the building block of a healthy society. I want to see young people empowered to chase their dreams and step into a God-sized destiny and calling. I want to see men and women unlocked and aflame with purpose and meaning on our island.
I want a church where our military men and women can find support for the unique challenges that come with serving our great country. The key to all of this is the message of Jesus Christ and His Holy Church. Wherever the unadulterated message goes, communities are better off.
A sociologist named Robert Woodberry noted that “areas where Protestant missionaries had a significant presence in the past are on average more economically developed today, with comparatively better health, lower infant mortality, lower corruption, greater literacy, higher educational attainment (especially for women), and more robust membership in non-governmental associations.”
My wife and I love Coronado and want to live here forever. We want our kids to grow up here. We love our neighbors and the amazing people on this island. We want to establish a church here that will bless the City of Coronado.
If you are curious about our church, I would invite you to take Wagner’s lead and come see a service for yourself. My wife and I currently pastor the Eastlake Campus of Awaken and it is about 25 minutes away from the island. Come see us on a Sunday morning to get a sense of what is coming to Coronado. Thank you for reading; we will see you all around town!
Mike Yeager is a campus pastor at Awaken Church and will lead the congregation in Coronado.
