Well actually, I guess I’ll be sharing the thoughts of two Dunker Punks here. Lee Saylor, a COB pastor in the Middle PA district was asked, “What makes this different from any other movement? What will make this one work?” His answer: “The people.” That’s what this movement is all about.

As you read the following thoughts from another Dunker Punk, I hope you keep in mind that how you choose to be a Dunker Punk is completely up to your creativity and the way Jesus fuels your imagination. What binds us together as Dunker Punks is our common study of Jesus and our devotion to living and loving like him. From there, it’s up to us. And that means it’s up to you! 

Here are a few thoughts written by Josh Brockway. If you went to National Youth Conference, you might recognize him as the guy who supplied those “Wonder Moments” after some of the sermons.

“Of Bureaucracies and Mustard Seeds”

Just to be clear, I work for “the man”. Yes, Stan Noffsinger is my boss, and that means I am part of the church institution. Just before coming to National Youth Conference I was at Annual Conference working to get a whole set of new rules approved. Then, at NYC, I walked out on the stage to get you all to wonder about your faith and what it means to be called by Jesus. There could not be two more opposite jobs in the church. One day I am doing institutional work and the next talking about spirituality. 

Some of us were awestruck by Rodger Nishioka’s powerful and challenging sermon. Let’s just say, you never want to walk out on stage after a sermon like that. I know I didn’t! Rodger’s words were still ringing in my heart and ears when I sat with Jarrod McKenna for lunch. To be honest, Jarrod had talked about Dunker Punks after NYC four years ago. So when he said he was going to invite people to be Dunker Punks in his sermon I was ready. Rodger had set the challenge and Jarrod was going to invite us into a way of meeting that challenge. 

 

So now, here we are a few weeks from the mountain top and we are figuring out what it looks like to “live into the calling to which you have been called.” Some of us have been talking with Jarrod late into the night trying to set out some idea of what it means to be a Dunker Punk. And to be honest with you, I am wrestling with how to support you all without making it about “the man” (not Stan Noffsinger, but the Institutional Church). How can we, who sit in these offices around the country, support, encourage, fan the flames, and even speak into what you all are doing without taking it over? How can we be with you and be riders while you drive?

 

The only way I can express that tension is to name some of my hopes. So here they are in no particular order.

 

1) I hope that Dunker Punks never has a “board,” organizational structure, or even a budget. As soon as that happens we shift from being a movement to being an institution. That doesn’t mean there won’t be leaders or that there will not be support. It just means that the whole idea is groups of two or three or four are doing what they can to be faithful disciples right where they are. 

 

2) I hope Dunker Punks never have a conference. Being a Dunker Punk is not about big, cedars of Lebanon, gatherings with stages and lights and bands. It is about these small local groups studying scripture and praying together and finding ways to take up Jesus’ towel of justice and service in your local communities. 

 

3) I hope Dunker Punks all tell their stories. Some of us will offer resources like a book or some videos or this web space, but there is no single Dunker Punk leader. Rather, as some say, Dunker Punks should be multi-voice— each of you should be telling each other what you are finding in the Sermon on the Mount, what opportunities you have found to serve, and what amazing things are happening around you. There is certainly a we-ness to Dunker Punks— that WE are Dunker Punks, but no one of us should speak for the whole. So claim your voice, your desires, your experiences and tell us. Think of this like a hashtag movement. The goal is gathering all our energies and passions together not setting up a single voice that speaks for us all.

 

So then, what we should we DO? Honestly, do what you are doing! Continue to read and study the Sermon on the Mount with one or two others (if more, even better). Pray the Lord’s Prayer daily. And keep your eyes open for ways to embody Jesus’s love and transformation around you. In the mean time, tell us your stories.

 

Some of us institutional folks are working on individual projects to help you all keep the energy going. In the near future there will be several resources that will come your way to help better understand the Dunker Punk frame and keep up with those three practices. By doing these things we are not trying to manage a movement, but rather offer some language for your experiences and some direction for your energies. 

 

Just remember, revolutions are like mustard seeds— small.