Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius
December 6, 2015
Spiritual Ponderings
Hunting for God’s Church

I was sitting in an airport recently and I had just finished the book I was reading and still had an hour to kill before my flight would board. I therefore took out my IPad and began to browse the different books being offered. I came across a book that caught my attention it was called Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church . I was intrigued because I am always hearing how Catholics are leaving the Catholic Church for Protestant mega-churches and so I thought it would be interesting to read about someone leaving a mega-church to become Catholic. I would like to share with you some of reflections and thoughts on the book.
Let us begin by sharing with you Dr. Hunt’s biography from his Dynamic Catholic website pro-file:
Dr. Allen Hunt is a nationally known speaker and best-selling author. His books include: Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church; Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody; and Nine Words: A Bible Study to Help You Become the Best-Version-of-Yourself.

Allen stepped aside July 1, 2007, as Senior Pastor at Mount Pisgah, a congregation serving more than 15,000 persons each week through all of its ministries in Alpharetta, Georgia, outside Atlanta. While at Mount Pisgah, Allen helped to develop comprehensive ministries with children and students as well as a Christian School with over 1200 students; a Beacon of Hope pregnancy resource center; and the Summit Counseling Center.

On January 6 2008, on the Feast of the Epiphany, Allen converted to Catholicism. This transition represented the culmination of a 15 year journey in which God began leading Allen home to the Church. In many ways, this transition was effected by the prayers of a group of Dominican sisters at Monastery of Our Lady of Grace in North Guilford, Connecticut, who have been praying for Allen since he shared lectures with them during the season of Lent in 1992.
Prior to full-time ministry, Allen worked in management consulting with Kurt Salmon Associates, an international leader in the textile, apparel, and retail industries. Allen was educated at Mercer (B.B.A.) and Emory (M.Div.) Universities, before earning a Ph.D. in New Testament and Ancient Christian Origins from Yale University.

Allen and his wife, Anita, live in Atlanta. They have two grown daughters.

Quotes from the book will be in bold and my thoughts will be in regular font. Let us look now at some interesting quotes from his book:
How did my transition occur? Not in a single moment of great revelation, but slowly, through a series of experiences. More like a mosaic of God encounters.
The image of one’s life being a mosaic is a beautiful image for many reasons. First is the image of a mosaic reminds us that the true beauty of a mosaic is only seen when looking at the image of a whole. What might look like an out of place piece close up becomes the only piece that could connect the pieces around it in order to form the image. I know that God called me a little at a time toward the priesthood. I did not receive a voice from a burning bush, a lightning bolt, or a voice from heaven. I had a lot of little things that guided me toward God’s will for me.

Without my expecting and certainly without my invitation, God began to reveal to me irresistible treasures hidden in the walls of the old house known as the Catholic Church.
When I read this line, from Allen Hunt’s book, it made me think of the times I used to play video games like Super Mario Brothers and the Legend of Zelda. If you moved too quickly through the game you could end up missing special weapons and even special levels. The Catholic Church is close to 2,000 years old and has benefited from having as a part of it men and women from many different cultures and these men and women have often shared with the Church in some way their unique point of view and this has helped the Church grow and refine its thinking. Often we act like the karate kid (in the original movie) not realizing that we are learning valuable lessons as we practice the rituals our teacher (the Church) has us doing. Sadly this leads to many people leaving the Church without really knowing what they have given up.

At times, God uses friendships in remarkable ways. We listen to real friends. To strangers, we often turn a deaf ear or a cold shoulder. But to real friends, we will listen, even when listening stretches us in new ways. I do not think Fr. Steven intended to lead me home. Rather, he loved me and my family with an abundance in a time when we desperately needed it. That friendship and love led to the conversations about things of faith.
If you read Allen’s story you realize that Fr. Steven simply offers Allen the gift of friendship and does not try to convert him. It is Fr. Steven’s life that inspires Allen to start asking questions and Fr. Steven’s willingness to answer the questions that help Allen in his conversion. Can you explain to others why you are Catholic?