Qualified or Wiling?

In 2017, Matt Maslin announced that he would be stepping down from the youth pastor role here at PBC. As part of the transition process, we had a conversation where he affirmed my place within the PBC and Y@P community, and encouraged me to step into the role.

Me?! Surely not, I couldn't follow in Matt's shoes! I was 20 at the time. Too young. Too inexperienced. I didn't have a faith in Jesus that I considered to be 'good enough' or 'strong enough'. I couldn't be a perfect leader. So, I ruled this one out nice and quickly.

Come the start of 2018, there was still a gap. The Rices asked if I would step in for the first two terms, coordinating Y@P nights and prepping for Eastercamp. I had ruled this out, yet here I was, holding the space in the interim. Through that EC I noticed God stirring an excitement in my heart. I felt encouraged and challenged. I wondered if this was something God might be nudging me to reconsider, even if I felt 'unqualified'. 

After AGM in 2018, where PBC voted to increase the budget and take on a youth intern for 10 hours a week, I stepped into the role. The uncertainty and the imposter syndrome didn't go away; rather I noticed God walking alongside me, helping me navigate the complexity of thoughts and feelings that I held.

Fast forward seven years, and we're at the end of 2025. The role that I've served in has morphed from intern, to coordinator, to pastor. What a journey, what a chapter in my story! I've grown, matured and learnt lots; both personally and professionally. Have I been the perfect leader? Far from it. But I've had a willing heart to serve, and sometimes I wonder if that's what God desires the most.

I certainly don't write this as an ego-boost. My hope is that it might be an encouragement for you, in your own walk with Jesus. Where might you be feeling unqualified, when God may just be asking you to be willing?

With gratitude (and for the last time!)

Dan Carter