Thank you, YBL

by Drew Narmour

In a few weeks, my time as Executive Director of YBL Jackson will come to an end. When I learned that we would be moving to Nashville for my wife’s residency, I was surprised by the heaviness that came over me. Of course, I am proud of my wife and excited about what lies ahead for our family, but I’m also deeply saddened to leave the people I have come to love and the work to which I have dedicated myself over the past four years.

So, instead of writing a normal blog post, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on what these years have meant to me and to thank some of the people who have made them so special.

The most important thing YBL has taught me is that our work matters to God. That may seem like an obvious lesson for someone who has spent much of his adult life in ministry, but it was something I understood far less than I realized.

Years ago, while serving on staff at a church in Oxford, a man came into my office. I asked how he was doing, and he began telling me about some frustrations at work that had been wearing on him. Rather than taking the time to walk through them with him, I quickly redirected the conversation toward his family, as if to say, “Let’s talk about the important stuff.”

To my shame, I had to take a job with a faith-and-work ministry to understand just how much I had missed in that conversation. I had changed the subject just as he began talking about the place where he spent most of his waking hours—the place where God had called him to exercise his gifts and serve his neighbors, and where his faith was being worked out in ordinary life. I am grateful to the men of YBL for teaching me this, not only through our studies and conversations, but through the way you have sought to follow Christ in your work.

I want to thank Doug McDaniel and Will Thomas, the two chairmen under whom I have had the privilege of serving, as well as Chris Bates, who has worked closely with me on nearly every event and project we have undertaken. If someone asked me what I want to be when I “grow up,” I might simply say, “More like those guys.” I am a better man for having worked alongside each of you.

The same is true of the rest of the YBL Jackson board. You never made me feel as though I were leading this ministry alone, even if I was the only one getting paid to do it. You have given your time, counsel, encouragement, and prayers more generously than I could have expected. Whatever good God has accomplished over these four years belongs to all of us.

To our group leaders, thank you for the immense encouragement I have received from your example. Week after week, you volunteer your time to prepare lessons, care for men, and gather them together for the sake of God’s kingdom. I once thought of seminary professors as the people training others to do ministry. There is certainly truth in that, but it may be more accurate to say that they are training people who will then train others for the work of ministry. I have watched you do exactly that. You have helped men understand Scripture, navigate difficult seasons, connect their faith to their work, and follow Christ more faithfully. I pray that leading these groups has had even half the impact on your members as your leadership has had on me.

I also want to thank the leadership of YBL Birmingham for the support and encouragement you have provided through the years. You have modeled faithful leadership in faith-and-work ministry for decades, and YBL Jackson would not be what it is without you.

YBL is a special ministry, and I will continue to support it from a distance in whatever ways I can. It has changed the way I understand calling, discipleship, and ministry. I will carry these lessons and friendships with me into whatever work God calls me to next. For that, I will always be grateful.