A Legacy of Disciple Making
Matt Schweitzer (front left) with John Lutz (top left) and a worship team.
I currently share Lead Pastor responsibilities with Pastor Chris Hartley at Emmaus Road Church in DeWitt, Iowa, and I have been leading the worship ministry here for the past eight years. Before that, I served on staff in worship ministry at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, for seven years. All told, I’ve been involved with leading weekly Sunday worship gatherings since 2007. But my calling to worship ministry began about three years before that, when I was thirteen years old.
It was 2004, and I was an eighth-grader at Crestview Academy in Eau Claire. John Lutz, an elder at Bethesda, thought the sixth to eighth-grade students should lead a time of worship during the assembly at the end of the Spring semester. His daughter, Abbie, my brother, Zak, my future wife, Emily, and her sister, Andrea, along with others, were part of that initial group. John took time to pick out the songs, pair them with related Bible passages, and plan out the flow of worship and prayer. It was not perfect. It wasn’t even excellent, but it was a joyful sound!
It was intentional worship, and it was honoring to God and his Word. This set the table for what would be the core of a youth group worship ministry at Bethesda for the next six years and beyond. It was also the first time I entered into a discipleship dynamic with someone outside of my household. John saw in me someone who loved Jesus, had some rudimentary musical giftings, and a willingness to be discipled in those areas. Over the years, he spent time teaching me the “why” of worship, about rooting worship songs in the Bible, how to craft meaningful moments in worship, and how to disciple others in all these things. He was an elder. He loved Jesus. He was also the best guitarist I’ve ever had the blessing of leading worship with. More importantly, he answered the call to be a disciple-maker.
Fast forward to 2011. There was an opportunity for me to join Bethesda on staff, 10-15 hours per week, leading the worship ministry of Eleeo, a contemporary worship service, focusing on reaching a new demographic in our community. Pastor Brandon Pangman emphasized one of the main aspects of my role was “building the bench”―pouring into the next generation of worship leaders was a crucial part of the ministry that I would lead. He showed me how to bring people along with me in ministry and to disciple others as we do life together. Practically, this meant having middle school and high school teams that learned about worship and the Word as much as they learned their instruments and songs. College students, who were in town temporarily, were included in the worship ministry, and as part of the ownership and leadership of the church. John was still very involved in discipling others with me over those years, and many of those individuals have gone on to lead at other churches, college campus ministries, and a variety of vocational ministries.
Many of them are still at Bethesda, faithfully serving in the worship ministry. My college roommate and friend, Aaron Spina, is one of them. Already an extremely gifted singer/songwriter and guitarist, Aaron’s character and competency as a worship leader rapidly grew with his regular involvement in Eleeo. He became my go-to leader when I was gone or needed a week off. When my time at Bethesda ended, he was, in my mind, the obvious candidate to continue leading that ministry. He’s now served as Bethesda’s worship leader for nearly eight years.
In 2018, after a few years at different churches, I rejoined Pastor Brandon Pangman at Emmaus Road Church in DeWitt, IA. The blueprint for growth was similar: build the bench. Or, phrased another way: make disciples. A few months into my time there, the “student praise team” was a few kids learning to play guitar, some singers, a gifted drummer, and a couple of students who didn’t want to be there. For those that stayed over the years, the process was similar: prioritize relationship with God and his Word, grow in character as worship leaders, and honor their gifts in music through practice and preparation. They didn’t only lead worship at youth group gatherings, but they were also included on the Sunday worship teams. The same principles applied to the adults, as well. Those already involved in worship ministry could be discipled, too. They needed it. They wanted it. It was all a matter of intentional discipleship, and growth has happened through it. Through intentional weekly devotional time as a team. Through book studies to deepen our understanding of a whole life of worship. Through individual lessons for instruments and voices. Through prayer and consideration of the songs we sing. Through time writing our own worship songs. All of these in harmony with God’s Word and the message being preached.
Matt (right) with students at Emmaus Road Church.
As I prepare for a time of sabbatical this summer, there are four teens and young adults who will serve as worship leaders over the 12 weeks that I’m gone. They will be leading teams of 6-8 people and two services each Sunday. Beyond that, there are two others who are involved in the set planning and team scheduling. They’re all ready for it, because they do it regularly when I am here. They have grown as leaders in the church, and they lead a ministry of worship that reaches beyond just Sundays.
This effort of discipleship is not just for here, at Emmaus Road Church. It can’t be, because eventually young leaders will go, or be sent, where God calls them―to other churches, to college, to leading their own lives. Over the past few years, we’ve had three young ladies from the worship ministry at ERC move on to other phases of life. Annie and Natalie graduated and moved to college, where they’re both involved in worship with campus ministries. Mya Pangman moved to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, with a few years of high school left. But the gifts she began honing at ERC have continued to grow in high school and college. God works through relationships developed and cared for through intentional discipleship.
Matt Schweitzer is Pastor at Emmaus Road Church in DeWitt, IA.
Aaron’s Story
In hindsight, I might guess that God’s leading me to ministry began shortly after becoming paralyzed in 2004, as I prayed that the Lord would heal me spiritually before he healed me physically. Of course, I didn’t realize at the time that if he answered that prayer with a yes, I wouldn’t be healed physically until I was in heaven, but here we are (and praise God for it).
In 2011, Matt Schweitzer moved in with me shortly after his brother moved to New Jersey. Matt asked me a number of times to play on the worship team for him when he needed another guitarist, and I repeatedly had excuses, though none of them were good. I was afraid I wasn’t good enough, and I was probably afraid of committing to something I didn’t know if I could sustain. Late in 2012, Matt came to me again, this time asking if I would be part of a group leading worship for a week in the mountains in Colorado, and frankly, this felt like a bribe from the Lord―one that I needed, and one I would finally say yes to.
It ended up being an extremely trying week, but also an “ebenezer” for me, marking a new understanding. The Lord showed me in deep stress, and longing to do much in the mountains that paralysis does not allow for, that every morning and evening as we led worship, he was there, and greater than all those things; I was joyful and whole, purely in praising him.
This launched a new season of life as I was invited to be part of a worship residency program at a church in Austin, Texas. It was another exciting invitation to what would be another trying and refining season. That year, I learned what spiritual abuse was. For the duration of the residency, I was accused of being prideful and arrogant in response to practically every question or mistake I made, and “punishment” was not being allowed to be part of the “main stage” worship team. The Lord allowed me to be under that leadership, but he certainly held me. I admittedly needed refining, though, and now, by his unpredictable grace, I have learned to distinguish what is hurtful versus what is wholesome in relational leadership and how to apply it within my own teams. I now know that discipleship cannot be done simply by processes or an equation; it’s something that happens when you love people properly.
The clearest depiction of this is in two young men I’ve had the great privilege of speaking into. First, Easton Bertoni, followed by Sam Widholm, who were gifts to Bethesda and, as a leader, a gift of opportunity for me to create a new and improved version of myself in ministry. I’m very proud of both of them and the trajectory they’ve taken since moving away from Bethesda for college and ministry opportunities. But, perhaps the most rewarding aspect of our relationship has been to know in no uncertain terms that they felt loved and valued in our time together. That is the love of Christ, and a love I could not present without him working in me. I keep an eye out always for who might be next. The Lord has been incredibly faithful to bear fruit from a painful season that drove home a very specific scripture of disciple making for me: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
Aaron Spina is the Worship Arts Director at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, WI.
L-R: Mya Pangman learning to play guitar as a child, leading worship at Bethel youth group, and with the student worship team,
Mya’s Story
While my family was living in DeWitt, Iowa, I had the opportunity to be mentored by Matt Schweitzer. Around sixth-grade, a handful of students decided that we wanted to learn to play the guitar and start a youth band. Without hesitation, Matt volunteered to help. As I began learning, Matt not only taught me to play guitar but also taught me about worship. There were times I struggled with chords, had conflicts with friends, or faced other challenges, and he was always there to offer encouragement and guide me back to the Word of God.
After moving to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, I had the opportunity to play for a worship team at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy and soon after was given the incredible opportunity to lead worship at Bethel Church. During my time at Bethel, I was also asked to work with Josiah Militzer as an intern with the Bethel youth group.
God used that year of leading worship and the internship there to grow my faith and deepen my trust in him. I faced challenges that were completely outside of my control and had to fully rely on God to guide me. One week in particular stands out when nearly half of my team called in sick. At first it seemed like a problem, but God turned it into a blessing. The remaining team members could play multiple instruments, so we shifted roles, and everything came together, but not because of anything I had done, but because God was in control and used that moment to remind me that he has a plan in every situation.
The internship at Bethel also gave me the opportunity to invest in younger students. I was able to give them the same opportunity Matt gave me: to lead worship. More importantly, I had, and still have, the blessing of walking alongside them in life, celebrating with them in joyful moments and encouraging them during difficult times while always pointing them back to the Word of God.
Even now, as I lead a worship team at Free Lutheran Bible College, I continue to be mentored while mentoring others. Mentorship is not just a three-month or one-year commitment. It is something that can last a lifetime, and it is truly a blessing.
Mya Pangman is a student at Free Lutheran Bible College in Plymouth, MN.
Wrapping it Up
In Matt’s opening story, he briefly mentioned that John Lutz, an elder at Bethesda Lutheran Church, did something simple yet profound. He invited a handful of students into an intentional, disciple-making effort. He was a musician, and so he would help others know and share Jesus through their musical talents.
Matt captured the heart of John’s ministry when he wrote, “It was not perfect. It wasn’t even excellent, but it was a joyful sound. It was intentional, and it was honoring to God and his Word.”
Any vision for disciple-making, when taken seriously, will be imperfect. It will likely lack excellence, but it will also have the potential to bear fruit (and often unintentional fruit).
Today that effort to care for a small group of students has grown to touch several of our CLB churches and several non-CLB churches. Aaron and Mya have become a part of the legacy of that ministry and have themselves shared that ministry with others.
Disciple-making is not a complicated thing. It is simply people who love Jesus encouraging others in their walk with Jesus. This, of course, can be formal or informal, but it is always relational. In these stories, music was the vehicle for discipleship, but discipleship is not limited to music. We are each called to be disciple-makers. Perhaps for you it is cooking or baking, gaming or sports, art or business—whatever it is, it can be a vehicle for you to encourage others in their walk with Jesus. And while it will not always be perfect or even excellent, it can be intentional and honoring to God and his Word.
This is one story. How is God calling you to intentionally weave your life into the lives of others for the sake of the gospel?
Jordan Spina is the Associate Director of North American Mission of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren.