I’m Bear Clifton (though Mom named me Barry). They say I’ve got about 20 seconds to tell you who I am. That’s a tough order.
They tell me I’m a pastor. For nearly 30 years, I’ve been one beggar telling others where to find bread. And I’ve found it offered by one who called himself the Bread of Life.
They tell me I’m a husband and a father. I met Janis, the wife of my life, back in college at the University of Iowa. One day, Janis told me she wanted to take a year to go on a missions trip somewhere. “Not without me!” I said under my breath, knowing I was falling in love with her.
Three years after our wedding, and six months after our first, and only, child Hannah was born, off we went to inner city London to serve a church for a year that changed the entire trajectory of our lives. I had studied to be a journalist, but as soon as we returned home, I signed up for seminary and haven’t looked back.
They tell me I’m a writer. That I’m a geographer of the heart. I love to explore life through words. I place words in the Yahtzee cup of my imagination, and they roll out in journals, books, blogs, screenplays, and songs. “Faith without art is dead,” is a saying I came up with to describe this part of my heart.
I’m so passionate about writing, that in 2016, I stepped down from the church I had been serving for 20 years in Connecticut, we sold our house, and moved to Los Angeles, without a forward address, and knowing but two people (including Hannah.) I sensed the Lord was giving me permission to take an extended sabbatical and write my little heart out connected to the Hollywood arts community. (If interested, you can read more of that story here at my ministry website.)
But preachers never retire. (God just puts us out to pastor, as the saying goes.) And in 2019, a young church named BridgeWay came calling. They’d been through the ringer, but were eager to find their mojo again. Always up for a good challenge, we came back East, and just got settled in when the big bully Covid-19 strolled into town.
WHAT WILL YOU DISCOVER WHEN YOU VISIT?
What will you find when you visit? I describe us as a relaunch, or a replant. So you’ll find a core of 50 adults, a boatload of kids, not a lot of bells and whistles, and a healthy but limited array of programs. We’re laser-focused right now on offering the best Sunday morning service we can, shoring up our home community-groups (we call them Life Groups), and getting back to the basics of outreach and discipleship.
The last two years have been a bear for this Bear, but I’ve never been more proud of a church than I am of BridgeWay. We’ve weathered a few storms, and (based on what I’ve seen the Lord do in every church I’ve served) today are on the threshold of a very special season of ministry.
MY #1 PASSION
The #1 thing I am most passionate about as a pastor is helping any Christian who wishes, to grow stronger in his or her faith. I want to train others to become all that God has called and gifted them to be. I believe in Pentecost (if you know that story) – the full contribution of every Spirit-filled man, woman, and child.
We’re developing right now a “discipleship plan” that identifies pathways to help any believer grow in three areas: Christlikeness, Fruitfulness, and Knowledge (cf. Colossians 1:9-10).
This plan also recognizes three spiritual ages which every believer falls into (cf. 1 John 2:12-14). There is no one-size-fits-all method for spiritual growth. Our approach will provide a relationship strategy for helping any believer of any level of spiritual maturity to keep growing in Christ.
My personal mission statement as a Christian and a pastor is to reach, teach, and unleash. It’s the unleashing part of that equation that especially moves my heart.
At BridgeWay, we’re not looking for people who want to sit on the sidelines or keep a pew warm. We’re looking for people called by God who want to have impact for the kingdom of God in this generation (and some of them aren’t even Christians yet!)
It’s in our church mission statement: Make Disciples – Connect Communities – Grow The Body Of Christ.
That’s our story and we’re sticking to it. If you want in on the adventure of faith, pay us a visit. I think you’ll like what you find!
Under His wings,
Pastor Bear