Tom Flaherty was ordained to full-time ministry over 20 years ago, joining the staff of Lake City Church, then Madison Gospel Tabernacle. He returned to Madison in August, 2007, to become senior pastor of Mad City Church. In between he pastored churches in Foston and Montevideo, Minnesota.
Since returning to Madison, Tom has been an instigator in several inter-church events: a "Return to God" series of meetings held at Lake City Church last summer, and a Solemn Assembly held at Bethesda Church last November. "I believe God has His eye on this region and we should begin to prepare for His presence," he says.
To find out more about what’s in the heart of this spiritual leader, MC interviewed pastor Flaherty in the church offices, on East Washington Avenue.
MC: What has been the impact of the Return to God meetings last summer and the Solemn Assembly in November?
I feel like it was a very important conference last summer. It gave people a vision. As you remember we had 20 different spiritual leaders praying for revival. It gave people hope. I’ve heard it mentioned many times since from pastors, that we can do things together that are absolutely beautiful.
I feel like we are working to break spiritual darkness over this region. The two main keys to that are unity that goes across denominational lines and prayer. I believe it is a spiritual law, that when God sees unity and prayer, that he cannot help but pour out his spirit. When we have met the conditions of love and thirst, God responds with more of his presence. His kingdom comes in new ways. I think it was significant. It was seen as a kind of a new beginning.
MC: It’s not unusual to hear a pastor challenge his congregation to take the city for Christ. But it does seem unusual to hear a pastor say, "We’ve got to get the churches in Madison working together."
I do think that’s part of why we don’t see more happen. I was in ministry here for ten years back in the eighties and early nineties. I know how much effort has gone into reaching Madison for Christ. The reality is that we need a breakthrough in the spiritual realm. I don’t think one church is going to be able to do it.
We can just keep spinning our wheels in the same spiritual climate, all doing our own thing. Or we can have the wisdom to recognize that we need each other. We’re not going to see God do what needs to be done, until we come together. I don’t think a lot of pastors believe that. Maybe they believe that it’s nice to be unified, it’s nice to do an event together.
But I am not talking about appearing nice before people because it’s a good testimony to the world. I think it is a good testimony to the world but the audience I’m interested in is God himself. Jesus prayed, "Father make them one even as we are one." That is something greater than tolerance, something greater than not fighting. That is a profound oneness that I believe only God can grant.
MC: It’s the Holy Spirit.
It is. I believe there is a greater manifestation of God’s presence, that we are going to see together, than any church is going to have individually.
MC: You have a unique perspective. You were in ministry for ten years here in Madison, then you were in ministry in Minnesota for 15 years, now you’re back as a senior pastor. You have a history with this community. How would you say your experience in Foston and Montevideo is impacting what you’re doing here in a much larger city?
We went through a time of revival in Foston. I got a vision that there is more. We saw some things that made me really hungry for something more than church as usual. Then at Montevideo we worked on getting a new mindset beyond just our church. We established a House of Prayer in Montevideo. Knowing that there was a House of Prayer here in Madison was very exciting.
Coming back here I am amazed at what is here compared with 15 years ago: pastors praying together, loving each other, going on retreats together. Even though the House of Prayer is no longer going on, it’s fruits are all over this place. At the Solemn Assembly in November, we had Bethesda packed out and we had a three hour prayer meeting. We had a pastor lead and finish each of the four sections. Then we opened the mike for anybody to come and prayer. It felt like we were one church, the prayer was so unified. No one had an agenda, it really felt like just the church. That’s the result of people praying for this region. My expectation is very high.
So we have another event coming up calling Seeking God Together, a night of praise and worship, Sunday March 15th at Lake City Church. Three different worship teams are leading the worship and then we’ll have 30 different pastors. After each 20-minute section of worship pastors will pray a 2-minute prayer. It’s just worship and praise to God, declaring who God is. For three hours we want to give God a sacrifice of worship and praise. I am excited to see what God is going to do. Every pastor I’ve talked with is completely on board. It’s just profound.
And I think part of it is that pastors are tired of business as usual. They know the answer is not a better program or a more clever sermon. I think there is a desparation. We’ve got to do something different and they are excited about trying something together.
MC: In other words just going to church on Sunday morning is not cutting it?
I think that ministers understand conditions are such in Madison, and really in America, that outside of a move of God we’re losing ground. We need God. If it’s just us having drama as good as the world, music as good as the world, the world can entertain better than we can. There’s one commodity we have that the world cannot duplicate, that’s the presence of God. So what do you do to bring the presence of God? That’s what ministers are thirsty for. They’re excited about us not being the center but God Himself, Jesus Himself, His glory being the center of this thing.
MC: Thinking back to when you came to Madison to start attending school at the University of Wisconsin, I imagine you would have been astounded to see where you are today.
Although I had a religious upbringing, I grew up Catholic, the last thing I thought about was the priesthood. I was heading into business and looking to make a lot of money. God really changed things around after I became a born-again believer as a UW student.
MC: Even after you became a Christian, to think of Madison as your parish, that wasn’t the first thing that popped into your mind.
I did feel that I was called somehow. In my junior year in college I had a dramatic experience. I was ready to drop out of college right then and go to the mission field. Somebody very wisely said, "Finish your college education." Then Alice and I got married right out of college and we were ready to do the Peace Corps or just go do something for God. Somebody again wisely advised, "Hold on. Instead of looking for something, look at where God has planted you." So I worked as an investment broker for Southmark Financial Services and began serving at Lake City Church as a deacon, and a volunteer worker in youth ministry. Then later I felt God calling me into full-time ministry.
MC: It’s interesting how churches go through different phases at different times. Looking back it seems like Lake City Church, then Madison Gospel Tabernacle, was a hot house at that time. It sent a lot of people into the ministry, it planted seeds that are still blooming today.
Absolutely. When I first came to Madison Gospel Tabernacle as a college student it was in a time of revival. The College and Career Group was running 120 and it was hot. We were in prayer every morning and it was a very exciting time. In that womb of revival there were many people who are in the ministry now, churches were birthed out of it. My affinity with Lake City and their desire right now to see the region-wide moving of God, it’s very easy to lead with them because of the tremendous unity between Lake City and Mad City.
MC: You have such a vibrant vision for what you want to happen in Madison. Do you feel at all any kind of restraint or handicap that Mad City Church doesn’t have a building to operate out of?
I actually think it has enabled us to do some of the stuff we’ve done because we’re not perceived as a threat to other churches. You know, we meet in a school (La Follette High School). If we had a big building, we’d probably use our building. This way, for everything we’ve done, we’ve been forced to use other places and other buildings. It’s caused us all to have to work together. I’m not saying that we don’t want a building and that would not make a thousand things easier, because it would. And I think that that is in our future but in this season I don’t think it’s been a hindrance, I think it’s actually been a help.
MC: Do you have any kind of a feeling for where a building might be in the future of Mad City Church?
I feel like it would need to be on the east side. That’s where God has established us. But beyond that, I don’t have a big vision for building something. I’d way rather be in an existing place. I’ve seen so many churches get caught up in that building and in the money to raise that building and in the money to keep that building going. I really think God has worked very hard on Mad City to establish that the church is not that building.
MC: How about a timeline for the future?
We’re making some deep cuts in a number of areas to keep our present staffing level. I don’t think we’re ready to push for a building until we have a more positive cash flow. We’re having to tighten our belt, just like the rest of America. I was certain we were going to have to lay off staff this year. I’m thrilled that we found a way to make cuts and to live within the income level of the past six months.
I feel like we’re primed and we’re ready to go. We have a staff that loves each other and is excited to work together and is excited to sacrifice together. If we can have a positive cash flow in the next six months, I think that in August we’ll be ready to look around. Frankly it’s a great time to buy, we’ve got low real estate prices and we’ve got low interest rates but you need to have a positive cash flow before approaching a banker.