tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105887972024-03-13T07:00:30.130-05:00For the Love of God and HumankindThoughts on God, culture and the good life.mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.comBlogger365125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-27972112033082827492017-07-28T10:25:00.000-05:002017-07-28T12:03:37.317-05:00The God-Shaped Hole<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">~ <i>The Confessions of St. Augustine</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">~ Blaise Pascal, <i>Pensées</i> VII (425)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Deep down, every person with a moral conscience wants there to be a God—someone to give meaning to our existence, someone to reliably define goodness, truth and justice, someone higher than all of us to whom we can appeal when opinions and desires clash violently, year after year, century upon century, millennia upon millennia. Sure, in our weaker moments, when held captive by shame for immoral choices, we seek to hide from God, just as Adam and Eve did in the garden and as Jonah did when fleeing for Tarshish. We fear judgment, because the pain of shame is unbearable. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But the God of the Bible, the God of the gospel has proven to us that we need not fear judgment if we humbly confess our wrongs to Him. The second person of the Trinity, Jesus the Messiah, rent heaven and came to earth to prove the nature and extent of God's love for sinners like you and me. He lived for 33 years in perfect obedience to His (and our) Father, telling the Truth to all who would listen, healing the oppressed, exalting the humble, humbling the proud, accepting abuse and ultimately death at the hands of wicked men, so that you and I and all of humanity, indeed all of creation, might be free forever. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And God the Father, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, raised Jesus from the dead to prove that Jesus was who He had said and demonstrated that He was: God in the flesh. Ever since then, this message of Good News is being proclaimed and embodied all over the world. And one day, at a time only God knows, Jesus is coming again as God-in-the-Flesh, to quell mankind's rebellion against God once for all, to end all oppression, to heal all wounds, to completely restore every broken facet of creation, of existence, to its purest, truest and best state. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All who have humbly confessed their own complicity in perpetuating the cycle of sin and sought forgiveness in Jesus will enter eternal life in an eternal world free of sin, pain, sadness, brokenness, shame, atrophy, and death. All who have rejected this offer will enter into an eternity without a single trace of the God of goodness, beauty, truth, justice, wisdom and righteousness. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the Christian hope and vision of reality. This, I believe, provides the most comprehensive and coherent view of existence that has ever been offered. And it did not originate with the ideas of a mere human. A simple read of the Bible will show the open-minded reader that no one would make this kind of stuff up. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope this to be a conversation starter, that perhaps someone who is yet to be convinced of the plausibility of the Christian Story might be nudged in the direction of honestly considering its plausibility. We may not be able to answer every theological question in this life, but we can rigorously assess and compare the various worldviews on offer to see which makes the most sense of existence as we know it. We need more dialogue of this sort. God knows we have the time for it, with all the time and resources we devote to entertainment. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who is with me?</span></span>mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-2311046116191369142016-07-29T15:04:00.000-05:002016-07-29T15:04:24.227-05:00Everything Matters to JesusServing as pastor of a local church in the United States of America has given me a unique perspective on the world, perhaps provoking more questions than answers. One question which is of timely importance during this presidential election season is, What is the role of pastors when it comes to discussing politics? What is legally permissible for them to say publicly and what is practically wise?<br />
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Legal guidelines are fairly clear: pastors/ministers/clergymen, like the staff of other 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, are not allowed in the exercise of their official roles to publicly endorse candidates for public office. However, such individuals cannot be legally prevented from sharing their opinions, even publicly, as individuals distinct from the organizations they serve. <a href="http://www.npr.org/2016/03/06/469371887/pastor-max-lucado-still-baffled-over-evangelical-trump-supporters" target="_blank">High-profile pastor and author Max Lucado</a>, for instance, has been very public in his opposition to the nomination of Donald Trump for president and has incurred no legal liabilities for himself, his church, or his writing ministry.<br />
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However, many still question the wisdom of pastors speaking about politics. It's unavoidably divisive, often passionately so, particularly during tense election seasons. Some say politics or the election of public officials is of little concern to ministers of the gospel, who should be preoccupied with "heavenly concerns" rather than earthly ones. Why risk gospel witness for the sake of fallen, temporary institutions such as government? After all, Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world, right? (Note that "of" does not mean "in," as Jesus makes clear in John 17 and Paul in 1 Cor. 5:10.)<br />
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For Pastor Lucado, the public reputation of God and His gospel is precisely the reason why he felt compelled to point out the absurdity of evangelicals' support of Trump in the 2016 presidential election. In his opinion, Lucado's pastoral vocation required him to correct what he believed was a misrepresentation of genuine Christian values and principles by Trump and his so-called evangelical supporters.<br />
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Lucado is just one of a huge percentage of evangelical Christian pastors who opposed Trump in the primaries. <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/january/donald-trump-protestant-pastors-undecided-president-iowa.html" target="_blank">According to a survey by LifeWay Research</a> whose results were published back in January, a mere 5% of evangelical pastors supported a Trump presidency compared to a much larger percentage of the overall population of laypeople who self-identify as evangelicals. In the words of former research director Ed Stetzer, "When it comes to Mr. Trump, there seems to be a huge gap between the pulpit and the pew." Might such a gap indicate that pastors are not doing their due diligence to shepherd their flocks in matters where the Christian faith informs political issues?<br />
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My intent in writing this is not to make a case for or against a Trump presidency, but rather to raise the question of what matters to Jesus. As Christians, we're called to value what Jesus values--no more and no less. If Jesus values the products and/or processes of political engagement, then we should too. However, if He isn't the least concerned with these things, then perhaps we shouldn't bother with them either. I think most of us believe that politics make a real difference in the world, for better or worse, and that we ought to be responsibly engaged in the process to the degree that we're able.<br />
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A robust biblical theology would reveal that God is indeed concerned with the affairs of humankind on earth, down to the smallest minutiae. There is no segment of our lives that is irrelevant to God. Everyone and everything matters to God. Your work, your hobbies, how you spend your time and your money, what you eat and wear--it all matters to the One who created the heavens and earth and every living thing that animates them. No less is God concerned with human culture, society and government. In everything, there is a way to honor as well as dishonor Him, to bear His image or obscure it.<br />
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If this is so, then it stands to reason that pastors, as followers of Jesus ordained to help God's people love and obey Him more fully with their whole lives, have an obligation to speak responsibly and prophetically to the political issues of their day. As citizens, they must do all in their power to stand for goodness, truth and justice. But like Jesus, they should do so with utmost respect and wisdom.mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-74123875765300488652016-07-29T11:39:00.001-05:002017-05-31T14:28:24.965-05:00A Quest for Rootedness & a Request for Support<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while since I've posted here, but I think now's a good time to share with you some upcoming changes for the Stephens family while reflecting on our recent journey to this point. Many of you know that in October 2014, I moved my family from Shawnee, KS to Branson, MO to serve as Lead Pastor of <a href="http://www.harvestefc.org/" target="_blank">Harvest Evangelical Free Church</a>. In the Lord's providence, we were allowed to serve in this capacity for a year and a half before realizing that it wasn't the right fit for us long-term. Shortly after resigning, after much prayer, conversation and counsel, we decided that we should return to the Kansas City area as soon as possible.<br />
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My aim for this post is to frame my calling (sense of purpose, direction, goals) for this next leg of my life's journey. As I seek out <b>employment opportunities in the Kansas City area</b>, I hope this post will help explain the factors which influence my vocational pursuits. I hope also to give friends and family a clearer basis from which to offer encouragement and prayer on my behalf. I'll begin by briefly unpacking our reasons for relocating back to KC. Then I'll explain the goals I have for my vocational pursuits. Finally I'll list some ways you might support us in this transition if you feel so led.<br />
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<b><i>Relocation Rationale</i></b><br />
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There are two primary reasons we're returning to KC in the near future.<br />
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<li>First, we feel a call to increase our <b>support of our extended family</b> at this time. As a follower of Christ, and no less as a pastor, I am called to give the first-fruits of my ministry to my family--first to my wife and children, then to my parents and so on as needs and resources align (1 Tim. 5:8; cf. Mark 7:9-13; 1 Cor. 7:33-34).</li>
<li>Second, we feel called to establish some long-needed <b>stability for our children</b>--a sense of rootedness. As noted in <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2016/july/i-grew-up-with-transition-trauma-heres-what-i-learned.html" target="_blank">this <i>Christianity Today</i> article</a> citing clinical studies on the effects of major life transitions (such as relocation, divorce, etc.) on children, too much transition can have a devastating affect on their well-being. Just this past Sunday, <a href="http://bloomhere.org/bloom/" target="_blank">Bloom Church</a> pastor <a href="http://michaelscarlton.com/" target="_blank">Mike Carlton</a> shared about the adverse affects that his many childhood moves had on him. Due to the presence of family and the affordability and livability of the city, we believe KC will be an ideal place to establish a long-term "homestead" in which to raise our kids.</li>
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<b><i>Vocational Aspirations</i></b><br />
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What this means for me vocationally is that my call to serve God and His church with my pastoral training and gifting will likely require some flexibility and patience on my part. (Doesn't it always?) But that won't stop me from pursuing my goals vocationally! Here are the big ones:<br />
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<li><b>Continue to serve.</b> With or without financial compensation, my desire is to steward my gifts and experience where I can make a genuine difference in a local church whose beliefs and ministry philosophy I can support. If a staff position opened up for me in such a church, I would gratefully consider it. However, I am not limiting my employment search to church ministry alone.</li>
<li><b>Do good work.</b> As a person who excelled in nearly every subject in school and someone who passionately pursues excellence in everything he does, I consider myself a jack of many trades. Although my degrees are in Communication (B.A.) and Divinity (M.Div.), the value of my skill-set and work ethic applies well to many professions. Having worked in nonprofits, social service, manufacturing/technical sales, and church ministry as an adult (after years of farm labor and lawn care as a child and teen), I've proven that I am able to work effectively in a variety of environments. Besides my strong work ethic, my success depends on my ability to make the most of my strengths while expanding on them. (Hint: I'm most effective at work which requires attention to detail, quality and efficiency. I'm also a creative problem solver, strategist and artist.)</li>
<li><b>Generate sufficient income.</b> Short-term, I am willing to work part-time, while my wife works full-time. However, long-term we hope to reverse this arrangement, provided that our combined income is sufficient for the needs and goals of our family. At this time, I'm limiting my search to hourly or salaried, rather than commission-based, positions.</li>
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<b><i>Your Support</i></b><br />
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Among the most valuable life lessons I've learned is the fact that none of us achieves much of significance purely on our own. We all lean on each other in more ways than we often acknowledge. Here are a few needs I have right now as I enter this transition:<br />
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<li><b>Prayer</b>. Please pray for the Lord to give me clarity regarding my goals and the means I pursue to achieve them. Certainly, I will achieve nothing apart from His will and provision! Pray also that I would not lose heart or become distracted by non-essentials. Pray that my commitment to love and holiness remain at the forefront of my heart and mind every day.</li>
<li><b>Networking</b>. Without a professional degree for a specialized career (such as my wife's accounting and finance degrees!), searching and applying for jobs by conventional means is like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. For me to land a good job, I need an "in" through someone who knows my character and strengths well from firsthand experience. <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Would you please keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities in the KC area that might align with my stated vocational goals above? </span></i>If you don't know of anything directly, would you be willing to introduce me to someone you know who might know of something up my alley?</li>
<li><b>Opportunity</b>. Do you represent an employer who might be able to offer me a position at your company or organization? Would you be willing to sit down for lunch, coffee, or even a phone call, to discuss my fit for a potential position?</li>
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To those of you who have read up to this point, thank you for your kind consideration. Just like you, God has placed me on this earth at this time for an important purpose. Let us help one another fulfill the purposes He has for our lives! What better investment could we possibly make?</div>
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To learn more about my professional experience, education, and strengths, please visit my career profiles on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mstephens268" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> or <a href="https://branded.me/mattstephens" target="_blank">Branded</a>. Chances are I'd be happy to connect if we haven't already!</div>
mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-36141061693955236382015-11-04T10:17:00.000-06:002015-11-04T10:17:10.094-06:00Tozer's Critique of Modern Evangelicalism: As Relevant Today As Then<div class="tr_bq">
In the 67 years since the original publication of pastor-theologian A.W. Tozer's classic book, <i>The Pursuit of God</i>, the world including and perhaps especially the great land I call home, the USA, has undergone monumental changes culturally and economically. But as I reread Tozer's timeless words of wisdom, it is apparent to me that much remains the same in the culture and economy of the evangelical church to the present day.</div>
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As a passionately committed evangelical and pastor, the health and maturation of the church is one of my foremost occupations and preoccupations. As a shepherd, when I see God's flock going astray (I speak here not specifically of my own congregation but of the American Christian movement in general) the Spirit compels me to take up my staff and lead the flock back toward the green pastures and quiet waters of God's grace.<br />
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In this spirit, I am moved to share at length an excerpt from Tozer's book which I perceive to be as relevant to our Christian context today as it was nearly seven decades ago. Reflect on these words and ask yourself, Do I succumb to these temptations? Is my congregation, my denomination, association or other institution guilty of perpetuating them? Take an honest inventory and share your thoughts with a trusted friend, even here in the comments of this blog.<br />
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In answering the question, what was it that has set the great saints of old--as well as great saints in the present--apart from the life of the average Christian, Tozer suggests that "the one vital quality which they had in common was spiritual receptivity... that they had spiritual awareness and that they went on to cultivate it until it became the biggest thing in their lives... They acquired the lifelong habit of spiritual response" (p. 63). He went on:<br />
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"Receptivity is not a single thing; rather, it is a compound, a blending of several elements within the soul. It is an affinity for, a bent toward, a sympathetic response to, a desire to have. From this it may be gathered that it can be present in degrees, that we may have little or more, depending upon the individual. It may be increased by exercise or destroyed by neglect. It is not a sovereign and irresistible force which comes upon us as a seizure from above. It is a gift of God indeed, but one which must be recognized and cultivated as any other gift if we are to realize the purpose for which it was given.</blockquote>
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Failure to see this is the cause of a very serious breakdown in modern evangelicalism. The idea of cultivation and exercise, so dear to the saints of old, has now no place in our total religious picture. It is too slow, too common. We now demand glamour and fast-flowing dramatic action. A generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals. <i>We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God</i>. We read our chapter, have our short devotions and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar.</blockquote>
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The tragic results of this spirit are all about us: shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit. These and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul." (A.W. Tower, <i>The Pursuit of God</i>, pp. 64-65, emphasis mine)</blockquote>
mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-8610970909019616392015-11-03T15:17:00.004-06:002015-11-04T10:20:31.328-06:00Laboring Unto the Lord: A Reflection on the Pain of Loss and the Joy of SurrenderA few moments ago I received news of the passing of a son of a fellow minister of the gospel in my denominational district. Though I was not acquainted with this family, I am nonetheless acquainted with the losses that are common to us as human beings sojourning in a foreign and broken land. After praying on their behalf, acknowledging God's solidarity with them in their grief and asking for the Great Comforter to remind them of this, I was reminded of Paul's exhortation to the believers in first-century Colossae: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ" (Col. 3:23-24).<br />
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I spoke from this text last night at my church's annual leadership dinner about our motivation for serving in the ministries of the local church. Paul addresses various members of Christian households (husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, slaves) with exhortations relevant to their working relationships with one another. These exhortations are based on the principle that when we do our work as "unto the Lord," not merely for humankind (and certainly not for the sake of accolades), we are rewarded by God for our good faith efforts regardless of whether we see positive results in this life.<br />
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As I tried to imagine what this family must be experiencing in their souls, I considered the tragic nature of death--that the loss is not primarily physical, but ultimately relational. Even as this family trusts their sovereign Heavenly Father to preserve their loved one for eternity, they grieve the loss of relationship. They grieve the loss of potential--what could have become of us life if the Lord would have granted him more years. I can also imagine them feeling at some point anger over the fact that they invested so much into the life of this boy-become-man, only to see his opportunity to bloom and bear fruit cut short.<br />
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With how much I invest into my children--especially emotionally--I am often motivated by hope that I will see them flourish in their love for God and neighbor, that they will be courageous and contagious disciples of Jesus, that they may even become great contributors to God's kingdom in this world. But I am reminded that my efforts would not be in vain even if I were to lose one of my children just as these parents have lost one of theirs. God sees our good work and brings fruit for His kingdom even in circumstances such as these. The labor of faith, hope and love is never in vain. When we acknowledge the providence of God which transcends our understanding, surrendering the results of our labors to Him, only then may we find joy in the midst of otherwise tragic loss.mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-82575032481618196692015-08-21T15:01:00.000-05:002017-05-31T14:26:18.078-05:00Reformed vs. Missional Ecclesiology: Contrasting or Compatible Definitions of Church?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Interesting find in my review of the <a href="http://go.efca.org/resources/document/welcome-family-downloadable-course" target="_blank">EFCA "Welcome to the Family" membership course</a> module #2, EFCA Ecclesiology. In a discussion of the ordinances, a footnote on p. 16 notes the following:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cf. the Lutheran Augsburg Confession: “The Church is the congregation of saints in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are
rightly administered” (Art. VII), or the statement of John Calvin: “Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, and the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sacraments administered according to Christ’s institution, there, it is not to be doubted, a church of God exists” (</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-style: italic;">Institutes </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4.1.9)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: 700;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Later Reformed
tradition included a third mark: the proper exercise of church discipline, though this could be seen as simply an extension of the second. The
administration of the ordinances generally separates a church from a parachurch organization.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This begs the question, Is the EFCA </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">movement</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> out of sync with its <a href="http://strands.blogs.efca.org/about/" target="_blank">theological leadership</a> (at least those tasked with producing this membership guide)?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't ask this sarcastically, but as a long-time dialogue partner in the "missional" conversation, which if you are familiar with it will recognize its substantial departure from the classic Reformed ecclesiology quoted above. Though many of my conversation partners would likely advocate a missional ecclesiology at odds with that of Luther and Calvin, I would advocate a hybrid of the two.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What Luther gets right:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Ecclesia</i> (Gk. word often translated "church") means "gathering" or "assembly", not (as some have surmised) "called out ones" (<a href="http://lovinggodandman.blogspot.com/2009/07/setting-record-straight-on-meaning-of.html" target="_blank">as I've explained here</a>).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The orthodox (true, accurate, original) Gospel is fundamental to the Church's existence and mission. Hence its faithful and fervent proclamation and defense is one of the most essential aspects of the Church's mission.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The sacred ordinances have always marked the Church as a distinctive community following the Way of Jesus Christ the King.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What Calvin gets right (in addition to points of agreement with Luther):</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Emphasis on declaration/proclamation (not just instruction) of God's word as absolutely true and authoritative for the Church and the believer—i.e., the mark of fidelity to the gospel.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Acknowledgement that the True Church is comprised of believers (those who hear God's word "purely").</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What they miss:</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The distinctive mark of Christian, brotherly love (John 13:35).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Great Commission of Jesus to His Church (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Other associations of the Church with the "People of God" theological ethic of the Bible, which is far, far more comprehensive than its corporate worship gatherings!</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Without doubt, they address these issues elsewhere in their writings. However, a true summary definition of the Church ought to make a clear reference to the above characteristics of an authentically Christian Church. No?</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bottom line: IMO, our ecclesiology and missiology should be much more integrated than the original Protestant Reformers articulated.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Agree? Disagree? Related thoughts?</span></div>
mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-49069377366663272312015-08-19T13:19:00.003-05:002017-05-31T14:08:04.903-05:00Describing Discipleship to Jesus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Discipleship to Jesus is a whole life enterprise, involving all of our thoughts, affections, actions and relationships. It will be, I believe, extraordinarily valuable to summarize and categorize the various spheres of discipleship, to bring us out of the general and abstract into the actual and particulars of life. Point granted that this exercise is abstract, yet it should move us from the general to the particular without losing sight of the big picture. In other words, to help us think comprehensively about life as a disciple of Jesus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here are some of my initial thoughts. Recognizing that these spheres are in many ways interrelated, it is nonetheless beneficial to look at the Christian life from these various viewpoints. I invite your contribution to this discussion! Help me in the process of <b>categorization,</b> if you will!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Discipleship to Jesus is:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1. <b><i>Personal</i></b>: devotional life with God, personal habits/disciplines, self-care/self-management</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2. <b><i>Filial</i></b>: relationships with nuclear family (spouse, parent/child)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3. <b><i>Ecclesial</i></b>: relationships with local church family</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4. <i><b>Occupational</b></i>: economic relationships and culture-shaping (work, compensation, stewardship of time/talent/treasure)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5. <b><i>Local</i></b>: relationships and roles within one’s geographically local community</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">6. <b><i>Societal</i></b>: relationships and roles within one’s region, nation, and/or sociological niche/co-culture</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">7. <b><i>Global</i></b>: relationships and roles within the global community</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Discipleship is an integration of <b>spirituality</b> (disposition & relationship to God; prayer, worship, contemplation, engagement w/ Scripture), <b>ethics/morality</b> (disposition & relationship to self and others; justice/righteousness orientation), and <b>stewardship</b> (economic relationship toward self, others, and culture/society at large).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks in advance...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Matt</span></div>
mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-75225130898580488422015-07-13T14:46:00.002-05:002017-05-31T14:05:39.651-05:00Spiritual Formation: An Individual Thing or a Communal Thing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I'm about halfway finished with a book that's been sitting on my "to read" stack for a few months: James Thompson's<i> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20665275-the-church-according-to-paul" target="_blank">The Church According to Paul: Rediscovering the Community Conformed to Christ</a></i>. I pulled it off the stack and blew the dust off after our preaching team of elders decided to do a 13-week series on the Church this Fall. The first couple chapters had me "amen-ing" all over the place, but as I've moved through it I've grown impatient with the narrowness of the author's position on the nature of Christian discipleship or spiritual formation.<br />
<br />
Having left the book at home, I can't quote Dr. Thompson verbatim; so I'll have to summarize his argument according to the best of my memory. The arc of his argument is roughly as follows:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>The Church finds its identity and being in Christ.</li>
<li>The apostle Paul addresses (primarily) whole churches, not individuals in his scriptural letters.</li>
<li>Authentic Christian spirituality / discipleship is a thoroughly communal endeavor; therefore, any attempts to relate to God as an individual are inappropriate and counterproductive.</li>
</ol>
<div>
While I heartily affirm his desire to move western Christians away from an overly individualized, anti-communal form of discipleship, I'm afraid he is throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. The dichotomy between relating to God as an individual and as part of a community is, I believe, false. While God has absolutely formed us in His image (as relational Trinity) as intrinsically relational beings, to argue that we are <i>only</i> relational, <i>only</i> part of a community, and <i>only</i> related to God <i>through the Church</i> (a historically Roman Catholic position) is reductionistic and unhelpful.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are several reasons I think and feel this way, but Peter Scazzero in his book <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22574099-emotionally-healthy-spirituality" target="_blank">Emotionally Healthy Spirituality</a></i> pinpoints one of them. Interacting with some of the great, Christian mystics of the contemplative tradition, Scazzero comments, "Silence and solitude are so foundational to emotionally healthy spirituality that they are a theme repeated throughout this book. We observe this from Moses to David to Jesus to all the great men and women of the faith who have gone before us" (p. 86). Healthy, Christian spirituality lies in a proper balance of togetherness (community) and separateness (solitude). Overemphasize one or the other, and you run into trouble.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Unhealthy individuals create unhealthy communities, and unhealthy communities form unhealthy individuals. It cuts both ways. The path to sustained health requires proper attention to both the communal and individual aspects of spiritual formation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Amen.</div>
mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-67120871661733338492015-07-13T10:40:00.002-05:002015-07-13T10:41:16.062-05:00An Open Letter to Marlene McClurkin-Mason Regarding Her Recent Facebook Post on "Missing" Bible VersesI submitted this letter to Ms. McClurkin-Mason via Facebook Messenger a few moments ago and thought it worth sharing with those of you who may have encountered the same questions she has raised. I commend her for her concern for the precious gift of Holy Scripture, but believe that the misinformation she has shared will ultimately undermine the cause she wishes to uphold. Please read if you are genuinely interested in learning. Dialogue is appreciated, but disrespectful or off-topic posts will be deleted.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Ma'am,<br />
<br />
My wife forwarded your post to me and asked if it were true. I'm a conservative, evangelical pastor with knowledge of the original biblical languages (Greek and Hebrew). I hold fast to the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. I'm an MDiv graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, the seminary of the EFCA.<br />
<br />
I would encourage you to read <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bible_verses_not_included_in_modern_translations" target="_blank">this Wikipedia article</a> regarding the issues you've raised in your post. Likewise, please know that the translators of modern translations such as the NIV and ESV are not trying to pull wool over anyone's eyes. The omissions exist in the hardcopies as well as the electronic copies of the text, and are noted in the footnotes. A good study Bible (like the ESV Study Bible) or scholarly evangelical commentary (e.g., Word Biblical Commentary series, Pillar Commentary series, NICOT/NICNT, BECNT) will walk you through the textual evidence serving as the basis for the translators' decisions.<br />
<br />
The simplest answer to your question is that the KJV was translated from a Latin translation of the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Modern translations use the original manuscripts as the basis of their translations, and there are a number (though not significant) of variations between them.<br />
<br />
I hope you will follow my advice and conduct some of this research, and publish your findings to your Facebook friends. What you have written is misleading and will only serve to undermine the Gospel and mission of Christ if it is not corrected.<br />
<br />
Respectfully,<br />
<br />
Matt Stephensmattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-73461684485735195462015-04-30T17:22:00.000-05:002015-04-30T17:22:05.366-05:00How to Optimally Mobilize Your Congregation for Ministry<div>
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This article is primarily for pastors/elders, but would be beneficial for deacons, church administrators, ministry staff, and ministry area leaders as well. It is a call to take seriously the teachings of the apostle Paul regarding the missional importance of equipping and mobilizing our local expressions of the body of Christ (i.e., churches/congregations) for maximum Kingdom impact.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The needs and nature of church ministry are so varied and numerous, it is easy for pastors and other leaders to become bewildered and disillusioned by the burden. Some simply can't handle the psychological weight and opt for less stressful careers. Others try to reduce the scope and complexity of ministry by fixating on a particular, isolated aspect of God's mission and making that everything. But if we are to remain faithful to the call of God to shepherd and equip His people, we need a comprehensive vision and framework for church ministry that accounts for the rich diversity of gifts and callings that exist among the body of believers He has entrusted to our care and leadership. In the following paragraphs, I would like to propose a model of vocational stewardship for the local church that has revolutionary implications for how we organize ourselves for ministry.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
The apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, <b>to equip the saints for the work of ministry</b>, <b>for building up the body of Christ</b>, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, <b>so that we may no longer be children</b>, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love" (Eh. 4:11-16, ESV).</i></blockquote>
<div>
That is Jesus' mission statement for church leaders just as much as the Great Commissions of <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Mt28.18-20" target="_blank">Matt. 28:18-20</a> and <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ac1.8" target="_blank">Acts 1:8</a>. It would be hard to overstate the extent to which this crucial fact is obscured by churches and church leaders today. Rather than equipping the saints and building up the body of Christ for the purpose of cultivating Christian maturity, it has become popular to construe the mission of church leaders as:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Cheerleaders, charged with hyping up the crowd of Jesus fans with emotionally loaded exhortations and calls to action.</li>
<li>Chaplains, charged with soothing anxious souls with simplistic, well-worn religious platitudes which change nothing but make us feel better about ourselves.</li>
<li>CEOs, charged with directing, developing and managing complex organizations via the most expedient and efficient methods, regardless of their compliance with the kind of kingdom Jesus ushered in.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Most recently, it is becoming especially popular to conflate the roles of apostle (missionary/church planter), evangelist (proclaimer of the gospel out among the lost) and shepherd/pastor/teacher. To lead their congregations toward missional faithfulness, we are told, the pastor must avoid the grave danger of spending too much time shepherding his flock (under God) and must make sure he is investing lots of time being and sharing the gospel with unbelievers, being active in the community, and so on (i.e., performing the role of an evangelist).</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As a result of this confusion, congregations are burning their pastors out through conflicting and unrealistic expectations, pastors are neglecting to fulfill their uniquely-ordained duty of "equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ," and many other staff members, ministry leaders, and volunteers are burning out as well. This is a recipe for long-term ecclesiastical and missional disaster. And it's not the way God has providentially designed the Church. He has designed us—individually and collectively—strategically for partnership in His mission. There are four steps you and I can take to align our churches with this "divine design".<br />
<br />
The first step to optimally mobilizing your congregation for ministry is <b><i>to clarify and fulfill the unique role God has given </i><u>you</u><i> as their pastor (i.e., shepherd/elder/overseer/teacher)</i></b>. If God, you, and your congregation are not on the same page regarding the nature of pastoral leadership, the fruits of your (collective) ministry will be stunted and eventually may disappear altogether. The health and effectiveness of churches rises and falls on leadership (not just the senior pastor, but the collective leadership of the congregation). So this is where ministry revitalization begins.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The second barrier I've found to optimal mobilization of our congregations is poor stewardship of the God-given gifts (e.g., spiritual gifts, natural abilities, expertise, personal strengths, personalities) of the other leaders, staff, and members of the congregation. Rather than fitting talent to task, we make the mistake of appointing willing people to responsibilities for which they are not well-suited. We view most people as essentially "Jacks of all trades" or "utility players," assuming that willingness and faith are all that's required for effective, or fruitful, ministry. We create staff positions that cover broad ranges of responsibilities which require a broad range of strengths that would be extremely rare for any one individual to possess. Once again, the result is burnout of the staff member and stifled ministry effectiveness.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The second step, therefore, to optimally mobilizing your congregation for ministry is <b><i>to recognize that ministry is most effective when organized primarily according to </i><u>gifting</u><i>, rather than "ministry area." </i></b>By "ministry area," I mean, for example, Children, Youth, Adults, Worship, Small Groups, Outreach, and so on. The ministry area is the sphere or realm we seek to influence. It's "where" and "whom" we serve. It's often defined by objectives, times and locales rather than tasks. The model of mobilization I am proposing is one in which ministry is divided <i>primarily</i> according to <i>task</i> rather than objective. It's a radical shift that I am confident will produce radically more effective and fulfilling ministry.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let me illustrate an example of what I'm talking about. You have a youth ministry, and you are trying to recruit people to serve in that ministry. What's your pitch? In the "ministry area" model, you would appeal to people's sense of obligation or compassion toward this particular demographic in your church (or community, if it's outreach-oriented). You would try to attract fun, "youthful", energetic people that have time to devote to attending weekly (or more frequent) youth gatherings. You would ask them to be and do a variety of things: to be an extroverted relator, an excitable game-player, a skilled discussion facilitator, an empathetic counselor, a wise and knowledgeable Bible teacher, etc. However, in the "ministry task" model, you would identify all essential tasks or duties needed to facilitate effective ministry and you would recruit a uniquely-gifted individual for each of those unique task areas. By employing people in exercising their greatest strengths, you empower them to make an optimal contribution to actual ministry needs, thus contributing to superior results and a greater sense of fulfillment for each servant.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The third step, then, to optimally mobilizing your congregation for ministry is<i style="font-weight: bold;"> to help each individual in your congregation assess their areas of greatest strength</i>. There are numerous tools available for this, ranging from "spiritual gift" inventories to personality inventories like <a href="http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/" target="_blank">Myers-Briggs (MBTI)</a>, work style assessments like the <a href="https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/" target="_blank">DiSC</a>, and general strength assessments like Gallup's <a href="http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-20.aspx" target="_blank"><i>Strengths Finder 2.0</i></a>. My professor and faculty adviser at <a href="http://www.tiu.edu/divinity" target="_blank">TEDS</a>, Dr. Phillip Sell, had his students take each one of these in order to get a well-rounded understanding of who God had providentially designed us to be. Whether a staff member or a lay leader, you would do well to find someone in your church who is qualified to administer these assessments and make this a primary ministry role for them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The fourth step to optimally mobilizing your congregation for ministry is <i><b>to establish a two-tier system of teamwork</b></i>. On the first tier, you would organize individuals into task-based teams according to their areas of gifting/strength:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
writers, encouragers, child caregivers, teachers, musicians, audio/visual production technicians, graphic designers, web designers, social media / electronic marketing experts, craftsmen, accountants and other businesspeople, visual artists, interior designers, cooks/chefs/bakers, educational administrators, biblical scholars/theologians, strategic planners, public speakers, groundskeepers, housekeepers, those gifted in hospitality, project coordinators, event coordinators, worship planners, worship leaders, IT/CIS technicians / programmers / developers... the list could go on!</blockquote>
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Each of these gift-based teams would be given responsibility for the development and execution of common tasks needed throughout a variety of ministry areas. For example, instead of having your Children's Ministry Director produce promotional pieces for Children's Ministry initiatives and your Youth Director produce promotional pieces for upcoming youth events, you have a Communications Director and/or Team, with skill and expertise in current marketing, editing, and design best practices, produce promotional material for <b><i>all</i></b> <b><i>ministry areas</i></b> after soliciting the vision and raw information from the Ministry Area Leaders. The Ministry Area Leaders then may devote themselves to discerning and developing vision; aligning volunteers and/or lower-level staff with the mission; recruiting, equipping and managing staff and volunteers; and maintaining their own focus on the big-picture.</div>
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Recognizing this diversity of strengths, the second tier of teamwork addresses what the professional world calls "cross-functional collaboration." On this tier, members of each "task/gift team" collaborate with members of other task/gift teams to address the complex needs of a given "ministry area" (e.g., Children, Youth). The Ministry Area Leader would facilitate team gatherings for reinforcing mission and vision, evaluating the church's effectiveness at working toward those, and planning strategically how to more effectively carry them out. Once a clear plan of action is determined (facilitated and drafted, of course, by a person skilled in strategic planning), each task-based "point person" would bring their task back to their gift-based team to work on production / implementation.</div>
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Sound too complicated? It's actually much simpler in the long run than trying to coordinate the vast array of specialized tasks among fewer sets of generalists (whose strengths likely do not match many of the needs in a given ministry area) organized by ministry area. The latter is easier to conceive on the front end, because there are fewer categories readily apparent to us. But the tremendous diversity of needs/necessary tasks becomes painfully apparent during the planning and implementation phases. And by that point, you've wasted a lot of people's time and energy, subjecting them to frustrating processes, ending with inferior results and, in some cases, shrinking your ministry reach and impact.</div>
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Now, amid all this talk of results, effectiveness, and organizational management, you might think I've gone the way of the theologically inept pragmatist. But I am actually just acknowledging and analyzing a dynamic that was on the forefront of the apostle Paul's mind when he wrote both the Ephesians passage printed above and <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1Co12.1" target="_blank">the 12th chapter of his first letter to the church in Corinth</a>. "Concerning spiritual gifts," he wrote, "I do not want you to be uninformed" (1 Cor. 12:1). Why? Because the health and mission of the Church are dependent upon a proper understanding and administration of Spirit-empowered gifts / strengths.<br />
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The Lord has gifted <i>a few</i> for the historic offices of the Church, but He has gifted <i>the entire body of Christ</i> to carry out His mission in the fulfillment of His vision for the world. It is our job as leaders to teach these principles to our congregations and to organize them, according to gifting, for optimal ministry impact, to the glory of God.</div>
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***</div>
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<b>Time for reflection! </b></div>
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<ol>
<li>Do the above concepts resonate with you? Why or why not? </li>
<li>Do you have anything to contribute to the conversation that could nuance this model and make it more useful? </li>
<li>Do you know of any churches who are modeling it well? </li>
<li>Do you believe this is possible for smaller congregations who can't afford a separate staff person for every specialized task area or ministry area? Why or why not?</li>
</ol>
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<!--EndFragment-->mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-84134622908141082432015-04-24T12:33:00.001-05:002017-05-31T14:03:24.694-05:00A Framework for Local Church Ministry<div class="page" title="Page 1">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7uJcHJQsGouXrl2ZAyfzI6yVVroL9M4Asbnp7p3d1YeklJHlhTxRM8_NtxKNVYQElgrjhJV0gG9fG-3ZETi_PDjPjcWO-M7AUyCvbFfgQFywpYBEn-T09B7rLBzJhAdON8r3Yg/s1600/strategic-planning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7uJcHJQsGouXrl2ZAyfzI6yVVroL9M4Asbnp7p3d1YeklJHlhTxRM8_NtxKNVYQElgrjhJV0gG9fG-3ZETi_PDjPjcWO-M7AUyCvbFfgQFywpYBEn-T09B7rLBzJhAdON8r3Yg/s320/strategic-planning.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;"><b>mission </b>|<b> vision </b>|<b> process </b>| <b> boundaries </b>| <b> strategy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Every church needs an organizational framework to focus and govern its ministry. These are some thoughts I developed shortly before accepting the Lead Pastorate at <a href="http://www.harvestefc.org/" target="_blank">Harvest EFC</a> in Branson, MO. I invite your questions and reflections on these ideas, most of which should apply to any and every church, regardless of context.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">_____________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">I. <u>Define the Mission</u>: Broadly speaking, why do we exist and what is God
compelling us to do?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> A. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">Why do we (created beings) exist?<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> 1. </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">To glorify and enjoy God forever </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">(Ps. 27:4; Isa. 26:8, </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique;">NIV</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">)
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> B. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">What is the mission of God?<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">1. </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">To be known</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">—</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique;">relationally</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">, not merely intellectually (Exod. 6:7; </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">20:2-7; 29:45-46; Ps. 27:8; Jer. 24:6-7; Ezek. 16:59-63; 20:42-44; </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">37:13-14; John 20:31; Php. 3:10; Eph. 4:13)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> C. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">Why does the Church exist? </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">To be, show & tell the Good News among </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">all peoples</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 1. </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">To </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 800;">be </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">a </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">Gospel Community </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">who embodies shalom </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(John 13:34-</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">35; Acts 2:44-47; 4:32-35; Rom. 12:9-21; Eph. 4:15-16; Col. 3:12-</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">16).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 2. </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">To </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 800;">demonstrate </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">a </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">Gospel Witness </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">through ministry that </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">promotes human flourishing and reduces human suffering </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(Isa.
1:16-17; Jer. 22:3; 29:4-7; Mic. 6:8; Matt. 5:13-16; 11:4-5; Luke
4:18; Jas. 1:27).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 3. </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">To </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 800;">proclaim </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">the </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">Gospel Message </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">of salvation through King
Jesus </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(Isa. 61:1; Matt. 4:17; 11:5; Mark 3:14; Luke 4:43-44; 9:6;
Acts 5:42; 6:2; 8:4; 20:27; Rom. 10:14-15; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Jude 3).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> D. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">For what purpose does </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 800;">this </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">local congregation exist? </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> To be, show & tell the Good News among the people to whom God has
sent </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique;">us</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">:
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 1. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">Primary</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">: local impact (Branson, MO area community) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">2. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">Secondary</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">: regional impact (SWMO, northern AR)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">3. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">Tertiary</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">: national impact (American society at large) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> 4. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">Ultimate</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">: global impact
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">* Note: Mission/missions is expressed at every level of reach (Acts 1:8).
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<span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">The church doesn’t </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique;">have </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">a missions program. The church </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique;">is </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">God’s
missions program!
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">II. <u>Distill the Vision (the “Win”)</u>: What are the tangible results we’re asking God to
produce through our participation in the gospel ministry of Jesus?<br /> A. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">Redemption </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "zapfdingbatsitc"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">✜ </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">transformation </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "zapfdingbatsitc"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">✜ </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">shalom </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "zapfdingbatsitc"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">✜ </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">human flourishing
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 1. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;">Reconciliation with God / people turning from sin and toward Jesus in faith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 2. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;">Reconciliation with fellow man; relational healing & wholeness</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 3. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;">Passionate obedience to God motivated by the glory of God</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 4. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;">Freedom from bondage to sin and addictions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 5. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;">Spiritual, psychological, physical wholeness</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 6. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;">A “divine economy” in which all people can progress toward socio-economic flourishing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 7. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;">People engaged in meaningful, productive work</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 8. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;">The Church as a hospitable home:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;"> a. Mercy for the sinner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">b. Justice for the oppressed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">c. Embrace of the marginalized</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">d. Safety for the abused & exploited e. Nurture for the neglected</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">f. Rest for the weary</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">g. Patience with the seeking skeptic </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">h. Dignity for all</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 9. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;">A Kingdom counterculture that shines brightly amidst the darkness of pagan culture</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> B. Levels of transformation:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 1. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Individual (personal transformation)
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 2. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Family</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 3. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Congregation (corporate transformation)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 4. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Community (neighborhoods, Branson area at large)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 5. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Society</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 6. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Any intermediate levels between local community & society</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 7. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">World: “filled with the glory of God”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">III. <u>Discern the Process</u>: Broadly speaking, how does God invite us to participate in
His mission in the world?
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> A. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">R</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 9.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">ECEIVE </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.<br /> 1. </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 800;">Incarnation</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">: God sent His Son to reveal Himself (John 1:14), to </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">redeem us from our sinfulness, to reconcile us to the Father, to
restore His image in us, to rescue us from the eternal wages of our
rebellion against Him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">2. </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 800;">Pentecost</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">: God sent His Spirit to empower the Church (John
20:22; Acts 2). God continues to send Him to glorify Jesus, to
thereby draw people to Himself, to then indwell each person who
receives Jesus and His gospel, to encourage faith in them and to
empower them for His mission.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> B. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">C</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 9.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">ONNECT </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">believers to God and one another.</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">1. </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 800;">Communion</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">: vertical and horizontal</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">2. </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 800;">Koinonia</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">: “love one another” (in all the ways Christ & the apostles </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">exhort us to do so, i.e., the “one anothers”)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> C. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">E</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 9.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">QUIP </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">(prepare) the saints for the work of ministry (Eph. 4:12-16)...
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">1. To serve one another (Eph. 4:15-16).</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">2. To serve the world (Matt. 5:14-16; Eph. 5:15-17; Col. 4:5-6).
3. To bear witness to the gospel in the world (1 Pet. 3:15).
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> D. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">D</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 9.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">EPLOY </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">disciples of Jesus into the mission field (Acts 1:8; Matt 28:18-20).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 1. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">God sends us, His church, into the world to show and tell the </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Good News to the lost (John 17:18; 20:21; Matt. 16:19).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 2. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">“Disciple the nations/peoples.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 3. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Local, regional, national, global scope of mission.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> E. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">S</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 9.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">UPPORT </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">(encourage) these missionaries in the ministries to which God
has called them and the church has deployed them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">1. Gather the resources needed to support the ministry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">2. Channel resources to the points of need.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">3. Steward the resources wisely for the sake of purposeful and </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">sustainable ministry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> F. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">E</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 9.000000pt; font-weight: 800;">VALUATE </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">our efforts regularly in light of faithfulness to God’s Word and </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">the outcomes He promises to achieve through us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 1. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">How does this ministry or initiative fit into the big picture of God’s </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Kingdom and mission?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 2. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">What’s the likely long-term, cumulative impact of this ministry?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 3. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Is the ministry sustainable?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 4. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Is God raising up workers to carry this ministry forward?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 5. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Are we relying on God’s strength & wisdom or our own?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 6. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Are we giving Him the glory for successes?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 7. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Are we seeking His mercy and guidance in the “failures”?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">8. Are there ways we can improve our effectiveness in facilitating this </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">ministry?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 9. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Is this the best use of the resources (time, talent, treasure) God has </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">entrusted to us?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">IV. <u>Draw the Boundaries (values & guiding principles)</u> A. Ministry should be motivated by love for God and compassion for people </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(</span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">theocentric</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">, not just humanitarian).</span><br />
<ol start="2" style="list-style-type: upper-latin;">
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Ministry must be built upon a robust, comprehensive understanding of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the gospel (</span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">cosmic</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, totalizing, not reductionistic).</span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Approach discipleship as a </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">communal</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">, not merely individual, endeavor </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(not “me and Jesus”, but “</span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">we and Jesus</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">”).</span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Leaders should “</span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">count the cost</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">” before embarking on something new </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(Luke 14:28-31, proverbial application).</span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Specific ministry initiatives should be undertaken only after God has </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">called someone(s) to lead them (bottom-up/</span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">empowerment-oriented</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, not </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">top-down).</span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Prefer the </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">missional </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">& </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">organic </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">to the programmatic & artificial.
</span><br />
<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Where possible, empower and equip people to minister effectively
</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique;">where they are </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">throughout their daily rhythms and places of life
rather than creating programs that keep them busy serving “at
church”.
</span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Train people to see the places where (home, school, work,
neighborhood, recreational activities, etc.) and people with whom
they “do life” (family, coworkers, neighbors, schoolmates,
teachers, friends, teammates, coaches, etc.) as their primary
mission field.
</span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Community is what happens when we do life together on mission,
not primarily in special gatherings for prayer and Bible study.
(Those are important, but they’re not a substitute for koinonia.)
</span><br />
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Encourage </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">simplicity </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">of lifestyle and ministry style.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 1. Leave “</span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">margin</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">” so that we can...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> a. Respond to the spontaneous leading of the Spirit.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>b. Cultivate an awareness of God’s sovereign presence, so we </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">are centered on Him always.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> c. </span>Give the gift of unhurried, undistracted presence with </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">others.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2. </span>Focus on what is most important and impactful.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 3</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. </span>Live “</span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">lean</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">” to make the best use of the time and resources God has </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">given us.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 4. No one can (or should try to) “do it all”.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>a. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">When we’re spread too thin, we’re ineffective in the short
run and unhealthy in the long run.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> b. </span>The Church is called “the Body of Christ” for a reason. We
genuinely need each other. None of us is every body part.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> c. </span>In humility, we must acknowledge our limitations, ask for
help and resist the temptation to be “Yes men and
women”.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">5. Learn the art and discipline of saying “</span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">No</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">” to good things for the
sake of the best things.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">a. It is better to do a few things really well than to do lots of
things of halfway decently.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 6. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Ministry out of </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">overflow </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">is more effective, authentic and
sustainable than ministry that depletes our reserves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 7. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Observing </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Sabbath</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">—and rest, more generally—communicates our
dependence on God, our trust in His sovereignty, and our
acceptance that we are not Him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">a. It allows us to truly enjoy the gifts He gives us, including life
itself and the relationships of those closest to us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">b. It refreshes and refuels us for continued service in the world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;"> H. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">When granting ministry authority, weigh </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">character </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">more heavily than </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">competence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">1. Competence is more readily developed than character.
</span><br />
<ol start="9" style="list-style-type: upper-latin;">
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Spiritual growth / character development is cultivated in the soil of
</span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">authenticity</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">.
</span><br />
<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">We are transformed by mercy and grace.
</span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">We experience mercy and grace only as we are </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">vulnerable </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">and
</span><br />
<span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">humble </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">before God </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-style: oblique;">and one another</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">.
</span><br />
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Encourage </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">intergenerational </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">ministry; discourage generational </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">silos.</span><br />
<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Discipleship: “One generation commending God’s mighty acts to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">another” (Ps. 145:4).</span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Social order: 1 Tim. 5:1-16
</span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Modeling & teaching: Tit. 2:2-8
</span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Age-based activities important, but not to the exclusion of cross-</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">generational discipleship.</span><br />
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Avenir'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Emphasize & support the </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">family</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">/</span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">household </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">as the primary vehicle/context </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">for discipleship (cf. Deut. 6:1-9; Josh. 24:15; Acts 16:31-34; 1 Tim. 3:4-5;
5:8).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 1. The family is God’s “Plan A”—the optimal/ideal environment for
discipleship, especially for children, but also for couples, where
possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>a. Marriage is designed to </span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">sanctify </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">us, not just satisfy us.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>b. God gives parents primary responsibility for discipling their </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">children into Christian maturity.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 2. The family is the primary place:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> a. </span>Where a child’s </span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">worldview </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">is developed</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> b. </span>Where they are </span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">socialized</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> c. </span>Where they are “</span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">catechized</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> d. </span>Where they are </span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">known</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> e. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>Where </span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">character </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">is cultivated</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> f. </span>Where Christian discipleship is </span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">modeled </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">for them most </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">tangibly & basically</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> g. </span>Where </span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt;">economics </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(human productivity & stewardship) are </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">fleshed out</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 3. A strong, healthy family built upon the foundation of a strong, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">healthy marriage centered on Jesus is the foundation of an ethical, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">sustainable, flourishing society.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 4. Church health is likewise affected profoundly by the health of its </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">member families.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 5. Emphasize the ideal without shaming those who haven’t fulfilled </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">it (which is most of us!). Present it as </span><span style="color: #943634; font-size: 12pt; font-style: oblique;">good news</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, i.e., a
foundational means of reducing human suffering and promoting
human flourishing. Offer the hope of redemption through Jesus
and restoration through the supportive ministry of the church.</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> L. Support other vehicles/contexts for discipleship as </span><span style="color: rgb(58.039220% , 21.176470% , 20.392160%); font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">auxiliary </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">to the primary
context, though no less important.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 1. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Where “Plan A” fails (e.g., severe dysfunction, abuse, divorce,
death of spouse, unbelieving spouse) or during transitional periods
“between families” (college years), the church must offer </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">generous
hospitality </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(an alternative “home”) that fulfills the role of a family to
these “widows, orphans & sojourners” (cf. the above descriptors in
point K2).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 2. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Through the pooling of the resources of many members (time,
talent, treasure), churches can create some “</span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">economies of scale</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">”
that may perform certain disciple-making functions more
effectively than any one family might be able to do on their own
(e.g., education). The operative word here is </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: oblique;">collaboration
</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(interdependence) rather than production/consumption.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> M. See my <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1Ecn4cvtyQ6OGQyYWVmMjEtNzBmZi00ZTgyLTg3MTctY2UzNmE3YTMzZDhi&authuser=0" target="_blank">Philosophy of Ministry</a>, pp. 7-10, for further reflections on
methodology.
</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">V. <u>Develop the Game Plan (strategy)</u></span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 7.000000pt; vertical-align: 4.000000pt;"><u>1</u></span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">:<br /> A. What is the shape and rhythm of mission you will aim to observe in your church </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">context?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 1. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">Reach </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(bring the gospel into the world)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 2. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">Gather </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(celebrate God & His gospel through corporate worship)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 3. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">Restore </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(heal, liberate, transform)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 4. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">Encourage </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(volitional: edify, motivate)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 5. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">Equip </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(practical: train, resource)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 6. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 800;">Send </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(empower & commission for service; support w/ prayer & </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">resources)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> B. How will you specifically facilitate and support the mission?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 1. </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Pastors</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">/</span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">elders </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">appointed & empowered to </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">shepherd </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">(lead, teach,
oversee & spiritually nurture) the congregation (1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17-
18; Tit. 1:5-9)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> a. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Devote themselves to the ministry of the Word and to
prayer (Acts 6:1-4)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> b. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Cast vision</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> c. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Call people to obedience</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> d. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Empower, equip & resource people to fulfill their callings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> e. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Attend to people’s spiritual needs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 2. </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Deacons </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">commissioned for “</span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">mercy ministry</span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">” to those in need (Acts
6:1-7; 1 Tim. 3:8-13) and governing the logistical aspects of ministry (facilities, communication, administrative support)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">a. Attend to the practical needs of the “orphan and widow”
and others who are unable to fully “help themselves” (e.g.,
elderly, disabled, ill/injured, new moms?)
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">b. Visit, encourage & pray with the sick or hospitalized</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 3. </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Staff </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">for ministries requiring substantial planning, oversight & </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">communication</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 4. </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Facilities </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">suitable for the church gathered for corporate worship, </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">equipping, fellowship, and other ministries as the Lord leads.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 16px;"> 5. </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">Raise and steward </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">finances </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">in support of the above ministries and </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">infrastructure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12pt;">_________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 7.000000pt; vertical-align: 4.000000pt;">1 </span><span style="font-family: "avenir"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Most of the particulars will need to be fleshed out in the midst of ministry, as we learn
more about each other and have sought God’s direction regarding specific ministry
initiatives.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-62641785604530241352015-04-17T15:54:00.000-05:002015-04-17T21:38:50.662-05:00Nine Counter-Cultural Truths About God from Acts 16:16-40<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrG8hQEkwzYKEc5a6KHdhaZkXbr70QzVhRcgVDsctkrUGqna0vOMKZ1oYI8vjz9wjSRRqhFecGBengqVIFRcJn_AnI9xLlrSydtSkzwF7iNfcTQZz420PTGIoBSvN4EJPumKOt5w/s1600/paul_silas_prison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrG8hQEkwzYKEc5a6KHdhaZkXbr70QzVhRcgVDsctkrUGqna0vOMKZ1oYI8vjz9wjSRRqhFecGBengqVIFRcJn_AnI9xLlrSydtSkzwF7iNfcTQZz420PTGIoBSvN4EJPumKOt5w/s1600/paul_silas_prison.jpg" height="400" width="261" /></a>This Sunday, I'll be preaching a message from <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ac16.16-40" target="_blank">Acts 16:16-40</a>. In <a href="http://www.harvestefc.org/" target="_blank">our church's</a> worship services, we only dedicate about 25-30 minutes for the sermon, though <a href="http://harvestefc.org/about/our-worship/" target="_blank">our liturgy</a> perhaps involves more Scripture reading than the typical <a href="http://www.efca.org/explore/who-we-are" target="_blank">free church</a>. That doesn't provide near enough time to exhaust the truth and applicational potential of the passage. Our Equipping Hour which follows can provide a context for such extended teaching. However, a decent portion of our congregation would prefer to engage in more dialogue rather than listening to another monologue during that time. For those who are inclined to engage through reading and writing, I offer this blog as a forum.<br />
<br />
While I will be focusing Sunday on the four primary responses to the gospel which we find in our passage, today I want to answer the question: <i>What does this passage teach us about God and His mission?</i> The answers to that question are nothing short of revolutionary. Dwelling upon the narrative as a whole, I observe at least nine truths which run against the grain of our cultures (including our Christian culture!) but that, when embraced, will turn the world upside down.<br />
<br />
The first truth is that <b>God desires all people to come to a saving knowledge of Him</b>. The overarching narrative of Acts tells the story of a God (the creator and ruler of the cosmos) who has commissioned and sent a missionary people to the ends of the earth proclaiming the way of salvation and the nearness of God's kingdom. In <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ac16.1" target="_blank">Acts 16</a>, God sends Paul and Silas to the people of Phillipi, a city in the province of Macedonia in Greece. They are Roman in culture, polytheistic in religion, and quite satisfied with their place of cultural prominence. But God wants to reach them with the true, good news that He reigns and that the door to His kingdom has been flung wide open by Jesus, Israel's (and now the world's!) Messiah.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
<b>Reflect: </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Do you know Jesus Christ, God's Son, our savior and king? If not, know that it is God's desire for you to know His love.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>If you do know Christ, are you committed to inviting others to know Him? If not, why not?</li>
</ul>
<div>
The second truth is that <b>His power is greater than the demonic powers that oppress</b>, as we see in Paul's exorcism of the evil spirit within the slave girl (vv. 18-19). Cynicism among Christians in our time and place runs high. Due to our waning influence over culture and society at large, many have assumed a defensive, reactionary posture based on a faulty view of reality. By succumbing to the same dishonest and uncharitable strategies employed by the world, they betray a lack of trust in the power of God and His gospel to overcome lies, injustice and unbelief. In contrast, confident followers of Christ employ the weapons of <i>spiritual</i> warfare commended by the Apostle Paul to the Ephesian church (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Eph6.10" target="_blank">Eph. 6:10-20</a>) and trust in God for victory.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Reflect: </b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>In what arenas of your life, or your sphere of influence, do you need to trust God's power over falsehood, oppression and injustice?</li>
</ul>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQjQO7o4fpkKNz8fb7IG81OuBaewMEO2LaTMWViTnZ9RNGCHrnMWD-n55dgSNQm0ovh1usELsru1ra2bNDKDcWa4gfqpar2b1u7CCA_01PFeyeY8hpjD4AQRYBTlMXzSmYxb3yQ/s1600/Philippian+Jail+Cell.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQjQO7o4fpkKNz8fb7IG81OuBaewMEO2LaTMWViTnZ9RNGCHrnMWD-n55dgSNQm0ovh1usELsru1ra2bNDKDcWa4gfqpar2b1u7CCA_01PFeyeY8hpjD4AQRYBTlMXzSmYxb3yQ/s1600/Philippian+Jail+Cell.png" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
The third counter-cultural truth we find in our passage is that <b>God's kingdom is not popular among those who are intent on building their own kingdoms</b>. We see this in the response of the slave owners who suffered economic loss as a result of the spiritual liberation of the demon-possesssed slave girl. How often do we see this in our own day? The reign of God has economic implications! Some industries (porn, tobacco, illicit drugs, casinos, Hollywood, TV, video gaming, divorce lawyers, abortion clinics/doctors/drugs, to name a few) would be robbed of extraordinary profits if the gospel of God came to reign among them. Some business owners would lose profit if the gospel caused them to implement more humane and equitable employment practices. Some people would have to adopt less luxurious, self-centered lifestyles in order to put into practice biblical values like community, simplicity, Sabbath, and generosity of time, talent and treasure. Start tinkering with our lifestyle choices and we get downright angry--even violently so!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Reflect: </b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Are there any ways in which you see God's kingdom and mission in conflict with yours? If so, how do you plan to resolve those?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
The fourth truth with which we need to come to terms is that <b>God's mission is more important than our comfort and security</b>. As Paul, Silas, all the apostles, and countless other Christians have found out through the centuries, the center of God's will is not always the safest place to be (in earthly terms)! God's will is not for you to be safe and comfortable, but for you to be fully engaged in proclaiming and demonstrating the gospel of His kingdom to those who have yet to embrace them. A safe, comfortable life is a sure sign of complacency toward God's mission. We have one life to live on this earth; let us spend it for the sake of God's glory and the redemption of the world!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Reflect: </b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>In what ways might fear and comfort be preventing you from following in the footsteps of Christ and committing yourself wholly to His mission?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
The fifth truth is that <b>even though following Christ entails sacrifice and suffering, He is still worthy of utmost praise</b>! In v. 25, we find Paul and Silas "praying and singing hymns to God"... locked in their prison cells... at midnight... having been falsely accused and unjustly punished. How many of us would do the same? When you are treated unfairly; when you endure seemingly meaningless suffering and loss; when you are stuck and can't find a way out of the "prison" you're in; do you lash out at your persecutors? ...at yourself? ...at God? Or have you learned to accept even the most difficult of circumstances as opportunities to experience His grace and bear fruit for His kingdom? Let us learn this well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Reflect: </b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>In what ways, if any, is God showing you the sufficiency of His grace in the midst of suffering? </li>
<li>Are there any roots of bitterness you need help digging up?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
The sixth truth is that <b>God is able to deliver us from trials, but only does so when it serves His purposes</b>. Oftentimes, God does bring deliverance from peril and oppression, just as he freed the slave girl from spiritual bondage, Paul and Silas from physical bondage, and the Philippian jailer and his household from spiritual and psychological bondage. Paul and all but one of the other 11 apostles ran out of "get out of jail free cards," <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostle_(Christian)#Deaths_of_the_Twelve_Apostles" target="_blank">meeting death by persecution</a>. God spared their lives insofar as was necessary for them to carry out their roles in His redemptive mission. As Joseph observed in <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ge50.20" target="_blank">Gen. 50:20</a>, what some people intend for evil, God can redeem for a good purpose. The recent murder of a six-year-old girl in our community has stirred many people, especially in the faith community, to acknowledge the blight of homelessness in our community. The Lord can redeem this horrific event for good. May He use us to do so!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Reflect: </b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>From what trials are you depending on God for deliverance? </li>
<li>What would it mean for your relationship with Him if He did not deliver you from those during this life?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
The seventh truth is that <b>God loves His enemies and calls us to love ours as well</b>. God sent Paul and Silas to a people who worshiped other "gods" and practiced socially and culturally oppressive superiority over other religious and ethnic groups in the region--including God's people. Paul and Silas, fully realizing this, demonstrate compassion toward the jailer guarding their cell. Not only did they prevent him from committing suicide and share the gospel with them, but they remained in the prison even after they were free, perhaps to forestall the punishment of the jailer on whose watch they would've escaped. Perhaps no truth is less popular in the American Church today than this one. When we "fight the good fight" of advancing and defending truth, our goal is not to destroy or shame those who are opposed to the truth. Though it requires extraordinary maturity, we must advocate winsomely and respectfully for truth while making it clear that we are doing so out of love for those who scorn, malign and mistreat us. Jesus Christ is "<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Jn1.14" target="_blank">full of grace and truth</a>," and He intends to fill us with the same.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Reflect: </b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>What enemies do you have the most difficulty loving? Why do you think that is? </li>
<li>In what ways does the example of Christ empower you to love your enemies?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
The eighth truth is that <b>God liberates <i>all</i> of those who trust Him for salvation</b>! We know that the jailer and his household experienced spiritual conversion, or rebirth, by embracing Christ as Lord by faith. As a result, they are guaranteed a place in God's eternal kingdom as well as a place within God's eternal family, the Church. The same is true for you and your neighbor. It matters not what you've said or done in the past, what ethnicity or nationality you are, what material wealth or social status you have. The table of fellowship with God and His family is open to all who embrace Jesus Christ and trust in His word by faith.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Reflect: </b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Are you trusting Christ for salvation from sin and eternal separation from God? </li>
<li>Are you experiencing the liberating power of the gospel over your circumstances?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
The ninth truth, which we see in the closing paragraph of ch. 16, is that <b>God is concerned with outward witness, not just inward conviction</b>. You may have noticed Paul's unusual response when the jailer told him and Silas the authorities had freed them to go. They refused to go until those who had wrongly accused, beaten and imprisoned them looked them in the eyes and apologized publicly for the wrong they had done. This was not due to pride, selfishness or vindictiveness. Rather, it was out of concern for the public witness of the gospel and the Christian community. God's name and people had been publicly shamed, and Paul is intent on restoring their honor on the public square. As believers, followers and worshipers of Christ, it is our duty and privilege to represent Him to the world. When His name, His word, or His people are publicly mocked and ridiculed, it behooves us to lovingly but boldly defend and uphold them in the public square. Contrary to the opinions of many of our government leaders, true religion is not kept to oneself. It is not a matter of mere private conviction, but has profound implications for every sphere and moment of life.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Reflect: </b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>In what ways does your light shine in the world?</li>
<li>In what arenas of life do you feel intimidated to speak and embody truth?</li>
<li>In what ways might God be calling you to defend and advance truth (with grace!) in the world?</li>
<li>How might the Church equip and empower you to do so more readily?</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-68668833007051599702015-04-13T11:51:00.000-05:002015-04-17T12:47:42.567-05:00Hurry, or Hospitality?<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="en-US"><i>Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was <b>distracted</b> with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are <b>anxious</b> and <b>troubled</b> about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42, ESV)</i></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you ever feel the tension between serving others and loving others? If you're like me, you've likely equated the two. We serve because we love. We love through serving. Luke's story here gives us a different definition of love, told from the perspective of hospitality.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span lang="en-US">To this day, I struggle with the practice of biblical hospitality. Like many, I tend to see hospitality like Martha saw it: working hard, attending to the details that are supposed to make for a comfortable, welcoming experience. At home, if we are having guests over for dinner, the house (at least the living and dining spaces and main bathrooms) needs to be clean and clutter-free. I want to have prepared a healthy, tasty meal (with dessert!), preferably served on our nicer, matching set of dishes, with coordinating table linens, and so on. I want to offer a comfortable place to relax and socialize after the meal. For longer evenings, where perhaps a board game or two is involved :-), I'll be sure to clear the table, put food away, and leave enough counter space to serve coffee—and maybe even an extra course of dessert.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">All in all, hosting families for dinner (especially when you have several small, needy children yourself) requires a considerable investment of time and effort. To me, the bonds of fellowship that are created or nurtured are well worth the investment. There are few things I treasure more. And so the burden of hospitality upon my soul is really quite light. But who besides us finds themselves at times budgeting too little time for preparation, trying to squeeze too much into one day, and so scurrying about frantically for the 2-3 hours prior to the arrival of their guests? And who besides us experiences a spike in blood pressure as well as relational tension between them and their spouse and children, only to be masked with superficially happy faces the moment that doorbell rings? If you can relate to this, you can also relate to Luke's story. </span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Hurry is a preoccupied state of mind in which we are "anxious and troubled about many things," thus distracted from what is most necessary—<b>relational presence</b>. My wife and I have given each other pep talks prior to large family gatherings we've hosted, reminding each other that receptive souls are the greatest gift we can give to our guests. If our home isn't the cleanest and best-organized; if the food we serve is mediocre and getting cold by the time we sit down to eat it; if our place settings don't coordinate very well; if the bathrooms haven't been cleaned in over a week; <i>and yet we exude genuine warmth, peace, and sustained interest in our guests</i>, they are likely to enjoy themselves more than if we had pulled out all the stops but left our souls a cluttered, distracted mess.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Are you with me? Stay with me just a little longer. <b>I want to reflect in like manner on the hospitality we show in our churches. </b> </span><br />
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<span lang="en-US">The more time I spend reading God's word, the more consistently I see the priority He places on the practice of hospitality. I am guilty of emphasizing the physical space and the "programmatic" elements that make for a "home-like" experience (e.g., clear direction/communication, well-maintained and conscientiously-decorated facilities, good signage, effective spatial arrangements). I have a gift for noticing details that many others (excluding guests, whose perspective is fresh and sensitive) will overlook. And so it is easy for me to give myself over to curating the space, the movement, the public communication, and the sequence of events.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US">Churches <i>need</i> a host of sorts to attend to the sea of details which really do communicate volumes to our guests about their value (or lack thereof) in our eyes. Yet what I'm realizing is that <i><b>you cannot have Martha (the detail-oriented event coordinator) and Mary (the relational connector) in the same person at the same time</b></i>. I find myself conflicted about my role as Lead Pastor on Sunday mornings in a congregation of roughly 160 weekly worshipers. </span>One one level, being the lone, full-time staff person at our church, it makes sense for me to wear the "event coordinator" hat since there is so much involved both behind the scenes and during the gathering.</div>
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On the other hand, wearing this hat prevents me from connecting with people relationally during that time. The best I can do is be superficially friendly, and I'm not very good at being fake. (Sorry.) I find that I am spending the vast majority of my time doing non-relational tasks—planning, designing, coordinating, administrating, studying, writing—things I am gifted to do and enjoy doing. And yet I sense that people (especially newcomers) want a relational connection more than anything else. If I was confident that they were finding that connection with folks other than myself, I would likely not feel such pressure. But how does a newcomer such as myself convey the nature and necessity of biblical hospitality to our flock without substantially modeling it himself? Perhaps this article will be a step in that direction.</div>
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<b>Questions to Consider:</b></div>
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<li><b><i>Pastors</i></b>, how do you model and lead your congregations in the practice of biblical hospitality?</li>
<li><b><i>Laypeople</i></b>, what are your expectations regarding your pastors' practice of hospitality? In your opinion, is his time and attention on Sunday mornings more profitably directed toward directing, coordinating and evaluating the details of the gathering, or toward meeting, greeting and conversing with people (especially people he doesn't know very well or at all)?</li>
<li>What habits do we, as congregations, have that make it difficult for our guests to feel at home among us (i.e., understanding what's going on, when, where, why and how; being noticed; feeling valued and embraced)?</li>
<li>What actions can you take in order to help reshape those habits into the habits of genuine hospitality (i.e., relational connection, presence, awareness of needs)?</li>
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mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-2915310143244161052014-11-13T14:56:00.005-06:002014-11-13T14:56:44.526-06:00 The LORD Will Restore the Wasted Years<div style="text-align: center;">
"I will restore to you the years </div>
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that the swarming locust has eaten, </div>
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the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, </div>
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my great army, which I sent among you."</div>
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—Joel 2:25</div>
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I am a worrier by nature. I know I shouldn't be, but I struggle to keep my head up when things aren't going so well—either for my family and myself or in the world around me. It is common to see the future as merely an extension of the present, and I sometimes succumb to this common error. In times like these, I need someone to come alongside me and remind me that reality is not contained by the little frame around my window of vision into the world and into the continuum of time we call History.<br />
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The Scriptures are full of such reminders:<br />
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<li>Matt. 6:25, 33 - "Do not be anxious about your life... your heavenly Father knows what you need. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."</li>
<li>Matt. 10:19 - "do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour."</li>
<li>Matt. 13:22 - "...but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."</li>
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James teaches us the value of hardship in developing our character and the importance of such character:<br />
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"Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (Jas. 1:2-4). </blockquote>
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"Blessed is the person who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him" (Jas. 1:12).</blockquote>
Likewise, Yahweh spoke to His people, Israel, through the Old Testament prophet Joel:<br />
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"I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,<br />the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you" (Joel 2:25).</blockquote>
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This verse speaks to a fear I have faced in recent years as the Lord diverted me from the path of vocational ministry for a time. For more than a year, I didn't know that the detour was only "for a time". I had pretty much decided that He was done using me as a pastor and that I was going to have to start from scratch to rebuild my vocational identity and a viable career. Given that I had put virtually all of my eggs in the vocational ministry basket, I despaired of how to move forward. I was especially bitter toward God for leading me so far down the path I had been on, only to bring me to what I thought was a dead end.</div>
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"How could you, God?" I asked. For me, this experience not only did violence to my self identity, but it also set my family pretty far back financially—a setback from which it may take us a decade to recover. Again, I protested, "How could you, God? We set out to serve you with our whole lives, took risks for your sake, sacrificed opportunities that would likely have set us on a financially sure path... and this is what you're giving us in return?!" Even now, as our home in Kansas City sits unsold on the market, I have to fight off the cynicism with a stick. With no offers yet and none likely until Spring warms things (including the housing market) back up, we're facing a loss of up to 80% of our substantial investment in the home.</div>
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I have a good friend who is in a similar situation. He went from serving in full-time, vocational ministry after seminary to being un- or under-employed for two years and counting. He is hurting. With financial strain comes psychological strain.</div>
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In the midst of situations like these, the LORD graciously reminds us of two things:</div>
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<ol>
<li>He will restore to us the "wasted" years. All the progress we have lost (financial and otherwise), He is able and willing to give back to us as soon as He is—and we are—ready. If not in this life, then we will certainly be rewarded richly in the life to come—if we pass the test of faith (Jas. 1:12).</li>
<li>He is sovereign over our losses and setbacks. He told Israel: "the swarming locust, the hopper, the destroyer, the cutter—that's <i>My</i> great army, doing My bidding." This reminds me of the fact that God uses trials (even ones He doesn't directly instigate) in order to refine our character and teach us things we would not otherwise have learned. I know this was the case with my "detour" and I believe it is still the case with our financial setbacks. <i><b>He is trying to teach us something. He is shaping our character.</b></i></li>
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My encouragement to you is: <b>lean into your trials</b>. Don't be afraid to lament before God. But be reminded that there is always something to be learned in the midst of them. As long as the trial persists, He is not done stretching you. Let Him do His work. Press into Him. Don't withdraw. </div>
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Humble yourself before His mighty hand and He will lift you up (Jas. 4:10).</div>
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mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-38980418039096699442014-11-12T15:33:00.000-06:002014-11-12T15:33:33.099-06:00How a “Seeker-Hostile” Church Became One of the Largest, Fastest-Growing Churches in America<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglY_8AQyxkkI1_ZZ91ciah3nB8Udwbrykf_axvj08LQj_GnXwjoOmM0NBwpO3DNNiYLFOgBrSDPTbPrW3azM7GjWc8bdKFrNC6xjwhyphenhyphenOG6-WN-ob_hufCdd7bpzelztpdhyM0Bxw/s1600/HBC_RM_campus+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglY_8AQyxkkI1_ZZ91ciah3nB8Udwbrykf_axvj08LQj_GnXwjoOmM0NBwpO3DNNiYLFOgBrSDPTbPrW3azM7GjWc8bdKFrNC6xjwhyphenhyphenOG6-WN-ob_hufCdd7bpzelztpdhyM0Bxw/s1600/HBC_RM_campus+pic.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.harvestbiblechapel.org/">Harvest Bible Chapel</a>, founded in 1988 and led by Senior Pastor James MacDonald, is a non-denominational Bible church of several thousand (sorry, I could not find even a rough estimate online) spread among 7 campuses throughout northern and western Chicagoland. </div>
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Ranked #15 by <a href="http://www.outreachmagazine.com/"><i>Outreach Magazine</i></a> as one of <a href="http://www.sermoncentral.com/articleb.asp?article=Top-100-Fastest-Growing-Churches">America’s 100 Fastest-Growing churches in 2008</a>, Harvest has proven to be something of an enigma. At the time I started attending there, in January of 2008, the church and its marquee pastor had not achieved the kind of national and international notoriety that other megachurches such as <a href="http://saddleback.com/">Saddleback</a>, <a href="http://www.willowcreek.org/">Willow Creek</a>, and the Mars Hills (<a href="https://marshill.com/">Seattle/Driscoll</a> and <a href="http://marshill.org/">Grand Rapids/Bell</a>) had attained.</div>
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What is remarkable about Harvest Bible Chapel and MacDonald’s approach to ministry was that their stated intention was not to grow large. In a conversation with Pastor MacDonald, whom I counted as a friend at the time, he explained that Harvest adopted the multi-site growth strategy somewhat reluctantly, as the best known solution to the “problem” of the rapid growth they were experiencing. Other times, we would hear him from the pulpit refer to the church in terms like “seeker-hostile”. He used the term somewhat tongue-in-cheek (by no means did I find him or the church to be “hostile” in any way to seekers), but he did have an aversion to the term “<a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2013/august/how-seeker-sensitive-consumer-church-is-failing-generation.html?paging=off">seeker-sensitive</a>” because of the connotations it brought with it. James saw his role as primarily shepherding (leading, overseeing) the church and heralding (teaching, preaching, defending) the gospel. He believed that it was his responsibility to focus on the “depth” of ministry (discipleship, spiritual maturity, biblical literacy) and that God was responsible for the breadth (numerical growth) of the ministry.</div>
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As someone who had visited nearby neighbor Willow Creek Community Church (the largest congregation in Chicagoland) and opted to place my membership at Harvest instead, the differences between the two churches (Harvest was the second largest in the metro area) were pronounced. And the different ministry philosophies of the two churches and their leaders are the reason for the radically different “flavors” of church experienced at each.</div>
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Despite some differences of conviction with Harvest’s ministry philosophy, and an overall skepticism of megachurches in general, there are some aspects of their philosophy that I believe are commendable:</div>
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<li>Primary emphasis on spiritual growth, with numerical growth as secondary and consequential of the first.</li>
<li>A God-centered rather than human/felt needs centered approach to worship and discipleship.</li>
<li>A forthrightly biblical approach to teaching-and-preaching: “Proclaiming the authority of God’s Word without apology."</li>
<li>A commitment to worship that is theologically-robust, culturally relevant, emotionally engaging and excellently performed and produced, while avoiding the extremes of “charismatic” worship or the overly-produced, spiritually stale, mere musical performance I have experienced at other megachurches.</li>
<li>A strong commitment to shepherding and fellowship on a small scale via a robust small group ministry.</li>
<li>A high commitment to excellence—<i>without pretense or showiness</i>—in every area of ministry.</li>
<li>Belief in the importance of effective communication, from branding to mass communication to interactive social media.</li>
<li>A commitment to relevance (intelligibility, practicality) without obscuring the gospel or watering down the call to radical discipleship.</li>
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There are probably other strengths, but these stand out to me the most. A few of these strengths (small group ministry, communications) would be shared by churches like Willow Creek, but the rest are distinct from such seeker-centric churches. I have not followed Willow Creek’s development over the last few years, so I can’t say for sure how much <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/june/5.13.html">the results of their <i>Reveal</i> study</a> have reshaped their ministry philosophy. But the way I see it, if Willow Creek achieved their goal of outreach (breadth) but failed in terms of cultivating authentic disciples of Jesus (depth), whereas Harvest attained breadth while focusing on depth, I have to conclude that Harvest had the superior ministry model.</div>
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Now, how have things shifted for Harvest in recent years? They also have not been much on my radar, as I’ve been preoccupied with other things (raising a family, recovering from ministry burnout, reentering the pastorate). So I can’t speak authoritatively on their fidelity to their “4 Pillars” or the ministry philosophy that once made them so distinctive. I have observed a shift toward heightened publicity, much greater attention to James’ personal brand and an emphasis on building <a href="http://www.jamesmacdonald.com/tv/">his media empire</a>. I have also read <a href="http://www.worldmag.com/2014/09/harvest_bible_chapel_sorry_for_church_discipline">criticisms of his leadership</a>, somewhat along the lines of <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/october-web-only/mark-driscoll-resigns-from-mars-hill.html">those leveled against Mark Driscoll</a> in recent years. But while I can’t speak to the current integrity of the leadership, I can still strongly commend those strengths I observed during my roughly four years, between 2008 and 2012, as a member of Harvest. I can attest that much good fruit was born during the first 20 years of Harvest Bible Chapel’s existence.</div>
mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-65412777095354067562014-05-23T07:00:00.000-05:002014-05-24T11:53:12.302-05:00Reignited: A Burning Desire to Return to My Fourth CallingWe are told that the Spirit blows where it will, and "so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Jn3.8" target="_blank">John 3:8</a>). We can't control the Spirit. And contrary to the deeply-rooted American belief that we're in complete control of our lives and destinies, we don't fully control those either. We get <i>lots</i> of help from the unpredictable, untamable Spirit, who moves us in accord with the will of our heavenly Father. He doesn't always tell us what He's doing or where He's leading us. But He does promise us that He is with us always (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Mt28.20" target="_blank">Matt. 28:20</a>) and working all things together for our good (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/bibleesv.Ro8.28" target="_blank">Rom. 8:28</a>).<br />
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Over the past year I have wrestled with God, off and on, regarding His future plans for me and my family. Having misprioritized my callings and, in the process, spread myself too thin, I had to backtrack quite a bit shortly after my first year of full-time pastoral ministry. My first calling—to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Mk12.30" target="_blank">Mark 12:30</a>)—I thought I was fulfilling faithfully, if imperfectly. In my second and third callings—to love my wife as Christ loved the Church, giving Himself up for her (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Eph5.25" target="_blank">Eph. 5:25</a>; <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1Pe3.7" target="_blank">1 Pet. 3:7</a>), and to disciple my children (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Dt6.7" target="_blank">Deut. 6:7-9</a>; <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Col3.21" target="_blank">Col. 3:21</a>)—I was falling far short. And since I am instructed by God, speaking through the Apostle Paul as he writes to the young pastor Timothy (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1Ti3.1-7" target="_blank">1 Tim. 3-7</a>), that serving as a pastor/elder/overseer in the church is predicated upon faithfulness to one's first three callings, I resigned from my pastoral position to enter into an extended time of focus on those more fundamental callings.<br />
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During that time, there were moments when I anguished intensely over what God was doing. I questioned how and why He could have allowed my soul to get so far off track and wondered whether I had simply missed my calling—misheard Him all those times that He seemed to be so clearly drawing me toward a life of vocational service to the world via the Church. Even as He graciously provided secular employment that brought me a majority of the way to making ends meet for my family, I questioned the wisdom of it all. Was I to put a huge part of myself up on a shelf or in storage for the rest of my years on earth, or did He have other plans? At any rate, I remained convinced that vocation was at best my fourth calling and that it would be worth sacrificing for the sake of effectiveness in my first three.<br />
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For the last several months, my passions for ministry (there are several!) have been reignited, while tempered by vigilance to shore up the foundation that was nearing completion. My heart is broken and my soul restless over the state of a world tearing itself to pieces through rebellion against the revealed will of our Creator and Redeemer. I am moved by compassion for humanity and a relentless hunger for the glory of God to fill every inch of the earth. It is knowledge of the Truth that sets us free (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Jn8.31-32" target="_blank">John 8:31-32</a>) and Christ Himself is that Truth (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Jn14.6" target="_blank">John 14:6</a>). My fourth calling is to proclaim and teach the Truth revealed in God's holy Word, so "that all may know that Yahweh is the Lord" (cf. Ezekiel), that Jesus is the promised Messiah of Israel and that through faith in Him all may receive eternal life in His name (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Jn20.31" target="_blank">John 20:31</a>). It is to announce the eternal reign of God breaking into reality here and now as we learn to live as citizens of His Kingdom. It is to impart a tangible and breathtaking vision of what the Kingdom is like and to help people learn to live according to it.<br />
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This is my fourth calling. I am already fulfilling it in small ways. But my heart's desire is to devote myself to it day in and day out, bringing my wife and children along with me every step of the way. I believe there is need for strong, yet humble, leadership in this area, chiefly in the Church. And that unpredictable, untamable, relentless Spirit is blowing me ever further in that direction, day by day. My wife and children are eager for what's in store on this next leg of our adventure together in Christ. We know it won't be easy and we will have to remain vigilant in the face of the Adversary's cunning snares. But we have been through the Valley—and by God's grace, we know the way out.mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-49768154736414673252013-12-27T05:00:00.000-06:002014-03-02T17:27:32.047-06:00Considering the Pastoral Vocation: Reflections from a Young Pastor on SabbaticalIn a <a href="http://fellowshipofgrace.org/scmedia.php?type=list&loc=fellowshipofgrace.org/media/media/list.php&" target="_blank">recent sermon series on stewardship</a>, my pastor <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/106659687582369092338" target="_blank">+Colby Kinser</a> noted the equivalence of the terms "calling" and "vocation". Formerly, I had thought of vocation as merely an aspect (albeit the primary aspect) of one's life calling—that is, the primary functional role God has created each unique individual to fulfill in this world. The equation of these terms now added a certain gravitas to the latter which prompted me to reevaluate the complacent agnosticism through which I had viewed my professional future. Not that this attitude was unwarranted for the brief sabbatical period during which I had to focus on more fundamental aspects of my calling: the care and healing of my soul and my wife's, my relationship with her and with my children, my relationship with God, and an integration of the knowledge and insights gained through seminary and my first year-and-a-half of full-time pastoral ministry. Now that this period of focused "recovery" is finding closure, by the lavish grace of God, I am delighted to be able to once again broaden my sights toward the matter of vocation.<br />
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As I seek to discern my future vocation, which is still somewhat ambiguous to me, I want to reflect on some of the most important lessons my wife and I have learned through this past year-and-a-half sabbatical period. I believe these may well be summed up in one overarching principle:<br />
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<b>When it comes to fitness for vocational ministry, <i>character trumps competence</i>—<i>every time</i>.</b><br />
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The character of a person is the soil in which the skills and insights imparted by seminary or divinity school education take root and bear Kingdom fruit. In their book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-Kids-Healthy-Choices-Children/dp/0310243157/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Boundaries with Kids</a>, </i>which my wife and I are currently reading together,<i> </i>Authors Henry Cloud and John Townsend hardly overstate their case when they assert:<br />
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"<i>A person's character is one's destiny. </i> A person's character largely determines how he will function in life... Most of our problems result from our own character weakness" (p. 14, emphasis original).</blockquote>
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They define character as something much broader than moral righteousness; rather, it is "a person's entire makeup... a person's ability and inability, his moral makeup, his functioning in relationships, and how he does tasks" (pp. 14-15). One's character is revealed in the answers to questions such as:</div>
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<li>"What does he do in certain situations, and how does he do it?"</li>
<li>"When he needs to perform, how will he meet those demands?"</li>
<li>"Can he love?"</li>
<li>"Can he be responsible?"</li>
<li>"Can he have empathy for others?"</li>
<li>"Can he develop his talents?"</li>
<li>"Can he solve problems?"</li>
<li>"Can he deal with failure?"</li>
<li>"How does he reflect the image of God?" (p. 15)</li>
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Understood thusly, it is clear that character is the bedrock of a successful ministry career (I use that term loosely, but literally). The apostle Paul communicated this a number of times in his letters to church leaders including the following instructions to the young pastor/elder/overseer Timothy:</div>
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If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive; for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. (<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1Ti3.1-7">1 Tim. 3:1-7</a>)</blockquote>
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Factored into one's character are a person's relational health with his spouse, children, coworkers, supervisors, parents, church family members, neighbors and so on. Character involves one's personal (not just "spiritual") disciplines—the way they order their lives, their level of self-control, self-care and determination. Perhaps this is why so many effective pastors are formerly successful businesspeople. The totality of their character, which enabled them to succeed in the marketplace, carries forward into their ministry roles.</div>
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I am concerned that many promising young men and women who sense a calling to devote the better part of their lives to church or parachurch ministry are taking the fast track from high school to Bible college to seminary or divinity school and into a full-time ministry vocation. While it's certainly possible to develop character prior to and during those years, it is the rare exception in our society. The extension of adolescence into young adulthood known as "adultlescence" is the new norm.</div>
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I wonder if we are doing aspiring young ministers (as well as their potential ministry constituencies) a disservice by encouraging them to devote themselves primarily to "ministry preparation" (Bible, theology, ministry theory, field service and the like) rather than learning a secular trade, establishing a family and mastering the essentials of adulthood prior to taking a professional ministry post. My admittedly limited experience supports Cloud and Townsend's contention that character (synonymous with <i>maturity</i>) is the defining quality of a person's life.</div>
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In contrast to the new norm of adultlescence, I married before finishing college and fathered our first child before my wife had graduated. While she completed her degrees in accounting and economics/finance, I went to work in a meager-paying social service job in order to provide for my family financially. However, all the while, I longed to be more involved in ministry leadership, where I believed I could make a more significant difference in people's lives for the sake of Christ and his kingdom. Instead of focusing on character development, building a strong marriage and learning how to be a world-class dad, I was preoccupied with learning how to do ministry in a way that engaged postmodern, post-Christian young adults, artists and urban professionals.</div>
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My wife and I, along with new friends <a class="g-profile" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=10588797" target="_blank">+Ryan Wiksell</a> and his wife Christina, launched an experimental venture into missional community, which demanded an extraordinary investment of time and emotional energy. In the meantime, the health of Melissa's and my soul and marriage were gradually eroding. When our experiment in missional community did not bring about the fruit for which we had hoped, I grew discontented and desperate for answers. I believed that my shortcomings lay primarily in the arenas of Bible knowledge, theology and apologetics, and so I interpreted a strong movement of the Holy Spirit in my soul as a call to drop what I was doing and go to seminary.</div>
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While seminary (divinity school, to be exact) was a tremendously valuable experience for which I am profoundly grateful, in hindsight it seems to have been a premature step in my development as a minister of the gospel. At the very least, the rigor required of me to complete the M.Div. in three years prevented me from devoting sufficient attention to the healing of my deeply-wounded soul, to that of my wife (whose soul was also in great need of care), to the building of a strong love between us, and to the parenting of our young daughter. Consequently, I emerged from seminary equipped with the skills to minister in accordance with <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2Ti2.15" target="_blank">2 Timothy 2:15</a>, but without the character and relational equity to minister in accordance with the thrust of <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1Ti3.1-7" target="_blank">1 Timothy 3:1-7</a> and <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Tt1.7-8" target="_blank">Titus 1:7-8</a>.</div>
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There were times when I felt it would be hypocritical for me to pursue the pastoral vocation and sought to obtain secular employment while gaining additional practical ministry experience. However, facing a weak job market with a skill-set and credentials that were insufficient to land a job that paid a living wage, I determined that it must be God's will that I proceed down the path toward the pastorate.<br />
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And so I did, receiving a call several months later to serve as the Associate Pastor of <a href="http://www.bethelnp.org/" target="_blank">Bethel Church</a> in North Platte, NE. During my brief time at Bethel, I found a level of satisfaction and affirmation in my vocation that I had never experienced before. As far as the job duties were concerned in and of themselves, I had found my "sweet spot". However, the demands on my soul and marriage, coupled with my own drive for effectiveness in each of the various ministries under my direction, led to a complete burnout after a little over a year in that position (the work load of which, incidentally, is now being fulfilled by three full-time staff members).</div>
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Thanks to the <a href="http://go.efca.org/resources/document/recovery-churches" target="_blank">EFCA Recovery Churches</a> ministry, to <a href="http://www.fellowshipofgrace.org/" target="_blank">the local church who "adopted" us</a>, and to the counseling ministry of <a href="http://www.thrivekc.org/" target="_blank">Thrive</a>, my wife and I have experienced a dramatic—dare we say miraculous—restoration to a place of personal, spiritual and relational health. <a href="http://www.fellowshipofgrace.org/" target="_blank">Grace Fellowship</a> received us as we were—broken, confused and altogether needy—and helped us to make the difficult transition to a new city, church family, home and profession. It has been a year-and-a-half since we made the transition, and it took the better part of a rigorously-focused year to bring us to the place of wholeness and vitality in which we have dwelled for the past several months.</div>
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We are not the least bit ashamed or embarrassed about where we've been or what we've gone through over the past two humbling years. We may regret not learning these lessons sooner, but we rejoice in the grace of our awesome, mighty and perfectly-loving God who has rescued us from despair and redeemed us for His purpose and glory. This would not have taken place had we not frankly admitted that the water was up to our noses and we were about to go under. How many pastors and their wives and children feel trapped by the need to maintain a facade of strength and integrity so as not to lose their livelihood and pride, thereby allowing a cancerous mix of sin, relational dysfunction and unresolved psychological pain decimate their souls, their families and ultimately their enduring testimony for Christ?<br />
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I owe many thanks to a mentor of mine, <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/103980066272597546158" target="_blank">+Neal Brower</a>, who insisted that honesty and transparency is the only way to live a life of integrity and freedom in Christ. Through his persistence, including his recommendation of the book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/TrueFaced-Bill-Thrall/dp/1576836932/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388121258&sr=8-1&keywords=true+faced" target="_blank">TrueFaced</a></i>, which I in turn recommend to you, I built the confidence I needed to come clean to my senior pastor and elder board and to our denomination's board of ministerial standing, which ultimately resulted in my resignation and subsequent entry into the Recovery Churches program. For our transition to life here in Kansas City, I owe a debt of gratitude to pastor and mentor <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/106659687582369092338" target="_blank">+Colby Kinser</a> for his multifaceted support of prayer, hospitality, counsel and friendship, to the entire recovery team, and to our Grace family at large, most of whom have understood very little of why we ended up in Kansas City and at this church.<br />
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Finally, to all those pastors and pastors' wives who feel trapped, please read the testimony above as a witness to the transformative power of the gospel that is applied to us as we walk in the light of authenticity. The Lord is faithful to catch all who cast themselves wholly and recklessly into His arms. He will allow you to be broken, though not crushed. Or rather, He encourages you to allow your inward brokenness to become visible to others, in order that you may experience the full, healing force of His grace. Let this Grace overwhelm you. Die to self-deception and groundless fear, that you may truly live.</div>
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mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-28752884843990294352012-04-23T12:32:00.000-05:002012-04-24T11:07:27.926-05:00How Unequal Is Income Distribution in the U.S., Really?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>New York Times</i> columnist <a href="http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/the-fight-over-inequality/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120423">Thomas B. Edsall evaluates</a> the recent conversation on the purportedly exponential growth of income disparity between the "superrich", the regular-old rich and the rest of us. The most commonly cited current evidence is the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/business/for-economists-saez-and-piketty-the-buffett-rule-is-just-a-start.html?_r=2">Saez-Piketty</a> study, which reports that</div>
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"From 1970 to 2010, . . . the share of total market income going to the top one percent more than doubled, from 9.03 to 19.77 percent. The share going to the top 0.1 percent more than tripled, from 2.78 percent to 9.52 percent; and for the top 0.01 percent, it nearly quintupled from 1.00 percent of the total to 4.63 percent."</div>
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Conservative journalist/blogger <a href="http://blog.american.com/2012/04/obamas-inequality-argument-just-utterly-collapsed/">James Pethokoukis</a>, however, has been raising the profile of other, more nuanced <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w17164.pdf">research</a> that demonstrates a disparity in real income less extreme than the "market income" figures touted by liberals as proof of a shamefully inequitable economic system. Such "real income" includes non-taxable income, such as employer-provided health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other government sanctioned benefits, which help "level the economic playing field", so to speak.</div>
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Aha! Claims of rampant inequity have been grossly exaggerated. The liberal agenda has been exposed right before our eyes! Chalk one up for the Right!</div>
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But wait. What (better: who) has been the moderating factor in this equation? Oh yeah, <i>the government</i>. Mr. Edsall insightfully points out the contradiction:</div>
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"The driving force behind lessened inequality that Burkhauser posits stems from government intervention, combined with pressure on the private sector to provide health care benefits — the very things the right objects to."</div>
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As the saying goes, we can't have our cake and eat it too. The fact is that our government has played a vital role in helping the lower socioeconomic "classes" (when will we find a more civilized synonym for that term?) survive amidst an economic system strongly favoring the super-wealthy. We the 99% have the power via our government to effect policies that make the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_dream">American Dream</a> an achievable reality for the vast majority of our citizens. Why squander it?</div>
</div>mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-82211041706259470582012-04-17T21:50:00.000-05:002012-04-24T11:08:05.108-05:00Changing Careers: A (Former) Pastor's Perspective from the Valley<div style="text-align: justify;">
They told me not to confuse job with vocation with calling with identity. It is a treacherous slope on which many ambitious souls slip. And despite the well-intentioned warnings, the lines between these categories are blurry. From the valley, they are often shrouded in fog.</div>
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In my communication theory college courses, I learned what everyone supposedly already knows: that we humans are storytelling creatures. My vocational mentors have echoed this truth, advising that telling "my story" is of paramount importance in "selling myself" for a new profession. So, for those of you who care to read beyond or behind bullet points, numbers and catch phrases on a resume, here's a brief account of who I am, where I've been and where I'm headed.</div>
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I was born to a Navy family (my grandfather, father and uncles all served and one uncle is now a high-ranking Navy pilot), but I settled onto a large farm/ranch in central Missouri around age five when my parents parted ways. Raised on the farm in my small Midwestern town, I learned a certain work ethic—one that emphasized grit, a business-before-pleasure mindset and personal responsibility. And yet the entire time, I felt like a fish out of water. Let's just say I was more the aesthetic type than the rugged farmer type! I loved reading, drawing, music, nature (exploring rather than exploiting) and using my imagination.</div>
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Despite this fundamental incompatibility, I did assimilate much of the farmer's work ethic, which has proven useful for me throughout my life. While many of my classmates gave half-hearted efforts in their studies, investing their energies in self-indulgent and social capital building activities instead, I invested in a lifestyle of learning which I believed would pay much higher dividends in the end. Not surprisingly, I was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" among my fellow male senior classmates and graduated Valedictorian overall.</div>
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Earning a full-ride to the <a href="http://www.sbuniv.edu/" target="_blank">private university</a> I chose to attend, I continued to study hard—for the love of learning and the conviction that this stuff really did matter in life—and applied this passion to the field of communication. Few outside the field really understand what a general <a href="http://www.sbuniv.edu/academics/Majors/Communication.html" target="_blank">Communication Arts</a> degree program entails, but suffice it to say that it covers a broader range of disciplines than is typically imagined (e.g., sociology, psychology, anthropology, linguistics, political science, history, rhetoric/persuasion, debate, public speaking, public relations, mass media, small group dynamics, interpersonal and intercultural relations), providing an excellent platform for further study or training in a more specialized field.</div>
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Having my sights set on a career in academia, I applied and was accepted to a Master's program in communication. However, realizing what an uphill battle I would have to climb (a PhD at minimum, with several years of impoverished living, just as I was starting a family, all the while competing against a glut of social science PhDs for relatively few tenured professorships), I opted to try the job market for a start. My first two "real" (full-time, salaried) jobs were in <a href="http://dss.mo.gov/fsd/" target="_blank">social services</a> and <a href="http://www.commpartnership.org/" target="_blank">non-profit</a> work, which provided great entry-level experience in the "human services" sector.</div>
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A couple years into this, however, I sensed a "call" to pursue theological education in preparation for the pastorate. My wife, daughter and I moved to Chicagoland so that I could pursue a Master's degree at <a href="http://www.tiu.edu/divinity" target="_blank">Trinity Evangelical Divinity School</a>, one of the most highly regarded biblical-theological research institutions in the world. In three years, I completed the 94-hour <a href="http://www.teds.edu/academics/programs/master-of-divinity" target="_blank">MDiv</a> program and set out to employ my training in the service of God and the world via the local church.</div>
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In October of 2010, I was hired as <a href="http://www.bethelnp.org/" target="_blank">Bethel Church</a>'s Associate Pastor. It was an astonishing privilege to be able to earn a living doing work that concerned matters of eternal import. Likewise, the breadth of skills required by the position closely paralleled my breadth of expertise and interests. It was almost too good to be true—and pretty quickly, I'd realize that it was. There are so many factors that make for a successful vocational fit. Unfortunately for me, enough of these were out of alignment that I knew I wouldn't be able to sustain a high level of performance without <a href="http://www.esvbible.org/search/mark+8%3A35-37/" target="_blank">losing my soul</a>. (Yes, pastors are held to performance standards, just like everyone else.) I would say that I simply bit off more than I could chew (collectively, the scope of responsibilities proved broader than a person of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTJ" target="_blank">my temperament</a> could realistically handle), but reality is always more complex than meets the eye. After significant soul-searching, in conference with my Senior Pastor, Elder Board, wife and other close advisers, I decided that it would be best if I chose a different vocational path.</div>
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So here I am, in the thick of the forest, hacking a path toward a career in Not Ministry. As I evaluate the skills I've accumulated and refined through seven years of higher academic study and writing, plus three-and-a-half years working in not-for-profit organizations, I've narrowed my focus to three potential career paths: Human Resources, Marketing and Technical Writing/Editing. My diverse skill set would enable me to excel in each of these fields. Now it's simply a matter of convincing a hiring manager that I'm an ideal fit for their particular position in their particular company.</div>
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P.S.</div>
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Unfortunately, a <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/04/16/moneyball-and-the-hr-department/?mod=wsj_share_linkedin" target="_blank">recent and growing trend</a> in HR suggests that those, like me, who are seeking to board a new vocational train will find opportunities to tell their "story" increasingly rare. As several perceptive commenters on the above-linked article noted, the increasing mechanization of job applicant screening removes the human element from the process altogether. Ironically, in our higher-and-higher tech world, human beings as human (not mere conglomerations of skills and competencies) are becoming as irrelevant to the marketplace as last year's (last month's?) Next Big Thing.</div>
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Where is the vision of creating an interdependent, symbiotic society in which the enrichment of each other's lives is a preeminent goal? Since when did the <i>production</i> of goods and services itself eclipse the enrichment of actual human lives that give these purpose in the first place? Now is not the time for offering a grand theory of societal wellness (the Bible provides a pretty good manual for starters). But it is worth pausing to consider what sort of world we wish to continue creating for ourselves and future generations. After all, it is we who make the world what it is. We are the "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Making-Recovering-Creative-Calling/dp/0830833943/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334717022&sr=8-1" target="_blank">culture makers</a>." We control the social norms and the tools for implementing those norms. Let's resolve to make the best of the opportunities provided us, however significant or insignificant they may seem to be.</div>
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In the meantime, I will resume hacking away at the foliage.</div>mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com3Overland Park, KS 66210, USA38.9193108 -94.7018938.8698948 -94.780854 38.9687268 -94.622926tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-68350267810309045872012-04-17T18:15:00.002-05:002012-04-24T11:08:18.437-05:00Contra Blogger<div style="text-align: justify;">
A blog is a reflection of one's own media savvy. So let me do a bit of PR damage control, since my blog has been woefully affected by a serious flaw recently. Apparently, my entire Picasa photo album in which my blog photos had been hosted was deleted and is now forever gone. Now in place of each photo there is a lovely black-and-white error image. Fortunately, this has only affected my most recent posts. Still, it's kind of embarrassing—akin to those dreams (we've all had them, right?) where you find yourself out in public, on the school bus perhaps, in your skivvies.</div>
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At the same time, I am turning over a new leaf. So perhaps my blog history (formerly The Incarnate) is now irrelevant. Instead of theology, ministry, and Christian worldview topics, I will be focusing increasingly on secular issues. That is likely to warrant another title (and subtitle) change for the blog at some point. But for now, my time will be better spent elsewhere, forging a new career path for myself. More on this to come (very soon)!</div>
</div>mattstephenskchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16710700768667514897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-28413292171192394062012-04-04T00:07:00.001-05:002012-04-24T11:08:30.773-05:00It's been a long time and, boy, it shows!<div style="text-align: justify;">
So you've noticed I haven't posted here in... months. I'll spare you the excuses except to say that blogging, unfortunately, was so low on my maxed out priority list that it simply got the attention it deserved.</div>
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Upon revisiting my blog tonight, I noticed a strange phenomenon. The most recent images and videos embedded in my posts have been replaced by a giant black square with a large white isosceles triangle with an exclamation point. If it is intending to convey some sort of error message, it has succeeded!</div>
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Needless to say, I'm pretty bummed about this. But fixing it will have to wait for another day. If you know of a solution, by all means, share! :-)</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-86147738583550145682011-12-03T10:49:00.001-06:002011-12-03T11:49:01.702-06:00Personal Finances, Cultural Change & the EconomyIt's no secret that society is changing at a dramatic pace. But most of us, rather than stopping to reflect on the seriousness of these changes, simply accept them and go with the flow. Swimming upstream is too hard and disengaging doesn't seem like a real option.<br />
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But take a minute to think about just how radical some of these changes are.<br />
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I'm 30, and have noticed some profound shifts in the financial and material "norms" of our society in just the past 2 decades.<br />
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<li>When I was a boy, we had a computer. One, simple, inexpensive computer that lasted us probably 10 years and cost us very little to maintain. There was none of this madness of having to keep up with the "next best thing" or with perpetual planned obsolescence. There were not constant upgrades and myriads of mobile devices and their accessories. As a result, obviously, we did not spend money on these things.</li>
<li>We did not have cell phones. So we did not have to pay outrageous phone and/or data bills every month.</li>
<li>We did not have cable or dish TV, so our viewing experience was limited to network and public TV programming. No real loss there.</li>
<li>We never once owned a new car, never once had a car payment—not because we could afford to buy a fancy new one outright, but because we bought reliable vehicles with 80k+ miles. We saved up for them and paid cash. We also never carried full coverage on our vehicles. We carried liability—that's it. Because our cars weren't <i>worth</i> anything more! We played probability to our advantage. How much money do you think that saved us every month?</li>
<li>We (a family of 7) took infrequent and modest vacations. We never went skiing, never went to Disneyland (or world). We took a road trip to the East coast once, and several sight-seeing, camping, and waterparking trips to nearby places.</li>
<li>We did not own "recreational vehicles" to fuel, insure, and maintain.</li>
<li>We did not have expensive hobbies.</li>
<li>We owned probably 2 TVs in my K-12 career.</li>
<li>We dined out about once a month (including fast food), and then it was the $20 Mazzio's Pizza family pack (3 med. pizzas, 2 orders of breadsticks & 2 pitchers of pop).</li>
<li>My first personal TV, which I bought shortly after I married Melissa eight years ago, cost me $200 new (not on sale) and we still use it. We recently bought a 50" LG plasma for our family room (man cave), which cost slightly more than that (ahem).</li>
<li>My undergraduate tuition plus room-and-board cost about $14k/year. Today, that cost has doubled across the board.</li>
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You're well aware of how "obsolete" the above norms are in today's society. But have you considered that median incomes have not kept pace with the increasing financial/material norms? College tuition has doubled in 10 years, but incomes are about the same. I learned yesterday that some women spend $100 or more a month at beauty parlors!</div>
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Does any of this concern you?</div>
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How has this happened?</div>
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It's happened because our society has gotten used to living above their means... living off of credit... spending what we don't have. As a result, we've created lavish cultural expectations of what's "normal" and even "necessary." We stress out over the perceived need to keep pace with the changes. We hoard finances while most of the world starves. But we justify our lavish consumption patterns by comparing ourselves to "the norm" and to those who are "better off" than we are (you know, that 1% we're constantly hearing about in the news).</div>
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I'm not going to tell you what you need to do with this. You know what you need to do. Live beneath your means if possible. Live simply. Give generously. Plan and save for the future. Above all, trust God to supply your needs... your real needs. And remember that there is a direct correlation between our generosity here on earth and our reward in heaven (cf. <a href="http://www.esvbible.org/search/Luke%2018/">Luke 18:18-30</a>, <a href="http://www.esvbible.org/search/1%20Timothy%206/">1 Tim. 6:18-19</a>). </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-68608608404577094002011-10-30T10:38:00.004-05:002014-01-04T01:31:39.316-06:00I Believe in "Natural" Theology, and Implications for Missional
Ecclesiology"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1).<br>
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God.</div>
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Created.</div>
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Something visible, tangible, tactile, complex, beautiful, expansive beyond our comprehension.</div>
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God created the universe we live in, and He created a special planet called Earth and special beings to bear His image on this planet. Why, we may never really know. But the fact remains that He did. Creation exists. And human beings have been created to comprehend, experience, and "have dominion" (Gen. 1:26-28) over it—even if imperfectly. Although the Fall (sin) has seriously tainted our efforts, it has not abrogated this "creation mandate." Nor has the Great Commission eclipsed this mandate. Rather, the mandate is part of what it means to "disciple/make disciples of all nations." To "exercise dominion" in a way that honors God's original intent for humanity is part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. A disciple of Jesus is no less than a person who seeks to dwell in this creation in a truly human way.</div>
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"Exercising dominion" well requires observing God's creation and discerning how it works. The disciplines of math and the sciences (physical, biological, behavioral, etc.) are in this sense theological tasks. They are the study of what God has created, both the individual parts and the systems through which the parts relate. Such study, and the application of it, brings glory to God.</div>
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Once we concede that our sin and our finitude prevent us from comprehending God's creation purely or fully, we must acknowledge three facts: </div><div><br></div>
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(1) that we are still capable of comprehending many things very well, </div>
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(2) that we must therefore apply ourselves to comprehending God's creation to the best of our abilities (certainly in light of Scripture) and </div>
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(3) that we must respond appropriately to what we learn.</div>
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If this all sounds too abstract, let me give one practical illustration, which happens to have been the impetus for this post. There is a growing sense among many church leaders that the modern, Western church has gotten away from its 1st century roots and has taken on forms that distract from the Great Commission. This growing faction is, generally speaking, anti-institution, anti-intellectual, anti-big. But they are split as to the best way forward. Some advocate an individualistic, "every person an evangelist" or even "every person a miniature version of the church" style of ministry. Others go in a wholly different direction, pushing for an abandonment of gospel proclamation in favor of gospel demonstration, based on the premise that actions speak for themselves. On a variation of this concept sit those who put their faith in an incarnational approach, wherein multifaceted love, given and experienced in the context of geographical, interdependent community, is the primary, if not virtually exclusive means of communicating the Good News.<br>
<br>Each of these philosophies of ministry address valid concerns and offer helpful correctives to our tendency toward overemphasizing our particular hobby horse. However, each of them falls to the temptation of reductionism. One major problem with each of these philosophies of ministry is their tendency to paint all Christians (forgetting that they are first human beings) with the same brush—to give them all the same function, same role, in God's kingdom (that of gospel herald). This fails to account for each person's beautiful complexity and our tremendous diversity collectively. It is a radically Western-modern-Individualist understanding of the "priesthood of all believers" (which by the way is not the "priesthood of <i>each believer</i>", <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">as is commonly believed,</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">but rather the priesthood of the Church collective as distinct from the "priesthood of the clergy" or the "priesthood of the church professionals").</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> It especially leaves little room in God's economy for those who have gifts of planning, thinking, writing, administrating, and other forms of "creating." It leaves little room for those gifts that find their expression in complex, large-scale tasks which take lengthy, sustained effort—tasks like strategic planning, sermon-writing, and long-term vision-casting.</span></div>
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However, in God's economy (no less in His church), all gifts are necessary for the fulfillment of the Great and Second-Greatest Commandments and the Great Commission, and should be valued as such. God has created each human being with a unique combination of
personality, abilities, family history and so on, according to His
sovereign purposes. In each of us, God has created a complex being.
There is much more to us than "meets the eye." God does not want us to
ignore or belittle who we are as human beings, His image-bearers, but rather to understand (in addition to theology proper) ourselves, our world, and our unique place in it.</div><div><br></div><div>Let us abandon all attempts at devising a one-size-fits-all approach or formula for what "successful ministry" or "true discipleship" or "missional effectiveness" looks like. The illustrations God inspired (breathed out) in Scripture concerning our collective calling are those of a "body" (an organism), a "kingdom of priests" (a counter culture), and a "spiritual house" or "temple" (a community) where God's Spirit dwells. These metaphors have the greatest value and hold the greatest promise for shaping our missional imaginations and plans for turning those dreams into divine reality.</div><div><br></div><div>What do you think? Do you feel overwhelmed by pressure to conform to the latest program or campaign your church is pushing as The Most Ideal Way to obey God's command to make disciples? Have your God-given gifts and passions been overlooked, belittled or discouraged as you sought to use them to God's glory? How might a vision of the Church as Body, Priestly Kingdom and/or Temple (not physical structure!) be embodied and experienced by people in your own culture and community? Please share your thoughts!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-67399576554822718322011-10-24T10:54:00.000-05:002011-10-24T10:55:55.597-05:00Leadership Meanderings: On Vision and Planning<span class="fullpost">One of the things I've noticed in working with a variety of leaders in a variety of settings, sacred and secular, is that leaders tend to enshrine their personalities into values and principles. We like to sanctify our own strengths and vilify our weaknesses (which happen to be strengths of others!). And when we do that, we undermine our work.</span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">There is perhaps no better example than the clash between visionaries and planners. Planners and administrators tend to discount the dreams and ambitions of big-picture visionary types, calling them irresponsible and out of touch with reality. Visionaries belittle planners as uptight, overly scrupulous creativity squelchers--an impediment to getting things done. Both are right and both are wrong. Left to themselves, neither type of leader would get anything done of value.</span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Planners understand a basic leadership principle that Jesus himself articulated: <b>counting the cost</b>. In <a href="http://www.esvbible.org/search/Luke+14%3A28-30/">Luke 14:28-30</a>, Jesus illustrates what is required to be His disciple. What builder, He reasons, commits to a project without first determining (a) what it will cost and (b) whether/how he can afford it? Only a fool. <a href="http://www.esvbible.org/search/Proverbs+24%3A27+/">Proverbs 24:27</a> illustrates the principle of preparedness: "Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house." Visionaries need planners to help make their dreams a reality.</span><br />
<span class="fullpost"><br />But what good will planning do without a vision? You might research and develop and execute a plan beautifully. But if that plan doesn't serve a worthwhile vision, <i>who cares </i>how good it was? Visionaries and planners need each other. And in order to create a truly fruitful partnership, both must respect the strengths of the other and not allow themselves to be frustrated by them.</span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Are you a visionary or a planner? Do you see a tendency in yourself to demonize those whose strengths are opposite yours--to make them your enemies instead of your allies? If so, you're doing yourself--and them--a great disservice. Consider the apostle Paul's timeless words to the church in 1st century Corinth: </span><br />
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<li><span class="fullpost">"To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (12:7).</span></li>
<li><span class="fullpost">"For the body does not consist of one member but of many" (v. 14). </span></li>
<li><span class="fullpost">"But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body" (vv. 18-20). </span></li>
<li><span class="fullpost">"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (v. 27).</span></li>
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<span class="fullpost">Each of us has different gifts in the economy of God. And that includes leaders! Don't make the error of the Corinthian church by belittling the gifts of others different from yourself. Learn to appreciate them. Understand where their gifts complement yours and vice versa. Only then will the body of Christ serve the mission of Christ in a manner that honors Christ.</span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">"To Him be the glory in the church" (Eph. 4:21)!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10588797.post-2937029738785047702011-10-12T11:09:00.000-05:002011-10-12T17:05:55.037-05:00A Philosophy of Pastoral Leadership<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1085796645" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a_rq8N9pj7c/TpW7xz3IBNI/AAAAAAAAABs/9rTS19tX3J0/s400/Shepherd-sheep-1.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/resources/a/people_want_a_pastor">This video</a> illustrates the confusion many people--pastors and congregations alike--experience with regard to the nature of the pastoral calling. <i> What is a pastor? </i>This is a crucial question that rarely gets asked so pointedly, much less considered with any seriousness.<br />
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One common trend that concerns me is the tendency to "anachronize" (read modern notions into ancient terms) the various biblical terms for pastoral leadership. The most obvious is "shepherd," which through the Westernized anachronism means a spiritual nurse of sorts... and usually a spiritual nurse on wheels... someone akin to Richard Baxter's <i>Reformed Pastor</i>. But is that what the Bible means by the term <i>poimen</i> (shepherd/pastor)?<br />
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Read my <a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B1Ecn4cvtyQ6MjdhMWRmMWYtZTQ1OC00OTQ2LThjNGQtMDFiYWNjOWVhZGE0&hl=en_US">Philosophy of Pastoral Leadership</a> or do your own research and see. The truth might surprise you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0