Orthodoxy Under Seige

November 22, 2010

I asked xxxxxxx once for his testimony, and he gave me the most convoluted story I ever heard. Jesus appeared to him in a dream and was standing with his back toward him. That's how he expresses his calling. On the few occasions I've heard him deliver a "message," it's been pieces of shear nonsense tied together with utter incoherent gobbledegook. I have the opinion, and maybe I'm just not as knowledgeable as I should be, but I think his main problem is a lack of regeneration, y'think?

The quote posted above is describing the 'Pastor' of a church plant. This initiative to my knowledge has no support from any other local church. There is no apparent connection to any denominational affiliation. There is no defined doctrinal statement or posture that is known. It appears to be simply the autonomous private agenda of one person.

Please understand, I am by no means opposed to church planting. I also do not believe that there is not a place for purely 'independent' assemblies. I also rejoice when there is a genuine effort to establish a light house for the gospel message.

Having stated those caveats, I believe this kind of initiative is far more prevalent than we may realize. The issues that concern me are:

* The mantle of orthodoxy is under assault to say the least.

* There is no process in place for accountability in the account above. When the Apostle Paul planted churches he regularly presented himself for accountability and review. There was a clear circle of regenerate people with whom he related and connected.

* Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. (Prov. 18:1, ESV).

* The historic position of the orthodox church through the centuries has been the full Authority and Trustworthiness of the Special Revelation of God, our Bible.

* The historic position of the orthodox church through the centuries has been the Sufficiency of Scripture. Today there are a host of 'extra-biblical' positions supported by "experience" but not the work and result of sound exegesis.

It is the conviction of this writer we need to go back to Vince Lombardi - - gentlemen, this is the Bible!

What say you??

Men & Leadership in Ministry

#37
Monday, November 15, 2010

#1

There is a crisis in the American Church. It is gender specific. There is an alarming paucity of men that are willing to engage key roles in Leadership.

I speak to numerous Pastors every day in various parts of the USA & Canada. Regardless of the geographic location, the Denominational affiliation or the church size, this is an issue. It is not becoming an issue - - it already is an issue. This fact causes a variety of dysfunctional anomalies in the assembly. There is a domino affect. First, more and more tasks are performed by fewer and fewer people. Those people suffer what is often labeled "Burn Out". Then, those people say, "Enough is Enough!" They drop out. This produces the final and fatal issue - the Pastor becomes the Lone Ranger.

There is also a sequel to this. The Pastor becomes weary, exhausted, worn out. This produces discouragement that borders on Depression.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/11/11/794661/the-pastor-burns-out.html

There is a solution. It requires significant courage on the part of the Pastor. Here is a proposed sequence for dealing with this issue in a local congregation.

Short Term:

A. The Pastor provides the body with 90 days advance notice of the problem. He does so with dignity and grace. He does not berate anyone. he simply states the problem with frontal honesty.

B. The profile is this. After three months the following list of ministry issues will NOT BE TRANSACTED unless qualified people step forward to do them. No compromise.

C. There is a frequent and sincere offer to train people qualified and willing to do these tasks.

D. Frequent reporting is provided to the congregation keeping them apprised of the progress or lack of same.

Long Term:

A. Teach the body the biblical profile for the men of the assembly; (Deacon, Elder).

B. Apply a biblical standard in enlisting men to be trained and equipped as leaders.

C. Establish the levels of maturity that must be achieved to serve in the various ministry venues.If any given assembly will do just these things significant progress will be made. If the body will not embrace this profile, why would a man want to contiue to serve there as Pastor? He is merely an endentured servant, not a Leader . Think about this and read the following sent to me today from a Pastor in this very scenario - then pray for him and others in a similar situation.

I am struggling, as usual, with the whole idea of XXXXXXX being a small church
not sustaining any real growth. I look at how we are doing ministry, and I truly
believe that we are doing things right, at lest when I compare us to what I hear
about from other churches in our area. It is truly a shame to me at how churches
around us are growing, yet they NEVER preach the gospel. They NEVER preach God's Word. Their corporate worship is nothing but the sappy, wimpy songs played on the Christian radio--it sucks badly. Yet they grow. They have happening youth
groups. They have dynamic small groups. . . . Several news churches have sprung
up around here and they have already moved into larger facilities--things we
have never been able to do. I get very discouraged.

If it is merely a matter of leadership, then I do not think I am going
to make it. I should just quit ministry. There is no hope for me. I have deluded
myself all these years into thinking God has called me to this, sent me to Bible
college and seminary (all paid for), given me experience, a vision, and a
passion for his Word and his glory in starting this kind of church, blah, blah,
blah. This has become a joke of life-wasting proportions. I have witnessed the
gospel to many people, have seen it working in people's lives, only to fizzle
out again--over and over. . . .

XXXXXX is not the typical church, governed by the Jones' and the Smiths, or in a battle over which one rules. XXXXXX is not a weak church. The core of our people are generally mature and strong. There are some high maintenance stragglers to be sure and some stress people, but I know they exist even the best churches.

Anyway, maybe you can help me figure out some of this.

Righteousness Exalts a Nation

#36

November 1, 2010

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. (Prov. 14:34)

Tomorrow the citizens of the USA will go to the polls. They will exercise a sacred privilege that the majority of the worlds population NEVER gets to engage. They will vote. That is, some of them will.

There are reportedly 60 million Evangelicals in the USA. In the 2008 election only 20 million of them voted. Just imagine the difference across our land if all of those 60 million had gone to the polls and voted for policy makers who champion righteousness.

Tonight at SEC we will pray from 6:30 – 8:00 PM that God will cleanse and heal our land. His promise is that if we seek Him, He will be found.

May it be so LORD, may it be so.

Immersed in Competence

#34

October 25, 2010

#1

Yesterday I returned from a series of engagements in Canada. I flew into Charlotte NC. On my way from the C Terminal to the E Terminal I passed a man playing a Grand Piano. He was oblivious to the frantic hordes racing past his instrument. He was smiling, talking to himself (and answering with a chuckle!)

He was playing Scott Joplin Rag. He LOVES that music. How do I know? Because he was utterly and absolutely immersed in the competence he had acquired in the realm of entertaining people by 'tickling the ivories." He was masterful. He smiled - laughed - answered himself! I had an organist in my first pastorate. She was a quiet diminutive genuine lady of the first order. Proper. Polished.

Until that is, she transitioned from A Mighty Fortress is Our God to some of Scott Joplin's Rags. Then she became a human dynamo. She ziped up an down the key board and the bench. She made the place vibrate with joyful expressions of lively tunes.

#2

Both of these people, when engaged at that keyboard, were in their element. They were drawn into a place where the hustle and bustle around them was non-existent. They had focus. They honored the composer. They made His music LIVE.

Here is the lesson for Christians. We are to be immersed in our faith. We are to make "the music live". We are writing a symphony every day with our walk before the God who redeemed us, immersed us in the competence for which he created us.

Do you live to make the music live? Is "The Composer" pleased with your rendition of His Song? It is a joyful thing. Long live the Competent Musicians of His Songs!

Probing Polity

#33

October 18, 2010

#1

The Apostle Paul would be utterly and absolutely dumb founded if he were to examine the Polity practiced in the Evangelical church today. It is a corrupt form of 'democracy' gone to seed. The consequences are devastating and the ramifications are horrific. Christ is defamed and the church looses standing in the world in which we serve.

Consider this. The Pastor or Pastoral/Elder Team invests 60-80 hours per week in seeking to bring Health & Effectiveness to the church via accurate exegesis and proper interpretation and declaration of the Word of God. A 'member', many of whom attend only casually and sporadically at best, have the same 'say so' through the process of 'voting'.

Further, it is quite common to see Robert's Rules, the Constitution or the By-Laws trump Scripture every time. Where did this atrocity come from? It was assimilated from the culture without examination or exegesis. I have encountered this over and over again in my consulting relationship with churches (sic). The cause of such practices are rooted in flawed Leadership. Men with that responsibility simply lack the courage and intestinal fortitude to address the issue. But, oh how they howl and moan about the situation.

#2

There is a solution. It requires the following:

A. Accurate and careful exegesis of the text as to what is and is not acceptable in light of Special Revelation.

B. Loving and compassionate instruction with the people that make up the congregation as to what the text teaches.

C. Systematically changing the governing policies of the assembly to accurately and correctly reflect what the text says. It is never acceptable to simply disregard existing polity documents.

D. Celebrate robustly with the people the implementation and application of a legitimate Polity Structure.

How many Pastors will embrace this challenge? Only the LORD knows!

Church Decline & Spotty Attendance

#32

October 11, 2010

#1

One of the Biggest Reasons Why Churches Decline

Most churches track how many people attend, but few churches know how often people are coming. People do not simply quit church one week; they phase out. They begin by attending less frequently. This issue is one of the biggest reasons why churches decline. Understandably, a plethora of spiritual reasons exist why people attend less frequently, but many churches do not even realize that people are gradually leaving the church by attending less often.

Let me share with you a basic exercise:

Church A has 400 people that come 4 out of 4 weeks (yes, I know that’s a pipe dream, but hang with me for the sake of argument). This attendance frequency means that the church averages 400 in attendance.

Church B has 400 people that come 3 out of 4 weeks (not too bad). But this attendance frequency means that the church averages 300 in attendance.

Church C has 400 people that come on average 2 out of 4 weeks (probably more realistic). They average 200 in attendance.

I’m sure that you get the point by now. Each church has 400 people that are part of the flock, but the average attendance at Church C is much less than Church A. As attendance frequency drops, the churches have drastically smaller averages, without “losing” anyone.

#2

I am not advocating legalism – a haughty attitude that every time the church doors are open everyone must be there. But the family that once attended almost every week and now attends ten times a year is gradually leaving the church.

Attendance frequency. It’s not the most important church health metric, but it’s one that is neglected. And it’s one of the biggest reasons that churches are declining.

(Written by Sam Rainer and posted on Nov. 9, 2009. I have made this argument for the past five (5) years - tcf)

50 Years & Counting

#31

October 5, 2010


#1

On October 2nd we celebrated 50 years of marriage. Francis Schaeffer said near the end of his life on earth; "If you want to do something really radical as a Christian, stay married to the same mate for life." We are working on that noble endeavor. Two essentials to achieve that. 1) You must stay married to the same person. 2) You must live long enough. Much of #1 is on us, #2 is primarily God's work.

#2

Men today let's talk about what it means to lead a balanced life. The 50th wedding anniversary party of a Christian friend was attended by a) his happy wife, b) his children (some of whom flew in), c) his pastor who thought enough of him to comment on his life, and d) about 40 friends. In his case, no one from the office. And he was very happy. Are you living as though a happy wife, children who still want to be around you, a pastor who would be willing to say something nice about you, and about 40 friends would be a great achievement? What more can a man really want?

The quote posted above is from Patrick Morley's National Men's Ministry message for this date. The timing of Providence is wonderful.

So I ask you men - will you, by the Grace of God engage such a glorious celebration? I hope for you and for the Glory of Christ that you do!