God Sent

He was sent from God. He was not sent to shed new light on the human condition. He was not sent to be the greatest of all moral examples. He was not sent to point us towards some inner spark of divinity already residing within us. He was sent to redeem! ~ Galatians 4:3-5 NIV

When it comes to the Christmas season I find myself pulled between two poles: The “Splendor of the Season Pole” and the “Bah! Humbug Pole”. When I wrestle with a tangled cord of Christmas lights, half of which are not working, I am pulled towards the “Bah! Humbug Pole." On the other hand, when I am celebrating communion in the midst of flickering candles reflecting on the mystery of the Incarnation I am pulled towards the “Splendor of the Season Pole."

Christmas is a study in contrasts. There is the contrast between cheap tinsel on a tree and the “gold” of wrapped presents underneath. There is the contrast between the crass commercialization of the season and the greater meaning of gift-giving that is the season’s very foundation. There is the contrast between the announcement of peace unto all the world and the ugly reality of war’s constant presence. It’s a season of contrast; a season of dark and light.

Before the first Christmas the world was cloaked in darkness. Evil, death, bondage and decay reigned supreme. But, then light entered the world. Eternal light. That light was not a new philosophy, or self-help program, or even the birth of a new religion. That light was the pre-existent Word, the second person of the Trinity, who donned human flesh and became one of us.

He was sent from God. He was not sent to shed new light on the human condition. He was not sent to be the greatest of all moral examples. He was not sent to point us towards some inner spark of divinity already residing within us. He was sent to redeem!

Redemption language finds its true context in the realm of slavery. In the ancient world slavery was a fact of life for a great number of people. A slave could be freed if someone paid the owner the value of his property. Once the price was paid, the slave could be released into a new life of freedom. Some slaves were set free in this way. Another path to freedom transpired when a wealthy, childless man would adopt a young slave. Then the owner would trade the young man’s slavery for sonship. This resulted in special dignity and family membership to someone who would otherwise be a slave.

God sent Jesus to redeem. He paid the price that releases us from bondage (the condemning law, sin, death, addictions…the list is long). In doing so He made it possible for us to become sons of God. Through Jesus’ redemption we move from slavery into sonship, from bondage to release, from captivity to freedom. Now, that’s a study in contrast! And, it’s exactly what God set in motion when He sent His Son into the world at that first Christmas.

What God did in sending His Son to redeem us should be at the heart of a church’s motivation for ministry. Just as the Son was sent, so too, is the church sent. God sends His sons and daughters into the world proclaiming the Good News of redemption. He sends us into a dark world, just as He sent His Son, to be light and hope and blessing… that eventually the world will be turned from darkness into light, from bondage to freedom. This is our mission. A mission that was first launched in the heart of God and is now working out its full effects until that day when the world is completely and wholly made.

Blessings to you during this wonderful Advent Season of 2009.

Thankful for the Community of Faith

Although Thanksgiving has passed, the practice of thanksgiving continues. Scripture encourages us be thankful in all things. The national emphasis spotlights a normative spiritual discipline, reminding us to be people who are grateful every day.

As I read comments posted on Facebook on Thanksgiving I was pleased to see that most people expressed gratitude for their family and friends. Some mentioned physical blessings, but few made this the big emphasis. And, several mentioned their church friends.

I wonder how often we give thanks for the community of faith? Being a church leader can lead to concentrating on church problems to the exclusion of the positives. Perhaps, part of our own spiritual discipline as church leaders should include taking some time to list all the people who give of themselves to the church--those who help the Body function in a Christ-honoring way. Then give thanks for each one, and ask God's special blessing and empowerment on them as they continue to give of themselves to the Body.

It seems that the Apostle Paul was in the habit of doing this very thing. In Ephesians 1 he writes, "For this reason ever since I first heard of your faith in Jesus Christ and your love for all the saints I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." (verses 15-17)

I wonder what would happen within our churches if we prayed in such a way for those who serve, lead, encourage, witness, pray, visit, and give of themselves to strengthen the community of faith?

Ministers Conference Reflections from Paul Burnham

Pastor Paul Burnham, pastor of Newport Hills Community Church in Bellevue, WA, sends out a devotional email to his congregation EVERY DAY. He usually reports on something the church is doing, and then uses that as an illustration, or tie in, to biblical insights. In that way he keeps his church up to speed on their current ministry efforts. He reinforces their mission, vision and values. And, he inspires devotion to Christ. He does this all with a simple email message. It's a great practice. Today he sent this out to his folks. You'll get a taste of the emphasis of this year's All Region Ministers Conference. Also, you'll get an idea of how Paul uses this discipline to lead and inspire his people.

"The first day of the conference Leona and I are attending in Post Falls, Idaho was great. The speaker for the day reinforced a lot of the things we are already doing and gave me a few ideas to help us continue to make a difference in our community for Jesus Christ.

He kept saying what I have been saying for many years, "It is not about us." We are not saved to just for ourselves, we are saved to serve our God and other people. So the focus is on Jesus and what He wants us to do because He has saved us from ourselves and from destruction.

You see, true Christianity is not a religion based on rules and rituals, but a living relationship with Jesus Christ.

Many people reduce Christianity down to attending church services and Bible study meetings and trying not to commit a list of certain sins. But being a Christian is being united with Jesus, a member of His body, with His life in your heart that motivates you to a life of service.

Jesus should be your focus -- not religious activity -- but the person of Jesus, the Lord and Christ and how you can honor Him with the way that you live your life.

1 Corinthians 1:9 NIV
9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Church services, Bible study meetings, Bible reading, etc. can be good, but should not be allowed to become an end in themselves. They are tools to help us know Jesus, serve Him with our lives and serve others out of our love for what Jesus has done for us.

The Bible says we are to be faithful; but faithful to what: a religious system, an organization -- or, a Person? So the question is; Are you serving Jesus and others or are you serving yourself?

The focus of our lives should be to please Jesus.

Colossians 1:18 NRSV
18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.

Does Jesus have first place in your life? In your schedule? Are the things that are important to Jesus important to you? What could you do today to serve your Lord and keep your focus on what is important to Him?"

We Attract or Repel

I was made aware this week that Granger Community Church is holding it's annual training conference, Innovate 09. Without a doubt, this is one of the most creative churches in America. And, they multiply new followers of Jesus like crazy. God bless them for their efforts. One of the staff pastors is blogging the conference. It's worth following at Entermission by Rob Wagner.

Senior Pastor, Mark Beeson, kicked off the first session. In the middle of his talk he made the following comments:

"Part of what holds your team together is you. Please know...it IS personal. When many people say NO to your church, they are saying NO because of you.

Many people who are saying Yes are saying Yes because they want to pursue the mission and vision with YOU.

Honestly, I do not want to think about the implications of this. If true, and I know it is, then we need to seriously evaluate how we are doing with our own spiritual health, our passion for Christ, our love for people and the clarity of the vision we are casting. If we're sputtering along in these areas people will not be compelled to follow us. If we're making progress in these areas more and more people will desire to be a part of our team. It's that simple, and that hard.

If I Were a Pastor Today....

I was once a pastor for almost 18 years. Prior to that I served on five church staffs in various capacities. I've often thought about what I would do differently now that I've gained some new perspectives in my present role.

One thing is certain, I would take as many of my leaders to training events as I could. As a pastor I did some in-house training. I pulled all our elected leaders together for quarterly training events. In the fall I met with our Sunday School teachers every other week. Throughout the year I trained our small group leaders and our congregational care providers on a monthly basis. But seldom did I take these same folks to outside training events.

If I were a pastor today I would be loading up the van, or bus, or a bunch of cars, whatever, to take my key movers and shakers to hear someone else say what I had been trying to say to them all along.

This is one of the main reasons we have been lining up great speakers for our Area and Region events. These presenters will reinforce your efforts in leading your church towards health and outward focus. It's just kind of funny how you can say things until you are blue in the face, and then one visit to hear the outside expert who says the same thing, and they all become believers. Amazing. That's what I'm talking about here.

So, I just want to reinforce the value of leading the charge to take your people to one of the ABCNW/Area fall celebrations. Each event is heavy on training. We've lined up great speakers. Reinforce the direction you are taking your church in by exposing them to excellent leaders.

These are the top trainers we have coming to each event:

Dane Aaker, senior pastor of Centerpoint Church, Colton, CA. Will be speaking at the Big Sky Area Celebration September 18-19 and Intermountain Area Celebration on October 17. Dane will talk about how to accomplish more through moving towards simplicity, improving worship services to have greater impact, and how to make progress in your evangelism efforts.

David T. Olson, executive minister for church growth and evangelism for the Evangelical Covenant Church and published author. Will be speaking at the Far West Area and North Puget Sound Area combined meeting on Saturday, October 10. David has a keen understanding of the church today based on 200,000 interviews conducted among the American population about their church attendance, or lack thereof. Not only does he show the problems, confirms the hunches, and explodes the myths, but he will offer a clear path for solving some of the greatest challenges to the American church today.

Michael Quicke, is the professor of preaching at Northern Baptist Seminary (ABC) in Lombard, IL. He has published several books including these excellent works: 360 Degree Preaching and 360 Degree Leadership. Dr. Quicke understands the power of the preached word to help a congregation move in an outward-focused, missional direction. He is the guest speaker at the Inland NW Area Celebration October 23-24. Check out Michael's blog.

Details for registration, etc. may be found at www.abcnw.org. To receive notices for all ABCNW events send your email address to communications@abcnw.org. I'm looking forward to seeing you at our fall events!

Excellence in Teaching & Preaching

I think engaging, life-transforming, biblical preaching is huge. Same thing goes for teaching. Pastors are under tremendous pressure to be at everyone's beck and call. As a result it's easy to cave to the pressure, attend to all the needs, and fail to give sufficient time for sermon preparation. Shoddy, shallow sermons can be found at the top of the list for reasons for failure in the church.

One of these days I plan to do a blog series on preaching. Until then I cam across this simple four point message from Josh Hunt about good Sunday School teaching. I thought every point was equally applicable to preaching, including the fourth one about "involvement." A preacher may not involve the congregation with the message the same as in a Sunday School class, but there should be the intention that the people will engage at some level. Excellent preachers monitor the involvement of the people during the delivery. Changing the pace, asking a rhetorical question, walking out into the crowd, using a prop...these are ways to keep people involved in the message.

Anyway, check out these four points from Josh Hunt. Good stuff:

Solid Biblical Content/Depth

The number one complaint I hear about lessons is "lack of depth". People want to learn something. They want to hear something they have not heard before. In my lessons, I try to include quotes from some of the greatest Bible scholars around. Great teachers are always investing in great books, scanning the Internet and doing whatever they can to bring some depth to the table. Crummy teachers give Sunday School answers.

Humor

I love to laugh. In a healthy group, the group will provide the humor. It is not such a bad idea to try to find some funny stories in every lesson. Obviously, we want the story to relate to the text and the point of today's lesson. One of the many reasons I like John Ortberg is he nearly always sprinkles a little humor into his messages. Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down, and just a bit of humor makes every group better.

Personal application

Big question: what do you want me to do about what I heard today? Our goal is not to make smarter sinners, but to teach people to live the John 10:10 abundant Christian life. Not, "teaching them everything I have commanded you" but, "Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Good lessons have lots of take-home value--something for me to do this week to make me a little more like Christ.

Lots of participation

In an ideal class, everyone participates--more or less evenly. No one is completely silent, and no one dominates the conversation. I am working an experiment in my own group where I pass out the lessons to each participant and have them take turns asking the questions. They can answer or not. It is going pretty well.

Josh Hunt offers excellent teacher training materials and ideas on his web site: www.joshhunt.com (most of it is free). If you are running a Sunday School program I would suggest signing all of your S.S. teachers up for a weekly email message from Josh. Very good stuff here.

Celebrating Six Years with ABC-NW

I came to the ABC of the Northwest six years ago today. I'm taking just a few moments to say thank you to all the pastors, churches, lay-leaders and the Region Board for the opportunity to serve in this capacity. And, most importantly I thank my God for bringing me to this particular duty station. It is a privilege and an honor to serve the pastors and churches of this great Region.

I was asked today what my vision is for the coming years. My answer was quick in coming, and simple. I believe that God wants our association and work together to yield more and more churches that are healthy, mission-focused and increasing in their ability to multiply disciples of Jesus Christ. I hope that sounds familiar to your ears. We have made significant progress in reaching our vision, but we have many more miles to go. This is not a time to switch visions. Rather, it is a time to increase our intensity in pursuing this vision.

At the same time, as we pursue this vision, I believe that God is calling us to a renewed emphasis on Word and Spirit. The Word is both the Living Word, Jesus Christ, and the inscripturated word of the Bible. The Spirit is the living breath of God that causes the Word to come alive in our hearts. When we study the Word, proclaim the Word, and apply the Word through the Spirit's power, lives are transformed.

Word without Spirit leads to aridity; a mechanical, functional form of Christianity. Spirit without Word results in a chaos of mysticism, individualism, and wide-eyed fanaticism. Spirit and Word are needed in equal measure. Both are found together in Scripture. Jesus preached the Word and ministered through the power of the Spirit. Both are inseparable for effective, life-transforming dynamic ministry.

Paul wrote, "For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction." (1 Thess 1:3,4)

Baptists, who hold to a high view of Scripture, are more comfortable with a Word-centered ministry. We would be wise to balance that important emphasis with an equal appreciation for the work of the Holy Spirit. We need the renewing, empowering movement of the Spirit in equal proportion to our knowledge, understanding and application of Scripture. Would it not be a great thing to redouble our study and application of Scripture? And, simultaneously invite the Holy Spirit to use the Word powerfully in our lives to transform us, to renew us, to empower us. Not so that we would be puffed up with right knowledge, but that we would become more like Jesus. And, that we would be more effective in serving and blessing a lost world with the love and grace of our God.

What would happen if we diligently prayed for a fresh moving of the Holy Spirit in our churches? What would happen if in these same churches there transpired a great devotion to the preaching, teaching and application of God's Word? Picture the result of that wedding for a few moments, and pray that it would become a major part of our future together. What an exciting future that would be!

Dane Aaker Coming to ABC-NW

I was talking with Dane Aaker this morning about the talks that he will present later this fall in our Region. Dane is senior pastor of Centerpoint Church in Colton, CA. He's also a friend of the ABC-NW and has spoken at previous events.

He will be speaking at two of our Area meetings: Big Sky Area Convention, September 18-20; and Intermountain Area Celebration, October 17. His topics will be the same for both gatherings:

• "Doing Less For More Results"
• "Building a Church that Attracts Seekers"
• "Building Worship Services that Make an Impact"

What I love about Dane is his continuing quest to be the best. He never rests on his laurels, or past achievements. For 25 years now he has led his church to continuously adapt, seeking to reach more and more people. As a result, the average age of the church is the youngest in its history, and its attendance is at an all time high (1100 to 1200 on a given Sunday). That's pretty amazing for a 122 year old church in a downtown location. The most recent surge in growth took place this summer! Yet, in spite of all of this success Dane is one of the humblest men I know. That's one of the many reasons I respect him. It's also why I try to learn as much as I can from Dane. I hope that you will take advantage of Dane being in our Region. If you are in the Big Sky Area or the Intermountain Area do your best to attend, and bring a pile of people along with you. They will learn a ton of stuff.

You can watch sermon videos of Dane at this location: www.centerpointcolton.com

Little Brown Church Roof Repair--Part 2

I received this additional information and pictures from Pastor Mike Iverson from the Yellowstone Church in Billings, MT:

"After many email discussions and pleas for help we had the following people participate in the Little Brown Church re-roofing project:

Doyle, John, Rock, Aaron, Marty, Laura, Zach, Mark, Rock's Grandson - Belgrade Community Church
Red, Travis, Marcus - Roundup Emmanuel Baptist Church
Ross and Paul - Billings FBC
Mike, Leonard, Michael, Bill, Zach - Billings Yellowstone Church
Doug - Hardin FBC
Wayne - Crow Agency Community Church
Larry - Little Brown Church
Nancy, Newton, Olivia, Kenny and several ladies from Lodge Grass provided wonderful hospitality and food while we were there.

I think that this was a tremendous example of what we can do if we choose to work together. When we think of missions work - or projects, we often tend to think of traveling long distances or maybe even overseas, but I think it is important for us to remember that there are people right in our own back yard that need our help.

A couple of things that I thought were noteworthy: As we were wrapping up the project, some neighborhood ladies walking down the street stopped to talk with me about what was going on at the church - people in the town of Lodge Grass took note of the activity that was taking place and were very impressed that people would come from all over the state to help the church in Lodge Grass. I was also very impressed with the camaraderie that took place between people of different churches, but also amongst people of the same church. I noticed people from BCC and Yellowstone Church who previously hadn't known each other very well begin making new friendships.

I think it is significant that in a time of need we were able to come together and meet a need that the people of Little Brown Church had almost given up hope on. They had $3000 in a fund to replace the roof, but had received quotes that were significantly higher than this from various roofing companies. After excess materials were returned - the final cost of materials for this project was $3087.64 (plus some miscellaneous supplies brought from the Belgrade team).

The people of Little Brown Church often feel as if they are forgotten or abandoned and felt very blessed and encouraged to have our churches come together to help meet this need. Thank you to everyone who participated and to everyone who encouraged members of their various churches to participate."

--Pastor Mike Iverson, Yellowstone Church

Little Brown Church and LLC-led Mission Project

I just received this wonderful report from Pastor Ross Lieuallen (Billings FBC), the Region's mentor pastor for central and eastern Montana. I hope to add pictures from this story when they're sent to me. Again, this is another excellent example of connection and missions working hand in hand together:

"In our May LLC, I asked Rusty Strickler to lead the 'dreaming' portion of our meeting. He asked if he could try 'something' different....and he let me know he wanted us to dream about something we could together as pastors/churches. He did a fantastic job of leading us in this 'dream.'

As our discussion took many directions, we knew that Little Brown Church in Lodge Grass, MT needed a partial, or total roof repair, and probably did not have the people resources to tackle a huge project. Though it is not a huge building, nonetheless a roof project is no easy matter. Rusty and Mike took the lead of contacting a contractor--Mike had one in his church. They surveyed what needed to be done. At our June LLC we committed to a potential date for August 22nd. It's a busy month with last minute vacations, getting back to school....and it didn't feel like it was going to happen. Mike surmised we needed at least 15 workers to make it happen in one day.

But it came together. Sadly, Rusty was called out of town on that weekend with a family death. He was the one who really moved us toward this project. Mike Iverson, with his contractor leader/church member, coordinated all the details of materials, finances, and leadership of the day. Mike did a great job of leading with this and all the details. Little Brown did have the necessary funds for the project, and with a few donations from others, I think most of the costs were handled at completion.

Churches represented were: FBC Billings, Hardin, Roundup, Crow Agency, and Belgrade, and of course a few folks from Little Brown Church. I would also say that Belgrade had the most volunteers bringing a considerable amount of the equipment we needed. And in talking with some of them, many have only been a part of the Belgrade church for a few months!

I know some pastors wanted to be there but had work crews coming to their churches that day from other ABC churches; some had last minute emergencies or vacations already planned. Mike Iverson, Wayne Gentry, and I spent the day there. And all total there were 12 to 15 men ( I can't remember exactly how many) and several women.

I believe the folks of Little Brown Church were blessed that other ABC churches and people care and wanted to bless them. This project really built a bridge to a church and the Reservation that sometimes we forget about. Mike said it well at lunch, "we often think of missions as overseas or disaster relief elsewhere in our country. But this was a project in our own backyard that we could do to really help our brothers and sisters."

And last but not least, this came out of our LLC group under the Holy Spirit's prompting and Rusty's faith to try something different!"

--written by Ross Lieuallen

Connecting Through Mission-Focus

I happened to speak with Pastor Gary Gilman (FBC Filer, ID and Mentor Pastor for ABCNW in south, central Idaho) this morning. As we talked he filled me in on some mission support activities he has been involved with over the last two weeks. Very recently he participated in a training event in Spokane, WA for the Missionary Partnership Team (MPT) for ABC missionary Walt White. But that's not all.

Previous to this, from July 31 through August 4, he escorted Daniel Chetti, our ABC missionary in Beirut, Lebanon, around to churches in the Intermountain Area. Daniel preached at the 9:30 AM service in Filer, and then the 11:00 AM service at FBC Twin. After that Gary transported him to FBC Elko, FBC Jerome, FBC Emmett, and FBC Nampa. Also, he planned to take Daniel to Cambridge and Midvale, but Daniel had to shorten his trip and was not able to visit our churches in those locations. That is a lot of time on the road!

I appreciate that Gary not only does an outstanding job leading an alive and vibrant church in Filer, but he has a heart for our ABC missionaries. In this way, and in numerous others, he is helping his church be healthy and mission-focused. Additionally, he is in an early adopter in the new approach to mission support that is unfolding at International Ministries.

The bonus in what Gary has been doing is the connection he is making from ABCNW church to ABCNW church, and to our ABC missionaries.

As a Region we value four Landmarks: Leadership, Church Planting, Church Transformation and Connection. To be effective in attaining these Landmarks, the ownershp of each must extend beyond Region full-time staff (three of us!). That's exactly what Gary is doing. What Gary did could be done by any other pastor and lay leader in the ABCNW. I hope others will follow his example. And, knowing Gary he would be happy to tell others how to do the same.

For information about International Ministries MPT approach to suport click here.

Great Quote

I saw this original quote by Worth Wilson on his Facebook profile page. Plus, I haven't posted anything in a while, and this well help me jump start some new posts.

“Lack of worship puts our circumstances between us and God, but faith filled worship puts God between us and our circumstance.” C. Worth Wilson

Worth is the pastor of Cle Elum Community Church in Cle Elum, WA. He also pastors the Presbyterian Church in Roslyn, WA. He wears many hats for the Region including serving as a Mentor Pastor.

Region Consultation and Online Survey

I am sending the following announcement to our churches and pastors sometime today or tomorrow:

The Region Board and I wish to inform the churches, pastors and leaders of the ABC-Northwest that we have contracted with Dr. Bill Hoyt to conduct an assessment of the Region. Significant changes in the Region's vision, ministries and structure have transpired over the last seven years. The Region Board and Dr. Revis believe it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of these transitions, and also map out additional improvements as we move together into the next seven years.

Dr. Hoyt was a logical choice to conduct this review since he's already familiar with many of our ministries and churches. Dr. Hoyt is the executive director of NexSteps Consulting, a mentoring, coaching and consulting ministry. In addition to having successfully led a denominational region for fifteen years, Dr. Hoyt has extensive experience consulting with denominations and churches. He is also involved with mission work in Vietnam. (for more information go to www.nexstepconsulting.org)

A major part of the consultation will be an On-line Survey. The primary people we are requesting to complete the survey will be pastors, church staff, and church leaders (officers and ministry team leaders). We are assuming these folks will be more familiar with the Region and its ministries than the average attender of an ABCNW church. Dr. Hoyt will activate the survey on August 12th and he will close it on September 16th. It is our plan to invite all the people listed above from as many of our churches as possible to participate in the survey.

There are two ways you can help us as we conduct the survey. You can provide the names and email addresses of your staff and leaders. (Many of you have already forwarded this information to Cherie' in the ABCNW office. Thank you!) As we launch the survey they will receive an email invitation with a link inviting them to go on-line and complete the survey. Some pastors may choose to invite their staff and leadership by forwarding the email invitation directly from their own list. Either way will work. The link to the survey will also appear on the home page of the ABCNW web site (www.abcnw.org).For folks with limited internet access we suggest that the church print out a hard copy of the survey. Have them complete the hard copy and turn it into a designated person in your church who will enter this information on-line for them.

I wish to express my appreciation for your help with this project. It is our desire that we excel in our efforts to “grow healthy, mission-focused churches that mulitply disciples.” The survey, along with Dr. Hoyt's recommendations will assist in pursuing our God-given vision.

City View Church--Growing & Reaching Out

As a Region, ABCNW is passionate about churches growing through reaching out to their surrounding community. One of the wonderful stories of church transformation as a result of renewed external focus is unfolding at City View Church in Renton, WA. Pastor Chester Gross has led the church in renewal and outreach since coming to the church almost two years ago. At the time he accepted the call as pastor the church had dwindled to 35 in worship, and now they are up to 150. Chester reports that since the congregation has been focusing more on reaching its immediate community it is becoming a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural congregation. In other words, it looks more like the surrounding community. That's a sign of successful outreach. The worship music has also become more multi-cultural. Other initiatives have included renewed focus on children and young families.

They also changed their name from First Baptist Church to City View Church. After the name change attendance jumped by 30 people in one month. Unfortunately, the name "Baptist" has negative connotations for many in the Renton environs who are searching for a spiritual family. In changing their name, they removed this unnecessary hurdle. They continue to be a Baptist church. However, they are demonstrating what we Baptists have always believed and practiced when we are at our best: It is more important to be effective in reaching the lost than to hang on to a tradition that has become a hindrance to that goal.

I love their description of the kind of church they are striving to become (taken from their web site).

The Church that we see....

Is passionate about saving the lost

Is a church which loves and honors God through relevant and genuine worship

Is a multi-cultural church diverse in age, gender, culture, race and creativity

Is a church of thriving disciples who are equipped to live the message of Jesus in view of the community

Is a church which empowers believers to become leaders in the church and the market place

Is a church which partners with other churches and ministries to advance the Kingdom of God

Is a church which sees beyond it's own time and leaves a legacy for succeeding generations

Find out more about City View Church at www.cityviewchurch.com.

Making Jesus Famous?

One of our solid pastors has been criticized for making this public statement, "We want to make Jesus famous in our city."

Should we attempt to make Jesus famous? My response would be, "Can you imagine doing the opposite? Hiding Jesus from a lost world?" Of course we are to make Jesus famous. We are to publish His name in all the earth. The Bible expects this to be our number one job. We are to proclaim from the rooftops, "Jesus is the Lord, the Savior of humankind." We are to lift Him up so that all will know his wonderful grace and love.

Habakkuk prayed, "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord." (3:2).

Paul, in his incarnational hymn of praise writes, "Therefore God exalted Jesus to the highest place...that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." (Phil 2:9-11) That's just a little bit famous.

Our culture is obsessed with worshipping the "famous ones" of Hollywood and pop music stardom. Many, at this very moment, are grieving the death of one who proclaimed himself the "King of Pop."

In the midst of this misdirected obsession is it not right and proper to lift up the name of the True King? And, make Him more widely known than any of the pretenders who display only a fading glory. His is the glory that will shine for ever. Why not get a head start on worshipping the One who has everlasting glory? Why not make Him the truly "Famous One" in all the earth?

Of course, we want people to move beyond knowing about Jesus to personally encountering Him as God, and as Savior, and as Lord. That goes without saying. But for some people you have to fill in the lines so they can see the full picture, which is impossible to do when the real issue is not the presenting issue.

Perhaps the objection is rooted in a misunderstanding, that we are to avoid recasting Scriptural principles in the vernacular of our culture. No doubt there is always a danger of miscommunication when we attempt to employ contemporary cultural idioms. Yet, there is a greater danger if we do not. And that is to fail to communicate to this generation at all. It seems to me it's well worth the risk to employ popular language and concepts to convey biblical truth, which is exactly what the pastor was attempting to do. The beloved paraphrase of the Scriptures, The Message by Eugene Peterson, attempts this very thing, and in spades! And, I would add, with great success.

This is a lengthy way to say that I agree with the pastor. Let's make Jesus famous! In all the Northwest! In all the world! I can't think of a greater calling than this one thing!

I'll close this long posting with words from a "famous" modern hymn:

You are the Lord
The famous one, famous one
Great is Your name in all the earth
The heavens declare
You're glorious, glorious
Great is Your fame beyond the earth
For all You've done and yet to do
With every breath I'm praising You
Desire of the nations and every heart
You alone are God
(Chris Thomlin)

Audacity for the Right Reasons

As I witness the transformations taking place in our churches I've noticed a common pattern. The pastors of these churches have stepped up to a higher level of leadership. They've become more focused, full of vision and bolder. You might say they've become "audacious". They are willing to go out on limbs like never before. Their churches are changing because their people are going out on those limbs with them.

Because of fear some people never go out on a limb. Their fear is understandable. There have been more than just a few limbs that have broken while the leader was standing out there all alone. Falling out of a tree hurts. On the other hand there are many instances when the limb has proven to be strong enough to bear the weight. It takes faith to crawl out on a limb, even when you are convinced it's the limb God is calling you to dance on. There is no guarantee the limb will hold. Faith, then, is the hallmark of the audacious.

But some would disagree. They would say that ego is the hallmark of the audacious. In some instances this may be true. We've all witnessed audacious people who's boldness stems from an overdose of narcissism, or even stupidity.

There is an audacity which is courage. On the negative side there is a courage marked by impudence and temerity.

There is a short paragraph in The Radical Leap that distinguishes between the two, "The difference comes down to love versus ego. Love-inspired audacity is courageous and bold and filled with valor. It's the kind of audacity that's required to change the world for the better. Ego-inspired audacity is just a pain in the a**. In other words, some people are audacious just for the purpose of drawing attention to themselves; they're not concerned about anything other than their image."

As Jesus followers we are called to be audacious out of love for Christ and His Gospel. The Spirit of Christ leads us to be daring and courageous so that people's lives will be changed, the church will grow and the Kingdom will advance. Audacious leaders are finding success in church transformation because of their inspiring and courageous love, along with the daring leaps that are expressions of that love.

On the other hand, there is a type of church leader that pushes hard for church growth and change, because they want to be a success in the eyes of others. They strive for bragging rights. Seldom does such motivation lead to lasting church transformation or growth. We can all be prey to this temptation, and we should guard against it.

Temptation to be audacious out of wrong motives will dog leaders, but that is no reason NOT to nudge the audacious quotient up the scale in our leadership styles. Leadership by definition means getting out in front of the pack. In itself, that can be daunting for some pastors. Yet, when motivated by deep love, for people, for Jesus, for the Kingdom, we will find the courage to make some audacious moves. So, get out there and bust some Holy Spirit inspired moves for the Kingdom! Even if your feet get a little tangled up in the effort, you will make Jesus smile!

Adaptive Stance Towards the World

I'm reading The Monkey and the Fish by Dave Gibbons. I usually don't do this, but I just have to pass along a quote from his book. Sorry, it's a long one:

"In my journeys, what's becoming clear to me is that the more adaptive we are to the Holy Spirit and to diverse people groups and settings, the more we reflect who Jesus is and impact this new flat world.

Author Thomas Fiedman has become a bit of a prophetic voice in this regard in the area of culture, politics, and business. In his seminal book, The World Is Flat, he describes some of the forces at work that are creating the groundwork and necessity for a third-culture movement in the church: 'Two aspects of culture have struck me as particularly relevant in the flat world. One is how outward your culture is: To what degree is it open to foreign influences and ideas? How well does it "glocalize" (a term that combines the necessity of both local and global initiatives--it's not a choice)? The other, more intangible, is how inward your culture is.'

In other words, organizations with cultures that intentionally or unintentionally maintain an inward focus--a culture of exclusivity and a leariness of and even suspicion toward differences and change--are in real trouble in this twenty-first-century global village of ours. Conversely, the more an organization's culture naturally glocalizes--the more easily our local cultures can absorb and embrace foreign ideas and best practices and meld those with the best of traditions and values--the greater the boon we will enjoy in the new world."

Gibbons goes on to say that the task of the church today is to live as third-culture people. He defines "third-culture" as the mindset and will to love, learn, and serve in any culture, even in the midst of pain and discomfort. It's what God did for us in Jesus when He stepped into our rebellious milieu to love us and rescue us. In turn the Father sends us into the world, just as He sent His Son. We do this best when we accomplish it in a third-culture, adaptive manner. Missionaries "get" what Gibbons is saying. We can learn from them, because increasingly every church will need to be missionary in ministering to today's world.

Ordained ABC Minister Compensation Comparisons

Each year MMBB (The Ministers & Missionaries Benefit Board) publishes a report which provides the average compensation of ordained American Baptist ministers organized according to regions. Across the entire denomination the average compensation (cash salary & housing benefit) reported on January 1, 2009 was $48,380. This represents an average increase of 2.21% over the prior year as reported on January 1, 2008.

As a minister you may be interested in how the ABCNW compares to other Regions in the ABC-USA.

There are 35 regional units. Some of these are mostly urban, such as Washington, D.C., New York Metro, Philadelphia Baptist Association and L.A. City Society. It should be no surprise that these have some of the highest average ministry compensations. Indeed Washington, D.C. tops the list with an average compensation of $73,786. However, the second highest compensation is the Region of the South with an average of $66,710.

ABC of the Northwest ranks 31st out of all Regions with an average compensation of $40,293. This figure represents a meager increase of 0.53% over the prior year. We're fifth from the bottom. The lowest compensation is in the Dakotas with an average of $36,577. By comparison the average compensation in Oregon is $52,570. In Growing Healthy Churches (ABC West) the average is $57,478. And, in Evergreen Baptist Association the average is $53,745. EBA experienced an astounding 22.55% increase over the prior year in which the average was $43,855.

What does this tell us? One, is that on the whole churches in the ABCNW are struggling to pay ministers at the level they deserve. Second, we are a Region with many small churches in rural settings where economic conditions may be a challenge. I know of some churches that pay their pastor less than that of a starting school teacher, yet expect the pastor to work 50 to 60 hours a week. This is hardly fair. Other churches are generous, and are compensating their pastors as they should.

I would remind all that the Bible urges fair remuneration for those who work in the "field of the Lord." Paul writes in 1 Timothy 5:7, "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." The word "elder" may be translated as "minister" or "pastor" in that the church in Ephesus, about which Paul is writing to Timothy, was led by a team of elders. These elders worked diligently for the church, directing its ministries. They regularly preached and taught. Paul asserts that these ministers "are worthy of double honor." This is Paul's euphemistic way of saying "double pay." The work of a pastor is extremely important, and as such deserves compensation at such a level it would be considered twice the norm. In other words, it is right for a congregation to be generous, not stingy, as it compensates its pastor.

I once heard someone say that a pastor's salary should be equal to that of a High School Principal, or at least that of an Elementary School Principal. Given that the pastor operates in a myriad of roles, including that of leader. Given that the pastor must do significant research and provide a public talk every week based on that research. Given that most pastors have completed 7 years of higher education. And, given that working in the spiritual realm is highly significant work, I think this suggested guideline is defensible.

You should know that MMBB works with our Region in providing information regarding average compensations in specific locales. On request, MMBB will produce an analysis comparing churches of similar size in our Region. If you have need of this service please call the ABCNW office. We have done this for a good number of our churches. It's good to have MMBB as a partner in our ministry together.