When God Invades the Seams

Not long after coming to the northwest my wife encouraged me to take up fly fishing again. She’s a good wife. Actually, she thought our son would love this Northwest sport. Plus it would be something we could do together. She was right on both counts. Now he out fishes me on any day. (Proof of such can be found on my Facebook page.)

As I was learning to think like a trout someone said, “You’ve got to fish the seams.” That was confusing advice at first, but I found it to be true. Fishing only calm waters produces few trout. It’s better to cast in a place where fast water and slow water converge, that is, a seam. Seams carry foam, bubbles, dirt, trash and muddy water in them marking the convergence of the two flows. Trout cruise alongside seams, and dart inside ingesting any bugs that are in the mix. And, there’s usually more bugs in seams than most other places in the stream. Seams have the potential to produce trout for the wise fisherman.

The glowing lights and glitter of the Christmas season can mask the fact that God sent Jesus into the seam of this world. Under the sparkling veneer the world has been, and continues to be, a broken and trashy mess. According to the Scriptures, the world is under a curse and in desperate need of liberation. For the creation was subjected to frustration…in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay. (Romans 8:20-21) Jesus came into our dark world to bring the light of His grace and salvation. And, to free us from our bondage to sin and evil. But, to do this, he had to step into the muck and mess of this world, and die.

This is a shock to those who expected God to show up at the local religious club for some nice chit-chat. Jesus came to this world to save sinners, not the righteous. That’s why we find Him on the wrong side of the tracks. He came for the spiritually destitute. God, through His Son, invaded the seams of this world in order to save the world. Jesus indicated so with these words, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)

As Christ-followers we are called to emulate our Lord. Jesus saves us, then deploys us. His disciples eschew huddling together with backs turned against the world. Rather, He sends His people into the world to serve it through the announcement of the Gospel accompanied with ministries of blessing (and, sometimes, vice-versa). Jesus calls us to be fishers of men.

For churched people like us, our best prospects for fishing will always be in the world’s seams. Jesus calls us to minister first to the un-churched, pre-churched, and de-churched. That is, we are to fish the seams before tending the aquarium. This goes against our natural grain, especially at the institutional church level. Too often we assume that the church’s business is to focus on church business. But, it isn’t. As C.S. Lewis once wrote, “The church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time . . . It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose.” This is why we have to constantly challenge ourselves to put feet to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment and obey both.

Missiologists inform us that the church is most effective when it emulates Jesus in this way: ministering in the seams; going to the boundaries. Church Growth 101 confirms it to be true. If a church desires to be effective in outreach it would be wise to Identify, and reach out to, the people who are most likely to be receptive. (George Hunter writing in The Apostolic Congregation, pg 64)

Studies have confirmed that the people most receptive to the Gospel are those who are living in a seam. These can be people who have recently lost their job, or secured a job. It can be people who have moved into the community. Or, it can be young couples starting a family. Or, singles who have just graduated from college and starting a career. Or, it can be people who are addicted to alcohol, drugs or gambling, and they are looking for a way out. Receptive people can be those who are grieving, the poor, the physically disabled…it simply takes willingness to identify them and reach out to them. That is, we have to follow the Jesus-way and wade into this worlds’ seams by discerning the needs and the possibilities that we find in them for ministry.

As we all reflect on the mystery of the Word become flesh throughout this Advent season let’s not lose sight that God invaded the seams of our world for His redemptive purpose. He calls His church to join Him in this work of liberating the world from the darkness of its sin and decay through spreading the Gospel of His Son, whom He gave. I’m so grateful that He did so. God bless you richly this Christmas!

Advantages of a Covenant Group - Part Two

This is a continuation of a previous post about clergy peer groups. ABCNW is heavily invested in these. We call our groups, "Leadership Learning Communities." Two recent studies provided concrete evidence that such groups yield many positive benefits for pastors and their churches. I listed several of these in a previous posting.

The study also investigated whether there was any correlation between congregational growth and peer group involvement. The resounding answer was "yes." Participation in a group correlated with congregational growth.

There were two caveats, however. First, longevity in group involvement was a factor. The longer the pastoral leader participated in a group the more likely it was that his or her congregation would experience growth. The most productive years seemed to be in the fourth year of participation and beyond.

Second caveat, the peer group had to have structure, usually marked by a trained facilitator and an established curriculum.

The researchers discovered a strong relationship between congregational health as marked by growth and peer group involvement. Much stronger than they anticipated. This factor was as important as other, more obvious predictors of church growth. For the record, the other predictors of church growth, according to their research, included a youthful congregation, broad hands-on participation in ministry by the laity, little or no congregational conflict, spiritual vibrancy and clear mission. The researchers noted this consistent thread in their study: Pastors involved in structured peer groups tend to be missional leaders and are personally involved in their communities. Growth is one predictable result.

Based on their investigation the researchers also listed the practices of effective peer groups:

• A high level of contact between group members (including meetings but especially emails/phone calls)
• A leader/facilitator who inspires confidence
• A group that provides accountability and practical help with some attention to intellectual challenge & spiritual refueling
• A group that is cohesive, "like a family"
• A group whose practices focus on ministry improvement through exploring innovative ideas & resources as well as sharing/getting feedback about personal & ministry problems.

They summarized these characteristics with this comment: "peer groups that renew their members' ministries provide a stimulating mix of the practical, the intellectual, and the spiritual along with a certain amount of 'holding each others feet to the fire' in terms of accountabilty."

The results of this study impressed upon me that we are on the right track in providing Leadership Learning Communities for our pastors. LLCs are a great resource and they are working for us. I encourage every pastor to be an active participant in one. The next step for us in this journey with leadership clusters is the extension of their benefits to lay leaders. Concepts for doing this are being considered. So, stay tuned.

The study I reference in this posting was financed by the Lilly Endowment and conducted by the Austin Presbyterian Seminary. Title: "A Study of the Effects of Participation in SPE Pastoral Leader Peer Groups." Published, April, 2010.

Back to the Heart of Worship

The following reflections on worship come from Chad Marvin, Pastor of Worship and Arts at The Summit Church in Boise, ID. These are thoughtful words for all who struggle with the shifts in music style, a necessary move to reach various cultures and generations for Christ:

"One of the questions that surfaces from time to time is why we provide the type of music we do during corporate worship. Some would prefer to hear all things contemporary, while others would prefer all things traditional.

For many people traditional music provides them with rich experiences with Jesus. These songs make up a good portion of their heart language. They are reminded of who God is and what He's done and what He's doing now. They can draw us in and contribute to wonderful moments in His presence. Many of these songs do not have generational boundaries. They have the power to reach any age. Occasionally, I'll have someone, even in their teens, ask if we could do a hymn like "How Great Thou Art" or "Amazing Grace" or an older chorus like "Great Is the Lord." I think that's cool!

However, I've also come to understand that what speaks to one culture may not speak to another. I'd like to believe that this isn't true. I'l like to believe that whatever I've experienced: whatever has moved me, whether it be a particular type of music or something else, whatever has drawn me closer to Jesus; would be the same thing that will draw everyone else from every walk of life to Him. If that were true, being in the service of my Creator King would be so much easier. But, that isn't the case.

Different cultures are moved by different forms of communication and each culture has its own heart language. This has been the struggle with worship music even as hymnody was coming into play centuries ago. Isaac Watts (author of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" and 750 more hymns) was told that he shouldn't be writing lyrics that weren't taken directly from the Psalms. Critics admonished he should only be writing "inspirational hymns." For some, Watts' "uninspired hymns" didn't make the cut and he was beaten up for his music on several occasions. If you're not familiar with the music of Isaac Watts, take some time and look up his name on the internet. You may be surprised at what you learn.

Like many churches, the Summit Church is made up of several different cultures; people from different walks of life. When it comes to music here, some people are drawn into a rich experience with Jesus through older choruses; some by listening to a piano solo during communion and others through the sweet voice of an oboe playing the opening lines of "Come Thou Fount." So we have the 8:30 AM service which is blended with all of the above.

Still others are drawn in by the steady beat of the band and the lyrics of the song "Bring the Rain" by Mercy or "Here I Am" by Downhere. Many would prefer a more driving worship experience with the music of Hillsong. So we have a contemporary service at 11:00 AM.

It's not perfect by any stretch. We don't always manage to speak to everyone with their heart language. I don't expect we ever will. I can't imagine we could do better than Isaac Watts though (I don't expect we'll ever come close), and I do believe that God works through the music and corporate worship every week in powerful ways. I'm so looking forward to worshiping with you this fall and throughout the coming year."

How Do We Engage Our Culture?

Recently Pastor Dave Roberts, in his church's newsletter, provided some excellent thoughts regarding the challenge of Christians engaging culture. He acknowledges that all of us live in the culture and each of us are effected by it. He presses on to ask an important question, "Since every culture is 'fallen' what do we do about it. What should be our stance towards the culture?" Here are some of his thoughts:

"Some take an adversarial position, saying that culture is the enemy of Christ and the church. Their perspective is that Christ will come and make it right. In the meantime the Christian's job is to rescue as many people as possible by pulling them out of the culture. Christians are to live separated and apart from the culture.

Some embrace the culture. These Christians say that it's best to go with the flow. If we are to gain a hearing for Christ, we can't appear to be too odd or different for fear that the culture will just dismiss us as a crazy sect or quacks. Therefore, we need to re-order our values so we can get close to others and sound enough like them they will listen.

Some say we engage the culture for the purpose of Kingdom transformation. This is where I see myself and the church needing to be. We need to be in the culture but to keep our eye on Christ. We have to be in the culture for the right reasons...For me, this means paying attention to what's going on 'out there.' We need to be able to 'speak the language,' but speak in a way that's filled with God's justice and compassion.

The culture is constantly pushing and enticing us to use the language and speech patterns of the world. Yet, when we find our identity in the Lord, we, our speech, and actions are transformed. Where we are (in the culture) is not the source of our identity. We can be in a mess, but not have our identity be a mess.

The forces at work within a culture (not just our American culture) have always and will always be at work calling us to this idol or that idol rather than to the living God. God calls us to be transformed, to change from the values of the culture to the values of the Kingdom of God. We can then take that transforming power into the culture."

[Rev. Dave Roberts is co-pastor with Rev. Manuel Luguin at First Baptist/Communidad Cristiana of Yakima, WA, a multi-ethinic congregation within the ABC of the Northwest.]

Advantages of a Covenant Group-Part One

How important is it for pastors to engage in a clergy covenant group? According to two recent studies it's extremely important. The difference between pastors engaged in a group and those not involved shows up in their churches. In our Region we call them Leadership Learning Communities (LLCs). Here's a summary of what was discovered:

Those who participate in a covenant group are more likely to create a culture of involvement within their congregations. What's that mean? It means pastors were more likely to involve their people in leadership and ministry. There was more participation by laypeople in each of these areas: 1) New member's classes 2) Communion 3) Worship leadership 4) Church ministries and 5) Rotation through leadership roles.

Pastors involved in a covenant group have churches with an organized presence and involvement of youth. This included the greater likelihood of a youth minister on staff. Additionally there were higher incidences of the following: 1) A youth program including conferences and camps 2) Congregational events planned and led by youth 3) Youth serving on congregational committees and boards.

There was more intentional involvement in the community including a vision of the congregation as a community change agent. Pastors engaged in a group led their churches with a strong emphasis on community service. There was an expectation within the church that the pastor would be out in the community representing the congregation.

Furthermore, pastors who were involved in a group enjoyed more congregational support for continuing education. Their churches committed more dollars to finance the ongoing retooling of the pastor. There were congregational expectations and requirements for the pastor to do continuing education.

These factors alone are enough to build a solid case for life-long engagement in a clergy learning group. But, there's even more reason for pastors to be a part of a LLC. More on that in the next posting.

Thanks to Joe Kutter with ABC Ministers Council for directing me to this information. If you are interested in digging deeper into these findings go to Austin Presbyterian Seminary College of Pastoral Leaders.

N.T. Wright on Resurrection and Mission

N. T. Wright's book, Surprised by Hope, is full of biblical insight on the resurrection and the ascension in light of God's plans for our future. Throughout the book he makes the point that the hope of resurrection is not an escape plan into a future realm called heaven. Rather, it is the first fruit of a great transformation which will eventually result in a new earth and a new heaven. Through the atoning death of Christ and His resurrection power the entire world will eventually be completely overhauled. Until that day we are called to join God in expanding the reign of Christ in this world while anticipating that His reign will be fully consummated in the world to come. In other words, resurrection, is not only a basis for our present and future hope, it is a call to engage in mission. Here's a short quote to whet your appetite for more:

"[The resurrection and ascension] are designed not to take us away from this earth but rather to make us agents of the transformation of this earth...

Faced with his beautiful and powerful creation in rebellion, God longed to set it right, to rescue it from continuing corruption and impending chaos and to bring it back into order and fruitfulness. God longed, in other words, to reestablish his wise sovereignty over the whole creation, which would mean a great act of healing and rescue.

He did not want to rescue humans from creation any more than he wanted to rescue Israel from the Gentiles. He wanted to rescue Israel in order that Israel might be a light to the Gentiles, and he wanted thereby to rescue humans in order that humans might be his rescuing stewards over creation...

Atonement, redemption, and salvation are what happen on the way because engaging in this work demands that people themselves be rescued from the powers that enslave the world in order that they can in turn be rescuers. To put it another way, if you want to help inaugurate God's kingdom, you must follow in the way of the cross, and if you want to benefit from Jesus's saving death, you must become part of his Kingdom project.

Heaven's rule, God's rule, is thus to be put into practice in the world, resulting in salvation in both the present and the future, a salvation that is both for humans and, through saved human, for the wider world. This is the solid basis for the mission of the church."

But you are the chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you--from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. ~ 1 Peter 2:9-10 Message

Encouraging Personal Evangelism

During the last six years, or more, I've urged pastors and leaders to move their churches in an externally focused direction. Our pastors have read books that describe what this looks like. These have included: The Externally Focused Church by Rusaw, Breaking the Missional Code by Stetzer & Putman, and The Present Future by McNeill...just to name a few. We've had some of these same leaders speak at our leadership training events. Many churches have started new ministries composed of loving acts of service to their immediate community. A simple desire to do good for others is the motivation, with the hope that in some small way God will receive credit for the blessings that invariably come through such ministry.

It is also hoped that through such self-less ministry that some will recognize that Jesus followers really are people who love others, radically. And, perhaps, this will jump-start spiritual conversations. Rick Rusaw explains it like this, "We decided long ago that we aren't going to serve to get noticed. We serve for two reasons: to meet basic needs and to create positive relationships." In other words, good deeds create good will so that people may be open to hearing the good news. All of this is in line with our current, and historic, theme as American Baptists, "Serving as the hands and feet of Christ."

I rejoice that many of our churches are riding the wave of externally focused ministries. The instances of churches engaged in community-based ministries have multiplied in recent years.

As our churches continue to transition from inward focus to outward focus it's important that we not jettison sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, with WORDS. Good deeds alone are insufficient to lead a person into a saving knowledge of Jesus. People must hear the truth in order to believe. And, it is the believing, in a faith and trusting sense, that saves. (Romans 1:16 & 10:17)

So, I'm advocating here for doing the hard work of evangelism, that is, talking to people about Jesus, in addition to engaging in outward focused ministries. I was reminded of this as I was reading some words penned by Dick Ottoson, the highly esteemed Minister of Seniors at FBC Anacortes (WA). He expressed his desire to see his golfing buddies come to know Jesus, and admitted, quite honestly, how hard it is at times to have them consider the person of Jesus.

Dick writes: "But I find one essential ingredient [in my discussions about Jesus with my golfing friends]. These affirm and deepen my own certainty of faith in Jesus Christ my Lord. And I believe that it has the potential to profoundly affect my friends' conclusions about the Son of God....For my friends, there are several things I need to do to influence them toward Christ. First, I need to love them, to be there as a trusted friend. Secondly, I feel called to pray for them regularly, for all the parts of their lives, including knowing Christ. I also want to gently ask probing questions about eternal issues. And as I can, I wish to encourage and assist them in looking at the New Testament accounts of the One called Jesus. In many cases, these friends have chosen to walk away from sterile or rigid forms of traditional Christianity. I don't blame them for rejecting a caricature and distortion of Jesus Christ. But how I long to help them find the real thing. Or should I say, the real person?"

Personal evangelism. I know it's challenging. I know it makes us uncomfortable. I know we can feel guilty about our lack of doing it. And, we can feel very inadequate as we attempt it. But, we have a Savior who promised that with God nothing is impossible. And, that includes talking to others about Jesus. I believe that externally focused ministries will place many opportunities before us for engaging in such conversations. So, let's open our mouths, and talk! About, Jesus, that is!

Beginning a New Year

This posting is an edited version of an article written by Pastor Jim Steiner of The Summit Church, Boise, ID. Jim is also a LLC Mentor Pastor with ABC of the Northwest. These are good words for the start of 2010:

2009 was a very challenging year, and for many of us, we are glad to see it go. But I must say this last year was also a year of watching God be God in the midst of so many things that were out of our control.

It is at times like these when all I could do was remember and remind others of God's promises. It was Jesus who said not to worry but to trust a Father who knows what we need and promises to take care of us. It is God who says that "He will never leave us or forsake us." (Hebrews 13:5)

It has been a comfort and assurance to me that God has allowed me to live some life with Him. Maybe that is the greatest blessing of age in that we have lived to see God's faithfulness. I have been through it and know that God is on the other side. Hopelessness threatened to crowd out hope, and despair to overcome faith. But God! He is the one who proved that He is God and answered in ways that now seem so simple and yet completely miraculous.

It was God who pulled back the curtain on hardships to let us see the "behind the scene" working for our good. It was God who assured us in the midst of this great grace and peace we have received in Jesus, we can exult in tribulation. God declares through Paul, "we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance proven character, and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:1-5)

God knows that in the end, proven character with hope is far more valuable than anything we had to give up to get it. I must confess that the greatest times of spiritual growth in my life have come in and through the hard places. It was during these times that I have been pressed to God and have found Him to be all that He says that He is. He is a loving Father who is always doing the best for us and He is always to be trusted.

So we begin a new year. We begin with the same promises and the same God who made those promises that we ended with in 2009. I am confident in this one thing. That whatever 2010 holds, God is still God! His promises are true and He is faithful to perform them. God cares deeply and is always working for our good. He never wastes our pain and has a wonderful plan for our life and eternity with Him to come.