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.

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