A New Discussion: Church Revitalization

I mentioned to a friend on Tuesday that I was waiting for someone step up and really begin a significant conversation about church revitalization. It may have happened this morning.

Kevin Smith, associate professor of Church History here at Southern, preached a powerful message earlier today in chapel about ministering in difficult contexts. In a Christian culture where church planting and guaranteed salaries for pastors are becoming more and more prevalent, are young ministers willing to sacrifice security and comfort in order to revitalize dying churches full of difficult people?

I have often wondered if I am called to such a field. I am beginning to think maybe I am... I pray that I will be willing if the call comes.

Please watch this and pray that pastors will hear the call and begin a significant church revitalization movement in America.

(If you are viewing this post in a feedreader or on Facebook, you will need to click though to the original post to view the video.)

The Folly of Christian Celebrity

The information age has brought forth many excellent opportunities for Christian leaders to multiply their influence in a gospel-centered manner.

But recently I have become aware of a particular problem associated with the expanding impact of Christian leaders.

The issue here--if you haven't already guessed--is Christian celebrity.

Let me qualify what I mean by Christian celebrity really quickly: it is a Christian leader who has expanded their influence beyond the borders of their church or seminary or ministry and has gathered a national/international following to the point that followers are concerned as much about the Christian leader's personal life, his likes/dislikes, etc. as they are with his theology and his preaching/teaching.

There are several problems here as I'm sure you can guess.

First of all, consider allegiances. Paul was grateful that he did not baptize the believers in Corinth so that they would not hop his bandwagon or Apollos' bandwagon or Peter's bandwagon (1 Cor 1:10-17). He wanted the Corinthians to be unequivocally tied to Jesus Christ. A Christian leader is a Christian celebrity if he is not willing to say, when his new book has been published, to the particular region that he ministers in, "I am certainly glad that none of you have read my book because I don't want you to say I am of [insert Christian leader's name], but rather that you all are of Jesus Christ."

Secondly, consider the distinction between gleaning from and mimicking a Christian leader. If a Christian leader is gleaned from in the area of biblical truth, he does not become a Christian celebrity. The Holy Spirit uses the Christian leader as a means to an end; the end is the glory of God through preaching/teaching/writing. But if the Christian leader is mimicked in preaching/teaching/writing style or in likes/dislikes then the Christian leader becomes a Christian celebrity. There is a popular professor here at Southern who listens to secular music and has defended it. Others have used the simple fact that he, as a Christian leader, listens to secular music as a justification for their own endeavors. They have turned him into a Christian celebrity.

Finally, consider the Christian celebrity. By elevating some Christian leaders to celebrity status, we have put them in a difficult position. There are some that succumb to the temptation to act in particular ways because of the privilege that many Christians have led them to believe that they have. When we tie ourselves to the celebrity of a Christian leader and mimic them in our day to day actions and mimic them in our preaching/teaching/writing we have undermined a very important biblical principle that Paul also points out in 1 Corinthians 1:

"God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,"

Why?

"So that no human being might boast in the presence of God."

As Christians we should not give other Christians any inclination that they have the right to boast in the presence of God. None of us have the ability to do anything apart from God; not even Christian leaders who write gobs of books. We all wage war with the flesh; even the influential Christian leader who has been entrusted with the spiritual wellbeing of hundreds.

Now, more than ever, is a time where Christians can go online and read and listen to resources of hundreds if not thousands of doctrinally sound preachers and teachers. Please be aware that the things said and done that bear the mark of a particular Christian leader have the power to turn that individual into a Christian celebrity. And that is a precarious position for both the follower and the followed.

Piper and Preaching

This video was posted a week ago and I found it to be very encouraging. I have often thought that I will not be able to proclaim God's Word in an adequate way although I have an extreme passion and desire to do so. I wonder sometimes why the bridge from my mind to my mouth tends to collapse without warning.

After watching this video, my prayer has become reinforcement and fortification of that bridge. And I have come to the conclusion that it starts in the heart.

To Those Who Would Discourage Seminary

I came across a blog post this week entitled, "Why You Shouldn't Go to Seminary." It made me sad. For a few reasons.

First of all, the author did not indicate anything good about seminary. He painted all seminaries with a broad brush and lumped all seminarians into one big category. This is unfortunate for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because not all seminaries are the same; and secondly, because not all people are the same. Sure, there are seminaries that are theologically sound but produce a glut of unprepared ministers and sure, there are stuck-up theology and ministry snobs who think they are invincible, but the author gives the idea that every seminary is a mess and every seminary student is a tool. This is not the case.

Secondly, the author drew an absolute conclusion based on, what he admits to be, generalized premises. To say that "you should not go to seminary" is a leap from "over-generalizations." And an unwarranted leap.

Finally, the author does not build up or encourage his brothers and sisters in seminary, but frowns upon their decision to pursue a seminary degree. This is the saddest part of the whole article to me. Are there not those out there who are attempting to become effective ministers of God's Word through seminary training? I assure you, there are; seminaries are not producing cookie-cutter pastors who possess no flexibility, are only concerned with theology and not the state of their people's souls, and are incapable of sharing the gospel. Some of those people may exist, but not every seminary grad is that way. The author's failure to demonstrate that there are positive aspects to seminary and a seminary education tears down and does not build up.

So, if you are called to ministry should you go to seminary? Maybe; maybe not. Should you write off seminary because some people do it wrong? No. Examine your heart and its intentions before the living God. And please, please, whatever your persuasion may be, do not tear your brothers and sisters down.

Pastor Styles: Casual Sunday

Well, it's summer. And that means nearly unprecedented amounts of church fun manifested in "Casual Sundays." Here are three items you may see your pastor modeling on such an occasion.



Firstly, the braided belt. These relics garnish many pastor's closets and typically make their first appearance around Memorial Day when the deacon board decides jeans are allowed in the pulpit.





Secondly, the American flag tie. Summer offers plenty of opportunities to show unbridled patriotism and the pastor is not immune. Nothing makes the Galatians 5:1 sermon pop like donning one of these little gems.




Finally, the Hawaiian shirt. Popularized by a particular Californian pastor, the Hawaiian shirt has become a staple of "Casual Sunday." But beware if a pastor rocks this style too often; there may be a subliminal message being sent to the trustees that he wants a couple more vacation days next year.



If you liked this post, you can check out an earlier edition of "Pastor Styles."

Pastor Styles

Here are two styles that pastors enjoy sporting on Sunday mornings.

First is the style I have coined the "British Politician" or sometimes simply the "Casual Politician." It consists of a full suit or a sport coat with a lightly colored/patterned, open collared shirt. This look has found its way into many churches who want their pastors to be more "approachable."

Second is the style I like to call the "Substitute Teacher." Typically black slacks are accompanied by a short-sleeved dress shirt and a tie. Judgement can be rendered about his church's giving habits because this look tends to mean the pastor can't afford an air-conditioning unit (or at least that's what it meant in the 70's).

Forty-Five Stabs in the Heart

Read this list. If you are not convicted by 50% of the statements, check your pulse. You may be dead.

Churches, Do Not Abandon Downtown

I have lived if Fargo for nearly four years now and I have observed several things.

1. People run stoplights and stop signs like they don't even exist.
2. The restaurant to person ratio is approximately 7 to 1.
3. Apartment complexes are being built at an astronomical rate. And yet I see many neon-colored signs in front of the 10 year old complexes because they can't rent out all their units.
   
4. When shopping at Wal-Mart, the average wait time in line is 15 minutes. Three blocks away at Sunmart, the average wait time in line is .15 minutes.
5. There are a million one acre parks. I wish there was a one million acre park.
6. Everyone goes to lunch at noon. The line at Subway does not exist at 11:55, but at noon it's out the door.
   
7. In addition to number 6, everyone gets done with work at between 4 and 4:30 making traffic ridiculous for a half hour every day.
8. If a Fargo driver is on a street with more than one lane and has to turn right in 3 miles, that driver will make sure and be in the right lane the whole time no matter how many cars are already in that lane or how slow traffic is going in that lane. This creates quite a large amount of congestion, but only in one lane. The other lanes are usually empty.
9. Fargo is one big suburb with no urban area.
10. Number ten is the one I want to discuss in short. While number nine is true, according to my observation this is about to change. Here is number ten: many churches in Fargo, that have seen a significant amount of growth the past few years, are moving south.

Why do I want to focus on number ten? Because as Fargo develops more and more of an urban area, there is going to be a larger call on churches to participate in urban affairs. This is an exciting time for the Fargo community. Along with urbanization comes new and exciting cultures as well as a heightened sense of community. So why are some churches vacating the downtown area?

I understand that part of the issues is space. Churches that grow need more of it. What I hope is that their relocation is not out of fear. I want to scream when I hear people say that with urban areas are cesspools of crime and drug culture. That kind of thinking is a blatant subscription to unwarranted stereotypes and needs to be removed. And while it might be a while before we see a large urban area in Fargo, churches need to be present during the urbanization process. Churches that run for the suburbs when a neighborhood gets a little tough need to reassess their mission. If churches stuck around before the bad times hit and invested in their immediate community, maybe the crime and drug culture would not become as predominate.

I pray that Fargo churches would not dash for the outskirts of town. If it's space that is needed plant a church or start a new campus. If it's funds that are needed, trust God to provide.

Urban areas allow for a mighty impact.

Churches, do not abandon downtown.

Submerged

I got dunked this past Sunday.

I was baptized as an infant, but since that day my theology concerning baptism has changed considerably, given the fact that I now possess the ability to comprehend the world around me.

Check out Brett's blog to find out all the double dunking details.

Baptism has been a bit of a difficult topic for me. I guess I know where I stand theologically, but I constantly struggled with the right time and place to be baptized. I was always worried that my heart would not be in the right place. And if it were up to me, it would never be in the right place.

One word: Grace.

Well. Sunday morning rolled around and God made Grace as real as it ever has been to me. I was moved deeply by God's Grace throughout the service until I went into the tank and it continued throughout the day.

Shoot. I just need to trust that God will get me where I need to go. He makes my heart right, not me.

An Important Conversation

Last fall I attended the 2007 Desiring God National Conference. Twice over the weekend the speakers sat down and answered questions that were immediately relevant to the theme of the conference, Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints. It was a time marked by transparency and humility and had an immense impact on the way that I view ministry.

Below is a clip from the first of the two conversations. John Piper and John MacArthur answered questions from Justin Taylor. You can also view both conversations in their entirety as well as the rest of the sessions at desiringGod.org.



You will notice that there is nothing earth-shattering about what either man said. However, they were, and still are, faithful to the fundamental principles of Scripture and God has grown their ministries. It is encouraging to my heart to hear faithful servants attribute their success in ministry, not to a magic formula that they applied to their situation or to doing all the right things, but to the faithfulness of God.

New ESV Study Bible

There is a new ESV Study Bible coming out in October. Take a look at it.

I also wanted to compile some resources related to the English Standard Version. They have been helpful in making the case for the ESV in my mind.

1. ESV.org
2. John Piper: Good English with Mimimal Translation
3. Mark Driscoll: Pastoral Reflections on Bible Translations
4. Ligonier Ministries: About the English Standard Version Translation
5. Endorsements for the Reformation Study Bible (ESV)
   
   
   

Christian Bookstores

Once every 4-6 months I build up enough patience to venture into a Christian Bookstore. And it takes approximately 7.4 minutes for me to lose all of the patience that I had accumulated. Why you ask? Heed the following observations/ frustrations/ questions/ warnings.

1. Christian Bookstores are petri dishes of false humility. Every 4-6 months when I walk into one I feel like I see an exponentially greater number of faces slapped on book covers. I'm not talking about a postage size stamp picture on the back next to the author's bio, I'm talking about massive, airbrushed, well-positioned, self-exalting pictures. Consider for a minute why, when (or should I say if) their message is Christ, an author would feel that it is necessary to plant their mug on the cover of their book.
2. Christian Bookstores celebrate celebrity as much as the world. There are whole sections of books that dedicated to athletes, presidents, and their wives. Do these people have something spiritual to say to us? Maybe. I won't say that they never do. But the pressures of being the first lady or Brett Favre's wife pale in comparison to the single mom raising three children one of which has down syndrome. Does that mom need to hear about a celebrity's climb to the top or does she need to hear about Jesus Christ?
3. Be wary of books with "you" as the subject in the title. Why? It's not about you. Get over it.
4. Christian Bookstores are full of conspiracy. Russia wasn't Babylon. Iraq is looking less and less like it is Babylon. Why are we so worried that Iran is going to turn out to be Babylon? I know Ahmadinejad is sympathetic with Islamic extremism and is down with bringing about the apocalypse as he sees it, but do we need to devote a whole section to this at the Christian book store? Besides we have no need to live in fear of this. Jesus is coming back. He will take care of it. Don't be afraid.
5. Where are all the books by the faithful servants that went before us? I can't find any books by men like Charles Spurgeon or Jonathan Edwards. This baffles me. These men served Christ faithfully and lived lives worthy of their calling. Why are we abandoning their work?
6. Christian Bookstores like to be trendy. Trendy can be fun. You can have a nice up-to-date cover on your book or a cool modern art piece with a Bible verse on it. But how about we steer clear of letting it seep into our content, shall we? I am shocked by Teen Magazine Bibles or whatever they're called. What the heck. It looks like a magazine and has a new testament in it plus a bunch of garbage articles like "how to get a Christian boy." What is that? It's pretty hard to justify tying in an article about getting Christian boys with the book of Acts. Just don't do it.

Probably what frustrates me the most is that I see very little difference between a secular book store and a Christian one. Disagree if you like, but Christianity is about following Christ, not reading watered-down, self-enhancement manuals that mention God in a few out-of-context Bible verses. So let's follow Christ and not the Christian Bookstore trend.

You Decide 2008: Mars Hill Candidates

Rob Bell
Mars Hill Bible Church
Grandville, Michigan

Bell is the founder of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan. He is also a well know author, speaker and developed the widespread NOOMA video epidemic. He has been coined the "next Billy Graham" by the Chicago Sun Times and cracked the top 10 of TheChurchReport.com's "Top 50 Most Influential Christians in America." Bell obtained an undergraduate degree from Wheaton college, and upon realizing that he had the ability to teach, enrolled in Fuller Theological Seminary and graduated with a Masters in Divinity.

Bell's theology tastes a lot like little open theism as indicated by Greg Gilbert's review of the latest NOOMA video. The Mars Hill homepage states their theology like this: "When we begin to describe what we believe about God, we discover that he's been writing a story of hope and redemption for all the world, and we have a role to play in this story." In response, I prefer to agree with Scripture which portrays God as an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent being that doesn't require my help "writing" a story. The story is written. And it's about God and His glory.

These stances are not surprising in the least. Bell has been wishy-washy at best when it comes to the authority of Scripture and Sola Scriptura. He also calls into question the virgin birth of Christ in his book Velvet Elvis. Immediately this seems harmless enough, but when one takes a closer look one sees the tremendous impact and follies of this poorly thought out hypothetical. If Christ were the Son of a man, not conceived of the Holy Spirit, he would have been born into sin therefore making a perfect life impossible and ultimately left Christ's death ineffective and unable to justify anyone or anything. This does not bode well for redemption. At least he is consistent. If he questions the authority of Scripture then by all means question the virgin birth. And in a theology where the virgin birth is irrelevant it is probably true that God does need us to help out in "writing a story of hope and redemption for all the world."


Mark Driscoll
Mars Hill Chruch
Seattle, Washington

Driscoll is the co-founder of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. He also co-founded the Acts 29 Network and is a major contributor to the missonal resource website, The Resurgence. He graduated from Washington State with a degree in communications and is continuing his education at Western Seminary in Portland. Driscoll has been characterized as a new kind of fundamentalist and a maverick. Personally, he refers to himself as a "charismatic Calvinist." He received criticism in 2006 from friend and mentor John Piper. Joshua Harris recounts this in his blog: "As if he (Piper) were speaking to Mark, he said (and I paraphrase), 'A pastor cannot be clever and show Christ as glorious. Mark Driscoll, you’re clever. You have an amazing ability to turn a phrase and make statements that draw people back week after week. But it’s dangerous. So many pastors will see you and try to imitate you and then try to watch all the movies and TV shows so they can try to be like you.' In essence, Piper was bringing correction to certain aspects of Driscoll’s style and delivery, while stating that they agreed on the most important issues of doctrine."

Driscoll's theology is essentially Reformed. He has called himself a 4 1/2 point Calvinist. Very early in his career Driscoll associated himself with the emergent movement; however, he has become a major voice against the camp which is inhabited by influential evangelical thinkers like Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones, and, his Michigan Mars Hill friend, Rob Bell.

What separates Driscoll from Bell? First, the authority of Scripture. Bell wavers while Driscoll is unwavering. Scripture is uncompromised at Mars Hill Seattle through exegetical preaching while Bell shows us that he is not so sure in Velvet Elvis. Secondly, Jesus. Driscoll emphasizes Christ as risen Lord, ruling over all of creation, sovereign and unchangeable, perfect in life, glorified in death, and in his resurrection reigning from His seat at the Father's right hand. Bell emphasizes Jesus and his life on earth and the mission that He had. According to Bell, Jesus came to spread love and invoke a redemptive process by jump starting efforts to bring His kingdom to earth.

Both of these gentlemen have "effective" ministries; both have an impact in their communities and are doing wonderful things in their respective cities. Both of these men are my brothers in Christ. However, are both men preaching Christ and him crucified? That's an important question to ask and the question I will leave you with.

Understanding Little Understanding

There are so many things that I do not understand; so many things leave me puzzling for hours. And when my mind is battered and bruised I am only inclined to one response.

The paradoxes that exist within Christianity are indeed immense. And I use the word “paradox” not in a way that questions the legitimacy of the truth that has been revealed to me, but rather as a word, if speaking about anything other than these deep truths (with the Word of God as my canon), would seem borderline ridiculous. And yet these paradoxes occur intensely and without end it seems. I will elaborate.

I am fascinated to continue to find that God is large. He encompasses all that is. He is completely sovereign over all creation (Isaiah 45:9, 46:8-11, Psalm 115:3, 135:6, Romans 9:18-24). He foreordained all that there has been, is, and ever will be (Jeremiah 1:5, John 10:14, Acts 2:23, Romans 8:29-30, Ephesians 2:8-9). He is in and of Himself all-sufficient. He is majestic and powerful. He is just and the justifier (Romans 3:26). He is everything that is beautiful. He cannot be contained or manipulated or changed or brought to an end. He is everlasting (Isaiah 9:6, Psalm 90:2). He controls the furthermost galaxies down to every neutron orbiting around a nucleus that exists at every time since time began. He is the sustainer of all things. He is all-knowing (Psalm 139), completely supreme (I Chronicles 29:11-12), all- powerful (Psalm 62:11), and good in all He does (Psalm 52:1). And He is, most importantly, all that we are not, and that is Holy, Holy, Holy (Isaiah 6:3-5, I John 1:5, Revelation 15:4). God indeed is God.

And yet this supreme Deity has called on us to partake with Him in His infinite Glory! Why? Do you see the divine paradox? God loves us and has called us to be with Him and share in his Glory. But a God who is bound by nothing, limited to nothing, infinite in everyway, calls His lowly creation, made disgusting by sin, to be blanketed by the righteousness of His Son who was sent into the world to suffer and serve that those whom His Father had given Him might be saved. Why? This is inconceivable. We know that God’s Glory is not contingent on His creature. Jesus tells us in John 8 that the Father seeks His own Glory. And we know that Jesus’ witness is true because only a few lines later He says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus was with the Father from before time and He is God. He claims it right here. Moses saw the burning bush and asked who was sending him and God’s reply was “I am who I am.” And if we believe that the incomplete list in the previous paragraph is true and that God is indeed all of those things, than we must believe that God’s Glory is maximized at all times. His Glory is completely contained within Himself. And yet He wants to share it with His people (John 17:22, Romans 8:30). God indeed is love.

As those chosen by the Father, given to Christ, how are we to respond to this? Recently this has been what I have found: We are to strive. But we are not to strive blindly and without purpose, but rather to enter God’s rest as the author speaks of in Hebrews 4. Here is the only place that we can truly find peace and understand the love that God has bestowed upon us through the saving power of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And I administer this warning: emphasis on God being God or God being Love without the desire to understand the other amazing side of His person is ludicrous. In Him, God has made us to lean to one side or to the other, but if He has positioned us on the left we must strive all the more to enter the rest of the Father through the narrow gate of Jesus Christ that we may know the right and become balanced. True understanding that God is God will drive us to want to understand His love and experience His attributes firsthand. Just as true understanding that God is Love should drive us to want to know God’s infiniteness even more so that His love may become incorruptible in our minds.

But how is this attained? Back to rest. All we can do is pray that God will grant us the proper response. Seeking Christ is all we can do and that requires resting in Him. Hebrews 4 also says “strive to enter that rest.” What does that mean? Simply that the rest of Christ is what we desire. We do not rest in worldly things, but in Christ alone. That is much easier said than done and that is why the command is to strive.

God is God; we are not. Rest in that. God is Love; He delights in the welfare of His people. Rest in that.