Updates coming soon!

I am wanting to make this blog more formidable in 2011. I am currently working on a schedule to distribute and re-distribute content. I will be examining some of the going's on in the theological world as well as some personal experiences to share with everyone. I hope to be faithful in using this as an outlet to share some of my studies and personal spiritual growth. I find it very helpful spiritually and socially to be connected to others in blogland and I hope to join this world regularly.

In the mean time, please pray for me and my family. This next two years are gearing up to be some of the most busy and challenging yet. May God get the glory from our family's pursuit of Him.

Don't be one of These!

EIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF FALSE TEACHERS

[from Coram Deo's (Omaha, NE) eldership training class]

1. They turn secondary issues into primary ones (1 Tim 1:1-7, 2 Tim 2:23)
2. They cause division & dissension (1 Tim 6:3-5, Romans 16:17-18)
3. They prey on the weak (Rom 16:17-18, 2 Tim 3:1-9)
4. They talk a lot but say little (2 Tim 2:16, Titus 1:10)
5. They have un-Christlike character (Titus 1:16, 1 Tim 4:1-2)
6. They don’t call people to repentance (2 Tim 4:1-5, Jer 23:14)
7. They despise authority (Jude 8, Col 2:18-19)
8. They are ultimately tools of Satan himself (1 Tim 4:1, 2 Tim 3:24-26)

False teachers tend to distort the truth along one of two trajectories: legalism (1 Tim 4:1-5) or liberalism (Jude 4, 2 Pet 2:18-19)

Summer Institute: SDB Polity, Week Two

On Sunday, June 20, we started our 2nd week of Summer Institute with a test reflecting upon discussions from the first week. Then in the afternoon, we started with the topics for the rest of the course:

-Women in Ministry (or actually Women in Pastoral Leadership)

-Meaning, Forms, and Methods of Worship in SDB churches

-Baptism

-The Lord's Supper (including transubstantiation, consubstantiation, real presence, and memorial views)

-Origins of SDB General Conference (including original purpose and the "associational principle")

-Present polity and structure of the SDB General Conference (with focus on the roles of General Council, CLT, and the Executive Director)

-How General Conference functions in session (one week a year) and out of session (51 weeks a year)

-The current Ad Hoc Committee proposal on reorganization (found here)

It was a great two weeks with a great bunch of guys who love Jesus. I want to thank Pastor Gordon Lawton and Nick Kersten for teaching our class and for the students in the class for helping me learn a lot of lessons (both in the syllabus and not.!)

I would love to write or share more of my thoughts or our discussions on any interested topic. Leave a comment here, ask me on facebook, or send me an email.

Summer Institute: SDB Polity, Week One

On Monday morning, June 14 at 8:30am, 10 students, including me, started the journey toward learning "how" SDBs handle church issues. Rev. Gordon Lawton, Dean of the Center on Ministry, is our instructor.

We have tackled the following issues thus far:

Who are the People of God? (viewed from dispensational, covenantal, and antinomian perspectives)

Local Church Covenants

The Kinship System (including the tension between the Great Commandment and Great Commission)

Internal/External Balance in relation to the purpose of the church

3 Major Types of Church Polity: congregational, episcopal, presbyterian

9 Conference tests for congregational polity

process of church membership

the importance of conducting orderly business

Authority/Leadership in the church

Call to Ministry/Licensure/Ordination/Accreditation

I am looking forward to next week and what discussions wait in store for us based upon God's word. I would love to write or share more of my thoughts or our discussions on any interested topic. Leave a comment here, ask me on facebook, or send me an email.

Wisconsin Bound

I am getting ready for my last Summer Institute session in Janesville, Wisconsin. I love going to Janesville to see great friends and catch up with what they have been doing.

This visit (assuming I pass the course) and a vote on the floor of General Conference (in the affirmative) will make me an accredited SDB minister.

I am excited about this prospect. Fifteen years ago I started my quest towards ministry with a calling by God and an affirmation from my local church (Salem SDB). This summer I will have served ten different churches in some sort of ministry capacity, preached countless sermons, worked multiple camps, delivered numerous children's messages, sung in many special music presentations, started a campus ministry, gone through three Summer Institutes, graduated from four years of seminary, and made so many good friends that I cannot mention them all.

Here is the lesson in all of this doing and the one thing I am sure I have learned. I am not capable of changing one heart, even mine, with all of the learning and activity I have done. I am still fully, totally, and forever reliant upon the power of God.

I pray that what people have invested in me (time, money, patience, etc.) will bear fruit through my faithfulness and reliance upon God. Thank you so much to so many for so long!

Soli Deo Gloria

The State of the Church in the South

This is a preview video for the Advance '10 Conference that I really want to go to at the end of the month. I am not able to but in this teaser video, David Platt, a pastor in Birmingham, AL, briefly details the state of the church in the U.S. South.

Thoughts from Plant and Replant 09

It was a great time of fellowship and encouragement at Plant and Replant 09. There were many old friends there. Also, new friends and acquaintances were made. I look forward to my next opportunity of fellowship with these gentlemen seeking next steps for ministry.

Most of the folks here were pastors or church planters (or aspiring to be). This was an encouragement, especially on the replanting side of things. Replanting churches, especially in the religious South, is the next big thing. There are many churches who want to revive themselves and make better use of their resources and just don't know how or where to get started. This was a great time of learning some of the struggles, pains, and blessings of church planting and replanting.

You can click on the title above to go to the Plant and Replant 09 website to download audio from the sessions but I am going to share some quips and quotes that I heard from many during the sessions (I attended the RePlanting track.)

"It is easier to give birth than to resurrect the dead." (concerning planting vs. replanting)

Church Members = Missionaries

People aren't scaffolding to get to the church that I want.

4 Things to Keep in Mind when RePlanting:

1. The Gospel - the gospel brings life after death; you must be a pastor before you are an executioner.

2. An organism is dying not an organization - memories are involved; personal interactions are involved; SHE is a church and SHE is dying.

3. Discern what God has let die - Is it obvious that it is dead? Is there no hope?

4. What is old needs to be buried - new life with new things; celebrate the past and then move on; an old ship is sunk a new boat is built (not resurrecting the Titanic)

3 Things to Help Resolve Conflict in RePlanting:

1. The Gospel causes conflict - don't give up on people; you must pastor everyone, even those who disagree with you but use the Gospel

2. Conflict cannot be ignored - if you do it will cause critical mass; address every ripple of conflict; be wary because dealing with conflict is exhausting

3. Prayer is the center - if you have a shallow prayer life your time will be tougher in RePlanting; Proverbs 16:3, Let the Lord establish your plans

5 Most Important Things for Planters and RePlanters in order:

1. Take care of you and your family - the church will only go as far as its leader; your wife must thrive as well; your health must be important to you and the church

2. Vision - you are responsible for the vision; you must continually fight for better clarity

3. Communication - you are the lead communicator; you must continually strive to get better; you must use all avenues of communication for the sake of the gospel

4. Leadership - the most important use of your time is teaching, training, and coaching leaders who will teach, train, and coach others.

5. Finances - not giving is a pastoral issue that must be addressed

Align every thing to the vision; All ministries and activities; All communication.

Stop Going to Church

This blog post from A29 pastor Jonathan Dodson of Austin City Life explains why we need to stop "GOING" to church and we need to start "DOING" something else.

Stop Going to Church by Jonathan Dodson For years I went to church. Religiously. I actually went to church for about 25 years. Then I stopped. I'm so glad I did. Instead of going to church, I startedbeing the church. It's radically changed me. They have changed me. My family has gotten bigger. Bono's Church The church is supposed to be a family. But there's a problem. The church in America is too often very un-church. As a result, a lot of people say that they like Jesus, but they just don't like the church ... and they're in pretty good company ... with Bono. In U2's song "Acrobat", from the album Achtung Baby, Bono articulates a fairly common perception of the church: No, nothing makes sense, nothing seems to fit. I know you'd hit out if you only knew who to hit. And I'd join the movement If there was one I could believe in Yeah, I'd break bread and wine If there was a church I could receive in. This is a common view of the church. What's the view? Conflicted: "And I'd join the movement If there was one I could believe in. Yeah, I'd break bread and wine If there was a church I could receive in." Like many of us, Bono wants the church, but there are too many ifs. He wants to be part of the movement of the church. Unfortunately, many churches aren't concerned with movement. Too many of them are inwardly focused, not outwardly focused. They aren't the world-changing communities of the New Testament. They are static, inert and inward. Bono wants the communion of church, but says there's no church he canbelieve or receive in. I'm guessing that what Bono is referring to is not merely the eucharist, but the one-body community that is symbolized in the act of communion (1 Cor 10:16-17). Like Bono, many of us long for church as movement and communion, a church that is missional and communal. Unbelievable Churches Some churches are fortresses. Groups of combative soldiers that enforce their doctrine, hide behind their high and holy walls, and launch grenades of judgment into the culture. The mission is doctrinal conformity, not grace. The community is in-grown not inviting. Other churches have more in common with shopping malls. They are filled with salesmen and consumers. The salesman market the church to the world. They dress her up like the culture, dress down the message of Jesus, and sell the consumers short on the gospel, community and mission. Unlike fortress churches, the shopping mall mission is not to keep people out but to get people in. At quite a high cost, people pile into the building and out of the building wondering if this is all there is to church. Then there are the cemeteries — lifeless, irrelevant, stodgy churches. These churches are trapped in time, disconnected from contemporary issues. Somehow they've lost the joy of the Lord. Calcified by religion, they offer virtually no community or mission. When our churches have more in common with fortresses, shopping malls and cemeteries, who can blame America for not liking the church, for not receiving in her, for not joining the movement? Acrobats or Brothers? How should we respond? Opt for Jesus but opt out of the church? Believe inJesus, just not the church? It's easy to become cynical when we're confronted with fortresses, shopping malls and cemeteries. But deep down, if we are honest with ourselves, something is wrong with accepting Jesus and rejecting the church. After all, "the church" was Jesus' idea. Speaking to Peter, Jesus said: "Upon this rock I will build my church." "My church" — not Peter or Paul's church. The church belongs to Jesus. He created a new family. Pointing away from His blood family and to His disciples he said: "These are my mother and brothers" (Matt. 12:49). The church is supposed to be family, brothers and sisters, but we act more like acrobats. Bono sings: 'Cause I need it now. To take the cup To fill it up, to drink it slow. I can't let you go. And I must be an acrobat To talk like this and act like that. Confessing his need for church, but failing to act on it, Bono calls himself an acrobat. He can offer the critique but refuses to endure the sacrifice of being the church. Maybe we're the acrobats. Talking up the church but stripping it down into an event. Going to church instead of being the church. Keeping people at arms length, acquaintances, refusing to embrace them as brothers. We say we want community, but are unwilling to make the sacrifices for it to happen. It's too inconvenient and messy. We want the benefit of church without her demands. Something has to change. Why not start with you? What if you started having people join you for meals, Christians and non-Christians. What if you started having family meals together? What if you began to serve your neighborhood in some way and invited some church friends to join you? What if you began to put others needs before your own? I wonder what would happen. Fewer acrobats and more brothers? Church would slowly become more of a family than an event. Family Church Church is not an event, a place or a plant. It is a family of brothers and sisters united in the Spirit and the Son. The church is a community, people in relationships under grace. So the church is supposed to be a family, but we act more like acquaintances. Instead of sharing life and truth, joy and pain, meals and mission, we share one, maybe two events a week. Church has been reduced to a spiritual event that happens for an hour or two on weekends, and if you are spiritual, occurs another couple hours during the week in a small group meeting. We spend just enough time "at church" to be religious, but nowhere near enough time to be family. The dominant metaphor of the church in the New Testament is the metaphor of family. Every one of Paul's letters opens by addressing the church in familial terms — sisters, brothers, son, and our Father. The use of "brother" is, by far, the most frequent. This sibling emphasis reflects the familial nature of the church. What would happen if we started acting like family? Believable Church I am happy to say that the landscape of church in America is changing. I can point to numerous churches in our city that are not fortresses, shopping malls or cemeteries. Instead, they are communities of imperfect people clinging to a perfect Christ, who accept one another as they are accepted, in the gospel of Jesus Christ. In my church, we are seeing signs of this family-style community. People are sharing meals, opening their homes, helping each other move. (Who doesn't love a good move?) People are helping one another find jobs, babysitting, offering comfort, and providing meaning. It's increasingly a steady state of community — shared laughs, truths, meals, sorrows, and mission. We support one another. We share a steady state of social, gospel, recreational, and missional connections. One family recently invited all their neighbors over for a pizza party. Two of the neighbors had lived there five years and never met. Two other neighbors had a long-standing disagreement that was resolved that night. That same family then invited all the staff of a local coffee shop over for another pizza party. They came and continue to hang out. Why? Because they have encountered the church — not a church, the church — a community of brothers and sisters in the gospel for the good of the city. Recently a group of men met in their Fight Club to help one another beat up sin and believe the gospel. One of the men had recently been through some difficult financial times. Because of the financial crisis, this husband and father had been laid off from his job, losing not only his income, but the company car. He shared this with the guys in his Fight Club. One of them had a pretty good job, and a pretty nice SUV. He decided to give the vehicle to his friend, to the brother who had lost his job and his car. Sometimes the church looks like a pizza party, and sometimes it looks like a sports utility vehicle. These kinds of churches will have momentum and communion, mission and community that attract others: not to an event, but to a family. Christians and non-Christians are joining the family. Why? Because they have found a believable church, one with community and one with mission. Don't give up on the church. Instead, start giving things away, sharing your life, and see what happens. Stop going to church, and start being the church. You'll be glad you did.

Creation Groans

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:18-23 ESV)

In the past few months, we have seen the “groaning” of creation in the examples of volcanic activity in the Philipines and earthquakes in Malawi and Haiti. This “groaning” is the desire of the creation longing to be reunited with the Creator just as those who believe that He is returning long to be reunited with our Lord and Savior.
To this end, we groan together in anticipation that one day soon we will be set free from the bondage of sin and slavery. To this end, we believe in the gospel and the transformational power that it has in our lives will manifest itself in a New Heavens and a New Earth. To this end, we groan and we abide in Him to live our day to day lives.
With the needs in Haiti and around the world, there are others who can use our help. The gospel in us has created a generosity that tries to mirror the generosity of grace provided by our God. Share generously with those in need. There are many reputable agencies with which to give through. One such group is the SDB United Relief Fund.

SDB United Relief Fund

PO Box 1678

Janesville WI 53547

May our prayers continue unceasingly to convict us of the part we need to play in this natural disaster.