We interrupt our regularly scheduled posting to bring this breaking news:
Polls Say: Gays Can't Change!. It seems that 56% of the 515 respondents (HUGE poll, isn't it?), believe that gays can't change their orientation.
No news there! But the wrong question is being asked -- it is not "Can Gays Change?", but "Can mankind change?". You see, this is where the Episcopalians and others have missed the boat. By stating that gays cannot/should not change, they are stating clearly their disbelief in the Gospel.
Before anyone jumps up and hollers that I am a homophobe, hear me out; this is not about gays or straights; this is about man and his sin. Gays cannot change, that is no surprise; it is God who does the changing of one's heart. As a matter of fact, not only can gays not change, but neither can adulterers, murderers, pedophiles, liars, and sinners of all ilk (including yours truly).
If we preach that sinners are the architects of their own change, we are doing a tremendous disservice to the Gospel. The proclamation of the Gospel is that Christ has come to deliver us from our sins, that it is the monergistic work of God that creates the change in us. Jesus, in responding to Nicodemus in John 3 says that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born-again. Why is it that we are so unfair to the gay community?
We tell these people they must change, yet we claim that it is God who is at work in the change. We cannot have it both ways -- we must pray for the Lord to change the hearts of ANY who are caught up in sin, and in rebellion against Him, not only the gay community, and we must know that it is not 'up to the sinner' to make the change in their heart, or worse, convince them that there is nothing wrong, they are simply 'wounded'. (Oh, how I have come to hate the misuse of this word in the church!)
UPDATE: Dr. David Powlison addresses much of this mindset in today's Gospel presentation. He does a much better job than i ever could.
It all comes down to who is in charge, doesn't it? Is God the agent of change in our life, or are we the captains of our own soul and masters of our destiny?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Bugs
I am finally getting around to blogspotting my old friend Neil Shay, aka Bugblaster. He probably thought I didn't care, or was simply overlooking him! Nothing could be further from the truth -- I am just not good at blogspotting (there are many things, concerning blogging, that I am not good at)
Anyway, I don't want to just throw out a simple blogspot, but I would like to point you to his wonderful expositional work on Leviticus (a man after my own heart, I love the book of Leviticus)! Look on the right-hand bar, halfway or so down on Bugs blog -- the series is called "Shadows... Jesus Christ in Leviticus".
Highly recommended!
Anyway, I don't want to just throw out a simple blogspot, but I would like to point you to his wonderful expositional work on Leviticus (a man after my own heart, I love the book of Leviticus)! Look on the right-hand bar, halfway or so down on Bugs blog -- the series is called "Shadows... Jesus Christ in Leviticus".
Highly recommended!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Men at Work Part II
So, in the last post I looked at the Men's Ministry 'Industry' a bit. This post will address what Men's Ministry should be focused on. As I said in the last post -- far too much so-called 'men's' curriculum is focused around becoming one of the Three Musketeers, or William Wallace as opposed to becoming one of the disciples of Christ.
I have searched through the Bible to discover where these people get their Biblical grounding for the machismo that they present, and I have not found it. Instead, I find that the perfect man, Jesus Christ, embodied both a fearlessness, and a compassion that is lacking in these books.
So, first and foremost, a men's ministry should be about teaching men, Biblically, how to be leaders from a Christ-centered perspective. Now, this may not be as exciting as swinging across a chasm on a piece of fishing line, but this is what is lacking in so many men's lives.
As we teach our married men how to be godly leaders in their home, our single men will begin to understand this responsibility as well. As we speak of godly fathers, our childless men will begin to see what a compassionate man is like.
Here are several books that I recommend for men's studies. The Measure of a Man by Gene Getz; The Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes; Tender Warrior by Stu Weber, and Point Man by Steve Farrar are good places to start. Once you have begun to develop an understanding of what a godly man is, then you may begin to dig deeper and start working through some more doctrinal books, some of the Puritan books, i.e. The Christian in Complete Armor by William Gurnell.
We are to be leading the men in our churches to a more Christ-like life, NOT teaching them to be middle linebackers for the Steelers!
I have searched through the Bible to discover where these people get their Biblical grounding for the machismo that they present, and I have not found it. Instead, I find that the perfect man, Jesus Christ, embodied both a fearlessness, and a compassion that is lacking in these books.
So, first and foremost, a men's ministry should be about teaching men, Biblically, how to be leaders from a Christ-centered perspective. Now, this may not be as exciting as swinging across a chasm on a piece of fishing line, but this is what is lacking in so many men's lives.
As we teach our married men how to be godly leaders in their home, our single men will begin to understand this responsibility as well. As we speak of godly fathers, our childless men will begin to see what a compassionate man is like.
Here are several books that I recommend for men's studies. The Measure of a Man by Gene Getz; The Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes; Tender Warrior by Stu Weber, and Point Man by Steve Farrar are good places to start. Once you have begun to develop an understanding of what a godly man is, then you may begin to dig deeper and start working through some more doctrinal books, some of the Puritan books, i.e. The Christian in Complete Armor by William Gurnell.
We are to be leading the men in our churches to a more Christ-like life, NOT teaching them to be middle linebackers for the Steelers!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Men at Work
This post and some of the following are not specific to small churches, but to all churches. I would like to address the state of Men's ministry within the local body.
When I was looking for men's ministry curriculum last year, I had several men I respect provide me with suggestions. These men were from conservative, 'evangelical' churches, so I assumed that the books would be along those lines.
I must admit, I was shocked by the books recommended -- they sounded more like secular counseling books on reclaiming your manhood (in a secular sense) than they did Christian books on how to be a godly man.
Men do not need to be told how to be MEN, that comes naturally to most, it is much more difficult to instruct them on being godly. Sitting in a sweat shack with a bunch of other guys talking about football might be a good idea if you were trying to make men who were confident in their manhood, but I want to make men who are confident in Christ, and that is a vastly different thing.
I read through these books (which will remain nameless) and was surprised at the lack of Biblical grounding they had -- most of them simply wanted men to 'let go of mommy's apron strings' and step up to being a man in a generic sense.
I even met one of the men who has propagated this type of instruction in the men's ministry 'industry'. One of his tape series had two steel balls on the cover -- what do you think he was trying to convey? And how does that makes us men of God? I have worked in men's ministry for a long while now, and rarely do I find men who need to be taught how to be a man -- it is much more likely that they have no concept of being godly men.
We should not be asking the question -- "What does it take to be a man?", rather it should be "What does it take to be a godly leader in your home, a loving and self-sacrificing husband, a compassionate representative of Christ in your life?"
More on this later....
When I was looking for men's ministry curriculum last year, I had several men I respect provide me with suggestions. These men were from conservative, 'evangelical' churches, so I assumed that the books would be along those lines.
I must admit, I was shocked by the books recommended -- they sounded more like secular counseling books on reclaiming your manhood (in a secular sense) than they did Christian books on how to be a godly man.
Men do not need to be told how to be MEN, that comes naturally to most, it is much more difficult to instruct them on being godly. Sitting in a sweat shack with a bunch of other guys talking about football might be a good idea if you were trying to make men who were confident in their manhood, but I want to make men who are confident in Christ, and that is a vastly different thing.
I read through these books (which will remain nameless) and was surprised at the lack of Biblical grounding they had -- most of them simply wanted men to 'let go of mommy's apron strings' and step up to being a man in a generic sense.
I even met one of the men who has propagated this type of instruction in the men's ministry 'industry'. One of his tape series had two steel balls on the cover -- what do you think he was trying to convey? And how does that makes us men of God? I have worked in men's ministry for a long while now, and rarely do I find men who need to be taught how to be a man -- it is much more likely that they have no concept of being godly men.
We should not be asking the question -- "What does it take to be a man?", rather it should be "What does it take to be a godly leader in your home, a loving and self-sacrificing husband, a compassionate representative of Christ in your life?"
More on this later....
Monday, June 18, 2007
Catechize!
As anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows, a good percentage of our church has never attended church before (I like that, we are not doing a lot of 'sheep-stealing').
With that make-up comes a wonderful opportunity -- to teach these young/new believers the foundational principles of our faith without having to fight through a lot of bad teaching. (I do not think that we have all the answers, but some who have attended had come from environments where Bible preaching, or explanation of the gospel had never occurred).
When a new believer is taught the foundations right out of the chute, they can spot bad doctrine a mile away.
I was pleasantly surprised recently when a relatively new convert related to me how she had been required to explain -- to much more 'mature' Christians in her college class -- that the Bible was actually the Word of God, and clearly addressed a discussion they were having -- (they were discussing how one knew the Bible's stance on several social issues).
She said --"why is it that these people who have attended church for much longer than I have were unaware of the Bible's position?". Sadly, I had to tell her that in quite a few churches in the area they do not use the Bible on Sundays. her answer was priceless -- "Well, what do they talk about then?"
Out of the mouth of babes!
Anyway, we have begun a new believers class, taught by a wonderful, mature, man of God. He is using as his 'new believers curriculum', the Westminster Catechism, and I have been pleasantly surprised by the way the folks are taking to it! I know that this is not news to many out there, but I had felt in the past that this might be too much too quick.... I WAS WRONG! As Voddie Baucham says -- Catechize, Catechize, Catechize!
So, to many who are just developing a 'New Believers' Curriculum, I would highly suggest this Westminster Catechism.
We have been blessed by this, and I have learned a valuable lesson -- Do not underestimate (sad to say that I had) the power of God's Word!
With that make-up comes a wonderful opportunity -- to teach these young/new believers the foundational principles of our faith without having to fight through a lot of bad teaching. (I do not think that we have all the answers, but some who have attended had come from environments where Bible preaching, or explanation of the gospel had never occurred).
When a new believer is taught the foundations right out of the chute, they can spot bad doctrine a mile away.
I was pleasantly surprised recently when a relatively new convert related to me how she had been required to explain -- to much more 'mature' Christians in her college class -- that the Bible was actually the Word of God, and clearly addressed a discussion they were having -- (they were discussing how one knew the Bible's stance on several social issues).
She said --"why is it that these people who have attended church for much longer than I have were unaware of the Bible's position?". Sadly, I had to tell her that in quite a few churches in the area they do not use the Bible on Sundays. her answer was priceless -- "Well, what do they talk about then?"
Out of the mouth of babes!
Anyway, we have begun a new believers class, taught by a wonderful, mature, man of God. He is using as his 'new believers curriculum', the Westminster Catechism, and I have been pleasantly surprised by the way the folks are taking to it! I know that this is not news to many out there, but I had felt in the past that this might be too much too quick.... I WAS WRONG! As Voddie Baucham says -- Catechize, Catechize, Catechize!
So, to many who are just developing a 'New Believers' Curriculum, I would highly suggest this Westminster Catechism.
We have been blessed by this, and I have learned a valuable lesson -- Do not underestimate (sad to say that I had) the power of God's Word!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Green-Eyed Lady
Don't let the title throw you off -- this will be a post about ENVY, not a woman, or a song by Sugarloaf! :-)
As a small church pastor, this is one of the most difficult struggles I have faced. It is also profoundly unchristian. The Church in Corinth was developing a congregation of envious people, and Paul deals with it -- 1st Corinthians 1:11 - 17 -- For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
It is not much different today, and nowhere do you feel this pinch more, than at a small church. You look down the street and see the another pastor, not near as smart as you, (in your opinion), whose church is growing like a weed. They have even purchased land while you languish in a small storefront. Your envy burns green and hot; now, of course you don't call it envy, you say things like -- "Well, he doesn't preach the gospel as properly as I do", or you may take this tact "Well, after all they are using the Purpose-Driven Model".
Truth be told, we are not called to be competitive, as Paul says clearly in the aforementioned Corinthian passage. We are to be about the business of Christ. When we spend out time focused on what the 'other guy' is doing to be successful, we empty the cross of its power. We preach growth, success (in a numbers sense), and any number of other criterion ABOVE preaching the cross of Christ!
This should not be, as Paul says -- whether we have 1 or 1001 attending our church, our task is to preach the gospel. Our task is one with eternal import -- let us never forget that! We are talking of the souls of men and women!
So, small church pastor -- As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2nd Timothy 4:5. I know the pain of trying to grow at the unreasonable pace that the modern church expects, but I also know the reward of staying the course, doing your job, and watching the small number of people within your church grow more and more into the likeness of Christ. I know the joy of baptizing people who, at one time, told me off and cursed at me. I know the joy of deeply caring about the flock that God has entrusted to me, and taking my eyes off the churches around me and placing them squarely on the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ.
If you are a small church pastor, I would encourage you: If you are staying faithful to the Word of God, proclaiming Christ in your church, loving the people of the church, and living what you preach, then you have nothing to be ashamed of, or envious about.
Yes, there will always be that 'amazing' church nearby that grows by 300 every week, and yes, you will lose some of your folks to them. But we are not here to have the largest, most lavish church in our area. We are here to proclaim Christ and Him crucified!
And finally, a warning -- if you are petty and envious, guess what your congregation will be? Yep, petty and envious! Don't do that to them -- tell them of the great joys of knowing Christ, preach the Word, love the people and above all love Christ.
As a small church pastor, this is one of the most difficult struggles I have faced. It is also profoundly unchristian. The Church in Corinth was developing a congregation of envious people, and Paul deals with it -- 1st Corinthians 1:11 - 17 -- For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
It is not much different today, and nowhere do you feel this pinch more, than at a small church. You look down the street and see the another pastor, not near as smart as you, (in your opinion), whose church is growing like a weed. They have even purchased land while you languish in a small storefront. Your envy burns green and hot; now, of course you don't call it envy, you say things like -- "Well, he doesn't preach the gospel as properly as I do", or you may take this tact "Well, after all they are using the Purpose-Driven Model".
Truth be told, we are not called to be competitive, as Paul says clearly in the aforementioned Corinthian passage. We are to be about the business of Christ. When we spend out time focused on what the 'other guy' is doing to be successful, we empty the cross of its power. We preach growth, success (in a numbers sense), and any number of other criterion ABOVE preaching the cross of Christ!
This should not be, as Paul says -- whether we have 1 or 1001 attending our church, our task is to preach the gospel. Our task is one with eternal import -- let us never forget that! We are talking of the souls of men and women!
So, small church pastor -- As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2nd Timothy 4:5. I know the pain of trying to grow at the unreasonable pace that the modern church expects, but I also know the reward of staying the course, doing your job, and watching the small number of people within your church grow more and more into the likeness of Christ. I know the joy of baptizing people who, at one time, told me off and cursed at me. I know the joy of deeply caring about the flock that God has entrusted to me, and taking my eyes off the churches around me and placing them squarely on the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ.
If you are a small church pastor, I would encourage you: If you are staying faithful to the Word of God, proclaiming Christ in your church, loving the people of the church, and living what you preach, then you have nothing to be ashamed of, or envious about.
Yes, there will always be that 'amazing' church nearby that grows by 300 every week, and yes, you will lose some of your folks to them. But we are not here to have the largest, most lavish church in our area. We are here to proclaim Christ and Him crucified!
And finally, a warning -- if you are petty and envious, guess what your congregation will be? Yep, petty and envious! Don't do that to them -- tell them of the great joys of knowing Christ, preach the Word, love the people and above all love Christ.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Get it Together
For small church pastors, I recommend that you put together your thoughts on worship, gender-based ministries, etc. It took us years to pull together our thoughts in these vital areas, and the congregation suffered for it. As pastor, you need to be about the business of setting the tone for the church -- be it in your prayer life, your study of God's Word, or your thoughts on worship, and other ministries. This is not done in a despotic vacuum, but as a family, but as the pastor it is your responsibility to be pointing people to Christ in their songs, thoughts, prayers etc.
I am going to pull together some of our thoughts and post them here and maybe they will help someone else to begin thinking about organizing their church, or I may receive some good input on mine.
Regarding Worship Music -- far too often we feel that worship music 'just happens', and we do not need to think too much about it. Just pick out a few Maranatha songs, and maybe a Vineyard or two, and away we go; some solid musicians complete the picture! Worse yet -- "Hey, I like these thirty songs; worship team, please cycle through these!" (I have attended churches where the songs we sang were exclusively the pastor's favorites!)
Sadly, this hit and miss style was my method for far too long. And it was painful for a faithful worship team built of my dear friends -- they were constantly trying to track with me as I grew and matured regarding worship.
I am in the process of putting together our collective thoughts on many areas of church life, but a post by my good friend JD spurred me to post the document regarding our Worship. Notice that worship is not just singing or music -- it involves all aspects of the service, and all should be addressed.
============================================
Why a ‘Theology of Worship’?
All worship is driven by a theology, even if unconsciously. If one’s worship is consumed with songs that exclusively focus on the creature instead of creator, sermons that are structured around the felt needs of the congregation in lieu of a Christ-centered focus, a low view of the ordinances, and prayers that are little more than requests in nature, then inevitably one will be drawn to a theology that is man-centered.
By the same token, if one’s worship is dominated by songs that are Biblical, focusing on the attributes and glories of God, sermons which maintain a Christ-centered perspective, a proper view of the ordinances and a prayer life which gives equal attention to the confessional, thanksgiving, supplication and adoration portions of prayer, the theology that is developed and promoted in that environment will be God-centered and God honoring.
Our prayer is that Covenant Fellowship’s Theology of Worship will be one which brings honor and glory to our Triune God. (1)
In order to bring about worship that is honoring to God, we must pay particular attention to the songs that are sung, the prayers that are offered, the creeds which are recited, the ordinances performed, and the sermons which are preached. It is vital that the leadership of Covenant Fellowship maintain vigilance in their responsibility regarding the worship that takes place in the confines of our assembly; assuring that Covenant Fellowship maintains proper focus and a sense of adoration and awe towards God.
The first question in both the Longer and Shorter Westminster Catechisms is: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer that follows is: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” This should be the overriding focus of our worship. The question remains; how do we go about worship that reflects this?
What is the Focus of Our Worship?
The center of all Christian worship is Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, establishing a New Covenant with the Father through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. It is Jesus Christ who sent us his Spirit to guide and comfort us. We are the Body of Christ, united with Him and seated in the heavenlies. He is our High Priest, and our praises to God the Father are pleasing because of Christ’s finished work. (2)
Therefore our worship is to be formed by our relationship with God the Father through God the Son, as led by God the Holy Spirit. All worship should be Trinitarian in nature, addressing the work of our blessed Three-In-One God. “God is the One who graciously invites our worship and then hears our response. God is the One who perfects and mediates our praise and petitions. God is also the One who helps us comprehend what we hear and prompts us to respond." (3)
How are we to Worship?
We have now explored why we should have a theology of worship, and what the focus of our worship should be. Now we get to more pragmatic aspects of a Theology of Worship; i.e. HOW are we to worship.
Many will make the claim that proper worship only contains hymns, or all services must progress in a strict and regulated order. Some believe that the sacraments (known to us as ordinances) are to be offered each week; some believe that once per quarter is sufficient. This is often confusing the means with the end. As we stated in the above, worship is to have Christ as its center, being inherently Trinitarian in nature. But how do we go about ensuring that we are maintaining our focus? This section of the document will examine the area of methods in more detail.
First and foremost, our worship methods must be Biblical. This should go without saying, but in a day and age when anything goes, we must reiterate this fact.
What exactly does this mean?
Scripture Reading
Since the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to the world, including His plan of redemption in His Son, Jesus Christ; our worship should contain prominent readings from Scripture. There should be an opening Scripture reading in our services, as well as sermons based upon the Word of God, followed by a closing reading that prepares the people to go into the world, witnessing to the lost and bringing the good news of the Gospel to all. The passages selected should illustrate God’s character, and actions.
Singing
The songs which are sung should likewise focus on God’s character, being, and actions. Songs which contain, or are written from Scripture are the best for expressing this properly. Songs which focus on feelings, or are centered on the creature should be the minority of the songs which the church sings. Feelings are expressed within the Bible, and there is nothing incorrect about them, however when the church comes together to worship God, our singing should be focused on the object of our worship.
Songs, prayers and sermons should be theologically rich, enabling the congregation to experience the beauty and depth of our faith. Hymns, both modern and ancient, should comprise a good portion of the singing. All songs should be selected carefully, ensuring that proper focus, and biblical truths are expressed.
Some thoughts regarding our worship music (4):
Music is a gift of God and part of the created order. From its inception, "when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy" (Job 38:7), to its consummation, when "every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them" will sing to the Lamb on the throne (Rev. 5:13), creation is musical.
Of all the musical instruments that may be employed in the praise of God, the human voice has priority. Other instruments are to be used primarily in the service of the singing of God's people. The Christian church sings.
Singing is a ministry that belongs to all the people of God. The congregation is always the primary choir. The role of professional or volunteer choirs and musicians is to aid the whole people of God in their worship. While anthems or vocal and instrumental solos may be offered, they do not have to be. Congregational singing, however, is essential. While it is possible to be actively engaged in worship and in prayer while listening to an anthem or solo, a diet of worship which does not regularly include ample opportunity for all the members of the congregation to join in song will be impoverished worship, and the life of the church and the faith of its people will suffer.
Of all the art forms that may be employed in worship, singing is especially corporate. Different voices, different instruments, different parts are blended to offer a single, living, and unified work of beauty. John Calvin recognized the power of congregational singing and unison prayer in helping the church express and experience the unity of the body of Christ. Asserting that the human tongue was especially created to proclaim the praise of God, both through singing and speaking, he noted that "the chief use of the tongue is in public prayers, which are offered in the assembly of the believers, by which it comes about that with one common voice, and as it were, with the same mouth, we all glorify God together, worshiping him with one spirit and the same faith."(5)
The church's ministry of song is for the glory of God. The principal direction of congregational singing is to the Lord (Ps. 96:1). Music is made first of all to the Lord and only secondarily to each other. Music should communicate and express a sense of awe and wonder in the presence of God; it should lead our thoughts toward God rather than toward ourselves. God can be glorified by beautiful sounds and spirits may be uplifted by a pleasing melody, but it is primarily the joining of the tune to a text that gives meaning to Christians' songs. Not only should both text and tune glorify God and be consistent with each other, but the tune must serve the text. Music is always the servant of the Word. (6)
The church's ministry of song is for the edification of God's people. Through congregational singing Christian faith is not only expressed; to a very real degree it is formed. Since people tend to remember the theology they sing more than the theology that is preached. A congregation's repertoire of hymnody is often of critical importance in shaping the faith of its people. Here again, it is the meaning of the text that is of primary importance. It is through the sense of the words that God s people learn of the nature and character of God and of the Christian life.
Through congregational song God's people learn their language about God; God's people learn how to speak with God. Songs of worship shape faith. It is, therefore, very important that a congregation have a rich "vocabulary of praise." Simple, repetitive music such as praise choruses are very appropriate in worship and can be very effective in moving individuals to prayer and to praise. But it is also important for the congregation to know some of the great hymns of faith in order to have a sense that the Christian faith is both relevant and enduring, and to be enriched by the faith of the "great cloud of witnesses." Hymns, both ancient and modern, which stretch minds, increase vocabulary, rehearse the biblical story, and teach of the nature and the mighty acts of God are essential for the congregation to growth in faith.
The emotional power of music, rightly employed, is a vital and moving aid to worship. Music, quite apart from an associated text, is capable of evoking powerful emotions. Hearts are stirred and feet set to tapping by a rousing Sousa march, while another melody may move people to tears. It is, therefore, important that the emotional mood of a particular tune be commensurate with the sense of the text. It is also important that the emotional power of music in worship be evocative rather than manipulative, honest rather than manufactured, and that the congregation’s singing allow for the full range of emotions in worship.
With the above in mind, here are some questions we should ask ourselves as we prepare songs for worship each week are (4):
* What theology is expressed in our congregational singing? Is it biblical? Is the range of what we sing representative of the "whole counsel of God?" What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the sovereignty and grace of God? About the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ? About the work of the Holy Spirit, the nature and mission of the church, the ordinances, and the Christian life?
* Is there sufficient pastoral breadth in our music ministry? Do we sing songs that are appropriate to the many and variable life situations in which believers find themselves? Does our congregational singing include the many moods and types of prayer, including praise, thanksgiving, confession, lament, intercession, and dedication? A congregation which sings only "upbeat" praise choruses and hymns, for example, will have a diminished and restricted understanding of prayer.
* Is there sufficient historical, cultural, and generational breadth? Does our congregational singing express belief in the communion of saints? Are all the saints present encouraged to join in singing, and do our songs also express our belief that we sing with saints throughout the ages and around the world? Do the hymns and songs include contributions from other cultures, languages, and eras? Are songs included which allow for the full participation of children? For those beginning the journey of faith as well as for more mature Christians?
* Are we providing our congregation with a sufficient vocabulary of praise? Marva Dawn suggests that a hymn text "is great in proportion to what we can learn from it."(7) What do we learn about God and the Christian faith from what we sing?
* Does the music serve the text? "A tune is excellent only as it is subservient to the words, undergirds the thought, and captures the dominant mood."(8) Does the tune help us to recall the words by bringing forward appropriate features of the text, or does the tune call attention to itself and contradict or stand in the way of the words?
* Does our music encourage corporate worship? Does the music encourage congregational singing or is it designed for the solo artist or does it come across as entertainment? Are soloists and choir effectively leading and supporting the congregation in its worship or are they merely displaying their virtuosity? Do the hymns and choruses we sing express the faith of the gathered community or do they tend toward individual and private expressions of faith?
* Is the music appropriate to the ability of the congregation? Do our musical selections respect the past practice of congregation? Do we include enough familiar hymns?
* Do the hymns and choruses we sing assume and encourage growth in discipleship? Is continuing congregational education in music and worship a part of our ministry? Do we take the time and effort to learn new hymns and challenging hymns? Worship is a "living sacrifice," and therefore our gifts to God should represent some cost to us. Learning more difficult music and coming to understand and appreciate richer theology may be difficult work, but it can also be a source of spiritual renewal and growth.
Preaching
Preaching should be predominately expository in nature, with the pastor working through books of the Bible. Topical preaching has its place and fills a portion of the preaching schedule; however the preaching of a book in an expository manner provides the congregation with the richest food upon which to feast.
The following is adapted from an article by Mark Bullmore (9):
What is expositional preaching? A sermon is expositional if its content and intent are controlled by the content and intent of a particular passage of Scripture. The preacher says what the passage says, and he intends for his sermon to accomplish in his listeners exactly what God is seeking to accomplish through the chosen passage of his Word… The biblical case for expositional preaching starts with the connection between the gift the ascended Christ has given to the church in pastor-teachers (Eph 4:11) and the biblical injunction for pastors-teachers to "preach the word" (2 Tim 4:2). Those who preach should preach their Bibles… In the pulpit, [this] will look like the picture we see in Nehemiah 8:8: "They read from the book . . . clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading." God has both purposed and promised to use this kind of preaching to accomplish one of his great aims—the gathering and building up of his people.
Praying
The pastor should also ensure that his prayers, whether extemporaneous or written, are God-honoring, God-focused and Biblically correct. Likewise, all leaders involved in the prayer life of the corporate body should ensure that they have active and rich private prayer lives; this will flow over into their corporate prayers.
Recitation of Creeds
Christianity is creedal. One of the earliest creeds is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8:
“I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is: Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say. He was buried, and three days later he was raised to life, as the Scriptures say. Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After this, he appeared to more than five hundred other followers. Most of them are still alive, but some have died. He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles. Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time”
This creed states all of the pertinent aspects of the churches faith – Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins, buried and three days later He was raised. Likewise, the Apostle’s Creed, the Athanasius Creed, the Nicene Creed all state the great truths of our faith in a succinct and memorable manner. Therefore, Covenant Fellowship shall undertake to recite from the creeds weekly, instilling in our congregation an understanding of the great truths in such a manner as the youngest member to the elder statesmen/women of the church will have an understanding of our foundations.
Ordinances
The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper will be observed regularly within the worship services of Covenant Fellowship. During this time, emphasis will be placed upon the covenantal aspect of our relationship with God the Father, through God the Son. The congregation should be reminded that only those who are within the Body of Christ and not living in sin are to partake. While the communion at Covenant Fellowship is not closed, we are duty-bound to remind and exhort those members who are in rebellion against God, and those outside the Body of Christ that this is a sacred celebration, to be enjoyed only by the faithful.
The ordinance of baptism must be explained and offered to any who have come to Christ. The ordinance should be offered at the first practical time possible. Before any are baptized at Covenant Fellowship, the elders will conduct an interview with the person(s) being baptized to ensure their proper understanding of the significance of the ordinance.
All aspects of our worship should be “a lavish outpouring of our love and praise to our God who has created and redeemed us.” (1) With that in mind, all of our worship should be excellent. The songs we sing, the sermons we preach, the prayers we offer should all be done to the best of our ability. Our offering should be the firstfruits of our lives, not the leftovers from a busy week.
Conclusion
Covenant Fellowship services will be a lavish outpouring of excellent worship to our triune God, involving prayers, preaching, Scripture reading, and recitation of creeds, singing and the practice of the ordinances of the church. All of these will be done to the Glory of God, centering on the finished work of our Savior Jesus Christ who bought us.
=====================================================
Footnotes:
1. Romans 11:36 - For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Jude 24, 25 - Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (ESV)
2. Colossians 1:15-20 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (ESV)
3. The Worship Sourcebook – published by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
4. Adapted from the Commission on Worship, Reformed Church in America, 1996
5. John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, III. 20, #31.
6. Howard Hageman, "Can Music Be Reformed?" Reformed Review, 1960.
7. Marva Dawn, Reaching Out without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for the Turn-of-the-Century Culture (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), p. 201.
8. Austin Lovelace and William C. Rice, Music and Worship in the Church (Nashville: Abingdon, 1976), p. 20.
9 Marks website May/June 2007 9Marks
Covenant Fellowship
A Theology of Worship
May 2007
I am going to pull together some of our thoughts and post them here and maybe they will help someone else to begin thinking about organizing their church, or I may receive some good input on mine.
Regarding Worship Music -- far too often we feel that worship music 'just happens', and we do not need to think too much about it. Just pick out a few Maranatha songs, and maybe a Vineyard or two, and away we go; some solid musicians complete the picture! Worse yet -- "Hey, I like these thirty songs; worship team, please cycle through these!" (I have attended churches where the songs we sang were exclusively the pastor's favorites!)
Sadly, this hit and miss style was my method for far too long. And it was painful for a faithful worship team built of my dear friends -- they were constantly trying to track with me as I grew and matured regarding worship.
I am in the process of putting together our collective thoughts on many areas of church life, but a post by my good friend JD spurred me to post the document regarding our Worship. Notice that worship is not just singing or music -- it involves all aspects of the service, and all should be addressed.
============================================
Why a ‘Theology of Worship’?
All worship is driven by a theology, even if unconsciously. If one’s worship is consumed with songs that exclusively focus on the creature instead of creator, sermons that are structured around the felt needs of the congregation in lieu of a Christ-centered focus, a low view of the ordinances, and prayers that are little more than requests in nature, then inevitably one will be drawn to a theology that is man-centered.
By the same token, if one’s worship is dominated by songs that are Biblical, focusing on the attributes and glories of God, sermons which maintain a Christ-centered perspective, a proper view of the ordinances and a prayer life which gives equal attention to the confessional, thanksgiving, supplication and adoration portions of prayer, the theology that is developed and promoted in that environment will be God-centered and God honoring.
Our prayer is that Covenant Fellowship’s Theology of Worship will be one which brings honor and glory to our Triune God. (1)
In order to bring about worship that is honoring to God, we must pay particular attention to the songs that are sung, the prayers that are offered, the creeds which are recited, the ordinances performed, and the sermons which are preached. It is vital that the leadership of Covenant Fellowship maintain vigilance in their responsibility regarding the worship that takes place in the confines of our assembly; assuring that Covenant Fellowship maintains proper focus and a sense of adoration and awe towards God.
The first question in both the Longer and Shorter Westminster Catechisms is: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer that follows is: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” This should be the overriding focus of our worship. The question remains; how do we go about worship that reflects this?
What is the Focus of Our Worship?
The center of all Christian worship is Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, establishing a New Covenant with the Father through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. It is Jesus Christ who sent us his Spirit to guide and comfort us. We are the Body of Christ, united with Him and seated in the heavenlies. He is our High Priest, and our praises to God the Father are pleasing because of Christ’s finished work. (2)
Therefore our worship is to be formed by our relationship with God the Father through God the Son, as led by God the Holy Spirit. All worship should be Trinitarian in nature, addressing the work of our blessed Three-In-One God. “God is the One who graciously invites our worship and then hears our response. God is the One who perfects and mediates our praise and petitions. God is also the One who helps us comprehend what we hear and prompts us to respond." (3)
How are we to Worship?
We have now explored why we should have a theology of worship, and what the focus of our worship should be. Now we get to more pragmatic aspects of a Theology of Worship; i.e. HOW are we to worship.
Many will make the claim that proper worship only contains hymns, or all services must progress in a strict and regulated order. Some believe that the sacraments (known to us as ordinances) are to be offered each week; some believe that once per quarter is sufficient. This is often confusing the means with the end. As we stated in the above, worship is to have Christ as its center, being inherently Trinitarian in nature. But how do we go about ensuring that we are maintaining our focus? This section of the document will examine the area of methods in more detail.
First and foremost, our worship methods must be Biblical. This should go without saying, but in a day and age when anything goes, we must reiterate this fact.
What exactly does this mean?
Scripture Reading
Since the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to the world, including His plan of redemption in His Son, Jesus Christ; our worship should contain prominent readings from Scripture. There should be an opening Scripture reading in our services, as well as sermons based upon the Word of God, followed by a closing reading that prepares the people to go into the world, witnessing to the lost and bringing the good news of the Gospel to all. The passages selected should illustrate God’s character, and actions.
Singing
The songs which are sung should likewise focus on God’s character, being, and actions. Songs which contain, or are written from Scripture are the best for expressing this properly. Songs which focus on feelings, or are centered on the creature should be the minority of the songs which the church sings. Feelings are expressed within the Bible, and there is nothing incorrect about them, however when the church comes together to worship God, our singing should be focused on the object of our worship.
Songs, prayers and sermons should be theologically rich, enabling the congregation to experience the beauty and depth of our faith. Hymns, both modern and ancient, should comprise a good portion of the singing. All songs should be selected carefully, ensuring that proper focus, and biblical truths are expressed.
Some thoughts regarding our worship music (4):
Music is a gift of God and part of the created order. From its inception, "when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy" (Job 38:7), to its consummation, when "every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them" will sing to the Lamb on the throne (Rev. 5:13), creation is musical.
Of all the musical instruments that may be employed in the praise of God, the human voice has priority. Other instruments are to be used primarily in the service of the singing of God's people. The Christian church sings.
Singing is a ministry that belongs to all the people of God. The congregation is always the primary choir. The role of professional or volunteer choirs and musicians is to aid the whole people of God in their worship. While anthems or vocal and instrumental solos may be offered, they do not have to be. Congregational singing, however, is essential. While it is possible to be actively engaged in worship and in prayer while listening to an anthem or solo, a diet of worship which does not regularly include ample opportunity for all the members of the congregation to join in song will be impoverished worship, and the life of the church and the faith of its people will suffer.
Of all the art forms that may be employed in worship, singing is especially corporate. Different voices, different instruments, different parts are blended to offer a single, living, and unified work of beauty. John Calvin recognized the power of congregational singing and unison prayer in helping the church express and experience the unity of the body of Christ. Asserting that the human tongue was especially created to proclaim the praise of God, both through singing and speaking, he noted that "the chief use of the tongue is in public prayers, which are offered in the assembly of the believers, by which it comes about that with one common voice, and as it were, with the same mouth, we all glorify God together, worshiping him with one spirit and the same faith."(5)
The church's ministry of song is for the glory of God. The principal direction of congregational singing is to the Lord (Ps. 96:1). Music is made first of all to the Lord and only secondarily to each other. Music should communicate and express a sense of awe and wonder in the presence of God; it should lead our thoughts toward God rather than toward ourselves. God can be glorified by beautiful sounds and spirits may be uplifted by a pleasing melody, but it is primarily the joining of the tune to a text that gives meaning to Christians' songs. Not only should both text and tune glorify God and be consistent with each other, but the tune must serve the text. Music is always the servant of the Word. (6)
The church's ministry of song is for the edification of God's people. Through congregational singing Christian faith is not only expressed; to a very real degree it is formed. Since people tend to remember the theology they sing more than the theology that is preached. A congregation's repertoire of hymnody is often of critical importance in shaping the faith of its people. Here again, it is the meaning of the text that is of primary importance. It is through the sense of the words that God s people learn of the nature and character of God and of the Christian life.
Through congregational song God's people learn their language about God; God's people learn how to speak with God. Songs of worship shape faith. It is, therefore, very important that a congregation have a rich "vocabulary of praise." Simple, repetitive music such as praise choruses are very appropriate in worship and can be very effective in moving individuals to prayer and to praise. But it is also important for the congregation to know some of the great hymns of faith in order to have a sense that the Christian faith is both relevant and enduring, and to be enriched by the faith of the "great cloud of witnesses." Hymns, both ancient and modern, which stretch minds, increase vocabulary, rehearse the biblical story, and teach of the nature and the mighty acts of God are essential for the congregation to growth in faith.
The emotional power of music, rightly employed, is a vital and moving aid to worship. Music, quite apart from an associated text, is capable of evoking powerful emotions. Hearts are stirred and feet set to tapping by a rousing Sousa march, while another melody may move people to tears. It is, therefore, important that the emotional mood of a particular tune be commensurate with the sense of the text. It is also important that the emotional power of music in worship be evocative rather than manipulative, honest rather than manufactured, and that the congregation’s singing allow for the full range of emotions in worship.
With the above in mind, here are some questions we should ask ourselves as we prepare songs for worship each week are (4):
* What theology is expressed in our congregational singing? Is it biblical? Is the range of what we sing representative of the "whole counsel of God?" What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the sovereignty and grace of God? About the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ? About the work of the Holy Spirit, the nature and mission of the church, the ordinances, and the Christian life?
* Is there sufficient pastoral breadth in our music ministry? Do we sing songs that are appropriate to the many and variable life situations in which believers find themselves? Does our congregational singing include the many moods and types of prayer, including praise, thanksgiving, confession, lament, intercession, and dedication? A congregation which sings only "upbeat" praise choruses and hymns, for example, will have a diminished and restricted understanding of prayer.
* Is there sufficient historical, cultural, and generational breadth? Does our congregational singing express belief in the communion of saints? Are all the saints present encouraged to join in singing, and do our songs also express our belief that we sing with saints throughout the ages and around the world? Do the hymns and songs include contributions from other cultures, languages, and eras? Are songs included which allow for the full participation of children? For those beginning the journey of faith as well as for more mature Christians?
* Are we providing our congregation with a sufficient vocabulary of praise? Marva Dawn suggests that a hymn text "is great in proportion to what we can learn from it."(7) What do we learn about God and the Christian faith from what we sing?
* Does the music serve the text? "A tune is excellent only as it is subservient to the words, undergirds the thought, and captures the dominant mood."(8) Does the tune help us to recall the words by bringing forward appropriate features of the text, or does the tune call attention to itself and contradict or stand in the way of the words?
* Does our music encourage corporate worship? Does the music encourage congregational singing or is it designed for the solo artist or does it come across as entertainment? Are soloists and choir effectively leading and supporting the congregation in its worship or are they merely displaying their virtuosity? Do the hymns and choruses we sing express the faith of the gathered community or do they tend toward individual and private expressions of faith?
* Is the music appropriate to the ability of the congregation? Do our musical selections respect the past practice of congregation? Do we include enough familiar hymns?
* Do the hymns and choruses we sing assume and encourage growth in discipleship? Is continuing congregational education in music and worship a part of our ministry? Do we take the time and effort to learn new hymns and challenging hymns? Worship is a "living sacrifice," and therefore our gifts to God should represent some cost to us. Learning more difficult music and coming to understand and appreciate richer theology may be difficult work, but it can also be a source of spiritual renewal and growth.
Preaching
Preaching should be predominately expository in nature, with the pastor working through books of the Bible. Topical preaching has its place and fills a portion of the preaching schedule; however the preaching of a book in an expository manner provides the congregation with the richest food upon which to feast.
The following is adapted from an article by Mark Bullmore (9):
What is expositional preaching? A sermon is expositional if its content and intent are controlled by the content and intent of a particular passage of Scripture. The preacher says what the passage says, and he intends for his sermon to accomplish in his listeners exactly what God is seeking to accomplish through the chosen passage of his Word… The biblical case for expositional preaching starts with the connection between the gift the ascended Christ has given to the church in pastor-teachers (Eph 4:11) and the biblical injunction for pastors-teachers to "preach the word" (2 Tim 4:2). Those who preach should preach their Bibles… In the pulpit, [this] will look like the picture we see in Nehemiah 8:8: "They read from the book . . . clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading." God has both purposed and promised to use this kind of preaching to accomplish one of his great aims—the gathering and building up of his people.
Praying
The pastor should also ensure that his prayers, whether extemporaneous or written, are God-honoring, God-focused and Biblically correct. Likewise, all leaders involved in the prayer life of the corporate body should ensure that they have active and rich private prayer lives; this will flow over into their corporate prayers.
Recitation of Creeds
Christianity is creedal. One of the earliest creeds is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8:
“I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is: Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say. He was buried, and three days later he was raised to life, as the Scriptures say. Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After this, he appeared to more than five hundred other followers. Most of them are still alive, but some have died. He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles. Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time”
This creed states all of the pertinent aspects of the churches faith – Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins, buried and three days later He was raised. Likewise, the Apostle’s Creed, the Athanasius Creed, the Nicene Creed all state the great truths of our faith in a succinct and memorable manner. Therefore, Covenant Fellowship shall undertake to recite from the creeds weekly, instilling in our congregation an understanding of the great truths in such a manner as the youngest member to the elder statesmen/women of the church will have an understanding of our foundations.
Ordinances
The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper will be observed regularly within the worship services of Covenant Fellowship. During this time, emphasis will be placed upon the covenantal aspect of our relationship with God the Father, through God the Son. The congregation should be reminded that only those who are within the Body of Christ and not living in sin are to partake. While the communion at Covenant Fellowship is not closed, we are duty-bound to remind and exhort those members who are in rebellion against God, and those outside the Body of Christ that this is a sacred celebration, to be enjoyed only by the faithful.
The ordinance of baptism must be explained and offered to any who have come to Christ. The ordinance should be offered at the first practical time possible. Before any are baptized at Covenant Fellowship, the elders will conduct an interview with the person(s) being baptized to ensure their proper understanding of the significance of the ordinance.
All aspects of our worship should be “a lavish outpouring of our love and praise to our God who has created and redeemed us.” (1) With that in mind, all of our worship should be excellent. The songs we sing, the sermons we preach, the prayers we offer should all be done to the best of our ability. Our offering should be the firstfruits of our lives, not the leftovers from a busy week.
Conclusion
Covenant Fellowship services will be a lavish outpouring of excellent worship to our triune God, involving prayers, preaching, Scripture reading, and recitation of creeds, singing and the practice of the ordinances of the church. All of these will be done to the Glory of God, centering on the finished work of our Savior Jesus Christ who bought us.
=====================================================
Footnotes:
1. Romans 11:36 - For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Jude 24, 25 - Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (ESV)
2. Colossians 1:15-20 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (ESV)
3. The Worship Sourcebook – published by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
4. Adapted from the Commission on Worship, Reformed Church in America, 1996
5. John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, III. 20, #31.
6. Howard Hageman, "Can Music Be Reformed?" Reformed Review, 1960.
7. Marva Dawn, Reaching Out without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for the Turn-of-the-Century Culture (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), p. 201.
8. Austin Lovelace and William C. Rice, Music and Worship in the Church (Nashville: Abingdon, 1976), p. 20.
9 Marks website May/June 2007 9Marks
Covenant Fellowship
A Theology of Worship
May 2007
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Evangelism in the Small Church
I will be the first to admit that our church is somewhat eclectic, so the following post may not fit all churches, but I think some of the principles are valid for any church.
When we started our church, we planted it in a part of town that is less than desirable, i.e. between a bar and a Mexican restaurant. The bar was a well-known drug emporium (it has since changed owners and has cleaned up, but it is still a bar).
We felt led to bring a church into this area that was focused on people that had 'fallen through the cracks' in the system; aka people habitually out of work, with low skill sets, and/or drug/prison issues. Now, I will state clearly that not all or even the majority of our people are folks that fit that category, however we do have our share.
This presented us with an issue: How could a small group with only a few mature Christians reach a community that was hurting with the good news of the Gospel? After all, many would say that you need a 'program' for Evangelism, and this requires money (we have very little), and a team (we had a small group). We prayed about this and discussed it, looking into the Bible for our model as opposed to some of the more tried and true modern methods.
I am not saying that these modern methods are wrong, or even unBiblical, but some of them do tend to give the impression that you need more than you actually do to accomplish evangelism. So what did we find?
First and foremost -- we had to evangelize our church! I pastor a church in the Bible Belt, and you would be surprised (if not from here) at the number of unsaved people INSIDE churches -- having attended church their entire life, there are some people who cannot even present the Gospel! So, we started by teaching our folks the full Gospel, (not leaving out the more painful parts, such as God's wrath is upon us until we are drawn to Christ), and then teaching that it is EVERY Christian's responsibility to share their faith.
We created a church of evangelists -- we no longer needed a big team, or money to start a program -- people naturally shared their faith, and therefore we have a church that is actively involved in the community as a whole, not in sporadic programs, or with a 'special' evangelistic team.
Our little church, as Daniel who stops by here periodically will attest, is pretty active in outreach, I believe that we are active beyond our size limitations. This is not something I can toot my horn about, it is solely the providence and grace of God that has put us in this position, by first placing in our hearts the desire to plant the church in this location, and secondly, by gently and patiently guiding us to evangelize our church.
A small warning -- you will be greeted with a variety of attitudes when you attempt to teach the church how to share the gospel -- everything from eagerness to downright derision that you would be arrogant enough to think that "I" need to be taught the Gospel. Be prepared to gently, but firmly, stay the course.
Everyone in your church should be able to share the full gospel as naturally as if they were discussing the weather! I am not discussing the new guy who just walked in last week, but your core should be Gospel-preaching, Gospel-living, Gospel-sharing folks. A small church cannot have pew-warmers.
When we started our church, we planted it in a part of town that is less than desirable, i.e. between a bar and a Mexican restaurant. The bar was a well-known drug emporium (it has since changed owners and has cleaned up, but it is still a bar).
We felt led to bring a church into this area that was focused on people that had 'fallen through the cracks' in the system; aka people habitually out of work, with low skill sets, and/or drug/prison issues. Now, I will state clearly that not all or even the majority of our people are folks that fit that category, however we do have our share.
This presented us with an issue: How could a small group with only a few mature Christians reach a community that was hurting with the good news of the Gospel? After all, many would say that you need a 'program' for Evangelism, and this requires money (we have very little), and a team (we had a small group). We prayed about this and discussed it, looking into the Bible for our model as opposed to some of the more tried and true modern methods.
I am not saying that these modern methods are wrong, or even unBiblical, but some of them do tend to give the impression that you need more than you actually do to accomplish evangelism. So what did we find?
First and foremost -- we had to evangelize our church! I pastor a church in the Bible Belt, and you would be surprised (if not from here) at the number of unsaved people INSIDE churches -- having attended church their entire life, there are some people who cannot even present the Gospel! So, we started by teaching our folks the full Gospel, (not leaving out the more painful parts, such as God's wrath is upon us until we are drawn to Christ), and then teaching that it is EVERY Christian's responsibility to share their faith.
We created a church of evangelists -- we no longer needed a big team, or money to start a program -- people naturally shared their faith, and therefore we have a church that is actively involved in the community as a whole, not in sporadic programs, or with a 'special' evangelistic team.
Our little church, as Daniel who stops by here periodically will attest, is pretty active in outreach, I believe that we are active beyond our size limitations. This is not something I can toot my horn about, it is solely the providence and grace of God that has put us in this position, by first placing in our hearts the desire to plant the church in this location, and secondly, by gently and patiently guiding us to evangelize our church.
A small warning -- you will be greeted with a variety of attitudes when you attempt to teach the church how to share the gospel -- everything from eagerness to downright derision that you would be arrogant enough to think that "I" need to be taught the Gospel. Be prepared to gently, but firmly, stay the course.
Everyone in your church should be able to share the full gospel as naturally as if they were discussing the weather! I am not discussing the new guy who just walked in last week, but your core should be Gospel-preaching, Gospel-living, Gospel-sharing folks. A small church cannot have pew-warmers.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
I'm Back
I apologize for being gone for a bit -- I was on vacation visiting family, and just arrived home!
My next post may be about evangelism from a small church pastor perspective. I have written about this before, but thought I would revisit it.
My next post may be about evangelism from a small church pastor perspective. I have written about this before, but thought I would revisit it.
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