Making the Most of These Annual Meetings

The associational annual meeting is over, and the state annual convention is next month. They involve months of planning. They involve taking time away from home and local church field. The agenda is packed to the extent there is little time to evaluate or consider all the dynamics. There are a lot of reports and a few business sessions. Why go?

Out of the distant past these annual gatherings of Baptist church members brought fellow believers together who were otherwise separated by long distances  and poor travel conditions. They discussed the needs of sister churches and the need of distant mission fields. They also discussed the boundaries of Christian doctrine and how diverse an interpretation could be accepted. They provided the opportunity for new relationships to be developed and old relationships to be strengthened. Fellowship was a key purpose behind these annual meetings.

Now in the 21^st century a few of these purposes remain. General business for the large group is conducted and the general affairs of the churches are evaluated.   Some associations and conventions use these occasions to overview the doctrinal stance of the convention and determine if any corrections are needed. Individual church needs are rarely brought to the attention of a convention, perhaps more so on the local associational level. Improved travel time has allowed the meetings to be shortened in duration and agendas have been tightened accordingly.

An underlying need, however, has not been diminished. That is the need to establish or reestablish relationships with people from other churches. Fellowship, socializing, catching up on the local news from other areas of the state or nation is still critical for the strength and health of the Church. Christians need each other. The more turbulent the times, the more Christians must depend upon ongoing contact with other believers.

On the national level this can be extremely difficult, but the benefits of being in face-to-face contact with others are still evident. Emotional support, sharing and mixing of ideas, and seeking the common ground may be possible in our digital age, but a small screen cannot replace the communication conveyed through body language and voice tone.

State convention annual meetings offer a bit more opportunity as contacts between meetings is easier and therefore serve to reinforce the impact of the business session gatherings. Ideas shared may be more applicable in the common state arena. Other avenues of contact are more available on the state level. The possibility of stronger relationships is enhanced by participating in state level annual conventions.

Within the area of the local association, however, we see the benefits of involvement at its highest. Local church representatives who gather at associational meetings find they are sitting next to neighbors. They are talking to people they see at the supermarket and the restaurant. They are discussing issues with those with whom they do regular business, whom they saw the previous week, and may see again the following week. Discussions and decisions at associational meetings are made in the context of ongoing and close relationships. It is hard to walk away from strong disagreements in this context.

The local association of churches offers a richness of ideas and planning development. Churches in different contexts offer a variety of perspectives that is essential to healthy Kingdom work. Churches are strengthened by listening to and learning from the stories of their sister churches. Churches are encouraged by hearing of the victories of others in their region. Shared resources make the big projects for the local community possible when otherwise such ministries might be nothing more than frustrated dreams.

Relationships are critical for the work of the Kingdom of God. Strengthening those relationships must be a high priority. Associational cooperation and the annual meetings representing that cooperation are worthy of our time and efforts.

You Got Two Options. Choose Wisely.

At a recent conference I attended, that was the extent of the choices given to today's local churches. The local church was faced with the need for dramatic and deep change or it would die. I have to elaborate and say that goes for the individual Christian, the local association of churches, and the conventions on the state and national level. Of course we hear that a lot from a variety of directions. The problem arises when we are forced to decide what to change and to what extent both in our personal lives and in the arena of these larger collections of relationships.

Relevancy is a key concept in this, and it can and should be separated in content and methodology. While content can remain relevant for eternity, methodology may need to change on a regular basis. Relevancy reveals importance, value, and applicability. Relevancy is often lost when the communication methodology is muddled, and only reappears when the methodology is changed.

The human body must change if it is to remain healthy. It will grow. It will change form as well as size. Changes will take place that are both apparent and hidden. The process of maturing will bring about loss in some areas and gains in others, some of course we would like to avoid. Change is inevitable in living things. The only option is the radical change caused by death itself.

So what's new about this revelation? People have been writing on the subject for years. Change or die. We live with it. We recognize its own relevancy as a concept for our lives. So what's new?

Perhaps it is the idea that even though it is being repeated over and over, no one is listening. In far too many cases either no change is being considered or the change is cosmetic. Deep change is being avoided. Substance remains the same. Change that would guarantee a healthy future is not happening.

On the personal level people must eat right and get enough exercise and rest. People must stretch their minds through activities that involve something besides television and video games in ways that will develop abilities in analysis, evaluation, and application. People must seek to grow in ways other than girth. We find it easy to see what needs to be done in our personal lives. The public media is telling us that all the time!

State and national conventions must look not only at what will be new in how they do their ministries, but also what will renew the foundations that provide the resources for those ministries. Who is providing the material resources for advances in missions? Who is training the leadership for these advances? From where will the next generation of leaders come?

The local church must step forward to answer these questions. State and national conventions look to the local church to provide the funds and the leaders for our mission and ministry efforts. The health of the local church will determine the health of all those institutions that depend upon it. Right now the 20th century church is having a hard time keeping its head above the water in the 21st century. It must change or it will die, and if it does, it will take a significant portion of those institutions that depend upon it with it.

Church, and association, renewal must move beyond repeating the old methods at a faster and more desperate clip. Relevancy in renewal must focus on how effectively we are communicating the unchanging content. Relevancy in renewal must focus upon finding and using the languages of our cultures. Relevancy in renewal must focus upon understanding those we are trying to reach and do so in a way that insures what we are saying is understood by those we are urging to listen.

Change or die. We can change. We don't have to die - as churches, associations, or conventions. If we don't change in a healthy and intentional way, however, death remains our only option.

Stuck in Spiritual Molasses

A saying with which I grew up in rural Kentucky was "As slow as molasses in winter". I knew what someone meant even if I didn't like molasses. The best molasses were thick and flowed slowly off the spoon. If it got cold as in the winter, then it didn't flow at all. As a boy there were times I was accused of working at a speed comparable to cold molasses.

What about a Christian's pace of life? What about a church's? In honesty we have to admit there are things, forces, people that slow us down while trying to accomplish what we know we need to be doing especially in fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Even if there is a deadline hanging over our heads, we still meet hindrances that don't outright stop us but slow us down to the point we wonder if we will ever reach our goals. Maybe some of these are familiar to you.

Confusion. I can think for two weeks about what the first step ought to be. I can worry for a month about which option is best. I can lose sleep night after night wondering if I really understand what I'm facing. In the meantime nothing is getting done.

Distractions. My energy and focus on this project may be directly proportional to my interest in it. If the interest level is low, a lot of other ideas will want to crowd in and take my attention away.

Fear. If I mess up on this idea, my goose is cooked! If I delay long enough or go slow enough, something else might bail me out and the consequences won't be nearly as bad.

Ignorance. I don't know what to do and I'm not sure where to get the answers to my questions.

Lack of assurance. It might not be outright fear, but there is enough uneasiness about what is supposed to happen that caution reigns and action proceeds at a snail's pace (or cold molasses).

Lack of resources. The project could have been done in one tenth of the time except for having to gather scattered resources, proper tools, and trained personnel.

These hindrances are just as true of a church and an association as they are of an individual in the effort to carry out the Great Commission both as a task and as a lifestyle. Oftentimes we will use the same kind of excuses to get ourselves off the hook, just on a larger scale.

Distractions have to be handled. Proper prioritization can minimize distractions. Determining realistic deadlines and holding to them will minimize the damage of distractions. Being able to say "no" to non essentials is one of the best ways to keep distractions from hindering the work of the Great Commission.

Confusion, fear, and lack of assurance often go together. Many leadership gurus will say that some of the best learning takes place through failing. You may fail on that first step; that is not failure. You have eliminated one of the options. Now start again with this new knowledge. Tell those people who laugh or criticize when you fail to get in there and help or get out of the way!

"Ignorance is curable, while stupidity is forever" is one of my favorite proverbs. Ask the necessary questions up front, get the information you need, and then full steam ahead. If information is all you lack, the masses are waiting to provide it. Most people are ready to cheer on a hard worker.

A lack of resources is a challenge, not a problem. Before you start, as an individual or a church or an association, get a good idea of what you need. Put it together, whether it is material or a team, and then start. Accept the fact that adjustments will have to be made while progress is being made, just work to keep the progress from stopping.

Another name for all these hindrances might at times be procrastination. Don't let cold molasses destroy a good idea and your efforts to fulfill the Great Commission!

Handling Being Second

The story is told that years ago a car race was held between a Russian and an American. These were the only two cars involved. The end result would be a first place and a second place finish. How that sounded depended upon the reporter. The American won and was announced as the winner with the Russian coming in second. From a different perspective another newspaper account reported that the Russian had come in second and the American next to last. Both were true, but the feelings with which you were left were considerably different.

Perspective can make a tremendous difference in the way you handle coming in second, or next to last, or behind a crowd of one. Sometimes we need to be assured that coming in second is okay. You don't have to be first to feel good about your effort. Coming in second in a race of two should be as positive as coming in second in a race of a thousand. Yet we often find it hard to accept the fact that we are not the best, not the first to finish the race, that our efforts have not surpassed those of a multitude. We will not come in first every time. Somewhere we have to learn to accept the position of second place.

The crown prince plays second fiddle to the king. The vice president has to wait his turn behind the president. The second son has to wait for the first born to choose the preferred inheritance. There is an actor or actress, an understudy, that is always waiting in the wings just in case they are needed if the lead is unable to perform. The first one to the ferry gets on and others have to hope there is still space.

Is being second any worse than being third or fifth or tenth? Do we see the only possible option as being first? Do we consider everything else as the equivalent of losing, and who wants to be a loser? Ultimately it does come down to a matter of perspective. Not coming in first leaves you a loser, or being second to the best. The position is the same, but there is a world of difference in your perspective of yourself.

In the New Testament a man once made the statement with pride that, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30) He was John the Baptizer and he was speaking of Jesus the Messiah. John knew from the beginning of his ministry that he was to play a secondary role. The One who was to come after him was to have the preeminent position. John carried out his responsibility without regret or envy. He came first but he was to become second.

The number two position is the support position. You back up the person in front of you in case they need help. Yet you are not recognized unless needed. Your name is not listed with the credits beside the star. You have to know all the lines and be ready to step in on a moment's notice, but the glory goes to the name at the top of the showbill. The show can go on with confidence because you were waiting in the shadows.

The Apostle Paul made a big deal out of being content in a secondary position in his letter to the Roman church, chapter 12. Three times he mentions the need to keep ourselves in proper perspective as we consider our relationship with others. Don't think more highly of yourself than you should. Outdo one another in showing honor to others. Never be conceited (vv. 3, 10, 16). In our relationships with others, we honor our relationship with God by lifting others above ourselves.

There is no better place to do this than in the family of God. In this context we reveal the workings of a heavenly family that is operating on earth. All members are brothers and sisters of Christ and of each other. Each member exists to promote the welfare of others and help them fulfill their spiritual potential as a child of God. Promotion of others can only occur when self takes second place.

The same must be said of associational work among churches. The association must come second. Its priorities must come second. Its demand upon the time and resources of the individual churches must come second behind the priority of the local church in fulfilling its divine calling from its Creator and Lord. The Church is a divine creation coming into existence at Pentecost (Acts 2). The association of churches has been created by man to assist the local churches fulfill their Great Commission (Matthew 28). That means the association will often have to make do with less. Its schedule will be at the mercy of local church calendars. Its leadership will be called upon to give their priority time to the local church and not to the association.

I can live with being second as an associational missionary when I know the winner, the one taking first place, is bringing the greatest glory to God and our Lord Jesus Christ. When you are second behind the best, there is no shame.

Fighting Frustration

We all have those moments. Then those moments turn into hours that turn into days that then turn into our jobs and a general description of our lives. They are moments of frustration that take on the form of some kind of hyper contagious virus that seems to consume us before we have time to react much less find the cure. We end up deciding there are two kinds of people in the world. People who admit to having times of  frustration and liars.

Am I making more of this than it really deserves? Could the Son of God ever become frustrated? When confronted by a desperate father whose son could not be cured by the disciples of Jesus, the Master himself responds with a rhetorical question, "How long?" When he meets cruel legalism in a synagogue, he grows angry over the hard hearts of those who should have understood compassion best. When he faces the blasphemous use of his Father's House of Prayer for a marketplace, his frustration becomes the motivation for a serious housecleaning!

Frustration is real. Like so many of our emotions, however, its cause is completely within our control. Just like no one can make you angry. You become angry as a decisive response to a situation. It is a decision you make on your own based upon your value system of right and wrong, good and evil, or fair and unfair. You become frustrated because of a situation that goes against your expectations at a time when your desires are important enough for you to generate a most uncomfortable emotional response. Since you cannot hold it in, it is revealed as some level of frustration. What you do with that emotion is what is seen as a positive or negative reaction.

The recorded events of Jesus' frustration always became teaching moments for those who had eyes to see and ears to hear. We would do well to make our moments of frustration times of learning as well. This might be as individuals in daily life, as churches seeking to be salt and light and yeast in our communities, or as associations bringing a cluster of churches together to accomplish a task greater than any one church could complete alone. In all these cases there are people involved. That is a recipe for frustration.

Frustration springs from unfulfilled expectations. Good buddy Webster used a simple one-word synonym, "block". That says well what we feel when our efforts do not produce the expected results. We feel blocked. It's bad enough when we can provide a good reason for hitting the wall. It is pure frustration when we cannot justify our failure to attain our goals.

Frustration can be just as real in a local church setting and in the midst of associational work. We set goals. We gather resources. We organize to give ourselves the best chance of success. Then the block appears. Not only can we not justify that hindrance, the hindrance is counter to what we believe is our purpose and prevents us from accomplishing a higher good. That's when we start calling people terrible names and accusing them of opposing the will of God.

Yet if we listen to the frustration of Jesus we can see that the situation need not be all negative. Meeting those blocks can make us aware that a moment of teaching needs to occur. In those moments Jesus taught on faith. He taught concerning the compassion of the heavenly Father. He taught about the nature of the Kingdom of God.

When we become frustrated with our work or relationships with others, perhaps we should pause for a moment and decide wherein the problem lies. Are our expectations out of line with the will of God? That is not a problem Jesus had, only his listeners. What do we need to change that would lessen the frustration? What are the expectations of others involved in the situation? Are they proving to be a hindrance through ignorance or intent? Ignorance can be cured with patience. Stubbornness needs the help of the Holy Spirit.

When an association does not seem to be accomplishing the work of the Kingdom of God as it should, frustration appears, but what is its cause? Do churches need to learn? Provide the training. Are churches being resistant to the movement of the Kingdom of God? Then perhaps only the Holy Spirit can provide the answer. Neither in our personal lives nor in our work with God's people can we assume that our frustration is always due to another's intentional effort to thwart us. It may well be that we are the ones who need to learn or adjust our expectations.

Bigger Than You and Me

Every Christian, not just your church pastor and other leaders, needs to ask this question of themselves on a regular basis, How big is the Kingdom I'm serving. The answer will say something about a person's ministry vision, perspective on resources, ultimate goals, and the level of dependency upon God. We sometimes say that a person's world extends no further than their personal needs. I dream of a Christian's arena of service being a lot bigger than that.

As individuals, as churches, and as associations and conventions we are often tempted by the desire to be in control of our world. Such control brings safety, security, and an enhanced sense of personal worth. There is nothing wrong with such qualities in our lives or institutions. The problem is what we determine will be the source of those qualities.

Way back when, a couple of people stood in front of a tree and decided that the world would be no bigger than what they could control. God said if that's your choice, so be it. Your world is out there. Go make the best of it if you are determined to go it alone. We've been paying the price ever since.

God calls us to see our world as being a lot bigger than ourselves. Then he calls us to see that we still can find safety, security, and personal value even if we are not in charge. We find it not in ourselves but in him. Failing to do that causes us to wander in the world trying to provide all this for ourselves and failing every time.

How big is the world of a Christian? It must be as big as the Kingdom of God. Who's in charge of that Kingdom? It is not we, folks. Our struggle lies in the fact that we must find what we want while acknowledging that it is God who is in control. When we maintain a perspective that gives the Kingdom of God the priority in all things, then we put God and his priorities where they are supposed to be, front and center, the focus of everything.

Keeping the Kingdom of God in its proper priority position forces the individual to see himself/herself as a servant, a citizen, a child before God the Creator. As such the dominant qualities in the individual become love for God and others, humility, a willingness to sacrifice self, a willingness to show honor to others above self, a desire to exalt others, a desire to serve others and see them reach their full potential, and a life-controlling desire to give all glory and praise to God.

A church that maintains a Kingdom of God perspective will see itself as a community nurturing its members to become salt, light, and leaven in the world for the glory of God. Such a church will encourage its members to discover, develop, and use their spiritual gifts to grow more Christlike and impact their world for the glory of God. This Kingdom-focused community seeks to multiply itself beyond its fields by sending forth its members not as members of its own family but as members of the Kingdom of God. Such a local family of God will never hold for itself what it knows will serve the greater needs of the Kingdom of which it is only a part.

Associations and conventions are not mandated by scripture. They exist out of the recognized need to accomplish more than what one congregation can accomplish alone. As such they exist first for the Kingdom of God and then to assist their members in carrying out their calling as members of the Kingdom of God. Resources should be used to help their members be the greatest possible members and contributors of the Kingdom. Vision should be maintained as a focus upon the Kingdom of God. Growth must be focused upon the Kingdom and not upon the organization. Sacrifice is just as much a part of the life of an association and a convention as it is for the local church and the individual Christian.

The Kingdom of God is bigger than any convention, association, local church, pastor, or individual Christian. Each of these must order their existence with that in mind. God is in control and must be the focus of all actions and the recipient of all glory. Anything less puts us all back in front of that tree and making the wrong decision.

Even the New Has Some Old

Jesus uses a parable in which he tells of a householder who takes the old and the new out of his treasure chest. He shares this brief story in the context of teaching his disciples the importance of being trained for service in the Kingdom of God. Such wisdom as shown by the householder is not for religious leaders only, but for all who would serve the Kingdom in a God-honoring way, individuals, churches, and larger organizations alike.

We all have a past. Describe it in any way you wish, you still have a past. Some or most you may have forgotten or tried to forget, but you still have a past. Parts of your past may be remembered better by others than your self, but you still have a past. Your past may be dominated by your own initiated actions, or it may be the result of your response to the actions of others toward you. Either way you have a past.

The same can be said of a local church. As soon as someone has a dream of starting a local body of believers, a past has been formed. It will only grow with time, being filled with a wide variety of events and experiences. Conventions both large and small pass through the same dynamic. A past is created that cannot be altered or removed. It is locked in the pages of history.

The past or history of an individual or church cannot be ignored. Denying it will not change its truth. The past of an individual or church is always there lingering just at the edge of the present exerting its influence, whispering in a small voice about what has been and what might have been. It contains both jewels and cinders, both gold and pot metal. They all reside in our past influencing how our decisions in the present will determine our future.

Jesus pointed out that a wise servant of the Kingdom will look at everything in the past and decide what is valuable for the present and what is not. The wise servant will see how the old and valuable compliments or merges with the new and valuable to create something more valuable yet. That which is of little or no value will be placed aside for its value may not be in the present but may well reveal itself in the future.

Our Creator-God did not stop his process of creation in the first couple of chapters of Genesis. Through his prophets he spoke often of doing something new, something the people would not expect. In Jesus something occurred that was so new that few people recognized what had happened. In the birth of the Church (Acts 2), a living creation came into existence that could not have been anticipated except through the deepest insights of faith.

In all these there had been earlier signs that something wonderful was to happen. God was working with what was, introducing something new, and bringing forth a radical creation that revealed his glory and power in a way as never before. Something old combined with something new brings forth the awesome moment.

A new vision of the future can never be separated from the past out of which it springs. It is grounded in a response to what has been and an initiation of action toward what could be. God calls the individual to learn the agony and the glory of the cross. God calls the church to testify to the faith of its founders and then speak in a new language that its contemporary world will understand. That church will bring the old out of its past and meld it into the glory of the present and offer a testimony that will speak clearly of the timeless glory and love of God.

Is your church using both the treasures of the past and creations of the present? Can our conventions be said to be bringing the best out of the past, combining it with the best of the present, and through that produce a witness in our world that offers hope to all regardless of whether it is received or rejected?

The Kingdom scribe understands how God has spoken in the past, hears how he is speaking in the present, and is at work to make sure that the word of God is heard and understood now and into the future. God calls all of us to be careful but also to be bold as we search through the treasures of our past to develop the witness that is needed for the future.

Purity Is Not an Option

Most of us prefer to drink water that has been found pure. The same can be said about most of our food. Purity is something we consider a serious matter especially when it relates to what we see as most important in life. Perhaps we should be reminded that God takes purity rather seriously as well.

The creation came into existence free from the impurity of sin. Old Testament sacrifices were to be pure, without blemish or scar. The prophets called the people of Israel to practice a pure faith free from the corrupting influence of pagan religions. The God of Israel demanded a pure and holy people that would be his royal priesthood among the nations.

The perfect sacrifice that was pure in every way came in the person of Jesus Christ. He preached purity. He lived in purity. He died in purity. He was raised from the dead in purity to ascend to sit by the throne of glory. Purity is no laughing matter or subject of coarse jokes in the eyes of the Creator of the universe.

Some of my favorite verses for memorization (and thus reminders of how I ought to be living) include the concept of purity. In the New Testament we find in the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart"; in Paul's counsel to Timothy (I Tim. 4:12) he says to set an example for others that includes purity, and in his letter to the Philippian believers he encourages them to keep their thoughts focused on what is pure (4:8); and James says that wisdom from above is known first and foremost by its purity (3:17).

This concept is not just some commercial for getting the stains and residue out of your life. The two more common words used for purity in the New Testament bring together concepts of morality and freedom from corruption, such as an innocent life, clean water, and gold without contamination. There is even the root reference that purity has its foundation in the divine. Being and staying pure is serious stuff.

An individual that responds to the call of Christ is called to be pure, as well as holy, perfect, etc! To be consistent this must be reflected not only in deeds and words but also thoughts. Jesus made it clear that just as sin is a matter of the heart so is purity. Words and actions only follow what has already set up housekeeping in the mind.

Churches are made up of individual believers. Associations and conventions are made of churches that are made up of individual believers. The motives and the actions they prompt in our churches and more extended organizations cannot but help reflect the nature of the individual believers. God calls for us to make sure that nature is pure.

Individual Christians should be motivated out of pure minds. Their words and deeds should reflect that aspect of their transformed nature. Believers should relate to others out of the pure, divine love of their Savior. Believers should see others through purified eyes. They should speak with purified words. They should act in ways that reveal they have been purified by surrender to the Lordship of the Holy Spirit.

Churches should respond to their communities out of a purity of purpose and motivation. The self-sacrificing agape love of our Savior can be the only guide we have. The Church must be pure if it is to be the salt and light its Lord intended. The sins of self-preservation and need for domination have no place in the Church, the Bride of Christ.

Purity in the same way must mark the motivation and actions of the Church in its expanded image of associations and conventions. Self is always subordinated to the divinely recognized needs of humanity. These larger entities must look deep within themselves and find the truth of who they are and why they exist. If purity does not mark what they find, then change is demanded.

Purity demands constant self-evaluation, confession, and repentance. This is no less true of the Church, the association, and conventions than it is of the individual believer.

Practicing Our Religious Freedom

Yes, we Americans do have religious freedom, more than we practice in fact. Last Monday, January 16, carried the designation of "Religious Freedom Day". A little recognized occasion it is often lost in the commemoration of MLK Jr Day. It does exist, however, and began under the presidency of Bill Clinton. It deserves greater recognition and dissemination through a broad based educational effort. A description of the day and suggestions for how to observe it may be found at www.religiousfreedomday.com.

I had not heard of the day before this year. I have never heard it announced in one of my churches. I never heard of it while volunteering in a public school over a period of four years. I have never heard my Baptist state convention promote it. A quick search of Baptist Press articles showed the last one on the subject was an opinion piece written in 2007 indicating to me the subject is not a huge, newsworthy topic even in the conservative press.

Why is it not a major topic? One of the universal complaints I find in the churches I serve is the terrible thing our government did by taking Bible reading and prayer out of our public schools. The government has taken steps to remove state and school administration mandated Bible reading as a devotional exercise and prayer out of the daily routine. I for one have no problem denying our public school children the necessity of having to hear devotional readings from the Quran, the Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha, the Book of Mormon, the Book of the Dead, or the Bhagavad-Gita. If we insist in our free country that our children hear the Bible read each day, those same children will also be required to hear readings from other works considered sacred by their adherents. You cannot have it both ways in a free country!

My suggestion is to make the most of the freedom we have. As the old saying goes, "As long as there are tests in school, there will be prayer in school." I can vouch for that. There is no law anywhere that says a student cannot bring a Bible to school and read it for personal benefit when it does not distract from the classroom efforts of the teacher. A student can read the Bible during lunch, in a study period, or standing in an open hallway. Anyone who tries to interfere can be accused of harassment.

Far more important than having prayer and Bible reading in our schools is having prayer and Bible reading in our homes and in our churches, yes in our churches! Before we condemn the government for taking state-mandated prayer and Bible reading out of the public arena, we need to see how much we do in our private settings. Religious Freedom Day should judge how much time we spend in our homes with the Bible open. The Day should judge how much time we spend in prayer (beyond the cursory "Thanks for the grub, God."). The Day should judge how important it is to us that our children see that prayer and Bible reading are important to their parents. We can do this without fear that someone will break into our homes and arrest us for practicing our faith or be waiting outside our church doors with guns and hand grenades to kill us all.

Think for a moment about the last time you were in a Christian worship service. How much time was spent reading the Bible? How much time was spent in prayer? What was the subject of the prayer? Where are our people when it comes time for small group Bible study? Are all the ones who want our public schools to read the Bible taking advantage of the freedom to study it themselves at home and other places?

Worship for the Christian is a process of personal acknowledgment of who God is and the individual's place before God. That process can take the form of silent waiting, singing, listening to both the reading of the Bible and its explanation/application. It will include prayer that is both personal and guided. Yet with all this, how much comes through our traditional worship services that says the Bible should be the handbook on life for every believer and that prayer is the method of communicating with the most important Person in your life. Better use it!

Religious Freedom Day for the American Christian should be a day on which we celebrate our freedom to read the Bible and not be forced to read someone else's holy book. We should celebrate that we can pray and not worry about someone spying on us to see what we are doing. We should celebrate that we have the freedom to try to convince all those other people who read something else that they are missing out on the Truth, and we don't have to worry about being locked up in jail or beheaded for doing it. We must educate our membership at all levels of our religious organizations about the freedoms and responsibility we have as free American Christians. We just need to be compassionate and live out our freedom the way our Lord taught and practiced it.

When the Church Acts Like the Church

Acts 2:47 contains the interesting phrase "and having favor with all the people." The Church was acting like the Church and that was the response from society. Of course the story continues to show that society did not always respond in such positive terms. In later chapters when the Church acted like the Church, adherents were thrown into prison, beaten, cast out of cities, killed, and often faced a less than satisfactory reception from the community.

Things don't seem to have changed much in the 21st century for the Church when it tries to act like the Church. Individuals that seek to be good neighbors often find their actions are reciprocated, this even in countries where Christianity is at least frowned upon if not openly persecuted. One on one, Christians who act like Christ followers often find acceptance when they are rejected by society in general.

Does this mean if you love your neighbor as yourself, life will be just wonderful? Hardly. If that were the case, Jesus would never have had to mention stuff like turning the other cheek. No, often good still gets evil as its reward. It will get its hand slapped for trying to help.

At the same time we cannot escape the lesson that the Church does the most good and has the greatest positive influence on its society when it simply carries out those earliest actions. We treat fellow believers with love, compassion, and respect. We are generous with all that we have believing that it already belongs to God. We focus on our relationship with God through prayer and constant reminders of what he left us in the testimony of those first witnesses. We give of ourselves for in so doing we believe we are giving to Christ.

When the Church acts like the Church, the Body of Christ, it reveals a pattern of life and a standard of relationships that are radically different than what the world exemplifies. When the Church acts like the Church, people take notice and cannot escape its influence on both individuals and society. When the Church acts like the Church, it will not be ignored and a response will come.

Does it make a difference what response the Church gets when it acts like the Church? No, it doesn't. The Church does not answer to the world. It answers only to its Lord, the One who died for it and gave it life. The Church must act like the Church without regard to cost or consequences. Human laws will never replace the power of the Church acting like the Church. Only as the Church acts like the Church will hearts be changed and transformation last longer than a visit from a law enforcement official.

Christmas Was Risky

God became a human being. That human being gave up being equal with God the Father and took on all the weaknesses of a typical mortal including the ability to be tempted by the wiles and ways of this world. God did this to show us how much he loved us. Jesus, the Son of God, became Emmanuel. I call that risky.

Apparently God did not have a Plan B. If Jesus failed to meet the requirements for the job while existing in full human nature, there was no back up plan, at least none that scripture seems to imply. Jesus had to be sinless to finish the plan. I call that risky.

To add to the high stakes that God was seeing, when the job that Jesus had come to accomplish was finished, God created the Church out of a bunch of weak, sinful, and rebellious human beings that said they would follow Jesus anywhere. He put the entire task of spreading the news about what Jesus had done in their hands. He made no provision for any back up plan if they failed or just lost interest. Again there was no Plan B. I call that risky.

Another year is about to begin. The Church has had the same marching orders for 2000 years. Holy Spirit continues to be our one source for strength, wisdom, and boldness essential to carrying out the task received so many years ago. God took a big chance subjecting his Son to the temptations that surround every mortal. He took a big chance giving a world mission responsibility to those first disciples. He continues to take a big chance on the Church's willingness to take a risk as well.

In 2012 the Church must take some big risks. We must do ministry with less money than we will think we need. We must do ministry in a culture that is less interested in what we have to say. We must make sacrifices in ways that we cannot imagine at this time. We must make decisions about what we must maintain and what we will allow to disappear before 2013 arrives. We must start living in a much riskier fashion.

Christians must decide if they will be safe or faithful in 2012. It is terribly difficult to do both in this world. Associations must decide whom they can help, how they can help, and what they must let die in the process. State and national conventions must decide why they exist, eliminate what does not support that purpose, and be honest in their reasoning. In 2012 taking the necessary risks will mean some things must die or disappear. Taking the necessary risks will mean division and realignment of priorities and support.

Taking the necessary risks always follows determining God's will. Simply taking risks does not make a fool any less a fool. The Church God established at Pentecost takes risk because faithfulness to his Plan demands taking risks in this world. You count the cost. You weigh the sacrifice. In the end it is faithfulness to God's Plan that must come out on top.

Christmas was risky, but then God being God, he knew what was involved from the beginning. The Plan it initiated concerned the spiritual eternity of mankind. As we enter 2012, we will find ourselves having to decide if we are willing to take the risks. There will be sacrifices that bring discomfort and loss, but faithfulness demands risk, and we do still believe that the God who started this Plan is still in control. The Church, to be the Church that cost the life of the Son of God, has no other choice but to take the risks. I hope we all enjoy stepping into the dark!

They May Not Tell You Beforehand

A few weeks ago I had the unexpected experience of a brief stay in the hospital due to a blocked artery in my heart. At 95% blockage the doctors told me I was lucky to have gotten through the situation without a heart attack. With no damage having been done, I could go back to my regular schedule with a new awareness of how things can happen with no warning.

I had felt a strange pressure in the middle of my chest and a burning in my throat. Those were the warnings my body gave me that my heart's arterial system was about to shut down. For years I had focused on a heart healthy diet. I had exercised every day. I had kept my blood pressure under control and cholesterol levels in the healthy range. I took comprehensive vitamins to supplement the already controlled diet. I still developed a blocked artery.

We all know that these things can happen. Cancer is well known for being discovered in stages too advanced to make treatment successful. Other diseases can give us the same problems. We find out too late a problem exists. Our options become limited. In the end we sometimes have only one option. Accept the end as it comes.

This same scenario is too often visible in our relationships among family members and between friends. It also occurs in churches, associations, and conventions. We are not sure what is going on, but something feels unusual. Something is wrong. We sense a deep and serious problem exists, but we cannot define it. The end result could be fatal if preventive action is not soon taken. Yet we have little warning of the coming crisis.

The medical personnel found nothing on ECGs or blood tests that would show anything was wrong around my heart. Only when they went into the arteries with a camera did they find the obvious cause of the unwanted pain. Once discovered the problem was evident and the cure obvious. A procedure to insert a stint took less than a hour and a day later I was home. Sometimes we must look deeper into our relationships to make sure that possible trouble is not hiding and building into something deadly.

I told my doctor that I felt I had a problem and did not know what to do about it. That started the process of treatment. We must do the same with family members and friends. We must communicate! My health was valuable. I wanted to do something about keeping it in the best condition possible. Our relationships are likewise valuable. We must do whatever is necessary to keep those relationships healthy. We must communicate!

I didn't blame the doctor for my condition. I went to the doctor because I knew that any help I needed must begin there. Don't blame a family member or friend when you sense trouble in the relationship. Express your concern and ask for help from the only one who can work with you to solve the problem, the other member in the relationship.

Within the church we too often push felt problems under the proverbial rug. We don't want to hurt someone's feelings. We don't want to make something big out of something that appears small. We operate as if we can ignore a problem and it will go away. It almost never does.

We must communicate! Redemption is a foundational aspect of good communication. You want to restore what may appear to be damaged or broken. In redemption you think of the needs of others. In redemption you express value. In redemption you take action to restore that which you had before. Few church, association, or convention conflicts would exist for long if redemption was the goal in every discussion.

Only through an emphasis upon redemptive and open communication can reconciliation be reached and healthy relationships restored. Only as we seek the divinely defined health of God's people through reaching out to others, by considering others better than ourselves, and by honoring others (Romans 12:3-16) will we be able to maintain the family relationships within the family of God that he intended.

Trust is the key to reconciliation and spiritual health. I trusted my doctors. I will again. When others know they can trust me, they will be open with me in their communication. They will reveal their fears and their pains. They will explore with me how I can help. Sometimes I will have to ask and hope that enough trusts exists that they will share what they had planned on keeping hidden. That is when the blocked arteries are discovered and healing/restoration can begin.

Associational Annual Meetings: Past-dwellers or Future-feeders?

It dawned on me that this was a lot like the many church homecomings I have attended. Special reports highlighted what had happened in the previous year. We counted the numbers that showed something had progressed or regressed. We heard multiple sermons. We visited with a lot of people we hadn't seen in a year. And we ate, a lot. After it was over, the question still remained. Was the effort worth it for what we accomplished for the Kingdom of God?

Sometimes it's hard to remember that the priority for our actions is to glorify God and strengthen the work of his Kingdom. We have our reports to make about what we have done. We talk a lot about what we need to do. We strengthen our relationships with other Christians both as individuals and as churches. And we eat, a lot.

Associational annual meetings have multiple purposes. They strengthen fellowship between sister churches at work for the Kingdom of God. They educate the various members about what has worked, what has not worked, what has been done, what has not been done, and who has done it or not done it. They inspire others to try what they have never tried before. They shed light on the unknown and so provide encouragement for churches to go where they have never gone before. They also provide another opportunity to eat, a lot.

Are these good enough reasons to have these annual gatherings of a population that has more white hair, or less hair, each year? With time being our most valuable commodity, is this the best way to spend this asset? If we are to involve the younger generation on the associational level as the state convention is seeking to do on that level, are we focusing on the right purposes? These annual gatherings meant much to our parents in the 1940's, 50's, and 60's when they represented critical times of mutual support. It's doubtful those same  reasons exist today.

If we asked the under 40 crowd today what would be the primary purpose for gathering in an annual associational meeting, what might they tell us? The first response might be, why meet? We have skype if we want to see each other. We have webinar conferencing if we need to get into a group discussion. We have live streaming if we want to hear a sermon or special music. We have fax and email if we need document transfer. We can even vote by hitting a button on our computers if that is necessary. Why meet?

Why meet indeed? This old 20th century guy missed at least half the methods of communication now available for use instead of coming together at a physical location. Yet there is that one form of communication that is missed in all the above that may be the most compelling reason for having annual meetings. We communicate through touch and visual cues when face to face. Few of our electronic means of communication allow these forms to take place. We are the poorer without them.

We are becoming a touch starved society. We may live in the 21st century, but we are creatures that need personal touch. We may have our personal space that no one should enter, but we need others who will approach that space and share their lives with us. We need people in proximity. Infants desperately need physical touch. Because we age does not mean that that need disappears for the continuing development of a healthy personality. Observe any elderly person when you put your arm around their shoulder in that gentle, supporting fashion!

Without a doubt we need to be in a constant process of evaluating why we meet. What do we hope to accomplish? Did we accomplish what we set out to do? If we didn't, what needs to change? How can we through the process tell everyone they are important and have a role to play in the future of the association? How do we pass the future of the church into the hands of the next generation? It will happen. We might as well plan how to do it.

My closing suggestions:
1. Minimize the organizational business.
2. Magnify worship, celebration, and inspiration.
3. Maximize intergenerational activities.
4. Multiply opportunities for involvement.
5. Mercifully avoid alliteration if at all possible.

We need associational annual meetings. We need short meetings. We need focused meetings We need the in-person connection. We need to worship together. We need to celebrate together as a family, a family of all ages.  We need to eat together, just not as much.

Death's Impact Can Be Limited

The recent death of a cousin brought to mind once more the mortality of life here on earth. Since the church is often described as a living organism (and perhaps the association as well, manmade though it might be), I was once more reminded of the decision that is faced by those in both a local congregation and an association who must decide if it is time for that organism to cease to exist, to die, or if prayer and resources should be devoted to reviving it. The decision should never be easy for a congregation any more than it is for the family who decides if artificial life support must be removed from a loved one.

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." John Donne: The Tolling Bell - A Devotion

Commentary on the Rev. Donne's thoughts indicate that he was inspired to write this devotion by hearing the bells of a local church announce the death of a member of the community. He says in other parts of the essay that it is not important for him to know who it was that had died, only that a member of his community was gone. He did not have to know the individual to know that his community was lessened because of the loss.

So it is with a family, but it is not so with the Kingdom of God and its citizenry. For a congregation to pass from existence is not to remove its impact and value from the Kingdom of God. To a lesser extent the same can be said of an association. Since God does not measure time by human events, we cannot allow our decisions to be based upon our limited perspective of importance. God looks at eternity. Our sense of value and importance should also be based upon that. At the recent funeral our grief was tempered by the fact that our belief said this loved one's life was not over. It had only transitioned into a more glorious one that the rest of us would one day share with her.

An association or a convention is lessened by the death of a congregation. That does not mean that its impact is lost. While alive that congregation may have impacted hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. Through those individuals future generations would also be affected by the faith that was passed on. The life and value of a congregation can no more be measured by its earthly remains than that of a human being.

At Pentecost God created the Church, not a local congregation. God's Church will have an eternal existence as the Bride of Christ. The local congregation was established to fulfill a purpose in a local setting with worldwide influence. Its eternal life was never guaranteed by anyone. To hold on to it when all viable life is gone is as selfish and unproductive as to force a beloved family member to stay on artificial life support when all possibility of human interaction is gone. The decision is never easy, but love can provide the strength especially for the follower of Christ.

My family is diminished when a member dies. At the same time the family has been expanded as three weddings in one year have added new members. We rejoice as our relationships are increased. We grieve as we are forced to give up one who has been with us for so long. Even in our grief, however, we rejoice at the positives that will go on for generations as stories are told and memories recounted.

If the local congregation must cease to exist because its productive life has ended, then let us rejoice at the influence it has had, the lives that have been transformed through its ministry, and the example it leaves for others to follow. We will be diminished in our earthly numbers, but the Kingdom of God will have lost nothing. Let us rejoice that God is not diminished because our numbers have changed.

Death of the Church

Some very wise person somewhere whose name is known to somebody once said, "It is not persecution that will kill the local church. The Church of Jesus Christ thrives when it is solely dependent upon the Holy Spirit that gave it its birth. The local church will die through the complacency of its members."

These are the weapons that Satan will use to kill the local church in the 21st century.

1. The fear of change. When some church members quote Hebrews 13:8 about Jesus being unchanging, they somehow confuse their congregation with the eternal Son of God. Jesus does not change. Everything else in the created order does change. All living things change. Even when they die, they change. To refuse to acknowledge the need to change is to reject the authority of God to sustain his Church as a living organism. Living things must change. The congregation must accept the fact that if it is to be salt and light in its ever-changing context, then it also must change.

2. The maintenance mentality. The explanation for the fear of change is usually grounded in a spiritual mentality that says what we have had or been must be maintained for the sake of who we are. The good old days are the best we can ever hope to be. We must preserve that or seek to recapture it. Such an attitude is nothing more than a lack of faith in the God who created all there is and sent his Son to die for mankind. Such an attitude says that God cannot improve on what he did in the past. We can hope for nothing better in the future. By focusing all resources on preserving the past, we sacrifice the future and the blessings God has waiting for us there.

3. Material wealth over spiritual power. The story is told of St. Thomas Aquinas talking with a pope of his day in one of the great halls of the Vatican. The pope is reported to have said as he looked at all the material splendor around them, "No longer can we say as did St. Peter, 'Gold and silver have I none'." Aquinas' response was quick and to the point. "Neither can we say, 'Rise up and walk'." Too many of our churches have fallen into the same condition. We have become so enamored with our material facilities and our bank accounts that we have no power to affect the lives of the people around us. We offer cushioned pews and air conditioning, but we have no answer to hopelessness, suffering, and relational pain. Our focus has become looking good in the eyes of the world instead of in the eyes of God.

4. The local church over the Kingdom of God. We too often forget that on the Day of Pentecost, God created the Church, not the church. The Church is the bride of Christ and will be transformed into glory on the day its Groom appears. The local church is a tool that serves the Spirit and as surely as it was created on a particular day in a particular community, so it can be removed when it no longer serves its purpose in that community. When Christians forget that Jesus told them to seek first the Kingdom of God (Mt. 6:33), they have transferred their focus from the Kingdom of God and the Church as its representative on earth to the local congregation which is only a passing manifestation of Christian influence in a community. Congregations are born. Congregations die. Some die in grief. Some die thankfully so. Whether the local congregation lives or dies, it is a temporary tool in the hands of the eternal Spirit. To focus upon it rather than the Kingdom of God is to create another idol that we have put in the place of the One True God. That is a big mistake!

Complacency creeps in when we forget whose is the church and why it exists. That complacency can come in many forms, but it is always a complacency toward the priority of the Kingdom of God and allowing something else to take its top position in our lives. If a local congregation loses it power to be a positive influence in its community for the Kingdom of God, don't point a finger at Satan. He can't get in unless some Christian opens the door.

Small In Whose Eyes?

My association is a small association in comparison to some others. The church where my official membership resides is small compared to some others. Frankly I'm short compared to a lot of people, especially basketball players in high school, college, and the pros. In all these cases I can also point out that we are large when we compare ourselves to some others.

Yet when we make our own comparisons, more often than not it is to the larger guy that we look. We want to be like him, and we always come out on the short end of the deal. We are seeking ways to make ourselves look good when standing beside those we deem larger, bigger, or greater. If we want to see progress or growth or improvement in ourselves, we look to those we already deem ahead of where we are and closer to where we want to be. We don't look at those we sense are already behind us or smaller than us.

A wise man once said (whom I have no idea!) that small is an attitude and not a physical measurement. Such attitudes can make us feel inferior or superior, oppressed or lordly. Such attitudes can lead to us looking up to people or looking down on people. As a friend of mine once said many years ago, "I have an inferiority complex. Everyone is inferior to me!"

Small like beauty can be in the eye of the beholder. The attitude we attach to it will determine our efforts and our results in life in general and for the Kingdom of God in particular. This is just as true for churches and associations as it is for individuals. If you see yourself as small, then you will act that way. If you see yourself as large, great, or powerful, then you will act that way.

For Kingdom work the bottom line is not our size but the size of the God we worship. We will always be small in comparison to him. We will always be powerless in comparison to him. We will always be failures in comparison to him.

However, in his eyes we are of ultimate worth. In his eyes we have been given all things, even heaven itself. In his eyes we are strong enough to conquer even the gates of hell. There is nothing small about any of that!

Satan and his temptation for us to act weak will always look big when we take our eyes off God. (I know who said that: my wife!) As long as we churches and associations keep our eyes on the greatness of our God and the greatness he wants to raise up within us, then it is the world of evil that will begin to diminish in size. As we begin to view our greatness through the eyes of God, then our resources will become greater and the obstacles smaller.

God does not see small churches or small associations. He sees congregations and associations who see themselves as small. He is patient. He continues to work with us. He is daily trying to get us to open our eyes and to see the greatness he has waiting for us, the greatness we can only find in him. So often the great things God is wanting us to do as his Church are not done simply because we refuse to realize he has already made us big enough to do them.

Encouraging Brings Risk to All of Us

My small deskside dictionary provides me with this defintion of encourage: to inspire with courage and hope. One of my biblical heroes is Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement. He didn't seek the spotlight, but he helped other people do more than they ever would without him. We don't know of any manuscripts that we are certain he wrote, but he encoraged one who wrote a lot of what constitutes our New Testament. He is not noted for having started any particular churches, but his support gave another young man the start he needed to eventually be an important disciple of the Apostle Paul and a compiler of the second gospel.

Encouragement is something we all need and can be easily given away. Encouragement, however, does bring risk, both for the giver and the recipient. Once offered, encouragement can produce an energy of its own, and the results may be beyond our human ability to control.

To inspire with courage and hope is to let a person see that what he or she may be at the present need not be the final result. That person can be more, go farther, and turn dreams into reality. Sometimes the person who encourages becomes the strong shoulders that allows the other to attain heights undreamed of. Sometimes the encourager can be forgotten in the heady rush of success and accomplishment.

Our churches need to be encouragers. The gospel is all about encouragement. The gospel is a message of encouragement. The gospel shows people what they are, what they can be, and what God has done to make the transformation possible. The gospel leads people to look beyond the limitations of this world and see what they can become both in this world and in eternity. That's real encouragement! Of course these people may leave our churches. They may follow the Spirit to a mission field in the inner city or overseas. If we encourage them, we may lose them.

The association also must be in the business of encouragement. Our member churches too easily can fall into the trap of self-criticism and limited dreams. The local congregation will look at its numerical attendance and financial resources. It will see the bigger church down the road, on television, or in the headlines, and fall into spiritual despair. "We're too small. We're too poor. We're too old." The Holy Spirit gnashes his teeth at such thinking!

The association must be in the business of encouragement. When we take our eyes off God, we will see only our own limitations. We will see only what we can do in our strength. We will see only what our dreams could be without any hope of reaching those dreams.

Associations must encourage each of their member churches to see their context through the eyes of God. The churches must see their resources through the eyes of God. The churches must see their potential through the eyes of God. The association must help each church see the open door that God has placed in front of every congregation (Rev. 3:8). No one can shut the door, but too many churches are willing to walk away from it. Yet if we encourage them, they may move beyond our own resources to help them. They may see themsleves no longer needing the support of the association. Let us dare to celebrate with them!

We as associational leaders must learn how to encourage our churches, their leaders, and their membership. It will be a lot easier if we can help them keep their focus upon God. He offers a lot of encouragement.

Daring to Pray for the Big Stuff

I personally like change. I like seeing things evolve, moving toward the perfect. I also realize that I will never attain perfection in this life, nor will I see every change that I would like to see actually take place. I am called to do what I can with what I have where I am. Thankfully, God does not allow my actions or my abilities to be the end of the story. He wants me to depend upon him to be the foundation for the change that brings about the best. He wants me to expect him to deliver with the stuff that he and I both know I cannot accomplish. I, we, need to dare to pray for the big stuff.

The idea of praying for miracles is basic to Christian life. We pray for healing that is beyond medical skills. We pray to be delivered from natural disasters (I pray a lot for hurricanes to stay out in the ocean!). We pray for the needs of family, friends, country, and world. Miracles are something we want. They represent the hand of God active in our world. They reassure us that God has not forgotten us. They remind us that it is not all in our hands. Miracles represent the big stuff.

When the widow went to the unrighteous judge (Luke 18:1ff), she knew she was demanding something she could not deliver for herself. She had to have help from a greater source. Jesus said that she received what she wanted because of her confidence that the judge had the power to give her what she wanted and because she had the persevering spirit that would never let him forget it. She went after the big stuff.

I look at my churches. I hear their dreams. I listen to their prayers. Rarely do I hear them praying for the big stuff, the kind of stuff that only God can do. Where that does come into play, it usually involves keeping some saint out of heaven or at least out of pain. That may be seen as as worthy prayer and in many cases something only God can do, but our prayers for the big stuff should never be limited to physical needs.

When do we pray for the matters of heavenly importance and concern? Jesus said that our Father already knows about our earthly needs. How much time do we spend praying for Kingdom righteousness? How much time do we spend praying for transformed lives and churches? How much time do we spend praying for things that have eternal significance? That's the big stuff.

Here are some prayer topics I'd like to hear in our prayer meetings. Boldness in sharing our Christian testimonies in the marketplace. New Testament moral guidelines for political decisions. Families committed to having Christ in the center of their homes. Walls of prejudice destroyed in our lives and communities. Courage to make the Golden Rule of Matthew 7:12 the personal rule for our lives. True grief over the lost condition of so many souls around us. The demand for power would be surrendered to the desire to serve. Material bounty would be seen as a blessing to help those with less. Secular jobs to be seen as missionary opportunities. Higher emphasis upon church members at work in the fields and less on sitting in the pews. And yes, the list could go on.

This is the big stuff, the transformation that only God can perform. You have to be courageous to pray for the big stuff. When God answers those kinds of prayers, he usually demands that we be part of the answer.

Bivocational Ministers - Precious Servants

Last week my wife and I attended the annual state convention small church/bivocational ministers retreat at one of our conference centers. The setting in the Uwharrie Mountains was beautiful and the testimonies of these servant leaders left me both inspired and humbled. These pastors and directors of missions may be partially funded but they are definitely fully involved in their ministries.

The Apostle Paul said that the man of God is worthy of his hire, but he was also one to say that he proudly worked to pay his own expenses. He took the offerings of churches such as that in Philippi, but he saw these as extra blessings from God that served more to reward the givers than himself as the recipient. Paul worked a secular job because it set him free from any unnecessary ties to a local congregation. Financially he was free to come and go. He was in the middle of the society he was trying to reach. He proved himself to be a man of integrity that was beholden to no one but God.

Bivocational ministers represent a growing class of Christian servants in our society. With the coming demise of the builder generation that paid most of the bills for our churches, new sources of support for our ministers must be found even as we seek to teach younger generations the biblical basis of tithing. The bivocational ministry lifestyle represents one of the most positive. One denominational leader recently has said that within a few decades perhaps half of our pastors will need to be bivocational. New church planters are being told that bivocational status may be a necessary part of their work if they are to have a healthy church plant.

The blessings of a bivocational ministry setting include many that are limited or ignored by being a fully funded minister. Among these are being involved with the secular world on an ongoing basis. Fellow workers, employers, and employees constitute a relational family different from the church, opening doors to ministry that would otherwise be closed or unknown.

Church members are required to see themselves as ministers because the "paid" staff will not always be available due to work schedules. The lay leadership must step forward and get the work done instead of waiting for the pastor to take care of matters. Spiritual gifts takes on a more obvious and critical role as the church membership must become the church in action.

The finacnial situation can bring additional blessings as the bivocational minister receives income from  a source in addition to the church. This financial support might include extra retirement and health insurance that the church would be hard pressed to provide. These church funds then become available for other ministry and mission needs.

I have often called these men and women in bivocational ministry "God's Jugglers". They must find time for secular jobs, church ministry, personal spiritual development, and THEIR FAMILIES. As the congregation supports their bivocational pastor, they must provide that encouragement to make personal family time a priority. If the church family will understand and cooperate, there is no reason for a bivocational minister's family to feel any ill effect from the minister' work.

In associational work we must applaud our bivocational ministers, we must pray for them, and we must support them in every way we can. Without them a lot of churches would never get started and a lot of developing churches would close their doors.

Distractions

People aren't the only "things" that can get distracted from their primary purposes or goals. Churches get distracted. Associations get distracted. I suppose that conventions, state and national, can also get distracted.

Different people and different entities have their own unique distractions. What distracts me might not receive a passing glance from another individual. What will take one church along a course it never intended would not gain the attention of another congregation. What might make an association or convention suddenly take a strange, new road would be absent from the agenda of another.

I am firmly convinced that churches, and associations, can have ADD just as much as an individual. The overt and seemingly obvious causes may be as varied as the congregations. From my experience the root problem, however, remains the same. To be or not to be! We are most often distracted by a felt need to survive, and not only to survive, but unfortunately to survive in the same form we have existed throughout the recorded past.

Faithfulness in this world to the cause of Christ always involves risk. Taking risks invariably brings change. Sometimes that change might involve deciding that survival holds a low priority level. Faithfulness takes focus. Thinking in worldly terms can easily distract a church from the faithfulness that is demanded. We are caught in attention deficit because the influences around us appear to be greater, brighter, more acceptable, more threatening, or more powerful than our prior commitments. We suffer spiritual ADD and we are thrown back into survival mode.

Churches can be distracted by the material concerns of buildings and property. They can be distracted by the numerical concerns of attendance and budgets. They can even be distracted by baptisms to the extent that they feel getting someone wet is the end all and neglect the part of the Great Commission that says, "teach them to observe (obey) all that I have commanded you."

Associations can also be guilty of distractions leading them away from their primary purpose. An association is not a local body of believers. It should not try to act like one. An association has become distracted if it begins to operate as a local church, trying to provide activities and ministries which need the context and personal involvement of a local congregation. In some measure the association should be equipping the local churches as surely as the ministerial leadership in a local church should be equipping the saints there. The local church should be the primary context of Kingdom work rather than the association or any other larger organization.

Vision/mission statements do have their place particularly for those of us as individuals or as organizations who have shown the tendency to be distracted from our calling. The Apostle Paul was adamant about his focus. He knew he could be distracted (Acts 16:16-18; Rom. 7:15-19; Gal. 6:17). Therefore several times in one form or another, he mentions his life focus and what he was willing to do to maintain that focus (Acts 20:24; Rom. 9:26-27; I Cor. 2:2; Phil. 3:13-14).

One church in New York City used a very simple technique to avoid some of the dangers of spiritual distraction. Each year on the anniversary date of their founding, they would read their mission statement as a part of their worship service. As a congregation they would recommit themselves to their purpose for existence. They refused to allow themselves to become distracted.

This would be good advice for every church, and every Christian with a life mission. Associations should regularly review why they exist and make sure every member church is also reminded. This world makes it very easy to lose focus as organizations.

Perhaps our churches, and our associations, would become more effective by recognizing that avoiding distractions can never be a one time action. Forget survival. It's overrated. None of us were intended to last forever on this earth anyway, people or institutions. Rather focus on the richness of our calling to be salt, light, and leaven in the world. If we have to empty the salt shaker or run out the batteries to do so, so what? God has something better waiting for us anyway. Take the risk. Give all you've got. Don't get distracted. Whatever it takes, it's worth it.