Today…

September 1, 2009 — Leave a comment

church_modern_classical_234086_l…I’ll be spending the day with a great group of people who are dedicated to creating a movement of church multiplication in what many would say is an unlikely place.    I’ll be meeting with the Church Multiplication Task Force for the Western Pennsylvania District of The Wesleyan Church or TOOMANYLETTERS if you’re making an acronym.

Say what you will about our penchant for too-long names, but the fact is the people I serve with are passionate about seeing new churches planted.  Now, you may find yourself wondering why Western Pennsylvania needs new churches, anyway.  If you were to take an even cursory glance at many of the communities in this area, it would seem most of them need yet another church like most communities need yet another abandoned storefront.

But here’s the deal: just because you may see a lot of churches, that doesn’t mean there all that many who are connected with a local church.  More than ever before it seems our communities—large and small; rural and urban; new and historic—are in desperate need of churches who will bridge the divide between culture and the hope, love, and power of Christ.  Those very communities may not even recognize this need, but it is there and it is almost palpable.

So, today, I get to take part in what God is doing to make the dream of new churches a reality… as part of the dream of seeing the lives of those yet unreached in our own neighborhoods invaded with the light and life of Jesus.  Our thinking is that every local church exists because somebody at some time had the courage and foresight to start it…

They Did.  We Will.

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What if you are someone God has given the foresight and passion to start something new in the name of his Kingdom in order that more people will know what it is to be called ‘sons and daughters of God’?  Will you step out of what is comfortable to cross cultural, generational, and conventional boundaries?

They did.

Will you?

To find out more about church planting in Western PA, check out theydidwewill.org and theydidwewill.blogspot.com.

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Image courtesy of slonecker

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Ready for Battle: Trust

August 31, 2009 — 1 Comment

Trust <image courtesy of powerbooktrance>
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One of the recurring themes throughout Joshua is the need to follow the instructions God gives the people.  The importance of this will become painfully clear later in the story of Israel as the nation endures the consequences of ignoring God’s instruction.  But, here again in Joshua, we see something of a reminder—this time before the army goes to war—about operating within God’s parameters.  It’s a reminder that’s good for us to hear, too, when we’re looking for victory within our own lives:

Joshua 5–

2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.

4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

Ouch.

Think of the ridiculous notion of following this particular instruction—the people are smack in enemy territory; the simple fact of their presence is a declaration of war on the tribes and city-states in the area.  The only means of escape for the people of Israel (crossing the Jordan River) is cut off, and God gives them instruction that will keep them immobile “until they were healed.”  Strong, able-bodied, motivated warriors were needed because the danger and opposition is intense.  But instruction comes to undergo the important, sacred rite of circumcision… but doing so will put all of the fighting men out of commission.  From a tactical, human understanding, this order comes at the worst possible time and doesn’t make any sense.

Once again this is an act which speaks clearly of trusting in God’s strength and power.  Just as the people had already been reminded that God is powerful, now they are forced to trust in that same power to sustain and protect them.  Sometimes for us, just like for the people of Israel all those years ago on the shores of the Jordan River, evidence of relying on God’s power is found in our obedience even when we don’t have all the understanding we would want.

Before we fight our next battle, before we confront the thing causing our tension headaches or deal with the thing keeping us up at night, we are called to recognize and follow God’s instructions, trusting in the power of His Spirit even to be obedient, including:

Each of these can seem untimely, unfair, and uncomfortable—but it’s especially in those difficult moments when our obedience is a testimony of trust and faith in the One who instructs us; a trust His victory is coming.

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CPAC Reflection: Fear

August 28, 2009 — Leave a comment
282917665_ea0e711add (1)<image courtesy of oddstock>

As I’ve spoken to people who have experienced the Assessment Center, and to people who are a little timid about going—I’ve been struck by the discussion on how nervous they were in coming into Assessment.  You can count me among them: part of being nervous is the fear of the unknown, and part of it has to do with a misconception of ‘how much is riding’ on a person’s performance.  Here are some things which might help in settle your own nerves if you’re thinking of attending.

First of all, the Assessment Center is not the end-all of church planting. There’s a fear that enters when we think of being assessed as pass/fail or somehow having to perform well in order to ‘advance.’  The assessors make it very clear that their assessment is simply a recommendation; whatever agency the potential planter will be working with still has to make the call about who will be planting and what that will look like within their own paradigm.  As said before, I personally think your best bet is to view any kind of assessment as a tool for discerning how God wired you… so a ‘red light’ shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Secondarily, only the potential lead planter is being assessed.  Sarah (my wife) and the spouse of another potential planter both expressed a fear that they might some how ‘wreck’ the experience for their husbands, “What if he gets approved, but I don’t?”  Now, part of Assessment is an evaluation of relationship health if you’re married, and that evaluation is important.  But Sarah’s ‘role’ in all of this was definitely to participate, to answer some questions, and for this to be ‘our’ thing rather than ‘mine’… but she was not the one being assessed.  Spouses, if you are not the one feeling led to be a lead planter, there’s no sense of ANY pressure on you.  Just be there, love your husband/wife, and walk through it together.

Finally, there is no sense that if you assess well then you MUST plant a church.  As the title of this site indicates, I’m aware we’re all on a journey; maybe CPAC or something like it is part of your journey, but even a strongly positive assessment doesn’t mean you must do something.  As with anything, though, be open… and be ready for God to blow the lid off whatever box you’ve been operating within.  He likes doing that; and he’s very, very good at it.

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Getting Ready for Battle: Remember, God is Powerful

August 27, 2009 — Leave a comment

53186193_a649fbf223<image courtesy of c.p.storm>

For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”

Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.      ~ Joshua 4:23-5:1, TNIV

We’re discussing how to be ready for some of the battles that come our way in life.  You can read the introduction here .  But the above passage seems to indicate a need to remember God’s power.

Just before the activities of the above passage take plaace, a memorial of 12 very large stones was set up in the Jordan River. The reason, we’re told, is so that the Israelites would know “the hand of the LORD is powerful and they would fear him.”  This was partly, I think, because of the ages-old temptation to try to do what was before them within their own strength—the people were great in number and had been waiting a very long time for the chance to make the land they were now in their own.  The memorial, however, served as a reminder they had made it this far only by God’s power and would continue on in the same way.

God is reminding the people of the power they had seen and experienced so they will remember:

Only by God’s power would they continue to be victorious.

The same incredible, life-changing, future-directing, enemy squashing power could also destroy the Israelites. The people are called to fear God—not just respect with healthy reverence, but I believe, to have some fear of him because of his incredible power, authority, and righteousness.  The knowledge that a Holy, Powerful God was using them did not override their need for this same Pwerful, Holy God to continually sustain them.

The rocks in the river would be a reminder of the mighty acts of power God had demonstrated… and would help them to stand firm.   The same God who had rescued, sustained, protected, fed them; who had miraculously provided travel through impassable obstacles and felled mighty armies would again be their strength, shelter, and commander in battle, securing victory.

Before we fight the battles coming our way (or that are already raging around us), we must remember and recognize God’s power in our lives regardless of the situation we find ourselves in.

Later in Scripture, we are reminded that in Christ, we are more than victorious and the world kingdoms are becoming the Kingdom of our Christ.  This should draw us ever deeper into relationship with him—his love, majesty, and power are perfect, and outside of him, we can never know victory.  The same God who has rescued us, sovereignly directed us, brought us safely thus far, protected us from who-knows-what, and draws us into fellowship with him is the only one powerful enough to keep leading, keep rescuing, keep granting victory.

What powerful acts of greatness has God advanced in history and your life that draw you to build a monument in your mind, remembering the victory he brings and the power he gives?

When we can see a battle coming our way– and even when we find ourselves entrenched in a fight–we are wise to remember, reflect, and rely on God’s power rather than our own.  After all, his is the kind of power that is found when we are weak; his is the kind of influence had when we are foolish; his is the kind of leadership seen when we are servants.  It may not be what we would instinvtively choose, but his way is, simply, right.

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CPAC Reflection: Priorities

August 26, 2009 — Leave a comment
Check<image courtesy of iprole>

As promised, I’m posting some general (or maybe specific?) reflections about my recent experience at the Church Planter Assessment Center last week.

The first thing I think each of us were struck by was the sense of ‘priority’ communicated: early on in the experience, the potential planters were told the focus of CPAC is on advancing the Cause of the Kingdom.  Because no tool in our ministry arsenal is as effective at reaching those who don’t know Christ as a new church,  great emphasis is being placed on planting new churches.  While the more cynical among us might assume that a denominational emphasis on starting new churches is a solely self-sustaining move (The Wesleyan Church currently closes more churches in a year than it opens), there was never any sense of ‘we must plant new churches or the denomination will die.’  There was great urgency in planting new churches so thousands of people will enter into relationship with Christ.

Because church planting is a bit of a different animal when it comes to ministry, the purpose of the Assessment Center is to evaluate potential planters on their likelihood for church planting succes.  But this was explained to demonstrate the desire of the assessors and denomination to help people find their ‘sweet spot’ in the life of the Kingdom, because when everything is in the right place, the Body functions much more effectively.

This immediately took pressure off to see CPAC as a pass/fail scenario.  Instead, it is meant to be a discernment tool in understanding how God has wired an individual.  I have a friend who very much disliked the whole Assessment experience because they saw it as pass/fail and nothing else.  When you understand it as a tool to help find where you best ‘fit,’ it becomes a very freeing, informative experience.

The idea of ‘priority’ is also seen in the way Assessment is paid for—if a potential planter is given a green or conditional-green (yellow) light, the denomination sends a grant to the home district of the assessed party in order to significantly defray the cost.  CPAC costs about $1500 to attend, on top of travel, lodging, some meals, and about $80 worth of pre-assessment personality and strengths finding tools.  Speaking for our own district, they placed such a high priority on all of this, they went out of their way so the folks from WPA wouldn’t have to incur any of the cost associated with attending.

I’m definitely not into the ‘my-denomination/district-is-better-than-yours’ discussion, but I can say I feel privileged serve in a district and denomination which puts such a hugh priority in reaching people disconnected from Jesus and helping its ministers find the place they can be most effective.

Next time, I’ll share some of why a lot of the nervousness people feel going into Assessment is unfounded.

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