Best Practices for Church Leadership

Letters Along the Way (D. A. Carson and John Woodbridge. Crossway Books: 1993) had a huge impact upon me and I’ll always remember its gentle pastoral tone balanced with profound theological discussions between the two fictional characters, Timothy and Dr. Woodson. Now available online, this resource should be required reading for pastors and leaders in the Church. Not only is this a “novel” approach to discipling another in biblical, spiritual, moral, and ethical issues, the insights and seasoned wisdom for shepherding God’s flock is invaluable. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I’ve excerpted a brief on servant-leadership that I believe is one of the finest assets I’ve read on the topic.

What constitutes “good pastoral ministry?” What are the qualities of a servant-leader? How does the Apostle Paul define the role of the pastor?

The Gospel in Action

As I’ve said before Ethiopia has two less orphans and now they’re cleared to come to America to join a loving, deeply devoted family in Christ. I’m delighted to say that after many months of prayerful posture and careful planning, God has graciously granted these lovely children a new home and new family.

Please do take a few minutes to see the beauty of the Gospel in action and join me in thanking God for his amazing grace.

Read about the details here.

Best Practices for Small Groups

Many believers have been involved in some type of small group gathering that typically meets in homes and that is usually sponsored by a local church. Is it important to have guidelines that govern such a gathering? Or should folks come together and just wing it from one meeting to another? If general guidelines are provided, what would they be? How restrictive should they be? There may not be a clear, detailed biblical blueprint to follow, but how important is it to have a few “best practices” jotted down and published for believers to align with before they meet regularly to study the Bible and encourage one another in their faith?

What follows are some ideas that I’ve used over the years. I’m curious about what you think.
(Note: These guidelines my be applied to any type of group)

The following guidelines are intended to promote growth in Christ and mutual encouragement in our relationships with one another. By joining this group I commit to:

• Getting together regularly at the mutually agreed upon time and place whenever possible
• Being gracious to others by allowing them the necessary space to grow, i.e., no unbiblical demands or ideals imposed upon others
• Reflecting carefully upon God’s activity in my life and others’ lives so I come prepared to administer my spiritual gift(s)
• Intentionally serve others in the group by speaking the truth in love and performing acts of mercy and sacrifice where feasible
• Teaching and admonishing others without displacing our Wonderful Counselor and Paraclete, God’s Holy Spirit
• Being honest and transparent without compromising intimacy or confidentiality before God, my spouse, or others
• Obeying the clear teaching of God’s Word
• Sharing Scriptures that speak to the situation; i.e. minimize my opinions and maximize truth
• Praying daily for others in specific areas
• Being dependent upon other group members for biblical wisdom and accountability, while taking responsibility for my own maturity

Is there anything missing? Anything you would modify or delete? Did one or more stand out to you and, if so, why?

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For more information see my Small Group Philosophy of Ministry (currently in use with some modification at Nor’wood Bible Church).

[More] Crazy Discipleship: I wonder if…

In my last post I mentioned I was reading Francis Chan’s Crazy Love. There I offered some quotes from Chapter 4, “Profile of the Lukewarm.” I’ve since finished the book and have a few more “nuggets” that I found especially insightful.

Chapter 9, “Who Really Lives That Way?” provides a thumbnail sketch of some people who have lived radically for Jesus. Familiar names such as Rich Mullins, George Mueller, Marva J. Dawn, and Brother Yun are among those whose lives were mentioned and who have been a shining example of devotion or “crazy love.” I expected large stories coming from them. However one name, entirely unfamiliar to me (and it would be to you), really stood out. Open your heart and read Lucy’s large story of “crazy love.”

Crazy Discipleship: I wonder if…

I’m reading Francis Chan’s Crazy Love since my wife read it and encouraged me to do so. After the first few chapters my wife asked me how I liked it and I responded, “It’s very basic but basically very good.” I was not being sarcastic or condescending; I really meant that it was a basic but good read so far. However, when I got to Chapter 4, “Profile of the Lukewarm,” I found the pace of my reading slowed considerably due to the force of its message. It hit me pretty hard because Chan challenged me to take an honest look at my relationship with God. What I found is that there are quite a few areas in my life needing considerable work in living wholly and totally for God. I’ll leave out the details specific to me, but I would like to offer a few quotes that show the markings of a lukewarm Christianity. Maybe there are things here that will serve to spotlight areas to help improve your relationship with God.

Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.

Election: Definition via Function

Update: “The Function of Divine Election: Part 2″ now available.

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The Fish Tank (the blog of the Harvard Ichthus) has an insightful piece on the doctrine of election. While it won’t satisfy all the theological and philosophical inquiries of this controversy, it provides an interesting angle that is not always observed. See “The Function of Divine Election: Part 1″.

A quote from Jonathan Edwards from the post above is worth repeating here:

God has chosen the godly out of the rest of the world to be nearly related to him, to stand in the relation of children, to have a property in him, that they might not only be his people, but that he might be their God. He has chosen these to bestow himself upon them. He has chosen them from among others to be gracious to them, to show them his favor. He has chosen them to enjoy him, to see his glory, and to dwell with him forever. He has chosen them as his treasure, as a man chooses out gems from a heap of stones, with this difference: the man finds gems very different from other stones, and therefore chooses, but God chooses them, and therefore they become gems, and very different from others. (Jonathan Edwards, “Christians A Chosen Generation”)

God Abuse?

Although I’ve pointed to this before, these words are absolutely vital for us to hear in our self-absorbed, self-reliant, self-esteemed, self-authenticating, self-ish culture.

“God Abuse. By nature we are all pagans caught in the Babel syndrome. When we think we can manipulate God by praying in Jesus’ name to achieve selfish purposes, our paganism is showing. When we ‘claim promises’ as a means of making God do what we want him to do, our paganism is showing. When we come to think we are indispensable to God because of the money we donate, the talents we have, the ministries we engage in, or the worship we offer, our paganism is showing. When we treat God as a child to be cajoled or a tyrant to be appeased, the Babel syndrome is surging in our veins. We want a manageable ‘God-lite.’ We want to be able to harness his power for our own benefit, no strings attached. Our society has confronted child abuse and spouse abuse, but this is ‘God abuse.’ “

“If we desire to prevent ourselves from settling for the paganism of a watered-down version of God, we must reconnect with God’s revelation of himself in the Bible. When we read the Bible daily, it is not so we can get a mystical thought for the day. Too many of us treat the Bible as if it were a newspaper horoscope, giving clues about what we should do or should not do that day. We need to reclaim the Bible as God’s self-revelation. We should be reading to find out what God is like.”

“Our spiritual growth is dependent on, among other things, developing an increasingly informed understanding of who God is and bringing more and more of our lives into orbit around him. These two must work together. Someone can have a sophisticated understanding of God but refuse to orbit her life toward God. God’s claims are ignored and prevented from impacting attitudes, choices, and lifestyle. Another person may have a strong view but suffer from a deficient or distorted view of God. His misinformation can leave him sincere but sincerely wrong, dedicated but misguided.”

“Reading God’s Word is essential to becoming informed. Purposeful engagement with God is essential to maintaining God-centered orbits in our worldview. When we read the Bible each day, the main question we should be asking is, ‘What does this help me to understand about God?’ instead of ‘What does this tell me to do today?’ or ‘What decision should I make about X?’ The paganism in each of us drives us to be self-absorbed. God’s revelation draws us to himself. We only need to yield.” (pp. 383, 386-387)

From John H. Walton, NIV Application Commentary: Genesis

HT: Special thanks to Louis McBride

Our Daily Bread

Just read a fine couple of quotes today on God’s sovereignty in our lives:

He chooses for his people better than they could choose for themselves.
If they are in heaviness, there is a need-be for it, and he withholds nothing from them but what, upon the whole, it is better they should be without.

- from John Newton’s Works, vol. 1, p. 249 (Letter XVI, “On the Inefficacy of Our Knowledge)

I have not fallen into the hands of my enemies by chance, but by the providence of God.

- from Guido de Bres, author of the Belgic Confession, writing to his wife while he was imprisoned.

I could not help but recall these passages:

“Give us today our daily bread.”
“His divine power has given us everything we need.”

HT: Justin Taylor and Kevin DeYoung

You’ve Gotta Be Kidd’n Me!

“I don’t care what he [an author] thinks about God. I just want my daughter to accept Christ.”

As always, Louis McBride has an interesting post dealing with a customer in a Christian bookstore.
Check out The Legacy of The Tower of Babel: “God Abuse”.

What’s the Big Deal about Jesus?

When Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of the Christ” came out in 2004 my wife chose not to go and see it (she wasn’t up for viewing the intense scenes of his crucifixion). I went to see it with my son, but for those who asked me why my wife did not want to see it I said, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

So what exactly is the significance of Jesus for Christianity? Does it really matter what believers claim about him? Sure he may have existed as a historical figure and he may have actually died on a cross more than 2000 years ago. But is it really important to believe he is both God and man? What’s the big deal about Jesus?

If Jesus is not fully God, then . . .

• There is no eternal life to be had (1 Jn. 4:15; 5:1), for John clearly states that the condition for eternal life is belief in Jesus’ deity.
• Sin is not conquered, as only God can defeat sin and Satan once and for all.

If Jesus was not fully human, then . . .

• He cannot adequately represent humanity (Rom. 5:12) and could not take our punishment for sin (Rom. 8:3; 
2 Cor. 5:21).
• He cannot sympathize with our weaknesses and the point of his sinless life has no significance (Heb. 4:15).

Since Jesus is the God-Man—fully human, fully divine . . .

• He understands completely our temptations and sufferings,
• He never changes and is utterly dependable, completely sympathetic, and always available to help us in our time of need (Heb. 4:15; 13:8).
• We can be assured that there is victory to overcome the world (1 Jn. 5:5).
• There is no longer any real loneliness or solitude, since as the God-Man, Jesus is with us always (Matt. 28:20). We have an eternal companion!
• He has left us with the ideal human life to model. Intellectually, we can grow in our knowledge of his profound life and teachings. Morally, we can mature in our character by becoming more like him. Emotionally, we can progress in appropriate affective responses to life’s challenges. Volitionally, we can decide among choices that would best please him and benefit those near to us. Relationally, we can enjoy relative peace with God, self, and others.
• We can stand firm that our belief in Jesus as God Incarnate is historically responsible, rationally plausible, and biblically faithful.
• We can be assured that we will be led victoriously out of death into eternal life because of Christ’s resurrected human body (1 Cor. 15).

Because of the Incarnation of God in Christ, we can proclaim with confidence the words of John Calvin:

“Since neither as God alone could he feel death, nor as man alone could he overcome it, he coupled human nature with divine that to atone for sin he might submit the weakness of the one to death; and that, wrestling with death by the power of the other nature, he might win victory for us.” Institutes of the Christian Religion, I.12.1