Many years ago, I was part of a revival of sorts, we wouldn't have called it a revival, we really didn't have a term for it, but the presence of the Lord as we gathered was evident and beautiful.
Eventually a group of people who had been involved in church and ministry for years were rediscovering their 'first love', it was a remarkable time.
Eventually this group was released to start a church albeit reluctantly by the mother church, we went with a blessing.
This was not something you could have identified as being Pentecostal or charismatic although it certainly draw people of those backgrounds, but it wasn't our background, we were basically conservative Evangelicals who were being touched by the Holy Spirit.
The fact is we believed in the modern day work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, we didn't believe the gifts had died out with the closing of the Canon, but up to that point we hadn't seen any model that resonated with us. It's interesting thinking about growing up in the evangelical part of the church, you never read about any miracles or virtually anything supernatural, it was as if those things no longer happened.
We visited Charismatic and Pentecostal meetings and simply could not embrace the theatrics and the hyperbole that were characteristic of these gatherings. Our leader was John Wimber, John looked at the current models and was determined to embrace the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit but not the hype. As we continued to gather and grow, a new model for ministry emerged that was very different from what we had seen on Television or in the meeting we had attended. There was never a time John made an entrance to crescendoing music with an entourage in his wake. John didn't platform ministry, but allowed for the ministry to take place right where people were seated or they were invited into a side room to receive ministry from one of dozens of lay people who were willing to trust God to use them in this kind of ministry. There were never any prayer lines, where people lined up to be prayed for by a specific anointed minister. There was a clear effort to protect the dignity of the individual and not exploit them for the purpose of stirring up the crowd. No slaying in the spirit, or claiming a healing or deliverance, things were 'dialed' down and religiousness was discouraged. What I mean by religiousness is changing character, voices and language, people were encourage to just be who they were and let God be who He is. Prophecy, what we would call simple prophecy was not only allowed but encouraged at every service. By simple prophecy I mean words of comfort, exhortation and edification, 'thus sayeth the Lord's' were discouraged and it was even suggested that you might begin your 'prophecy' with the disclaimer, 'I think the Lord may be saying this to us today' again in plan and simple language.
I write about all this because I have been thinking about that period of time and contrasting it to what I hear about, read about and see today. The fact is what I see today isn't any different than what I was first exposed to 30 years ago, except for with the Internet word gets out faster to more people. I am asked by friends what I think of the latest 'hot spot' and my only response is 'it is what it is'. That doesn't mean I accept or reject these things out of hand, for the most part these things don't catch my interest, I don't see or hear anything different than I have heard for years. Another thing that factors in for me is the fact that I have watched some people go to every new place where 'the Holy Spirit is moving', and in almost every case there is no discernible long lasting difference in the lives of these people. Especially when I contrast them with the lives of people I know who haven't attended a single meeting and are as spiritually mature as any of these people and in some cases more so. So do I believe God isn't doing anything or that the Holy Spirit isn't moving? I am convinced at many times and many places He is, but more importantly the people who attend believe He is and I believe their faith is engaged and rewarded.
All that said I believe to this day that the model and methods that John helped to shape and implement in the years gone by was a wonderful approach to ministry. It was much easier to discern then between what was actually happening to person, whether God was doing something or whether the person was in some way acting out to draw attention to themselves.
I simply believe that we don't need to add anything to what God is doing, the music doesn't need to change, the lighting and the mood don't need to be set, no extravagant claims or proclamations, when God is working and doing something in the midst of His people, that is sufficient, in my opinion.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Raised by wolves.....
In telling my story I often state that 'I was raised by wolves'. Not exactly the truth in that I really did have a mother and father, so to speak, but in reality I raised myself, not a good idea by the way. When I say that what I mean is I never was 'raised', never given an explanation, never given any direction, never coached or assisted in the things of life. It just all unfolded and you just figured it out as best you could, which again isn't such a good idea. Frankly with the exception of when I was four years old or so, I don't remember being disciplined or corrected and re-directed. God bless my mother; she didn't know what and heck to do with me. It was all she could do to keep a roof over our head and some semblance of food in the apartment. My 'dad' wasn't around, although he always lived close by when I was growing up, I didn't see him all that much, which I didn't really miss, or at least I didn't think so. I certainly missed not having a dad, a father, no doubt. I'm not sure that this particular one needed to be around any more than he was, that might not have been such a good thing, I'm pretty sure of that.
As I look back, I realize there was never anyone in my life to, well, teach me about life. How to handle money, education, relationship, how to be a husband, a father, things of that nature. So I had to figure it out as I went, of course I read the books, went to the seminars and such, but as a friend of mine once said, 'more is caught than taught', in other words having a role model is pretty important.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, yesterday was 'Fathers Day' and it caused me to reflect on my life as a father. Although I could beat myself half to death over whether or not I have been the father I should have or could have been, there is no doubt the answer to those questions is, yes. But did I move the needle, did I put some distance between myself and the upbringing that I experienced? Whew, thank God the answer is, yes! I cannot think of a time that I haven't been supportive and affirming of my children in what they were either doing or wanted to do. I have always, sometimes to their chagrin have expressed my love and affection for my children. When I'm dead and gone and they think back on their father, I think they will reflect on this fact with fondness and gratitude.
There is no doubt that I could have and should have done better, but frankly I simply didn't know how to. I figured things out as best I could, and I think I got the most important thing right, loving them without conditions, affirming them whether I agreed with their path or not, supporting them as best I could in all that I could.
Will I get the Father of the Year Award, probably not. But did I put some serious distance between myself and the 'upbringing' I experienced, I think so.
As I look back, I realize there was never anyone in my life to, well, teach me about life. How to handle money, education, relationship, how to be a husband, a father, things of that nature. So I had to figure it out as I went, of course I read the books, went to the seminars and such, but as a friend of mine once said, 'more is caught than taught', in other words having a role model is pretty important.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, yesterday was 'Fathers Day' and it caused me to reflect on my life as a father. Although I could beat myself half to death over whether or not I have been the father I should have or could have been, there is no doubt the answer to those questions is, yes. But did I move the needle, did I put some distance between myself and the upbringing that I experienced? Whew, thank God the answer is, yes! I cannot think of a time that I haven't been supportive and affirming of my children in what they were either doing or wanted to do. I have always, sometimes to their chagrin have expressed my love and affection for my children. When I'm dead and gone and they think back on their father, I think they will reflect on this fact with fondness and gratitude.
There is no doubt that I could have and should have done better, but frankly I simply didn't know how to. I figured things out as best I could, and I think I got the most important thing right, loving them without conditions, affirming them whether I agreed with their path or not, supporting them as best I could in all that I could.
Will I get the Father of the Year Award, probably not. But did I put some serious distance between myself and the 'upbringing' I experienced, I think so.
Answer to some questions
I have had a couple comments to the last blog about the church that I want to answer. One was in a comment by Keith that I inadvertently rejected for posting instead of accepting, sorry Keith I tried to undo the damage but couldn't pull it off.
Keith asked what kind of government is safe? I think that's a good question and one you should consider before becoming part of a church. What is their system of government? Is it open and transparent? Who is accountable to whom? What is their plan for handling failure?
Of course there are systems of every shape and size out there, some better than others. It is important to have a clear plan in place for failure or wrongdoing. Is the structure for dealing with these things, corporate in it's nature or community based and relational?
I will give you and example of the church that I am involved in as one structure that seems to be good and works. Our church has a Board, Elders and Pastoral Team. The Board deals with facility and finances, but has no authority in spiritual matters. Therefore if one of the leaders in the church, especially a pastor, should fail, it is not in their hands to determine what is to be done. The Elders would deal with anything of that nature and are guided by the scriptures as to go about this, with an emphasis on restoration and resisting the temptation to judge or hand out punishment, which is by far and away the norm. They are to do this in an open and compassionate way, one that is a benefit to the entire community of faith, which is what we are by the way.
In the story I tell in my previous blog, those who are 'dealing' with my friend, whom by the way they accuse of no wrong doing, yet treat him like an unrepentant sinner, you can't point to anything they are doing in an open, compassionate or beneficial way to the community of faith there. Probably for the most part because you have the wrong people with the wrong skills, gifts and mandate to handle the situation. So the system in our church has for lack of a better term some checks and balances in it. For example, let's say the Elders deal with a situation and conclude it is best for the 'leader' to step down or back from ministry. Yet they come up with an outlandish financial 'package' for this person. The Board can reject it based on the impact and effect it would have on the church as a whole. The elders and pastors can make a recommendation to the Board regarding a situation, but the Board has to make its decision based on this counsel and their knowledge of the churches situation financially as well as the church By Laws.
Also in our system the Pastors have no control of the finances and cannot write checks. We don't have credit cards and have no vote on financial matters. That can make things a little cumbersome at times, but it protects the church and protects the pastor. There are many, many churches that allow the pastor to have way too much control of the financial matters of the church and it's a system that is riff with pitfalls in my opinion.
There are lots of ways to do church and to set up church systems. It's not hard to find legitimate models for doing this. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. The system should be characterized by transparency, accountability, justice and community, among others things.
The system I came out of is characterized by secrecy and virtually a complete lack of accountability, yet it is accepted and goes unquestioned by those who are members of it. It is stunning to me that so many people are apathetic as to how their church or denomination is run. I just don't get that and I hope for the sake of the body of Christ it changes.
Keith asked what kind of government is safe? I think that's a good question and one you should consider before becoming part of a church. What is their system of government? Is it open and transparent? Who is accountable to whom? What is their plan for handling failure?
Of course there are systems of every shape and size out there, some better than others. It is important to have a clear plan in place for failure or wrongdoing. Is the structure for dealing with these things, corporate in it's nature or community based and relational?
I will give you and example of the church that I am involved in as one structure that seems to be good and works. Our church has a Board, Elders and Pastoral Team. The Board deals with facility and finances, but has no authority in spiritual matters. Therefore if one of the leaders in the church, especially a pastor, should fail, it is not in their hands to determine what is to be done. The Elders would deal with anything of that nature and are guided by the scriptures as to go about this, with an emphasis on restoration and resisting the temptation to judge or hand out punishment, which is by far and away the norm. They are to do this in an open and compassionate way, one that is a benefit to the entire community of faith, which is what we are by the way.
In the story I tell in my previous blog, those who are 'dealing' with my friend, whom by the way they accuse of no wrong doing, yet treat him like an unrepentant sinner, you can't point to anything they are doing in an open, compassionate or beneficial way to the community of faith there. Probably for the most part because you have the wrong people with the wrong skills, gifts and mandate to handle the situation. So the system in our church has for lack of a better term some checks and balances in it. For example, let's say the Elders deal with a situation and conclude it is best for the 'leader' to step down or back from ministry. Yet they come up with an outlandish financial 'package' for this person. The Board can reject it based on the impact and effect it would have on the church as a whole. The elders and pastors can make a recommendation to the Board regarding a situation, but the Board has to make its decision based on this counsel and their knowledge of the churches situation financially as well as the church By Laws.
Also in our system the Pastors have no control of the finances and cannot write checks. We don't have credit cards and have no vote on financial matters. That can make things a little cumbersome at times, but it protects the church and protects the pastor. There are many, many churches that allow the pastor to have way too much control of the financial matters of the church and it's a system that is riff with pitfalls in my opinion.
There are lots of ways to do church and to set up church systems. It's not hard to find legitimate models for doing this. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. The system should be characterized by transparency, accountability, justice and community, among others things.
The system I came out of is characterized by secrecy and virtually a complete lack of accountability, yet it is accepted and goes unquestioned by those who are members of it. It is stunning to me that so many people are apathetic as to how their church or denomination is run. I just don't get that and I hope for the sake of the body of Christ it changes.
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