|
You are viewing the most recent 7 entries October 22nd, 200811:08 am: The Small Church
During the last month, Mindy and I have visited churches in Virginia and upstate New York, which for the most part are small churches, having 200 or less members. I have come away with great respect for the pastors leading these churches and the leaders and members of these churches. We live in an era of the mega church, which endeavors to be excellent in every area and offer ministries and programs to families and members to meet their needs. The music is excellent, programs are excellent and mega churches are run like fine-tuned businesses or better yet, fine-tuned machines. While many people are flocking to the mega church, the small church is not dead. In every small church we have visited, people asked us how our children are doing and how we are doing. They know our children by name and remember us from previous visits. They remember details and ask excellent questions. However, we have visited several mega churches and even though I served in a mega-church for 6 years, the care and interest exemplified by the small church surpasses that of any mega church we have visited. Mega churches are consumed with providing great programs and great music. Everyone is busy doing this and that. The sacrificial giving of the small church surpasses that of any mega church we have visited. In a small church in upstate New York near Albany, the pastor took up a love offering for us and our ministry. That morning over $500 was given by 40 people. The pastor and his wife had us over for dinner along with the missions leader and her husband. I have been to mega churches and walked away with a $100 honorarium. No one offered to take us out to dinner. No one asked any questions. People went about their regular business. Our motivation is not money, but if we measured a church by its sacrificial giving, pertinent questions and interest we would have to say that the small church is doing a better job. Imagine this: most of these churches have one pastor, who do it all- visiting, preaching, teaching, counseling, etc. The mega-church has a pastor for everything. In our quest to offer excellent programs and excellent music, are we sacrificing authentic relationships, care to individuals and true impact? We tip our hats to the small church. Thank you for your care and concern. To the mega church we say, in the midst of your programs don't forget to pursue authentic relationships. Remember the word of God through John the apostle in 3 John 5-8.
September 15th, 200806:30 pm: "Deputation"
Two weeks ago, we started what they call "deputation." Many look at this as the curse of the missionary life. For denominational missionaries, this isn't a challenge they have to face. They belong to a group of churches who pitch in a certain amount each month and the head office after determining budgets around the world, send a certain amount to each missionary depending upon their needs, ministry and budget. The classic example is the International Mission Board, the international arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. The strength of this is that it is a group, concerted effort to support missions. However, the weakness of this program is that most churches in the denomination don't know who the missionaries are and it's not very personal. However, this is a generalization and is characteristic of most denominational churches. Some churches, though, are very personal with their denominational missionaries. For the most part, people in the church don't know a missionary, don't know their ministries or their challenges. For independent missions, the weakness is the deputation process. Churches and pastors are different and they have different values. Some value local missions while some value global missions. Some are not missions minded at all and rarely does a missionary speak at their church. Missionaries sometimes burnout through the process of calling churches, filling out applications, speaking at the church and then waiting for several months for the church's decision. About 1 in every 100 churches you contact actually begin to support you. The strengths, however, are many. First, missionaries learn to trust God for their needs. Second, they learn how to share their vision and ministry. This process of sharing one's ministry and vision actually results in a refining process. You are able to think through and refine your ministry. Third, church members learn what God is doing around the world and are challenged to give, pray and go. Without the "deputation" process, how many churches would really be interested in what God is doing around the world? I would like to share with you what I believe to be the model for sending and caring for missionaries. The text is Acts 13:1-4 and 14:26-28. In this text we see the vital role of worship, the role of God the Holy Spirit, and the role of the local church. First, the Holy Spirit called the first missionaries within the context of the leaders' worship. They were worshipping God. As John Piper notes in his book, Let the Nations Be Glad, worship is the fuel and end result of worship. As we see the heart of God for the nations, we hear the call of God to those He has selected to go. Worship is a corporate experience and it opens the curtains to God's heart. It is not just an entertainment experience. God desires that we worship Him with our hearts, in truth and in spirit (Jn 4:24). It is an engagement of our hearts with the heart of God. Second, the Holy Spirit spoke to them corporately. The Holy Spirit speaks through His Word today and speaks in our hearts and minds. It wasn't just an individualistic thing that took place, but again it was corporate. We see the church gathering together (at least the leaders). In Scripture, God's call is individual but also confirmed by the local church (cf. Gal. 1:10-2:10; God called Paul as an apostle to the Gentiles and this was confirmed and supported by the church). For many missionaries, God's call is individual but not confirmed by the local church. The local church is God's primary vehicle today in fulfilling the Great Commission. Third, the local church sent them off (13:3). Laying on of hands was a visible sign of their agreement and support. In essence, they said, "we agree with God's call on your life and we will support you." The Greek word for "send" is apoluo, which means to release. In the context of the Antioch church it is obvious why the Holy Spirit used this word. Paul and Barnabas were gifted teachers. Releasing them was a major event. Most local churches want to hold on to their gifted leaders and when they do leave, it is not always with the support and blessing of the church. Many times it is "out of sight, out of mind." The church doesn't seem to care that they even a missionary and most of the people in the church don't know what they're doing. Many people disconnect with the missionaries when they discover that they are leaving. In reality, the missionary sent one is an extension of the church. Fourth, the Holy Spirit sends them out (Acts 13:4). The word here is from ekpempo. God used a different word here. This word means that He empowered them. The two verses side by side demonstrate that God calls and sends and the local church cooperates by giving their blessing and support. Finally, the returned to the Antioch church (Acts 14:26-28). This means that there was accountability and caring. The church was interested in what God was doing and they cared for their "sent ones" (missionaries). This is God's pattern. God calls as we worship. The Holy Spirit speaks to individuals and confirms it corporately. The local church blesses and supports. The Holy Spirit empowers. The missionaries report and are cared for. It is time to get back to the biblical pattern.
August 31st, 200805:51 pm: Summer Asian Tour
Mindy and I just returned from our Asia tour on Thursday (Aug. 28, 2008). I had every intention of continuing this blog throughout our trip. However, internet connections were very difficult. Our travel schedule was pretty hectic as well. Anyway, here are some highlights and observations. 1.) Visits with Filipino pastors in training Pastor Henry Ventura, our Philippines' Luzon Coordinator, took me to various classes throughout Metro Manila. I gained a tremendous respect for the ministry he has built. Most of these pastors taking the training have very little opportunity for good Bible and theological training. One class we visited was near Payatas, Manila, where the city dump is. 5 church planters gather every Monday for the training. One pastor said that he was saved after having a family, thus, seminary was out of the question for him. But God had placed a fire in his heart for ministry. He is now planting churches. One pastor attending gave me $3.25 for the graduation in Vietnam. 2.) Graduation in Dipolog City, Mindanao with Pastor Jun Tabada (Mindanao Coordinator) This was one of the most exciting graduations I've attended. These 14 pastors come from 5 churches with varying denominational backgrounds. God used the training to bond them together. They recognize their differences, but work together for the glory of God. They want us to come back for additional training. 3.) Graduation in Vietnam. The Baptist Church of Vietnam is now registered with the government. This means that they have freedom to operate as long as they coordinate ministry with the government. Mindy and I attended the 1st General Conference. It's hard to believe that we attended this historical event on 8-8-08. That night 150 pastors and church leaders graduated from the training. It was our largest graduation ever! One Vietnamese American pastor told us, "the men you've trained are all leaders now in the church and they are making a difference... you will go down in the history of the church in Vietnam." What a complement! It's hard to believe that God lets me do this. I had the privilege of giving greetings and congratulations to the congregation of over 1,100 people with the government in attendance. 4.) Teacher Training Workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia We trained 20 pastors to be trainers of other pastors and leaders in their denomination (Baptist). 5.) Visit to Myanmar What a ravaged country! UN & US sanctions have really taken a toll on the country. With the cyclone, the people of Myanmar are suffering. But yet hungry for God's Word. We had a seminar with 30 pastors and church leaders. Mindy led the ladies on being a godly woman. Her translator told me, "she's a powerful preacher." This is ironic since she doesn't like to speak in front of audiences. My observations. I am incredibly blessed to be a part of this ministry. Second, we really need some more men to serve with us to oversee various regions of Asia and the South Pacific. Third, there are incredible opportunities for ministry opportunities within our context of ministry. The training we provide opens the door for future training. 
July 3rd, 200811:13 am: Moving On
My wife, daughter and I arrived safely in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday night, July 1. It was my wife's birthday. Yet her birthday only lasted 12 hours because we passed the international dateline on the way there. The pilot of our plane from Guam to Manila did wish her a happy birthday over the loud speaker. After 3 weeks of constant packing, morning until night, we finally finished. Everything we kept is now in storage, with no room to store. Other things were given away, while other things were sold at yard sales and other things yet were thrown out. It's amazing to think of the amount of material goods we can collect in a few years. We speak of baggage many times as sins of the past or as results of what others have done to us. As Jacob said to Pharoah, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult" Gen. 47:9. Yet, baggage is also what we collect. We collect it from many sources- gifts, purchases during travel...etc. Getting rid of the baggage helps us to "move on" so to speak. A light load is always better than too much stuff. Even as we travelled here, we carried books, a laptop and other gifts for friends- you can imagine us- bags hanging off our shoulders, pulling uprights loaded down like three donkeys boarding the plane. We look forward to unloading it. Maybe we should do this with the bumps and bruises on the highway of the journey of life. Bumps and bruises along the way- our own sins...the sins of others...abusive pasts...histories. As we have heard many times, "who doesn't have a history." Yet, our history doesn't have to define who we are and how we live. Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, "This is what some of your were." We don't have to let our past cripple our present and future. We can overcome. We can change. With the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we have the power within us given by God to change and make a difference in this world (Eph. 1:18ff). So let me encourage you, throw off the baggage...let it go. Be a different person. Be all that God designed you to be (cf. Eph. 2:10). Embrace your destiny. You are a son or daughter of God if you have believed in Christ as your Lord and Savior (Gal. 3:26-4:6). Not an infant...but a son who is full grown with authority and privileged status and a mission in this world. Stop making excuses and live up to all that God desires you to be.
June 22nd, 200809:15 pm: Moving On
In 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 we read about the temporary nature of our human existence. Life is brief and we currently live in an "earthly tent." Literally the word for "tent" in Greek is "house" or "dwelling." If this house that we live in is demolished, God has another house for us. It is not built by hands and it is eternal. Paul may have been looking at houses or buildings as he was writing this letter to the Corinthian church. The truth he communicates is that our earthly existence is just temporary. The second truth is that God has something else prepared for us- a heavenly dwelling, which John says (I John 3:2) is like the glorified body of Christ (cf. Philippians 3:20-21). Death is a reality for each of us, unless the rapture happens first. And just as real is our earthly "tent" so also is our heavenly tent. Do we ever think about our heavenly body that God is preparing for us? I'm sure you can think back to a time when you went camping with your family. You nailed the tent pegs down with the thought that this isn't going to last too long and then we'll be going home, back to our nice soft bed. Sleeping in a tent isn't the most comfortable experience, especially if there's a root underneath your sleeping bag. Like that experience is our earthly experience- it's not always comfortable or pleasurable. But it is temporary. We are going home one day. This truth has hit home with us recently, as we are packing up our belongings. We are separating what we're keeping, what we're selling, what we're giving away and what we're throwing away. One thing has become obvious- we have a lot of junk. It's amazing how much you can accumulate in 8 years. It's a reminder that we can live on a lot less and give more away for the kingdom of God. How often do we give great amounts of energy to purchasing something or just going out and buying something because we "need" it, when we can really do without it. If we think about our life like living in a tent, we'll pack less in our backpack or else it will get too heavy. If it's to heavy and God says it's time to leave, it will be a lot easier for us to live and move on. Let me leave you with this thought: as travel nowadays requires us to pack light- live light. Let's don't accumulate more than we need. Let's not horde but give away more. Let's be ready to move when our Commander says it's time to go. Let's not drive our tent pegs down too deep in the ground. Let's be like Abraham who left his homeland in search of the city whose Maker is not of this world.
June 21st, 200801:08 pm: Packing up the house.
Pray with us as we pack up the house this month. We will be in Asia for 2 months (July- Philippines, August- Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand) and then return on August 28. From September to December we will be visiting partners in Canada, New York (upstate), Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Texas and Florida. We want to visit you and share about the ministry in Asia and our plans. In January we plan to move back to the Philippines. Please email us if you want us to visit you. Thanks and may the Lord encourage your heart, David Nelson "what we do in life echoes in eternity" Crossing Cultures International
Powered by LiveJournal.com
|
|
