The facts depends on who reports them, and some of them are out of date. The Rom Cath church reports what they have on membership rolls. But according to Wikipedia, a self-identified affiliation reported in 2007 that 47% are rom Cath, 38% are evangelical protestant, and 14% are other.
If you are going to use someone else's sermon wholesale, you might want to consider having an elder read it instead. The main problem with using or reading someone else's sermon is that people can dream up all kinds of reasons why the sermon probably doesn't apply to them. In addition, there is a good likelihood that it won't apply to their situation in a pertinent sense, either because it didn't come from the local situation needs, or because the method of delivery creates a distance. In some cases however, a reading sermon may be preferable to a locally written sermon, hopefully not too often.
I must say that the terminology is troublesome. It is troublesome to think that someone or something is going to mandate a congregation to contract with a professional supervisor for a pastor who they have already contracted with to be a spiritual teacher and leader. While they may decide from time to time to contract with someone to provide special services, such as professional advice for pastors and elders, it is troublesome to think that someone like synod or classis would mandate them to do so. Ultimately, synod and classis have no authority nor mandate to do so. It would be lording it over the churches.
While a new preacher or pastor should probably look for a mentor, someone to provide advice, to answer practical questions, thinking about a mentor as a supervisor is not a good thing, particularly when words like "having the power to convene the elders and pastors should an impasse arise..." are used. These words are landmines in themselves.
So, a good mentor, yes. A professional supervisor, not. Without open minds to accept and seek advice, supervisory power of a non-church member is not the answer. It would create more problems than it would solve, and would lead to exactly the type of hierarchy that we are trying to avoid.
I also think, in agreement with Bev, that it is a fantastic illustration of where our support really comes from. None of our appeals will have much impact if God does not bless the giving, either by the giving itself, or by the results of the giving in the life of the receiver. If we forget that, then all of this is nothing more than money passing from one hand to another.
In my experience with professional organizations, mentors are sometimes appointed for a time for new initiates into the professional organization, although this is not a hard and fast rule. But this only relates to the general conditions of qualifying as a member of the professional organization, not to the supervision of daily work.
Supervisors of daily work and workers, almost always have the responsibility of providing and overseeing and changing workloads, of developing and managing evaluations and appraisals, as well as recommending salary changes or promotions or new job descriptions. Ultimately supervisors have the ability to hire and fire, although they may require the approval of their own supervisor for these actions. So I would be very, very careful about using that type of terminology. It is the wrong term in this case.
My warning is that we will lose the spiritual leadership of these positions and callings if we make too many analogies to careers and professional organizations. It is quite different and important to realize that scripture itself is your best mentor and supervisor, and prayer and bible reading your best discussion with your supervisor. Losing the scriptural focus in any group mentoring or personal leadership mentoring will run the risk of gaining smooth operations with a loss of spiritual impact.
I wonder if we should be thinking about this a bit differently. Wouldn't an organism (people of God) be what builds the instititute? Of course, there is another meaning to institute, such as in "God's institutes his Church". God builds His church, both the organism and the organization. But the church as an institute seems to be the formal trappings, the ceremony, the order, the procedure and facilities, the organization. The church as organism (as simply the people of God) must exist first in order to impliment all of this, to start it or initiate it, to write confessions and songs, to organize services, to provide facilities or locations, before it can become an organization or an institute.
Then there is this: that an institute or organization is more or less dead without the organism. The organism is what lives.
I listened last night to a speaker (on video), a psychologist, a christian who talked about christians having "authority", referring to power in general, but specifically to casting out demons, to shutting up the demons and sending them away. I thought it was a good speech, very biblical, but I have no idea what institute he belonged to, nor what denomination, or even what city. To me he was part of the organism more than part of the institute, if that makes sense. He was more concerned about Christ and about the battle between heaven and hell, between God and Satan, than about what organization anyone belonged to.
The institute or organization as we look at it is mostly earthly, while the organism is the body of Christ, and is eternal.
There is nothing wrong with asking for money and prayer and other support for ministry, including mission fields. It is not begging, unless the missionary is not doing any actual work. Otherwise it is asking for support to do the work. While it is not wrong to ask for money and prayer and support, it is also nice if it comes without asking for it. However, whether a plea goes to the board of missions, or directly to other supporters, it is still a plea.
There is the added benefit of trusting in the Lord more directly when faced with the uncertainty of direct support from members , rather than transferring this trust to a board of directors, or and executive director, etc. And with this benefit also comes a greater direct sharing of the mission, its joys and sorrows, with actual people, face-to-face.
Ray, youth can certainly be leaders, with or without our help. The question is, how will they be good leaders rather than bad leaders? While giving them authority is necessary, giving them wisdom is even more important. Helping them to understand how to make decisions that are pleasing to God, rather than decisions and plans that are just pleasing to people, is a good place to start. Without that focus, it won't matter whether they are leaders or not. Without that focus, they will simply lead others down the path to perdition, instead of to the glory of God.
Jack, I actually agree with you. I was not comparing youth to older leaders so much as emphasizing that authority without wisdom will lead to problems. And yes, I agree that older leaders are also often "people pleasers" rather than "Christ followers". I am thinking that older leaders were once young, and if they did not learn wisdom earlier, they often do not gain it later. I think most of our problems with leadership is that we often assume that they can obtain wisdom after they obtain authority. Sometimes that happens. But it is better if they learn Godly wisdom first.
Classis has some potential for partnerships, cooperation. The less it tries to impose its "authority", and the more it works in unity and partnerships and cooperation to achieve its objectives such as church planting, the more effective it will be.
One example, it should not encourage a church to be called an "emerging church for ten years. After four years, it is a church, or it is not there. (generally). IMHO
Posted in: 5 Lessons From Honduras on Short-Term Missions
The facts depends on who reports them, and some of them are out of date. The Rom Cath church reports what they have on membership rolls. But according to Wikipedia, a self-identified affiliation reported in 2007 that 47% are rom Cath, 38% are evangelical protestant, and 14% are other.
Posted in: Preventive Maintenance against Sermon Stealing
If you are going to use someone else's sermon wholesale, you might want to consider having an elder read it instead. The main problem with using or reading someone else's sermon is that people can dream up all kinds of reasons why the sermon probably doesn't apply to them. In addition, there is a good likelihood that it won't apply to their situation in a pertinent sense, either because it didn't come from the local situation needs, or because the method of delivery creates a distance. In some cases however, a reading sermon may be preferable to a locally written sermon, hopefully not too often.
Posted in: Do Pastors Need Professional Supervision?
I must say that the terminology is troublesome. It is troublesome to think that someone or something is going to mandate a congregation to contract with a professional supervisor for a pastor who they have already contracted with to be a spiritual teacher and leader. While they may decide from time to time to contract with someone to provide special services, such as professional advice for pastors and elders, it is troublesome to think that someone like synod or classis would mandate them to do so. Ultimately, synod and classis have no authority nor mandate to do so. It would be lording it over the churches.
While a new preacher or pastor should probably look for a mentor, someone to provide advice, to answer practical questions, thinking about a mentor as a supervisor is not a good thing, particularly when words like "having the power to convene the elders and pastors should an impasse arise..." are used. These words are landmines in themselves.
So, a good mentor, yes. A professional supervisor, not. Without open minds to accept and seek advice, supervisory power of a non-church member is not the answer. It would create more problems than it would solve, and would lead to exactly the type of hierarchy that we are trying to avoid.
Posted in: Support Raising: Begging or Biblical
I also think, in agreement with Bev, that it is a fantastic illustration of where our support really comes from. None of our appeals will have much impact if God does not bless the giving, either by the giving itself, or by the results of the giving in the life of the receiver. If we forget that, then all of this is nothing more than money passing from one hand to another.
Posted in: Do Pastors Need Professional Supervision?
In my experience with professional organizations, mentors are sometimes appointed for a time for new initiates into the professional organization, although this is not a hard and fast rule. But this only relates to the general conditions of qualifying as a member of the professional organization, not to the supervision of daily work.
Supervisors of daily work and workers, almost always have the responsibility of providing and overseeing and changing workloads, of developing and managing evaluations and appraisals, as well as recommending salary changes or promotions or new job descriptions. Ultimately supervisors have the ability to hire and fire, although they may require the approval of their own supervisor for these actions. So I would be very, very careful about using that type of terminology. It is the wrong term in this case.
My warning is that we will lose the spiritual leadership of these positions and callings if we make too many analogies to careers and professional organizations. It is quite different and important to realize that scripture itself is your best mentor and supervisor, and prayer and bible reading your best discussion with your supervisor. Losing the scriptural focus in any group mentoring or personal leadership mentoring will run the risk of gaining smooth operations with a loss of spiritual impact.
Posted in: Church: Institute, Organism, or Something Else?
I wonder if we should be thinking about this a bit differently. Wouldn't an organism (people of God) be what builds the instititute? Of course, there is another meaning to institute, such as in "God's institutes his Church". God builds His church, both the organism and the organization. But the church as an institute seems to be the formal trappings, the ceremony, the order, the procedure and facilities, the organization. The church as organism (as simply the people of God) must exist first in order to impliment all of this, to start it or initiate it, to write confessions and songs, to organize services, to provide facilities or locations, before it can become an organization or an institute.
Then there is this: that an institute or organization is more or less dead without the organism. The organism is what lives.
I listened last night to a speaker (on video), a psychologist, a christian who talked about christians having "authority", referring to power in general, but specifically to casting out demons, to shutting up the demons and sending them away. I thought it was a good speech, very biblical, but I have no idea what institute he belonged to, nor what denomination, or even what city. To me he was part of the organism more than part of the institute, if that makes sense. He was more concerned about Christ and about the battle between heaven and hell, between God and Satan, than about what organization anyone belonged to.
The institute or organization as we look at it is mostly earthly, while the organism is the body of Christ, and is eternal.
Posted in: Support Raising: Begging or Biblical
There is nothing wrong with asking for money and prayer and other support for ministry, including mission fields. It is not begging, unless the missionary is not doing any actual work. Otherwise it is asking for support to do the work. While it is not wrong to ask for money and prayer and support, it is also nice if it comes without asking for it. However, whether a plea goes to the board of missions, or directly to other supporters, it is still a plea.
There is the added benefit of trusting in the Lord more directly when faced with the uncertainty of direct support from members , rather than transferring this trust to a board of directors, or and executive director, etc. And with this benefit also comes a greater direct sharing of the mission, its joys and sorrows, with actual people, face-to-face.
Posted in: Church: Institute, Organism, or Something Else?
Good comment and good article by Van Reken, Steve.
Posted in: Which "If" Is It?
Great little unexpected message!
Posted in: Youth Youth Leaders
Ray, youth can certainly be leaders, with or without our help. The question is, how will they be good leaders rather than bad leaders? While giving them authority is necessary, giving them wisdom is even more important. Helping them to understand how to make decisions that are pleasing to God, rather than decisions and plans that are just pleasing to people, is a good place to start. Without that focus, it won't matter whether they are leaders or not. Without that focus, they will simply lead others down the path to perdition, instead of to the glory of God.
Posted in: Youth Youth Leaders
Jack, I actually agree with you. I was not comparing youth to older leaders so much as emphasizing that authority without wisdom will lead to problems. And yes, I agree that older leaders are also often "people pleasers" rather than "Christ followers". I am thinking that older leaders were once young, and if they did not learn wisdom earlier, they often do not gain it later. I think most of our problems with leadership is that we often assume that they can obtain wisdom after they obtain authority. Sometimes that happens. But it is better if they learn Godly wisdom first.
Posted in: Who is Paul Vander Klay and What's He Hoping to Do?
Classis has some potential for partnerships, cooperation. The less it tries to impose its "authority", and the more it works in unity and partnerships and cooperation to achieve its objectives such as church planting, the more effective it will be.
One example, it should not encourage a church to be called an "emerging church for ten years. After four years, it is a church, or it is not there. (generally). IMHO