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.
The facts depends on who reports them, and some of them are out of date.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.
Thanks for this article. I think we often underestimate the capacity of children to learn. They actually learn much faster than adults, with the right motivation and expectations. So learning is very important, because doing without learning, often leads to "doing" for its own sake, rather than for the Lord's sake. Any robot can do things without learning. It is easily possible for grade five students to memorize the 66 books of the bible, for example. Even grade one students have the capacity to memorize an entire chapter of the gospel, for example, Luke 2, with enough coaching and perseverance. Learning how to apply the scriptures to life is one of the most valuable things any child can "do", so learning and doing are inseparable. In our church education programs, we should probably remember that our "doing" needs to reinforce and not replace our "learning".
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
In Canada, for years we had a church service on Thanksgiving Day. Today we have a special service on the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, turning the regular service into a Thanksgiving Service, possibly because we are often still harvesting on Thanksgiving Day (second Monday in October). Possibly because we seem to have less time to give thanks than we did in the past. In a way, every sunday is a thanksgiving day, giving thanks for life, for redemption, for food and clothing, for work, for God's blessings and provisions for us. So on Thanksgiving Day, or the Thanksgiving Sunday, its nice, and fitting, that we spend some additional time on our Thanks to God.
Well yes, Mark, but disability, disease, poor eyesight, weeds, is all a result of sin, of our sinful condition, of the curse brought on this world by sin. It is not caused by a particular sin. But no one is immune. It's only a matter of degree, of our perception. It is our inability to pay for our own sin that makes us unable to make our own path straight and smooth. We cannot open the door ourselves; we are told to knock, and the door will be opened, by Christ. Seeing and knowing this puts any disability we have, into a better perspective. As painful as it may be, the inability to walk is a very small disability, compared to the inability to enter heaven under our own power. It is a small inability, compared to the inability to recognize Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. This is a great truth!
Posted in: Which "If" Is It?
Great little unexpected message!
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: 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: What Do We Want Them To Learn?
Thanks for this article. I think we often underestimate the capacity of children to learn. They actually learn much faster than adults, with the right motivation and expectations. So learning is very important, because doing without learning, often leads to "doing" for its own sake, rather than for the Lord's sake. Any robot can do things without learning. It is easily possible for grade five students to memorize the 66 books of the bible, for example. Even grade one students have the capacity to memorize an entire chapter of the gospel, for example, Luke 2, with enough coaching and perseverance. Learning how to apply the scriptures to life is one of the most valuable things any child can "do", so learning and doing are inseparable. In our church education programs, we should probably remember that our "doing" needs to reinforce and not replace our "learning".
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
Posted in: How Important is Thanksgiving Day?
In Canada, for years we had a church service on Thanksgiving Day. Today we have a special service on the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, turning the regular service into a Thanksgiving Service, possibly because we are often still harvesting on Thanksgiving Day (second Monday in October). Possibly because we seem to have less time to give thanks than we did in the past. In a way, every sunday is a thanksgiving day, giving thanks for life, for redemption, for food and clothing, for work, for God's blessings and provisions for us. So on Thanksgiving Day, or the Thanksgiving Sunday, its nice, and fitting, that we spend some additional time on our Thanks to God.
Posted in: Rolling Out a New Perception in the Parking Lot
Well yes, Mark, but disability, disease, poor eyesight, weeds, is all a result of sin, of our sinful condition, of the curse brought on this world by sin. It is not caused by a particular sin. But no one is immune. It's only a matter of degree, of our perception. It is our inability to pay for our own sin that makes us unable to make our own path straight and smooth. We cannot open the door ourselves; we are told to knock, and the door will be opened, by Christ. Seeing and knowing this puts any disability we have, into a better perspective. As painful as it may be, the inability to walk is a very small disability, compared to the inability to enter heaven under our own power. It is a small inability, compared to the inability to recognize Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. This is a great truth!