I grew up in the CRC, and am still here, along with my family. I'm married to Daryl, who has a construction business. I had a CPA license for 10 or so years, then I added EX to the front, and MOM to the back, so now I'm an EX CPA, MOM =). I am MOM to Duncan, Ian and Samantha. Our family also owns a raspberry farm, and in the summers we get to work out there.
Bless your heart Martin... I believe the answer and actions on behalf of displaced Palestinians (recognizing there are complex historical questions regarding "palestine") will come through believers' prayers for Israel and collaborative, united worship and praise... however God works through our prayers and praise!
praying for the descendants of brothers Isaac and Ishmael to dwell in unity!
and not sure why you can't access the music! but here is the article with a link to the worship album... maybe try it again?
Doug (and Martin), I personally will find (and already have found) this discussion insightful and useful in various ways... not sure how many others besides those who were involved in writing and submitting it that might find it so, but I would think there are more along with Martin and Nick... the Israel/Palestine relationship is an issue that gets interesting reactions and responses in the CRC... quite enlightening... especially with the historical reformed eschatology of quasi replacement theology...
and again, prayer is always a wise response that falls within the Church's spiritual scope and responsibility... we, in the CRC, need to figure out how to work through conflict when we disagree on non-essential matters... and by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus and the power of the Spirit, we can in a beautiful, healthy and honoring way... praying for wisdom for Synod to honor and respect all involved...
wow, i'm in tears... how can it be heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time... by the love and grace of God... thank You Lord!
and thank you Kelly and safe church and all of you who have been in the trenches fighting these abuses for decades, often facing so much resistance... and now seeing these stories coming into the light for healing, so God will be glorified and people will be healed in the midst of this ugly, horrific mess that is being exposed (and it should be exposed)... a difficult and painful process, but in the long term, so healthy and it will bring righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by the painful process... through this He is strengthening the feeble arms and weak knees (the victims, those who still have deep unresolved trauma, the advocates that have been fighting for decades and running into resistance, the families that have suffered with no support from their spiritual leaders)... He gives us the privilege to partner with Him to make level paths for our feet, so that the lame will not be further harmed, but rather healed...
Kelly, I believe it, but can I get backup if possible for the statement... The majority of the perpetrators of sexual violence against men are white, heterosexual men . EOQ
Thanks for shining light and bringing attention to this horrific evil Eric... but we also need to make it clear that porn is a HUGE part of what fuels sex trafficking! We, the Church, are directly and indirectly making things worse for sex trafficked victims, if we do not address the porn problem in the Church. It is estimated sex trafficking would drop significantly if those in the Church stopped supporting the porn industry with their viewing. Let's find out and make that a reality!
Excerpt from Mary Lee Bouma's post on Do Justice: http://dojustice.crcna.org/article/porn-use-its-about-more-personal-sin
BOQ: On the other hand, in my pastoral experience at REED Vancouver, men who begin fighting against human trafficking when they discover its relationship to porn find themselves able to get free of porn use. Focusing on advocating for women, many men have told me they were freed from the guilty rationalization, self-absorption, and shame of being a Christian who also uses porn.
Now is the time for the Church to confront the fact that a mostly-male audience is using anonymous marginalized women for pleasure, and to accept instead God's invitation to be people who practice both justice and mercy. We must begin to acknowledge and respond to the horrific spiritual, physical, and psychological effects on girls and women as men are trained by porn to objectify and violently debase them. EOQ
Bless your heart Bonnie... I want to honor and encourage you as one of TIME's People of the Year!
this was announced yesterday! http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/
You have been using your voice long before 2017 and I want to recognize how the LORD is using you to help break the silence regarding abuse in the Church... I know it's not an easy calling and often not appreciated, but know that you are making a difference!
So Sister, stay strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!
you are speaking my heart here Sam... the local expression of the Bride is my heart... not just local congregations, but the local community of believers working together, instead of so often in isolation as independent churches of one denom or another, but as one church expressed through various Kingdom congregations of the community (I love Love INC type ministries that collaborate resources and needs between congregations in a community, at the local level)... I believe based on the word of God, this is the intended expression of the Kingdom Church, not denominations (some follow Apostle Peter/pope (Catholics/Gr orthodox), some follow Luther (Lutherans) some follow Wesley(Methodists), some follow Calvin (reformed) some follow Menno (Mennonites/anabaptist), some follow Chuck Smith (Calvary chapel even though they don't consider themselves a denom), some follow John wimber (Vineyard), etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.) who are we kidding? denoms are exactly what scripture directly expressed not to do... instead the local community of believers is how scripture addresses the Church, as the church of a location... the Church of Corinth, the Church of Ephesus, the Church of Galatia, the Church of Phillipi, the Church of Sardis, the Church of Philadelphia. etc...
I've also been wrestling with the misalignment going on between the institutional Church (particularly denominations) and the organic/ekklesia Church (the people)... it seems what happens with institutions (think gov't/politicians as well) is at some point it becomes more about the perpetuation of the institution/denomination then about the people and the purpose of the institution in the first place and the people end up serving/equipping the institution instead of the institution serving/equipping the people... haven't read it, but there's a book on the vine (organic church) and trellis (institutional church) with the analogy of how the trellis is there to support the vine... it seems we have flipped the priority and now it's more about the vine supporting the trellis... not saying the structure/trellis isn't biblical, just that it's not the priority... https://www.amazon.com/Trellis-Vine-Ministry-Mind-Shift-Everything/dp/1921441585 maybe it's time to order it...
I believe there is a significant shift going on from denominations to the local expression of the Kingdom Church that I believe is Biblical and of the Spirit, denoms can resist it or embrace it and help and encourage their congregations to "be better together" in the community that they are in, not just with other CRC or reformed type, but with the charismatics, with the Baptists, with the non-denoms, etc... it's kind of ironic how the intentional effort for increased diversity is one of the reasons that causes the denom as an institution to be less significant and i think that's a good thing...
thankful to see this discussion going on... I do want to honor the ekklesia/organic Church, those who have gone before us, and the solid foundation that we have been given through them for our faith... God has allowed denoms to have its time and purpose and He has worked in and through them (kind of like God allowing Israel to have kings), there are very practical reasons for denoms like discipline and appeal processes of situations where objectivity is needed (although I don't think a denom/institution can be impartial at any level because it defaults to protect it's existence/job security when there is a threat to it's leaders and/or it's reputation instead of protecting the weak and those who have been harmed, basically the exact opposite of what Jesus calls us to do)... so it seems it is time to recognize that which is hindering the Kingdom Ekklesia/Church from being all that God called us to be and how our denom as it is today might be doing so... I think of Colossians 2:8 (this is my paraphrase)... beware Church, that no one cheats you (of your calling/purpose/mission, etc) through empty and deceptive philosophies, which come from the tradition of man and the conventional wisdom of the world, instead of principles based on Jesus Christ and His Word.
so what traditions of man and conventional principles of the world do we practice that are not in alignment with God's ways and are hindering the Bride of Christ in answering her call?
ps.. I think denom renewal might be a misnomer, it gives people hope in the institution instead of the local church... maybe denom re-alignment might be more fitting, that there is an inversion going on between the institutional and the organic church? or as you mentioned "reform"... maybe denominational reformation =) now that would be fitting =)
hope that all makes some sense in accord with His word... maybe not what people want to read and hear, but test it and if it's off from the Word of God, I would welcome correction...
Bill, I don't see these 2 hopes as mutually exclusive, both are true... of course, Jesus is the hope of the world, no believer would refute that... however... in His sovereignty, He calls His Church to be His representation, to do the work of sharing the good news, to be His hands and feet to those around us... He gave us the keys of the Kingdom to do so and He planned good works in advance for us to do... and it's very encouraging to be aware of the greater Kingdom than just our local believers***, but the primary way Kingdom work is done is on a local, organic level...
our confessions and creeds are powerful examples of solidarity between believers around the world, all tongues, tribes, nations and peoples as one holy, universal church... thankfully, the confessions/creeds are not limited to specific denominations, although some emphasize them more than others...
because we are flawed and still sin, of course the expression of the Kingdom church will be imperfect, believe you me, negligence and/or the abuse of power, etc. in any institution, but especially the Church, at the expense of the poor, weak and forgotten is unacceptable... but because we the Church (both organic and institutional) have abdicated much of our calling to minister to the poor, the weak, the forgotten, the gov't has taken over a significant portion of the calling God gave us, His holy people, so we cannot blame the gov't, only ourselves. I am not looking to the gov't or the denom to do what the organic Church is called to do, I'm looking at myself and those around me and praise God when the institution steps up and equips, trains, encourages and supports the organic Church in doing the good works He planned for us in advance instead of other less than healthy responses... this is the Ephesians 4 mandate for the institutional portion of the Church. it's not selfish, it's not consumerism, it's how God designed it. There is no place in God's Kingdom for leadership and/or institutions to lord it over.
*** watched the Insanity of God last night... there were believers in a very remote area of Asia (I think this was back in the 90's), and one of their questions when Nik Ripken arrived was, "have other countries heard about Jesus?" they had no idea of the world wide scope of the Kingdom Church.
now, are ministries institutions? to some extent, but often in a much more organic way, I think of the kids' school, it's small, it's more like a family than an institution... there's different levels of "institutionalsim" but that's another discussion ... the organic church still needs structure, but the structure is not the drain of lots of energy and resources, the works of service to build up the body of Christ (organic Church) is where most of the resources are directed...
Hey Sam... several thoughts, I apologize ahead of time for anytime I'm over 1000 words, but what we are discussing is complex and worthy of time and attention...
I think of Acts 15 and the Council of Jerusalem along with Nicea, Dort, etc over the ages... denominations are not the only way accountability between churches/pastors can happen... denoms have been the primary way for a while, but there are other ways for accountability to happen between neighboring communities, we just haven't needed to figure those out, because we have defaulted to the systemic denom structure that's already there. we only step back and say, wait a minute, let's re-think this, only when we start to see something unhealthy going on, and then we go deeper and start re-evaluating and wondering if this is the best and/or only way or if God actually had something else in mind and is possibly using this "crisis" to mature us to the next step of getting His bride ready for His return... so with the decrease of denomination loyalty, the denominational aspect is something that needs to be looked at and as Darren R reminded us there is some effort going on here (our Journey 2020)... but we need objectivity and impartiality, where the ekklesia can be open and honest about our weaknesses and not just appreciative inquiry... sorry, when those whose jobs are dependent on the denom are the ones evaluating and making the suggestions, there is some significant conflict of interest going on, whether we admit it or not. They are justifying their jobs. the CRC Ministry plan Our Journey 2020 looks pretty good on paper, so we will see what happens in practice... I did struggle with Desired Future 4 (Agenda for Synod 2016 p 36) as it raised some red flags for me when I read it a while back, but that's another discussion (I will probably respond to Darren's comment as the Canadians just had a gathering on the Journey 2020 plan and I read the report a few weeks ago, but want to re-read it before I respond to him). I agree that identity is a huge issue, that's not the problem I had with #4, but I cannot agree with the primary emphasis of our identity as Christian Reformed which I did not see this emphasis specifically stated in the Canadian's report of #4, so wasn't sure if synod changed it or the Cndns did? again, will talk about that later in a reply to Darren...
I also think of Matt 18 and "tell it to the church"... we have traditionally interpreted that as the structure of the church, the institution part... ie it goes to council, then maybe to the specific congregation but not always and if it does, usually very limited controlled information so not much transparency, it goes to the CIC, then classis and synod and who knows how many other ad hoc committees based on denominational structure and if it's a threat to the reputation of the institution, it will almost always be in strict executive session and often with non-disclosure type agreements - sorry, I do not believe that was Jesus intention with what He said... who is Jesus referring to here when it says church? the ekklesia, the organic Church, the people... we have defaulted to the institution and man's ways for a number of reasons, mostly fear... and there is often a lot of conflict of interest that occurs in the institutional structure, one reason being certain jobs and reputations depend on it. Having walked with a friend through the CO process of appeals regarding an ungodly incident, grateful as we are that there is an appeal process in the CRC, unfortunately however, the process resulted in more harm and damage then the original incident and sadly, i have found that to be a pattern in the Church, where the response of the Church instead of helping bring healing, brings further harm instead. Something's wrong here!
Many of Paul's letters are to the entire body of believers in the area, not to some special group of leaders like council or classis. We are blocking opportunities for the body of Christ to work together in our communities, not just with social justice, but with other issues as well, including discipline. So, maybe if we have a discipline issue in a local congregation, we connect with the neighboring community of believers to help us out (multiple denoms represented so it's not about loyalty to or protecting the denom and it's reputation, but about doing the right thing for the Kingdom of God), as they can be more objective than the local community or those loyal to a denom. We don't do this because we follow the denom chain of order instead... think about the Roman catholic church (RC) and it's lack of objectivity dealing with abuse (have you seen Spotlight?)... why would we protestants think we would respond differently?http://religionnews.com/2015/12/07/spotlight-its-not-just-a-catholic-problem/ and sadly I am aware of a number of situations where we did not respond any better than the RC leaders and the CRC is not exempt here.
I also think about the 10-20 youth pastors from our community that gather once a month to fellowship and pray, and about 50-80 senior pastors gather for fellowship and prayer once a quarter... these gatherings obviously represent a broad spectrum of denominations with variations of beliefs on the non-essentials... here's a link of a bit of what God is doing in Whatcom County as the local expression of His Church unites in our community. The Lord has used this documentary (it's about 4 yrs old) to start 24/7 prayer in Indonesia, Nepal, India and other mid east arabic countries =) as well as a number of cities in the US, including OR, CA, TX and CO... and at 8:25 on the video, listen to Shannon Williamson's testimony... this Spring she became the exec. director of our local Love INC... exactly what she said 4 years ago in this video about partnering prayer with action at 8:45
http://lowpc.org/whatcomstory/
I have great hope for the Bride of Christ... Scripture tells us she will be ready per Rev 19:7-8 and her wedding dress will be amazing! But we have some strategic shifts/maturing that need to happen first and I believe He is working on that and I see evidence of it...
per the end of Sam's post: In Part 3,... BOQ... In Part 3, I will highlight a couple examples. Until then, let's talk about it. EOQ
well, Sam, it's being talked about =) looks like lots of sharpening discussion going on and grateful for the insights and input shared here, it's a topic worthy of time and energy... so curious what post #3 will stir up =)
When I heard about this movie, I went to see it right away... it is a very sobering film, especially for those who might not realize the extent of abuse in the Church and leaderships' patterns of cover up and that it is far more extensive than we recognize (we tend to minimize and dismiss, and think it's not that bad)... for me, it was an answer to prayer on behalf of all those who have been harmed by the Church, Catholic or Protestant. It validated what happened to them, but also exposed the abuse of power by leaders in the Church to protect themselves and the reputation of the Church at the expense of those harmed. The exact opposite of what God calls His Church to do!
the article and several of the replies refer to the fact that this is not just a Catholic problem... here's a powerful article from Boz Tchividjian stating that very thing: http://boz.religionnews.com/2015/12/07/spotlight-its-not-just-a-catholic-problem/
Over the last number of years, I have come to a beyond grievous conclusion that breaks my heart, and I believe is extremely painful to God's heart, and no denomination or congregation is exempt (this is also true in gov't and with any institution) but I am addressing the Church here: when leadership is threatened, such as sexual immorality being exposed, the response has far too often been abuse of power and that is often far more harmful than the original incident (and I would say always more harmful in the spiritual sense/realm), because it is betrayal and spiritual abuse by those in leadership, who are called to do what is right in the eyes of God. Instead of doing what is right and bringing this into the light (John 3:21), and validating the one who was violated, instead, the response by leaders is far too often, "damage control" aka sweep it under the rug, aka John 3:19-20 keeping it in the dark out of fear, which is the enemy's ways... this response breeds manipulation, intimidation (silencing), deception and further shame for those harmed, those violated, those abused. So now, it is not only physical or emotional harm, but now (at least in the Church) they have been spiritually abused as well (there are entire books on this). http://www.spiritualabuse.com/?page_id=58 and I quote... Spiritual abuse is always a power issue! EOQ
Spiritual abuse = abuse of power!
Again, the exact opposite of what the Church is called to...
and unfortunately, that's still not all of it... when this type of thing does get exposed... here's the reaction from those in the Church which again further harms those violated... http://boz.religionnews.com/2015/12/11/an-unholy-alliance-when-mob-forgiveness-meets-selective-grace/
I know, this is not stuff that we want to hear, again, it is very sobering, but the Church needs to hear it, because we are all guilty... pray about this, process it, ask God to show you His heart regarding this... He is bringing abusive behavior into the light!
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Bonhoeffer
We need to boldly address this... we cannot stick our heads in the sands, and only listen to fables and fairytales, myths that make us feel good (2 Timothy 4:3-5)... this is the truth coming into the light (SpotLIGHT), and it's time for the Church, to open our eyes and ears to the abuse we have allowed to continue by not addressing this in the light... and repent... and the longer it takes for us to acknowledge, confess and repent, the more harm that will happen and abuse be allowed to continue... I realize this is not a message that we want to hear or believe, but right now, we are guilty of the same things the Pharisees are... making the cup look pretty on the outside, when there is filth and rottenness on the inside... and no denomination, including the CRC is exempt.
I understand the Church is not perfect and this isn't 100% the case true in every situation, but we can't use these as an excuse to not address this type of behavior in the Church...
the world is doing a better job at holding leaders accountable than the Church does. Part of leadership responsibility is to bring justice to those harmed, we have significantly failed in this area. I wish I could say this is the exception rather than the rule, but when it comes to institutional leadership feeling threatened, it seems "damage control" and/or "non-disclosure" type agreements have become the rule... water gate, Catholic Church, Sovereign Grace, Mars Hill/Mark Driscoll, Bill Gothard, Pat Tillman's death cover up (US Army), human trafficking (US gov't contractors in Bosnia), etc. and countless more that have never seen the light... I recently had a friend who did the right thing, and reported abusive behavior of an elderly client by another employee at her job... she lost her job, for reporting it... bless her heart for doing the right thing! I have a friend who has experienced these patterns and been intimidated, manipulated, deceived, discredited, spiritually abused, etc. by Church leadership and continues to be shut down in addressing this pattern of behavior, and when I shared the "unholy alliance" article with my friend, the reply was, "I find myself getting mad when I read this..... Because it's EXACTLY what they did!!" ... abuse breeds so much evil! and that is the EXACT opposite of what we, His Kingdom Church, are called to do.
we're not giving up on exposing this evil in the Church! yes, it is hard, and leaders feel threatened... but it is time to bring abuse, especially spiritual abuse/abuse of power into the light... and this needs your help, your voice, your response. We cannot stay silent.
Our response starts with prayer and repentance, seeking God's heart and His ways for healing and choosing to walk in obedience to His ways... If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves, pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then, will I hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land. and He will call us, His Church into action as part of that healing. and He will call us into action as part of that healing.. This is my prayer for His Church...
Posted in: ‘Palestine’ and Overture 6: Ten Questions to Consider
Bless your heart Martin... I believe the answer and actions on behalf of displaced Palestinians (recognizing there are complex historical questions regarding "palestine") will come through believers' prayers for Israel and collaborative, united worship and praise... however God works through our prayers and praise!
praying for the descendants of brothers Isaac and Ishmael to dwell in unity!
and not sure why you can't access the music! but here is the article with a link to the worship album... maybe try it again?
https://kehilanews.allisrael.com/messianic-jewish-and-arab-young-people-unite-in-new-worship-album/
Posted in: ‘Palestine’ and Overture 6: Ten Questions to Consider
Doug (and Martin), I personally will find (and already have found) this discussion insightful and useful in various ways... not sure how many others besides those who were involved in writing and submitting it that might find it so, but I would think there are more along with Martin and Nick... the Israel/Palestine relationship is an issue that gets interesting reactions and responses in the CRC... quite enlightening... especially with the historical reformed eschatology of quasi replacement theology...
and again, prayer is always a wise response that falls within the Church's spiritual scope and responsibility... we, in the CRC, need to figure out how to work through conflict when we disagree on non-essential matters... and by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus and the power of the Spirit, we can in a beautiful, healthy and honoring way... praying for wisdom for Synod to honor and respect all involved...
Posted in: Sexual Assault Against Boys: My Story
wow, i'm in tears... how can it be heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time... by the love and grace of God... thank You Lord!
and thank you Kelly and safe church and all of you who have been in the trenches fighting these abuses for decades, often facing so much resistance... and now seeing these stories coming into the light for healing, so God will be glorified and people will be healed in the midst of this ugly, horrific mess that is being exposed (and it should be exposed)... a difficult and painful process, but in the long term, so healthy and it will bring righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by the painful process... through this He is strengthening the feeble arms and weak knees (the victims, those who still have deep unresolved trauma, the advocates that have been fighting for decades and running into resistance, the families that have suffered with no support from their spiritual leaders)... He gives us the privilege to partner with Him to make level paths for our feet, so that the lame will not be further harmed, but rather healed...
Kelly, I believe it, but can I get backup if possible for the statement... The majority of the perpetrators of sexual violence against men are white, heterosexual men . EOQ
Posted in: Synod Has Spoken — Are We Listening?
Thank you Safe Church for putting this together with the relevant links! very helpful and practical! much appreciated! bless your hearts! Bev
Posted in: Super Bowl Prayer Litany: A Prayer Against Human Trafficking From Renville, MN
Thanks for shining light and bringing attention to this horrific evil Eric... but we also need to make it clear that porn is a HUGE part of what fuels sex trafficking! We, the Church, are directly and indirectly making things worse for sex trafficked victims, if we do not address the porn problem in the Church. It is estimated sex trafficking would drop significantly if those in the Church stopped supporting the porn industry with their viewing. Let's find out and make that a reality!
Excerpt from Mary Lee Bouma's post on Do Justice: http://dojustice.crcna.org/article/porn-use-its-about-more-personal-sin
BOQ: On the other hand, in my pastoral experience at REED Vancouver, men who begin fighting against human trafficking when they discover its relationship to porn find themselves able to get free of porn use. Focusing on advocating for women, many men have told me they were freed from the guilty rationalization, self-absorption, and shame of being a Christian who also uses porn.
Now is the time for the Church to confront the fact that a mostly-male audience is using anonymous marginalized women for pleasure, and to accept instead God's invitation to be people who practice both justice and mercy. We must begin to acknowledge and respond to the horrific spiritual, physical, and psychological effects on girls and women as men are trained by porn to objectify and violently debase them. EOQ
Posted in: #MeToo and #ChurchToo
Bless your heart Bonnie... I want to honor and encourage you as one of TIME's People of the Year!
this was announced yesterday! http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/
You have been using your voice long before 2017 and I want to recognize how the LORD is using you to help break the silence regarding abuse in the Church... I know it's not an easy calling and often not appreciated, but know that you are making a difference!
So Sister, stay strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!
Posted in: Five Steps to Denominational Renewal - Part 2
you are speaking my heart here Sam... the local expression of the Bride is my heart... not just local congregations, but the local community of believers working together, instead of so often in isolation as independent churches of one denom or another, but as one church expressed through various Kingdom congregations of the community (I love Love INC type ministries that collaborate resources and needs between congregations in a community, at the local level)... I believe based on the word of God, this is the intended expression of the Kingdom Church, not denominations (some follow Apostle Peter/pope (Catholics/Gr orthodox), some follow Luther (Lutherans) some follow Wesley(Methodists), some follow Calvin (reformed) some follow Menno (Mennonites/anabaptist), some follow Chuck Smith (Calvary chapel even though they don't consider themselves a denom), some follow John wimber (Vineyard), etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.) who are we kidding? denoms are exactly what scripture directly expressed not to do... instead the local community of believers is how scripture addresses the Church, as the church of a location... the Church of Corinth, the Church of Ephesus, the Church of Galatia, the Church of Phillipi, the Church of Sardis, the Church of Philadelphia. etc...
I've also been wrestling with the misalignment going on between the institutional Church (particularly denominations) and the organic/ekklesia Church (the people)... it seems what happens with institutions (think gov't/politicians as well) is at some point it becomes more about the perpetuation of the institution/denomination then about the people and the purpose of the institution in the first place and the people end up serving/equipping the institution instead of the institution serving/equipping the people... haven't read it, but there's a book on the vine (organic church) and trellis (institutional church) with the analogy of how the trellis is there to support the vine... it seems we have flipped the priority and now it's more about the vine supporting the trellis... not saying the structure/trellis isn't biblical, just that it's not the priority... https://www.amazon.com/Trellis-Vine-Ministry-Mind-Shift-Everything/dp/1921441585 maybe it's time to order it...
I believe there is a significant shift going on from denominations to the local expression of the Kingdom Church that I believe is Biblical and of the Spirit, denoms can resist it or embrace it and help and encourage their congregations to "be better together" in the community that they are in, not just with other CRC or reformed type, but with the charismatics, with the Baptists, with the non-denoms, etc... it's kind of ironic how the intentional effort for increased diversity is one of the reasons that causes the denom as an institution to be less significant and i think that's a good thing...
thankful to see this discussion going on... I do want to honor the ekklesia/organic Church, those who have gone before us, and the solid foundation that we have been given through them for our faith... God has allowed denoms to have its time and purpose and He has worked in and through them (kind of like God allowing Israel to have kings), there are very practical reasons for denoms like discipline and appeal processes of situations where objectivity is needed (although I don't think a denom/institution can be impartial at any level because it defaults to protect it's existence/job security when there is a threat to it's leaders and/or it's reputation instead of protecting the weak and those who have been harmed, basically the exact opposite of what Jesus calls us to do)... so it seems it is time to recognize that which is hindering the Kingdom Ekklesia/Church from being all that God called us to be and how our denom as it is today might be doing so... I think of Colossians 2:8 (this is my paraphrase)... beware Church, that no one cheats you (of your calling/purpose/mission, etc) through empty and deceptive philosophies, which come from the tradition of man and the conventional wisdom of the world, instead of principles based on Jesus Christ and His Word.
so what traditions of man and conventional principles of the world do we practice that are not in alignment with God's ways and are hindering the Bride of Christ in answering her call?
ps.. I think denom renewal might be a misnomer, it gives people hope in the institution instead of the local church... maybe denom re-alignment might be more fitting, that there is an inversion going on between the institutional and the organic church? or as you mentioned "reform"... maybe denominational reformation =) now that would be fitting =)
hope that all makes some sense in accord with His word... maybe not what people want to read and hear, but test it and if it's off from the Word of God, I would welcome correction...
Posted in: Five Steps to Denominational Renewal - Part 2
Bill, I don't see these 2 hopes as mutually exclusive, both are true... of course, Jesus is the hope of the world, no believer would refute that... however... in His sovereignty, He calls His Church to be His representation, to do the work of sharing the good news, to be His hands and feet to those around us... He gave us the keys of the Kingdom to do so and He planned good works in advance for us to do... and it's very encouraging to be aware of the greater Kingdom than just our local believers***, but the primary way Kingdom work is done is on a local, organic level...
our confessions and creeds are powerful examples of solidarity between believers around the world, all tongues, tribes, nations and peoples as one holy, universal church... thankfully, the confessions/creeds are not limited to specific denominations, although some emphasize them more than others...
because we are flawed and still sin, of course the expression of the Kingdom church will be imperfect, believe you me, negligence and/or the abuse of power, etc. in any institution, but especially the Church, at the expense of the poor, weak and forgotten is unacceptable... but because we the Church (both organic and institutional) have abdicated much of our calling to minister to the poor, the weak, the forgotten, the gov't has taken over a significant portion of the calling God gave us, His holy people, so we cannot blame the gov't, only ourselves. I am not looking to the gov't or the denom to do what the organic Church is called to do, I'm looking at myself and those around me and praise God when the institution steps up and equips, trains, encourages and supports the organic Church in doing the good works He planned for us in advance instead of other less than healthy responses... this is the Ephesians 4 mandate for the institutional portion of the Church. it's not selfish, it's not consumerism, it's how God designed it. There is no place in God's Kingdom for leadership and/or institutions to lord it over.
*** watched the Insanity of God last night... there were believers in a very remote area of Asia (I think this was back in the 90's), and one of their questions when Nik Ripken arrived was, "have other countries heard about Jesus?" they had no idea of the world wide scope of the Kingdom Church.
now, are ministries institutions? to some extent, but often in a much more organic way, I think of the kids' school, it's small, it's more like a family than an institution... there's different levels of "institutionalsim" but that's another discussion ... the organic church still needs structure, but the structure is not the drain of lots of energy and resources, the works of service to build up the body of Christ (organic Church) is where most of the resources are directed...
Posted in: Five Steps to Denominational Renewal - Part 2
Hey Sam... several thoughts, I apologize ahead of time for anytime I'm over 1000 words, but what we are discussing is complex and worthy of time and attention...
I think of Acts 15 and the Council of Jerusalem along with Nicea, Dort, etc over the ages... denominations are not the only way accountability between churches/pastors can happen... denoms have been the primary way for a while, but there are other ways for accountability to happen between neighboring communities, we just haven't needed to figure those out, because we have defaulted to the systemic denom structure that's already there. we only step back and say, wait a minute, let's re-think this, only when we start to see something unhealthy going on, and then we go deeper and start re-evaluating and wondering if this is the best and/or only way or if God actually had something else in mind and is possibly using this "crisis" to mature us to the next step of getting His bride ready for His return... so with the decrease of denomination loyalty, the denominational aspect is something that needs to be looked at and as Darren R reminded us there is some effort going on here (our Journey 2020)... but we need objectivity and impartiality, where the ekklesia can be open and honest about our weaknesses and not just appreciative inquiry... sorry, when those whose jobs are dependent on the denom are the ones evaluating and making the suggestions, there is some significant conflict of interest going on, whether we admit it or not. They are justifying their jobs. the CRC Ministry plan Our Journey 2020 looks pretty good on paper, so we will see what happens in practice... I did struggle with Desired Future 4 (Agenda for Synod 2016 p 36) as it raised some red flags for me when I read it a while back, but that's another discussion (I will probably respond to Darren's comment as the Canadians just had a gathering on the Journey 2020 plan and I read the report a few weeks ago, but want to re-read it before I respond to him). I agree that identity is a huge issue, that's not the problem I had with #4, but I cannot agree with the primary emphasis of our identity as Christian Reformed which I did not see this emphasis specifically stated in the Canadian's report of #4, so wasn't sure if synod changed it or the Cndns did? again, will talk about that later in a reply to Darren...
I also think of Matt 18 and "tell it to the church"... we have traditionally interpreted that as the structure of the church, the institution part... ie it goes to council, then maybe to the specific congregation but not always and if it does, usually very limited controlled information so not much transparency, it goes to the CIC, then classis and synod and who knows how many other ad hoc committees based on denominational structure and if it's a threat to the reputation of the institution, it will almost always be in strict executive session and often with non-disclosure type agreements - sorry, I do not believe that was Jesus intention with what He said... who is Jesus referring to here when it says church? the ekklesia, the organic Church, the people... we have defaulted to the institution and man's ways for a number of reasons, mostly fear... and there is often a lot of conflict of interest that occurs in the institutional structure, one reason being certain jobs and reputations depend on it. Having walked with a friend through the CO process of appeals regarding an ungodly incident, grateful as we are that there is an appeal process in the CRC, unfortunately however, the process resulted in more harm and damage then the original incident and sadly, i have found that to be a pattern in the Church, where the response of the Church instead of helping bring healing, brings further harm instead. Something's wrong here!
Many of Paul's letters are to the entire body of believers in the area, not to some special group of leaders like council or classis. We are blocking opportunities for the body of Christ to work together in our communities, not just with social justice, but with other issues as well, including discipline. So, maybe if we have a discipline issue in a local congregation, we connect with the neighboring community of believers to help us out (multiple denoms represented so it's not about loyalty to or protecting the denom and it's reputation, but about doing the right thing for the Kingdom of God), as they can be more objective than the local community or those loyal to a denom. We don't do this because we follow the denom chain of order instead... think about the Roman catholic church (RC) and it's lack of objectivity dealing with abuse (have you seen Spotlight?)... why would we protestants think we would respond differently?http://religionnews.com/2015/12/07/spotlight-its-not-just-a-catholic-problem/ and sadly I am aware of a number of situations where we did not respond any better than the RC leaders and the CRC is not exempt here.
I also think about the 10-20 youth pastors from our community that gather once a month to fellowship and pray, and about 50-80 senior pastors gather for fellowship and prayer once a quarter... these gatherings obviously represent a broad spectrum of denominations with variations of beliefs on the non-essentials... here's a link of a bit of what God is doing in Whatcom County as the local expression of His Church unites in our community. The Lord has used this documentary (it's about 4 yrs old) to start 24/7 prayer in Indonesia, Nepal, India and other mid east arabic countries =) as well as a number of cities in the US, including OR, CA, TX and CO... and at 8:25 on the video, listen to Shannon Williamson's testimony... this Spring she became the exec. director of our local Love INC... exactly what she said 4 years ago in this video about partnering prayer with action at 8:45
http://lowpc.org/whatcomstory/
I have great hope for the Bride of Christ... Scripture tells us she will be ready per Rev 19:7-8 and her wedding dress will be amazing! But we have some strategic shifts/maturing that need to happen first and I believe He is working on that and I see evidence of it...
Praise God!
Posted in: Five Steps to Denominational Renewal - Part 2
per the end of Sam's post: In Part 3,... BOQ... In Part 3, I will highlight a couple examples. Until then, let's talk about it. EOQ
well, Sam, it's being talked about =) looks like lots of sharpening discussion going on and grateful for the insights and input shared here, it's a topic worthy of time and energy... so curious what post #3 will stir up =)
Posted in: Why Every Church Leader Should Watch Spotlight
When I heard about this movie, I went to see it right away... it is a very sobering film, especially for those who might not realize the extent of abuse in the Church and leaderships' patterns of cover up and that it is far more extensive than we recognize (we tend to minimize and dismiss, and think it's not that bad)... for me, it was an answer to prayer on behalf of all those who have been harmed by the Church, Catholic or Protestant. It validated what happened to them, but also exposed the abuse of power by leaders in the Church to protect themselves and the reputation of the Church at the expense of those harmed. The exact opposite of what God calls His Church to do!
the article and several of the replies refer to the fact that this is not just a Catholic problem... here's a powerful article from Boz Tchividjian stating that very thing: http://boz.religionnews.com/2015/12/07/spotlight-its-not-just-a-catholic-problem/
Over the last number of years, I have come to a beyond grievous conclusion that breaks my heart, and I believe is extremely painful to God's heart, and no denomination or congregation is exempt (this is also true in gov't and with any institution) but I am addressing the Church here: when leadership is threatened, such as sexual immorality being exposed, the response has far too often been abuse of power and that is often far more harmful than the original incident (and I would say always more harmful in the spiritual sense/realm), because it is betrayal and spiritual abuse by those in leadership, who are called to do what is right in the eyes of God. Instead of doing what is right and bringing this into the light (John 3:21), and validating the one who was violated, instead, the response by leaders is far too often, "damage control" aka sweep it under the rug, aka John 3:19-20 keeping it in the dark out of fear, which is the enemy's ways... this response breeds manipulation, intimidation (silencing), deception and further shame for those harmed, those violated, those abused. So now, it is not only physical or emotional harm, but now (at least in the Church) they have been spiritually abused as well (there are entire books on this). http://www.spiritualabuse.com/?page_id=58 and I quote... Spiritual abuse is always a power issue! EOQ
Spiritual abuse = abuse of power!
Again, the exact opposite of what the Church is called to...
and unfortunately, that's still not all of it... when this type of thing does get exposed... here's the reaction from those in the Church which again further harms those violated... http://boz.religionnews.com/2015/12/11/an-unholy-alliance-when-mob-forgiveness-meets-selective-grace/
I know, this is not stuff that we want to hear, again, it is very sobering, but the Church needs to hear it, because we are all guilty... pray about this, process it, ask God to show you His heart regarding this... He is bringing abusive behavior into the light!
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Bonhoeffer
We need to boldly address this... we cannot stick our heads in the sands, and only listen to fables and fairytales, myths that make us feel good (2 Timothy 4:3-5)... this is the truth coming into the light (SpotLIGHT), and it's time for the Church, to open our eyes and ears to the abuse we have allowed to continue by not addressing this in the light... and repent... and the longer it takes for us to acknowledge, confess and repent, the more harm that will happen and abuse be allowed to continue... I realize this is not a message that we want to hear or believe, but right now, we are guilty of the same things the Pharisees are... making the cup look pretty on the outside, when there is filth and rottenness on the inside... and no denomination, including the CRC is exempt.
I understand the Church is not perfect and this isn't 100% the case true in every situation, but we can't use these as an excuse to not address this type of behavior in the Church...
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/church/what-not-say-someone-who-has-been-hurt-church
the world is doing a better job at holding leaders accountable than the Church does. Part of leadership responsibility is to bring justice to those harmed, we have significantly failed in this area. I wish I could say this is the exception rather than the rule, but when it comes to institutional leadership feeling threatened, it seems "damage control" and/or "non-disclosure" type agreements have become the rule... water gate, Catholic Church, Sovereign Grace, Mars Hill/Mark Driscoll, Bill Gothard, Pat Tillman's death cover up (US Army), human trafficking (US gov't contractors in Bosnia), etc. and countless more that have never seen the light... I recently had a friend who did the right thing, and reported abusive behavior of an elderly client by another employee at her job... she lost her job, for reporting it... bless her heart for doing the right thing! I have a friend who has experienced these patterns and been intimidated, manipulated, deceived, discredited, spiritually abused, etc. by Church leadership and continues to be shut down in addressing this pattern of behavior, and when I shared the "unholy alliance" article with my friend, the reply was, "I find myself getting mad when I read this..... Because it's EXACTLY what they did!!" ... abuse breeds so much evil! and that is the EXACT opposite of what we, His Kingdom Church, are called to do.
we're not giving up on exposing this evil in the Church! yes, it is hard, and leaders feel threatened... but it is time to bring abuse, especially spiritual abuse/abuse of power into the light... and this needs your help, your voice, your response. We cannot stay silent.
Our response starts with prayer and repentance, seeking God's heart and His ways for healing and choosing to walk in obedience to His ways... If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves, pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then, will I hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land. and He will call us, His Church into action as part of that healing. and He will call us into action as part of that healing.. This is my prayer for His Church...
Posted in: Why Every Church Leader Should Watch Spotlight
bless your hearts... an answer to my prayer that what is hidden in darkness be exposed! and that includes spiritual abuse/abuse of power in the CRC!