How's Your Focus? - Vision, Part 4

Remember your last vision exam? "Cover your right eye and read the lowest line you can on the chart ... now your left ... good!" If you are like me, a time came in your life when your vision began to need some correction to see clearly. The focus was not what it once was. (We won't mention anything about that being a sign of aging). Whatever the cause, the remedy is proper focus and the doctor has a prescription for helping us focus properly based on his or her expertise and training in the science of sight. So, can the vision of our churches get out of focus? Absolutely! How does it happen? My own personal bias is that it happens when a church gets too focused on ... are you ready for this ... the church! That's right, focusing on the church gets the church out of focus. What are WE going to do? Who are WE trying to reach? What is OUR ministry plan? What are OUR resources? Congregational vision statement number four on the mission wall at the HBA Mission Center says that we have a vision of ...

Kingdom focused congregations that recognize that the kingdom agenda of God extends beyond personal, congregational, associational, or denominational agendas.

Now that doesn't mean that what God is doing in one's personal life is not important. Nor does it mean that congregational, associational, and denominational visions and missions are passe. (I certainly don't want anyone to think that I am ready to bail on associational or denominational ministry--especially since God placed me here in HBA for this season of my ministry). What I mean is that we need eyes to see where God is at work in the world and where He might be inviting us to join Him ... are you ready for this ... even if it didn't originate in our yard. Jesus said it this way, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33, NASB). During the 20 years I served as a pastor, I developed a simple philosophy ... if I would focus on the kingdom and keep a kingdom vision always before the church, the Lord Jesus Christ would take care of needs of this congregation. I am convinced that He did and I am convinced that He does. So, how's your focus?

Competitive or Complementary - Vision, Part 3

How much do you resemble your parents? Do you have your mom's nose? Your dad's chin? How about bone structure? Or personality and temperament? Do you demonstrate their values and character qualities? When people look at you, do they observe anything about your heritage? How can people see what God is like? Certainly, they look to the Scriptures and to the person of Christ. But what is the first thing they see? They see the visible representation of Christ in the world - the Body of Christ. They see the Church. And sometimes we bear little resemblance to our Father! We may give a distorted view in many ways, but one of the most common (in my opinion) is in operating in isolated independence. In one of my previous blogs in highlighting the vision statements on the mission wall of the HBA Mission Center, I talked about our vision of autonomous congregations. A common misperception is that autonomous = independent. I don't believe an "independent" congregation is a New Testament congregation. A simple reading of the book of Acts and the letters of Paul should quickly dispel that myth. A congregation my be self-determining of its course under the direction of the Holy Spirit, but no congregation is self-sufficient. Even if a congregation has the resources to function without the assistance of other congregations, there is one thing an individual congregation cannot do ... BE the Body of Christ. Hence, our third congregational vision statement:

Interdependent congregations that are committed to voluntarily and cooperatively doing life and ministry together.

How does your congregation view other congregations? Are you suspicious of their methods and motives? Do you secretly envy their successes? Are you unconcerned toward their struggles? How much time does your congregation spend praying for other congregations who are co-laborers for the sake of the gospel in our communities? How are you joining with other congregations to present the reality of Christ and to be His hands and feet to lost people ... hurting people ... broken people ... ignorant people ... even rebellious people? You see, there are not multiple Bodies of Christ. There is one. And we present a fractured witness when we operate in a competitive way rather than a complementary way. The difference? Competitive is focusing attention on our methods as the right way. Complementary is focusing attention on the sovereign work of God in the world and using our methods and unique gift mix to cooperate in that work. Don't misunderstand me, I am talking about the ministry methods and unique gift mix of each local congregation as being complementary. I am not talking about a wide and unclear theology that distorts the clear message of the gospel. We just need to be sure that our "theological" issues really are based in absolute truth rather than in preferred terminology. The reality is that we need each other. Not because we cannot function separately, but because we should not function separately and present a divided Christ to the world. It seems to me that the association is uniquely poised to assist congregations in operating interdependently by focusing attention on how we can unite our hearts and hands to impact our communities with the reality of Christ. How can we assist you in being an effective member of the Body?

Fad or Foundation? - Vision, Part 2

I can't remember when I first heard the word. I know it has been within the last 3-4 years. I also don't know for sure who said it first. What I do know is that I am hearing it a lot now, with both positive and negative reactions. The word? Missional. I know it probably has an "official" meaning. I also know that people respond to it based on their understanding of that "official" definition. I also know that it has become a label for a certain kind of congregation and I REALLY DON'T LIKE LABELS (missional, attractional, contemporary, traditional, blended, ...). However, I REALLY DO LIKE the word missional. Or I should say I like it the way I define it. My definition is expressed in the second congregational vision statement on the Mission Wall at the HBA Mission Center.

Missional congregations that are on mission to make Christ known in their communities and beyond.

I have been a part of congregations that described themselves as mission-minded (and that is a good thing, by the way). What that means sometimes is that they are committed to giving great prayer and financial support to our "missionaries". One of the hallmarks of Southern Baptist history and practice is our cooperative mission work. We have been the greatest missionary sending entity in the history of Christianity. However, Jesus didn't simply call us to pray and write checks. He called us to pray, to give, and to go. Sometimes that means to go to the other side of the world. Sometimes it means to go to the other side of town. Sometimes it means to go to the other side of the room. Always it means to move from being mission-minded to being on-mission. That is why the role of the association is not to "promote missions" among our congregations, but to assist churches in fulfilling the mission to which they have been called. That means that any congregation--regardless of their worship style ... or organizational structure ... or history ... or ministry plan--can be a missional congregation. If the "official" definition drives you, it might be fad. If you are mission-driven, it is foundation.

Two Down, ?? to Go!

I should have blogged this yesterday, but my plate was too full to add one other task. (By the way, who would have thought just 3 or 4 years ago that there would be such a verb as "blogged"? It actually sounds a little messy). Anyway ... Two years ago yesterday, I began my ministry as Director of Missions of Harvest Baptist Association. My first day on the job was a Sunday and I began by visiting the First Baptist Church in Boyd for the (very spiritual) reason that it was close to my home and I knew where it was. Two years and 47,000 miles later (yes, that is how many miles I have put on my Kia in the past two years) I have finally been to all 62 HBA churches. There are still a couple that I haven't been there for Sunday morning worship, but I have been to all of them for something. Some I have been to on several occasions. In many of them, I have had the privilege of preaching, leading in worship, or singing special (hopefully) music. A few months ago, I sang at the funeral of the mother of one of my close friends. When her pastor read her obituary, he mentioned that she grew up in Montague, went to school in Saint Jo, and graduated from High School in Nocona. As I listened, it amused me that I didn't even know where those places were two years ago. Now, they are a part of my life. Two years ago, I left a pastorate that I loved and only left because God made it abundantly clear that it was His will. Two years later, I stand amazed at the grace He has shown in allowing me to be part of what He is doing in HBA. Two years ago, I worked IN a system. I led (and sometimes pushed) ministries based on the vision and passion God had given me. Now I work ON a system, channeling my passion into assisting congregations with the agenda God has given them and seeking to foster a cooperative and interdependent ministry focus among those congregations. I don't measure success by what someone sees God doing in my visible ministries, but by what someone sees God doing through the ministries of our churches. Today, I heard that a crew from FBC Chico was at work building a ramp for a person in need. I found out about the need last week and sent out an email asking for someone to respond. I didn't know that anyone had taken on that project until it was already in process. Today, God is getting the glory. That may be one of my favorite parts of this ministry ... sharing a need and watching God move. I just want to say thanks to God and to each person who is a part of HBA for allowing me to be your partner in ministry and mission. We've got two years behind us and I am planning and praying for a whole lot more ahead.

And One to Grow On - Wisconsin, Day 3

Does the title of this post bring back memories for you? Unless you had most of your birthdays in the previous century, it probably didn't. If you don't know what I am talking about, I'll leave it to your imagination. We are packing to check out of the hotel, go pick up some Wisconsin cheese, have one final lunch with the DOM of BLBA before we fly out for home this afternoon. Yesterday was a cool and rainy day, so hopefully all the people who complained about the sweltering 80 degrees the day before were more comfortable. One of the pastors (newly elected to our Partnership Planning Group) picked us up at the hotel and drove us to Manitowoc to look at a possible new location for the only Southern Baptist Church there. New Beginnings Baptist Church is about 4 years old. It began in a living room and has been in its current rented facility for about 3 years. They have completely outgrown the building that is only about 1000 square feet (for the entire building). They have about 500 sf for worship space and are already plateaued because there is no more room for worship, a nursery about the size of a restaurant booth, and restroom/storage room/library combination. The church has been trying to find new space for almost a year and has even been in process of trying to purchase a couple of buildings and both have fallen through. Understandably, they are getting discouraged. A couple of weeks ago part of a building next door to their current facility came available for rent. The landlord of that space is their current landlord. We met there yesterday and talked about how the space might be configured for their use. That space would increase their worship space and allow them space for two classrooms, office, nursery, and welcome center. None of the interior walls are load-bearing, and the landlord has given them permission to tear out walls and build new ones in whatever configuration works for them. And, as of our meeting yesterday, he has agreed to a rental cost for the first two years that will actually be less than what they are paying now and will give them almost double the space. As Jerry Clower used to say, "Ain't God good!" Sorry about the Jerry Clower reference for those of you who didn't get "one to grow on". There are a few details to iron out, but it looks like this church will be gaining some much added space. They even have first option on the adjacent space in the same building that is currently occupied by a resale shop. If that were to be available, it would provide a great worship space that would easily allow the church to double in size. It is more than they could handle financially right now, but we will be in prayer that the new space will allow them to grow to the point that they could handle the financial increase. God has been directing this trip in ways that we didn't anticipate, but I believe some good groundwork has been laid. Please pray with us about what happens next.

Getting to Know You - Wisconsin, Day 2

Thursday was "Meeting" Day and it was a hot one. At least the folks from Wisconsin thought so. Every place we went people commented on the temperature. Even the local news channel commented on how it was about 10 degrees above normal for this time of year. The sweltering temperature? 80. With hardly any humidity. Ron and I would have been dancing in the streets if we hadn't been Baptists! We began the day's agenda with a two hour meeting of BLBA pastors. They have this meeting every month and call it their monthly pastor mentoring meeting. What they do is mentor each other. They sometimes study a book together and discuss it. They always pray together about their personal needs, the needs of their churches, and the association. For some of them, this meeting each month is the only contact they have with another pastor. When you are truly isolated, you realize how important those relationships are. Eight of their pastors were present. There are currently only 19 pastors in this 26 county association, so it was a pretty good representation. I would love to see that percentage of our 57 current pastors at our monthly pastor/staff prayer luncheon (that would be 24 if my math is correct). After the prayer time, Dennis Hansen (BLBA DOM) asked me to share about the partnership. I told them how God had put the pieces in place going back to Henry Blackaby challenging me to pray about God's plan for my ministry in August '08, meeting Steve Melvin (Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention) and Dan Casper (BLBA) in October '08, hearing about the BLBA Vision Tour in Jan '09, and my first trip to Wisconsin in June '09. We spent time talking, discussing, answering questions, enjoying each other's company, laughing together, and just getting to know each other as brothers in Christ and potential kingdom partners. We gained a new appreciation for their concerns that (1) people from Texas would come and try to tell them how to do their ministry and (2) people from Texas would come and do things for them and their churches would become dependent. So, part of our conversation was about how we could keep those things from happening. I believe it was truly a fruitful meeting and we are beginning to put some things in place that will bear longterm fruit for the health of both associations and the benefit of all our churches. After enjoying lunch with several of the pastors, we went back for the second meeting of the day. This one was with the administrative team of BLBA. During that meeting, we talked about some financial arrangements that are being made in both associations and BLBA elected three people to serve on the Partnership Planning Group (along with the three that have been elected from HBA). Again, a fruitful meeting that lasted until mid-afternoon. Ron and I drove back to Green Bay and did a little more driving exploration around town. We found the downtown area, drove across one of the drawbridges that crosses the river, and even found a "Beach" Park on the Bay that had a little amusement park with rides, go-carts, a wildlife sanctuary, picnic area, etc. Should one of our churches bring a youth group up here for ministry next summer, it could be a cool place to spend part of a day. The reason "Beach" was in quotations is because the word was in the name, but there was no beach to be seen, unless the word is defined as the grassy, weedy area next to the water. So, my day two reflections go this way. In my 20 years as a pastor, I had quite a few times when the Lord had given me a vision for ministry. I thought about it and prayed about it and spent a lot of time on it for days ... weeks ... sometimes months. When I shared my excitement with the church, the response was often less than enthusiastic. It was not necessarily opposition, they just couldn't be as excited as I was because they hadn't spent all the time thinking and praying about it and they couldn't see it like I saw it. I think it is the same with this partnership both in HBA and in BLBA. We have a couple of DOMs who are pumped. We have spent months thinking, praying, dreaming and (sometimes) forgetting that those we work with haven't been in on all that. That realization helped me explain things to the pastors yesterday because they know what that experience is like. It is a great reminder that the Lord's work is always about people. It is always carried out in relationships. Getting to know one another and trust one another is not preliminary to ministry. It is part of the ministry. I can't wait to see what God is going to do next.

What is a Baptist? - Wisconsin, Day 1

I intended to blog last night but was too tired by the time we got back to our hotel. Yesterday was a long day. Got up at 4:00 a.m. so I could meet Ron Johnson at DFW Airport for our flight up to Wisconsin to meet with pastors and other church and association leaders from Bay Lakes Baptist Association. We landed in Green Bay shortly before 1:00 p.m, got our rental car and drove to our hotel, stopping for lunch along the way. After checking into the hotel, we drove over to Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers (for those who are uninformed about such things) so Ron could do some shopping at the pro shop for his Packers-fan son. After that, we explored the area as we drove over to Appleton, where the BLBA office is located. We had time to find the downtown area of Appleton and then drove along a really nice stretch of the Fox River. Grabbed a bite to eat and then headed over to the BLBA office for our first meeting of this trip. In the meeting with us were the BLBA Director of Missions, along with one of the pastors in the association and three members from his church. The pastor had asked for this meeting for us to clarify some things for them about our fledgling partnership and to help them understand some things about Southern Baptists and missions. This church began as a non-denominational church and most of their members have no experience with the SBC. The church sought affiliation with the SBC and BLBA in 2007 and are still new in this journey. We had a great dialogue that included an unexpected question. One of the men in the church asked, "So, what is a Baptist?" I expected questions about the benefits of being a part of our denomination or about Baptist mission opportunities or even about what Baptists believe. I don't know that I have ever been asked, "What is a Baptist?" I won't go into the whole answer. With two DOMs going, it turned into quite a discussion and it may have actually been beneficial to everyone in the room. What really stuck in my mind was the conversation Ron and I had on our 30 minute drive back to our hotel in Green Bay. How many people in our Baptist churches in Texas--some of whom have been Baptists their whole lives--couldn't answer that question? How many of them would like to ask that question sometimes but are afraid to? It was actually refreshing to have someone be willing to ask the question that was really on his mind. I wonder ... have we given people the idea that the church is a place you go to hear someone tell you things--making pronouncements, prescribing beliefs and behavior and discouraging questions that are not on the agenda? Or is the church a group of people on a journey of discovering what it means to have a real, vital, growing relationship with the One who is the Truth? A group of people who will ask questions and who dig into God's word together and pray together for the Spirit of the Living God to interpret His word to shape their lives as Christ-followers? Let us not be afraid of questions or of those who ask them. We may not know all the answers, but we can go with them to the One who does.