A Gulf-Coast Partnership

I’ve just returned from Gulport Mississippi, where I spoke to the bi-annual session of the Gulf Coast Baptist Association. Over the past several years, our two associations have had multiple opportunities to bless each other, and this year, we are codifying our already warm relationship by entering into covenantal partnership with each other.

The Gulf Coast Association voted unanimously on Monday night to enter this partnership, and pending our association’s approval at our October meeting, it will be official. Partnerships are good because they promote cooperation, accountability, and greater Kingdom impact. I was thinking about this yesterday while preparing to speak to our Mississippi brothers and sisters. Basically, I took an inventory of all that God has accomplished in the Mid-Maryland area over the past four years, and here is what I came up with:

-Leadership development in one form or another has been provided to over 250 pastors and laity.
-There are presently 16 new churches in MMBA that did not exist four years ago.
-More than 500 volunteers have been deployed for mission efforts in North America.
-More than 250 volunteers from our churches have served in International mission efforts.
-More than 120 church planters have been trained and helped to deploy internationally.
-Our association has a significant presence on four continents, and when the ministries of all our member churches are considered, we have a significant presence for missions on every inhabited continent.
-In one way or another, we have helped to equip more than 50 churches to more effectively reach, bless, and change their own communities.
-19 churches have been planted in our area, and surrounding areas.

More is coming next year. So far in 2009:

-We will deploy to the Gulf Coast for at least two mission efforts.
-We will send missionaries to Mexico, the Carribean, East Asia, India, and the Pacific Rim.
-We will continue to plant churches in our own area.
-We are planning for joint leadership development, mission efforts, and disaster relief efforts by both Gulf Coast Association and Mid-Maryland Association.

We have 53 churches in MMBA, 19 of which are less than 5 years old, with many who do not own their own property. Yet all of the above was accomplished for one reason: 53 churches decided that they could do more together than they could apart. Add to this the 66 congregations that make up the Gulf Coast Association, and one is pressed to ask; what kind of Kingdom impact could 119 churches have?

I can’t wait to find out!

America’s Public Schools: Education or Indoctrination?

In recent weeks a number of events have transpired across the country concerning public education. While each of these events occurred independently of the others, each one bears significant testimony that John Dewey’s vision of public education is finally being realized.

In other words, we have much to fear!

The following words are difficult to write for several reasons. First of all, I hate having to admit I am wrong. Three years ago I challenged Al Mohler’s contention that evangelicals should begin to develop an “exit strategy” related to a proposed SBC resolution on public education. Although I remain opposed to the Convention unduly judging parents for enrolling their children in public education, I am re-thinking Mohler’s proposal in particular.

Second, as a product of the public education system, I turned out alright (although some might debate this point) and sometimes it is difficult to believe that government control over public education is more, shall we say, imperial than it was when I attended. Furthermore, my wife and I are presently quite happy with our son’s public elementary school. As such, I don’t want it to seem that what I am about to say is intended to be a blanket statement of all public educational institutions. As I have said earlier, there still remain areas of the country where parental and local control of education remains strong, although how much longer this will be the case remains to be seen.

Finally, its hard to write against a system that I know employs many good, Bible-believing, born-again people who truly care about the students they teach. Among those in that number is my younger brother. I cannot stress enough that for the most part, the problems with public education are not related to the teachers. Instead, the problems are inherent to the system itself.

Still, for evangelicals to simply ignore all that is happening in regard to government-funded and controlled education would be ignoring the elephant in the room. But such events do not happen in a vacuum, and to see their origin we need to revisit the roots of our public education system, beginning with its most influential philosopher.

John Dewey is widely considered to be the most influential educational reformer in American history. In light of this assumption, it is interesting to know that Dewey himself was only a teacher for a few short years. Before his 24th birthday he had decided that education was not his field. He continued his own education, completing a Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University in 1884. His doctoral work motivated further studies in the Philosophy of Education. Observing various understandings of education, Dewey sought a balance between Plato’s emphasis on the societal good and Rousseau’s rugged individualism. The ultimate results of his work were published in his 1916 book entitled “Democracy and Education.” Dewey’s conclusion was that an individual’s significance, purpose and meaning are inextricably linked to his or her relationship with society at large, and therefore, the task of educators was to bring these two worlds together in symbiotic relationship.

In fairness, there are benefits to this understanding of education. From the time of Dewey, education evolved beyond the instilling of mere facts and head knowledge, and set the goal of actually equipping people to be productive members of society. The problem was that over time, the pendulum swung too far in the other direction, to the point that today, education is no longer primarily about learning to read, write, add, subtract, and think. Instead, education is now about instilling a particular societal worldview. Richard Rorty, one of Dewey’s many epistemological protégés, contends that truth is “made,” not “found,” and therefore society should seek to free itself from “truth” and construct its own understandings. Likewise Mary Calderone, who first introduced and advocated the idea of public school sex education, suggested that children should be “freed” from the traditional influences of the past (i.e. parents and churches) so that they can broaden their horizons in the area of sexuality. No wonder Playboy’s Hugh Hefner volunteered to financially underwrite sex education during its first years. The results have had to be good for business.

The result of Dewey’s philosophy in the United States is our present system of public education, which is steeped in cultural postmodernism.

The move from “classical” to “social” education has yielded many negative results, including a highly centralized and tightly controlled curriculum, government “certification” for teachers, and a system that puts government beauracracy before students. Most damning of all, the move from classical to social education monopolized by the federal government is designed to bring our children to capitulate to the prevailing postmodern worldview. Simply put, public education doesn’t teach children how to think. It teaches them what to think. No more debate about the origin of man. Our culture follows Darwinian philosophy and children will simply be told this is the “truth.” There will be no opportunities to debate the validity of the theory of global warming. It is simply presented as scientific “fact.”

Ben Stein’s recent documentary film Expelled illustrates the prejudice against those who dare refuse to bow before the prevailing worldview. Although ultimately Stein’s film contains nothing particularly new, it serves as a fresh reminder that in our current educational climate, contrarian’s are not welcome.

Add to this my friend Kevin Bussey’s recent post on a national “Day of Silence.” Public school districts all over the country are observing this day in order to promote the homosexual lifestyle as normative. World Net Daily carried the original story, and reported that a number of very troubled Christian parents were choosing to keep their children home on this day in protest. Yet the school districts in Indiana warned parents that it was “against the law” to keep their child out of school for reasons of protest, and one father was warned by his son’s school principal that his son would fail for the year if he did not attend school that day.

In addition, legal challenges continue to be brought against parents who have chosen to circumvent public education altogether. In a recent California case, an appellate court took advantage of an admittedly questionable home-school environment to violate the rights of parents all over the state. “California courts have held,” stated Justice Walter Croskey, “that under provisions in the education code, parents to not have a constitutional right to home-school their children.” The court has now decided that there must be a “certified teacher” in the home before home-schooling will be allowed in California. Mike Smith, President of the Home School Legal Defense Fund in Virginia, has stated that as many as 60,000 families in the state may be affected by this tyrannical over-stepping of judicial boundaries. Teacher’s unions, by contrast, love this decision.

Such moves to usurp parental authority are, unfortunately, not isolated. School boards in general are granted almost unfettered power over parents, all in the name of salvaging a system that in many places—especially in the urban centers of the country—is irreparably broken, and made continually worse by an overbearing federal government.

With all of the above in view, maybe its time for me to jump on Mohler’s “exit strategy” bandwagon after all. More on how to do this later.

New Book Now Available for Pre-Sale

The good folks over at Missional Press have afforded me the opportunity to put a few of my feeble thoughts about church planting into published writing. As of today, the book is available for pre-sale at a reduced cost directly from the publisher. The plans are to release the book in a couple of weeks. At that point, it should be available for purchase from local bookstores, at Lifeway, and on Amazon.

But if you want to get your copy in advance, you can get it here.

For upcoming reviews of the book, keep watch here, here, and here.

Movement, or No Movement: What's the Difference?

This week, I'm in Tuxtla-Gutierrez, the capital city of Chiapas, the southernmost state in Mexico. I and a team from our association have had the privilege of holding training for church planters here, as well as working with the Chiapas Convention and local association to develop a church planters network.

Today, the participants caught fire! Before lunch, a strong network/learning community had been built and the first meetings had been planned. It's exciting to see God at work. Wherever he decies to show up in the world, the results are always glorious!

Nevertheless, the reason we suggested beginning a network was because so many church planters had felt marginalized, and even resented, by established church pastors. They needed some form of encouragement, exhortation, and mutual learning in order to facilitate their vision of a church in every city in their region. That's quite an aspiration, and its also quite apostolic! By the end of the book of Acts, each of the 40 cities mentioned in the book boasts a church. Our brothers and sisters in Chiapas want to follow that pattern, and I hope you will join me in praying for God to give them success.

Anyway, our experiences this week have led me to observe some common elements that determine whether or not a church planting movement is possible among a group of God's people. To be sure, the culture very different here. In fact, every time I come to Latin America I'm "brushing up" on what little Spanish I know. By the end of this week I'll at least be able to order food, hail a cab, have small talk with the hotel staff, and find my way to public restrooms. But over the next year, I'll be back with the "gringos" and I'll get rusty. As such, the cultural differences are very real to me. Given this fact, my observations of common problems in church planting are stark indeed when seen against the contrast of those cultural differences! Regardless of the language and culture, those things that determine whether a movement of new churches takes place are pretty uniform. I have found that whether you are in Mexico or Manhattan, the following principles generally apply:

IF YOU WANT TO KILL A CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENT:

1. ASSERT BEAURAUCRATIC CONTROL OF IT. Beauracracy has its place. As much as I hate to admit this, there can be no clear structure, and no real rhyme or reason to your strategy without some degree of beauracracy. At the same time, it is there to give structure to the movement, not stifle it. If you have reached a point where your guidelines, policies, procedures, lines of accountability, and total structure are so imposing that they no longer facilitate the mission they were intended to support, don't hold your breath waiting for a movement of new churches!
2. REFUSE TO ACCEPT "NEW WINESKINS." Sometimes it is very difficult for the establishment to accept new methods of evangelism and church planting. Currently, guys like Erwin McManus, Mark Driscoll, and those who follow them are heavily criticized and attacked for their innovative approaches to ministry. But they weren't the first "targets" of the establishment. Thirteen years ago a young California pastor named Rick Warren took his shots as well, and now he is, to an extent, the establishment he once rejected! But Warren wasn't the first either. More than a half-century ago many Fundamentalists were highly upset with a young pastor who touted that he would reach every possible person, using every possible means. His name was Jerry Falwell.
From time to time, denominations and other agencies feel threatned by new approaches to mission. When those feelings translate into endless policies and attempts to "rule out" anything with which they are uncomfortable, you can rest assured that such agencied have just signed their own death warrant.
3. TAKE A "TOP-DOWN" APPROACH TO YOUR CHURCH PLANTING STRATEGY. To be brief, church planting strategy should be led by churches, not denominations. Too much centralized power in this regard results in a few churches that look exactly alike, rather than many churches who each fit well within their own environment.
4. MAKE SURE THERE IS A LOT OF "IN-FIGHTING." In the sixteeen years I have been in ministry, I have met a few guys who were always waiting for the next "battle." Some were conservative; others were liberal. All of them were full of demonic influence. Anybody with half a brain can uncover a controversial issue, take a side, and pick a fight. To be sure, some things are worth fighting for. But if you seem to spend more time putting out man-made fires, and less time trying to stoke God-inspired ones, you have just lost your relevance.
5. PLAN MORE THAN YOU PRAY. Any genuine movement of God doesn't begin in the boardroom, but on our knees. Sophisticated strategy components, charts, graphs and other visual aids are a total waste of paper without prayer.

IF YOU WANT TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT FOR A CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENT:

1. UNIFY AROUND THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. Remember when I said some things are worth fighting for? This is it! On the one hand, this means that we should be warry of any attempts to dilute or compromise the message of Jesus' incarnation, propitiatory death, bodily resurrection, ascension, return, and His command to repent and believe. On the other hand, this also means we should seek to avoid peripheral conflicts about things like Calvinism, theonomy, or other less-than-worthy issues that will detract us from mission if we make them our fight. Our affinity is the Gospel!
2. DE-CENTRALIZE YOUR STRATEGY AND LINES OF ACCOUNTABILITY. Glocalnet, ACTS29, GCM, and other highly successful church planting networks have modeled this principle for us for a few years now, and each year the point is proven all the more. Put local churches in charge of reproducing themselves, and use the centralized "mother-ship," be it a para-church headquarters or a denomination, to do the only thing it can do well; serve churches and seek to undergird their efforts, not legislate them. A movement is, by definition, something that can't be "controlled."
3. MAKE SURE THE BEAUAUCRACY KNOWS, AND STAYS, IN ITS PLACE. In a sense, this is just a re-statement of #2, but I think its an important enough principle to mention it at least twice! Denominational and para-church beauracracy should give structure and clarity to the aims of the local church, not legislate what those churches can and cannot do.
4. DEPLOY FRONT-LINE MISSIONARIES WHO WILL PUSH THE ENVELOPE. I admit, sometimes this is hard, partially because at times, you have to pull these guys back from the "edge" before they fall off (or take back some rope before they hang themselves. Choose whichever metaphor you like best.) At the same time, these kinds of "front-line" thinkers will challenge your own Biblical assumptions. If you simply react to their brashness and irreverance, you won't learn anything and eventually they will leave and be without the wisdom they need to succeed. But if you make sure the guidance you give is thoroughly Biblical, and be willing to struggle with them as they push back the edges of darkness and sin, you will both be stronger and more spiritually mature for it.
5. PRAY MORE THAN YOU PLAN. Jim Cymbala testifies to this in every book he has ever written. They have a fantastic choir, and Jim's not a bad preacher either! But if you ask, he will tell you that the singular reason Brooklyn Tabernacle continues to impact its culture is because his people stay on their knees.

So the choice is ours. Thing is, God will start such movements with or without us. The question is whether we will play a cooperative part in what He is doing.

How Pervasive is the Prosperity Gospel? A Brief Word from John Piper

I obtained the video below from my friend Spencer Haygood, and commend it to anyone who comes across this weblog.

During all my years as a pastor, I have had to contend with the heresy known as the "Prosperity Gospel," or "Word of Faith" gospel. I abhor this message, chiefly because it replaces Christ's death and resurrection with the promise of good health and lots of money. In short, it presents a supposed answer to poverty and sickness, but never addresses what causes poverty, sickness, divorce, murder, rape, depression, and thousands of other problems. It never addresses the sin problem, but instead only scratches the itch of a western culture enamored with all things that glitter. For this reason, this is the most damnable of all false gospels proclaimed in the west, and for years I have been forced from time to time to expose such false prophets as Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, and others who proclaim it.

But a recent message from John Piper now has me wondering: has the prosperity "gospel" now become so prevalent that it even affects, and infects, my own attitudes and actions?

Spend the next three minutes or so watching this short clip. Its challenging, convicting, sobering, and neccesary, I believe, for where we are today.

Marriage and the Gospel

To the left is the most beautiful, intelligent, sagacious, gracious, gentle, sexy, humble, articulate, wonderful woman in the whole world! No wonder I'm hurting this week!

My lovely wife is helping lead a team from our church on a vision trip to the island of Antigua. She will be back this Sunday night, so I have taken a week of mission trip leave to work from home and stay with the boys. Obviously, the week has been busy, as I have combined my work schedule with taking care of Sam and Seth. Still, all the busyness hasn't helped much. Being without her is excruiciating. And yet the very thing that has held us together for nearly 14 years is, paradoxically, the same thing that compells us to spend this week apart from each other.

By the way, I know what some of you are already thinking. "Antigua. Yeah, suffering for Jesus in 80 degree weather in February." Actually, I've been teasing her about this for the past several weeks. But like most islands in the Carribean, once you leave the shore and head inland, you begin to see the harsh physical and spiritual realities that exist.

But back to the subject at hand: This morning I had a conversation with a woman about missing my wife. Our youngest woke up sad, and I was commenting that he missed mommy, and so did I. Her reply was that she wished her marriage had been like that, and it was a wonderful opportunity to share with her about the death and resurrection of Jesus, and how it really wasn't our personalities, or even our commonalities, that held us together. It is our common faith in Christ that has produced the marriage Amy and I have. The longer I'm married, the more I realize this. The things Scripture demands of me as a husband are things I could never do in my own strength. By nature, I'm a lazy, responsibility-shirking slob. No one like me could ever truly love their wife with the same voracity that Jesus loves His people. All of these experiences constantly remind me that the Gospel is not just for my soul, but also for my marriage.

At the same time, this week also reminds me that the corollary is also true. The Gospel isn't just for our marriage. Our marriage is also for the Gospel.

And so I will live out the rest of this week deeply missing my wife's conversation, touch, embrace, company, and friendship. But I will do it knowing that she is involved in a strategic Kingdom advance . . .one that will bear fruit which will outlast even our marriage. After all, marriage is only good until death. But the Gospel she is presenting this week lasts for eternity, and our marriage is meant to illustrate those eternal values.

I'm praying for Amy's safe return late Sunday night. No doubt the boys and I will all feel much better when that plane hits the tarmac at Baltimore-Washington Airport. I can't wait to hold her again. But more than this, I can't wait to see Jesus, and I can't wait to see the fruit He brought to bear through our relationship, and mutual commitment to the spread of the Gospel

Pray for Union University

Last night, much of the nation was glued to TV sets watching the "Super Tuesday" primaries, and I'll admit to being among that crowd. But while the nation's attention was turned primarily toward politics, a group of Baptist students and educators were dealing with a weather nightmare. Thank God no lives were lost, and thank God for the opportunity given the leaders of this institution to bear witness to a Kingdom that is infinitely more significant than the United States.

The campus of Union University was the victim of several terrible tornadoes. Early estimates are that as much as 40% of the campus has been totally destroyed. More than half of the 1800 resident students lost their homes last night.

Please be in prayer for this great University. Pray that the administration and faculty will present themselves to public media in a way that gives honor and glory to a sovereign God who rules, even in the midst of tragedy.

Pray for the students, more than 50 of whom were injured, and several of whom were hospitalized. Pray for God to heal their wounds, be they physical, or emotional.

Pray that God will use these events to open widely a door that will allow the mass-spread of the Gospel message.

Pray for the Disaster Relief efforts that will no doubt be activated in response to this tragedy. Pray that those who respond will do so not only with their hands, but also with their hearts.

The Legacy of Liberty

Is it hard to associate this picture with Jerry Falwell? If so, you are among the majority of people who don't realize that what you saw of him on CNN was only a scant glance at the periphery of a deep, abiding, and lasting ministry legacy.

I was invited by Dave Earley to come to Liberty University last week, speak to students about church planting, and play a part in their Church Planting Emphasis Week. It was my first time on the Lynchburg, VA campus, and after this visit, I realize that someone should shoot me for not having gone sooner. What follows are just a few observations of what God is doing there.

1. The legacy of Jerry Falwell. I've written about this issue before, but it bears repeating; Jerry Falwell has left a positively indelible mark on the Christian church. Say what you want to about the man (and I've said a few things myself in dissagreement), no one can doubt the tidal wave of influence this man has had on just about every aspect of our culture, and that legacy begins where every God-called and Biblically qualified man's legacy should begin; with his own children.

I met Jonathan Falwell, and had the opportunity to hear the five-year vision of Thomas Road from him directly. The church has taken on a God-sized task of planting more churches in the next five years than they have planted in the last fifty!

2. Liberty Baptist Fellowship. If you are in our association, you willl be receiving information on this organization soon. For a nominal monthly cost, your church can be a part of this fellowship, which partners with associations like ours and churches like yours to send out church planters. The funds given to the Fellowship are all directed toward the financial support of planters in the field. In addition, as a member of the fellowship, ministerial staff at your church can atted seminary tuition free.

3. Ergun Caner. Given some things I have said about this guy before, some readers might be surprised to see the picture of the two of us above. If nothing else, my few moments with Ergun Caner have taught me that in most cases, you really need to sit down and talk with someone directly before making a judgement call on them.

Ed Stetzer introduced us to each other, and before the evening was over, we still had our disagreements, but I now know which lane this guy drives in, and not only is it much closer to my own than I originally thought, but he is also an OK guy. I understand he also rides a Harley, which also ratcheted him up a knotch in my book!

4. Elmer Towns. I actually shook his hand. Enough said! Anyone who has a passion for planting churches cannot help but stand in respect of the one guy who probably had more to do with the success of Thomas Road and Liberty than Falwell himself.

5. The students. Having spent four years teaching on a University campus, I always enjoy being back around students. I spoke at both the University, and Liberty Theological Seminary, and also had the opportunity to pray and talk with several students who responded to the call to missions during Wednesday night's "campus church." These students are lining up to walk through mine fields, war zones, and countries they aren't supposed to be in so that Christ will be more widely known and worshipped. The emerging generation gives me great hope for the church.

6. The Kingdom of God. Its a lot bigger than Liberty University, and the folks at Liberty know that, which is one of the reasons God is using this campus in great ways. They are cooperating with Southern Baptists, as well as a host of other groups committed both to sound doctrine and missional fruitfulness, and God is blessing them as a result.

The next stop for me in 2008 will be Seattle, at the Reform and Resurge Conference. Its going to be an exciting year.

Frontliners: Re-Envisioning the Role of the Local Church in International Missions

This weekend, our association will be leading the Frontliners Conference at Gethsemane Baptist Church in Glenwood, Maryland, in cooperation with the International Mission Board's Middle America/Carribean Region.

International Missions: its a subject that excites the heart of anyone who truly loves Jesus and wants to see Him more widely known among all peoples. But how can we know that our temporary, short-term efforts in another country will bear lasting fruit?

Anyone who has served in short-term efforts overseas has returned with a general sense of excitement about the trip. At the same time, I meet many mission volunteers who leave the field with lingering questions about the long-term benefit of their work. Loads of spiritual "decisions" are reached, but often, little lasting fruit is developed from such efforts. Ray Comfort states that this is a pressing issue even in stateside evangelistic efforts:

"In 1991, in the first year of the decade of harvest, a major denomination in the U.S. was able to obtain 294,000 decisions for Christ. That is, in one year, this major denomination of 11,500 churches was able to obtain 294,000 decisions for Christ. Unfortunately, they could only find 14,000 [of these converts] in fellowship, which means they couldn't account for 280,000 of their decisions."

These sorts of anemic long-term results are tragic, and even more so when such results are imported by American Christianity into another culture.

Still, the Scriptures are clear that any genuine New Testament Church will be actively involved in Evangelism and Discipleship efforts that are global in scope, meaning that the centrality of the local church in international mission efforts in absolutely essential. But how do we improve our results?

Certainly one answer to this problem is to stop the same shallow "evangelism" efforts in other countries that have left American Christianity awash in cultural Christians who think their eternity is secure because they mouthed a few prefabricated words at the front of a church building. Instead, our focus should be on seeking to obtain genuine conversions to Christ that are vindicated by spiritual growth and the multiplication of churches. Elmer Towns puts it this way:

"The Great Commission implies that church planting is the primary method to evangelize the world. To reach lost people in every culture of the world, a church must be established in every culture to communicate the Gospel and nurture those who are saved. In a simplistic observation, one of the reasons why so much foreign missions work is fruitless is because great effort is spent on winning people to Christ apart from identifying them with a New Testament church.”

Practically, this means that when local churches send volunteers, their long-term goals should stretch beyond conversions and toward the establishment and multiplication of indigenous churches.

With all this in mind, we will spend an entire day introducing folks from a number of our churches to the principles of planting indigenous, non-dependent, and reproducible churches overseas. I am convinced that this is the responsibility of each and every local church.

For those of you in the Mid-Maryland area who are interested, information on attending the conference can be found here. You will note that the "official" deadline has passed. Just remember that Baptist deadlines are more like the date we start making follow-up calls than the date we close registration. Childcare is provided as well, although we will definitely need those numbers as soon as possible.

If you would like us to host this conference at your church, and you are located in Maryland or the surrounding area, give us a call and we would be glad to work it out. If you are out of the area, but are interested in something like this, I highly encourage you to get in tough with MAC Region Personnel, or contact Ken Sorrell directly.

Oh, and did I mention where you can get more information?

Holiday Reading and Relaxation

Late last year, I read this article, which pricked my conscience regarding "working vacations" and other such oxymoronic concepts. As a result, I arranged my schedule at the end of 2007 so that the combination of holidays and remaining vacation time would give me a full two weeks to spend with my family. For 14 days I had no laptop and no cell phone. With the exception of our associational staff and the Senior Pastors of all our churches who had access to a direct line in case of emergency, I was unavailable to everyone . . .except Amy and the boys. It was a wonderful time.

So many times I hear pastors and church leaders talk about how much they work as if the sheer quantity of hours somehow said something about their work ethic. I've also chided a few of our pastors over the years for answering their cell phones while on vacation. If Jesus intentionally separated Himself from His work from time to time, we should consider His example. The total relaxation that comes from unplugging both literally and professionally, actually recharges the batteries and makes one a more efficient worker when he returns. As I write these words on the last official day of "vacation," I am pumped about hitting the office tomorrow and facing a New Year full of exciting challenges.

In addtion, I had a chance, as always, to do some substantive reading while away:

Jim Kuhn, Ronald Reagan in Private. Reagan is one of my personal models of leadership, and I try to read something biographical about his life and work at least once a year. To be honest, I've read better biographies of Reagan than this one, written by his former Executive Assistant. Generally, it wasn't very well-written, and the author makes several significant mistakes (i.e. his reference to being able to see the lights of "Emmettsville" Maryland from his room at Camp David. [The town is called Emmittsburg.]), and also seems a bit Pollyannish about Reagan. I admire Reagan, but know he wasn't perfect, so I don't need someone building the guy up for me to continue learning from the man and his leadership. But it is still worth the read, as it gives several inside glimpses of the man at a personal level that allow you to see how his personality affected his decision-making.

Reggie McNeal Get a Life Broadman and Hollman graciously sent me an advance copy of this one a couple of months ago. Honestly, this one reads a bit like the Cliffs Notes from Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life." It's a shorter, simplified approach to helping you discover why God created you. From my perspective, you can do a short daily reading with Rick over 40 days, or do a slightly longer daily read with Reggie over 5 days, and get the same result. This is a great lay-level book that also offers companion workbooks and different formats for group study. But is you are a pastor, I'd check out something different by Reggie. For my money, Practicing Greatness, released last year, is a much better and more helpful read.

Bob Logan Be Fruitful and Multiply. I read this one late last week, and after finishing, was ready to come back to work the very next day! Ed Stetzer reccomended this one to me, and it was an outstanding read, especially for churches interested in extending their influence and the reach of God's Kingdom through church planting. Several years ago I was able to attend a "Cultivating Church Multiplication Movements" training with Logan at Reformed Seminary in Orlando. This book is esentially an extrapolation of the principles of that conference, with much more "meat." 2008 will be a year of transitioning at our association, as we implement what we believe will be better ways to facilitate the multiplication of new churches through our existing congregations. I'm purchasing a copy of this book for everyone on our church planting team, and we will use its contents to help inform how we will make this transition.

I am really looking forward to this year, and believe God has some exciting things in store for our churches. I'm also looking forward to addressing more issues here, and in the coming days, will post on issues like immigration, local church involvement in international missions, and why I plan to remain a Southern Baptist. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Non-Crappy Starring You! eCards on JibJab

Its that time of year when our family takes some time off and spends a couple of weeks with extended family in South Carolina. God willing, I'll be back here in mid-January. But for now, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Enjoy watching my boys pummelling each other above!

The Potential of a Mormon Presidency: My Thoughts

In the wake of Mitt Romney's speech last night, many born-again followers of Jesus are asking if his Mormon faith should be a factor in their decision of whether to vote for him as President in 2008. Given all the discussion surrounding this issue in the news media and on the blogs, I thought I'd share my own feelings on the issue, and tell you how Romney's faith affects my views of him as a Presidential candidate:














Now that we have that issue out of the way, let's talk about Mitt the candidate, shall we?

Seriously, the idea that Romney's Mormonism should even be a factor in this race seems overblown to me. On the contrary, at the intersections of faith and public policy, there are many issues on which Mormons and evangelicals stand together. With this in mind, it just may be that this Latter-Day Saint could make a much better President than, say, the last two Southern Baptists who have occupied the office.

This is not to say that I'm unconcerned about Mormonism and the deceiving affect it has on its adherents. Nor am I seeking to get in line behind James Dobson, who in an attempt at supporting Romney seems to be warming up to the LDS church in a way that really makes me uncomfortable. And I would be the first to repudiate Richard Land's recent goofy remarks about Mormonism being a "fourth Abrahamic faith." Mormonism is about as close to orthodox Christianity as is Hinduism. In fact, I think in the end, Mormons have more gods than the Hindus, and that polytheistic leaning would betray any attempts to allign this sect with anything Abrahamic.

So in the end, I've been very dissapointed to hear evangelical leaders suggest that Christians can vote for Romney because "Mormonism is OK." It's not OK. We shouldn't vote for him because his faith is "OK." We should vote for him because, in spite of his heretical faith, he is a family man who holds to the same general values as those who genuinely follow Christ, and would encourage such values as President. The truth is that you don't have to like Mormonism to like Romney.

At the same time, I must say that Romney is not my first choice. Nevertheless, should he become the nominee, his Mormon faith is not reason in my opinion to deny him a Pennsylvannia Avenue address.

We don't have to pretend that he shares our faith. We just have to remember that he isn't trying to be anyone's pastor.

Movies and Atheism, Ecclesial Politics, and Other Random Thoughts

As I understand it, a torrent of protest is currently rising among evangelical Christians who want to see The Golden Compass banned from theatres because of its "stealth atheistic message." But I say "bring it on!" The free exchange of ideas is, after all, a highly held American value. Plus, from what I've seen of this film, it will only serve to remind clear thinkers that atheism never had an original thought.

The movie is based on the first part of a fictional trilogy written by British atheist Phillip Pullman called "His Dark Materials." In the third and final installment of Pullman's trilogy, the protagonist characters, in a Nietzschesque fashion, manage to kill a character who is simply called "God."

Although the cinematic version reportedly toned-down the novel's strong secularist edge, many Christians fear that this movie will encourage children to move from the silver screen to the book and subsequently be highly influenced by atheism.

Bill Donohue, President and CEO of the Catholic League, claims that these books "denigrate Christianity, thrash the Catholic church and sell the virtue of atheism."

But those willing to take a closer look at this movie and its print-media counterpart will discover that John Milton's Paradise Lost is among the main literary influences behind Pullman's work. And although Pullman vehemently denies that his writings are for the purpose of countering Christian writers such as C.S. Lewis, his own vitriolic criticism of Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia as "Blatantly racist" and "monumentally disparaging to women" together with the metaphorical similarities between the books betray his desire to set up his trilogy as a literary antithesis to authors such as Lewis.

These "behind the scenes" observations demonstrate both Pullman's dependency on Christian fantasy writers, and the larger reality that atheism, as a worldview, will always be defined in terms of its negative and reactionary foundations. The simple fact that this series was written in response to a dearth of atheist fantasy literature reveals the lack of true intelligence and creativity among the atheist community, as well as their dependency on Christian sources to produce anything of true quality.

My guess is that most children whose parents allow them to view this film will simply enjoy a good fantasy movie. Those who choose to read the books, if guided by mature Christian parents and church leaders, will simply discover what previous generations have discovered; namely, that atheism is intellectually disonest, categorically incomplete, and ultimately ethically bankrupt. I don't think that's a bad conclusion for our kids to reach.

And in other news, the emerging church and politics was a hot topic of conversation last week on NBCs nightly news. Tom Brokaw interviewed Dr. Al Mohler of Southern Seminary, as well as Tadd Grandstaff, founding pastor of Pine Ridge Church in Burlington North Carolina.

Ed Stetzer has already pointed out the most crucial of the misleading comments by the media in this regard, which you can find here. Overall, this is a good discussion.

Although my status as a Gen-Xer probably inform my own opinion of what I heard, I am largely in agreement with Tadd and his contention that younger evangelicals will not be sold out to either political party. While in the short-run this may result in the wrong people in power, in the long run, it should result in both political parties coming more closely in line with Christian principles. And as Ed has already stated, the philosophical chasm between Grandstaff and Mohler as described by NBC News isn't nearly as wide as a casual observer might think.

So, one group is pushing the idea that there is no God while those who believe there is a God display some slight differences regarding how He would have us get involved politically. Meanwhile, my local Wal-Mart greeter met me at the door two nights ago with a warm "Merry Christmas."

There are still many things that are right with the world!

God at Work: Reflections on our Efforts in the Pacific Rim

This week, I'm with the pastoral leadership of one of our churches in Columbus, Ohio at the International Mission Board Pacific Rim Conference.

Although there is much information I cannot share because of security concerns, I want to briefly reflect on the work God is doing in that region of the world, as well as the work I believe God wants to do there.

The Workers: We Southern Baptists are truly unworthy of the mission personnel God has raised up from within our churches! Every time I am around IMB workers I walk away astounded at their conviction and commitment to the are of the world where God has called them.

The Personnel who serve in Pacific Rim region are no different. Last night, I heard the testimony of a worker serving in one of the mos dangerous and "Christian hostile" areas of the world. She serves in a place where her faith might literally one day cost her life. But the fear she expressed in our meeting was not for her life. Instead, she stood in our midst and wept over the lost souls with whom she has developed relationships. Many more such stories were shared that caused me to give thanks to God, and marvel at the way He has so graciously raised up workers for the harvest from churches like ours.

The Need: When I return to the Baltimore area tomorrow, I will bring with me more than 80 individual requests for help that the IMB has made for this region. The needs range in commitment from short-term, one-week efforts to career. More than 30 of these requests are for students, which makes me immediately think of my boys. As parents, our top priority is often, and appropriately, the safety of our children. But how many of us love the Gospel more than our children?

If you want more information on these needs, please call our office and I'll be glad to get you in touch with the appropriate personnel.

The Cost: As we meet to discuss work in this area of the world, the 2008 season has begun for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions.

While Cooperative Program dollars are used to fund a variety of things, every penny of every dollar given to Lottie is used to underwrite the work of our personnel in the field. Most don't realize that our IMB is the second largest multi-national corporation in the United States, with only the Federal government boasting a larger budget and work force. As I reflect on this, it is fitting that the spread of the Gospel would be given such prominence. Your gift to Lottie Moon this year will ensure that we keep our current workers in the field, and that we send even more. If you are Southern Baptist, you can give this offering through a designated check made ot to your local church, or, you can give here.

The Urgency: Idolatry, spiritual confusion and darkness opress millions of people in the Pacific Rim. With little access to the Gospel, they stand as enemies of God in the wake of the coming King Jesus. This reality should compel us to do everything possible to make the Gospel known among these people. As Paul says with such rhetorical beauty in Romans 10; they can't believe if they don't hear. They can't hear if no one preaches to them. And no one can preach to them unless faithful followers of Jesus send them.

In 2008, our Association will work with our churches engaging several areas of the world, including the Pacific Rim, Southeast Asia, India, Middle America, and the Carribean. But with 55 churches, the only reason we would not eventually have a significant presence on every inhabited continent is disobedience to the Great Commission! Wherever God has called you, I challenge you to engage, to pray, to give, and to go! May God be glorified by our response to His international beckoning this Christmas season!

Robertson and Giuliani: The Evangelical Election Year Crisis

Well, its official! By his official endorsement of Rudolph Giuliani, televangelist Pat Robertson tells American evangelicals it is worth voting for a candidate who favors the murder of unborn children in lieu of the fact that his position on fighting terrorism means the continued existence of a nation that murders unborn children.

Make no mistake, in some evangelical circles, nationalism now trumps truth, which means that evangelicalism as we know it no longer exists!

Others have already spoken eloquently and prophetically to this issue; chief among them Russ Moore, who in a recent radio program rightly contends that the abortion issue is important enough to withdraw one's support of a candidate. But many are stating that this politically-charged endorsement is appropriate. AFter all, Rudy seems at present to be the only candidate who can beat Hillary Clinton in a general election. Giuliani himself has recently been hawking himself on Christian conservatives by encouraging them to think of him as an "80% ally" as opposed to a "20% opponent."

So the question remains: is it ever appropriate to cast a vote for a pro-abortion candidate? Should evangelicals resort to "single-issue voting" and subsequently risk losing elections to lesser candidates? Such a question was the focus of the gubernatorial elections in my state of Maryland last year. Personally, I went into the voting booth with this issue heavy on my mind. I didn't want the present governor to take office. He would raise my taxes, forward a secularist agenda, and expand the influence of government over the nuclear family. In the end, the realization that neither gubernatorial candidate respected human life enough to grow a backbone with regard to abortion meant I was forced by conscience to abstain from voting for a governor in Maryland.

Friends questioned my judgement in this matter. After all, wouldn't more votes for Robert Erhlich have assured a government friendly toward evangelicals? Is the issue of abortion really that important?

To answer this question, we must back up from the trees a bit to see the proverbial forest. Are there single issues that would automatically disqualify a candidate from serving in public office? For a tangible example, let's assume that five year's from now, in the 2012 election, evangelicals have another "darling" candidate. Let's assume this candidate has a strong pro-family record, and takes positions that are, overall, largely attractive to Christian conservatives. But there is one caveat with this candidate: he believes our nation should re-institute slavery.

Tell me, would you dare vote for such a candidate?

In the end, the problem with a racist candidate is essentially the same as that of a pro-choice candidate. Both groups are categorically denying personhood to an entire class of people. The former bases this denial on the degree of pigmentaion in the skin; the latter on how far one has progressed through the birth canal. The result, however, is the same: a group of people created in the image and likeness of God are being defined as less than such.

To be sure, being "pro-life" by itself does not neccesarily qualify one to hold public office. However, being "pro-choice" by itself fundamentally disqualifies one from serving. Practically speaking, this means that in the event of a Clinton-Giuliani contest in the general election, Americans would have no qualified candidate for which to vote.

Countering this argument, Robertson contends that there is a more important issue than Giuliani's pro-choice position, and that is national security. We should elect a candidate who will protect us from the "bloodlust" of Islamic terrorists. But is the "bloodlust" of abortion providers any less of a threat to our national identity? Apart from a philosophically fundamental belief in the sacredness of human life, our "security" will only serve to protect a house of cards.

Of course, the emphasis of nationalism over truth began years ago, when evangelicals decided to prostitute themselves out to the Republican party rather than seeking to influence both parties with principles of righteousness. The end result is seen in this year's presidential candidates. Truth is, if Rudy Giuliani is the best candidate Christian conservatives can see fit to support, then perhaps our nation deserves a Hillary Clinton presidency.

Don't be Stupid!: Church Planting "Jugulars" Part II

Ever see otherwise intelligent folk do something that could qualify for the $1000 award on "Country Fried Home Videos?" Every time I watch that show I am amazed that the same people who attempt those mindless stunts manage to hold a steady job, speak in complete sentences, or even breed.

But if we are honest, we all would have to admit times when we have done things that call our intelligence and sanity into question. Trouble is, when you do stupid things in the early stages of a church plant, the effects are long term.

While at New Orleans Seminary last week, I was asked to speak to students on the most frequently committed "bone-headed" acts of church planters. More to the point: what were some of the top problems I have observed from watching guys come onto the field here. Below is a list of "bullett points" I used for my presenation, and I pray it is helpful to anyone who wants to plant, or anyone who wants to help a planter:

1. They have a vision for the church, but not for the community. In his book Winning, former GE CEO Jack Welch laments the overuse of vision and mission statements in the business world. I share these lamentations because I have seen winsome statements crafted by church planters in their training that have little to nothing to do with the area they are seeking to reach. Simply put, many church planters I talk to know how many they want to show up, they know what kind of building they want, and of course, they know what their salary should be! The problem is that these ideas are seldom expanded to include how the church system they design will impact the community around them.

Those tempted to define their church's vision in this way should read Bob Lewis' book The Church of Irresistible Influence. To make short a long story that is worth the read, Lewis' Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock, AR came to the conclusion that although their attendance exceeded 3000 people every Sunday, if their church disappeared the city of Little Rock would not notice, which made their church a failure by default. The subsequent story of their efforts to become a city-impacting church is inspiring, and worthy of emulation.

Any church planting vision that is worth the paper on which its written will have an "end game" that reaches beyond the walls of a building and sees the transformation of an entire community by the Gospel.

2. The depend too much on the denominational system, As a denominational guy,its hard for me to admit it. Nevertheless, the truth about denominations is while we can be a great help to you, we can also handicap you, especially if you depend on us too much.

This is particularly true of the guys who go "full time." The temptation is to act as an employee of the system rather than the church planting missionary God has called you to be. Lately. my top reccomendation to church planters is that they begin in a bi-vocational role. Intentional outside employment is good and healthy. It gets you into the community, and forces you into relationships with people who don't know Jesus. In addition, it tests your stamina and resilience. While planting a church, I worked two additional jobs while simultaneously finishing a doctorate. Needless to say, I have little tolerance for guys who think they can't do this unless they are doing it full-time.

But regardless of whether you are full-time or part-time, from day one you should refuse to see yourself as a denominational employee. To be sure, if part of a denomination, you are accountable to the spiritual authorities there. At the same time, God has called you to plant a church, which means that if you are spending more time around the associational office than you are in the field, you aren't fulfilling your calling.

3. They have unrealistic expectations. I'm currently writing a book with Missional Press that should be released next fall, and it deals exclusively with this issue. Too many guys come to the field having read Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Mark Driscoll, and Bob Roberts, and they think they will be next in line. Subsequently, when they haven't broken the 50 barrier after their first year in the field, they feel like a failure. In addition, there are a few denominational folk out there who also make them feel like a failure, when the truth is there plant is simply the "norm."

A recent research project has just been completed by Leadership Network, which found that churches whose attendance exceeds 100 after four years are a small minority. The problem is that when church planters read the stories of Northpoint, Saddleback, and Mars Hill, they forget that people love these stories because of how extraordinary they are. If you are a church planter, know that while I pray you are indeed one of those exceptions, more than likely your experience will be quite "ordinary." Just remember that throughout the Scriptures, God used ordinary people, places, and events to accomplish great things, and don't give up!

I'm sure there are many more land mines I could warn you about. But these are the "top three" I have seen our guys in Maryland stepping on. My prayer is that if God has called you to plant a church, these warnings will serve to help you as you move forward.

Church Planting "Jugulars"

Its been a great week so far. Today I spoke to classes at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary about church planting. My friend and fellow partner in crime Dr. Jack Allen actually allowed his students to be exposed to me. I always enjoy the opportunity to be back in the classroom and interact with students.

Dr. Allen asked me to speak primarily on two things:

1. What I would reccomend potential planters do prior to their arrival in the field.
2. A few of the top mistakes I see guys making in the field early on.

What follows is a bit of fodder from those discussions.

Things to do before you get to the field to plant.

1. Pray, Pray, Pray!!!! Yeah I know, we talk about this issue so much already. Trouble is, we talk about it more than we do it, and there could be no more crucial time devoted to prayer than the time just before deploying to plant a church. If church planting is anywhere near as effective as Peter Wagner says it is, Satan must hate it more than almost anything else we do. From experience I can testify that the enemy will come after you. He will come after your family. And in the face of such warfare, prayer is the only hope you have. Pray alone. Pray with your family. Ask 300-500 folks to pray with you (these are Jack's preferred numbers) and get ready!

2. Confirm all Partners IN WRITING! Let me preface with this statement: No one I know at the North American Mission Board, our state convention, or our association would intentionally deceive a church planter about the amount of support he will receive. Unfortunately, the chief liability of multiple autonomous partners is that often, the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. In this environment, a single, innocent clerical error could mean funding cuts in the $1000s of dollars. In the event of such an error, written commitments will substantiate all that is needed for supporting partners to get their act together.

3. Research the Focus Area Before you go. Ed Stetzer suggests (and he is right)that your first day in the field, you should know as much about the history, geography, culture, and spiritual state of the area as those who have resided there for years. Such knowledge, if gained in advance of your deployment, will conserve valuable time that once you arrive, should be spent cultivating, rather than studying, your area.

4. Participate in Assessment, and if Possible, Multiple Assessments. Different church planting ministries will, by virtue of their own values, look for different things. Being assessed at least twice will give you a much more accurate picture of the "total you."

5. Secure a coach. A subscription to coachnet costs only $75 annually, and the return on investment (provided you are coached by someone who knows what they are doing, and has your best interests at heart) is immeasurable! Coaches draw out the best in you, help you "refocus" in times of confusion and discouragement, and help you work through unanticipated issues.

In a couple of days, I'll post on the top problems/mistakes I see guys making early in their church planting efforts.

Sex Scandals: Why Vietnam Got it Right

In the United States, its hip to be a whore! If you think that statement too strong, perhaps you simply aren't paying attention.

Over the past few years, sex has been so trivialized and perverted in the west that it hardly bears resemblance any longer to the intimate gift between husband and wife God intended it to be. Reality shows, movies, magazines and even the "female pornography" disguised as a romance novel have made an indelible mark on sexuality in the US. The most tangible example of this fact is seen anytime an American celebrity is caught in a compromising position. The one-night-stands and sex tapes shown on entertainment TV barely elicit a yawn. Maybe this is why what has happened recently in Vietnam has our western culture surprised . . .even shocked, that someone is actually facing consequences for their behavior.

BBC News reports that Vietnamese television star Hoang Thuy Linh's highly popular Vang Anh's Diaries has been cancelled by Vietnam Television due to a sex tape featuring the 19-year old that made its way to the internet. "This is the most scandalous and controversial thing that has ever happened in Vietnam's virtual world," says journalist Hung Nguyen.

Her TV show featured the adult Linh portraying Vang Anh, a Vietnamese student whose character has become highly popular among young teens. The average viewer is 14, and according to the BCC article, the show's cancellation has ignited a firestorm on the web. Does she deserve to be punished for her behavior? Is sympathy currently her greatest need? Is there a necesity to apologize for what she has done?

For the most part, the responses from around the world have been, well, rather western:

Seoul resident Jenny Howard laments that such a "big deal" has been made of this incident by Vietname television, and suggests that there are much greater threats to a civilized society than two young people having sex. "We see suicide bombers killing hundreds of people on TV, insugents killing and mainming hostages and yet a bit of two people enjoying themselves and we are in fear of society."

Further and harsher criticism came from Brazilian resident James Smith, who claimed that the problem is cultural oppression: "This is typical of repressive societies. The first thing they try to control is your sex life. If you permit them to tell you when, how and with whom to have sex, controlling everything else is easy. This is why religions and other despotic regimes are anti-sex. The world will be better off when we are rid of both."

Talk about killing a mouse with a Sherman tank!

For one thing, these is a huge difference between bring punished by legal authorities for breaking the law, and having your television show cancelled because you don't have the good sense to keep your most private moments private. There are currently no reports of Linh being prosecuted or "oppressed" in the sense that any of her freedoms are being taken away.

In the western world where drunk-driving hollywood stars are merely slapped on the proverbial wrist, it is apparently very hard to draw a distinction between the penal code and tacit societal approval. Nevertheless, lets set the record straight here: Linh lost her tv show, and subsequently, her huge cultural influence, because of risque behavior. No one is jailing her for life or strapping her to a gurney, which makes talk of "oppression" seem just a bit like overkill.

I'm guessing the reason the west has reacted so to this issue is because on the other side of the pond, Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton and a host of others have only grown in influence over American society. Bare it all in Vietnam, lose your show. Bare it all in America, gain a reality show!

To be sure, I sincerely feel for this young lady, whose life has now been irreversibly affected by what she no doubt admits was a stupid move. Additionally, I find it strange that no one has made any pejorative statements about Linh's boyfriend, who reportedly filmed the "event." Although we can't be sure how the video made its way to the web, I'm betting the boyfriend, in a search for fame via his bedding of a famous actress, had something to do with it.

At the same time, those who are flooding the web with their input into this whole fiasco have one thing right: there are societal consequences both ways. In the US, the consequences of such behavior are greater fame (more people recognize Anna Nicole Smith than Abraham Lincoln) and subsequently, greater influence over a culture that has, surprisingly, become ever-more sexualized. Sexual activity has increased exponentially as a result, with some children as young as 9 and 10 enjoying their "friends with benefits." Middle-school aged girls are now required in some areas to receive an HPV vaccine, assuming that their sexual activity before marriage is a foregone conlcusion. Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister and Company and others sensationalize sexuality in a desparate effort to market their clothing to teens and pre-teens.

Meanwhile in Vietnam, a nation decided not to promote such behavior. The result was that a promising, but naive young lady lost her television show.

Which would you choose?

"Missional Conversation"

"Emerging," "Incarnational," "Missional." A Google Search on any of these terms will reveal them to be the most discussed and hotly debated topics within the church today. But how on earth do these terms, and their much-debated definitions, help the average follower of Jesus who is genuinely seeking to live his faith in his own context?

This past May, I was asked to be part of a dialogue to answer this very question. The implications of our answer were as close to home as one of the churches we have planted here in Maryland. Metanoia Church in Ellicott City, and their pastor, Adam Feldman, hosted this dialogue, which is now available as a podcast. Joining us in this discussion were Ken Sorrell of the International Mission Board's Middle America and Carribean Region, and David Phillips.

Following this discussion was another, very helpful dialogue on contextualizing the Gospel in culture. You can find all the podcasts here.

Missionaries to the Rich and Powerful

I was privileged, not only to be raised in a church environment, but also to be raised in a “missionary” church environment. As such, my history included numerous opportunities to hear from missionaries who were serving Jesus all over the world. This included “short term” volunteers who sought to take the Gospel to different parts of the globe.

Such an environment allowed me to hear all sorts of testimonials from people in my own church, particularly those who sought to minister in the so-called “third world.” While hearing their moving stories certainly proved motivational, I was also disturbed by the limited perspective these missionaries brought back with them. For some, the most substantive thing they could say was “I had no idea how blessed I was until I saw how these poor people live.” Now that I live among a people who, from an economic perspective, are at the opposite end of that spectrum, I know why such statements bothered me so.

I was raised in a lower-middle class, blue collar home in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in rural South Carolina. Given that background, I sometimes wonder why on earth God has placed me in my current field of service. Where I live and serve, blue collar jobs account for less than 13% of the work force. Of that work force, more than 80% hold a college degree, and 31% hold a Master’s degree or higher. Even in the current “sluggish” housing market, the average price of a single family home here is well in excess of $450,000, but such prices are not intimidating to a population whose average per capita income exceeds $90,000 annually.

Adding to this demographic picture is the fact that this year, my county was named the third most affluent county in North America. Similarly, the state of Maryland was recognized as the most affluent of all 50 states, boasting more millionaires than any other state in the union.

In addition, the people who live here are as powerful as they are wealthy. God has allowed my wife and I to cross paths with high-level defense workers, congressmen and senators, Fortune 500 CEOs and business-owning entrepreneurs. In short, our mission field is largely made up of some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world . . .

. . .people who are just as sick with sin as anyone living in the “third world!”

The issue in working with people of this stature is the way they are often stereotyped by the church. Regrettably, most Christians, rather than following a Biblical pattern of observing people, will adopt a cultural pattern. Such a pattern can be seen in the various ways our two primary political parties view the “rich.” One party believes that the rich are rich because they took advantage of those less fortunate, and the poor are poor because they are mistreated and not afforded the same opportunities as their more wealthy counterparts. Another political party believes that the poor are so because they aren’t bright enough to “cut it,” and the wealthy by contrast are so because they study hard and work hard. Thus, they deserve all the good fortune that comes their way.

Of course, the fallacy in both of these stereotypes is that in both, people are judged according to their possessions. The fact is that wealthy people are first and foremost . . .well, people! In that sense, their problems and struggles, while not nearly as obvious, are just as present. The “poor” are neither dumb nor righteous, and the “rich” are neither smart nor greedy, merely as a result of what they possess. Likewise, the “rich” are not satisfied in their riches, nor are the “poor” kept from satisfaction because of their lack.

Yet this stereotype is the reason we are so often quick to judge our celebrity culture. Take Britney Spears for example. The “train wreck” that her life has become is analyzed and lamented, not only by Hollywood, but also by judgmental Christians who think to themselves “what a spoiled-rotten girl! With all her fame and fortune, she still can’t get her act together!” Such statements assume that one’s money and fame will somehow make one’s life less of a mess, and those who make such statements should read afresh Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes!

This is a lesson I have learned from experience as I seek to reach the people of my area with the Gospel. When my family and I first moved here nearly three years ago, I thought to myself, “I’m a southern, blue-collar redneck. How on earth am I going to effectively minister to wealthy, powerful, white-collar people in the northeast?” My presumption of course, was that because they possessed more money and power than I would likely ever enjoy, that I couldn’t help them. Obviously, I had forgotten about Phillip.

In Acts 8, Phillip is providentially brought in contact with an Ethiopian eunuch. “Providentially” is a key term here, because the likelihood of this kind of encounter between a middle-class Jew and a wealthy and powerful Ethiopian official happening serendipitously was slim to none! Nevertheless, what Phillip discovered was that while this man was powerful, wealthy, famous and influential, he was also very lost! In commenting on this passage, Greg Laurie describes this encounter as “a very empty man [the Ethiopian] who met a very satisfied one [Phillip].” Ironic isn’t it? It was the “poor” man who was satisfied.

Yet the Scriptures tell us that this is exactly the way we should view our lost friends, regardless of the income bracket to which they belong. I appreciate and admire my friends in other parts of the world who minister to the “least of these.” But let’s not forget that from an eschatological standpoint, there is no difference between “rich” and “poor.” More than eighty percent of the population in my area has no relationship to Jesus Christ. They may drive a Mercedes, live in a “McMansion” and embody the epitome of the “American Dream,” but inside, their condition is identical to that of the unregenerate of the visible church in Laodicea. They are “miserable, poor, blind and naked.”

Dan McMillan was one of those people. At the top of the venerable McMillan Publishing company, he enjoyed all the benefits that came with wealth, fame and power. Still, something was missing that made all the accoutrements of his life seem worthless. Thankfully, a young church planter of “less than average” means named David Draper, brought McMillan to understand his need for Jesus Christ. His conversion led to a weekly breakfast and Bible study where McMillan sought to reach his friends in the publishing industry with the Gospel.

Not long before his death, McMillan allowed folks from the North American Mission Board to interview him about his conversion. Toward the end of the interview, this wealthy and powerful man made a desperate plea to his Christian brothers and sisters: “The church is always focusing on the poor and disenfranchised, and that’s good. They certainly need it. But what about me? Why did it take so long for someone to get to me?”

Dan McMillan is with Jesus today, not because of his money, but rather because someone loved him enough to share Solomon’s wisdom that riches, while nice, are ultimately “vanity” and “meaninglessness” if not accompanied with a fear of God that leads to keeping His commandments. I am convinced that God wants to populate heaven with people like this. But if we are to play any significant part in getting them there, our focus needs to shift from the back pocket to the soul.