The Promise and Peril of Young Evangelicals: Passion, Politics, and Idolatry

Much is being written of late about the milennial generation (b. 1978-circa 2000) and the profound effect they are already having on our culture, including the western church.  Since two members of that generation live in the same house as me, I have a front-row seat to how their perceptions, choices, and preferences are driving everything from marketing and education to social policy and perceptions of right and wrong.

A decade ago, the oldest of this generation were students of mine.  And as I spoke to them from the perspective of a professor, I did so with great hope for their generation.  That hope hasn't changed.  I still believe this largest generation in American history has the propensity like no prior generation to eradicate a number of societal evils, and usher in a new age of prosperity and understanding.

In particular, I believe young followers of Jesus Christ are the greatest hope for the 21st century American church.

One example of why I have this hope is seen in my own son.  Several weeks ago, my 13-year old and I sat down to watch the phenomenal movie "42."  I wanted him to witness that period of history, and see how race relations were viewed at that time.  45 minutes into the movie, he excused himself.  Curious, I went to his room, thinking that perhaps some of the content had disturbed him emotionally.  Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and said "I'm fine Dad.  I just don't get it.  I don't understand that movie at all."

And why should he?  My son has spent most of his life in an area where English is but one of more than 60 languages spoken.  His best friend is African American, and his little sister is Asian.  He has grown up in a context where ethnicity is a subject that commands very little attention, and where diversity is an appreciated and assumed fact of life.  The cultural and generational disconnect was obvious, and understandable.

My son is representative of the vast majority of his generation--a group that has grown up in a diverse and multicultural nation.  As such, there are societal issues that never should have been issues in the first place that probably won't be anymore once this generation has fully taken their place in our society, and we can all thank God for that.

Still, with all the hope I have for this emerging group of young leaders, I'm seeing a trend among them that gives me pause--a trend which, if continued, will cause them to repeat the sins of their fathers in reverse.

For the prior generation of evangelicals, political zealotism may have been the greatest misstep of the century.  Initially, evangelicals mobilized themselves in this way for some great and God-honoring causes.  Unborn children were being murdered for profit and eugenics-based cultural superiority.  The nuclear family was threatened by a barrage of cultural forces.  Unfortunately, the "Moral Majority" and other groups like them made two mistakes.  First, many in this movement began to see political involvement as synonymous with God's mission.  And second, this mistaken assumption caused them to approach nearly every issue with political means.

So what started out as a way of prophetically speaking to issues that sometimes crossed wires with public policy domains ended up turning a group of Jesus' followers  into little more than a political voting bloc.  All of a sudden, God had a position on supply-side economics, the line item veto and gun control--and if you believed in Him and had any sense at all, you knew he stood with the Republicans on these issues!

Thankfully, young people we now identify as milennials began to see through some of the fog.  Rather than buy into the line of 1980s and 1990s culture warriors, they began to rightly differentiate between the desire to take over national power structures and God's mission, which both Testaments made clear was advanced through suffering and marginalization like that faced by Jesus Himself.  Slowly but surely, the methods of James Davison Hunter began to supplant those of James Dobson.  Issues like abortion didn't go away, but milennials began to rightly point to the fact that while saving the life of a baby, evangelicals should also recognize that there is a woman in a very hard place who needs our attention, respect and love as well.  

Yet somewhere along the line, a few vocal members of this generation began their own political crusade--and I'm guessing many don't even realize what they have done.  While prior generations wrongly jumped into bed with the Republican party, emerging generations seem to have a similar love for Democrats. 

My most recent experience with this move came last week.  The folks over at Al Jazeera America invited me to be part of an online conversation about church attendance trends in the United States and their relationship to the milennial generation, and social media.  (you can see the discussion here.)  All in all, it was a privilege to interact with some very, very sharp people from a variety of perspectives, including a number of younger evangelicals.  But my interaction with a couple of folks in that environment left me wondering if, instead of resting in Jesus, some of our younger brothers and sisters haven't merely swapped a conservative counterfeit Gospel for a liberal one.

There are two ways you can always tell if someone is more committed to a political ideology than Jesus.  First,  they ignore clear Biblical teaching in order to forward an agenda.  One young lady shared with me that milennials would come back to church in droves, but that we would keep bleeding numbers until we changed our position on gay marriage.  In short, switch from one political position to another--irrespective of what Scripture may say about the issue, and we will return!

Another way you can detect Zealotism is if someone holds up one part of Scripture to the near total exclusion of others.  One young man, quoting Matthew 24 and 25, stated that the whole of the Gospel could be expressed by simply stating that Jesus came for the oppressed and marginalized, and that the central mission of the church is to fight for the rights and dignity of the poor.  While he is right to call the attention of the church back to these texts, focusing on these issues alone as the totality of Christian mission sounds less like Jesus, and just a tad more like Che Guevera.

This was not the first or only interaction I've had with those who call themselves "progressive evangelicals."  The group Red-Letter Christians, led by popular Christian leaders like Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis, represents the epitome of evangelicals who feel more comfortable among political progressives, and who wish all of evangelicalism was "less political," but also more like them.

Its a strange world in which we are told the church needs to be "less political" by those whose primary concerns seem to have distinctly political ends.

These and other experiences have me concerned that younger evangelicals are in danger of their own form of zealotism.  I'm thankful for the way they have seen through the "smoke" of Republican politics disguised as Gospel mission, but for some in this movement, it would appear they are in danger of becoming the very thing they claim to hate.  Now all of a sudden God has a consistent view of  rich people and constitutional conservatives.  He hates them both.  (Monetary profit is evil you know!)

To be sure, Jesus would walk with political progressives on a number of issues (or perhaps its better to say they would walk with HIM.)  Unjust immigration law, "red-lining" of certain businesses in minority communities by banks, and the unspeakable practice of slavery via human trafficking are but a few issues the church should care about and speak to with a prophetic voice, and none of these would have seen the light of day were it not for our progressive friends.  

At the same time, followers of Jesus should always keep in mind that during his earthly life, He angered and offended both the Pharisees (conservatives) and Saducees (liberals), and I'm pretty sure if He were walking the earth today, both Republicans and Democrats would be very ticked off by Him--for different reasons of course!

Ultimately, there is only one solution to this generational pendulum-swing:  we need to repent.   And when I say repent, I mean it in the fullest sense of the term.  We must "turn away from" our propensity to see everything in light of "conservative" or "liberal" and instead "turn toward" a regular practice of seeing everything in light of Jesus, as He is revealed in Scripture.  

Doing so means that when it comes to the sanctity of life or sexual ethics, some Democrats are going to despise us.  Conversely, when it comes to empowering the marginalized and treating human beings like, well, humans, some Republicans more interested in dollar signs are going to accuse us of not being "real Christians" (see my earlier post on Glen Beck and social justice here.  Strange day when a Mormon becomes the arbiter of who is a "real Christian.")  At the end of the day, we will be people without a party.  We will be people without power--a people who are following Jesus in exactly the way He wants us to--a way in which He receives all the glory for the eventual advent of a Kingdom not of this world.

So if you are a young evangelical, indulge this older guy for a moment while I utter a warning.  Please, please don't make the same mistake as prior generations.  Don't melt down the golden elephant just to recast it in the shape of a donkey.  Instead, repent.  Turn away from the "conservative-liberal" continuum altogether, and turn toward Jesus.  And when you have done so, go back to the political powers with whom you best align yourself, and preach to them more than you listen to them.  We need Christ-following Republicans speaking prophetically to Republicans, and we need Christian Democrats doing the same thing in their own party.

More than anything else, we need an entire generation more concerned about Jesus than power.  Such is the generation that will lead us into a God-honoring and bright future.  My great hope remains that the milennials are that generation.

The Future of the Baptist Association: Spreading our Influence

There is much talk these days among organizations of all stripes about "de-centralization."  For most, this term simply means a spreading of a still-centralized bureaucracy to more than one location.  But the essence of whether an organization is truly de-centralized surrounds the location of three things:  power, personnel, and money.  It doesn't matter how many locations your organization finds itself in.  If these three things are all still fully controlled by your organization, your organization is not de-centralized!

When local Associations began their work more than three centuries ago, the term "de-centralized" didn't exist, but the concept was embodied in these loose networks of cooperating churches nonetheless.  If the Associations of the future are going to be effective, this same organizational culture must permeate our cooperation once again.  But what would this look like?

Well, here are a couple of examples from our recent work in Long Island, New York.  Find the article here, and the video here.  On this particular effort, three of our churches worked together, and you can be introduced to these great people around 2:30 into the film. 

This is simply the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what our churches are doing together, and we could never pull it off without the following:

Decentralized Strategy:  If every part of an Associational strategy is "funneled" through the office, then the reach and influence of the Association will always be limited.  Conversely, if a strategic framework is adopted by the Association at large, and contextual strategies are developed at the level of local churches--with the Association providing counsel and networking with other congregations to embolden the effort--then the mission potential of the Association becomes infinite!

This is one area where Associations can complement churches, and do something with all of them together that a single congregation could never accomplish.  If every strategic decision has to come through my office, then ultimately the Association can do no more than a single congregation could do all by itself, and in that situation, why would you keep around an organization with no inherent Biblical warrant just to do something that another organization with Biblical warrant could do?

For example, we encourage most churches to "sink the shaft deep" in no more than two areas or people groups in the world.  A local church can make a significant difference if its mission is focused.  But if the mission of a single local church is spread too thin because of multiple emphases, "dabbling on the surface" becomes the norm, and meaningful cultural transformation is never realized.

At the same time, I lead a network of more than 60 congregations.  A network that large--even at the local level--should have a significant presence, and be making a significant impact on every part of the planet!  As a result, MMBA is working through our churches in partnership to spread the Gospel of Jesus and plant churches here in the Baltimore Washington region, and also all over the world.  We are at work together in places like the eastern Caribbean, Africa, East Asia, India, and more.  But the contextual strategies for each of these efforts was developed--with Associational help--at the level of a local church which said "we will take the lead in this particular effort" or "we will be the primary mover in engaging this particular people group."  There isn't a single new church in our region without a local church sponsor, and there isn't a single effort we do overseas that is without a local church driving the effort.

Decentralized Budgets:  When it comes to budgeting, some very good questions have recently been asked by churches relative to denominational entities.  However, there have also been some very shallow and surface-level assumptions in some of these questions.

For example, during the GCR discussions, one could often hear the question "how much of this budget is going to salaries?"  While the question is legitimate, there was unfortunately sometimes a premise behind that question--a premise based in the business world that sees all salaries as "liability" or "overhead."  Problem is, if an Associational staff are doing their job, they are far more than simply "overhead."  They are a central part of the mission!  I've never heard anyone look at the IMB's budget and ask "how much is going for missionary salaries?" We wouldn't think of doing that, because its the primary reason we give to the IMB and to Lottie Moon!  We have to start thinking of stateside mission endeavors in the same way.

To make this shift, we have to stop looking at Associational budgets like "pie slices."  And the best way to do this is to stop asking "how much goes to..." and begin asking a more important and all-encompassing question:  "What are they accomplishing with the money we are investing?"  Where local Associations are concerned, the lion's share of benefit doesn't come from money "going in" and then "coming back out" to the same churches who donated to the cause.  In fact, that leads to a phenomenon I describe as "ecclesiastical socialism."  Don't worry, I'll deal with that one in great detail in the next post!  :)

In MMBA, part of my role involves developing partnerships within, and without this network of churches.  As I write, our leadership teams are putting the final touches on our proposed 2014 budget, and we anticipate that next year we will receive nearly $200,000 in designated partnerships alone.  More than half of that amount comes from our own churches, who in addition to their giving to our general budget, have also agreed to partner with us in one or more of several initiatives we are at work on together.  Around 75% of general budget giving goes toward salaries and other administrative costs, but the people who earn those salaries have brokered efforts here and around the world in which churches and individuals will invest directly.  These include our work together planting churches in East Asia, our collaboration with eastern Indian pastors to develop theological education for rural pastors in southeast India, and local church planting projects.  When all is said and done (and pending affirmation of our suggested plans to the Association at large) we anticipate investing around $490,000 next year in our collective work, with around 40% of that amount going to pay staff salaries.  But only $258,000 of that amount is expected to come from our churches through "general budget giving."

If we simply took the general fund giving and played the "pie-slice" game, we would never be able to compensate properly (someone once well-said that if you pay your staff peanuts, you get monkeys working for you!).  But most importantly, we would never have been able to accomplish what I've described above and more!   Other Associations I'm aware of have only a small, 100% "administrative budget," meaning that none of their monies "go back to the churches," but they are being very effective nonetheless at bringing the churches together for potent mission.  

It takes money to effectively run an organization, but if we want to maximize our investment at the local level, we have to start thinking differently.

Decentralized Credit:  In his book "Good to Great," Jim Collins talks about "Level Five Leaders," individuals who are hardly ever in the spotlight, but do such an outstanding job directing the organization that he or she more greatly empowers those who are in the spotlight.  

Every Baptist Association should aspire to be a "Level Five Missions Organization."  For this to happen, we have to "spread the wealth around" when it comes to who gets the credit.  As I mentioned above, because of our work in Long Island, New York, more than 25 homes have been repaired or totally rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy.  At this point, we get local press coverage nearly every time we send a team up.  But the headline always contains information about the church leading the effort, with very little mention of the Association.  (See here and here if you missed the links above.  In case you can 't tell, I'm awfully proud of these folks!) 

Likewise, three years ago we started building a partnership between our churches, local businesses, and one of our county governments to raise money for a ministry to the homeless in our area.  That partnership resulted in an annual 5K race that has grown to nearly 300 runners.  Our Association staff still handles all the logistics, collects the money, and leads the coordination, but this event now belongs to the people of Howard County Maryland!  And the material we include in each runners' packet contains very little information about us, but does contain the website and contact info for every MMBA church in this county--and a clear presentation of the Gospel!

Conclusion: Its time for Associations to stop talking about what they are doing, and begin talking about what churches are doing together by using the Association as a resource.

To use a physics analogy, is your Association a centripetal or centrifugal organization?  For many decades now, most Associations are organized in a centripetal way--a way that forces movement back toward a fixed center.  But that's no way to build an effective and energized network of congregations, and its certainly no way to spread the impact of the Gospel widely.

Instead, work toward transforming your Association into a centrifugal organization--one that forces movement "away from center."  Associations should be about leveraging and spreading the influence of all our churches.

The Future of the Baptist Association: Identity Crisis

If you try to do everything, you end up doing nothing well.  That principle is never more clearly observed than when examining the way so many denominational entities operate today.

Last week, I spoke briefly about a number of issues that need to be addressed in the modern Baptist Association for it to effectively serve the 21st century mission of the churches.  Today I want to cover the first of those issues in greater detail: determining the purpose of the Association.

Many Baptist entities are currently in the middle of an all-out identity crisis.  To a large extent, this is because all of our agencies--at every level--are products of the modern missions era--an era that is fast coming to an end on a global scale! Another subject for another day to be sure, although you can read more about it here.

For a local Association to thrive among thriving churches in the 21st century, each will need to define its purpose and mission as defined by the churches.  A few simple principles can get us started:

1. Know Why You Exist.  For example, Mid-Maryland Association exists as a network of more than 60 churches that seek together to extend the Kingdom of God here in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area and around the world.  We do this through evangelism, leadership development, and church planting that brings a glimpse of God's Kingdom here on earth.  In short, we are an organization that exists for the sole purpose of missions mobilization.  By and large, our churches know this, and this is what they use us for.

Under this "missions mobilization" umbrella, we have four primary emphases:  Prayer Strategy (Association prayer team, Prayerwalks around neighborhoods prior to revivals or new church launches), Ministry Projects (Disaster Relief in New York and Oklahoma, Prison and Truck-stop ministry, partnership with local governments to serve the homeless, etc.), Leadership and Church Development (Pastor and spouse support, administrative support to help churches with office operations, leadership training, etc.), and Missions and Multiplying Churches (direct evangelism and church planting here in the corridor, and around the world).  We pray because that's where it all begins.  We serve in ministry because we want to touch physical needs as we point to ultimate spiritual need.  We work with church leadership because there is no forward mission without leaders.  And we share the Gospel and plant churches all over the world because we want to multiply the aforementioned efforts of ministry, prayer, and leadership development.

There are ten other Associations in the Maryland/Delaware Convention.  Their structures and mission are different from ours, and each contributes to Kingdom advance in its own way.  So when I describe our structure above, I'm not saying that every Association should look like ours.  What you look like and what you exist to do should be decided by your churches (I'll get to this in a moment).  But I am saying that at the end of the day, if you don't know why you do what you do, your organization is in trouble!

2. Connect to the context of your churches and surrounding culture.  Too many Associational leaders are concerned that the churches don't even know they are there, or just don't know why they are there.  But if you get to know your churches--I mean really get to know them and put their well-being and ability to reach their communities before any Associational "program"-- I can promise that eventually, they will know who you are, and they will be glad you are there.

Additionally, connect to the culture[s] that surround the geographic proximity of your churches.  Associational missionaries have the ability to do this in a way that no one at state or national levels is able.  County officials, school district employees and teachers, prison wardens, transportation workers, and planning commission administrators should know you by name if you serve a network of churches in their back yard.  Much of the "why" of your existence as an Association should be determined by the realities you observe in your area.  

My area is very "cause oriented," and has a soft heart when it comes to the disadvantaged.  So, we team up each year with County governnent offficials, local businesses, churches of other denominations, and ministries to the homeless to sponsor an annual 5K race.  That race has grown from 115 runners the first year to nearly 300 in subsequent years.  We have raised thousands of dollars since beginning this effort in 2011, and all of it has gone to a Day Center that serves more than 200 homeless families in the 3rd most affluent county in North America.

In short, the mission of the Association is to bring churches together to bless their region in the name of Jesus, and the role of the Associational Missionary is to help pastors and lay-leaders understand how best to get this done, and equip the churches to lead the effort.  You can't do that if you don't know the churches AND the communities in which they reside.

3. Learn to say "no."  One of the psychological effects of not knowing your purpose is the perceived need to accept any and all assignments that a church might want to give you.  I've seen this happen at multiple levels of our denomination--a staff member is charged with substantive response to any need, even if that need doesn't match the capabilities of the organization.  The end result of this approach to serving churches is a burned out staff and an organization that continues to bleed to death from ultimate irrelevancy.  

As an example, our Association simply doesn't do "conflict mediation."  We tried it many years ago, and it didn't work out so well--and probably because that isn't the reason the churches brought us into existence to begin with.  And since they hired me, they probably want to stay even further away from this particular approach to serving churches, since I tend to be more of an arbitrator than mediator, and as such would most likely just make the problems worse.

Saying "no" to providing mediation doesn't mean we don't think its important.  Actually, it means we think its important enough to get it right, and since its not within the scope of our mission, we are quite sure that we won't get it right (just ask a couple of churches where we attempted this.  I'm glad they are forgiving!)

Additionally, I don't hold meetings during "working hours" that have no purpose.  I love the people in our churches, but I can't do what they pay me to do if I'm always having lunch with a pastor with no aim for what we hope to accomplish together.  To be sure, I'd like to think I'm a friend to all our pastors, and many of them have become dear friends of mine.  But I'm not compensated to be a "friend." (and honestly, who has to pay someone to be their friend--really?)  I'm expected to move our collective mission efforts forward.

Saying "no" to what you can't do also frees up the time you need to do what you do well.  I want our churches to see us as their "first phone call" regardless of their need--not because we can meet every need, but because they have grown to trust us to serve them well--and will believe us, even if we say "that's not what we do, but the [state convention/NAMB et al ] have a great way of helping you with this......"

.4. Allow local churches to determine "all of the above."  If you are an Associational Missionary, you can lead them in this discussion, but the final decision should belong to the churches as a whole, who deserve the ability to determine their own collective identity through your Association.

At this point, I want to "push back" a bit against some allegations I've heard in recent years from church leaders--most notably pastors.  Too often, I've heard them speak about how "useless" the local Association is, how "entitled" they feel to receive continued support from churches, regardless of whether that support represents a good investment.

OK pastor, fair enough.  But let me ask this really simple question::  If the local Association is really in such bad shape (and I can certainly believe this is true of many of them) whose fault is it--really?

If you come to the Southern Baptist Convention in Baltimore next year, and move from the floor to instruct or direct any national entity to do anything, you will immediately be ruled out of order and told to sit down.  That's because Southern Baptists believe that our national entities are best governed indirectly through elected trustees.  Most Associations (including ours) don't operate this way.  In many ways, the local Association is the only level of our denomination that is completely under the control of local churches.

So let me ask again, if your local association is a mess, who should we see about that?  It belongs to you, so if enough churches believe it needs to be revived, or direction needs to be corrected, then get together, talk about how best to do it, and then get it done!

At base, the Association is nothing more than churches leveraging their collective strength to multiply the growth of the Kingdom.  If seen in this light, I believe the brightest days are ahead--if strong, contextual identity and purpose is established.  But that identity should allow for a radically de-centralized approach to mission, which is what I'll talk about in the next post.

The Future of the Baptist Association: A Prelude

Over the next few weeks, I want to narrow my focus here a bit.  Though I try to contribute to ministry and mission discussions that transcend my own denominational tribe, I'd like to speak specifically to what I believe to be the potential future of local entities within the Southern Baptist Convention; most notably the Baptist Association.   Full disclosure:  my mortgage is currently paid by a salary I receive as the Director of one of these roughly 1000 Associations scattered across North America, so that you know I have an obvious bias.  

A little more than 300 years ago, British Baptists created a localized entity for the purpose of greater cooperation in missionary work among churches of like faith and order.  Patterned largely after the English trade guilds that existed at the time, these organizations were effective at multiplying the efforts of local churches that desired to work together.  This success was mirrored when this model of missionary cooperation was exported to the American colonies.  And that, as they say, is where it all began!  Philadelphia, in 1707.

Over the years, local Associations have experienced their own share of contextual change, and the 21st century is a context in which many local Associations have struggled to find their place.  I'm sometimes asked "do we need  Associations anymore?"  There are several ways to answer this question.  From a purely exegetical standpoint, we have never needed them--or the state conventions, or any of the national level SBC entities.  The only entity that has a purely Biblical warrant for its existence is the local church, and the legitimacy of all others is tied to how well they can serve the church as she accomplishes her mission.

Another way of answering this question then is to bluntly reply "it depends on which Association you are talking about."  I've had the honor for the past nine years of serving a great group of churches here in central Maryland known as the Mid-Maryland Baptist Association, and in that period, change has been the only constant.  Though our mission remains the same, our way of "doing business" has had to undergo some changes--some of them major--in order for us to remain true to our vision.  I'm sure I haven't led these shifts perfectly (and a few church leaders here would no doubt testify to that fact!), but I have noticed some common pitfalls that we have tried to avoid as we move into the future with our churches.  What follows are six things Associations must overcome to survive and thrive in the 21st century.  Over the next several weeks, I want to discuss each of these in greater detail:

1. An Unclear Purpose.  Simply put, if you don't know why you exist, sooner rather than later, you won't exist!  The problem with Associations is that, in the past, many tied their own identity exclusively to the larger SBC and simply adopted its larger purposes on a local level.  But in the day of the internet and globalization, churches don't need a local representative of a national entity any longer.  

Conversely, since each Association exists in a unique geographic and cultural context, each has an ability to define its own unique mission in ways that are impossible at state and national levels.  Next week, I hope to elaborate more on the necessity for churches to leverage their local Association to contextualize and execute the mission in their own context.

2. A Hyper-Centralized Mission. It's wrong to constantly talk about "what our Association is doing."  Instead, we should be talking about "what our churches are doing together through the Association."  If I control it all, there is a severe limit on what we can do, and eventually, log-jam prevents any further extension of our collective work.  

Our Association has planted more than 30 churches in the last 9 years.  We have seen hundreds come to Christ through local prison and trucking ministries.  We have worked with local governments to serve the urban poor and minister to the homeless, and we have shared Jesus and planted churches on every inhabited continent.  We have been able to do all this because our churches aren't "joining us."  Instead, they are using us as a resource for execution, and we are responding by advising them, training them, bringing other churches around them, providing limited funding, and releasing them!  I'll talk more about how to create this kind of environment as well.

3.  Ecclesiastical Socialism. Taking money and resources from big, rich churches, and redistributing them to smaller, poor churches isn't missionary work!  The Association's role is to empower, not enable, and the best way to serve small churches is not to give them money, but give them a vision and allow them to live it.  One of our most effective international efforts is led by a church of less than 75 people, but includes churches of over 400 people.  If we had simply taken from the latter and redistributed to the former, this would have never happened.  This, I'm convinced, is one of the greatest hindrances to effective Associational missions, so expect me to say much more about it in the coming days!

4. "Scorecard" Confusion.  The standard measurement for "success" in many churches has been the size of the crowd, the size of the offering bucket, and the size of the building.  None of these are unimportant, but neither should they be the primary measurements of success in a church.  If Associations are to change the environment on this issue, they can't use these at all when it comes to measuring Associational success.  The size of my Associational office has nothing to do with whether we are being truly obedient to our collective calling in central Maryland and around the world.  In later weeks, I'll speak about how I believe we should "define the win" at the Associational level.

5. Closed Systems that Prohibit Meaningful Cultural Engagement. Local Associations need  to be structured so that communication and collaboration with local school systems, county government offices, and chambers of commerce are more easily attained than collaboration with the North American Mission Board or one of our seminaries!  If an Association has mechanisms that even implicitly only allow for meaningful partnerships within our own tribe, we are in trouble!  More about this is coming as well.

6. A Focus on "Survival."  Someone once said that thousands of churches die every year in North America, and along with them are hundreds of others that probably should have died.  I believe the same can be said of any Association who is only looking to "pay the bills."  To be sure, I do enjoy getting a paycheck!  But the existence of Mid-Maryland Association is about far more than providing Joel Rainey with a job, and if its not, Joel Rainey should find another job!

So there you have it!  I believe the 21st century could be the most effective time in the history of local Associations, if they can reinvent themselves in a way that will best serve churches determined to meet that future.  I look forward to extending this conversation in the coming days.

Making Marriage Work: What We are Still Learning

19 years ago at this time, a beautiful, smart, winsome, godly young lady with obvious issues of blindness and bad character judgement had already said "I do" to a young 22-year-old knot-head named Joel.  We were preparing to leave the wedding reception where we had been talking with friends and family for about an hour, and head to the beautiful area of Boone, North Carolina, where we would spend our Honeymoon.

If, at that moment, you had told either of us what God had in store for us over the next two decades, we would not have believed it!

As you can tell from the pictures, we don't look the same as we once did.  Amy has gotten a lot prettier, and I've gotten a lot uglier and hairier!  Additionally, there are now three other people who live with us who call us "Mom" and "Dad," and as anyone who is a parent knows, the presence of such little ones changes life in profound ways.  All in all, its been a blessed 19 years, and yes, I'd do it all over again with this wonderful woman.  It hasn't all been fun, but marriage isn't supposed to be.

Over the past several decades, divorce statistics remain unchanged, and as a minister of the Gospel, I've personally experienced those statistics.  Charles Lowery once comically said "I'd rather preach a funeral than a wedding any day.  They pay more, and they last longer!"  I can certainly vouch for that.  About 30% of the couples for whom I have officiated a wedding are now divorced.  On the other hand, everyone I've ever buried is right where I left them!

In this kind of context, we are often asked by younger couples how we have made it as long as we have.  Because we constantly praise and adore each other publicly, sometimes folks get the false impression that Amy and I have never had marriage struggles. Truth is, we have hit a few very rough patches in our years together, just like every couple does.  So, why are we still together?

1. Because we try to love Jesus more than we love each other.  Here is the unvarnished truth.  I don't deserve my wife, and the Biblical prohibition against divorce isn't about me or her.  Its about Jesus.  I think if we based our "staying power" merely on our devotion to each other, we too might have been a statistic years ago.  Keeping the wedding vows I made to my wife aren't primarily for the benefit of my wife.  Its about a promise I made to my Creator and Redeemer when I entered into the very marriage covenant that He created in order to point people to Himself.

One day in the future, one of us will pass away and leave the other one behind.  In that moment, the Rainey marriage covenant will be forever severed, because contrary to what some false religions teach, we aren't headed toward an eternal marriage between Joel and Amy. Instead, Joel and Amy are both headed toward their ultimate Bridegroom.  On that day, we won't miss each other because we will both be too busy basking in the unspeakable glory of what our earthly marriage was always supposed to be pointing to.  As wonderful as my relationship has been with Amy, I can't imagine how wonderful that day will be!

So over the past 19 years when arguments seemed to become more regular, or one of us thought the other seemed to be less tolerable, we've tried to look beyond each other, and toward what we promised God we would do our best to reflect--the very thing He expects marriage to reflect.  It hasn't always been easy, but God has a way of always out-giving us in every way, and I've certainly experienced that when it comes to how rewarded I feel by Him for our faithfulness to each other.

2. Because we allow each other to be who we are.  Amy runs almost daily, and is currently training for another half-marathon.  She genuinely loves to run.  If I'm running, its either because someone has a gun, or because I've come to the conclusion that I don't need to get any fatter than I already am.  Amy is a slow, careful, deliberate and thoughtful reader.  I go through books like chicken wings.  Amy likes to take her time in the grocery store.  I want to split up the list and do double the shopping in half the time.  When we vacation, Amy enjoys the journey.  I'm trying to break a record to get to the destination.

Bottom line:  we are different, and we allow for those differences in each other.  I have a pair of running shoes only because she loves to run.  She has a motorcycle helmet because she knows I'm most relaxed when I'm on my Harley in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains.  Because we know these things about each other, we make sure the other can make time for these things.  They come up every time we have a "calendar meeting."  And we do this because, in the midst of my work-related travel and publishing deadlines, and her juggling of the home schedule, we don't want to lose each other.  I thank God for a woman who, when she sees me stressed out, asks "so when was the last time you took a ride Babe?"

3. Because we are best friends.  I'll be brutally honest here:  When I was standing at the altar 19 years ago with my soon-to-be wife, I had a few things going through my mind, but none so intense as the thoughts of what we would be up to that evening!  (Cue the retching now from the peanut gallery.......)

And I know what some of you are asking, "but it wasn't just the physical attraction.  You did LOVE her, didn't you?"  And I will say yes, I loved her--at least as much as any 22-year-old BOY could love anyone. Furthermore, those feelings weren't wrong.  God put them there for a reason.  But, those feelings alone don't make a marriage last, principally because they come and go.  You'd be amazed at how quickly the sweet smell of cologne and perfume fades when the stench of dirty laundry and medicinal salve is in the room!

Over the years, Amy and I have had many "romantic getaways" when we hire a sitter and take off for a night away.  Our 10th anniversary was spent in Cozumel, and if we can get it worked out, we will spend next year's 20th anniversary milestone in Venice Italy.  

And then there are years like this one.  We were planning to go out for a quiet evening together at a local restaurant, but two of our three children have a stomach bug, so instead we will eat takeout, sit on our back deck, and be available in case one of them throws up.  Romantic, huh?

And over the past 19 years, we've had many more experiences like tonight than we've had trips to exotic Mexican destinations!  And through all of those experiences, we have learned that the best way to face them is to do so as friends.  There is nothing wrong with romance.  I've learned to enjoy it far more over the years. When we get dressed up to go out, Amy is always stunning.  Its funny, I can look at women's clothes on the rack, or jewelry in her jewelry box and not have a clue, but believe me, she knows where it all goes, and it looks really good when she gets it all in place!  She is beautiful, thoughtful and intelligent, and that makes candlelight dinners with her an exquisite pleasure.

Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with sex.  Matter of fact, I happen to think that sex is fantastic!  Sex can greatly enhance a permanent bond between husband and wife, but it cannot create that bond, and it isn't what makes a marriage last.  Prolonged sickness, a tough pregnancy, young children that won't sleep, stressful times at work, and a hundred other things can result in you being "on the bench" for a while where sex is concerned.  But you always have friendship, regardless of whether the lights are dimmed, whether you hear the kids puking in the background, or whether or not you can work out that getaway.  Friendship isn't dependent on context.  Its unconditional, just like the love we are commanded to have for each other in a marriage.

4. Because we have sought help.  Once early in our marriage a co-worker commented that Amy and I always seemed to get along so well.  "Do you ever fight?" she asked?  "Oh yeah, " I responded, "and sometimes, chains and billy-sticks are involved!"

I've known and pastored a lot of married couples, and the only ones I've known who never had a rough patch were those who had a problem with compulsive lying.  Amy and I have experienced those rough patches too, and one of the ways we made it through was to seek help.  Twice we have visited a counselor, because there was an issue we knew we needed to work through together, but weren't sure how to do it.  At that point, our marriage wasn't "about to fall apart" (if you wait that long, you might need more than a counselor!), but we wanted to stay on top of things together.

We have also been greatly helped through the years by other couples much older, who have been married much longer.  By living in relationship with them, we have learned from their mistakes, and gained much wisdom on how to improve our own relationship.  Professional counseling can be a good thing, but trust me, the guy with a Ph.D. who is on his third wife has nothing profitable to say to you about marriage.  On the other hand, if you can find a couple who has been married at least as long as you have been alive, you will most likely gain a lot of very useful wisdom.  Come to think of it, you shouldn't even be asking this 19 year veteran about marriage.  I'm still learning myself!  Instead, go to church and find that man who has been married for 40 or 50 or 60 years.  Find that sweet old lady who walks in every Sunday with a walking cane in one hand, and her husband's hand in the other.  You might learn something.  I know Amy and I have!

I am an undeserving, rotten-to-the-core, but forgiven and therefore incredibly blessed man.  I'm grateful to Jesus for holding us together for all these years, and I'm grateful to a wonderful wife and best friend who continues with me on this journey.  Happy Anniversary Amy!

Race Relations and the Gospel: What the Church Needs to Say.

150 years after a bloody civil war and the 13th amendment, 40 years after sweeping civil rights legislation, and 6 years after electing an African American to the most powerful office in the world, one tragic act of violence is all it takes to demonstrate the deep racial divide that still exists in this country.

Truth is, George Zimmerman is the only one still alive who knows for sure exactly what happened on that horrible night back in the spring of 2012.  Apart from context, it would appear that this was a simple case of an incredibly stupid young man choosing to pursue someone who posed no immediate threat to him, and another young man choosing to fight instead of run.  But given the long history of troublesome race relations in this country, there was no way that race was not going to play a prominent role in this trial, and the subsequent public discussion.  There has simply been too much hostility.

Of course, the United States isn't unique when it comes to the struggle for racial peace.  All over the world, people of various ethnicities have profiled, stereotyped, and prejudged each other.  Having traveled much of the globe, I could speak at length about the love lost between Chinese and Japanese, or the animus that is held by Mexicans toward Colombians.  But in our own country, the highest level of racial strain exists between black and white, and anyone even casually acquainted with our nation's history knows why.

The following post is from three years ago, and addresses the racial divide between black and white in light of sin and redemption.  There is a reason that, even at this time in history, rush judgments continue to be made based on the amount of melanin in the skin, and the answer runs more than skin deep.  The answer lies in wicked hearts, and the only ultimate answer is a Savior who died, and was raised so that in the end, there would be no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, no male or female..

Reading Leonard Pitts' Miami Herald Column in this past Sunday's paper was especially hard for me. Entitled "A Child's View of Black and White," the article described with painful detail new "doll tests" that are given to children to determine if racism might exist. Pitts, himself an African-American, rightly lamented the predispositions of children, both black and white, toward identifying "darker" dolls as "bad" and "dumb." More specifically, he cited an encounter with a young black girl who "did not think she was beautiful . . . because she is dark."

Concluding this very sad column, Pitts wrote in an exasperated manner that we are "40 years into a future where Michael Jordan is an icon, Bill Cosby is a national father figure, and a Kenyan's son is President of these United States. Forty years, and still . . ."

As should be expected, Pitts claims that such a national racial dilemma begs an explanation. "How do you explain the psychology of self-loathing and the futility of judging oneself by someone else's beauty standards?" This is an excellent question, and as a white son of the south, what made this article hard to read is that I know the answer.

There are many things about my background and upbringing that make me proud. The installation of a strong Protestant work ethic, and cultural emphases on honesty, integrity, and helping one's neighbor are just a few examples. My home culture's attitude toward race relations however, is not on this list. Growing up, I heard all the standard stereotypes aimed at anyone who didn't share my skin tone. I heard interracial dating and marriage condemned. And though I was told "we are all equal, no matter what color we are," I rarely saw this "equality" dealt out fairly in my hometown.

Thankfully, God has redeemed me from these ways of thinking. Yet the problem of racism still exists, and I have discovered that the southern United States isn't the only place where it can be found. Shortly after moving to Maryland nearly six years ago, I was shocked to sit in a barber's chair only to hear the word "n*gger" within the first five minutes from the guy cutting my hair. 40 miles north of the nation's capital, I found a more vitriolic form of racism in the northeast that I had never encountered in the south.

The truth is that racism's origins can't be defined by a region of the country, nor can it be traced ultimately to parental attitudes, cultural prejudices, or even extremist groups like neo-Nazis, the KKK, or the Black Panthers. Ultimately, each of these sources of race-based hatred finds its origins in the Garden of Eden, within the minds of our first parents who sinned out of a self-centered heart that desired the opposite of God's design.

Paul tells us in Acts 17:24 that God "made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth." In other words, God's intent from the beginning was to create a diverse human race that would bring Him glory. The various ethnicities that exist on our planet are not the result of the fall, as is so often contended by some ill-informed and badly-biased interpreters of the text. Each originated in the mind of our Creator for His own ultimate glory. Furthermore, we are told that this divine demand for diverse worshippers all over the globe will come to pass, as that great, uncountable multitude of human beings, "from every nation, from all tribes, peoples, and languages" stand before the throne of the Lamb crying out "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever!" (Revelation 7:9, 12, ESV)

In short, God intends to unite every ethnic group and language on the globe under the Lordship of Jesus for His own glory. As one of my mentors once stated, a unison choir is nice, but a choir that sings parts--the same song sung in various tones--sounds much more glorious. Racial and ethnic diversity exist because God is worthy of so much more than a unison choir at the end of the age. Race matters! And it matters because God matters!

Such is the reason why racism is such a deadly and dangerous disease in our culture. When Leonard Pitts describes it, he rightly laments the way human beings created in God's image are mistreated as a result, but he fails to see that the ultimate insult is against God Himself.

All of us are naturally more comfortable around people most like ourselves. When we allow this disposition to evolve into a prejudice, we have at that point made an idol of our ethnicity. When we show a preference for one person over another based on skin color, we are saying to God with our actions, "you are not worthy of ethnically diverse glory."

To summarize, racism is a direct offense against the Creator of all human beings. It represents a denial of and opposition to His aim to make himself known among all peoples so that He receives the glory that is His due.  It is a preference for our own glory--the lifting up of our own ethnic identity and value as created beings over His value as our Creator. This is what makes racism such an abhorrent evil.

And yet, racist attitudes are still "tolerated" among our churches. One recent example is a Louisiana Southern Baptist congregation that rescinded its invitation for an IMB missionary to speak because he and his wife had adopted interacially. I don't know whether such evil exists on a congregational level in any of the churches of the Mid-Maryland Association, but if it does, I'll go ahead now and invite that church to tender its withdrawal from our fellowship--before MMBA takes care of it for you! 

In the end, such a strong stand isn't about being politically correct. Ultimately, it isn't even about the treatment of fellow human beings, as important as that is. In the end, this issue is about whether our churches desire what God desires--a unified universal church where no ethnic or language group is left out! If your church seeks any less than this because of racial prejudice, your church isn't preaching the Gospel and it is very likely that you stand on the brink of being damned for eternity.

But there is yet another side to this issue. As Pitts rightly points out, we are 40 years beyond the civil rights movement--more than 145 years beyond the end of the Civil War and the ratification of the 13th amendment, and the spirit of racism is still alive and well. As a journalist, Pitts seeks, and fails, to understand why this is the case. To Pitts, it seems logical that a bloody civil war, sweeping constitutional changes, and monumental cultural shifts brought on by the Civil Rights Act should be enough to create a culture wherein racism no longer exists. 

And such would seem logical, were it not for the reality of sin. To be sure, all of the above were the right decision. No nation that presumes any moral authority should tolerate involuntary servitude or government-endorsed preference for any race. At the same time, the abolition of slavery, by itself, doesn't stop one from looking with disdain on his darker-skinned brother.  (Just read up a bit on the abuse of African Americans in the "free" states up north after the Civil War!)  Likewise, government emphases like Affirmative Action might help mask the symptoms of racism, but it will never cure what is really wrong with us.

The central problem is that we are in rebellion against our Creator and thus, we hate what He loves, including racial diversity. As such, the solution to racism is the same as the solution to all sin; a bloody cross and an empty tomb. If this message is genuinely preached and lived in our churches, the evil of racism cannot last long.

Pastors and churches overcome this issue by living the Gospel. Churches will confront--and if necessary remove from membership--those who are members of groups with racist ideology. A member of the KKK is no more qualified than a member of the Taliban to be a member of the local Baptist church.  Pastors will openly confront these sinful attitudes and call men and women who possess them to repentance. 

Diversity will be celebrated and reflected in a congregation's leadership, as elders and deacons are appointed who represent and look like the community they are called to reach. Pastors will emphasize the importance of being "equally-yoked" by teaching their people that this means marriage takes place within the same FAITH, not necessarily the same RACE. Interracial marriage ceremonies will be held that give church members a foretaste of the diverse worship that we are headed for in heaven. Interracial couples and families who have repented of sin and trusted Christ will be welcomed as the brothers and sisters in Christ that they are. Families in the church will adopt children from other nations, cultures, and ethnicities, and such will be celebrated in the life of the church. Denominational entities, from the local association to the national SBC, will take a strong stand on this issue, to the extent that churches which refuse to acknowledge God's plan for all nations are removed from fellowship.

A few weeks ago, I visited and consulted with a church in this area that has exemplified this value for years--a congregation of less than 300 people--from 61 different nations!  We need congregations like this one to lead the way.

We are racist toward each other because we have sinned against our God. Thus, the Gospel is the only message that can unite us. Churches that understand this and live it will ultimately heal the scars caused by racial prejudice. This the only context in which genuine racial unity can ultimately be realized. 

Great Deal on My New Book!

Last month, my new book Speaking from a Firm Foundation was released.  For the next two weeks, you can get it cheap!

The book is essentially a collection of articles I have written over the years, some here on this site, and others at places like Pastors Today by Lifeway, and The Christian Post.  The advantage of the book is that it organizes these writings by subject matter, so you can read in the traditional "front to back" style, or skip around to a subject you are trying to understand better.  The book is divided into eight parts dealing with issues such as truth, Gospel and culture, leaders and leadership, God's global mission, and how to think about and speak Biblically to significant moments.

Critical thinking is often absent in many conversations today.  Fact is, most of our national conversations are led by "talking heads" on the far left and far right, most of whom know little or nothing of what they speak, and merely seek to deepen divisions and line their pockets.  At the popular level, this often leads to lazy minds thoughtlessly committed to their respective political party or point of view.  It is tragic when any human mind is wasted in this way, but for a follower of Jesus, such waste is a sinful abuse of a great gift from God--the ability to think.

With each new generation, there is a need to apply God's unchanging truth in fresh ways.  In this book, I seek to model how to think through a broad range of issues from a distinctly Christian and Biblical perspective.

Though the bookstore retail cost is $17.99, you can get it for $5.99 by going here, and entering the discount code CJRVL4PB  when prompted.

Or, you can go here, and download the Kindle edition for only $2.99!

2013 Summer Reading List

Well, its that time again!  I'll be checking out for a month or so to finish up the final edits on my new book, and take some vacation time, which means its time for my annual summer reading recommendations.

"What are you reading?"  I've been hearing that question since I started out in ministry more than 20 years ago.  At first, it came from older, wiser and seasoned pastors who asked the question as a way of providing guidance to a young man just finding his way around a pulpit.  Years later, I still get this question--now from ministry colleagues as an avenue of inquiry and accountability.

What scares me is that now, after a couple of decades, people tend to take my answers seriously!  Whether I am old enough or wise enough to justify this sort of response I can't tell, but regardless, I'm always happy to recommend what I believe to be good (and also not-so-good, but necessary) reading to those who lead our churches.

The list below is quite diverse and as always, recommendation does not equal endorsement of everything contained therein, but if a pastor or church leader were to ask me for five books he/she should read over the summer, below are my recommendations for 2013:

1. Aubrey Malphurs, Look Before You Lead: How to Discern and Shape Your Church Culture  I'm convinced that many pastors fail to lead well--and some simply fail outright--because they don't understand the organizational culture of their church.  My only critique of this book is that for many leaders, it simply comes too late.  Had Malphurs written this book decades ago he might have saved a number of pastors the heartache of termination caused ultimately by misunderstanding.

But this book is more than simply a manual on how NOT to get fired.  Its a clear guide that helps pastoral leaders see beyond mere strategy, which ultimately is ineffective if not in sync with the culture of an organization, and churches are no different from any other organization in this regard (It was Peter Drucker who once said "Culture eats strategy for lunch!")  Malphurs clearly defines organizational culture by breaking it down  and defining its parts (behaviors, values, beliefs), and then applying this schematic to the church in a way that allows pastors and other church leaders to truly know their congregations, and thus, to know how best to lead them where they need to go.   I will be recommending this book to all incoming pastors in my Association.

2. Rachel Held Evans, A Year of Biblical Womanhood..  Evans has developed a reputation among Evangelicals as something of a gadfly, and her contrarian approach to issues is most clearly seen in this work.  All who hold to a Complementarian view of gender roles will strongly disagree with many of her conclusions, and a few will unfortunately allow their disagreement to fuel a hatred for the author.  I don't recommend this book because I agree with it.  I recommend it because, whether or not she intends it, Rachel Held Evans has provided pastors with a simulation exercise in approaching issues like this in a pastoral way.

Evans gets some things very right in this book.  Though she spends most of her time appealing to the worst expressions of "male headship," those expressions exist, and such chauvinism is still very present in many of our churches.  Pastors should stand with her against the propensity of many men to strictly define headship and "Biblical womanhood" against the backdrop of 1950s American culture.  Its just unfortunate that instead of turning to Scripture for an alternative, Evans appeals to her own strict definition as understood through the lens of 21st century feminism.

Yes, the book is at times careless, and the hermaneutical sloppiness it contains would never make it past week three of a freshman Bible college course. [There are plenty of genuine egalitarian scholars out there who approach these issues more substantively.  If you are looking for precision and carefully defined terms, Evans isn't your gal.)    But I recommend it to pastors for this reason:  Evans represents well what so many young women in our churches are thinking.  Additionally, the abusive expressions of manhood that so many women have experienced in our culture  creates a visceral and understandable reaction when the subject of male headship is raised.  I came away from this book with a much greater understanding of what is going on inside the heads of so many women, and why so many of them have a chip on their shoulder when it comes to the church.  Rachel Held Evans has helped me become a better complementarian, and I'd like to think she has also helped me become a better pastor.  I'm pretty sure that wasn't her goal, but I'm thankful for the insight, and I'm happy to commend it to others.

3. Eric Mason, Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole.  I searched for the link to this one on Amazon just after the last one, and it almost set my laptop on fire!

I've followed Eric Mason's ministry for several years now, and I'm so thankful for the influence he is having on the city of Philadelphia.  Those who rightly eschew 1950s style "male headship" shouldn't turn to 21st century feminism for the answer.  They should turn to Jesus, and Mason's book will help them do it.  Mason's thesis is simple: In Jesus Christ we have the only living, breathing example of perfected manhood.  If you want to know how a man should think, what a man should do, and/or how the essence of manhood is defined, don't look to Ward Cleaver or Tom Leykis.  Look at Jesus.  When you do, you discover that the essence of being a man is to take responsibility for yourself, and for those around you

Even in the church, men tend to vacillate between the wimp and the barbarian.  Mason's book is a great antidote that pushes men back toward the Gospel, and encourages them toward faithful leadership of their homes and churches.  Though at times the book is overly-verbose (well, he is a preacher after all!), I find that as a man I sometimes need said repetition in order to drill redeemed ways of thinking and living into my thick head, and I'm guessing most other men need this too because, well, we are guys!

4. James D. Bratt, Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat.  Anyone who reads this blog regularly already knows that Kuyper has heavily influenced my thinking relative to cultural engagement and world change by Christians.  Now James Bratt--the preeminent Kuyper historian, has assembled a thorough and comprehensive biography of his life that I honestly didn't think was possible.  Abraham Kuper lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  He was a Dutch Reformed pastor, newspaper editor, member of Dutch Parliament, and also served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands.  The influence of his thought on Dutch governance, education, and principled pluralism continues to impact that part of Europe to this day in profound ways.

 Bratt also describes how Kuyper's teachings on "sphere sovereignty" affected nearly every area of Dutch life.  Pastors who read this biography will read about a real-world and historically recent example of how theology should interact with and affect all societal domains, from education to health care to agriculture to transportation to science and technology to politics and governance.  Most pastors in my area have people sitting under their preaching every week who work in all of these areas, and through Kuyper's example pastors can learn how to equip and unleash the whole church to change the world in the way Jesus intended.

5. Andy Stanley, Deep and Wide:  Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend.  Andy Stanley is proof of the fact that, even within Christendom, people tend to hate what they don't understand.  From his innovative and (some would say) questionable methodology, to his outright refusal to enter into public debate with other Christians about his ministry, Stanley has certainly established himself as a sufficiently hated man.  And from where I stand, that would seem to put him in good company.

To be sure, I wouldn't do some of the things Stanley does, but this book helped me understand why he does what he does.  It also helped me understand that there are some things I should be doing that I'm not.  I understand that some will be turned off by the silent premise of the book--namely, that the church gathered on Sunday should primarily be about being "attractional."  I think its a valid point.  At the same time, Stanley is capable of something few pastors seem to be able to pull off:  hitting his target, and focusing relentlessly on that target.

If you are like me, and appreciate Andy Stanley's ministry, but have also had questions about why he does some of the things he does, this book will clear up much for you, and you will also learn quite a bit along the way.  Not every church is supposed to be exactly like Northpoint.  But if more would take Northpoint's lead by focusing more intentionally on non-Christians, we might actually be able to make the kind of cultural impact that Jesus expects of us.

Also available soon, my newest book, Speakiing from a Firm Foundation, will release in early fall.  In the mean time, you can also pick up Planting Churches in the Real World, and/or Side-Stepping Landmines and add these to your list for the summer!

Orphan Justice: A Guest Blog

Today, you have the privilege of hearing from my best friend in the world!  Almost 19 years ago, God allowed me to marry a beautiful, smart, fun, insightful, and godly woman, whose only handicaps (as evidenced by who she married) are blindness and bad character judgment.  :)

Most of my readers are aware that we are both an adoptive and multi-ethnic family.  While it is my great delight to play the role of "dad" to this bunch, many of the details of family life are handled by their mother.   These details included the tedious task of navigating local and state governments, two national governments and an adoption agency in order for she and I to bring our daughter home almost 3 years ago.  But they also include continued advocacy for orphans worldwide.  Today, my wife Amy recommends a recent book for anyone genuinely interested in the global orphan crisis, and what can be done about it.  My wife's wisdom comes largely from being a constant learner.  She learned much from Johnny Carr's new book, and wants others to learn from it as well, so that together we can live out the James 1:27 mandate to the glory of God. Enjoy!

Orphan justice involves more than playing an adoption-focused video in our churches on the first Sunday in November. I knew that.

I've been in orphanages in Central America. I have advocated for teens who are months away from aging out of a broken system. I regularly spearhead fundraising events for adoptive families. I make an effort to buy goods that are produced by companies with an upstanding record of global responsibility. I have begun to raise awareness about the slavery that goes on in our neighborhoods and around the world. In 2010, Joel and I traveled to the other side of the planet to bring a special needs child into my family. I thought I understood the global orphan crisis. However, I've learned that orphan justice is much more complex than I'd ever imagined.

"Developing a holistic model for orphan care forces us to dive into every aspect of an orphan's struggle, even when it's uncomfortable. The fact is that very few orphans around the world have only to deal with the emotional consequences of losing one or both parents...In the twenty-first century American church, we have wrongly dismissed many of these issues, and for that we need to repent. On other fronts we have been silent, and we must now become a voice." (pgs. 18-19)

Johnny Carr handles this issue with transparency and grace. I appreciate the way that he expresses his own journey into the adoption community and orphan care. He addresses multiple areas of crisis including human trafficking, poverty, HIV/AIDS, the orphanage and foster care systems, abortion and racism. At the end of each chapter he provides tangible ways that individuals and/or groups can become a part of the solution to these problems. 

The final paragraphs of each chapter begin with "ANYONE can...MANY can...A FEW can..." As I read these words, I found myself compelled to be one of the few.

153 million. That is the number of children in this world who have lost one or both parents. Many are slaves. Many are victims of poverty. Many are living on the street. Many will not live to see their next birthday. By then, more precious image-bearers of God will have taken their place. I once thought the solution was adoption. For some of these children, it is the perfect solution. I will continue to advocate for adoption until my final breath. However, more should and can be done. I am grateful to Mr. Carr for opening my eyes.

"Friends, this is war. Satan's great scheme is to destroy the family, and he seems to be doing a pretty good job of it. We must fight back in this spiritual battle." (pg. 185)


Want to help Satan in his cause? Do nothing.

You can pick up a copy of Johnny Carr's book here.