Thursday, March 1, 2012

Capitol Hill Baptist Internship

Below is a snippet from the Capitol Hill Baptist Church website detailing their pastoral internship program (read the full thing here: http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/we-provide/internships/description/). Sounds exciting. Not sure how I feel about not giving interns much in the way of actual ministry practice, but I think no matter what a young man couldn't fail to benefit from such an experience.

"What do you get when you drop six budding theologians into the perfect church, and attempt to grow their preaching, teaching, and other ministry gifts by plunging them headlong into practical and theological training? We aren’t really sure. You will have to check with some other church.

Nothing fancy happens in the Capitol Hill Baptist Church (CHBC) pastoral internship program. We simply want to unveil regular, day-to-day ministerial life and provide men aspiring to be pastors with an ecclesiological and pastoral grid for doing the work of ministry. How should the church be organized? Who should lead the church? Does the Bible discuss church membership? How does church polity affect the functionality of the local church? In addition to observing church life today, CHBC interns will spend much of their time engaging in conversation with great pastors and theologians from the past."

Why “Incarnational Ministry” Is Not the Best Terminology

I found this helpful, given my post on "crucifixional" ministry a few days ago.

Why “Incarnational Ministry” Is Not the Best Terminology

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Discipleship in the Church

Not a week goes by that I don't interact with someone concerning the need for discipleship in the local church (not least of all my own local church). Often, the sentiment gets expressed this way: "Our church doesn't really have anything in the way of discipleship- something needs to happen." As someone who values the Great Commission and who aspires to the pastorate, I take these types of comments seriously. I try to regularly give thought to how I can help meet the need for greater and more effective disciple-making efforts in my local congregation. Recently, I've been pondering the following "two-pronged" approach to discipleship in a local church.

First, we need to see everything we do as a church as part of the discipleship agenda. Often, what happens in many churches is that the preaching is thought of in terms of preaching, the worship in terms of worship, the small groups in terms of small groups, children's ministry in terms of children's ministry, etc. Discipleship, then, is thought of as its own separate category- just one band in the spectrum of what the church as a whole does. The first step- and the foundational one- for building a healthy discipleship-minded church is to dismantle these walls of segregation between the differing facets of the church's practices and begin to see everything the church does as disciple-making. If we think of discipleship in the broadest sense as helping people follow Christ and become like him, then everything we do that influences them in that process falls under the category of discipleship. Our preaching, then, as it informs and directs the minds and hearts of the hearers, is discipleship. Our worship, too, as it informs people as to how to praise and honor their God, is discipleship. Our small group ministry, as it connects individuals to other members of the body of Christ for encouragement and spiritual friendship, is discipleship. And so it goes for every aspect of the church's activity: as it all impacts the way in which people understand and actually proceed with following Christ, it is all discipleship. This is foundational.

Once we grasp that everything we do is to be thought of in terms of discipleship, we can then turn to the second "prong" in my approach to discipleship in the church. This involves engaging in the church in those sorts of ministries that people typically think of (at least that I typically think of) when they hear "discipleship." I have three different "levels" in mind.

First, I think of one-on-one mentoring. This is the classic vision of discipleship I suppose, the "Paul and Timothy" model, wherein an older, more mature saint takes a younger, less advanced Christian under his or her wing and helps that Christian along in their spiritual progress.

Second, I think of what might be called "gospel groups". In this approach, one Christian leader picks up a handful (in my way of thinking, two or three) of willing persons and bands together with them for a year or two, and together they spur one another on in not only their individual growth but also in their skill and resolve to make disciples of others. I've been part of such a group over the last year or so and it has been a wonderful approach to discipleship (though there is still much room to grow!).

Lastly, I have in mind so-called "gospel communities." These are, in my way of thinking, similar to gospel groups, though different in one important respect. In both gospel groups and gospel communities, there are inward and outward aspects. That is, both types of groups seek to build up the members of the group and also reach others outside of the group. The difference, though, to use a metaphor, is "which leg more weight rests on." In gospel groups, the weight rests upon the inward aspect: the group is designed to provide communal learning, mutual encouragement, and shared training. The outward aspect is there, but not as strongly as in gospel communities. In gospel communities, the weight firmly rests upon the outward aspect. The whole group is led by the vision of bringing the gospel through crucifixional lifestyles to the community, culture, and cosmos around them.

One-on-one mentoring, gospel groups, and gospel communities are only some of the ways a church can be involved in fulfilling the Great Commission. In fact, as we've seen, everything a church does should be viewed as part of the overarching agenda to make disciples. So let's stop talking about discipleship as though it were just one aspect of the church's mission. It is our mission.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Minister's Dying


“…always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you” (2 Corinthians 4:10-12).


The minister is to be a dying man. He dies so that others may live. O, he may not in actuality go to his death as a martyr (though that may indeed be the case). Yet, in his soul he is resigned each day to give up his life- his comfort, his reputation, his agenda, his safety, and yes, his physical life- if by this the life that comes through the gospel may be brought to those dead in their trespasses. In this he serves as a living imprint of his Master, who from birth had set before him the cross- that bloody device of torture and execution- and who for the joy set before him marched toward it resolutely.

Let all ministers and those preparing for the ministry recall: the model of ministry is the crucified Savior. Therefore, let us put away sloth and ease, fear and all inordinate comfort, and set forth on the Crossway, dying that others might live.

O God- forgive us that we seek comfort rather than the cross. Grant that we might be more like your beloved Son, who gave his life for ours. Amen.      

Monday, February 27, 2012

How is your swordsmanship?

I love this quote from Puritan minister William Gurnall. Though he is discussing the the way in which "sin shuns the light," I find his statements about the Sword of the Spirit particularly piercing.

"To a sinner, the light of truth is more blistering than a desert sun at mid-day (John 3:19). He shuns to walk where it is shining, and when exposed to it, will spare no expense to get relief. Satan is always at his elbow, ready to help him find a way to hide from its penetrating rays.
Does he hear the truth in a powerful sermon? Satan will sit alongside him in the pew and whisper nonsense to distract him. He may ask his plans for dinner, or what is on the docket for tomorrow. And if the sermon gets too hot, the devil will dull his senses and get him to doze until the service is over. Suppose a man's conscience strains toward the truth. Satan may then send him to hear a cool preacher, whose senseless prattle will tickle his fancy rather than prick his conscience. Oh, he may preach from the Word of God, but he does it gingerly. He is too cowardly to use the Sword of the Spirit in all its might and power, lest he 'offend' some members of his congregation. Many who dare to handle the truth and even admire it when encased in a scabbard would faint on the spot to see it drawn and bared."

William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour, Volume I, Abridged, Banner of Truth, 167.

gut check

Helpful words from the Prince of Preachers:

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2012/02/wretched-impediments-that-hinder-ones.html

Sunday, February 26, 2012

The Proclamation of the Truth

A number of days ago I posted on some the principles that I thought should guide pastoral ministry (again I should note: these are my current best attempts to address such principles). The first point- the preeminence of Christ- I posted more extensively on the other day. Tonight, I thought I'd give a bit of elaboration on my second point: the proclamation of the truth.

The pastor is to proclaim the truth about Christ. As a shepherd, he is to feed the flock of God with God's own Word. As an evangelist, he is to herald forth the only message that can bring life and immortality to light. Though everyone and everything should conspire against him in this task to make him quit it, he knows he is under divine mandate to persevere in this proclamation.

Two aspects make up this proclamation. The first is this: pastors are to preach the Word. That is, the pastor is to make it his aim to steadily, accurately, and courageously speak forth God's most excellent Word. It is through the Word preached that the Spirit gives new life. It is through this same Word that the Spirit causes this life to grow up into maturity, sanctifying and sustaining the believer until glory. Therefore, the pastor who would leave off teaching and proclaiming this Word cuts himself off from the very means God would have him employ to bring about these ends.

The second aspect related to the proclamation of the truth is this: the pedagogy of the saints. Pedagogy simply means teaching. Pastors should do what they can, not only to speak forth the Word, but also to educate the saints in all things relevant to the faith. Though above all else his ministry is that of the pure Word, still there is plentiful room in our churches for pastors who will teach the saints in a more didactic manner on such things as theology, interpretation of the Bible, and the history of the church, to name just a few possible areas of instruction. These things, too, fall under the heading of "truth" and assist in "renewing the mind" of the saints that they might more fully devote themselves as living sacrifices to their God.