Redrawing The Lines

If you haven't figured it out by now, I am an idealist. I believe that culture of family and church in most evangelical circles is not what it should be. I believe that we have allowed satan to erase the lines that help direct us to what God desires for our churches and families. What is very humbling is that in times past, I have been used by satan to do this work of erasing. I suppose that is why I am so passionate about making sure that the lines get redrawn. The days ahead are way too precious to waste wondering where to go for lack of direction.

So what are these lines? Well, Let me suggest 4 that we would do well to redraw in our churches and families:

1. Line One: Daily Spiritual Warfare - Ask any of my brothers in ministry and they will tell you that I am a broken record when it comes to this one. It's hard to re-draw a line that you don't realize has been erased. Doing spiritual warfare daily helps you to see what the enemy is doing and to find the help that the Lord is so ready to offer. As a resource to help you this area, download this very simple daily reminder: Daily Preparation For Spiritual Warfare

2. Line Two: Family Worship - This line is sorely lacking and any improvement in this area would help tremendously. It's not rocket science, its just families at least once a week turning off the TV and opening God's Word together. If you don't know where to start Providence Baptist Church has a 7 year Bible Reading Plan that you can easily download and follow.

3. Line Three: Churches That Equip Families - Churches have to re-focus their mission on equipping families instead of replacing them. We need churches and families that cooperate and help one another. This is the dynamic coming together of Deuteronomy 32:46-47 and Acts 2:42. This may sound simple, but its not. It's radical and its going to take some radical pastors to redraw this line. A good reference for this line is a book entitled reThink by: Steve Wright.

4. Line Four: The Preaching and Teaching of the Gospel - This line above all others is the one that satan fears the most. It is the only means of changing the hearts and minds of people. No lasting change can occur except through the teaching of the simple gospel. In fact the gospel is so simple, that until we are willing to simplify our lives to get down to its level we will continue to pass it by on the way to our next Bible study. If you need some encouragement in this area, let me recommend a book entitled The Bruised Reed by: Richard Sibbes.

Okay, so I am an idealist. I believe that someone is going to read this and take up their chalk to start redrawing with me. If you do, leave a comment and let me know. It's always easier when you have a helping hand.

The Missing Link: "Y" It Matters

One of the greatest missing ingredients in both families and churches is the "y"chromosome. It is undeniable that as a gender, men have a much poorer record of providing the stability in families and churches that is required. It is no surprise, therefore, that women are stepping into the roles that God clearly intended for men.

This can be evidence by the trend in ordinations to the ministry in the Church of England. On his blog, Dr. Al Mohler cites sources in the British media that show in 2006 more women than men were ordained to the ministry in the Anglican Church. The Sunday Telegraph of London reported this year that if the trend of ordaining more women continues, by 2025 the number of male and female ministers would be about equal. Now while this may seem irrelevant to us American evangelicals, the record of men in spiritual leadership is not much better. Consider the following by Dr. Mohler:

These are not unrelated developments, of course. The feminization of liberal Christianity grows more and more complete with every passing year. In the United States, the number of women enrolled in Master of Divinity programs now represents almost a third of total enrollment. Among mainline Protestants, the situation is much like that of the Church of England -- only more so. In many liberal seminaries, women students now vastly outnumber men.

The fact of the matter is this, in the absence of God-ordained male leadership the only means of survival for Christianity is through women or so the more liberal denominations claim. Now while I can appreciate the willingness of women to stand in the gap, the root of the problem is a deplorable lack of the y chromosome. Men, it's high time that we step up. If we fail to do so the children that these women leave behind in order to do our jobs will perpetuate this trend for generations.

Mea Culpa: Clarity Matters

There is an old saying that goes, "If you don't like the message, don't shoot the messenger." Well in this case, this messenger deserves to be shot a couple of times. I'm afraid that in my eagerness to follow a lead, I have overstepped my bounds. Having thus confessed, let me make something crystal clear.

This blog and its authors do not agree with the particulars of how Dr. Patterson handled the firing of Dr. Sherri Klouda.

What we have a real problem with are the un-Christian tactics that many have resorted to because of this action. Further, we affirm the Biblical teaching of proper male leadership in both the home and the church. That's all we are saying. I apologize if I confused anyone in this regard. So I invoke the words of good old Alexander Pope...

To err is human; to forgive, divine.

First and Goal: To Spread The Gospel

I love this time of year. The leaves are changing colors; the air is beginning to cool, and best of all: its time for football. I begin counting down the days, months before. I endure every hot, sweaty day eagerly awaiting those cool Friday and Saturday evenings when I don my game face and sweatshirt and head for the gridiron. Praise the Lord it’s finally here.

Now I’m sure that there are many of you guys and gals out there who can readily identify. I bet as you began to read this introduction your heart began to pound just like mine did as I was writing it. There is just something about that white-lined green field that excites and energizes people. It’s hard to explain it any other way than to say that Football is the last great American sport. It is a very powerful and integral part of our culture.

I am also reminded of a passage of scripture from the Apostle Paul that states:

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

- Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV)

Now while watching football is arguably a wise use of our time, doing kingdom work while watching football is not. Think about all the many avenues that this sport opens for the spreading of the Gospel. Consider the following statistic provided by research done by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes:

“A study shows that 41 million youth ages 6-18 participated in organized youth sports and just over 7 million participated in high school sports.”

Multiply that number of students by two (Dad and Mom) and the figure of Americans that participate in weekly sports like football are staggering.

There are many creative ways to use the popularity of this sport to share your faith. Many churches sponsor 5^th Quarter events where players and families are invited to an after game event with music and testimonies from local athletes. Other ideas can include offering your services as team chaplain, volunteering to take care of team hospitality needs, or even something simple as inviting a non-Christian neighbor over to watch a game. When this season passes and spring is on the horizon, lets look back on this time and rejoice at the opportunities that we took advantage of to do Kingdom work.

For more ideas click on the following links:

Fellowship of Christian Athletes -FCA

North American Mission Board - NAMB

Athletes In Action - AIA

Is Student Ministry Biblical? (Part One)

Just yesterday this blog was reviewed by an independent third party. One of the criticisms we received was that our format is too much like a lecture instead of a dialog. To a certain extent, I agree with the reviewer and so we are going to make a concerted effort to be more Socratic in our writing. Therefore, I start with a simple question: "Is Student Ministry Biblical?"

If the stats that we hear are true and 75% of our students are graduating from student ministry and are leaving the church, then obviously something is not right. So what is the problem? Is it youth pastors? Is it the curriculum we use? Maybe we don't have enough activities or big enough bands coming to play for us? If you asked 100 different youth pastors you would probably get 100 different answers. Still, I'm very curious as to what those answers might be. What is going on in student ministry? Is it Biblical? Is it effective? I want to know what you think. Don't be shy. Here is your chance to anonymously vent. Take advantage of it.

Integrity In Church Membership

Integrity as defined by Websters dictionary is a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic value. I have also heard a colloquial definition of integrity that says integrity is doing the right thing even when no one else is looking. Both of these definitions are sufficient but unfortunately neither of them can be strictly applied to the record keeping of many Southern Baptist churches.

The issue of integrity in church membership has been debated for years in small groups and behind closed doors. It has not, however, seen as much attention (for obvious reasons) like it has recently. Dr. Tom Ascol, pastor, and executive director of Founders Ministries has spearheaded a movement to discuss the issue in Southern Baptist circles. His ill-fated attempt to bring the issue to a vote at the Southern Baptist Convention this past June can be viewed by clicking on this link: SBC Integrity In Membership Video. Unfortunately, Dr. Ascol's resolution in support of church integrity was dead on arrival. Why you might ask? Good question, and frankly, I have no good answer.

What is encouraging, however, is that despite the lack of cooperation on the part of the SBC committee on resolutions, the issue is gaining steam among grassroots Southern Baptists. This issue also made its way into a feature article in the August 07 edition of Christianity Today. The CT article entitled, "Statistical Shell Game" talks about how Southern Baptists have boasted 16 million members when in fact the number is closer to 6 million. I guess we need to beef up our cooperative fund contributions to our SBC colleges for improving the math skills of our future pastors. Anyway you look at it, we need accountability. How can we expect to have a healthy church if half the members on our rolls couldn't even be found by the FBI? Its time for pastors and churches to lovingly practice church discipline and personal integrity no matter what the consequences. If we don't take this seriously then we run the risk of being relegated to the level of the charlatan hucksters that ran Enron into the ground. The time to practice integrity in membership is now!

Churches Live or Die By The Family

It may not come as a shock to many of you, but according to Professor W. Bradford Wilcox at the University of Virginia the success of the church is inseparably tied to the success of the traditional family. The research of Professor Wilcox was featured in Dr. Al Mohler's blog today. The entry can be found by clicking here.

According to Professor Wilcox,

Currently, men are 57 percent less likely to attend church regularly if they are not married with children, compared to men who are married with children. Women are 41 percent less likely to attend church regularly if they are single and childless. Marriage does more than bind a man to one woman; it also ties a man to a local congregation.

If anything this research should be a wake-up call for the church. What are we doing to create an environment that builds strong families. When I examine the weekly schedules of some churches, I have to scratch my head and just wonder what are they thinking. I will never understand how we have been sold on the bill of goods that in order to minister to families we have to separate them, throw activities at them, and condition students to depend on pastors instead of parents for discipleship. Shameful.

I hope that you will take the opportunity to read this article and think about the ramifications. Look at how your church treats its families. Especially take note of how your church treats the families of its pastors. If we wonder why our families in the pews are broken its because the families of many of our pastors are just as broken. We expect our pastors to live at church and minister to our families to the neglect of their own. Pastors, if you are reading this, don't let another week slip by without challenging your families to return to a biblical model. Set the example by arranging your schedule to center around your family first. The family you save may be your own and according to Dr. Mohler and Professor Wilcox you may be saving your church to boot.

Sex May Sell, But The Church Shouldn't Be A Market!

I confess that my perspective on modesty may be a bit strict. I am a recovering pharisee. When I was growing up girls and guys weren't even allowed to swim together because that was considered mixed bathing. (Funny I never saw any soap in the pool. Hmmm?) Having been since converted to the ranks of the reformed, however, I am happy to view all things through the lens of grace.


More and more, I find that some of the guidelines I used to follow in an attempt to win God's favor I am returning to because of God's favor. One of these guidelines is that women should dress modestly. I'm sure at this point many of you may be rolling your eyes and thinking: Here it comes, another tirade on short-shorts and bikini's. Actually I would like to examine this issue from a two institutions perspective and see if we can in an environment of grace find a way to encourage one another. So let me direct this post to two separate parties...

To Husbands, Fathers, Pastors, and Men in general - You have a spiritual responsibility to protect and preserve the purity of the women that God has placed in your care.

1.Make sure that your own heart and mind remains pure. Do whatever it takes!!! If you need any encouragement in this consult two sources 1. The Bible - Philippians 4:8,1 Corinthians 6:12; 2 Peter 2:19, Proverbs 6:25-28; Ezekiel 20:30; Ephesians 4:19, and 2. My post on Saturday July 14. 2007.

2. Be the man and share the truth in love when you daughter, wife, etc. is wearing something that is inappropriate.

3. Encourage our ladies when they set a good example and always love them and protect their emotional tenderness.

To Wives, Mothers, Daughters, Youth Leaders, Teachers, and Ladies in general - You have a spiritual responsibility to protect your brothers in Christ from stumbling.

1. Have a healthy view of your own femininity like that found in Proverbs 31. (No you don't have to be perfect, you just need to be godly)

2. Dress modestly. Let your apparel not distract us guys from your true beauty which is internal not external. - 1 Timothy 2:9

3. Help steer us guys away from situations that might cause us to stumble. In case you haven't figured it out ladies, we men are a little clueless sometimes. We need you to "have our backs" occasionally.

Okay, let me close by saying that despite the over sexualized culture in which we live, there are some things about which we can be encouraged. One good example of this is the article that inspired me to write this post. It was entitled Girls Gone Mild? and was posted on the ABC News website on July 20th. Go by and check it out. There are also some helpful websites and other resources listed at the end of the article.

Lets do everything we can to make the church a safe haven for both men and women to escape the pervading promiscuity in the world around us.

A Great Re-Awakening

Rest is good for the soul. It is good for many other things as well, but rest is most definitely good for the soul. I love long weekends. I love them because I am able to spend them with my wife and children. I love them because when my three year old asks me if I can stay with him at home all day, I don't have to tell him no. I love them because my 7 month pregnant wife gets the much needed relief of having an extra set of hands to help her with our two sons. There are many reasons why I love long weekends, but aside from the most important ones already listed, I love them because I get to read!

In this Memorial Day weekend I read and finished a book by Steve Farrar titled King Me and began a biography on William Wilberforce titled Amazing Grace, by Eric Metaxas. The Farrar book is great and a must read if you are a father of boys. I will comment more on that book at a later time. However, today's post has to do with some things I read in just the first 60 or so pages of the Wilberforce biography. William Wilberforce, Wilber to those who knew him best, has fast become a hero of mine. I will explain more in the coming weeks why this is so and why I chose his nickname as my moniker. However, the post today has less to do with Wilberforce the man and more to do with society in general of Wilberforce's day.

In Wilberforce's early years he lived with his aunt and uncle who were comtemporaries of George Whitefield, the Wesley brothers and John Newton. The society in England at this time was very anti Christian. The culture ruled the day. When Whitefield and the Wesley's came on the scene, everything changed. They were so different that they were given the name of Methodists because of their methodological approach to preaching a true Bible based Gospel. Instead of becoming like the culture to reach the culture, they were so different that they stood out like a sore thumb.

When people became genuine believers at this time, you knew it. It was definitely an in but not of life that they lived. Wilberforce was exposed to this at an early age and when his mother and grandfather got word of this they removed him from the care of his aunt and uncle because they did not want him being influenced by a fanatical movement. Many years later, as the Holy Spirit continued to draw Wilberforce, he would in fact respond to the Gospel. Wilberforce felt he must immediately leave the political arena because he couldn't forsee a scenario in which he could serve God and the people in that arena. After receiving some much needed counsel from John Newton, he decided that he must stay in politics to be a true light in the darkness. Someone who would not stand for Christ and culture, but that would stand for Christ in culture.

The Education pastor at my church, who also happens to be my boss, recently went to a conference in which he was in a room with several other ed. pastors from large churches and various denominations. The topic came up of reaching the culture for Christ and almost every church suggested a strategy that included becoming more like the culture to reach the culture. My pastor was in tears when he realized one of the main reasons we are not reaching the culture for Christ is because we are obsessed with becoming like them.

I pray for a return to the 1700's. A time when people could acutally tell a difference in believers and the world. A time when people who stood for Christ stood out. A time when people knew what it meant to count the cost and weren't ashamed to do it. If I hear one more pastor say that we need to be students of the culture to reach the culture, I think I might puke. It isn't healthy and it dang sure isn't Biblical. When God's people decide to live like God's people again, I believe we will see what 18th century Britain and America saw; a Great Re-Awakening to the power and freedom of the Gospel.