Archive for November, 2008

PREACHING	PROPHET-PRIEST-KING	*Ideal preaching brings the Gospel of Christ to bear on the whole person (mind, heart, soul, and strength) to inspire worship. Therefore all three perspectives/offices must be at their disposal to some degree. In order to effectively communicate the Gospel, a preacher must be able to blend the pulpit (prophet), the living room (priest), and the throne (king) aspects of Christ-centered preaching.
TEACHING	PROPHET-KING / KING-PROPHET	*Teaching elders must have a comprehensive grasp of the Gospel and Scripture, and an ability to interpret and apply Scripture in a way that effectively edifies the church. Theological astuteness, the ability to draw hard lines, a deep concern for the health of the body, and a heart for study and research are necessary attributes. Kingly problem-solving and organizational skills are also needed to foster effective teaching.
COUNSELING	PROPHET-PRIEST / PRIEST-PROPHET	*Counseling elders must be prophetically gifted, such that they can equip other counselors. Biblical counseling skills are primary, i.e. understanding how the Gospel is the answer to the heart’s deepest addictions and idols. The priestly qualities of compassion, encouragement, and a heart for the lost are needed, alongside a strong knowledge of the theology of sanctification: how people change and how we can help others change.
MISSIONS / JUSTICE / MERCY	PROPHET-KING / KING-PROPHET	*Missionary elders must be able to skillfully wield the sword of Scripture, with a strong grasp of the theological foundations for missiology and evangelism. In addition, a robust Christology will aid them in spreading both Christ’s mercy and Christ’s justice, seeking Shalom through charity as well as structural change. Kingly vision and strategic thinking are crucial elements for missional engagement, as the church strives to break yokes and rebuild walls with the Gospel.
WORSHIP	PROPHET-PRIEST / PRIEST-PROPHET	*The Worship elder must have prophetic giftings in order to rightly preach the truth of Christ through music, for we worship in spirit and in truth. Someone who merely leads worship uses music to work on people’s emotions, whereas the Worship Leader uses music to preach truth and draw worshippers to the Cross. Priestly gifts of compassion, mercy, and sensitivity to the Spirit’s movements are also key. They must be able to recruit and equip other believers with musical skill.
ADMINISTRATION	PROPHET-KING / KING-PROPHET	*Ruling elders must be first and foremost prophetically gifted, since Scripture is the foundation for how the church should be organized and operated. A sound grasp of Biblical Ecclesiology is crucial for effective leadership. Kingly attributes are a necessity, i.e one must be an organizationally-driven strategic thinker, strong with systems, policies and procedures, and big on building and innovating for the forward movement of the Gospel and Christ’s kingdom.

DEACONS

TEACHING (BIBLE STUDY, MEN’S, WOMEN’S, CHILDREN’S MINISTRY)	PROPHET-KING / PROPHET-PRIEST	*Teaching deacons must be theologically astute. They must be able hold strong to sound doctrine and practice, and submit to the church’s theological vision for ministry. Skills in teaching practical theology are exceedingly helpful, e.g.biblical manhood and womanhood, stewardship, marriage, parenting, work, sexuality, etc., so that the church can grow in it’s understanding of Biblical worldview and Gospel-shaped living. A solid grasp of the principles of inductive bible study and the basics of biblical interpretation as also key attributes.
COUNSELING (COMMUNITY, RECOVERY, & GRACE GROUP LEADERS)	PRIEST-PROPHET / PRIEST-KING	*Deacons who operate in a counseling function, such as community group leaders, must have a working knowledge of sanctification, to the extent that they can point people to the path of Gospel transformation, true heart change. Priestly gifts of encouragement and sacrificial service, and/or kingly abilities in organization and planning are also helpful for facilitating the one-anothering ministry of community.
MISSIONS / JUSTICE / MERCY MINISTRY (TEAM LEADERS)	KING-PROPHET / KING-PRIEST	*Missions leaders must have strong kingly gifts in order to organize, plan and motivate on local/international ministry endeavors. Prophetic giftings, including a working knowledge of missiology and the biblical principles underlying cultural engagement will enable them to inspire others and communicate the vision of the church’s justice and mercy efforts effectively. Priestly gifts are helpful when opportunities for evangelism, worship, intercessory prayer and encouragement are presented.
WORSHIP (ASSOCIATE WORSHIP LEADERS)	PRIEST-PROPHET / PRIEST-KING	*Worship leaders and musicians are instruments of God’s grace. They fulfill the levitical, priestly role of mediating the praise and glorifying of the Lord through music, but in order to do so, they must exhibit worshipful hearts themselves. In a prophetic function, they will need to understand the theology behind the hymns and spiritual songs that they sing, such that some can be equipped to write their own music for the church. Kingly organizational skills are helpful for leading large groups of rotating worship volunteers.
ADMINISTRATION (OPERATIONS LEADERS)	KING-PROPHET / KING-PRIEST	*Strong kingly gifts are primary for operational deacons, as they are responsible for leading large groups of servant volunteers who assist in setup/tear-down, hospitality, ushering, serving communion, parking, etc. Kingly managerial skills are a must, while prophetic and priestly gifts are of benefit for addressing various theological errors and moral sins that arise in the process of leading those groups.

The Gospel of Paul

// November 27th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Article: The Gospel of Paul (click for online version)

From Portland Monthly Magazine – with Paul Young, author of The Shack (Download PDF)
For a theological analysis of The Shack, click here: Challies.com Book Review

Points of Theological Error:

The Doctrine of the Trinity: Who is God?
Leadership, Hierarchy & Authority within the Trinity (Functional Subordinationism) and within the Body (Submission)
The Necessity of the Local Church and Biblical Guidelines for the New Testament Church
The Atonement, The Wrath of God and Penal Substitution
In the Portland Monthly article, he refers to his adultery as an “affair”. And he refers to the whole fiasco – his downward sin spiral, adultery, midlife crisis, financial meltdown, etc. – as a “personal reboot.” That made me cringe.

Revisionist Theology:

Note to self: Beware of anyone who writes a book on theology and describes themself as a “former pastor turned freelance Christian thinker.” That’s code for the disgruntled children of evangelicalism, with a chip on their shoulder and a bone to pick. The Shack is a book of fiction, but it is a deeply theological book, intended to communicate theological truths. Here are some interesting quotes from the article:

“All religions, as institutions, are trying to appease an angry God. People are realizing that an angry God doesn’t work. People are looking for something that calls for some personal authenticity.” – Paul Young

“Why the repression of women in leadership roles in the church? Why has Scripture been translated and interpreted this way? Those questions take you straight into the nature of God. Is God 51 percent male and 49 percent female, or what? I’ve always been a questioner.” – Paul Young

“I grieve over the fact that this book seems so edgy to evangelicals because I think God is actually even edgier than this book.” – Paul Metzger, Multnomah Biblical Seminary

“Something profoundly new is coming, and right now we’re in between. Many people feel like evangelicalism as it exists is a failing project. I think a lot of evangelicals who read The Shack think, ‘Wow, this is the God I would prefer to believe in, rather than the God of the culture wars.’” – Michael Spencer, InternetMonk.com

“A lot of this is about power and control. Doctrine, and the interpretation of doctrine, has become like property. We don’t live in a feudal system, where you build a wall around your castle. We’ve turned intellectual property – whether it’s your idea of the Trinity or whatever else – into the ground that we wall off and defend.” – Paul Young

“People see the Trinity as an abstract concept that’s best left alone…what Young does is take that concept off the shelf, and say that it is real, not abstract, and that God is involved in our lives.” – Paul Metzger, Multnomah Biblical Seminary

“I used to know what God was up to, and I would spend a lot of time telling other people what that was. I don’t do tht anymore.” – Paul Young

Liberal Evangelicals like Paul Young are guilty of revisionist theology, i.e. attacking God’s character, Gender Roles, Substitutionary Atonement, Authority of Scripture, The Doctrine of the Trinity, etc. They want to sand off the rough edges of the Gospel, to leave out the offensive or confusing parts. Our job is not to revise or repaint the Gospel, i.e. to make it more palatable and relevant to people. Our job is to steward and display the Gospel, i.e. to show people how the Gospel is already relevant to their lives. In a similar way, an art teacher does not need to “repaint” the Mona Lisa in the style of anime, or graphic novel art, for today’s students to understand it. It’s a masterpiece that needs no revision. The teacher simply needs to interpret it through their language and apply it to their cultural context so that the students can appreciate it’s full beauty and meaning. It’s about contextualing the message without compromising it.

Paul Young’s definition of the Church:

From “The Gospel of Paul” article:

I ask Young if he goes to church. For the only time during our meeting, I catch a wary glint in his eye. “Do you mean, am I a member of a particular religious institution?” he says. “No. Do I show up in religious institutions all the time? Yes. Usually by invitation. Am I part of a community of people who try to live their faith and discover what love is? Yes. That’s what I consider church. The church is people.”

Wayne Jacobsen/Dave Coleman/Jake Colsen’s new book So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore

From Challies.com Book Review

By the book’s closing pages, Jake has left the church and now meets irregularly with an irregular group of people from his community. This is presented as being a form of authentic spirituality that is closer to the biblical model than that which is practiced by the vast majority of Christians today…the better alternative to church as most Christians know and experience it.

Interesting quotes from the book:

“Most of what we call ‘church’ today are nothing more than well-planned performances with little actual connection between believers. Believers are encouraged toward a growing dependency on the system or its leadership rather than on Jesus himself. We spend more energy conforming behavior to what the institution needs rather than helping people be transformed at the foot of the cross!”

“Jesus indicated that whenever two or three people get together focused on him, they would experience the vitality of church life.”

“My favorite expression of body life is where a local group of people chooses to walk together for a bit of the journey by cultivating close friendships and learning how to listen to God together.”

“By providing services to keep people coming, [an institution] unwittingly becomes a distraction to real spiritual life. It offers an illusion of spirituality in highly orchestrated experiences, but it cannot show people how to live each day in him through the real struggles of life.”

“The more organization you bring to church life, the less life it will contain.”

“As long as we see church life as a meeting we’ll miss its reality and its depth. If the truth were told, the Scriptures tell us very little about how the early church met. It tells us volumes about how they shared life together. They didn’t see the church as a meeting or an institution, but as a family living under Father.”

“Any human system will eventually dehumanize the very people it seeks to serve and those it dehumanizes the most are those who think they lead it.”

“[God's wrath at the cross] wasn’t an expression of the punishment sin deserves; it was the antidote for sin and shame.”

Vintage Church by Dr. Gerry Breshears and Mark Driscoll:

Definition: “The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the great commandment and the great commission as missionaries to the world for God’s glory and their joy.”

In the book they then go on to examine the nine marks of the true local church as:

Regenerated church membership

Qualified leadership

Gather for preaching and worship

Sacraments rightly administered

Unified by the Spirit

Disciplined for holiness

Obey the great commandment to love

Obey the great commission to evangelize and make disciples

This conversation will soon move from the Trinity to what the role of the Church is in the life of believers. 85% of churches in the US are plateaued or declining. That fastest growing segments are Liberal Emerging churches with revisionist theology, and Relevant Reformed churches with sound doctrine, e.g. Tim Keller’s Redeemer movement in New York and Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill movement in Seattle. When the battlefield shifts to the questions of ‘what is a church?’ and ‘why are Christians called to serve their local church?’, we need to recommend books like Vintage Church, instead of So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore The words of Paul in his first letter to Timothy are words we need to keep in mind as we recommend books to people: “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim 4:16).

For an understanding of the Atonement, The Wrath of God, and Penal Substitution, here are some helpful resources:

The Bible
Books on Penal Substitution
Books on the Cross
Death by Love: Reflections on the Cross – sermon by Mark Driscoll
Death by Love: Letters from the Cross – book by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears

Conversations with a Skeptic

// November 26th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

This is series of conversations between Michael Amini, President of the Secular Union at UW, and Matt Jensen, director of college ministry and elder-in-training at Mars Hill. If you’re watching these videos, I pray that they would challenge you to be a thinking Christian, who can contend courageously for your faith, and at the same time, treat others with the same grace and patience that God has treated you. Too many of us have grown complacent with a personal faith that suits us alone, when we should seek to grow deeper in our understanding of the Gospel, church history, apologetics, world religions, cults, scientific issues, philosophical argument, etc. Too many of us settle for a superficial faith (because we’re selfish and lazy), instead of desiring to be used mightily by God as an evangelistic, missional, transformational agent of Christ’s redemption in the world. This guy isn’t even an elder/pastor yet, he’s a deacon. Convicting…

Conversations With A Skeptic Part 1

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Conversations With A Skeptic Part 2

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Reflections on Part 2 – CLICK HERE

Conversations With A Skeptic Part 3

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Conversations With A Skeptic Part 4

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The Life of a Disciple: Submission

// November 25th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Submission is an ethical theme that runs the gamut of the New Testament. It is a posture obligatory upon all Christians: men as well as women, fathers as well as children, masters as well as slaves. We are commanded to live a life of submission because Jesus lived a life of submission, not because we are in a particular place or station in life. Self-denial is a posture fitting for all those who follow the crucified Lord. . .The cross-life is the life of voluntary submission. The cross-life is the life of freely accepted servanthood.

from Richard J. Foster’s Celebration of Discipline.

Downloads:

I. The Life of a Disciple: Submission

a. The Discipline of Submission – Chapter 8 of Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

Moleskines Unite!

// November 24th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

[This goes out to all my fellow Moleskine addicts.]

In his latest sermon, The Peasant Princess: Into the Fields, Mark Driscoll mentioned his affinity for the Moleskine and went in depth on how he uses it to plan and organize his life. Being a Moleskine freak myself, I have found yet another reason to like the guy. This is not good…

The Moleskine and Practical Christian Living:

He gets into it about a third of the way through the sermon. Why such a practical sermon? Listen to the conclusion. Paul says this to Timothy in the New Testament, “Watch your life and your doctrine closely” (1 Tim 4:16 NIV). Too many of us neglect the life piece.

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Part of getting saved involves the realization that God has called you into a new way of living. The Lord saves us from our old life of folly and the pursuit of sin into a new life of purpose and meaning, where the wisdom of God is available to us through Jesus. We realize that Jesus has called us to a difficult mission, and at once we are blatantly confronted with our own inadequacy, our own weakness. God calls us to embark on a perilous journey that will demand great fortitude, discipline, organization and perseverance from every part of us, but we’re confronted with the grim reality that we are lazy, disorganized, impulsive, procrastinating, and fickle people. And yet somehow God looks at us and says, “I can use a guy like that.” That amazes me.

God puts us on this earth to do some things, primarily to worship Him, and then to participate in his mission. He uses weak, broken people to do it, because He knows that if these people can accomplish anything for God’s glory, everyone around them will know that God is actively working miracles in people’s lives. God wants His glory, and He uses the foolish to shame the wise, the weak to shame the strong (1 Cor 1:27). The question is how do we respond in faith and organize our lives so as to be effective “instuments in the redeemer’s hands”, sharpened rather than blunt? In my journey with God, I’ve come to realize that journaling is a crucial spiritual discipline that God gives us to connect truth to practical living. The Bible reveals the truth about God to us, we respond in prayer, and journaling is all about writing down the things God is teaching us, identifying the street-level action items, acts of worship, that the Spirit has brought to bear on our hearts. Large sections of the Bible are the personal journal entries of godly men, take for instance the book of Nehemiah.

Now we come to the beauty of the “Pocket Book.” I am convinced that the most effective tool I use to organize my life, and execute on the things God has called me to do, is a simple black pocket book. I carry it with me wherever I go. Some people use PDAs, iPhones, or day planners, but I’m keen on a simple stack of paper and a pen. It allows me to organize my daily activities, make to-do lists, prioritize action items, get my thoughts down on paper, and respond to the Holy Spirit as He imparts things on my heart and mind throughout the day. My all-time favorite pocket book is the Moleskine Volant, which was recently re-released in the US to joyous applause from Moleskine freaks like myself. The extra-small is 2.5 x 4 inches, flexible, thread bound, with acid-free paper and a set of detachable sheets in the back, perfect for loose notes. It’s ideal.

Moleskine Volant

A close second is the Nava Milano “One Year of White Pages”. It’s a set of 12 pocket books, hole-punched to identify each month of the year. Solid.

Nava Milano One Year of White Pages

To learn more about the Moleskine, check out these links:

Moleskine History

Moleskine.com

Moleskinerie

Moleskine: The Ultimate Guide

To learn more about the Moleskine version of the ESV Journaling Bible, check out these links:

Crossway’s ESV Journaling Bible

Monergism Discount

Miscellanies: ESVJB

To learn more about the Moleskine and Personal Productivity, check out these links:

Getting Things Done with a Moleskine

Moleskine PDA

Hacking a GTD Moleskine

Anatomy of a GTD System

The following is a list of blog posts written by a M.Th student at Covenant Theological Seminary regarding personal productivity and getting things done. Parts 3, 4, and 5 speak specifically about how a Moleskine can be used as a personal productivity tool.

GTD Part 1

GTD Part 2

GTD Part 3

GTD Part 4

GTD Part 5

My ideal pocket writing utensil: The Cross Compact Black Fountain Pen.

Total Church Conference 2008

// November 19th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Total Church North America Conference 2008. Total church is a way of thinking about church and mission in the 21st century which sees the local Christian community as integral to Christian living and Christian mission. The Christian life is ‘total church’ – our identity is communal. View all at the Session Archive or browse the Main & Breakout sessions below:

Main Sessions:

A Community-centered Gospel – Steve Timmis

The gospel is about a King who died to rescue a people who would reveal his character by their shared lives. In keeping with who I am ‘in Adam’, I individualize and privatize the gospel so that church is reduced to a necessary but often intrusive addendum. The gospel calls us to live ‘in Christ’ corporately and so show the power of the cross to reconcile and create community. (A Community-Centered Gospel Q&A)

A Gospel-centered Community – Steve Timmis

The gospel is that which creates, sustains, nurtures and perfects the church. To achieve this, the gospel needs to be at the center of all we are and do as the people of God. The gospel needs to be taken out of our pulpits and meetings and applied into the mundane and routine of our corporate and personal lives. (A Gospel-Centered Community Q&A)

Rethinking Attractional Church – Tim Chester

Attractional church (‘come to us’) and missional church (‘go to them’) are often set up as alternatives, yet throughout the Scriptures God calls his people to a life that attracts the nations. We can bring attractional and missional approaches together by re-conceiving church as a community rather than an event. (Rethinking Q&A Session)

Remodeling Attractional Church – Steve Timmis

As we focus more on the quality of our lives together rather than the slick performance of our Sunday meetings we will see how a gospel community is an integral and indispensable piece of the evangelism jigsaw. In fact, people won’t be able to fully understand the magnitude of what God has done in Christ without it. (Remodeling Q&A Session)

Making Disciples for Missional Church – Tim Chester

‘I’m free and belong to no man’ could be the slogan of our age. But Paul continues: ‘I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.’ What kind of people are going to sustain a church planting movement? This session explores how the cross and resurrection should shape our lives. (Making Disciples Q&A)

Making Disciples in Missional Church – Tim Chester

This session looks at how we train and pastor one another in the context of ordinary life and the context of Christian community.

Breakout Sessions:

Being Neighbors: a Gospel Strategy (Steve Timmis)

When so much emphasis is placed on being missional and incarnational, contextual and radical it’s easy to forget the simplicity and significance of the truth that gospel makes us into lovers, of both God and others. Instead of trying to send out edgy, hardcore dudes with body piercing and tattoos, we should be satisfied with sending people who will be the neighbors everyone wants to have as a neighbor.

Forming a Gospel Community (Jeff Vanderstelt)

Now that many are aware of the need to form gospel communities, how do we move from theology and theory to actual forming and leading them? This session will explore the process and the specifics of moving an individualistic group of people toward a gospel-centered community on mission.

One-Anothering: A Communal Gospel (David Fairchild)

Why are so many Christians detached and isolated from one another? How can we experience a radically reshaped community? What kind of social ethic does the Gospel produce? What would it look like if we lived lives together as if the Gospel were true? Join us as we unpack the various “one another” passages in a quest to answer these questions together.

Evangelising the Urban Poor (Tim Chester)

We have endless resources on reaching postmoderns, most of which in fact address student and professional culture. In comparison there’s very little on understanding and reaching the urban poor. Drawing on insights from biblical counselling, this session suggests some ways forward for evangelizing and discipling the urban poor. Join the work-in-progress!

Story & Rhythm of Soma Community (Caesar Kalinowski)

Reading Cultural Texts (Mike Gunn)

This is a missional gaze at pop culture. We will be taking a look at the “Other” gospels in our culture (Media, film, books, etc.), and how to read them in a way that can help propel you to a better understanding of them for the sake of the gospel. We will look at the reason why this is important to our mission, as well as, some help for understanding and engaging pop culture in authentic ways.

Out of the Frying Pan… (David Fairchild & Mark Moore)

Is God calling your church out of Ur? How do you get your church to move from traditional to missional? Both Mark Moore and David Fairchild are practicing church planters that initially planted relatively traditional churches built around the Sunday gathering. As they labored to develop deep community as a gospel display people for their cities, they realized things needed to change. Come and hear their stories and insights as they share what pitfalls to avoid and what challenges to accept as missional leaders. This breakout is intended for anyone looking to turn the corner missionwards!

Beyond Total Church – Sowing the Seeds of a Movement (Tim Chester)

How can we plant churches that plant churches? What can we learn from church planting movements? How can we build in reproducibility?

Communication in a Post-Christian World (Drew Goodmanson & Caesar Kalinowski)

The culture is changing and it requires new thought in communication. This session will help you learn how to effectively minister in a post-Christian context. Come learn the 1) five values of this Post-Christian generation, the 2) ten idols that enslave them and 3) effective ways to communicate the eternal and unchanging gospel message.

The Everyday Rhythms of a Gospel Display People (Jeff Vanderstelt)

The gospel community is called to be a display of the gospel in everyday ways of life so that others might see what their life would look like in the gospel. In order to do this, the church needs to lead their people to identify everyday practices and then lead them to live out their identity in Christ within them. This session will identify some of those everyday rhythms and and then explore how we can display the gospel through them.

True Gospel Community in a Truly Big Metroplex (Mark Moore)

Being a gospel community that does life and mission together is sometimes easier said than done. This is especially the case in large cities that are characterized by sprawl as well as population. This session will concentrate on leading your people to make missionary decisions in their everyday lives in response to the gospel. Specific challenges to this way of life in a metroplex setting will be examined.

Reaching the Domains of Society (Drew Goodmanson & Caesar Kalinowski)

How do we bring gospel renewal to our cities in the 7 pillars of society… Business, Education, Healthcare, Government, Media, Social Services [including other churches] & Marginalized? We believe the gospel informs all of life and this good news helps shape how we view the world and our involvement in it. How do we equip Christians to engage in redemptive work in science, politics, art, culture, business, economics, education, local concerns, mercy ministries, social justice, environmentalism, law, media, social concerns and spirituality.

Panel Q/A Session

Wrapping up Total Church (Tim Chester)

This session will be built around the questions of those attending, especially concerning the application and implications for the issues Tim raised during his main sessions.

Developing Missional Leaders (Jeff Vanderstelt)

There is plenty of opportunity to hear and learn about being a gospel-centered church on mission. And, after a few days at a conference, the tendency of teachers and preachers is to go home and tell our people to get going. If we are going to lead a gospel-centered church on mission we must do more than that. During this session we will explore some ways to identify, equip and support a group of gospel-centered leaders to share in leading the mission with us.

Urban Discipleship (Mike Gunn)

The city holds more than 50% of of the world’s population, and is growing rapidly toward a world-wide megalopolis, while the church continues to migrate to the suburbs. The city also holds both the keys to the culture, and abyss of brokenness. In America our cities are becoming multi-ethnic/racial posing unique challenges and opportunities for our churches. In this session we will take a look at the role of the church (Make disciples), what it looks like to make disciples, and why we should be doing it in the cities of West and the world!

Midrash: John 4

// November 17th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Midrash is a Hebrew word that simply means “commentary.” At River West, our sermon-based community groups are focused on developing a deeper relationship with the Living Word Jesus Christ by spending time in God’s written word the Bible together as a community of Christ. Developed by Pastor Adam McMurray, the Leader Guides provide supplemental commentary for helping community group leaders facilitate discussion and application.

11/16

John 4:1-26

Life Changing Encounter with Christ (Notes: PDF)

11/16 Leader Guide

Deacon Training

// November 17th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

The following deacon training resources come from Church Planting Novice, the personal blog of Jonathan Dodson, lead pastor of Austin City Life, along with Goodmanson.com, the personal blog of Drew Goodmanson, elder/pastor at Kaleo Church in San Diego.

Deacon Candidate Interview Questions

Jonathan Dodson. October 2, 2008.

In preparation for our Fall Deacon Training, I found these interview questions from Tim Keller very helpful:

Purity. Are you leading a sexually pure life? (What do you consider a sexually pure life?)
Possessions. Do you understand the Biblical tithe to be for Christians of the giving to the Lord’s work? Are you giving out of your income in Biblical proportions, or are you moving toward that standard?
Personal walk. Describe your prayer and devotional life. Has God been real to you in prayer of late; is your relationship with him vital? Is anything hindering your communion with God? Are you making progress against it?
Ministry Involvement. Tell us of how you have been involved in people’s lives in ministry through _____ or through other organizations in the City. Do you have any non-Christian associates that you are regularly praying for and sharing faith with?
Office affinity. Describe for us the duties of deacon/deaconness. How do your gifts, abilities, interests fit this office?

Taken from the Redeemer Church Planting Manual

Here’s the list of topics we are covering each month:

October 5, 2008 – 1^st training meeting @ Dodson’s house

Discussion topic: A Theology of Deacons

Assignment: One Page Reflection Paper on 1 Tim 3:8-13

November 2, 2008 – 2^nd training meeting @ Dodson’s house

Discussion topic: The Practice of Deacons

Assignment: One Page “Dream” Ministry Description

December 7, 2008 – 3^rd training meeting @ Dodson’s house

Discussion topic: Holding to the Mystery of Faith

Next Assignment: One Page Summary of the Gospel

December 8-14, 2008 – Interviews and Installation

Deacon Training - I (Theology of Deacons)

Jonathan Dodson. October 6, 2008.

Tonight we had our first of three sessions on deacon training. I was moved by the number of quality of potential deacons sitting in our house. God has been so kind to Austin City Life! In preparation for training our deacons, I did the following:

Studied the deacon passages of Scripture
Read Alexander Strauch’s Ministers of Mercy and re-read Mark Driscoll’s A Book You’ll Actually Read on Church Leadership.
Re-read Darrin Patrick’s notes on developing-elders-deacons-members. For the audio, click here.
Read Bob Thune’s paper, Deacons: A Theological Study
Read Tim Keller’s section on Leadership Development in the Redeemer Church Planting Manual
Oh, I found this deacon outline after the training, which is quite good. I agree with most of it.

Then I wrote and mailed a letter of invitation to potential deacons, gave them a copy of Driscoll’s book, and developed a teaching outline for our three session Deacon Training. In all of this I borrowed heavily from Bob Thune and David Fairchild. Thanks guys!

Deacon Training – II (Practice of Deacons)

Jonathan Dodson. November 3, 2008.

As we continue the process of developing deacons, our most recent meeting focused on The Practice of Deacons. A previous post lists resources for A Theology of Deacons, the focus of our first meeting. In attempting to work out the practice of deacons, we found it helpful to make a distinction between two areas of service-community and mission-focused deacons.

There are two main areas of service-community-focused and mission-focused service. Mission-focused deacons serve in ways that change over time. For example, the Early Church probably didn’t have Media or Arts Deacons but they did have deacons that served widows and orphans. As the church expands and contracts throughout history, moving from continent to continent, culture to culture, the expression of the church varies. As a result, there are some areas of service that remain the same and others that change. Consequently, the cultural and historical expression of the church requires deacons that serve the mission of the church and deacons that serve a church of mission.

There are deacon ministries that are pretty standard, transcultural and transhistorical such as: mission/social justice, community/benevolence, financial. These ministries have historical and biblical precedent, focusing not so much on outward mission but more on inward ministry to the community of faith. In summary, there are community-focused and mission-focused areas of ministry for deacons, ministries that serve the mission of the church and ministries that serve the church of mission.

Deacon Training – III (Holding to the Mystery of Faith)

Jonathan Dodson. Content coming December 7, 2008.

Deacon Training & Development

Drew Goodmanson.

I’ve had a couple people ask what we do for Deacon Development, so I thought I’d post it for anyone to use. First, we believe that the Deacon (or elder) process is just a confirmation of what God has already done. Meaning our Deacons are already active in serving and running ministries prior to our beginning the process. I meet with a group of these servant leaders on a monthly basis and try to meet with them one-on-one throughout the month. In addition to this time, here is what we do:

1. I meet with Deacon candidates and we go through The New Testament Deacon: The Church’s Minister of Mercy with the accompanying The New Testament Deacon (Study Guide).

2. All Deacon candidates read Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road by Tim Keller.

Next, depending on the person (whether their strengths/weaknesses are Prophet, Priest or King) I recommend or work with diff’t aspects of who they are.

The above books (Ministers of Mercy & The New Testament Deacon provide a theological framework for the role of the Deacon. This means they will grow in their ‘head knowledge’ (Prophet) of the why we are called to serve, bring mercy, care for the poor, social justice and other causes. If a person is a Priest/King these books should provide a framework to accompany their love for people and ability to get things done.

If they are a strong Prophet/King I recommend books like The Heart of a Servant Leader: Letters from Jack Miller or Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire : What Happens When God’s Spirit Invades the Hearts of His People. These books are primarily aimed at working on the persons heart.

If they are a strong Prophet/Priest I work with them on systems and how to exercise dominion, books like The E-Myth, Visioneering : God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Personal Vision and Cawley just recommended Getting Things Done which I’m about to read. These books are primarily trying to help the candidate plan their way out of a paper bag. This link will take you to resources I suggest if they need to grow in areas of becoming church leaders who can ‘take a hill’.

Gospel Coalition Resources:

Media	Title	Author	Source	Scripture	Topic	Category	Date
Audio	Basic Baptist Beliefs: Qualifications for Pastors & Deacons	D.A. Carson			Biblical Eldership	Sermons	Jan 1 2008 10:00 am
Text Audio	Developing Elders, Deacons, and Members \| Seattle 2007	Mark Driscoll	Acts29 Network		Biblical Eldership	Conference Messages	Jan 1 2007 10:00 am
Text	What are the qualifications for elders and deacons?	John Piper	Desiring God		Doctrines of Grace, The	Articles	Jan 23 2006 10:00 am
Text	What is the role of a deacon?	John Piper	Desiring God		Work and Vocation	Articles	Jan 23 2006 10:00 am
Text	What are the qualifications for elders and deacons?	John Piper	Desiring God		Biblical Eldership	Questions Answered	Jan 23 2006 10:00 am
Text	What is the role of a deacon?	John Piper	Desiring God		Biblical Eldership	Questions Answered	Jan 23 2006 10:00 am
Audio	Developing Elders, Deacons, and Members \| Seattle 2006	Mark Driscoll	Acts29 Network		Biblical Eldership	Conference Messages	Jan 1 2006 10:00 am
Text	What God Wants in Deacons	Ligon Duncan	First Presbyterian Church	1 Timothy 3:8-13	Church Issues	Sermons	Sep 12 2004 10:00 am
Audio	Elders, Deacons, and Church Leadership with Mark Dever	Mark Dever	9 Marks			Interviews	Jan 1 2002 10:00 am
	Elders and Deacons	Mark Dever	Capitol Hill Baptist Church	Acts 6; 1 Timothy 3	Church Government	Sermons	Jan 28 2001 10:00 am
	Elders and Deacons	Mark Dever	Capitol Hill Baptist Church	Acts 6; 1 Timothy 3	Church Government	Sermons	Jan 28 2001 10:00 am
Audio	Elders and Deacons with Mark Dever	Mark Dever	9 Marks			Interviews	Jan 1 2001 10:00 am
Text	What Did Deacons Do?	John Piper	Desiring God		Biblical Eldership	Sermons	Mar 8 1987 10:00 am

Midrash: John 1-3

// November 13th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

9/28

John 1

Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of John (Notes: PDF)

9/28 Leader Guide

10/12

John 1:19-34

Radical Witness to the Gospel (Notes: PDF)

10/12 Leader Guide

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Veteran's Day

// November 12th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Veteran’s Day is a time to thank God for the sacrifice and service of our veterans. It was formerly known as Armistice Day, in remembrance of the Armistice with Germany that was signed on November 11, 1918 to ended World War I, where 116,516 American soldiers died. We honor all of our fallen soldiers today, along with those currently serving faithfully in our armed forces abroad. We pray for their safety, for the comfort of their families while they are away, and for their health and well-being as they re-enter civilian life.

For Christians, this day is also a time to remember that we are in a real spiritual battle every second of our lives. There is never a dwell-time, never a hiatus from combat. As soon as we let a peace-time mentality settle in, our spiritual lives begin to suffer. Death is a crystal clear reminder of the seriousness of sin, let us stay ever vigilant, and fight the good fight.

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James Harleman | Real Men | The War

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John Piper | 10:31 Sermon Jams | Make War!

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Download Audio Here: Piper – Make War!

Full Sermon Here: How to Kill Sin

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Mark Driscoll | A Good Soldier

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James Harleman | Basic Training 2007 | A Call to Arms

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