WINTER 2000 Developing Vision for the New Millennium · tant to the church during the next century. . . .. . . . .8 The Second Coming of the Church By George Barna The church in America

George Barna The Second Coming of the Church . . . . . . . . . .12How new models of the church can make the Christian faith more accessible and relevant in an ever-changing culture.

John C. Maxwell, Turning Vision Into Reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Ron F. McManus Even when pastors have a vision for their church, there is much to be done

to see the vision fulfilled.

Leith Anderson What Will the 21st-Century Church Be Like?. . . 26Here are some interesting trends that indicate what we might expect to see among 21st-century North American churches.

Gary L. McIntosh Look Back, Leap Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Will the strong pull toward the future cause the church to overlook its past?

Tommy Barnett How To Pray for Vision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Is the Holy Spirit your prayer partner in seeking vision for your church?

J. David Schmidt So You’ve Got a Vision–Now What? . . . . . . . . .40Is your church’s vision languishing in a file drawer or on a computer disk? Here are steps to turn your vision into reality.

Steven R. Mills Developing Vision in the Smaller Congregation . . 46Here are some steps to initiating change and communicating vision in the smaller church.

Also inside…

C. David Gable Structuring “Touch”–A Call to the Last Desert Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Have we grown more in becoming “haves” than we have in structuring care for the “have-nots”?

Charles T. Crabtree Pentecostal Music and the Pastor. . . . . . . . . . . 76Keys to maintaining an effective music ministry.

James K. Bridges Pentecost–A New Empowerment for Witnessand Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Keeping Pentecost alive: Is the church fulfilling its responsibility?

Richard R. Hammar Revoking an Exemption From Social Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99Ministers may have one more opportunity to revoke their exemption from paying social security taxes.

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• Vision has a strategy. It is terriblyfrustrating to hear a goal without a specif-ic strategy of how you plan on gettingthere.

• Vision can be passed on from oneleader to the next in the church youserve. Think of the vision Moses passedon to Joshua; the vision Abrahampassed on to Isaac, then Jacob; the onethat Elijah passed on to Elisha. Howabout the vision Paul passed on toTimothy, Titus, Silas, and numerousothers? All of these leaders understoodthat true vision is from God and theydidn’t personally own it. Those towhom it was handed didn’t feel awk-ward fulfilling a vision that someoneelse started. They “followed through”with great joy knowing that God start-ed the whole process.

If you are following a great leader, con-tinue with the vision God gave your churchand let God use your unique administra-tive gifts along the way. Most of all knowthat God has a vision for your life and min-istry and He is faithful. You can trusteverything “to him who is able to keep youfrom falling” (Jude 24, NIV).

ENDNOTES

1. William Culbertson, president of MoodyBible Institute (1948–71).

2. An anonymous elderly preacher coun-seled Andrew Bonar (Scotland) withthese words before Bonar began hispublic ministry.

Wayde I. Goodall,

D.Min., is executive

editor of Enrichment

and national coordina-

tor of the Ministerial

Enrichment Office,

Springfield, Missouri.

B Y W A Y D E I . G O O D A L L

VISION THROUGH THE END

And Lord, help us to end well!”1

“Remember that very few men, andvery few ministers, keep up to the endthe edge that was on their spirit at thefirst.”2

These two statements, and others likethem, trouble me—partly because I havewitnessed the lives of many along theway who have lost the edge or didn’t endwell. Somewhere in the midst of the bat-tle, the vision faded, was forgotten, orwas overtaken with discouragement. Ifyou have been in ministry for very long,you have observed the same.

This issue of Enrichment is the first ofthe new millennium. We have chosenvision as the topic for this timely issue.Though the church worldwide has madeincredible advances for the gospel, thereis still much to do. Billions have yet tohear about Christ. Multitudes of vil-lages, towns, and even cities do nothave a full-gospel church and our greatcountry, America, is in a spiritual crisis.

Vision is something God gives Hisfaithful followers to accomplish His willfor His kingdom. Vision is not compli-cated nor does one need to have a mys-tical experience to receive God’s vision.It is something that He places in yourheart. Vision is usually developed todirect your life, your family or friends,the church you serve, or to reach the lostaround you. As David Yonggi Cho, pas-tor of the world’s largest church, oncesaid, “You become pregnant with thevision until it gives birth.”

What can you do to follow through tothe end with the vision that God hasgiven you? John Maxwell and otherssuggest several clues for ensuring

success in the vision process. Permit meto highlight some:

• The greatest gift you can give yourchurch is a vision.

• Vision must have clarity—claritybrings understanding to the vision. Tohave clarity, you must see it clearly,share it continually, and tell it creatively.

• Vision connects with the past.People will not reach for the future untilthey have touched the past.

• Vision has a sense of purpose andgives uncomplicated direction. Itanswers the question: “Why are wedoing what we are doing?”

• Vision has goals and goals will makethe vision real. Goals are not the vision;they are stepping-stones to the vision.

• Vision has honesty. When you failto be honest and address your weak-nesses, your integrity and the vision’svalidity are questioned.

• Vision has passion and conviction.Someone said, “Public speakers want tobe liked; leaders want to change lives.”The bottom line is that your vision has todo with people who either need Christ orneed to be grounded in the faith. Thatconviction should motivate your passion.

• Vision adjusts along the way. Asyou begin down the road of the vision,you will need to adapt, organize, and besensitive to timing.

• Vision has a sense of urgency. If it isimportant to God, then it needs to beimportant to you. While you are sensi-tive to how much you can accomplishbecause of people, finances, or chal-lenges, you have a feeling of pressing on.

• Vision is normally conceived by theleader but birthed by other leaders.How you model the vision will be con-tagious to those you are serving withand leading.

inistry Matters

E n r i c h m e n t • 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS—DEVELOPING VISION FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM

THEME ARTICLESAsk the SuperintendentInterview with Thomas E. Trask Assemblies of God General SuperintendentThomas E. Trask knows the importance ofprayer in revitalizing the church. In this quar-terly interview, he shares his thoughts onvision and prayer and why they will be impor-tant to the church during the next century. . . . . . . . .8

The Second Coming of the ChurchBy George BarnaThe church in America is losinginfluence and adherents fasterthan any other major institution inthe nation. There is hope, though,if the church will arise to meet thechallenges in today’s society. . . . . . . . .12

Turning Vision Into RealityInterview with John C. Maxwell and Ron F. McManusPastoral leadership is critical in develop-ing vision for the local church. Twodynamic leaders in the evangelical community discuss the pastor’s role in developing and implementing vision inthe local church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

What Will the 21st-

Century Church Be Like?By Leith AndersonJust as previous generations used innovative ways to meettheir needs for buildings and min-istries, future generations mustdevelop creative ways to be effec-tive in the third millennium. . . . . . . . . .26

Look Back, Leap ForwardBy Gary L. McIntoshChurches can be prisoners of the past. Butthe core values that gave meaning in thepast can help churches develop vision forthe 21st century. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

How To Pray for VisionBy Tommy BarnettAt the start of the 21st century, we must expand our vision and increase our prayers in preparation for strong, soul-winning churches and the long-sought-for awakenings we desire for our lifetime and the generations to come. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

So You’ve Got a Vision—Now What?By J. David SchmidtMost churches and pastors who developa vision move immediately to turningtheir vision into action. But a visionthat is moved too quickly from idea toaction dies because few people under-stand it. This article provides practicalways a pastor can communicate vision to the congregation. . . . . . . .40

Developing Vision in the Smaller CongregationBy Steven R. MillsUnderstanding small-church culture iskey to developing and communicatingvision to its leaders. This article focus-es on the unique culture and character-istics of the smaller congregation, andhow to initiate change and communi-cate vision within that context. . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

The Shaping of a VisionInterview with J. David Schmidt and Mike MessnerThe 2000 Celebration on August 8–10,2000, in Indianapolis, Indiana, will be asignificant turn-of-the-century event inAssemblies of God history. It will also bea time when churches will bind togetherfor one focused vision for ministry in theyears to come. J. David Schmidt andMike Messner visited with Enrichmentand shared their thoughts on the vision-casting process and its importance to2000 Celebration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Vision—Big Enough . . . and Small EnoughBy Randy HurstParadoxically, some ministries do not become large enough because in some ways their vision is not small enough. Vision that isfocused on the multitude but not the individual will be ineffective. The small vision needed to see the

big vision fulfilled is a Spirit-empow-ered ability to see people as Godsees them, with alltheir divinelyplanned potential. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

FEATURESStructuring “Touch”—a Call tothe Last Desert GenerationBy C. David GableHow can a movement like theAssemblies of God, who in its formativeyears was disenfranchised and rejectedfrom fellowship by evangelicals and fun-damentalists, react to being placed in aposition of prominence in the churchworld? The Book of Deuteronomy pro-vides practical principles for living withGod’s blessing in today’s society. . . . . . . . . . . .68

Pentecostal Music and the PastorBy Charles T. CrabtreeThe senior pastor is the executive worship leader in the local church.This responsibility in music must betaken seriously. Above all, the seniorpastor needs to discern what is rightfor people and the spiritual directionmusic needs to take in the timing ofGod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Pentecost—A New Empowermentfor Witness and MinistryBy James K. BridgesThe Day of Pentecost brought a newexperience to the Church. But more thanan experience, the Pentecostal outpour-ing opened opportunities for ministryand the spiritual power necessary to fulfill God’s plan for the Church. . . . . . . . . . . . .80

EDITORIALSMINISTRY MATTERSBy Wayde I. Goodall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

IN CLOSINGBy Thomas E. Trask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

COLUMNSW O R D S T U D Y: ( C H A Z O N / C H A LO M )

Visions and DreamsBy Stanley M. Horton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

T H E O L O G I C A L E N R I C H M E N T

Vision Casting and TheologicalPerspectivesBy Richard L. Dresselhaus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

P A R T N E R S I N M I N I S T R Y – T H EC H R I S T I A N E D U C A T I O N /D I S C I P L E S H I P P A S T O R

The Church’s Vision for BuildingPeople—Who Makes It Happen?

By LeRoy R. Bartel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

F O R W O M E N I N M I N I S T R Y

My Father’s Eyes—Vision for the Harvest

By Lillian E. Sparks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

C O U N S E L O R S C O R N E R

People Helping in the ChurchPart 2: A Biblical Model forCounseling in the 21st Century

By Donald A. Lichi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

C L E R G Y, C H U R C H & L A W

Revoking an Exemption From Social Security

By Richard R. Hammar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

F A M I L Y M A T T E R S

The PK Syndrome

By Robb Dunham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

F O C U S O N A M E R I C A

Doing Our Father’s Business

By Paul E. Drost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

DEPARTMENTSSERMON•SEED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105MINISTRY•IDEAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109ILLUSTRATE•IT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112BOOK•REVIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114NEWS & RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118WITH•CHRIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Executive Editor

Wayde I. GoodallManaging Editor

Rick KnothAssociate/TechnicalEditor

Richard SchoonoverAdvertising/ProductionCoordinator

Kathy WrinkleEditorial Assistant

Diane FulksEditorial Secretary

Belinda ConwayGraphics/Design

Jim Darnell/Richard SlatonCirculation Manager

Terry King

Prepared under thedirection of the Executive Presbytery

Thomas E. Trask (generalsuperintendent); David W.Argue, Almon Bartholomew, M. Wayne Benson, Dan Betzer,Robert L. Brandt, James K.Bridges, John Bueno, Charles T. Crabtree, Richard L.Dresselhaus, Charles E.Hackett, Gene Jackson,Spencer Jones, Nam Soo Kim,Jesse Miranda, ArmonNewburn, George O. Wood

Editorial Advisory CommitteeWayde I. Goodall, chairman;Rick Knoth, vice-chairman; Hal Donaldson; Dayton A.Kingsriter; Michael Messner;Arlyn Pember; Juleen Turnage

Advertising PolicyFor information on advertising, call Julie Freemanat 417-862-2781, extension4097. Display rates providedupon request. Online advertis-ing information is available atwww.enrichmentjournal.ag.org.

Enrichment does not endorseany advertiser or product.Claims made in an advertise-ment are the sole responsibili-ty of the advertiser. Enrichmentreserves the right to reject anyadvertisement that is inconsis-tent with the journal’s objec-tives, editorial convictions, andAssemblies of God doctrine.

Member of EvangelicalPress Association

WINTER 2000 • VOLUME FIVE • NUMBER ONE

Visit our web site http://www.enrichmentjournal.ag.org

Email: You may address Enrichment at: [email protected]

Enrichment (ISSN 1082-1791), is published quarterly (October, January, April,July), ©1999 by The General Council of the Assemblies of God, 1445 Boonville,Springfield, Missouri 65802. Assemblies of God ministers may reproduce non-byline material from Enrichment in church publications, giving credit to the jour-nal. Signed articles may not be reprinted without permission of the authors.Subscription rates: USA—1 year $20; 2 years $36. Outside USA add $6 peryear. Subscriptions: All subscription correspondence, including change ofaddress, should be sent to Enrichment, Customer Services, 1445 Boonville,Springfield, MO 65802, phone 1-800-641-4310. Periodical postage paid atSpringfield, Missouri, and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:

Enrichment, 1445 Boonville, Springfield, MO 65802.


_˘ ˆ˘

8 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

HY HAS THE ASSEMBLIES OFGOD ENJOYED GOD’SBLESSING OVER THE YEARS?We are thankful for God’s bless-ing. Prayer has been a vital part of

this Fellowship since its beginning in1914. It is the foundation stone for every-thing we do as a church. We have beenknown, and are known, as a prayingchurch. This is the best thing that canbe said about us.

HOW DOES A PASTOR MOVE HISCONGREGATION TO PRAYER? The desire to pray must come fromthe heart—whether it is the heart ofthe pastor, the church, a layperson,or a denomination.

Prayer is absolutely fundamentalto anything that is accomplishedspiritually. Nothing of lasting valuewill take place unless it is birthedthrough prayer. Every ministry inthe church needs a prayer base—

a core of people who are praying for that min-istry. As a pastor, by focusing on the various ministries in the church,

you can provide several opportunities for prayer. By giving your people prayer options,they will choose the prayer meeting that best fits their interests and schedules, and you

NTERVIEW WITH THOMAS E. TRASKIDeveloping Visionfor the NewMillennium

My Vision for the21st Century

NTERVIEW WITH THOMAS E. TRASK

WW

Vision. Will the church of the 21st century survive without it? A healthy, vibrant church understands the

necessity of vision and passion for ministry. A church’s vision is the by-product of focused, intentional prayer. It is

the indispensable element in the product of vision; they go hand in hand. Intense passion and prayer are words

that describe the spirit of Thomas E. Trask. He knows full well the value of prayer and what it can do to

revitalize a sleeping church. Here he shares his thoughts on vision and prayer and why together they

will be important to the church during the next century of ministry.

My Vision for the21st Century


will begin to see increased participation.All-night prayer meetings, prayer walks,home prayer meetings, early-morningprayer meetings, or before-serviceprayer meetings are just a few ways youcan provide opportunities for people topray.

Pastors sometimes get upset whentheir people don’t show up for prayermeetings. If you will live a life of prayerbefore your congregation, let them seethat prayer works, talk to them aboutthe exciting things the Lord is doing,your desire to pray becomes contagious.

You will never gain by chiding yourpeople and trying to shame them intopraying. You must lead them into it. It isa mistake for you to scold your congre-gation because they did not come to theprayer meeting. Even in a large church,very seldom will you get crowds at theprayer meetings. But what happens inthe services on Sunday and Wednesdayis the result of the prayers of those whodid come to pray. This is why Jesus saidin Matthew 18:19, “That if two of youshall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall bedone for them of my Father which is inheaven.” It doesn’t take a crowd; youand your spouse can be that majority;you and God are that majority.

We sometimes try to measure the suc-cess of a prayer meeting by the numberof people who show up, or by how longor loud they pray. There’s nothingwrong with praying long and loud, butthat’s not how you measure a success-ful prayer meeting. Success is whathappens as a result of prayer. Are peo-ple being saved, delivered, or healed?Are signs and wonders accompanyingthe ministry of the Word? Is the Bodybeing edified? This is the measure ofsuccessful prayer.

IN WHAT WAYS ARE THE PASTORAND PASTORAL STAFF THEPRIMARY INFLUENCERS OF PRAYERIN THE LIFE OF THECONGREGATION?The pastor, associate pastor, or any otherstaff member cannot delegate praying toanyone else. You and your staff must setthe example by praying and modeling alife of prayer. Jesus is our example. Herose up early to pray. He said, “Menought always to pray, and not to faint”(Luke 18:1).

The leaders at Brownsville Assemblyin Pensacola, Florida, gathered onSunday nights for a couple of years topray. They met, they prayed, and theirrevival was the result of their praying.Another one of our churches, one of thefastest-growing churches in Americatoday, has turned their Wednesday adultservice into a prayer meeting. This has tobe part of the leader’s passion.

PRAYER AND VISION. HOW ARETHEY RELATED?As pastors pray, God will show them thewill of Christ for their church. The HolySpirit illuminates the mind of the pastor.The pastor then begins to envision whatGod wants to do through the church. Thepastor can then begin to communicatethis vision to the people.

IN THE NEXT MILLENNIUM, WHYWILL PRAYER CONTINUE TO BEIMPORTANT?If ever there is a time to reinforce ouremphasis and commitment to prayer, itis today. The powers of darkness areprevalent. Only through prayer can thepowers of darkness be defeated.

We need the foundation of prayerundergirding the church as we move into

the next century. Prayer is like puttingthe rebar down before you pour the con-crete. The rebar ties the concrete togeth-er and gives it strength. Prayer is therebar for the upper structure. Prayer willhold the structure together. When thewinds of adversity blow, they will notshake the structure because prayer is itssure foundation.

The church will only move forward tothe degree that it prays. A church canhave activities—and there is nothingwrong with activities. But what makesthe activities powerful, transformingthem from religious activities into effec-tive ministry, are the prayers that sup-port them. The church must have prayer;there is no substitute for it.

FOR WHICH THINGS SHOULD THECHURCH PRAY?We designated 1999 as the year ofprayer. With the 2000 Celebration gath-ering in Indianapolis in August, eachmonth, from August 1999 to August2000, we have called the church toprayer. This is an extremely importantgathering for the Fellowship.

Second, the church must pray toreceive a vision from God for its commu-nity. The ministries of the church willbecome vibrant when this vision iscaught and shared by everyone.

Third, we all know of individuals whoare people of prayer; they know how totouch God. They are a tremendous bless-ing to the church. The enemy would lovenothing more than for the church tobecome preoccupied with religious activ-ity, good in itself, but void of the spiritu-al power that only prayer can bring. Wemust pray for a spirit of prayer to sweepacross our churches.

The desire to pray must come

from the heart—whether it is

the heart of the pastor, the

church, a layperson, or a

denomination.

If you will live a life of prayer

before your congregation, let

them see that prayer works, talk

to them about the exciting things

the Lord is doing, your desire to

pray becomes contagious.

Are people being saved,

delivered, or healed? Are signs

and wonders accompanying the

ministry of the Word? Is the Body

being edified? This is the

measure of successful prayer.


THE SECOND COMING OF THE CHURCH

THE SECOND COMING OF THECHURCH

As we prepare to enter a new century of ministry, we

must address one inescapable conclusion: The church

in America is losing influence and adherents faster

than any other major institution in the nation.

B Y G E O R G E B A R N A

Developing Visionfor the NewMillennium

s we prepare to enter a new cen-tury of ministry, we mustaddress one inescapable conclu-sion: The church in America islosing influence and adherentsfaster than any other majorinstitution in the nation. Unlessa radical solution for the revivalof the Christian church in theUnited States is implemented

soon, the spiritual hunger of Americanswill either go unmet or be satisfied byother faith groups.

Within the next few years, America willexperience one of two outcomes: eithermassive spiritual revival or total moralanarchy.1 The world around us is chang-ing at an unprecedented pace. Whatworked 10 years ago is already obsolete;cultural analysts estimate that our cul-ture essentially reinvents itself every 3 to5 years.

Most American churches, however,are holding fast to programs and goalsestablished by their charter membersyears ago. Many of these ministries arealso denying the cataclysmic culturalchanges around them, responding withcosmetic changes that make little dif-ference. Is it any wonder that the criti-cal measures of the health of theChristian church show decline and aloss of influence?

UNDERSTANDING ANDEMBRACING CULTURALDIVERSITYTo remain relevant and influential, wemust be current in our understanding ofcultural changes and their implications.The changes that influence our livesand ministry fall within these keydomains: demographics, attitudes andvalues, lifestyles and behaviors, andspirituality.

Understanding demographic trends—attributes such as age, education, eth-nicity, and income—can permit a churchto increase its responsiveness to theneeds of the community it seeks toserve. We raise our probability of devel-oping ministry solutions to the realneeds of the people.

Demographic TrendsEthnicityTwenty years ago, the vast majority ofAmerican families were white, and mostbabies were born to families headed bywhite married couples. Today, Caucasiansin the United States are at zero popula-tion growth. Our minority populations,however, are growing.2 This is attribut-able to two factors: increased immigra-tion, and minority populations have agreater number of children per family. By2050, only half of the nation will beCaucasian. Multiculturalism will beincreasingly significant in our language,customs, values, relationships, andprocesses.

How do these realities impactChristian ministry? Before the church

can begin to adapt its programs to theneeds of various ethnic groups repre-sented within the community, we musttake a hard look at ourselves. We cannotexpect to influence our community forgood until we repent of racist attitudes,inaccurate assumptions, and unrealisticexpectations related to racial diversity.Until Sunday morning ceases to be themost racially segregated time of theweek, the church will never be a majoragent of influence in racial matters.WealthThe cumulative, personal net worth ofAmericans continues to grow. In fact, wenow have more than 3 million house-holds in the United States considered“wealthy”—having a net worth in excessof $1 million.3

On the other hand, government statis-tics suggest we have more than 30 millionpeople living in poverty. The government-sponsored safety net for the poor is

gradually being removed, leaving the poorto fend for themselves.

The church must consider carefullyhow it will respond to this situation. Asthe government seeks to unload theresponsibility of caring for the poor onchurches and other nonprofit organiza-tions, new economic tensions will arise.Given the declining interest in compas-sion ministries, costly church-relatedconstruction projects, and changingdonation habits of Americans, it seemslikely that growing numbers of economi-cally disadvantaged people will continueto struggle.EducationThe educational system in America is inshambles. Last year more than a millionteenagers received high school diplomas

even though they couldn’t read them. Kidsgraduating from high school are monu-mentally ill-prepared to handle the world.

Half of today’s adults cannot read orwrite at an eighth-grade level. People’slevels of confidence in traditional forms ofcommunication (such as the printedword) and in the integrity of popular com-munication media (such as television andradio) have declined.

Attention spans are getting shorter allthe time. An increasing degree of learningis taking place through informal observa-tion, rather than through listening to lec-tures or reading reasoned arguments.

One of the challenges the church mustface is how to communicate effectivelywith the intended audience. The contentand delivery style of much of the cur-rent teaching and preaching in church-es is designed for an older audience.About 60 percent of the adults inChristian churches on any given weekend


AAMost Americans do not recognize the underlying existentialist or

postmodernist undertones to their belief system; they truly believe

they are practicing Christian beliefs, values, and principles.

are less than 50 years old. The under-50crowd receives and interprets informationdifferently from their older counterparts:

• Younger adults are accustomed toreceiving information at a faster rate thanolder adults. Pacing has become a crucialelement in determining whether or notthe typical listener sticks with an entiresermon.

• Time is treasured. Sermons tend tolose younger listeners long before they areconcluded. Among the younger Busters,the tendency is to tune out after 6 to 8minutes—unless there is some type oftransition that renews their interest.

• Words are important. Language thatis theological, judgmental, or incessantlypaternalistic creates problems for manyyounger listeners.

• Attitude is everything. Audienceswho perceive speakers as arrogant orinsensitive won’t give them the benefit ofthe doubt.

• The medium used to transmit infor-mation impacts the perceived credibility ofthat information. Information conveyedthrough the use of technology often has ahigher degree of believability than doesinformation coming directly out of aspeaker’s mouth.

If we are going to be effective, credi-ble witnesses to the younger genera-tions, we cannot afford to lose sight of

these educational and communication-oriented principles.

Trends in Values and AttitudesPhilosophy of LifeFirst, most adults live for the moment andhave nothing more than a loose set ofideals and principles to which they cling.These ideals often conflict with oneanother (for example, love your neighbor;always look out for your own best inter-ests) and are frequently abandoned dur-ing times of stress, crisis, opportunity, orconfusion.

Second, the basis of people’s philoso-phy is not Christianity as much as exis-tentialism. This is often referred to as apostmodernist line of reasoning. Itsessentials are as follows:

• There is no grand purpose to life.Success is defined as the absence of painand sacrifice, and the experience of happiness.

• There is no value to focusing on orpreparing for the future. Every personmust live in the moment and for themoment.

• There are no absolutes. All spiritualand moral principles are relative to thesituation and the individual.

• There is no omnipotent, all-knowingdeity that guides reality. We must lean onour own vision, competencies, power, and

perceptions to make the most of life.Most Americans do not recognize the

underlying existentialist or postmodernistundertones to their belief system; theytruly believe they are practicing Christianbeliefs, values, and principles. Core ValuesBuying in to the moral relativity and“political correctness” embraced by ourculture, most people no longer deliberate-ly organize their lives around a core valuesystem. Instead, most Americans backinto a set of values that remain in forceuntil something better or more appealingcomes along.

Here are some of the most widelyaccepted values of Americans today:

• Time is our single most precious non-renewable commodity.

• Minimize long-term commitments.• Maintain your independence and

individuality at all costs. • Trust your feelings to guide you. • Pursue love and acceptance from oth-

ers with abandon. • Develop competencies only in the

aspects of life that are significant to you.• Don’t waste your time doing things

that do not produce immediate gratifica-tion or reward.

• Set goals and achieve them. • Have fun. • Stay in good health. • Discover and revel in the purpose of

your life.Millions of Americans have resisted and

resented Christianity because they per-ceive its principles and laws to be limitingrather than freeing. If the church is goingto effect real change, we must first teachourselves to recognize false values, andonce again embrace God’s principles. Ourrelationships, teachings, and programsmust be wholly consistent with scripturalvalues. But it is the consistency of ourown lives with biblical values that willgive us the opportunity to be heard.Moral TruthTo the average American, truth is relativeto one’s values and circumstances. Onlyone out of every four adults—and evenfewer teenagers—believe there is such athing as absolute moral truth. Human

14 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

reason and emotion become the para-mount determinants of all that is desir-able and appropriate.

Without an objective standard of rightand wrong, laws and regulations becomerecommendations rather than mandates.Rights are nothing more than sets ofcompeting preferences. There can be nosuch thing as deception, only differingvantage points. Without accepted guide-line pillars to anchor reality, those whosucceed are the ones who argue loudest,most convincingly, and most diligently.

Without absolute moral truth, therecan be no right and wrong. Without rightand wrong, there is no such thing as sin.Without sin, there can be no such thingas judgment and no such thing as con-demnation. If there is no condemnation,there is no need for a Savior. This pro-gression renders the death and resurrec-tion of Jesus Christ historically unique—and eternally meaningless.

Until the church can persuade peoplethat absolute relativism is not only inher-ently contradictory, but ultimatelyself-defeating and wrong, all the greatbiblical teaching we can muster will benegated by a perceptual filter thatequates truth with personal preference.

Behavioral and Lifestyle TrendsLongevityPeople change jobs and careers with reck-less abandon. It is projected that BabyBusters will change industries—not com-panies within an industry, but entireindustries—6 to 12 times during theirworking years. (Builders and Seniors typ-ically remained in the same industry fortheir entire career, while Boomers changeindustries once or twice.) Building a com-munity of faith is by nature a long-termproposition. Without stability it is diffi-cult to invest in future-oriented outcomesand partnerships.

Local churches find themselves alwaystaking one step forward and two stepsback because of the constant relearningcurve and the loss of expertise andknowledge brought about by continualdepartures of key players. If the church isgoing to maximize its influence, we must

find ways to develop longer-lasting com-mitments, both to relationships and toministry plans.TechnologyMost households now own at least onecomputer, and millions use a modem toconnect their PC (or TV) to the Internet.The amount of time we spend involvedwith mass media (television, radio, news-papers, magazines) and targeted commu-nications media (the Internet, E-mail,faxes) continues to expand. Teenagersnow devote an average of 7 of their 17waking hours each day to input from themedia.

The technological changes that haveswept America in the past few years—andthe new breakthroughs announced witheach passing month—are nothing shortof remarkable.

Where does this leave the church?Church gatherings represent one of just ahandful of remaining opportunities avail-able to people to have regular face-to-facecontact with people, other than family,who share their interests and back-ground. Realize, too, that growing num-bers of people now judge the validity andrelevance of a church by the church’s useof technology. Their perception is that if achurch is intimately connected to the newdigital world, it is more likely to under-

stand their pressures and challenges, andis therefore more likely to offer relevantcommentary and solutions.FamilyThree out of four adults concur that thefamily unit is weaker today than it was 30years ago. Here are some changes thathave shaped today’s family:

• One out of every four marriages hasended in a divorce.

• Two out of three adults say that asuccessful marriage is one in which bothpartners have total freedom to do as theychoose.

• One-third of all married adultsbelieve that adultery is an acceptablebehavior.

• Cohabitation has risen by more than500 percent in the past 2 decades (eventhough people who cohabit prior to mar-riage have an 82 percent greater chance ofdivorce than do couples who marry with-out having first lived together).

• One out of three children born thisyear will be born to an unwed mother.

• More than 9 out of 10 adults havebought into the lie that the most impor-tant factor in developing a strong relationship is the quality of the time,rather than the quantity of time investedin that bond.

In the past, we defined family as

“My sermon is also available on tape for listening during waking hours.”

© 1999 M.L. ZANCO


people related by birth, adoption, ormarriage. These days, you earn yourfamily by virtue of your emotionalattachment. The danger is that familybecomes very fluid: Here today, gonetomorrow. This approach to familyundermines the potential for trust, loy-alty, commitment, forgiveness, sacrifice,and emotional intimacy. The challengeto the church is to provide people withmore than solid teaching about theimportance of family.

Religious and Spiritual Trends4

• Seven out of 10 Americans viewthemselves as religious.

• Eighty-six percent describe theirreligious orientation as Christian.

• Six percent claim to be atheist oragnostic.

• Ninety-one percent say they have avery positive impression of the Christianfaith.

Every weekend the number of peopleattending Christian churches outnum-bers those who attend any other type of religious gathering. Nevertheless,Americans are still searching spirituallyand willingly admit their commitment toChristianity is rather lukewarm.

More and more people, enticed by thenarcissistic or feel-good focus of other

religions, will abandon Jesus Christ infavor of faiths that seem more in tunewith their needs. Indeed, given people’sunderlying assumption that religiousfaith exists for the personal benefit ofthe individual, it is only natural for themto assume that defining, organizing, andpracticing spirituality in ways that satis-fy their personal needs is completelylegitimate.

One of the chief struggles facing theChristian church in the days ahead willbe to persuade people that the blendingof disparate religious beliefs and prac-tices into a customized, impure versionof Christianity is illegitimate.

A VISION FOR SPIRITUALRENEWALWhat Can We Learn From the EarlyChurch?There are a number of things aboutbuilding the authentic church we canlearn both from Jesus’ ministry and theactivities of the Early Church.

Jesus seemed more intent on the qual-ity of ministry than on the quantity ofpeople He was able to touch. His prima-ry investment was not in the crowds thatflocked to see Him but in the core ofleaders He lived with and mentored asthe backbone of the first-century Church.

He was most concerned with whether ornot the apostles achieved a deep under-standing of the Christian faith. He knewthat if they really got it, they would bedevoted to spreading it. A larger andgrowing quantity of believers wouldcome as a result of quality in disciple-ship.

Jesus showed His followers that thechurch is truly different from existingpagan and religious groups, only ifChristians are known for the quality oftheir hearts. In other words, their repu-tation must be unlike that of any othergroup: They must be known as the mostloving, most sincere, and most caringgroup of people around. This goes fardeeper than mere friendliness. Thechurch that glorifies Jesus Christ oughtto be known by the depth and consis-tency of its love of all people—especial-ly love of other believers.

Integrity was a hallmark of the EarlyChurch. This was realized through anintense commitment to accountability. Ifbelievers sinned and showed no signs ofacknowledgment and repentance, theywere confronted. If the church preachedone view but collectively lived another,individuals would call the church torepent. Paul’s letters to the church inCorinth are examples of how seriouslythe Early Church guarded the quality ofbelievers’ lives. And the experience inActs 6 where the church was accused ofabandoning the needs of its widows isyet another sign of its devotion tointegrity.

The first-century church was distin-guished by its attitude. Specifically, theChristians of the day felt a sense ofurgency about ministry. Not knowingwhen Christ would return, and acutelyaware that the ministry agenda He hadoutlined was of the utmost significance,they felt a need to be diligent about ministry. They also exhibited an intensepassion for Christ and for serving Himwith their lives. And they were commit-ted to doing their service with excellencebecause they knew it reflected their owndepth of commitment to Christ.

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Ten Important Steps To Building an Authentic ChurchGood intentions, great marketing, and an abundance of resources cannot compensate for bad strategy. If God has investedHis vision for the future in our hearts and minds, we can be assured that He wants that vision to be fulfilled. However, becauseHe has chosen to use human instruments as the means to seeing the vision come to fruition, we must operate wisely in ourpursuit of His outcomes.

Here are 10 perspectives that should help give shape to our ultimate proposal for the second coming of the Church.

Step 1. We must have a firm and accurate understanding of our business. Many churches have lost people andmissed opportunities because they have misunderstood the business they are in. We are in the business of life transformation.

Step 2. We must know the competition for our target audience. Our competition is not other churches. Our competi-tion is the universe of organizations, opportunities, and activities offered by the world that nudge a Christian lifestyle orChristian commitment out of the picture.

Step 3. We must anticipate, not merely react. A core principle of effective leadership is that you must try to stay onestep ahead of reality. Those who evaluate conditions in order to dictate or shape the future course of events are truly the influence agents of their era.

Step 4. Before adopting a course of action, we must consider all possible alternatives. Because every action hasa consequence, wisdom demands that we reflect on the likely outcomes of all potential strategies, selecting those thatpromise the greatest return on our investment of resources, in light of our values and vision.

Step 5. Effective change requires a detailed plan. Reliance upon the Holy Spirit for guidance is one of the fundamen-tal principles by which we live; but the refusal to plan ahead, sensitively, is not so much reliance upon the Holy Spirit as itis testing God.

Step 6. Forward movement is achieved by building upon existing strengths. The church must identify its strengthsand build upon that foundation as we restore the church to health.

Step 7. The church can be effective as the church only if it operates within scriptural boundaries. We must iden-tify the boundaries of acceptable practices for the church.

Step 8. Creating a better future—the goal of vision—requires rational innovation. Innovation for its own sake ismerely an exercise in creative disruption. Our task is to grasp and articulate God’s vision for our future and to facilitate thechange necessary to create that future.

Step 9. Success demands that we think holistically. Organizations and individuals that make alterations without regardto the big picture run the risk of introducing change that is either counterproductive or inconsequential.

Step 10. Lean not on your own understanding. It is important to remember that God does not need us to accomplishany of His ends, yet He has chosen to work through us. We must be constantly sensitive to His guidance, which He gives tous through the Bible, experience, history, and direct revelation.

—Adapted from chapter 7 in The Second Coming of the Church, Barna Research Group, Ltd., Ventura, California. Used by permission.


The Lord would have searched for evi-dence of dependence on God. Constantand wholehearted engagement in wor-ship suggests our recognition of ourown insignificance and an understand-ing that God is awesome. Investing sub-stantial time and energy in prayer isanother indication of our reliance uponGod. Even the degree to which we counton the church as a central means ofemotional and spiritual support is a signal of our devotion to the resources provided by God for our strength anddevelopment.

The true church is strategic in itsresponse to conditions and opportuni-ties. When conditions change, thechurch’s responses must also change.Operating in ways that fulfill God’svision for our lives and ministriesrequires that we hold the vision constantbut the plans and strategies as flexibleguides toward our vision-based goals.Three Strategic ThrustsThe church must pursue a three-prongedstrategy for vision and renewal. Theaggressive and intelligent pursuit ofthese three outcomes will position the

church for strength and impact for yearsto come, enabling Christianity to suc-cessfully compete for the minds, hearts,and souls of the people.

1. Motivate people to pursue, embrace,and live according to a biblical world-view. Churches today are filled with peo-ple who claim they are Christians butwho demonstrate no depth of under-standing or consistent application ofcore biblical principles.

2. Allow the church to be led by thepeople whom God has called and anoint-ed for that task—that is, leaders. Aslong as the church persists in being ledby teachers, it will flounder. Identifying,developing, deploying, and supportinggifted leaders will renew the vision,energy, and impact of the church. Mostof the leaders that need to be invitedand nurtured within ministries will belaypeople. While seminaries may pro-duce some of our future leaders, themajority will arise from within our con-gregations to sharpen their leadershipabilities and use the leadership giftsthey possess.

3. Develop new forums and formats

through which people will experience,understand, and serve God. New modelsof the church must be allowed to blos-som—models that reflect the diversity ofneeds, opportunities, and perspectivesthat define our culture. These new mod-els will make the Christian faith accessi-ble and relevant to people who otherwisewould not consider Christianity to be anoption worthy of exploration.

ENDNOTES

1. These two outcomes are not necessarilymutually exclusive. However, it seemsprobable that one or the other will be thedominant, if not exclusive, outcome.

2. The term “minority” must be used careful-ly these days. Minority groups, such asAfrican Americans, represent the majorityin many of our largest cities and metro-politan areas. In a growing number ofcommunities it is the Caucasian popula-tion which is the minority group. In aneven greater number of communities thepopulation has become so diversified thatthere is no majority segment; every ethnicor racial group is in the minority.

3. Information on wealth comes from a vari-ety of sources. Among those cited here aredata from the Census Bureau; informationcontained in The Millionaire Next Door, byThomas Stanley and William Danko(Atlanta: Longstreet Press, 1996); andTrends 2000, by Gerald Celente (New York:Warner Books, 1997).

4. The most comprehensive edition of factson the spiritual state of the nation is con-tained in The Index of Leading SpiritualIndicators, by George Barna (Dallas: WordBooks, 1996). The book contains data per-taining to 13 dimensions of America’s cur-rent spiritual character and perspectives.Updated information is accessible throughThe Barna Report, a bimonthly newsletteravailable from Word Ministry Resources,Nashville (1-800-933-9673) and via theBarna Research website (www.barna.org).

George Barna is founder and president ofBarna Research Group. This article wasadapted from The Second Coming of theChurch, Barna ResearchGroup, Ltd., Ventura,California, and used by permission. You maypurchase The SecondComing of the Churchat www.barna.org or call GPH at 1-800-641-4310.

Pastor Rinehold was very sensitive about audience response to his sermons.

© 1999 SCOTT MASEAR

18 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

Pastoral leadership is critical in developing vision for the local

church. Without a vision a church will not grow. In fact, it might even

decline if people leave the church to attend another church that has

a clear and more defined purpose. Even when pastors have a vision

for their church, there is much to be done to see the vision fulfilled.

How pastors communicate vision will determine if the congregation

will join them in fulfilling that vision. The congregation will also need

to evaluate its ministries in light of its vision. Change may need to

be made if the church is to remain effective in reaching its commu-

nity with the gospel and turn its vision into reality.

Enrichment asked two successful pastors—John C. Maxwell,

founder of INJOY, Inc. and EQUIP, and Ron F. McManus, president of

EQUIP, whose ministry involves training pastors and leaders—to dis-

cuss the role of pastors in developing and implementing vision in

their church. They provide practical advice for pastors who want to

get a fresh vision from God for their church.

20 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

NTERVIEW WITH JOHN C. MAXWELL AND RON F. MCMANUSI Turning Vision Into RealityTurning Vision Into RealityNTERVIEW WITH JOHN C. MAXWELL AND RON F. MCMANUS

J O H N C . M A X W E L L R O N F. M C M A N U S


DEFINE VISION AND ITSIMPORTANCE IN MINISTRY.MAXWELL: Vision is a picture of adesired future; a picture of somethingthat I don’t possess right now, but it issomething I want to see and experience,and something I want the people I amleading to experience. When the pastorand his or her church have a vision, theywill put their energy, time, money, andpersonnel into achieving it.

LESS THAN 5 PERCENT OFPASTORS HAVE EFFECTIVELYARTICULATED A VISION.WHAT IS THE IMPACT OFTHIS ON THE LOCALCHURCH?MCMANUS: The Scripture,“Without a vision the people per-ish,” is two-sided. Without avision our community will perishwithout Christ, but without avision the church will perish aswell.

Churches whose members fightwith one another have lost theirvision for the lost. Without avision people and the churchbecome self-centered. People startfinding fault with one another andthe church self-destructs. Vision issomething pastors and churchescannot afford to live without.

MAXWELL: Anytime a churchsquabbles over minor things youcan be certain they do not have aclear picture of what they need to be.

In my leadership conferences,pastors ask, “Do you have a visionfor my church?” Many times theywant me to give them a picture ofwhere they should go and whattheir church should look like.When these pastors do this, I alwaysfeel bad.

Without a vision people in leadershippositions perish. You not only lose yourpeople, you lose the person who is in aleadership position—you lose it all.Many times when people leave churcheswe think it’s a doctrinal issue, but most

of the time it’s a leadership issue. Mostpastors have a hard time grasping avision. But vision is the indispensablequality of a leader. The rallying call topeople is to give them hope. When youhave hope, that’s huge.

Not everybody who has a vision is aleader, but every leader has a vision.When somebody tells you he or she isleading something, a fair question is,“What is your vision?” If a leader cannot

give you a clear picture of what he or shesees in the future, that person is not theleader of that organization.

WHAT IS THE DANGER IN HAVINGA VISION THAT HAS NOT HADADEQUATE PRAYER ANDDIRECTION FROM GOD?

MAXWELL: Bill Hybels gives an illus-tration. The average pastor in Americastays about 3 1/2 years in a church.Pastor Joe comes to the church andbelieves the vision is to march to theright. Everybody in the church startsmarching to the right. After 3 1/2 years,Joe is gone and Pastor Harry comes. Hewants the people to march to the left.So, most of the people start marching tothe left. Pastor Harry leaves after 3 1/2

years and Pastor Jack comes.He tells the people, “You are themost confused people I haveever seen. Some of you aremarching to the right and someto the left. We need to go for-ward.” By this time three pas-tors with three different visionsin less than 10 years have cometo the church. The people areconfused and frustrated.

MCMANUS: A similar type ofthing happens when a pastorattends a conference. The con-gregation thinks, Next Sundaywe’re going to get the wholeload. They do, and they sit inthe pews and think, He’ll getover it. And sure enough, hedoes. The result is that credibil-ity is lost with the peoplebecause they hear this over andover.

HOW CAN PASTORSDEVELOP A GOD-GIVENVISION FOR THEIRCHURCH?MCMANUS: If pastors aregoing to get a vision, theymust hear from God. Theyhave to pray and seek theLord. That’s where it begins,

in their heart. God drops something intheir heart and spirit, and then itbecomes something they need to com-municate effectively to leadership sothey can take ownership of the vision.

MAXWELL: Pastors need to find theirplace in the community of believers by


When the pastor and his or her

church have a vision, they will

put their energy, time, money, and

personnel into achieving it.

spending time with God. Let God talk toyou and minister to you, where you gethonest with Him—here’s what I dowell and don’t do well; here are myshortcomings, my strengths, and mygifts. Many times we ask people tomarch outwardly, when we haven’t yetspent the needed time inwardly. Peopleare not going to give you a vision, butGod can.

Many times when people have avision, they think in terms of abig vision—I want to take my cityfor Christ. But the problem withmany pastors and this type ofvision is this: they haven’t devel-oped the strategy to fulfill thatvision. A pastor preaches a dreamor vision to his/her people, theyget excited for a week, a month,or a couple of months, but thereis no strategy, planning, orprocess to fulfill that vision.

Hope is not strategy. Hope fitswith vision, but we must have astrategy and a process to makeour vision become a reality. Manypastors fail to see God’s visionfulfilled because they never havea strategy for fulfilling thatvision.

HOW DO PASTORSCOMMUNICATE THEIRVISION TO THE CHURCH?MAXWELL: Great visions arecast one on one. As a pastor Ireinforced my vision over lunch-es. When I had something Ithought God was talking to meabout, the first thing I did, beforeI ever talked to the congregation,was to sit down with the majorinfluencers of the church andshare with them what I thoughtGod was speaking to me. I gave themtime for input or questions. Many timesthey would ask questions and I wouldreply, “I need to spend more time onthis. I’m not sure I’m thinking clearlythere.” Other times they added valueand helped make this vision better ormore accessible to the people.

One of the laws of leadership is thelaw of buy-in. People buy into the leaderbefore they buy into the vision. Allvisions begin with relationships. Myrelationship with God is where I receivethe vision; my relationship with my peo-ple is where I give the vision. If thoserelationships aren’t what they could beor should be, on either side, the receivingor the giving out, the vision is going tobe aborted.

When pastors ask me if their peoplewill buy this vision, I ask them two ques-tions: “Have they bought into your lead-ership?” If they haven’t, don’t ever try topass on a vision. Second, “Have youprocessed this vision correctly?”

By the time I went to the pulpit, thevision was never on the same level as

when God first gave it to me; it wasclearer and bigger. It was betterbecause the body of Christ complemen-ted what God had given me. So when Igave the vision to the congregation, theinfluencers already bought it. Thenafter the people have heard my mes-sage, and migrate to the influencers,these influencers are already my alliesand help me communicate the vision tothe congregation.

OWNERSHIP OF THE VISIONIS IMPORTANT TO THECONGREGATION. WHY? MAXWELL: There is somethingto be said about a pastor and achurch that develop a missionsstatement and the people takeownership of it. They get theiridentity, purpose, and energyfrom the unique place theirchurch is to be in that commu-nity. If churches would takeownership of a vision, the nextpastor who is thinking aboutcoming to that church can seewhat their vision is and thendetermine if their vision fitswith his or her ministry. If itdoesn’t, then it would be wrongfor that pastor to come to thatchurch.

DESCRIBE THE TYPE OFVISION THE CHURCHWILL NEED IF IT ISGOING TO IMPACT 21ST-CENTURY SOCIETY?MAXWELL: If the church isgoing to make a difference, itwill need to go through the “biggive-up” stage. Churches willneed to quit being selfish andbecome relevant. The only way a

church is going to be relevant is to getout of its comfort zone and connect withunchurched people. There is a realhunger for spiritual things in today’sculture; people are seeking somethingspiritual, something beyond themselves.That’s the good news. The bad news ispeople are not getting it at church

22 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

Why would God give a multigifted,

multitalented, and multifinancially

wealthy person to a church if the

biggest thing you are going to do is

paint the restrooms next year?

Why Organizations Fail in Experiencing New Vision

John P. Kotter, Konosuke Matsushita professor of leadership at the Harvard Business School, wrote an article, “LeadingChange: Why Transformational Efforts Fail,”1 from his experience of watching more than 100 companies try to remake them-selves into better corporations. These leadership efforts were initiated for many reasons: total quality management, reengi-neering, right sizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnaround. Regardless of what the process was called, the goal wasessentially the same. They all wanted to make fundamental changes in how the business was run to better cope with thechanging market.

While a few of the leadership efforts were successful and a few were failures, most fell somewhere in the middle, with a con-centration at the lower end of the scale.

Kotter drew two conclusions and then identified eight errors organizations make. The first observation was that the changeprocess is a combination of several phases that take a considerable length of time. Skipping steps may seem faster, but com-promises the end result. Second, he observed that critical mistakes in any of the steps could slow the progress of the proj-ect and undo previous gains.

Error #1: Not establishing a great enough sense of urgency.Getting a transformation program started requires the aggressive cooperation of many individuals. Kotter claims that well over50 percent of the companies fail in this first step.

Error #2: Not creating a powerful enough guiding coalition.Large processes often start with one or two people, but in successful cases the leadership coalition continued to grow overtime.

Error #3: Lacking a vision.In unsuccessful cases, the leadership team failed to develop a picture of the future that is relatively easy to communicateand is attractive to insiders and others.

Error #4: Undercommunicating the vision by a factor of 10.In unsuccessful projects, the leaders failed to use all existing channels and every opportunity to communicate the vision totheir people.

Error #5: Not removing obstacles to the new vision.All obstacles are not obvious from the beginning. The process of removing them is an ongoing one.

Error #6: Not systematically planning for and creating short-term wins.Real transformation takes time and a renewal effort loses momentum if there are no short-term goals to meet and celebrate.

Error #7: Declaring victory too soon.Premature victory celebrations kill momentum before the process is actually finished.

Error #8: Not anchoring changes in the corporation’s culture.Change isn’t permanent until it becomes “the way we do things around here.” Until the group norms of the various unitschange and the organizational culture is altered, the changes are likely to be abandoned when the pressure for change isremoved. The strength of the local church organizational culture makes it very difficult for a pastor to lead a church through majorchange without committing errors very similar to these. Number one on Kotter’s list is likely number one on our list. Thepastor has a great sense of urgency for the church to change, but the local stakeholders rarely do.

ENDNOTE

1. Kotter, John P. “Leading Change: Why Transformational Efforts Fail.” Harvard Business Review (March–April 1995): 59–67.

—Information supplied by Steven R. Mills, leadership development coordinator for the Assemblies of God Division of Christian Education, Springfield, Missouri.


24 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

because the church is singing songs,preaching messages, doing programs,and taking offerings for itself.

There are pockets of the church thatwill “give up,” and reap a bountiful har-vest. They are going to have huge suc-cess, like the church has never experi-enced since the Book of Acts.

There is another pocket of the churchthat will not give it up. They will say,“This is our pastor. We pay hisor her salary. We want ourchurch, our songs, our pews,our parking spaces.” Thechurch that will not give upwill be outdated and passedby, quicker than they realize.

The church will not stay thesame. It will either blossombecause someone understandsthe season the church is in, orit will wither very quickly.

MCMANUS: We have to buildbridges to the world. Manybelievers were raised with thementality of “them and us.”But we need to change ourmentality and bring light to adarkened world.

The church that will impactthe 21st century is the churchwhose dreams are bigger thanits memories. To hear peoplein the church say, “We’regrateful for the past and forwhat God has done here, butGod has exciting things for ourfuture,” then you know theirdreams are bigger than theirmemories.

WHAT ABOUT PASTORSWHO HAVE A VISION BUTARE NOT SEEING ITFULFILLED?MAXWELL: There are a lot ofpastors who have a vision and have notyet seen it become a reality. Remember, atthe time God gives us a vision, we neverhave the resources available to accom-plish it. We don’t have the people, themoney, the knowledge, or the opportunity.

So at the beginning, all we have is thevision. At that point God expects us tobegin walking in obedience according tothe dream He has given us.

What happens is this: we say, “Assoon as I get some people to help me I’mgoing to….”; or, “As soon as I get some-body to give an offering I’m going to….”In other words, we often wait for theresources before we make a move.

The feeding of the 5,000 is an exam-ple of how Jesus wants us to act. Whenthe disciples came to Jesus and wantedHim to take care of the problem, Hesaid, “You give them something to eat.”God doesn’t move until we move first.

God gives us the vision, then He expectsus to walk in obedience. As we do, theresources we need come to us. If I’mhalfway to the dream, at best, half of myresources are there. Your resources tofulfill the dream will come during thelast step of the dream.

Think about it. Why would God sendpeople to our church if we don’t have agreat dream? Why would God give a

multigifted, multitalented,and multifinancially wealthyperson to a church if thebiggest thing you are going todo is paint the restrooms nextyear? That’s bad stewardship.So God gives us resourcesaccording to our dreams andaccording to our obedience.And God doesn’t give thoseresources until we’ve startedwalking in obedience.

For pastors who have adream and who are walking inobedience but still don’t havethe resources they need, don’tworry. Keep walking in obedi-ence. God has never givenanybody a dream that He didnot want that person to fulfill.He has never given a dreamthat could be fulfilled at stepone. So start walking, be obe-dient, and watch God fulfillthat dream in your life.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCESMaxwell, John C. Developing the

Leader Within You. Nashville:Thomas Nelson, 1993.

Maxwell, John C. The Twenty-OneIrrefutable Laws of Leader-ship. Nashville: ThomasNelson, 1998.

John C. Maxwell, D.Min., is a former pastor and founder of

INJOY, Inc. and EQUIP ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.

Ron F. McManus is a former pastor andexecutive presbyter for the Assemblies ofGod. He is currently president of EQUIPministries, Atlanta, Georgia.

To hear people in the church hallways

say, “We’re grateful for the past and

for what God has done here, but God

has exciting things for our future,”

then you know their dreams are

bigger than their memories.

WHAT WILL THE 21ST- CENTURY CHURCH BE LIKE?

B Y L E I T H A N D E R S O N

WHAT WILL THE 21ST- CENTURY CHURCH BE LIKE?

B Y L E I T H A N D E R S O N


t the beginning of the third millen-nium, a common question is,“What will the 21st-centurychurch be like?” Will it be large orsmall, low or high-tech, denomi-national or nondenominational,worship in houses or church build-

ings, stronger on evangelism or socialaction, spiritually dead or spiritually alive,growing or declining, racially integratedor segregated? The answer is, “Yes.” Justas the church of Jesus Christ has greatlyvaried in the past, it will greatly vary inthe future, only more so.

Various churches around the UnitedStates and the world demonstrate the widevariety of congregations. BrownsvilleAssembly of God in Pensacola, Florida, isfamous because more than 1 million peo-ple have come from around the world seek-ing the supernatural in the famousBrownsville revival. People by the hun-dreds stand in line hours before the servicebegins hoping to get in.

The Southeast Asian house church isvibrant, but illegal. In one church, the pas-tor is a government-paid teacher. The con-gregation is less than 20 people. It is part of

an amazingly evangelistic network ofhouse churches that would be closedimmediately if the government found outabout them.

In the Pentecostal church in Romania,the women sit on one side and the men siton the other side. All women wear headcoverings; no jewelry is allowed, not evena wedding ring. Men do not cross their legswhile seated or put their hands in their pockets while preaching becauseChristians don’t do such things.

New African denominations are startingup almost every day. Missiologist RalphWinter states that many of these churchesand denominations are riddled with theo-logical heresy. Winter believes the church-es that hold the Bible as the source of

authority will, as they mature, eventuallyoutgrow their initial heresies.

There is no single design for 21st-centurychurches. We will see greater variety, newexpressions, novel structures, and ways ofdoing church that we would not have previ-ously imagined. Just as previous genera-tions used innovative ways to meet theirneeds for buildings, Sunday schools, com-mittees, organs, pianos, hymnals, andchoirs, so the next generations will developinnovative ways to be effective in the thirdmillennium.

Here are some interesting trends thatindicate what we may expect to see among21st-century North American churches.

MORE LARGE CHURCHESMost North American churches are small.Over 100,000 of these churches averageless than 50 in Sunday worship servicesand show little prospect of growing anylarger. The median worship attendance ofthe 400,000 USA churches is about 75.

However, most people attend largerchurches. One-half of all worshipers nextSunday will be in the largest (1/7 or 14 per-cent) of churches. This trend has been in

place for most of the last 20 years and willprobably increase in the 21st century.Larger churches are thriving; smallerchurches are struggling.

This is not to say that we will see many,if any, American churches grow to 50,000or more in attendance. But there arechurches breaking the 1,000 barrier everyweek, and there will be hundreds if notthousands more churches over 1,000 inthe next 10 years.

GREATER LAY MINISTRYOne analyst argues that the emergingmovement of lay ministry will be the “com-pletion of the Protestant Reformation.” Layministry is more evident in some churchesthan others, but especially in Roman

Catholic churches where there is a shortageof priests. While there are some things onlypriests are allowed to do, many other thingsare being done by lay leaders and volun-teers. The emergence of lay ministry inCatholic churches will probably spill overinto Protestant churches.

There will also be a growing emphasison pastors doing what they are called todo in Ephesians 4:11,12—to equip thesaints to do the work of the ministry—rather than doing it themselves. More andmore laypersons want to lead, serve,preach, evangelize, visit, and disciple. Themost effective churches will be those thatfree their laity to serve Jesus Christ. Someof that ministry will take place within thelife of the church, but most of it will takeplace in the community.

EVANGELICALS IN THEMAINSTREAMEvangelicals were once on the margins ofAmerican society. No more. Evangelicalshave entered politics in large numbers, gain-ing fame and power. Almost all of thelargest and fastest-growing North Americanchurches are evangelical. Evangelical

colleges and seminaries are strong andgrowing, often supplying significant num-bers of clergy to nonevangelical denomina-tions. Evangelicals now significantly out-number the people in mainline denomina-tions. Evangelicals have an increased, grow-ing, and significant voice in both academiccircles and in the national press.

While evangelicals are far from a major-ity (about 23 percent) of the Americanchurch, they are a formidable influence inAmerican life and culture. There is everyindication that this will increase untilevangelical churches will become the pre-dominant voice of American Christianityin the 21st century.

This is not to say that evangelicals will be evangelistic. This is the sad side of the


A

We will see greater variety, new expressions, novel structures,

and ways of doing church that we would not have previously imagined.

A

equation. The large majority of evangelicalchurches exist primarily for themselves, notfor others. Programs, budgets, and objec-tives are targeted to meet the needs of those

already churched. Unchurched people areoften unwelcome in evangelical churches.Even though there may be talk of evange-lism, there is comparatively little effective

evangelism. Most evangelical churchesmajor on winning those who are alreadychurched, primarily from inside their owncongregations and secondarily, recruitingbelievers from other evangelical churches.

LOTS OF CHOICESIn the 1960s, sociologists worried, wrotebooks, and offered courses about howAmericans in the 21st century woulduse their leisure time. Some predictedthat the average work week wouldshrink to 20 hours. They weren’t verygood prophets.

We now work longer, sleep less, have littleleisure time, and constantly talk about howbusy we are. One of the consequences is thattime for church activities is shrinking.

Churches of tomorrow will do more withless time. There will be more choices, butlittle expectation that everyone will chooseall of them. The church of the 21st centurywill have more services, not one service.There will be different types of services witha choice of languages, music styles, andtimes other than Sunday mornings. Prayerministries have requests in prayer rooms,on-line, through voice mail, E-mail, andalphanumeric beeper messages. Christianeducation opportunities will come throughtraditional classes, computer chat rooms,cable TV, books, tapes, one-on-one spiritualmentoring, intensive Saturday classes,night school, and more.

WHAT WILL GOD BLESS?There is every indication that God’s bless-ings will be new and broad for the new mil-lennium. He will not contain His Spirit toany single program, denomination, geogra-phy, or human design. The church of tomor-row will be as varied as the colors of God’screation, as numerous as the sands of theseashore, and as spectacular as the varietyof human beings created in the image ofGod. It will be new; itwill be exciting. Thebest is yet to come.

Leith Anderson is pastor of WooddaleCommunity Church in Eden Prairie,Minnesota.

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The Power Churches of the 21st Century

Which were the “power churches” of the first century?

Read the Book of Acts and the list becomes obvious:

• Jerusalem: The Church of Pentecost and the Great Commission.

• Antioch: Where Jesus’ followers were first called Christians and the mission-ary movement began.

• Rome: The capital of the empire and the dominant church by the end of thecentury.

Which will be the “power churches” of the 21st century?

Our first guess may be wrong—the churches with thousands of people.Although they have great influence, size isn’t everything.

The power churches of the 21st century will be those churches started after theyear 2000.

As a general rule, older churches become ingrown. Older churches reach anolder generation and tend to repeat the successes and blessings of yesterdaymore than they trust God and innovate for tomorrow.

Look at the denominations in the United States with the oldest churches, espe-cially those founded before World War II. They tend to be aging, if not dyingdenominations. Examine the denominations with the youngest churches andthose who are starting new churches. They tend to be vibrant and growingdenominations.

The 21st century belongs to those who start new churches for the 21st century.

— Leith Anderson

LOOK BACK, LEAP FORWARD

As we move swiftly into the 21st century, it is important

for us to look back to find the core values that give meaning to

our ministries and leap forward to take hold

of new opportunities.

LOOK BACK, LEAP FORWARD

As we move swiftly into the 21st century, it is important

for us to look back to find the core values that give meaning to

our ministries and leap forward to take hold

of new opportunities.

B Y G A R Y L . M C I N T O S H



hen Australia was a newnation, its leaders estab-lished a crest to representtheir country. Two animals—the kangaroo and the emu—stand one on each side of thecrest. These two animalswere chosen because of a

unique common characteristic—whilekangaroos and emus turn their heads toglance backward to get their bearing, theyalways move forward. Though each ani-mal is very swift afoot, neither is able towalk backwards. The founders ofAustralia wanted their country represent-ed by what moved forward, never back-ward. In others words, kangaroos andemus look back and leap forward.

As we move into the 21st century, it isimportant that we look back to find thecore values that give meaning to our min-istries and leap forward to take hold ofnew opportunities. Unfortunately, thestrong pull toward the future may causeus to overlook the past. When lookingback promotes a Band-Aid® mentality(doing whatever it takes to hold thechurch together, and looking back to thegood-old days for ministry results andaffirmation), then looking back is notgood. If looking to the past only leads toan attempt to redo ministry in bygoneways, we are doomed to failure in the21st century. In short, the past is forremembering, not living.

Looking back, however, is often neces-sary to fund a powerful future and vision.Martin E. Marty, church historian at theUniversity of Chicago, calls this “finding ausable future in our past.” Joshua mighthave believed that a good past is the bestfuture. The story is recorded in Joshua4:1–24. After the people of Israel hadcrossed the Jordan, the Lord spoke toJoshua and commanded that 12 stones beremoved from the river and set up as amemorial. After the stones were set up inGilgal, Joshua explained the reason for thestones (verses 6,7). He understood thatcore values of the past are crucial fordesigning a new future. Thus, he com-manded that whenever the nation of Israelstruggled with determining direction, the

people should look to the past to redis-cover their core values.

There is a great deal of talk today aboutdefining a church’s core values. It is amistake, however, to think we create ourvalues in a vacuum. The truth is, we dis-cover them by looking to the past, just asthe people of Israel looked to the past torekindle the fire of their own values. Howis this accomplished? The following are afew steps to assist leaders to “look backand leap forward.”

HONOR THE PASTA wise person once commented, “Thepast teaches us, the present tests us, andthe future rewards us.” Unless you are achurch planter, you will build on thefoundation of others. It was their com-mitment, sacrifice, and love for the Lordthat provided for your church to be whereit is today. Respect and honor past lead-ers, pastors, and ministries that faithful-ly built your church. See what lessonscan be learned from former leaders andministries. When looking to the past, askquestions such as, “What values does ourchurch actually hold?” “What hasinspired great passion in our people inthe past?” The answers to these ques-tions will point to the values your churchnaturally embraces.

AFFIRM PREVIOUS MINISTRIES Over the years, priorities and needs change.Some old ministries lose their effectivenessand new ones are born. Vacation Bibleschool is an example. In the 1950s, VBSwas an effective way to reach children.Almost every church had some form ofVBS. But almost no churches had a divorcerecovery group. Today it has reversed—theeffectiveness of many VBS programs hasbeen reduced due to the numerous activi-ties available for children; but churches adddivorce recovery groups every day.

We do not “install” new values into ourpeople. Values are something our peoplemust buy into, and they must have a pre-disposition to hold them. By affirming theunderlying values of former ministries, weretain the people attracted to those values.Learn what ministries are legendary in the

history of your church. Begin to affirmthose ministries and the people whoserved in them. This is particularly impor-tant when you are planning to restructureor replace ministries. Let your peopleknow you understand the place a ministryholds in your church and their hearts.

HIGHLIGHT THE BIBLICALVALUES AND PRINCIPLES Methods are not long term, but the val-ues that created and supported them are.As you affirm past leaders and min-istries, highlight foundational values. Forexample, foundational values that sup-ported VBS were evangelism and love forthe lost. As you affirm VBS, highlight thechurch’s commitment to evangelism andlove for the lost. Think through each min-istry that needs to be changed, and iden-tify the biblical values that make it valid.Teach and preach Scripture, values, andbasic principles that are timeless andremain valid.

PRESENT NEW MINISTRIES ASEXTENSIONS OF THE PASTLife can only be understood backwards,but it must be lived forwards. Or, as anold Chinese proverb suggests, “It is writ-ten that they who move not forwardmove backwards.” New ministries andmethods will be developed as we enter anew millennium.

Once you have reaffirmed your core val-ues, anything not supportive of those val-ues is up for change. When people com-plain, “We’ve never done it that waybefore,” remind them, “If it’s not part of ourcore values, then it’s open for negotiation.”

Building on the first three steps justnoted presents new approaches to min-istry as an “extension” of former ones. Forexample, if you desire to begin a new wor-ship service, do not present it as a replace-ment for a poor worship service that is notmeeting needs. Instead, focus on yourcore value of reaching more people.

SHOW HOW NEW APPROACHESCARRY ON VALUES OF THE PASTOne church I worked with wanted tomove away from a midweek prayer

WW

meeting and institute a small groupministry. In the process of obtaining thecongregation’s ownership of the newsmall group ministry, the pastor andchurch leaders helped people see thatthe purpose (value) of the midweekmeeting was prayer. They highlightedhow early founders of the churchbelieved prayer was the main foundationfor church effectiveness. Gradually,church leaders demonstrated to the con-gregation that the new small group min-istry would build on the founders’ com-mitments, and more people would bepraying if there were several smallgroups meeting at different times duringthe week. The congregation agreed to tryit. Within 1 month, attendance at thesmall groups tripled that of the midweekservice.

ASSURE PEOPLE OF YOURCOMMITMENT TO COREBIBLICAL VALUESTake time to educate people so they under-stand it is the “form” of the ministry that ischanging, not the “core values.” Stress theprinciples of 1 Corinthians 9:19–23, andshow your new ministry becoming “allthings to all men, that I might by allmeans save some.” Keep stressing the bib-lical principles of the past rather than thestyles of the past, bridging into an expla-nation of how the newer styles carry onthe old values.

LISTEN AND LOVEIf a change is major, take a minimum of1 year to work through the above steps.Effective leaders give people time toshare their feelings, vent frustrations,and become accustomed to new ways ofministry. It is wise to provide smallforums where a few people can ask ques-tions rather than having a full congrega-tional meeting. Be willing to meet withsome people individually as needed tohear their concerns.

COMMUNICATE THATTRADITIONS ARE HONOREDBEST WHEN THEY ARE CARRIEDON IN NEW MINISTRIES Most churches have a Communion table.Two different phrases, with differentemphases, are engraved in many of thesetables—“In Remembrance of Me” and“Until He Comes.”

Communion is a living traditionbecause it points us to the past—InRemembrance of Me—and to thefuture—Until He Comes. It causes us toremember the Lord’s sacrifice on ourbehalf and, at the same time, it calls usto look with hope to His coming.

There are dead traditions and livingtraditions. The dead ones continue to beremembered, but with little impact on lifeand people today. Living traditions con-tinue on by underscoring the historicalvalues for ministries being accomplished

today. The best traditions are ones thatpoint to the future through effective min-istries that reach people today.

BE PATIENT Understand that in urban and suburbanareas of the United States, it normallytakes 5–7 years to turn an existing churchin a new direction. In more rural settingsit take 10–12 years and sometimes longer.Church leaders in the 21st century shouldbe careful to take the long view. While wemay not be able to accomplish as muchthis year as we might hope, more may beaccomplished over the next 5 years thanwe could possibly think.

TRUST GOD TO MAKE A WAYFOR IT ALL TO HAPPENThe old hymn says it well, “O God, ourhelp in ages past, our hope for years tocome.” What better words to bear in mindwhile leading a 21st-century church. Aswe love God and His people, He will helpus lead them to effective ministry in thenew millennium.

Gary L. McIntosh is professor of ChristianMinistry and Leadershipat Talbot School ofTheology, BiolaUniversity, La Mirada,California, and presidentof The McIntosh ChurchGrowth Network.

32 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

34 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

ision is a vital part of me. Iam not sure where I discov-ered vision, but I know it isa never-ending process.Vision is an ongoing giftfrom the Spirit of God. Sightis one thing; vision isanother. Vision enables oneto look into the distancewith God and see what Hesees and discern what is in

His heart. To be effective, one’s heart andvision must remain synchronized withGod’s. What does God see? Multitudes inthe valley of decision and countless peo-ple without God and without hope.

My vision was most likely born in myfather’s church; it was caught, nottaught. Herschel Barnett’s heart was big,and his plans to expand the Kingdomwere larger than life. Prayer supportedeverything he did. “Be Thou My Vision,”a hymn rarely sung today, is descriptiveof my father’s ministry.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart–

Nought be all else to me, save that Thou art;

Thou my best thought, by day or by night–

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.1

Vision in Dad’s vocabulary had a capi-tal “V.” It was the person of the HolySpirit, synonymous with godly insightand wisdom.

The Holy Spirit is my prayer partner inseeking vision for my church. The daythe Holy Spirit became my head pastor,teacher, and prayer partner, I experienceda spiritual revolution. He made prayerintimately personal. He began the reno-vation process of my whole inner life. Itis one thing to know about the Holy

Spirit when we pray, but another toknow Him. When the Holy Spiritbecame real, prayer was a priority, andthe ordinary became extraordinary.

In praying for a vision, we are limitedonly by His limitless resources. We aretotally dependent on God alone as ourSource. During times of prayer, we willsense the urgency of the hour. In prayerwe also understand that without prayer,we are powerless to impact a lost society.

Prayer is a scheduled, daily event andalso a continuous flow. God makes itclear we are to study to be quiet, taketime to be holy, and meditate on HisWord day and night. Today there is aplethora of success formulas for prayerand revival. But in the great revivals ofthe past, prayer was the front, center,and circumference of the holy and godlylives that led these awakenings.

We can learn many lessons for life byobserving a tree. The beauty, thefoliage, and spring budding are part ofthe uniqueness. The Psalmist wrote thatthe blessed and successful man “shallbe like a tree planted by the rivers ofwater, that bringeth forth his fruit in hisseason; his leaf also shall not wither;and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper”(Psalm 1:3).

Trees have taken greater significanceof late—possibly because I am growingolder and possess a compelling concernto multiply until He comes. When I pas-tored in Davenport, Iowa, my wife and Ibuilt a house. One day I planted a twigin our front yard. We watered it, pro-tected it, and watched it grow into alarge tree.

When I visit Davenport, I often driveby the house to observe the magnificenttree. However, I will never enjoy the lux-ury of sitting under that tree. Someone

VVelse enjoys its shade and seasonalchange; but as long as I live, I know Iplanted it.

In this hour, we must plant treesunder which we may never sit. This will have a bearing on the lives of thosewho come behind us. We may have avision for revival, but do we plant theseeds for revival that will impact futuregenerations?

First Chronicles 22:1–5 relates anoth-er concept of praying for vision. Do wehave the vision and heart to worktoward what we may never experience?David was an old man, but he plannedfor a house for God he would neverenter:

“Then David said, This is the house ofthe Lord God, and this is the altar of theburnt offering for Israel. And Davidcommanded to gather together thestrangers in the land of Israel; and heset masons to hew wrought stones tobuild the house of God. And David pre-pared…in abundance…and the housethat is to be builded for the Lord must beexceedingly magnificent…. I will there-fore now make preparation for it. SoDavid prepared abundantly before hisdeath.”

The greatness of a person is measuredin multiple ways. One way is this: Thereare those who plant trees under whichthey will never sit. It is critical that weprepare for the future. Many greatpreachers in the past failed to do this.Great churches such as MetropolitanChurch in Philadelphia and New Yorkonce housed thousands; today neitherone exists. One of the great healingevangelists held countless revivalswhen I was in Bible school. People camefrom all over the world to witness thework; today the ministry is but a

IN THE GREAT REVIVALS OF THE PAST, PRAYER WAS THE

FRONT, CENTER, AND CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE HOLY AND

GODLY LIVES THAT LED THESE AWAKENINGS.

VISIONThe day the Holy

Spirit became my

head pastor, teacher,

and prayer partner, I

experienced a spiritual

revolution. He made prayer

intimately personal.

How to Pray forDeveloping Vision

for the NewMillennium

B Y T O M M Y B A R N E T T

handful. Charles Spurgeon was apreacher’s preacher. He called for revivaland his messages blanketed the earth.His writings continue to impact count-less people. At one time thousands cameto worship in his church; today fewattend on Sunday mornings, and theproceeds from a tiny bookstore helpmaintain the building. Why? Thesechurches failed to become self-propagat-ing. Though most reaped a harvest ofindividuals who were faithful and grewspiritually for the glory of God, they losttheir vision for the future and conse-quently their effectiveness.

America has become a secularnation. Our foundations are crumbling.If ever revival is needed, it is now. Willit come? Has God bypassed America?Habakkuk wrote about God’s vision forIsrael: “Though it tarry, wait for it”(Habakkuk 2:3).

God still speaks through His Word tothose who will listen with their hearts.At times we may feel overwhelmed bythe wickedness and evil influencesaround us. We might wonder, Willrevival return? Will churches overflowagain and remain strong for anothergeneration? Will our people accept theirGod-given responsibility of prayer, wit-ness, and worship? Do my church and I

have the vision to tarry for it, to plant atree of revival through faithfulness andprevailing prayer? Am I willing to acceptthe cost in God’s formula for a revival Imay never see?

Suddenly the vision returns. Not ofpraying for revival, but a vision of “theexceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to theworking of his mighty power, which he

wrought in Christ, when he raised himfrom the dead, and set him at his ownright hand” (Ephesians 1:19,20). Suchgreatness reveals our insignificance inlight of God’s power.

Paul focused on the power ofAlmighty God, who raised Christ fromthe dead, declaring Him victorious oversin, death, hell, and Satan. The samepower is at work in us. Christ’s work hasbeen accomplished. Our work is toprayerfully continue to nurture thechurch while planting seeds of revivalthat we may never see in full fruition.

If revival looks less and less likely, wemust work more diligently and, likeDavid, we must prepare abundantly. Wemust keep the fire alive in our churchesand the prayer fires burning for a worldbeing destroyed by the forces of Satan.

David sought to build a house of God.He would never enjoy the beauty of thenew temple or the sacrifices and wor-ship that would be conducted there.David, however, made plans forSolomon to accomplish this task. Hegave the last years of his life so the nextgeneration would have a magnificenthouse of God prepared for them.

In the same way, we need to dedicatethe rest of our lives making preparationfor the next generation while giving thecurrent one everything we have. Weneed to build upon the pattern of theNew Testament church and plant seedsof revival for the future. We need to fin-ish strong and keep the revival firesalive. Our prayer for a renewed visionshould be for all of us to “enlarge theplace of your tent, stretch your tent cur-tains wide, do not hold back; lengthenyour cords, strengthen your stakes”(Isaiah 54:2, NIV).

As we come to the 21st century, wemust expand our vision and increase ourprayers in preparation for strong, soul-winning churches and the long-sought-for awakenings we may or may not expe-rience in our lifetime. The hymn writer of“Be Thou My Vision” expressed a similardesire in these lines he penned long ago:

Heart of my own heart, whateverbefall,

Still be my Vision,O Ruler of All.

Tommy Barnett issenior pastor of First Assembly of God in Phoenix,Arizona.

ENDNOTES

1. “Be Thou My Vision,” an Irish hymn, c.8th century, translated by Mary Byrne,in Great Hymns of the Faith (GrandRapids: Zondervan, 1968), 334. Usedby permission.

We need to dedicate the rest

of our lives making preparation

for the next generation while

giving the current one

everything we have.

36 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

“I came forward while listening to you evangelize on the radio.Unfortunately, at the time I was in a hot air balloon.”

© 1999 JONNY HAWKINS



ach year my wife and I attend afriend’s Christmas party. Wealways exchange white elephantgifts. We spend a hilarious hourwatching mostly junk emergefrom beautifully wrapped boxes.One gift—an ugly china hen and

rooster—has been circulating for years.There are usually moans from the cou-ple who gets them.

WHAT DO I DO WITH THISTHING?Vision, for some pastors and churches,can be like that pair of china chickens—you own the vision, but wonder what todo with it. Perhaps you and your churchare one of the thousands of Assembliesof God fellowships that are participatingin the 2000 Celebration vision discoveryprocess. You are holding your meetingsand are delighted and challenged by thevisions God is placing in the hearts ofthe people in your church. You are work-ing to coalesce those visions into onestatement that will guide your church’sministry. But you may be wondering,What will I do with this vision ourchurch is creating?

PEOPLE NEED TO BUY-IN TOTIE-INThe single biggest challenge that mostchurches face, and the step most oftenskipped, is that of communication. Mostchurches and pastors who develop avision move immediately to turningtheir vision into action. But a vision thatis moved too quickly from idea to actiondies because few people understood thevision.

When people don’t understand thevision, and don’t buy into it emotional-ly, they don’t tie their lives to it.Therefore, it is important that you devel-op a plan to communicate to the entirechurch, and keep it in front of thechurch until it is owned by a broadmajority in the church. This is a funda-mental and critical step a pastor, staff,and leadership team must take.

Vision teams and pastors who leaveout this communication step risk alien-ating people; or, worse, seeing thosewho weren’t directly involved in theprocess shrug their shoulders and say,“It’s fine for you, but I don’t have any-thing to do with that.” It would be dis-appointing to hear from God, develop a

SO YOU’VE GOT A VISION--NOW WHAT?

SO YOU’VE GOT A VISION--NOW WHAT?B Y J . D A V I D S C H M I D T

EE

When pastors simply tel l their people about the vision and

their people have l i tt le oppor tunity to par t icipate in shaping it or

talking about i t , they may comply, but they may not buy into i t .

42 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

vision, and then have people in yourchurch say: “What vision? I didn’t knowour church was working on one”; or “Youmay have a vision, but I have my own”;or worse, “I don’t want any part of it.”

VISION GROWS IN STRENGTHAND GAINS MOMENTUM AS ITIS SHAREDCommunicating the vision is the firstand most essential step in turningvision into action. There is no rightway to do this. Every leader andchurch has their own pattern for howideas are shared. In some churches itis assumed the pastor will announce tothe church what will happen. In otherchurches more laity are involved. Youneed to understand how your churchbest accepts new information andfresh ideas. Communicate on theirterms, not yours.

Increasingly, people want to have asay in the future of their church. Aspastor, you can share your vision fromthe pulpit, have the whole churchapplaud and nod their heads in seemingagreement, and then see nothing hap-pen. When pastors simply tell their peo-ple about the vision and their peoplehave little opportunity to participate inshaping it or talking about it, they maycomply, but they may not buy into it.

A church needs to have the experienceof looking to the future together. Thisshared experience builds communityand builds a common appreciation forthe vision. For vision to take on energy,it must be shared. Shared vision gainsmomentum as individuals talk about it,

discuss it, refine it, and add to it. Yourjob as pastor is to facilitate this talk-about-it phase.

John P. Kotter, in his book, LeadingChange, states, “A great vision can servea useful purpose even if it is understoodby just a few key people. But the realpower of a vision is unleashed onlywhen most of those involved in anenterprise or activity have a commonunderstanding of its goals and direc-tion.” That shared sense of a desirablefuture can help motivate and coordinatethe kinds of actions that create trans-formation in ministries and people.

EXPECT A BUMP OR TWOA fresh vision for your church will almost always mean change.Developing a vision opens our eyes toprograms that have lost their impact. Aministry or program that God blessed in

the past may now be something the church maintains but is no longereffective.

Oftentimes ministries continue tooutlive their usefulness because no bet-ter idea has come along. The point ofyour church participating in the visionprocess is to help your church hear fromGod, identify those ministries that areno longer effective, and with the Lord’sleading, determine new ministries toreach people.

When people see a fresh vision, therecomes a greater willingness to let go ofthe old and the comfortable. This isn’tto say that simply communicating afresh vision will make change easy.People develop deep loyalties to ways of

doing church. They will resist changingthem. But we are at a difficult time inlocal church history. We have come tothe end of one era marked by certaintools and strategies, and have launchedinto a new era where new tools andstrategies are needed to reach theunchurched and to make disciples.

Many churches seek to blend the pastwith elements of the new, and find itdifficult. God can use a fresh vision tohelp people make the transition; butclear communication in words, pictures,and images is necessary. It is hardwork, and a certain amount of emotion-al work—that of letting go of what usedto be and taking steps toward whatmight be.

Many times people who participate inthe vision development process havealready done this emotional soul-searching and are prepared to enter into

a new future for their church. But therest of the congregation hasn’t had theopportunity to look at alternatives andlet go of outdated programs. Yet thissame journey must be offered to thecongregation. They, too, must see theneed and discover the new ways God isworking. This will help them be chal-lenged to join Him rather than staybehind.

HOW CAN YOU COMMUNICATETHE VISION? Here are some steps to consider:

1. The primary vision communicatormust be the senior pastor. Prepare anddeliver a compelling statement of visionto your church. At Willow Creek

Keeping [people] encouraged by giving them

a clear picture of the future is an impor tant

par t of assimilating people into your church.

Six Habits of a Visionary Leader

Peter Drucker, in his book, The Effective Executive, advises that anyone who wants to lead should not worry about doing every-thing perfectly but commit to doing the right things for the right reasons every time. Here are six habits of visionary leaders thatwill help you to keep doing the right things, for the right reasons, over and over.

1. Have a Clear Vision

• Start by developing a long view. See clearer, farther, and more than any one else.

• Communication increases commitment. Share the vision in committees, from the pulpit, and in private conversations.

• Vision makes church appealing. When a congregation shares a vision, excitement and anticipation can be felt everywhere.

• Vision takes a church beyond maintenance. In church, everything is energized with a vision.

2. Influence Influencers

Recognize and utilize your basic leadership inclinations and strengths. A cohesive leader creates togetherness and warm, fuzzyrelationships; a task leader has visions, sets goals, and goes all out to accomplish the dream. At times, both leadership stylesare needed in the church. A wise pastor will value both kinds of influencers.

A clergy or lay leader gains influence in various ways:

• Clear vision—Elmer Towns says, “When people buy your dream, they buy into your leadership.”

• Credibility—Do what you say you will do.

• Confidence—Be a faith-filled and hope-filled person.

• Character—Teach ministry by modeling ministry.

• Commitment—Be the most committed of all.

• Courage—Faith involves taking risks.

3. Build a Winning Team

More is accomplished when people work as a team. Synergism captures this idea and means everyone combining his/herunique giftedness to produce significant achievement for Christ. Visionary leaders must build individuals together into teamsand empower them for their ministry—laity want to be in the action.

4. Be a People Person

People are the church’s main business. Cherish people; laugh and cry with them. Listen to their fears, failings, and feelings.Value their affirmations and rejoice in their potential. Remember, the Savior established His church for them.

5. Attitudes Really Matter

Most leaders have a special attitude inside them. Call it possibility thinking, passion, positive thinking, energized focus, or vitalfaith. They believe God wants to help them accomplish the impossible. Every church that desires explosive growth must havesomeone near the top of their team who believes and communicates an attitude that expects and experiences miracles.

6. Never Give Up

When the going gets tough, with Christ’s help, the tough get going. Struggles give us strength to fly higher, to become whatGod created us to be. God has placed resources within us that we can discover only through struggles and hardship. Strength,both physical and spiritual, is the product of struggle. That is why it is so important never to give up.

—Adapted from Dale Galloway’s article “Seven Habits of a Visionary Leader” from Leading With Vision, Beeson Leadership Series, Beacon

Hill Press, Kansas City, Mo. ©1998. Used by permission.

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Community Church, Pastor Bill Hybelsconducts a Vision Night twice a year.He reviews where the church has comefrom in the previous 6 months; lays outa vision for the church’s fundamentalmission, vision, and calling; andshares the specific details of where thechurch will be headed. This approachshows that the senior pastor is behindthe vision.

2. The senior pastor cannot be theonly vision carrier or vision champion.Ask the vision planning team to com-municate the vision, perhaps overdessert in homes, in Sunday schoolclasses, or in visits to small groupswithin the church.

Equip vision-planning members withtools. A PowerPoint® presentation orvideo is ideal in certain settings, butprinted copies of the vision are alsohelpful. Vision planning members can

share copies with people they talk to asthey communicate the vision. The morethey share it, the more they own it.

These meetings will need to allow fordialogue. The vision may not be clearto everyone the first time he or shereads it or hears it. There may even beconflict over certain points. But the keyis that more than just the pastor is car-rying the vision to the congregation. Heor she is not alone, but is one of manypeople who are committed to a newfuture for the church.

Vision team members can returnfrom these meeting and dialogue aboutwhat they have heard. In some caseswhat is shared in these meetings may alter the vision. Certain points

may need to be refined.There is a key difference between lis-

tening and leading. The process of lis-tening to the congregation’s reaction tothe vision is critical. But at some pointthe listening and the communicationprocess must end and the implementa-tion of the vision must begin. Don’t getsidetracked by endless cycles of dia-loguing with one or two people in thechurch who resist change. If this hap-pens, send these people to the churchboard, where differences can be ironedout in a way that is honoring to Godand to everyone involved.

3. Keep communicating the vision.Nehemiah clearly and frequently artic-ulated his vision. He repeatedlyannounced that the wall needed to berebuilt. The king, the religious leaders,and the workmen knew his vision.Eventually his prayers and proclamations

resulted in many people sharing thevision and carrying out the task. That’sa key lesson. The vision needs to becommunicated regularly, even after theinitial communication process.

Use a church newsletter to communi-cate a certain aspect of the vision andhow it’s going to be worked out. If yourchurch chooses to have a Vision Night,invite vision team members to preparea testimony of parts of the vision theyare particularly excited about. Thesetestimonies will authentically commu-nicate the vision through those whohelped shape the vision.

4. Help people sign up for the visionover and over. Some studies show thatin a typical organization, only 0.25

percent of all the communication isdevoted to vision. Fully 99.75 percentof communication is devoted to every-thing else but vision. These proportionsare not healthy in a church, which is avolunteer–intensive organization. Ifanything, vision communication in thechurch must have a higher prioritybecause people do not have to attendyour church. They can attend anychurch they like. Keeping them encour-aged by giving them a clear picture ofthe future is an important part ofassimilating people into your church.

In our postmodern world, loyalty toinstitutions is at an all-time low. Evenin the most loyal layperson’s heart, thestruggle occurs: “Is this the church myfamily really needs? Are my needs beingmet? Do I want to keep attending here?”When loyalty lags or discouragementsets in, vision can help bring people

back into alignment with their localchurch. But that takes intentionality.

Where possible, mention the visionin your sermons. At least one or twotimes a year recalibrate the entirechurch through a reiteration of thevision. Make it a part of new-memberorientation. People need to hear ideasrepeated before they sink in. Run therisk of being too repetitive about thevision of your church rather thanassuming everybody got it in oneVision Night.

CUT THE HAPPY TALK People need to know two kinds of infor-mation when it comes to evaluatingyour church’s vision:

The single biggest challenge that most

churches face, and the step most of ten

skipped, is that of communication.


1. Where is God working that isworth celebrating? Where is there evi-dence of the work of the Holy Spiritoutside of church services? Where arepeople’s hearts getting softer, mar-riages being preserved, people avoidingsin, the fruit of the Holy Spirit beingmanifested? Illustrate the evidence ofvitality.

2. There must be diplomatic candorabout what’s not going well in thechurch. Tell how many people in yourchurch came to faith in Christ last year.If it’s a number to rejoice about, rejoice.If it’s a number to weep about, weep.

ADOPTING THE VISIONThe greatest keys to the vision beingadopted by a congregation include: giv-ing people the opportunity to partici-pate in shaping the vision; giving theman opportunity to embrace it; and let-ting people hear their peers endorse it.

Don’t develop a vision for yourchurch only to have it languish in a filedrawer or on a computer hard drive.Develop a communication plan thatallows you and key lay leaders to speakregularly about your church’s vision—its strength, value, and impact on thechurch and community.

Your church’s vision will light thedark path God’s people must travel intoday’s world. To hide vision from therest of the congregation is to make thevision useless. Develop a communica-tion process that allows an ever-increasing number of people in yourchurch to understand the vision andtalk about it. This will set the stage foraction. A greater number of people willbe able and willing to throw theirweight into the vision’s activity.

J. David Schmidt ispresident of J. DavidSchmidt & Associates,Inc., a managementconsulting firm thathas served Christianorganizations, denom-inations, and localchurches for 23 years.He lives in Wheaton, Illinois.

DEVELOPING VISION IN THE SMALLERCONGREGATION



ision is one of the most critical elements in the success and effec-

tiveness of the local church. The Bible is clear, “Without vision peo-

ple cast off restraint.” To keep the church traveling down the right

path, it is important for its members to have a clear and shared

vision. But how do ministry leaders develop and communicate vision? More

important, how do you get your people to embrace the vision God has given you?

Vision is not just for the large church; smaller churches need a vision for min-

istry as well. Understanding small-church culture is key to developing and com-

municating vision to its leaders. This article focuses first on the unique culture

and characteristics of the smaller congregation, and second, on how to initiate

change and communicate your God-given vision within the small-church context.

ON IN THE SMALLERCONGREGATION

B Y S T E V E N R . M I L L S

VPastors who want to

initiate change and

communicate vision need

to build solid relationships

with the church’s primary

influencers and lead them

to discover God’s vision

for the church.

UNDERSTANDING SMALL-CHURCH CULTURE ANDCHARACTERISTICSGenerally, there are two types of smallchurches: the primary family churchand the extended family church. In eachtype, the organizational cultures areresistant to change. Developing visionmust be done with an understanding ofhow these two church types relate,what they value, and how they makedecisions. Developing vision withintheir cultural paradigm is easier thandeveloping vision that requires achange in the organizational cultureitself. The leader who understands andadapts to the organizational culture ofthe small church is much more likely tosucceed.

Description. The primary familychurch is inseparable from family life.Each member knows the others verywell. The average attendance is usually30 to 40, but can run as high as 50. Thistype of church is generally located inrural areas, some urban centers, andsmall towns.

The primary focus of this church isbuilding and maintaining relation-ships. It exists against significantobstacles because of the value mem-bers place on the family. The familychurch is a tight-knit intergenerationalgroup and is laity owned and operated.Resources are limited, as are programsand ministries.

The extended family church (50–150average attendance) resembles a clan or afamily reunion. It is still a family church,but three or four family leaders haveemerged. This type of church tends to bevery homogenous where people knoweach other and share similar values.

Primary Leadership. In the primaryfamily church, a matriarch or patriarch,not the pastor, is the primary leader. Twoor three individuals or families fill thekey leadership positions and hold theseresponsibilities for years or for life. Thereal leader may not hold an official orelected position, but is the person towhom others look when decisions arebeing made.

The primary leadership in the extend-ed family church is a small core of dom-inant members or families. The keyleadership positions have been in thehands of the same families for two orthree generations. The core leadershipgroup regularly interacts with eachother. The church is large enough so noone person can control everything.Procedures and policies are unwrittenand informal. They exist in the collective

memory of the group. The church boardgenerally makes sure the pastor andchurch leaders carry out the decisions ofthe primary family groups. Although theleaders may change formal positions,the informal roles and power structureremain constant.

Pastor’s Role. In the primary familychurch, the pastor is expected to love the

people, do visitation, and preach. His orher official duties include baptisms,baby dedications, weddings, funerals,and presiding over the primary activitiesof the church. Specific responsibilitiesare determined by the church’s tradi-tions. If the pastor’s relationship withthe primary leader is weak or damaged,his or her ability to lead is weakened.The pastor is viewed as an outsider, butcan do almost anything as long as heloves and cares for the people andresponds to their primary expectations.

The pastor is the shepherd in theextended family church. He or she is thepreacher/pastor for the church. Buildingand maintaining relationships withmembers is one of the highest values. Inthis church, the pastor is likely to havemixed support. Some members like thepastor, others tolerate his leadership,and others do not like him at all.

Decision Making and Planning. In theprimary family church, decision makingand planning are done spontaneouslyand informally. Decisions are made bythe consensus of those in leadership orby direction from the patron/matron. Inthe absence of the matriarch/patriarch,no action will be taken until everyone issure what the leader will do.

Decisions are made based on what isbest for the “family.” The primary fami-ly church values persons and relation-ships more than setting and achievinggoals. Enacting change in the primaryfamily church requires first the consen-sus of the group, then the permission ofthe patron/matron. This church does nothave a written statement of purpose andmission. The church does have informalgoals that are very meaningful to thepatron/matron who takes his or her rolevery seriously.

In the extended family church, deci-sion making and planning shiftsbetween the formal and the informal.The decision-making process is flexibleand low key. Decisions are made whenthey have to be made. The process isoften spontaneous and may happenwhen the pastor isn’t present. The pastormay be one of the least informed at

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The leader who

understands and adapts

to the organizational

culture of the small

church is much more

likely to succeed.


decision-making time because he or sheis outside of the group. Decisions aremade when the primary group reaches aconsensus and then gives direction tothe larger group. Bringing change in thischurch requires the permission of thedominant coalition.

Planning and organization do notplay a big role in church life. The year’sevents occur in traditional patternsrather than in planned, intentionalefforts. Planning usually is done byevent or by crisis. Planning will gener-ally be initiated by the governing coali-tion. The primary source of informationfor planning and decision makingcomes from the knowledge and experi-ence of the members. The church’sgoals are informal and are meaningfulto the families in the church. The pri-mary purpose of the church is to servethe needs of the families that attend.Relationships are valued above results.If a pastor leads the people to write avision statement, it will probably bediscarded or disregarded when heleaves.

In the extended family church, thepastor accomplishes his leadership

primarily as a mentor and occasionallyas a mediator. The dominant coalitionmaintains control of most of the man-agement functions. The pastor mustbecome part of the dominant coalitionif he is to accomplish much in thechurch or in guiding the growth anddevelopment of the members and theirministries.

Implementation of Plans. Individualsrather than committees implement plansin the primary family church. Long-termplanning is viewed as unnecessary.Rather than leaders being organized intoa system of committees, this church mayseem to carry out its entire operationlike a single committee.

The extended family church imple-ments plans by dividing the workload.Programs are more general in nature.Little training is required for leaders orparticipants. All members are expectedto participate in most programs andactivities. Programs are done based onthe way things have always been done.

Communication. Communication inboth church types is by word of mouth,and the telephone is the primary tool forcommunication. In larger churches,

communication can be supplementedwith a bulletin or a monthly newsletter.

New Members. New members areaccepted into the church if they haveconnections inside the church, marryinto the church, or have abilities orresources the church can use. Somemay be accepted if the congregationfeels sympathy toward them or theirpersonal situation. All others generallydiscover they really don’t fit or belong.In larger churches, new members maycome by transfer.

INITIATING CHANGEThe process of developing mission, val-ues, and vision is a journey, not a desti-nation. It may take a year or more towork through. Pastors who want to ini-tiate change and communicate visionneed to build solid relationships withthe church’s primary influencers andlead them to discover God’s vision forthe church.

You begin by meeting with your pri-mary influencers to study God’s Wordand discover Christ’s mission and pur-pose for the church. Do not assume yourleaders already know this. This step can

Mission, Vision, and ValuesThe terms “mission, purpose, vision, vision slogan, values, and value statements” are used frequently but not always withthe same definition. This often contributes to confusion and passivity in leading a church to identify and develop its vision.Generally, these terms are defined as follows:

• Mission/Purpose: The mission or purpose statement is God’s universal unchanging plan for His church. It is “what” theChurch is about and “why” it is doing it. In essence, it is the Great Commission. The mission statement is a brief biblicalstatement about what the church is to be doing. It informs us about our reason for being. The mission speaks to and flowsout of our head, our intellect.• Vision: The vision is a clear and challenging picture of the future. The mission of the church is to win communities forChrist. The vision statement is what your local church is going to do, and how it will fulfill the mission. The vision consid-ers the needs of the community and the congregational context and values. The vision statement inspires a church to pur-sue the mission. The vision touches and flows out of the hearts of the church members.• Vision Slogan: A brief memorable and challenging statement of the vision of the local church. The vision slogan takesthe longer vision statement and puts it into the battle cry or the cheer. It keeps the vision alive, visible, and memorable. • Value Statements: Core statements of beliefs about the church’s mission that govern what the church does and how itdoes it. Value statements are biblical, but not doctrinal statements. Value statements reveal what is vitally important to thechurch. They are unchanging, passionate, and drive the ministry of the church. Core values help to solve problems, makecritical decisions, develop consensus, and build the team.

—Information supplied by Steven R. Mills, leadership development coordinator for the Division of Christian Education, Springfield, Missouri.

becoming a disciple of Jesus involves:baptism, prayer, ongoing learning aboutthe Christian life, regular worship, andparticipation in activities that utilizeone’s spiritual gifts for ministry.

2. We value the Bible as the inspiredWord of God from which Christianslearn about God’s truths.

3. We believe in the importance ofstewardship of time, talents, treasures,and the earth’s resources as a sign of amature Christian faith.

4. We believe that evangelism is therole of every Christian.

In a congregational meeting, commu-nicate the mission, vision, and valuestatements. The meeting’s purpose isto secure formal approval. Summarizethe process that was used in develop-ing each statement. Provide practicalexamples of how the mission, values,and vision will impact the ministry andfunction of the church. Explain howthese statements will provide leader-ship for decisions about ministry, bud-get, schedule, and relationships. Makesure everyone is clear about the impor-tance of each value statement. Provideeach person a copy of the missionstatement; it should be kept in front ofhim/her at all times. Use the state-ments to guide all present and futuredecisions of the church. Your leadersmust personally apply the values andvision before the church will adapt andchange to reflect the new vision andvalues of the church.

To develop and transfer vision in thesmall family-type church, you mustfocus your efforts on building crediblerelationship with the primary influ-encer(s) to the place where they will per-mit you to come along side them andtogether discover God’s vision for theirchurch.

Steven R. Mills isleadership develop-ment coordinator forthe Assemblies ofGod Division ofChristian Education,Springfield, Missouri.

help your people develop a personal con-viction that this is what God wants theirchurch to be.

After your leaders understand God’spurpose for the church, have them clar-ify their core values. These are state-ments of belief about a church’s mis-sion that govern what it does and howit does it. Value statements describe thethings that are most important tobelievers and their church. They arenot doctrinal statements, but they arebiblical. Ask your leaders to completethe phrases, “I believe….” and “Ivalue….” This can be done as a groupthrough brainstorming or individually.Compile the list and ask each person torate each value on a scale of 1 to 5 (lowto high). Tabulate the scores. The high-est scores probably reflect their values.Write a short biblical statement foreach value.

The next step is to have your leaderslist the primary needs of their communi-ty. Encourage them to survey theirunchurched friends by asking, “What arethe greatest needs and/or problems peo-ple deal with in our community?” Haveeach person record his or her responsesand discuss the results together. Helpthem think about the people and fami-lies in the community. What is thenature of their work? What is their eco-nomic status? Do you have different eth-nic groups in your community? This willhelp your core leaders think about theircommunity and how the church can bestinfluence it.

A realistic vision takes into accountthe strengths, resources, and abilities ofthe church. If a church has just a fewteenagers, it is unlikely to minister effec-tively to teenagers. If a church has twoyoung couples with five childrenbetween them, it has some resources tominister to young families. Brainstormwith your influencers and other leadersabout what they see as the church’sstrengths, resources, and abilities. Helpthem see the church’s possibilities ratherthan its limitations.

You will need to spend time individu-ally and collectively with your primary

influencers. Talk to them about theirvision and dreams for the church. Havethem write it down.

After your primary leaders have writ-ten their responses, bring the churchtogether to discuss them. You shouldwork to seek consensus, not compro-mise. Identify only the most essentialelements for the church. Out of thisforum develop a vision statementunique and specific to your church.

Put in the vision statement only whatis essential for the church to be thechurch. The statement can be a singlesentence, but not more than a shortparagraph. An effective vision statementshould be biblical, specific, transferable,motivating, and measurable. It shouldbe stated in terms of results, not activi-ties; stated in a manner that motivatesand encourages participation; andarranged in a sequential, logicalprocess.

Share the draft vision statement withthe congregation and with key groups inthe congregation. Encourage them togive honest feedback. Stress that thevision statement is only a draft and thattheir input is essential.

With the primary influencers and lead-ers, synthesize and incorporate feedbackinto the final vision statement. Eachword in the vision statement needs tocarry strong imagery and powerfulmeaning.

Listed below are samples of mission,vision, and value statements:

Mission StatementTo bring people to salvation in JesusChrist and disciple them in their rela-tionship with Christ (Matthew28:19,20).

Vision StatementWe believe God has called us to reachthe unchurched of our city by providingcaring structures for families, diversityin worship, small caring groups, andknowledge of spiritual gifts.

Value Statements1. We believe that the process of

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Scheduled for August 8-10, 2000, in Indianapolis, Indiana,

2000 Celebration will be a significant turn-of-the-century

event in Assemblies of God history. It will be about victory

and vision. Pastors and church leaders from around the

world will join in corporate celebration to God for the victo-

ries He has given the Assemblies of God during its 85-year

history. It will also be a time when churches will bind togeth-

er for one focused vision for ministry in the years to come.

J. David Schmidt and Mike Messner visited with

Enrichment and shared their thoughts on the vision-casting

process and its importance to 2000 Celebration.

J . D A V I D S C H M I D T M I K E M E S S N E R54 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

NTERVIEW WITH J. DAVID SCHMIDT AND MIKE MESSNERI The Shaping of a VisionThe Shaping of a VisionNTERVIEW WITH J. DAVID SCHMIDT AND MIKE MESSNER


THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD AND J.DAVID SCHMIDT ARE WORKINGTOGETHER ON THE 2000 CELEBRA-TION EVENT TO BE HELD IN INDI-ANAPOLIS NEXT AUGUST.DAVID, IN WHAT CAPACITY ARE YOUWORKING WITH THE GENERAL COUN-CIL ON THIS SIGNIFICANT EVENT? DAVID: General Superintendent Traskasked me to help coach the process ofdeveloping an understanding of what Godis calling the Assemblies of God todo as it moves into the new mil-lennium. Scripture states inProverbs 29:18, “Where there is norevelation, the people cast offrestraint.”* Sometimes we havenot fully understood this passage.

For the last 20 or 30 years wehave had a top down leadershipstyle in our country. When we readProverbs 29:18, we generally thinkthat vision comes through one per-son. But this way of thinking limitsGod’s way of working in the church.God works through a variety ofprocesses and people to establishHis kingdom. In the last few years,many people have expressed adesire to become a part of the deci-sion-making process—whether it isin the company where they work orin the church they attend.

God already has a plan and avision for the Assemblies of God. Itis our responsibility to see thefuture as God sees it, and to makeplans to accomplish His purposefor our Movement. We need tounderstand how God sees each ofus, our church, our community,and our country.

MIKE: Solomon set a pattern for our part-nership with David Schmidt in 1 Kings 5and 7. Solomon inherited his father’s visionand passion to build the temple. Afterassessing the job, Solomon asked the kingof Tyre to help him. He said: “So give ordersthat cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. Mymen will work with yours, and I will payyou for your men whatever wages you set.You know that we have no one so skilled in

felling timber as the Sidonians” (1 Kings5:6). Scripture then records that “KingSolomon sent to Tyre and broughtHuram…a craftsman in bronze. He washighly skilled and experienced in all kindsof bronze work” (1 Kings 7:13). Verses45,46 state, “All these objects that Hurammade for King Solomon for the temple ofthe Lord were of burnished bronze. The kinghad them cast in clay molds in the plain ofthe Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan.

Solomon left all these things unweighed,because there were so many; the weight ofthe bronze was not determined.”

Solomon recognized that to accomplishthis task he needed expert help outside ofhis own resources. He called on someonewho knew how to cast molds. TheAssemblies of God needed someone whounderstands the Kingdom, the visionprocess, and is a proven craftsman to comealongside us. This person is not to do thework for us, but to put into order the steps

that we need to follow and let our pastorscome alongside him and work just like thetimber cutters of Tyre. This is why we haveasked David to help us.

WHAT HAPPENS TO A CHURCHTHAT LACKS VISION?DAVID: The statement, “Where there is novision, the people perish” (KJV), also meanseach one of us dies a little when we don’thave our eyes on the future.

John R. Stott, a well-knownEnglish theologian, said thatvision begins with a holy discon-tent with the way things are. It iseasy to become content with ourchurches and our Fellowship. Weare busy building our homes, ourfamilies, and our jobs. We areworking on our careers, trying tomove forward in a very chaotic,change-filled world. The church isthe last thing we want to seechanged, so we become content.When church leaders and churchesbecome content with the waythings are, they lose their effective-ness. Even the most effectiveAssemblies of God churches canbecome content. We need a way forGod to break into our routine andmake us discontent with the levelof impact we’re having in ourworld. We can do this by keepingan eye on the future and by asking,“What’s next for us?”

We need a process that will helpus move out of our regular routinein church work and set aside timeto ask, “God, what do You see in ourchurch’s future? What do we need

to see about our community and church?”This is why we developed the VisionDiscovery Kit.

THE 2000 CELEBRATION AND VISIONDISCOVERY KIT WORK HAND INHAND. EXPLAIN.MIKE: The 2000 Celebration will be a cor-porate celebration where we come togeth-er to wait on God and thank Him for all thewonderful things that He has done overthese 85 years the Assemblies of God has


When church leaders and churches

become content with the way

things are, they lose their effec-

tiveness. Even the most effective

Assemblies of God churches can

become content.

been in existence. At the celebration, wewill hear from our leadership as they sharewhere they believe God is leading theAssemblies of God into the 21st century.

Every pastor in the Assemblies of Godhas received a Vision Discovery Kit for hisor her church. This tool kit contains in part,a video message from General Superinten-dent Trask, a leaders guide for the pastor,and a workbook for lay leaders. The kit wasdesigned to help pastors and their church-es work through the vision-casting process.We want pastors to come to the 2000Celebration in Indianapolis with theirdreams bigger than their memories. This isone of the reasons the Vision Discovery Kitis so important. The kit will help pastorsfocus on the future and the importance ofthe 2000 Celebration.

HOW WILL VISION CASTING FROMTHE GRASSROOTS LEVEL AFFECT THEMOVEMENT AT LARGE?MIKE: The Vision Discovery Kit is designedto direct pastors and churches through theprocess of putting together a vision team.

same things to churches. The districtsuperintendent and the district presbyterywill have the input from the churches asthey begin to formulate a vision for theirdistrict. As the district superintendent andthe district presbytery evaluate the visionstatements from their churches, they mayneed to examine the programs and the ser-vices they are offering churches. They maywant to give concentrated effort to devel-oping new avenues of ministry to help bothclergy and laity.

From the input of their churches, thedistrict will formulate a vision statementand send it to the General Council. Thegeneral superintendent and the ExecutivePresbytery will then read what each dis-trict believes God is saying to them. Thisprovides guidance at the national level asthe officers of the Assemblies of God for-mulate a vision for the Movement andmake decisions about resources—pro-grams and publications the Assemblies ofGod needs to offer to its churches. This willalso affect how we use our financialresources. We want to be the best stewardsof God’s resources.

This is a vastly different process thanleadership by consensus. This processgives people opportunity to help shapethe vision they feel God is giving theirchurch. At every step along the way it isnecessary for leaders—church leader-ship, pastors, district superintendents, orthe general superintendent—to spendtime alone with God. Receiving inputfrom grassroots doesn’t relieve districtand national leaders from their responsi-bility to hear directly from God.

DAVID: As we move into the 21st century,it is imperative that district and GeneralCouncil operations be aligned with thevision and the needs of the local churches.The real frontline of ministry is the localchurch. The function of the districts andthe national office is to provide service andsupport. Therefore, what God is showinglocal churches becomes the marchingorders for the districts and national office.They might need to rearrange their priori-ties, departments, and resources to betterserve the local church.

The vision team can be the church board, agroup of leaders in the congregation, or aspecial team that the pastor puts together.

Pastors will use the kit to guide theirleaders through the vision-casting processby asking: “Lord, what are You requiringof us? What would You have us do in rela-tionship to our Jerusalem? What do wehave to become in order to fulfill Your mis-sion for our church? What do we need todo in the next 5 years to fulfill Your mis-sion for our church?”

We are asking the local church to writetheir vision statement on a sheet of paper.We want something that is simple—a fewparagraphs, no more than two pages. Wewant to hear what they believe God is say-ing to them. After they have done this, theyare to send their vision statement to theirdistrict office. At this point their visionstatement becomes a diagnostic tool forthe district superintendent and the districtpresbytery. It will help them understandwhat God is saying to the churches in theirdistrict. We believe a common theme willemerge. God will be saying some of the

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VisionWhile there are some leaders whose primary focus is the discernment andcommunication of vision, every true leader must have a deep understandingof the vision of his or her ministry. Without a clear vision in mind, there is noplace to lead the people.Every leader should develop the ability to do three things related to vision:(1) Discern God’s vision for his/her ministry. This entails an extendedtime of self-discovery, intense interaction with God, assessing the ministryenvironment, and gaining counsel from trusted advisers. When God raises upleaders, He has a specific vision for the people those leaders have beencalled to mobilize. Knowing God’s vision for the ministry is the starting pointfor effectively leading people forward.(2) Articulate the vision in ways that inspire and direct people. Thisentails developing a vision statement, which is a brief, punchy declaration ofthe unique purpose for which God has allowed that specific ministry to exist.The leader must use all available opportunities to cast the vision to the peo-ple who will make it come to pass.(3) Incorporate the vision into every aspect of the ministry. Progress isevaluated according to the vision. People are hired based on the ministryneeds dictated by the vision. Sermon topics are selected in keeping with thevision. Strategic plans are determined by the content of the vision.Relationships with other ministries are developed in light of the vision. Vision,in short, becomes the centerpiece of the ministry—and of the leader’s life.

—Adapted from chapter 12 in The Second Coming of the Church, BarnaResearch Group, Ltd., Ventura, California. Used by permission.

This process is intended to move infor-mation and vision from the front line toleadership. Two-thirds of the value for thelocal church is in the process—in the meet-ings where leaders gather, pray together,and dream out loud about the vision Godhas for their church. As the local churchleadership works through this process,there will be a blending together of theleaders into a united group determined todo God’s will. When they writedown their vision, they won’t forgetit; it will be kept in the forefront.

This process has been calibrat-ed to serve every Assemblies ofGod church no matter what thesize. A church planter ready toplant a church, or a pastor of achurch of 20–30 people whobrings two or three elders or lead-ers together and involves them incompleting the process will bene-fit. A church of 5,000 will behelped by this process as well.

WE ARE PENTECOSTAL ANDGENERALLY RELY ONMANIFESTATIONS OF THESPIRIT FOR OUR GROWTH.HOW DOES THIS VISION-CASTING PROCESS RELATE TOTHAT FACT?DAVID: Proverbs 24:3,4 in theLiving Bible states, “Any enterpriseis built by wise planning, becomesstrong through common sense, andprofits wonderfully by keepingabreast of the facts.” This includesthe local church. The Word of Godis clear about listening to God’sSpirit. Wise planning and listening to theHoly Spirit are not a contradiction. Godintends for us to balance that tension inour daily lives. Leaders are challenged toknow the condition of their fields, theirherds, or their flocks. God was the greateststrategic planner of all time. His overallplan for this world spans thousands ofyears. Before Adam and Eve sinned, Godhad a strategic plan to bring that part ofcreation that He cared most deeply aboutback to himself.

The Assemblies of God is not short on

Pentecostal expression. As a Fellowship, itunderstands how to listen for God’s voice.The Assemblies of God clearly understandsthe work of the Holy Spirit better thanmany other denominations. But there mustbe room for God to lead the mind as well.

Much of the growth in the Assemblies ofGod is in other parts of the world, not inthe United States. Our churches need tomake some changes so they can relate to

today’s culture. We need to remain bibli-cally sound, but we need to become cultur-ally relevant. To do this we need a freshvision for how we can reach our culturewith the gospel.

MIKE: Good stewardship and planning arenot contrary to walking by faith or theempowering of the Spirit. They are like thetwo wings of an airplane—good planningon one side, walking by faith and depend-ing on the power of the Holy Spirit on theother side. You need both. God certainly will

empower those who depend on Him. ButGod uses what we place into His hands.

AFTER PASTORS HAVE DEVELOPED AVISION FOR THEIR CHURCH, WHY ISIT IMPORTANT THAT THEY AND THEIRSTAFF COME TO 2000 CELEBRATION?DAVID: Pastors and their key church lead-ers should not miss the 2000 Celebration.Three things will happen at this event.

Pastors and church leaders willcome with fresh vision, withexcitement, and will share withothers their vision of where theirchurch is going. This will be agreat encouragement and will helpinspire pastors and their vision.

As General SuperintendentTrask shares the vision for thefuture of the Assemblies of God, itwill build people’s faith. They willsense God’s direction as aFellowship as they look to the 21stcentury. There will also be a greatunity that comes from the 2000Celebration. As pastors and layleaders sense what God wantsthem to do in their communities inrelationship to what theAssemblies of God is doing as awhole, it will bind churchestogether in heart and purpose.

The 2000 Celebration will beclear evidence once again that Godin supernatural ways can visitthousands of pastors and churchleaders and put into their minds,hearts, and thoughts ideas that willbind a group of churches togetherfor one focused mission in the

years to come.*Scripture quotations are from the New

International Version unless otherwise noted.

J. David Schmidt is president of J. DavidSchmidt & Associates, Inc., a managementconsulting firm that has served Christian orga-nizations, denominations, and local churchesfor 23 years. He lives in Wheaton, Illinois.

Mike Messner is administrative assistant to thegeneral superintendent and spiritual life coordi-nator and 2000 Celebration event coordinator forthe Assemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri.

The 2000 Celebration will be a cor-

porate celebration where we come

together to wait on God and thank

Him for all the wonderful things

that He has done over these 85

years the Assemblies of God has

been in existence.


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V I S I O NB Y R A N D Y H U R S T

Big Enough. . .and Small EnoughBig Enough. . .and Small Enough



ision is a popular word; Fortune500 companies talk about it andpoliticians claim to have it. Butthe Church needs to understandthe difference between the secularand Pentecostal meanings of theword.

Much of what passes for visionare mere fantasies or dreams, pro-duced by the human imagination.

But the vision essential for the Church to ful-fill its mission must be a revelation from Godhimself. Human vision is powerful, but itlacks two significant characteristics of divinevision. First, human vision isn’t big enough;second, it isn’t small enough.

BIG ENOUGH VISION During the Pentecostal revival early in thiscentury, the fresh outpouring of the HolySpirit resulted in an immediate, Spirit-imparted concern for a lost world. In the firstGeneral Council held in 1914 in Hot Springs,

Arkansas, our leaders gave eloquent and pas-sionate expression to the missionary purposefor forming the Fellowship. Later that yearduring the second General Council held atStone Church in Chicago, our early leadersmade an amazing declaration: “We commitourselves and the Movement to Him for thegreatest evangelism that the world has everseen.” This Spirit-imparted big vision causedour mission to be extensive in geographicscope. Unlike many church bodies whosemissions focused on certain parts of theworld, our early leaders were compelled bythe Spirit to obey our Lord’s command to “gointo all the world and preach the gospel.”1

The boldness of our forefathers’ responseto the Great Commission is astounding. Howcould such a small group of Christians evenconsider attempting to preach the gospel inall the world? Because they believed bothJesus’ command to reach the whole worldand also His promise that we would receive

the Holy Spirit’s power to do it. This Spirit-imparted zeal was not mere enthusiasm buta purposeful mission guided by a thoroughstudy of the Scriptures.

Our mission is also encompassing inbreadth of ministry. Four words describe ourmission: reaching, planting, training, andtouching—evangelism, establishing church-es, training national leaders, and compas-sion ministries. These four biblical pillars ofour mission are not separate objectives but acomprehensive, integrated, synergistic plan.Each is right in itself. What distinguishes ourmission is not merely our obedience to eachmandate, but how all four work together toachieve our primary objective—establishingthe church.

The first Assemblies of God MissionaryManual published in 1931 stated: “The win-ning of souls to Christ and establishing ofassemblies in all places where converts arewon should be regarded as the primary objec-tive of all missions. All other branches of

ministry should be subordinate to this.” Ourpriority and perspective haven’t changed.

The cutting edge of our mission is evange-lism. But the Great Commission involvesmore than proclamation. Our Lord also com-manded: “Go and make disciples of allnations…teaching them to obey everything Ihave commanded you.”2 In the statementfrom the 1931 Missionary Manual, evange-lism and church planting are interrelated. Ifnot discipled, most people reached throughevangelistic efforts will be lost. We are callednot only to reap a worldwide harvest, butalso to help conserve it.

We do not merely transplant the Americanchurch in foreign lands. From the earliestyears of our Fellowship, Assemblies of Godmissionaries have established indigenouschurches to support and govern themselves.Our primary objective is to establish localbodies of believers that will live and growwithout dependency on the mother church

The vision essential for the Church to fulfill its

mission must be a revelation from God himself.

VV

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that sent the missionaries. We committhe work into the care of national min-isters who are divinely called and gift-ed and have been trained for leadership.

Our mission is comprehensive andintegrated. Each aspect contributes toestablishing the church, and each isserved by the church.

Synergy is cooperative action thatresults in a total effect greater than thesum of each action’s effects measuredindependently. As demonstrated recent-ly after the hurricanes in CentralAmerica and the war in Kosovo, eachtime two or more of our four pillars arein place, that integration produces syn-ergy. What otherwise might take yearsor even decades for the church toaccomplish can be done in weeks ormonths.

While we continue to obey divinecommands to evangelize, train spiritu-al leaders, and minister the love of

Christ to poor and suffering people, thehighest priority of our mission is toestablish New Testament churches thatwill mature and multiply.

SMALL ENOUGH VISIONParadoxically, some ministries do notbecome large enough because in someways their vision is not small enough.If vision is focused too much on thefuture rather than the present and toomuch on the far rather than the near,the potential of that vision may nevercome to full fruition. Vision that isfocused on the multitude but not theindividual will be ineffective.

Simeon saw a carpenter in the templewith his young wife and baby andexclaimed, “Mine eyes have seen Thysalvation,” and prophesied that Jesuswould be “a light of revelation to the

Gentiles.” The prophetess Anna, stand-ing nearby, began giving thanks to Godand spoke of Jesus being the “redemp-tion of Jerusalem.”3 Jesus probablylooked like any other Jewish baby boy,but Simeon and Anna saw more.

When Jesus encountered theSamaritan woman at the well, He sawher as no one else did. The villagerssaw an immoral woman; Jesus sawsomeone with a receptive heart whowould become a catalyst for reachingthat community.

The small vision needed to see thebig vision fulfilled is a Spirit-empow-ered ability to see people as God seesthem, with all their divinely plannedpotential.4

When John Bueno, foreign missionsexecutive director, pastored the CentroEvangelistico church in San Salvador,El Salvador, the congregation grew to23,000. The Christian school system hefounded has served more than 330,000

students. The vision for the school sys-tem did not begin with a projection ofwhat it would become; it began with aninsightful burden. As John drove to thechurch each day, his heart was bur-dened by the dead-end existence of theyoung boys on the street who shinedshoes, washed windshields, and soldnewspapers. He wanted to reach themfor Christ and do something to improvetheir lives. Spirit-guided insight preced-ed foresight.

Spiritual leaders see people’s poten-tial—the gifts and callings that willshape the future of the church. Amongthe significant differences between ourmission and many others is a strongemphasis on training national minis-ters. Missionaries have seen the Spiritof God dwelling in power in the lives ofour national brothers and sisters.

At Southern Asia Bible College inIndia, missionaries David Stewart andDavid Grant saw God’s hand on ayoung student named Mohan. Theyinvested time, teaching, and friendshipin Mohan’s life, and now a church num-bering more than 15,000 has come intobeing. In Argentina, young studentsdiscipled by missionary Rocky Gramsnow pastor congregations of manythousands.

The Spirit equips men and women tofar exceed what their mentors envisionfor them. That is the power of smallvision. God enables us to see Hisplanned potential in a person, but wecan’t know what great things He willaccomplish through that person’s life.

What God wants to do in and throughlives is “immeasurably more than allwe ask or imagine.”5 If we live in God’swill, we are always out of our depthand stretched beyond ourselves.

Our vision for the 21st century must

continue to be big enough to obey theGreat Commission which extends to allthe world, and observe all our Lord hastaught us.6 It also must be smallenough to see the potential in just onelife.

Randy Hurst is communicationsdirector forAssemblies of GodForeign Missions.

ENDNOTES

1. Mark 16:15 (Scripture quotations arefrom the New American Standard Bibleunless otherwise noted.)

2. Matthew 28:19,20 (NIV)3. Luke 2:30,32,384. Psalm 139:1–165. Ephesians 3:206. Matthew 28:20

Vision that is focused on the multitude but

not the individual will be ineffective.

evin, pastor of our onlyAssemblies of God congregationin the U.S. among the Kmhmupeople, has a hard assignment.His people, torn from their Asianhome and thrust into a 1990sOrange County, California, strug-gle. Their ways and customs no

longer fit in their new world. Supportedby the government, they have lost thedignity of supporting themselves. Theirchildren, adjusting more quickly to theAmerican way of life, no longer follow

the patterns that had worked for gener-ations. The Kmhmu people don’t knowwhat will become of them. They arehard to lead, venting their uneasinesson those who try. So Linda Gross, homemissionary to Southeast Asians,brought Kevin by for encouragement.

My only word of hope for him was tocompare his assignment to that ofMoses, who was trying to lead a peoplewho were not what they had been, and

who could not see what God had in mindfor them to become. They couldn’t findthe faith to make the jump, in one gen-eration, from slaves in Egypt to posses-sors of the land in Canaan. They werecontentious, resistive, and difficult tolead.

Sometimes all you can do is confirmthat a task is tough and can’t be hurried.My meeting with Kevin was one of thosetimes.

After Kevin and Linda left, I began tothink about our organizational trek in

the Assemblies of God from have-not tohave status. Drawn from the disenfran-chised, rejected from fellowship by evan-gelicals and fundamentalists, we beganin humble storefronts on the wrong sideof the tracks. We were have-nots. Wedefined ourselves as “peculiar people”and “the Lord’s despised few.”

Times have changed; we are not whatwe were. We now have beautiful church-es. We are among the leaders in growth,

here and globally. We have become oneof the largest organized blocs in theProtestant world. We are welcomedamong evangelicals. Our ministers holdkey interdenominational leadershipassignments. In real and significantways, we have “entered the land.”

On the other hand, paradoxically, wedare not fully think of ourselves in thoseterms or let ourselves act like it. After 85years and several generations, wehaven’t fully changed our self-definition.God has indeed made us significant

among His people, but we are just begin-ning to think of appropriate ways of act-ing or restructuring to take responsibili-ty for the stewardship of what we havebecome. We live in the land, but act likewe are still in the desert.

We all have our own ways of discover-ing the significance that God has givenus. For me, it came in an interview in themid-70s with a representative from theAmerican Bible Society. He asked


STRUCTURING “TOUCH”– A CALL TO THE LAST

DESERT GENERATIONB Y C . D A V I D G A B L E

STRUCTURING “TOUCH”– A CALL TO THE LAST

DESERT GENERATION

KK

whether I, college youth representativefor the Assemblies of God, was interest-ed in a certain Bible distribution pro-ject. I told him it didn’t fit, and askedwhere he would go next for help. Hereplied, “Don’t you realize who youguys are? If I have a national project, Igo to the Southern Baptists. If theydon’t pick up on it, I come to you; andif you don’t either, I quit. No one elsehas the people or spiritual energy topull off anything major.” I had no ideawe were thought of in such exclusivecompany.

God has allowed the ugly duckling tobecome a swan; yet, we should notthink of ourselves as anything morethan, at most, a big bird.

With this in mind, I began to rereadDeuteronomy. Moses wrote this at theend of the desert time, just before theIsraelites crossed the Jordan River. It isa repackaging of the instructions ofExodus through Numbers—a directiveto have-nots who are about to becomehaves. Deuteronomy, the Old Testamentequivalent of the Sermon on the Mount,told the Israelites how to live. It tookinto account what happens to peoplewhen they are blessed with success. Itembodied self-correcting principles thatwere to carry the people into the cominggenerations and keep the blessing ofGod flowing. It spoke to spiritual, eco-nomic, political, religious, and relation-al matters. But what does it say to us inreassurance, direction, or warning atthis time in our journey?

GOD’S PLAN FOR ISRAELIt was God’s plan that they possessthe Promised Land.

This concept occurs in almost everychapter in Deuteronomy. God broughtthem out to take them in. He intendedfor them to enter the Promised Land andto live there successfully. It wasn’t just ahuman or cultural hope; it came fromGod.

An allegorical study such as this musttread carefully at this point. The NewTestament has no direct promised earth-ly equivalent of the Promised Land. Yet,it is a characteristic of God to bless Hispeople. Our deep desire to bless our kidsfinds its origin in God’s tendency to giveHis children “all things.”

As a Movement, seeking to do well andbuild for God’s glory, we submitted ourplans and purposes to Him. And we have

experienced His blessings in numericalgrowth and an increase in our resources.We should feel neither guilty, denyingthis; nor arrogant, crediting ourselves.We should feel joyful, celebrating whatwe have been given, and listen closely toa generous God, seeking how we canbest use this newfound status and stuffHe’s given us.

The God of the desert is also the Godof the Promised Land.The Israelites experienced daily themiraculous manna and quail in thedesert. But they were about to eat in thePromised Land. Accustomed to a miracleof provision, would not the normal formof provision signal a lessening of theiranointing?

While on the move they had a cloud byday and pillar of fire by night. Not need-ing guidance the same way in Canaan asin the desert, how will they experience aguiding God?

When we know God was with us ashave-nots in the desert, we sometimesidentify those have-not components asnecessary elements in our walk withGod. Since we’ve never been haves, weare naturally suspicious. We reasonablyconclude: “Those haves don’t see Godmove like we have-nots do.”

Nomad and slave, they knew, butwhat about land-holder? Most assured-ly, once they were in the Promised Land,someone pointed out the virtues of thegood old days in the desert when Goddirectly supplied their needs. Theseprognosticators bewailed the present“falling away” and gloomily predicteddire consequences. After all, “We’venever done it this way before.”

It was going to be vastly different inCanaan. None of them had done any-thing like it. No wonder they cried, “IfYou go not up with us, carry us not uphence.” And God understood. Over andover at this critical juncture He reas-sured them: “I will be with you.” Hefully intended to remain in relationshipwith them. The God of the desert is alsothe God of the Land.

The critical factor is not “land ordesert,” “have or have-not,” but“with God or not with God.”Possessions and status simply aren’t thepoint. They are secondary; nice, but notwhat it’s all about. At any given time,for any of His people, God may allowpossessions or status, but they are notprimary. If we have an abundance ofpossessions, we are to use them; if not,we are to serve God joyfully with whatwe do have. Abound or abased, it ismore important to hold to God’s hand

70 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

If we have an abundance of possessions, we are to use them; if not, we are to serve

God joyfully with what we do have.

than to the pennies in it.While we may have possessions, they

are not without hazard. God saw thespiritual danger in acquiring posses-sions (Deuteronomy 8:14). But Godknows what He wants—our hearts. Thegoodies He gives us can get in the wayof that. The more we have of status andstuff, the greater our tendency for self-reliance and pride. This calls for somediscipline of our hearts and habits.

On the verge of giving them the Land, making them “haves,” Godmade provision for the care of the“have-nots.”The direction is clear. Just in case thegenerations to come forgot the way itwas or having never known what it feltlike to be a have-not, this first genera-tion in the Land was to build a modelfor caring for have-nots into their wayof life, for the rest to follow.

The needy come in three categories:the alien, the widow, and the fatherless.God said to care for them passively andactively—passively, in their being

guaranteed the same justice as thosewho have more power to get it for them-selves (Deuteronomy 24:17; 27:19); inthe landowners’ generous awarenessthat others might have a greater need toglean their fields (Deuteronomy24:19–21). Then actively, in the greatannual celebrations—the Feast of Weeks(Pentecost) and the Feast of Tabernacles(Deuteronomy 16:11,14).

Besides this hospitality spacedthroughout the year, an even largerinvolvement was required (Deuteronomy26:12,13). A significant part of the 10thof their annual gross national productwas to be made available to the power-less, as well as the priests.

God takes people’s needs seriouslywith this built-in, ongoing provision.Even with the national forgiveness ofdebts every 7 years, and the return ofmortgaged land to original householdsin the jubilee years, God made someallowance for the poor, knowing that badthings will happen. People will needhelp, even in God’s ideal economy. Howdoes this speak to us?

In these days of New Testament andgrace-instead-of-law, might we, whenour needs are met, forget the needy andhurting? To the extent that God allowsus to become haves, we need to build ina pattern of care for the have-nots.

How are we doing in our care for thehave-nots? We are not very far along.We have grown more in becoming havesthan we have in structuring care for thehave-nots. We do much better at “tell”ministries (evangelism) than “touch”ones (feeding, clothing, and visiting).Our evangelical and holiness forefathersled the way in these categories in the1800s; but in our century, after the lib-eral vs. evangelical wars in the firsthalf, the “touch” ministries were so pre-empted by the modernists that we arescared of them. We so equate social con-cern with theological liberalism that wecannot organize to help people withoutdeep uneasiness that we are headeddown some primrose path to perdition.

We might assess our Movement asfinally countenance situational touch-ing, glimpse at the possibility of


systematic touching, and mostly not yeteven dream of systemic touching.

For instance, Assemblies of Godchurches would probably offer a grace-ful welcome to one of its sons whocomes home to die with AIDS (situa-tional). But I do not know a singleAssemblies of God church that hasbegun an intentional ministry to AIDSvictims and their families (systematic).

We show similar tendencies in theother needs. In feeding the hungry, wehave gotten into Convoys of Hope (situ-ational), and some avant-garde church-es have food pantries. But far rarer isthe Assemblies of God church that askswhy so many families in their commu-nity are hungry, and helps people orga-nize their city for changes that promotejobs and address the system.

Even with a clear case of human needand a strong biblical imperative in thisarea of feeding the hungry, we feel aneed to reassure ourselves that it’s OKto risk this. We hasten to remind oneanother that the food is just “the hook,to bring them to the Book.” We areuneasy with “touch” unless there is adirect connection to immediate “tell”with a call to decision. It is not enoughfor us to simply do these things becauseJesus said to.

Will we change? We are shaped by ourpast, but not trapped by it. I see theseforces encouraging change.

FORCES THAT ENCOURAGECHANGESuccessful models overseas.Our missionaries planted nationalchurches that now minister in all kindsof practical “touch” ways. They not onlyretain their spiritual fervor, they out-strip us in it.

Latin America ChildCare teaches us wecan provide education. The Buntain hos-pital in Calcutta, and countlessHealthCare outreaches, demonstrate thepower of providing medical care. Ournational sister churches see a need andorganize politically and economically tomeet it. We are told that in Latin Americato be Pentecostal is to be socially active.

It is time to go to them, not as teach-ers, but as learners: to learn from LACChow to educate, yet help dump-dwellerskeep dignity; from African leaders, howto help economically and still hold peo-ple accountable; from Caribbean pastors,how to turn a handout into a lift up.

Welfare reform is changing the play-ing field.Welfare reform—to get people from

welfare to work—is due to kick in. Whenit does, needs will increase. Some, forvarious reasons, won’t get jobs; andsome won’t get jobs that will adequatelysupport them.

On the other end, provision for meet-ing the needs of welfare recipients isbeing passed down from national tostate to local agencies. But localchurches are still the most effective andresponsible distributors of assistance.Let a local assembly show initiative,integrity, and interest in helping, and itwill discover a new willingness fromthe government at all levels to workwith and through it to alleviate humanneed. Bethel Assembly, in Fontana,California, headed a coalition ofchurches, police, and social agencies todeal with the homeless, and became soeffective that the state of Californiagranted them $185,000 to operate for 2years. May this be the harbinger ofgood things to come.

The failure of liberal churches isleaving a vacuum.Mainline is now old-line. Made-in-Europe denominations are in seriousdecline. In the last 30 years, thePresbyterian church has lost a thousandchurches and a million members.

Theological liberalism lacks energyand has failed on every front.Thousands of local churches totter,attended only by the elderly. It will getworse. They are less prepared than we tostep up to the challenge of the postmod-ern world.

Touching churches grow.Above all else, we are pragmatic. Showour Assemblies of God pastors a way togrow a church, and we become interest-ed. The new way of growing churcheswill demand a new kind of hearing for“touch” to be combined with “tell” inchurch life.

In the late 80s, the churches in mycity, Fresno, California, collaborated on acitywide evangelistic endeavor. We spenthundreds of thousands of dollars,involved hundreds of people over weeks

“Since today’s lesson is about confession, I’ll be the first to confess that I need a new alarm clock.”

© 1999 DAVID W. HARBAUGH

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of time, and imported a world-renowned speaker for the week-longcrusade. I have yet to hear of a singlepastor reporting the addition of a singlenew Christian to his or her church as aresult of that crusade.

In contrast, one of our SouthernCalifornia churches led a 19-churchConvoy of Hope 1-day food give-out. Itcost less than $10,000 and featuredonly local pastors and people. Of the6,000 people fed, over 1,000 signeddecision cards, and over 95 percent ofthem gave genuine addresses. All thesponsoring churches reported growth,some significant.

The Los Angeles InternationalChurch’s Adopt-a-Block outreach putsChristians on the street each week,cleaning, painting, visiting, feeding,clothing, and befriending. As a result, asteady stream of the church’s newfriends come to worship with the peo-ple who helped them, meet the Godwho sent these workers, and becomepart of the church.

For months I have been asking: Isthere a church among us that is experi-encing significant growth, that is notheavily involved in touching ministry?None are reported yet. Growing church-es tell and touch. Touch has quietlybecome an essential part of churchgrowth. The significance of touch isunderreported and underanalyzed,since other factors preach better in ourtradition. And we have too many oldfears concerning touch to let ourselvesproperly weigh it.

Why has touch grown in importance asan essential to church growth? In thepostmodern world in which we live, it isnot so important to win witnessing argu-ments concerning what is true, as it is tofirst demonstrate to our neighbors whatis real by visible acts of love. You don’tneed to know much about postmod-ernism just as you don’t have to have adegree in electrical engineering to flip alight switch. You don’t have to be able toexplain postmodernism to show you lovepeople by helping them. Combine touch

with tell and see what happens in yourchurch.

Ongoing revelation of the Word.I don’t remember ever hearing an entiresermon preached on Matthew 25:31–40.We often preach from its two precedingstories—the Parable of the Ten Virginsand the Parable of the Talents. ButChrist’s teaching in verses 31–40 hits usin an uncomfortable spot. Putting allelse aside: our organizational develop-ment, changed circumstances, and newrelevance to postmoderns, this Wordstands, and obedience is imperative.May that day find us among the righteous at His right hand.

C. David Gable,assistant superin-tendent of theSouthern CaliforniaDistrict of theAssemblies of God,lives in Irvine,California.

Pentecostal Mus ic and the PastorPentecostal Mus ic and the PastorB Y C H A R L E S T . C R A B T R E E

As we prepare to reap the last-day harvest, it would serve

us well to gain greater insights into the dynamics and role

of music in the Pentecostal church.

As we prepare to reap the last-day harvest, it would serve

us well to gain greater insights into the dynamics and role

of music in the Pentecostal church.


t would be difficult to overstate theimportance of music in the life ofthe church. By its nature, musicimpacts the soul. It carries aninherent, powerful influence forgood or evil. The Scriptures revealmusic as an instrument of worshipand praise to God; however, thiswonderful gift can be misused andperverted as one of Satan’s devices.In other words, it is a spiritual force

that must be spiritually discerned andspiritually led.

At this moment in time the Church isbeginning to experience the greatest spiri-tual awakening in history. As we prepareto reap the last-day harvest, it would serveus well to gain greater insights into thedynamics and role of music in thePentecostal church.

MUSIC CONVEYS BOTH VERBALAND NONVERBAL MESSAGESThe words of a song are vital because peo-ple memorize them over a period of time.

They will not only continue to be repeated,but will continue to influence spiritual lifeas long as the song is sung. Great theologyand marvelous truth can be taught throughinspired hymns and choruses. But falsedoctrine and compromise can also be com-municated through bad religious music.

The pastor constantly needs to ask,“Beyond the words, what are the musi-cians communicating to my people?” Thewords might be true, but the body lan-guage or the spirit might be misleading.Musicians send the wrong message when:The performance becomes a thing in itself

rather than a means to glorify God; theyhave no anointing of the Spirit and havefailed to prepare their hearts for ministry;and those who are leading the congregationare apathetic and ill prepared.

As the senior pastor, you are the executiveworship leader and minister of music. Youmust take your responsibility in music seri-ously. Above all, you need to know what isright for your people and the spiritual direc-tion music needs to take in the timing of God.

How are you supposed to take the lead-ership role in music; what guidelinesshould you follow to protect the church,while still allowing musicians to expressthemselves with joy and freedom?

FOUR KEYS IN MAINTAINING ANEFFECTIVE MUSIC MINISTRYCultureSometimes successful pastors move to anew congregation and experience troublealmost from the first day. They do not fit. Inthe same way, others accept a new pas-torate and begin to make wholesale

changes that result in chaos and division.Most of the people involved are sincere andcapable, but they fail to understand thesoul or the culture of the church.

The word “culture” means the total pat-tern of human behavior embodied inthought, speech, and music. It is the dis-tinct tradition and customary beliefs andtraits peculiar to a specific group.

The New Testament church was sensitiveto the diverse cultures within the church. Inmatters of salvation, the apostles wereunbending. But when it came to standard-ized characteristics that were not in conflict

with the Word of God, they showed amaz-ing latitude and flexibility.

When circumcision became a matteraffecting salvation (Acts 15), Paul wasadamant. He refused to bow to the pressureof Jewish leaders. He would not allow a tra-dition to change the message of grace.

When circumcision was not a mattertouching salvation but was only cultural(Acts 16), Paul asked Timothy to be circum-cised so the preaching of the gospel wouldnot be hindered. Within that context, Pauldid not compromise the gospel but didaccommodate the culture to remove a barri-er to the gospel.

Every church has its own unique culture.Those who fail to be sensitive to this are oftenthe catalysts for disunity. Most of the timewhen music offends, it is not a matter of rightor wrong, spiritual or unspiritual; it is a mat-ter of being insensitive to the congregation.

BalanceIt is acceptable to introduce new music ornew presentations of old music into the

spiritual life of the church. After all, theScripture encourages us to “sing unto theLord a new song” (Psalm 96:1). However,it does not say, “Sing no old songs unto theLord.” The Book of Psalms is a type ofhymnal to be used over and over. The keyis balance.

The Bible says a wise person who is wellinstructed in the kingdom of heaven “islike unto a man that is a householder,which bringeth forth out of his treasurethings new and old” (Matthew 13:52). Theapplication of this Bible truth is ratherobvious. A wise musician in charge of

us ic and the Pastorus ic and the Pastor

II

music in the church will see both old andnew music as a treasure to be broughtforth with just the right blend.

Music should not appeal to only a cer-tain segment or group in the church.Spiritual music has many expressions.The wise pastor will make certain there isa balance of anointed music—some fast,slow, traditional, contemporary, majestic,and some informal. God is a God of vari-ety, and He receives praise through a vari-ety of expressions.

AnointingMusic plays a vital role in revival. This last-day revival is no exception. Because God ispouring out His Spirit, the only music thatwill be effective will have the anointing ofGod on it.

Many choirs and individual musicianswho do not have the Holy Spirit’s anoint-ing would do well to cancel rehearsals fora month and gather for fasting and prayer.A choir singing “Blessed Assurance” inunison under the anointing of the Spiritwill be much more effective than a daz-zling, complex arrangement sung inhuman ability of the flesh with a spirit ofpride.

The pastor has the responsibility tomodel a Pentecostal ministry. He or shemust flow with sensitivity and obedienceto the move of the Spirit and focus onbuilding spiritual people through music.The goal is not entertainment or the

opportunity to display musical ability. Thegoal is to worship the Lord in Spirit and intruth.

We can have both the anointing andexcellence, but the priority must be theanointing of God. There is a tendencyamong talented people to depend ontheir ability to do what only God can do.Preachers, teachers, administrators, andcommunicators are easily caught in thesame snare, but the proof is unassail-able—without the Lord’s power, we cando nothing that will last or be of anyspiritual value.

ExcellenceExcellence does not conflict with theanointing. The Spirit of God demandsexcellence. We are to study diligently andstrive for mastery. We are commanded toplay skillfully before the Lord. God seeksdisciplined tools to use. Beyond technicalability and musical talent, those who leadin Pentecostal music must be excellent inspirit and become excellent in learning toflow in the Spirit.

The need for excellence cannot beoveremphasized. Music is a medium thatreveals attitude and spirit almost imme-diately. The pastor and musicians mustbe in harmony spiritually, or no amountof skill and practice will be able to keepdiscord from surfacing. There is great joyand freedom when everyone in leader-ship is of one spirit.

In Pentecostal worship, when the Spiritof God begins to minister through a hymnor a chorus, the wise leader will realize thetouch of God and continue to use that songto edify the Body and exalt the Lord. Atthose moments, the leader needs to setaside the planned music and allow God’sSpirit to use a particular song or songs withthe same theme or key. Unless a person isworking with the finest musicians, it isvery difficult to make key changes andmaintain the flow of the Spirit. Both thepastor and song leader should be comfort-able in responding to the moving of theSpirit outside the planned program. ASpirit-filled music director will sense faithfor salvation or healing and call for aresponse.

Excellence in preparation and practice isan absolute necessity for music to be a con-sistent source of edification and blessing.Musicians need to know the music well sothey can lead with authority. Nothingquenches the Spirit like an unpreparedsong leader who does not know the song,or an unrehearsed choir that does not knowthe arrangement, or a soloist who is floun-dering. The Holy Spirit does not choose toanoint laziness or lack of preparation.

When teaching a new song or chorus,the leader should not only know themusic well, but also make sure theaccompanists and all the musicians arefamiliar with it. A new song should berehearsed so the congregation can enterinto the spirit of the song more readily.Care should be taken to choose newsongs which are not only excellent lyri-cally, but excellent musically. Somesongs carry a great message but do notfit a melody. They should not be sungbut spoken.

All music presented to God should be pre-pared and presented as skillfully as possi-ble. The purpose of music is to minister tothe Lord, the church,and the world in thepower of the Spirit.

Charles T. Crabtree isassistant generalsuperintendent of theAssemblies of God,Springfield, Missouri.”And in conclusion.”

© 1999 STEVE PHELPS

PASTOR PERCY KNEW HOW TO END A SERMON

WITH A BANG

78 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

PPEENNTTEECCOOSSTT--AA NNEEWW

FFOORR WWIITTNNEESSSS

The Book of Acts records the first Pentecostal sermon preached by Peter.

He preached to a multitude of Jews from all over the world who had

gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. Those gathered

observed 120 Galilean Jews speaking clearly in the languages of their fellow

Jews who had come to Jerusalem from more than 15 countries to attend this feast.

EMPOWERMENT


AND MINISTRY

B Y J A M E S K . B R I D G E S

This article was previously printed in the Spring 1999 Enrichment.

Unfortunately, some copy was missing and other copy was duplicated. We are reprinting the article in its entirety.

the shadows, but in the substance.Our Passover is no longer a feast, but

a Person—Christ is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). Our Pentecost is nolonger a festival; the Holy Spirit is ourPentecost. Acts 6:7 states, “A great manyof the priests were obedient to the faith.”Can you imagine the joy those whoseprevious ministry had been to sacrificeanimals experienced when they enteredinto the reality of ministry in Christ who“put away sin by the sacrifice of himself”(Hebrews 9:26)?

The Day of Pentecost had fully come.The One whom the Feast of Pentecost

prefigured had come. This Feast was dif-ferent from all those before, for on thisday the promised Spirit was given, thepromised Comforter had come. The reali-ty is here. We no longer serve God in rit-ual and ceremony, but in Spirit and intruth.

PENTECOST MEANS A NEWEVIDENCE OF THERESURRECTION OF OUR LORDJESUS CHRISTPeter explained that what was happen-ing was evidence that something hadhappened in heaven (Acts 2:33). Jesus’followers had not seen or heard from

Him since He had ascended into heavensome 10 days earlier (Acts 1:9). Thismarvelous outpouring of the Holy Spiritwas an assurance that Jesus had arrivedin heaven and had kept His promise tosend His church another Comforter, theSpirit of Truth (John 14:16; 15:26). Jesusis alive and He is the Head of the Church.He guides, protects, edifies, and empow-ers His body through the Holy Spirit.Everytime a believer receives the baptismin the Holy Spirit, it is a sign that our res-urrected Lord has fulfilled His ministryto His church from His heavenly throne.

PENTECOST MEANS A NEWEXPERIENCE OF FULLNESSIt is obvious from Joel’s prophecy thatthis outpouring of the Spirit of God wasto be generous and abundant. Also, itwas to be shared with young and old,with men and women, with bond andfree. And this outpouring would createan overflow from which all believerswere to live and minister (Acts 2:17,18).

The Book of Acts is a book of fullness(Acts 2:4). Luke characterized the individuals in his history of the EarlyChurch as people who were either full ofindignation, envy, fear, amazement,anger, and Satan, or full of faith, love,

This crowd wanted to know: “Whatdoes this mean?” (Acts 2:12, NIV). Someclaimed these 120 were drunk. But Peterreminded them of the time of day.Besides, have you ever seen a drunkenperson who could speak his own lan-guage fluently, much less speak a lan-guage he did not know?

Peter then began to speak under theanointing of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:14).Beginning with Joel 2:28–32, Peter pro-claimed the meaning of Pentecost. Hismessage elicited another question fromthe audience: “Men and brethren, whatshall we do?” (Acts 2:37).

Because of the mighty outpouring ofthe Holy Spirit in these last days, thesetwo questions are still being asked. It isimportant for everyone to know what thecoming of the Holy Spirit means to theChurch and what each believer must doto receive the precious gift of the Spirit.

PENTECOST MEANS A NEW ERAOF REALITY FOR THE CHURCHPeter began his explanation by pointingto the fulfillment of prophecy (Acts2:16,17). After Pentecost, we no longerlive in the typology of the Old Testament;we live in the reality and fulfillment ofthe New Testament. We no longer live in

Can you imagine the joy those whose previous

ministry had been to sacrifice animals experienced

when they entered into the reality of ministry in

Christ who “put away sin by the sacrifice

of himself” (Hebrews 9:26)?

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Ministering the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

In leading to a response for the altar call, I anticipate a desire that is created by the Holy Spirit. I speak faith and hope to

those who respond and try to get them to relax and overcome any obstacles or nervousness they may have. Here are some

ideas I present that can achieve results:

Creating Desire and Building Faith

Paul wrote “desire spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 14:1). Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst…they shall be

filled” (Matthew 5:6, NIV). I tell people, “You are going to ask to be filled, and you are going to receive the real thing.” This

is crucial for the skeptic and long-time seeker. The devil deals in doubt. He did it in the Garden and with Jesus in the desert,

and he will do it to believers. Satan will do anything to keep believers from seeking this gift from God.

In Luke 11:13 Jesus said, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your

heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a good gift. Here is a wonder-

ful truth: When you ask for the real thing, that is exactly what you get—the real thing.

How do you receive? By asking by faith. Some ask, “How can I speak in a new language when I don’t know what to say?” If

they knew what to say, it wouldn’t take any faith. Emphasize that those who are seeking the baptism in the Holy Sprit are par-

ticipants, not spectators. “And they…began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4).

Overcoming Obstacles

Some people say, “I am not good enough; I am not worthy.” People will never be worthy. But Jesus is worthy. The baptism

in the Holy Spirit is a gift (Acts 2:38,39; 10:45). Like salvation, we can accept or reject it, but we certainly cannot earn it.

Believers need to receive this gift with childlike faith.

Others say, “Today is not the day. Some other time.” “It is not real.” “It may be for some, but not for me.” “What will peo-

ple think?” But today is the day; now is the time. Tomorrow is the devil’s favorite word. And it doesn’t matter what people

think. If they think anything, they will think you are hungry and thirsty for more of Jesus.

Speaking in tongues as the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the real thing; it is not gibberish.

Also, never judge a language by its sound. Those who have traveled overseas or lived in an international area have heard lan-

guages that didn’t sound like languages.

Some are afraid they are making up a language or have been accused of copying someone. But people cannot make up a

language. But even if you could, Jesus wouldn’t let you. If you ask for bread from Jesus, you get bread. And that is what peo-

ple are going to receive because Jesus is waiting, willing, and able to baptize them in the Holy Spirit. Besides, when we are

baptized in the Holy Spirit, we are not copying anyone—we are speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives us utterance.

—Jim Ripley, Olympia, Washington

wisdom, power, joy, good works, theWord, and the Holy Spirit.

Everybody is full of something, and wedetermine what we will be filled with—either the good or the bad. But the Lord’spurpose for us is to be filled with the HolySpirit and all the fruits and gifts God hasfor us. The meaning of Pentecost is to liveout of the overflow of the Spirit-filled life.To live off the dregs of a carnal life is aterrible waste when the Lord has so muchmore for us. So, “be not drunk withwine…but be filled with the Spirit”(Ephesians 5:18).

PENTECOST MEANS A NEWEXPRESSION OF THE PERSONOF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ANDTHROUGH THE BELIEVERLuke, by inspiration of the Spirit, gave usa valuable model for the baptism in theHoly Spirit in Acts 2:4. This is to be a pat-tern for the Church because it was thestandard by which the Gentile baptismwas measured (Acts 11:15).

Some who question Acts 2:4 as amodel for the baptism in the Holy Spiritthink this verse requires wind and fire tobe present each time a believer is bap-tized. Such thinking fails to take intoaccount that the wind and fire were sym-bols of the Holy Spirit heralding the

fulfillment on the Day of Pentecost. We nolonger celebrate the Day or the Feast; wecelebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit.Speaking in tongues is not a symbol, butthe evidence and expression of the Personof the Holy Spirit. We no longer need thesymbols, but we will always need the signof the Spirit—speaking in othertongues—the initial physical evidence ofthe baptism in the Holy Spirit.

“They were all filled…and they beganto speak”—that is the pattern. The com-pound predicate indicates that, upon theinfilling with the Person of the Holy

Spirit, the 120 began to speak with othertongues—not by themselves—but as theSpirit enabled them by using theirtongues and vocal cords with the lan-guage He gave them.

The Holy Spirit is not muted. He is aspeaking Spirit because He is a Person. Heis not some influence or force; He is theThird Person of the Godhead. It isunthinkable that He would infill (Acts2:4), baptize (1:5), fall on (8:16), bepoured upon (2:33)—and would notexpress himself in a manner common toHis personhood.

Our Lord Jesus promised that one of thesigns that would follow believers was:“they shall speak with new tongues”

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(Mark 16:17). And of the five signs Jesusmentioned, He chose tongues to be theinitial physical sign or evidence of theHoly Spirit’s presence in Baptism.

It is most unlikely that the speakingSpirit would infill a believer and chooseto be inconsistent in the manner inwhich He manifests himself. Peter men-tioned two characteristics of theBaptism when he stated that the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit is somethingfor us to “see and hear” (Acts 2:33). Ineach case of the Spirit’s outpouring inActs where Luke provides a description

of what happened, there is something to“see and hear.” Since the believer findsedification and many more benefitsthrough speaking in tongues, it isincongruous with the nature of the HolySpirit to delay expressing himselfthrough the believer who has been bap-tized. Also, the Holy Spirit is anxious togive each believer a personal Baptismwhereby he or she can communicatewith God through the Spirit for edifica-tion and empowerment on a regularbasis.

There should be no question in thebeliever’s mind concerning the immedi-ate expression of tongues when one isbaptized in the Holy Spirit according to

This marvelous outpouring of the

Holy Spirit was an assurance that Jesus

had arrived in heaven and had kept His

promise to send His church another

Comforter, the Spirit of Truth.

the pattern of Acts 2:4. When you arefilled (baptized), you will speak.

PENTECOST MEANS A NEWEMPOWERMENT FOR WITNESSAND MINISTRYLike our Lord, we must exercise our wit-ness and our ministry in the power of theHoly Spirit. Luke 3 has taught us thatJesus did not begin His ministry until Hehad been empowered with the HolySpirit. Our source of strength is also fromthe Spirit (Acts 1:8).

Our Lord, who was the bearer of theHoly Spirit during His earthly ministry,has now become the Baptizer in the HolySpirit (Luke 3:16). The same Holy Spiritwho anointed Jesus, and who infilled theapostles, is still superintending the Wordof God in the earth today. This is trueapostolic succession—the passing of themighty anointing of the Holy Spirit tobelievers in each succeeding generation,empowering them to witness to a lostworld and carry out Jesus’ ministry inHis Spirit.

Those who wish to diminish the impor-tance of speaking in tongues as evidence

of the Spirit’s infilling refer to beingempowered by the Spirit for missionaryservice as the major sign of the Spirit’sinfilling. This puts tongues and empower-ment in competition with each other. Butthe same Person who gives evidence ofHis presence through speaking in tonguesis the same Person who empowers thebaptized believer to make disciples of allnations (Matthew 28:19). Without theempowerment of the baptism in the HolySpirit (with the initial physical evidence),the Church is unprepared to demonstratethe sign of evangelism and go into all theworld and preach the gospel (Mark16:15). Jesus instructed His disciples notto even think of doing His work until theywere endued with power from on high(Luke 24:49).

The revival in the earth today is aPentecostal revival being proclaimed inthe power of the Holy Spirit by those whohave allowed the Lord Jesus to “baptizethem with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). ThisBaptism is the “promise of the Father”(1:4), which is the “same gift” (11:17) Hegave to the Jews and the Gentiles asdescribed by Luke in the Book of Acts.

PENTECOST MEANS A NEWENTRUSTMENT OFRESPONSIBILITY ON EACHGENERATION TO PERPETUATETHE PROMISEThe baptism in the Holy Spirit is not onlyavailable to all believers, but it is theresponsibility of the Church to see thatthis vital truth is perpetuated to eachgeneration. In response to the question,“What shall we do?” Peter urged repen-tance, baptism, and reception of the HolySpirit (Acts 2:39).

It is important that all believers under-stand the importance of Spirit baptism andseek to lead their children into theirPentecostal heritage. Isaiah 44:3 is aPentecostal prophecy that is incumbent onall believers to claim for their families.Let’s keep the fire burning on the altar andkeep Pentecost alivein our hearts and inour churches.

James K. Bridges is

the Assemblies of God

general treasurer,


“Lets handle this change one step-on-toes at a time.”

© 1999 ERIK JOHNSON


BY STANLEY M.HORTON

The Pentecostal

outpouring with the

evidence of speaking

in other tongues came

upon all believers on

the Day of Pentecost,

continued through the

Book of Acts, through

the early centuries

that followed, and in

revivals throughout

Church history.

W O R D S T U D Y : C H A Z O N / C H A L O M

isions and Dreams

Does the Holy Spirit still give believersvisions and dreams? In Joel 2:28, Joel

prophesied that the Holy Spirit would givebelievers visions and dreams when Godwould pour out His Spirit on all flesh. On theDay of Pentecost, Peter, exercising the gift ofprophecy, confirmed Joel’s promise, “Youryoung men shall see visions, and your oldmen shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).

The context in Joel emphasizes the fact theHoly Spirit will be poured out on all flesh. Hewill minister through sons and daughters,old and young, God’s servants both men andwomen. “All flesh” includes all people ofevery background, every color, every nation-ality. Clearly, God wants every believer, fromevery class of society, to be involved. ThePentecostal outpouring with the evidence ofspeaking in other tongues came upon allbelievers on the Day of Pentecost, continuedthrough the Book of Acts, through the earlycenturies that followed, and in revivalsthroughout Church history.

In the Hebrew, zichnekhem, “your oldmen,” is derived from zachan, “beard,” andmeant mature men with a full beard. The

emphasis is on maturity and experience ratherthan on age. These were men who were wise,able to judge what was right and wrong, butthey would need to have God’s Spirit poured outon them to dream God-sent dreams that wouldbless His people.

The Hebrew word, bachurechem, “your youngmen,” is derived from bachar, “to choose, toselect.” These weren’t ordinary boys. The Hebrewhas another word, na‘ar, for that. These youngmen were fully grown, about 20 years old, full ofvigor, and unmarried. Proverbs 20:29 refers totheir koach, “strength, stamina.” But even theycan weakly totter and fall in the race of life(Isaiah 40:30). They need the fullness of the HolySpirit if they are to see God-given visions and beused by the Spirit to carry them out.

Some have supposed that the visions ofyoung men look to the future while dreams ofmature men look back to the past. This is notbiblical. The whole Bible has a forward look.The word “dream” (Hebrew, chalom) is men-tioned over 60 times in the Old Testament.Sometimes it refers to ordinary dreams (Isaiah29:8; Psalm 73:20), but it often refers toprophetic dreams or dreams that give a revelation

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“I take it the collection plate didn’t exactly runneth over.”

© 1999 SCOTT MASEAR

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of God and His plan or purpose. Jacob’sdream of the great, wide ladder stretch-ing from earth to heaven (Genesis28:12–15) and Solomon’s dream atGibeon (1 Kings 3:5–15) are examples.God used these and many other dreamsas an indirect means of communicatingwith His people. Moses was the only onein the Old Testament that God commu-nicated with directly (Numbers 12:6–8).The corresponding Greek words in Acts,enupniois enupniasthesontai, “dreamsthey shall dream,” could also be trans-lated “they shall have visions indreams.” This again indicates dreamsand visions being used somewhat inter-changeably in the Bible.

Not all who claim to have God-givendreams can be trusted, however. TheBible warns against those who dreamdreams and use them to turn us to othergods or false worship (Deuteronomy13:1–3). The same passage shows thatthe dreams the Holy Spirit gives willcause us to love God and follow andobey Him. We can also apply what theBible says about the congregation judg-ing or weighing carefully manifestationsof the gift of prophecy. That means see-ing how they line up with Scripture aswell as thinking about what God wantsus to do about them. If they are trulyGod-given dreams, we should not treatthem as if they are mere entertainment.

Vision (Hebrew, chazon) is derivedfrom chazah, “to perceive, to foresee.” Itis sometimes a synonym for “dream.”The corresponding Greek word in Acts,horaseis, means supernatural visions,usually meant to give a message to thepublic. Sometimes these bring symbolicpictures of the future, such as inDaniel’s dreams and visions in chapters7–12, and Ezekiel’s vision of the valleyof dry bones, where the dry bones repre-sented the scattered people of Israelwhom God would restore to their land,forgive, and put His Spirit in them(Ezekiel 37:1–14). These visions neededGod-given interpretations. Joseph’sinterpretation of the dreams of the cup-bearer, baker, and Pharaoh (Genesis40:9–41:30) were given him by God

(Genesis 40:8; 41:16), as Joseph said,“Do not interpretations belong to God?”(Genesis 40:8). Daniel’s interpretationsalso came from God (Daniel 2:20–23),though sometimes God used the angelGabriel to give him the meaning (Daniel8:15–17; 9:21–23).

The same word for vision, chazon, isalso used of God’s revelation in a wholebook of the Bible, as in Isaiah 1:1;Obadiah 1; and Nahum 1. The wordemphasizes that the entirety of theprophecy was a God-given, Spirit-inspired revelation. This is another indi-cation that dreams and visions from Godwill always be in line with His Holy Word.

Proverbs 29:18 tells us that whenthere is no vision the people perish (or itcan mean they throw off all restraint, aswe see in so much of today’s society—and therefore perish). The rest of theverse lets us know that the vision has todo with God’s Law (Hebrew, torah,“instruction,” a term that includes thewhole of God’s Holy Word).

In the 1906, Azusa Street revival in LosAngeles, California, a number of dreamsand visions were recorded. My motherwas 11 years old at the time. One day shewas quite sick, but her father and motherdid not want to miss the meeting.Wonderful things were happening inevery service. So they prayed for her,

tucked her in bed, and left her. Then shehad a vision where she saw two trainson parallel tracks. At each station theyoung people on her train would goacross to the other train and persuadepeople to come and join them on theirs.After a time, the other train veered awayand she heard a terrible crash in the dis-tance. Her train came into a beautifulstation and she was ushered into a mag-nificent palace. She saw Jesus talking toa man. Their clothes were sparkling. Shelooked down and her dress wassparkling. Then Jesus pointed to her andsaid to the man, “See that little girl. Ihealed her.” Then the vision ended andshe got up from her bed totally healed.The next night she gave her testimony inthe Azusa Street mission and thisencouraged others to believe for healing.

Today, with the pressures of the worldagainst Christians and the Bible, believ-ers, young and old, need to be encour-aged to be open to God-given dreamsand visions. The Holy Spirit wants to usethem to encourage us to trust God,believe His Word, and rejoice in the hopeof the future that His Word promises.

Stanley M. Horton, Th.D., is project coordinator for the Pentecostal TextbookProject and professor emeritus at theAssemblies of God Theological Seminary,Springfield, Missouri.

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Any pastor worth his or her salt will nothead into the new millennium without

casting vision that will grip the hearts of thepeople. It must be a vision that will excite,motivate, focus, and yet be reflective of soundtheological principles. That is the intent ofthis article.

We stand at the edge of a time that has beengreeted by only a handful of generations. Newmillenniums do not come often. In fact, if weuse conservative dating, this is only the sev-enth since creation. In all my years, I havenever sensed such openness, expectation, andsense of adventure that is now upon us. Whata context in which to cast vision.Appropriately, pastors like myself are nowtaking a fresh look at contemporary models ofministry, new styles of leadership, andintriguing strategies for communications. Wereach for books, enroll in seminars, analyzesociological factors, study psychological tech-niques, and hope the vision we cast willreflect a comprehensive awareness of theworld we will meet in 2000—should Christdelay His coming.

Are these the significant factors that shouldshape vision? Is this where I ought to concen-trate my visionary expectations? It is here I amsobered. In my spirit there is a sense of disqui-et, uneasiness, and growing apprehension. Arecultural criteria and influence dominating me?Is there a flaw in my methodology?

I recall an apostolic confession thatexplodes in my heart: “God forbid that Ishould glory, save in the cross of our LordJesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). Suddenly abrilliant light of revelation casts its illuminat-ing rays across my visionary aspirations.

To intensify my awareness, a hymn writtenby Isaac Watts comes to mind:

When I survey the wondrous cross,On which the Prince of glory died,My richest gain I count but loss,And pour contempt on all my pride.

Vision casting demands theological perspec-tive. This is work that cannot be done in a vac-uum. Millennial visionaries must take a hardlook back before daring to chart the course forthe years that lie ahead. A vision cast outsideof solid theological context will certainly pro-mote a shallowness and emptiness that willleave the church of tomorrow in a state of sadand tragic despair.

What are these theological perspectives thatguide the visionary?

THE CENTRALITY OF THE CROSSThe centerpiece of the gospel we preach isfocused on the Cross. Vision casters mustestablish this perspective as the one greatessential. “Let me show you its Mount,” or“God forbid that I should glory save in themiracles of Jesus.” No! Jesus came “to givehis life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).That is the core; that is the centerpiece. Thatis where vision must focus. Any other startingpoint is a visionary misfire of eternal consequence.

What is meant by such attention to minutia?The treacherous folly before us in this sophis-ticated, high-tech, data-driven, quick-fix soci-ety is that people will miss this essential start-ing point. If so, they never will really face thehorror of their sin, confront their utter lost-ness, or deal with their offensive pride andtotal depravity of spirit.

There is no substitute for Calvary. Hislifestyle doesn’t save. His ethics don’t save. Hismiracles don’t save. You must stand at theCross. To miss it here is to plunge even the

BY RICHARD L.DRESSELHAUS

Lifestyle, ethics, and

miracles have only the

power to reform. Only

the Cross has the

power to transform.

T H E O L O G I C A L E N R I C H M E N T

ision Casting and TheologicalPerspectives

Vision casting without theological

perspective results in a vision

cast out of arrogance, self-seeking

carnality, and worldly wise creativity.

Little wonder that the end is death.


most sincere and devout into the vortexof despair. It is a truism. No one can everreally be like Jesus, follow exactly theprinciples set forth in the Sermon on theMount, or satisfactorily work past themiraculous to a deeper truth. All of usmust begin at the Cross. Every millenni-al visionary must establish once and forall that the Cross is the only place wherethe journey can begin.

Again, why is this so essential? Theanswer is clear; lifestyle, ethics, and mir-acles have only the power to reform.Only the Cross has the power to trans-form. And it is transformation, not refor-mation that opens heaven’s gates. “Yemust be born again” (John 3:7). Jesuscame to die. That is the center. Thevision we cast must start with this firstprinciple and never move away from it.

I have heard some have removed thevisible cross from the house of worship. Itrust such an action only means the lossof a symbol. If it is more, the end is tragic.Vision must embrace evangelistic fervor.The unsaved must be drawn in. We mustbecome all things to achieve that end. Butif we don’t bring people to the Cross, theywill remain hopelessly lost. Observablechange is no proof that the saving grace ofJesus has taken root in their hearts. Christlifted up is the only cure.

How-to sermons do promote reforma-tion. Horizontally focused preaching willhelp people to a more positive relationallife. Health and wealth preaching mighthelp some to live abundantly. Radicalfaith preaching can stimulate trust. Butif you bring people in on the secondfloor, without a life transforming trip toCalvary, they will be shallow-rooted,guilt-ridden, uncommitted, and ulti-mately unsaved.

Visionaries for the new millenniummust keep the Cross at the core.

THE PREACHER’S BOASTI return to the apostle Paul’s words, “Godforbid that I should glory….” This isstrong language. There is resolve andpassion here. The apostle considers itunthinkable to allow anything to com-pete with the Cross. Vision casters for

the new millennium must stand withPaul at just this point. The destiny of theChurch is at stake. Anything less willthreaten the very life of the Church.

Some years ago my wife Elnora and Iset out from Seattle for a visit to MountRainier. We circled around this greatmountain on our ascent to its peak.Interestingly, at some points it seemed asif what was before us was the wholemountain, only to learn later that it wasbut one of the many foothills. Obviously,no matter what might have been in view

at any moment, the scene before us wasstill a part of Mount Rainier. So it is withthe story of Scripture. It is all a part ofMount Calvary.

Consider the garments God providedfor our first parents, the curses

Every millennial visionary must

establish once and for all that

the Cross is the only place where

the journey can begin.

pronounced by God following the Fall,the elaborate system of sacrifices thatstood at the heart of tabernacle and tem-ple worship, and even the giving of theLaw. It is all a part of Mount Calvary.

Then move to the New Testament. Thelife and witness of Jesus, the preaching ofthe apostles, the kerygma by the EarlyChurch, and the apocalyptic disclosureare all part of Mount Calvary.

Rising from within our preaching,vision, motivation, passion, direction,style, and methodology must be theCross. There is nothing else. It is the onlyevent that matters. It is all, absolutelyall, that is worthy of boast.

The millennial vision must lift up thedying Christ, define mission in terms ofthe Cross, and promote motivation andmethodology that finds its life in theCrucified One.

I sometimes feel the emotions of discour-agement, fear, uncertainty, offense, and dis-appointment. However, because I am posi-tioned solidly at the Cross—and that is theone and only subject of my boast—I find anemotional anchor at Calvary.

The vision we cast grows out of ourcontinual and persistent survey of theCross.

THE EXHIBIT BEFORE THEWORLDWe come back for a final time: “God for-bid that I should glory, save in the crossof our Lord Jesus Christ.” But we go on,“by whom the world is crucified unto me,and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

Pity the poor church whose pastor hascourageously and confidently cast avision for the new millennium but hasnot yet died to the world—its values,imaginations, preoccupations, devotions,and desires. We have seen it far toooften. Vision casting without theologicalperspective results in a vision cast out of

arrogance, self-seeking carnality, andworldly wise creativity. Little wonder thatthe end is death.

The call of the Savior to every millennialvisionary is that the starting point mustalways be the Cross. Strategies, programs,mission formulation, and every appeal formotivation dare not flow except out ofthat life-giving source.

Vision casting demands theologicalperspective—that begins, continues, andconsummates at the Cross.

A great Puritan prayer of the 17th cen-tury gathers all the strands together:

Make my every sermon a means ofgrace to myself,

And help me to experience the power ofThy dying love,

For Thy blood is balm, Thy presencebliss, Thy smile heaven,

Thy cross the place where truth andmercy meet.

Richard L. Dresselhaus is an executive pres-

byter and pastor of First Assembly of God in

San Diego, California.

Any pastor worth his or her

salt will not head into the new

millennium without casting vision

that will grip the

hearts of the people.

90 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0


be included in the process as well. Withouttheir involvement and ownership, there is littlechance of success.

A vision statement is built on a church’smission statement and expresses the missionin terms of a future goal. It answers the ques-tions: Where is God leading us in the immedi-ate future? and What does God want us toaccomplish? The process takes into account ananalysis of the demographics and needs of acommunity, as well as the dynamics and char-acter of the church.

The person who is leading the visioningprocess must be careful to ensure that every-thing is bathed in prayer and guided by God’sWord. Building a vision is a spiritual task, notsimply a corporate necessity. No vision castingfor a church is worth the paper it is printed on,unless it is generated and characterized by faith.

COMMUNICATING THE VISIONOne of the key tasks is communicating thevision in appealing ways. After the visionstatement has been written, it should bereduced to a memorable slogan that can beeasily remembered. A commercial designer orartist can be used to develop an attractivevisual representation of the vision slogan.

The vision must be promoted continually informal and informal ways. It must make itsway into all of the church publications, corre-spondence, and advertisements. Products likemugs, pens, key chains, mouse pads, andapparel items can also be developed and effec-tively used to promote the church’s vision.

If the person responsible for coordinatingand overseeing the church’s Christian educa-tion/discipleship ministries is given the task ofcommunicating the church’s vision, that per-son must realize the importance of personallymodeling that vision. It does no good to live incontradiction to the vision. He or she musthelp the leaders of the various ministries ofthe church see the importance of living the

Vision is marvelous and mysterious; it isalso powerful. George Barna provides an

excellent Christian perspective on vision. Hestates, “Vision is a clear and precise mentalportrait of a preferable future, imparted by God to His chosen servants, based on an accurate understanding of God, self, and circumstances.”1

It’s one thing to dream a dream and see avision, but who makes it happen? Who devel-ops the strategy to see it achieved? The com-poser’s idea must become a musical scorebefore it is ever a moving symphonic perfor-mance. The builder’s dream becomes an archi-tect’s drawing, followed by a constructioncrew’s dirty, noisy work before it is ever abeautiful edifice. In the church, someone hasto take the pastor’s vision and translate it intoa congregational strategy before it can becomepart of the church’s ministry, or all is lost.

Although a church’s vision to reach the lostand build people must, in large part, be ownedand cast by the senior pastor, the question is:Who develops the strategy and works the planso a local church truly accomplishes thisvision? In a larger church this may be the pas-tor’s senior associate or a Christian educationdirector. In a smaller church it may be the pas-tor himself, or the task may be assigned to adeacon, Sunday school superintendent, orother lay leader.

BUILDING THE VISIONRegardless of who leads the process, thesenior pastor must be deeply involved in theprocess from beginning to end. Other key lead-ers and influencers within the church should

P A R T N E R S I N M I N I S T R Y — T H E C H R I S T I A NE D U C A T I O N / D I S C I P L E S H I P P A S T O R

he Church’s Vision for BuildingPeople—Who Makes It Happen?

BY LEROY R.BARTEL

Vision is a clear

and precise mental

portrait of a preferable

future, imparted by

God to His chosen

servants, based on an

accurate understanding

of God, self, and

circumstances.

The person who is leading the

visioning process must be careful to

ensure that everything is bathed in

prayer and guided by God’s Word.

vision as well. The church can use vari-ous ways to reward and acknowledgethose who make significant contribu-tions to achieving the vision. The visionshould be shared at every availableopportunity. Also, opportunities need tobe provided for people to make commit-ments to do their part in achieving thevision.

DEVELOPING THE STRATEGYFOR THE VISIONDeveloping a strategy for implementingthe church’s vision involves more thanthe Christian education/discipleshipleader and the pastor; all key leaders inthe church—children’s pastor, youthpastor, Sunday school superintendent,Sunday school department leaders, andmusic director—need to be involved inthis process. The Christian education/discipleship leader and the pastor needto help these ministry leaders think

through the implications of the visionfor their respective ministries. Theymust answer the questions, What willthis mean for us? What will have tochange? What will it cost in terms oftime, personnel, facilities, and money?

The Christian education/discipleshippastor must involve other ministry lead-ers of the church in the process of devel-oping strategy. This includes helping theleader of each department develop avision for his or her own department inconjunction with the pastor’s vision. Ifthese leaders are not involved in thevision process, they will not take owner-ship of the vision or goals. Attempts toachieve vision without the support andinvolvement of others can be a lonelyand frustrating endeavor.

The Christian education pastor willneed to keep the process focused and ontrack. Sometimes there seems to be athousand distracting and divergenttrails to follow. Strategic planning iscritical. Vision goals need to be brokendown into achievable units. The rule ofthumb is: plan backward from the goalto where you are.

Prayer is indispensable. If thechurch’s vision can be achieved withoutfaith, it is not a spiritual vision. A godlyvision can only be achieved with

risk-taking faith. A godly leader willpersuade others to pray until the visionbecomes a faith reality. Prayer makesthe vision become a passion in thehearts of leaders. Prayer opens eyes offaith to grasp innovative ways toachieve a challenging vision. Prayerhelps leaders find solutions to problemsand see them in proper perspective.Prayer provides a leader with the wis-dom, faith, and strength to achieve agodly vision. The Christian education/discipleship pastor will provide plentyof opportunities for prayer.

IMPLEMENTING THE VISIONThe responsibility for implementing thevision strategy of the church demandsseveral things:

It demands patience and persis-tence. Things that are worthwhile usu-ally never come quickly. A leader mustbe able to encourage people to stay oncourse when things are discouragingand help them ignore temporary frus-tration in order to achieve the hope of abetter future.

Closely related to patience is persis-tence. Persistence is that quality thatnever gives up and keeps on trying. It isa determination animated by confidentbelief in a God-given vision.

It demands perspiration. There is nosubstitute for hard work. A vision willnever be achieved without diligent,untiring effort. The Christian educationpastor must encourage others to selflesseffort for a preferable future. They leadby setting the benchmark in effort.

In the church, someone

has to take the pastor’s vision

and translate it into a congrega-

tional strategy before it can

become part of the church’s

ministry, or all is lost.

Prayer opens eyes of faith

to grasp innovative ways to

achieve a challenging vision.

Prayer helps leaders find

solutions to problems and see

them in proper perspective.

Prayer provides a leader with

the wisdom, faith, and strength

to achieve a godly vision.

“The church got together and came up with a job description for you.”

© 1999 STEVE PHELPS

92 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

It demands participation. Wise lead-ers understand that a significant goal israrely achieved alone. Realized vision is

the result of unified hearts, commongoals, and cooperative effort. Every per-son involved in Christian education inthe church must participate if the churchexpects to achieve its vision. Withoutthis participation, there is no ownershipof the vision. Consequently, thosecharged with the task of implementingvision are careful to involve people inboth the responsibilities and rewards ofrealized vision.

It demands publication. Communi-cation is a critical element in effectiveimplementation of a vision. Those wholead others to achieve visionary goalsunderstand the value of communication,both up and down the chain of com-mand. Without communication misun-derstandings proliferate, people losesight of the goal, and before long no oneknows where we are or what we are try-ing to do.

It demands power. No godly visioncan be achieved by human strengthalone. Divine challenges undertaken inhuman strength are an invitation tofutility and frustration. The impossibletask undertaken by Zerubbabel and thevision to rebuild Jerusalem and the tem-ple for Jehovah could only be achievedthrough divine power. The secret to suc-cess in leading people to the realizationof godly visions remains the sametoday: “Not by might, nor by power, butby my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty(Zechariah 4:6, NIV).

Nothing is as satisfying as cooperat-ing with God to achieve what would be otherwise impossible goals. TheChristian education and disciple-makingministries of the local church are in a

unique position to work with peoplehelping them realize a God-given visionthrough the power of the Holy Spirit.What a thrill this brings.

I was raised on a farm and remembermy father’s demeanor at harvest time.Months before, he had envisioned theharvest, planned for it, prepared for it, and worked hard to see the crop grow and mature—now the har-vest was here. His eyes twinkled, hisface shone, laughter came easy, and

thanksgiving overflowed. The visionhad been realized. It’s no different inthe divine harvest.

LeRoy R. Bartel is the leader of theCommission on Discipleship for theAssemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri.

ENDNOTES

1. George Barna, Turning Vision IntoAction. (Ventura, Calif: Regal Books,1996), 35,36.

The leader must involve

those heading the various

discipleship ministries of the

church in the process of

developing strategy.


94 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

F O R W O M E N I N M I N I S T R Y

y Father’s Eyes—Vision for the Harvest

BY LILLIAN E.SPARKS

As a child, the compliment I relished themost was, “Oh, you have your daddy’s

eyes.” I was delighted to resemble mydaddy, but do I have eyes like my HeavenlyFather? Do I have eyes that see a face, not acrowd; a name, not a list; a possible har-vest, with only a few laborers?

Matthew gives us a glimpse of what melt-ed Christ’s heart, “But when he saw the mul-titudes, he was moved with compassion onthem, because they fainted, and were scat-tered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd”(Matthew 9:36).

Do we see people the way Jesus seesthem—eternally lost without any hope?Unless we catch a fresh glimpse of hurtinghumanity, God will not use us in this greatend-time harvest.

We do not have to look very far to see peo-ple who desperately need help. They may bethe single mother who lives next door, themiddle-aged widow at the checkout counter,or the grumpy old man at the post office.Without God they are lost.

I will never forget the face of the homelessman who stood on the median strip in themiddle of a congested intersection. He trem-bled uncontrollably in the February cold.With every change of the traffic light our carinched closer, and I saw him better. He washolding a sign that read, “Will work forfood. I have four kids. God bless you.”

I kept hoping that my daughters wouldnot notice the freezing stranger. They con-tinued with their silly chatter until we weredirectly beside him. I glanced at his crackedfingers poking through holes in his tattered

gloves. Icicles clung to his rugged beard.Just as the traffic signal flashed green, thegirls saw him. At first they stared, thenbegan to cry. “Mom, we have to help thisman. We can’t just drive by!”

I protested by telling them we had onlyenough money to buy supper and completeour journey. This brought a chorus of wailsand urgent demands, “Do something now.”

I rolled down my window and said, “Sir, wewant to help you and your family. Please usethis money for food.” I pressed the $20 billinto his palm and in an instant he grabbedmy hand. I looked into his eyes; they werepools of despair. Then I saw a flicker of hope,the realization that someone cared.

Jesus saw the crowds, and He was “movedwith compassion” because their needs wereso great and they didn’t know what to do.Jesus responded to people with compassionbecause He understood their pain.

A boy who came to the pet store lookingfor a puppy knew exactly what he wanted.The storeowner showed him some puppiesin a box and told him not to delay in choos-ing one; they wouldn’t be there long. Theyoung lad smiled. “I’m not worried,” hesaid, “mine will be still be here.”

The boy went to work—weeding, washingwindows, and cleaning yards. When he hadenough money to buy the puppy, he returnedto the store. He laid the wadded bills on thecounter. After the owner counted the money,the boy reached into the back of the box,pulled out a skinny dog with a limp leg, andstarted to leave.

I rolled down my window and

said, “Sir, we want to help you and

your family. Please use this

money for food.”

Unless we catch

a fresh glimpse of hurting

humanity, God will not use us

in this great end-time

harvest.Jesus responded

to people with

compassion because

he understood

their pain.

E n r i c h m e n t • 95E n r i c h m e n t • 95

The owner protested, “Son, don’ttake that puppy. He has a bad leg.”

“Thank you, sir,” the boy replied,“but this is just the one I want!”

As the boy turned to leave, the merchant suddenly understood.Extending from the bottom of theboy’s trousers was a brace; he had adeformed leg. Why did the boy wantthe dog? He knew how it felt to behandicapped.

How did Jesus minister to people soeffectively? He knew how people felt,and He knew they were special. TheGreat Physician wasn’t afraid to touchthe diseased skin of a leper. TheCreator made clay out of spit andanointed a blind man’s eyes. TheResurrection and the Life broke up afuneral procession when He took adead boy by the hand. This same Jesusheld the children in His arms andblessed them. He loved humanity andfelt their pain. Only when we feel theway Jesus feels will we touch peoplefor eternity.

Often God gives us opportunities tomake a difference in someone’s life.Meeting Eric was one of those oppor-tunities. My son Bryon, who sufferedhis entire life with an incurable skindisease, was invited to the researchcenter at Rockefeller UniversityHospital in Manhattan for a week’streatment. He would meet the world’sbest skin specialists and have biop-sies, evaluations, and tests.

Even though Bryon was only 15, hismaturity was evident when he said,“Well, Mom, I guess Jesus wants us totouch someone with His love.”

The day we arrived we knew Godhad sent us. The cursing and violentscreams from the patient’s roomacross the hall sent nurses, and even

his own mother, fleeing in tears. Thefrustration and anger of living in aninstitution, wrapped with bandages,and in constant pain for 22 years hadtaken its toll on Eric. We prayed for theright moment to share God’s love.

The week was almost over and thetime to talk with Eric never seemedright. One night remained. Bravely, Iwent to Eric’s doorway and whispered,“We will be going home tomorrow, andwe wanted to get to know you. If thereis anything we can do for you, let usknow.”

I turned to walk away when I heard agroan. Eric’s desperate eyes loomedabove the soiled bandages and blood-ied sheets. “Please, don’t leave,” hebegged. “There is something you cando for me. My feet itch. Would youscratch them?”

Scratch feet! O, God, anything butthis! I pleaded silently. Then Godreminded me that I had promised Ericanything. OK, God, I’ll scratch, but Youkeep me from getting nauseous. For the

next 45 minutes I scratched feet,knees, a back, and even his hair. Inthose few moments God did a miracle.Instead of spewing obscenities, Ericsmiled and finally laughed. When hismother came to visit that evening, Ericwas playing Monopoly® with Bryon inthe game room.

As I talked with this Jewish motherand reassured her that I understoodher pain, I felt her heart soften andsensed her cry for help. We stood inthe hospital corridor and spoke of ourpain and years of struggle to raise sickchildren. We cried and held eachother; strangers, yet friends. Eric’smom turned to leave and said some-thing that pierced my heart: “WhatEric really needs is a savior!”

I told her that I knew such a Savior;His name is Jesus.

Many times I have reflected on thisexperience. As I do this, I truly under-stand that the best compliment some-one can give me is, “You have yourFather’s eyes.”

Lillian E. Sparks is the director for theWomen’s Ministries Department,Springfield, Missouri.

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“Please, don’t leave,” he

begged. “There is something

you can do for me. My

feet itch. Would you

scratch them?”

I truly understand that the

best compliment someone can

give me is, “You have your

Father’s eyes.”

96 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

C O U N S E L O R S C O R N E R

eople Helping in the ChurchPART 2: A Biblical Model for Counseling in the 21st Century

BY DONALD A.LICHI

The successful

pastor/counselor

will work with the

counselee to accurately

assess the current

scenario, develop a

clear picture of a

preferred scenario,

and then develop

strategies for

appropriate action.

The previous article in this series (fall1999 Enrichment) asserted that the

21st-century pastor must stay anchored andgrounded in the changeless truths and prin-ciples of God’s Word to face the increasing-ly complex counseling problems in the con-gregation. Evangelism (saving the lost) andpastoral care (healing the saved) constitutethe dual responsibilities of the church.Personal qualities of the pastor/counselorwere examined along with a simple struc-ture for the counseling relationship.

JESUS…THE WONDERFUL COUNSELORParishioners seek help from their pastorwhen they are in crisis or are experiencingpredictable life difficulties—the same kindsof concerns that were presented to the LordJesus. He was a great listener and respond-ed appropriately to people’s concerns.Similarly, the successful pastor/counselorwill work with the counselee to accuratelyassess the current scenario, develop a clearpicture of a preferred scenario, and thendevelop strategies for appropriate action.1

In short, the pastor as counselor provides arealistic evaluation of what can be done bythe counselee, helps identify unrealizedpotential, and assists the counselee toemploy unseen opportunities.

THE COUNSELING/HELPING RELATIONSHIPThe quality of the relationship between thepastor and counselee is derived from the

pastor’s accurate empathy, warmth, genuine-ness, and authenticity. Furthermore, thecounselee must perceive that the pastor hasthe credibility and experience to grasp thepresenting concern. The pastor’s “presence”in the counseling relationship is an out-growth of personal godliness, wisdom, char-acter, integrity, and a reputation as one whokeeps confidences.

The counseling relationship has the follow-ing phases:

1.The opening phase. Rapport is estab-lished, acceptance is offered, the counselingrelationship responsibilities are defined, andthe issues are identified.

2.The exploration phase. The problem’snature, history, and complexity are deter-mined. Problem solving, decision making,and goal planning are the major tasks of thisphase.

3.The closing phase. Includes a plan ofapplication, homework, a summary of majorinsights, required behavior changes, andprayer.

To enable each phase to be productive, thepastor must learn some basic attending, lis-tening, and responding skills.

ATTENDING SKILLSAttending is the use of one’s body, time, andspace to indicate attention is being given tothe counselee. Attending signals our interestin the other person. Egan (1998) describesattending in terms of the acronym SOLER:squared-up, open stance, lean toward thecounselee, eye contact, relaxed.

The pastor’s “presence” in the

counseling relationship is an out-

growth of personal godliness, wisdom,

character, integrity, and a reputation

as one who keeps confidences.

The quality of the relationship

between the pastor and counselee is

derived from the pastor’s accurate

empathy, warmth, genuineness,

and authenticity.

Attending skills help equalize thepower in the counseling relationshipand allow the pastor to observe thenonverbal body language of the coun-selee. Attending begins when thecounselee first enters your office. Tohelp the counselee feel relaxed, offer ahandshake and a drink of water orcoffee.

The wise pastor will attend to thecounselee’s body language. For exam-ple, eye contact regulates a relation-ship. Does the counselee glare, lookdefiant, or look away when discussinguncomfortable topics? Does the coun-selee’s posture communicate physicalalertness, eagerness, or tiredness? Arefacial expressions consistent with thetopic being discussed?

Attend to the counselee’s tone ofvoice, rate of speech, and breathingpatterns. For example, someone highlyanxious might take short, quickbreaths, while a depressed personmight not breathe much at all. Anangry person often exhales sharplywhen speaking.

In Western culture, appropriate con-versational space, or “life space,” inone-to-one relationships is approxi-mately 3 to 5 feet. I have had couplescome for counseling and sit at oppo-site ends of the couch, piling the pil-lows between them. This told me agreat deal even before one word wasspoken. In another marriage counsel-ing case, a man directed his wife to siton the couch while he pulled up achair and sat next to me. His behaviorimplied that we, as “co-counselors,”were going to “fix” his wife.

LISTENING SKILLSJames 1:19 urges believers to be“quick to listen, slow to speak andslow to become angry” (NIV). The pas-tor/counselor must listen carefully towhat and how words are said.

1.Listen for relevant content.What topics are important to the coun-selee, and does he* share his innerlife, thoughts, feelings, and signifi-cant others?

2.Listen for self-references. Howdoes he refer to himself? Watch out forkey words such as, “but,” “can’t,”“won’t,” and, “I need.” Often the word“can’t” really means “won’t.”

3.Listen for his concept of God.Does the counselee see God asharsh, demanding, and difficult toplease, or accepting, forgiving, andloving? Helping a counselee know,according to God, he is lovable,

valuable, forgivable, and changeablepresents a more accurate view ofwho God really is.

4.Listen for significant history.What were the formative experiencesin the counselee’s life—the significantpeople, events, and experiences thathelped shape his view of God, himself,and the world?

RESPONDING SKILLSHow the pastor/counselor responds toinformation presented by the counse-lee will either help or hinder the coun-seling process. Responding and ques-tioning skills that assist the helpingrelationship include:

1.Silence. Amazingly, when we cre-ate a brief vacuum of silence, thecounselee often continues to give use-ful information without thepastor/counselor having to ask “20

Prayer at the end of a

session serves as a summary

of important issues raised

during counseling and helps

counselees feel they

are not alone in the

change process.

Attending is the use of one’s

body, time, and space to

indicate attention is being given

to the counselee. Attending

signals our interest in the

other person.

Helping a counselee

know, according to God, he is

lovable, valuable, forgivable, and

changeable presents a more

accurate view of who

God really is.

“It’s obvious to me that you two have been jumping to conclusions.”

© 1999 ANDY ROBERTSON


questions.” How comfortable are youwith moments of silence? Do you findyourself trying to fill each silentmoment with another question?

2.Acceptance. A nod of the head,“OK,” or “I see,” allow the counseleeto know he is being heard. Remember,acceptance does not necessarily meanyou are agreeing with the counseleeor approving of his choices. Jesusoften modeled an acceptance of

people even when He disapproved oftheir behavior.

3.Reflection/restatement. Manycounselees speak without really hear-ing what they have actually just said.Reflecting or restating what the coun-selee said (in feeling and tone) allowshim the opportunity to confirm ormodify his statements.

4.Clarification. Statements or ques-tions such as: “Explain what you

mean by….”; “In what way?”; “Youjust said you were furious, what doesthat mean to you?”; “Say the samething in a different way” are all exam-ples of clarification leads.

5. Summary. The summary servesto tie together important thoughts,feelings, and behaviors; and is, per-haps, the most powerful lead. It isused at the beginning of subsequentsessions, during the counseling ses-sion, and at the end of a session. Therule is, don’t let more material go bythan can be adequately summarized.Prayer at the end of a session servesas a summary of important issuesraised during counseling and helpscounselees feel they are not alone inthe change process.

Attending, listening, and respondingskills will greatly assist you in yourimportant ministry of counseling. Inthe next issue, two important behaviorchange models—praying through (todeal with past hurts) and putting offthe old self/putting on the new self (todeal with besetting sins and tempta-tion)—will be presented.

Donald A. Lichi, Ph.D., is executive vicepresident of EMERGE Ministries, Inc.,Akron, Ohio.

* While the male gender is used in thisarticle, the material applies equally tofemales.

ENDNOTES

1. Gerard Egan, The Skilled Helper(Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/ColePublishing Company, 1998). This bookis used in many Christian graduatecounseling programs. The text pro-vides a helpful overview of the stagesof the counseling relationship.

Reflecting or restating

what the counselee said (in

feeling and tone) allows him

the opportunity to confirm or

modify his statements.

98 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0


legislative efforts, assesses the likelihood ofsuccess, and provides ministers with recom-mendations to consider.

QUALIFYING FOR EXEMPTIONMinisters are allowed by federal law to exemptthemselves from self-employment taxes by fil-ing a timely exemption application (Form4361) with the IRS. To qualify for exemption,ministers must meet several requirements.Among other things, they must certify thatthey are opposed on the basis of religious con-victions to the acceptance of public insurancebenefits (including social security andMedicare) based on their ministerial services.The application must be filed by the due dateof the federal tax return for the second year inwhich a minister has net earnings fromself-employment of $400 or more, any part ofwhich derives from the performance of servicesin the exercise of ministry.

BY RICHARD R.HAMMAR

evoking an Exemption FromSocial Security

C L E R G Y , C H U R C H & L A W

Ministers soon

may be given another

window to revoke

an exemption from

self-employment

taxes.

Many ministers have exempted themselvesfrom social security by filing a timely

application form (Form 4361) with the IRS.Unfortunately, many of these ministers werenot eligible for the exemption. In recognition ofthis fact, and because of the large number ofexempt ministers who wanted to rejoin theSocial Security program to qualify for Medicarebenefits, Congress gave ministers a brief win-dow of time in 1977, and again in 1987, torevoke an exemption from self-employment(social security) tax. Few did so. Ministers soonmay be given another window to revoke anexemption from self-employment taxes. It isimportant for exempt ministers to be aware ofthese developments so they are ready torespond quickly if another window is provided.The lesson of the 1977 and 1987 legislation isthat the longer ministers wait to revoke anexemption, the less likely it is that they will doso. This article reviews the status of current

REVOKING AN EXEMPTIONFROM SOCIAL SECURITYThe tax code states that ministers whoexempt themselves from self-employ-ment taxes cannot revoke their exemp-tion. The decision to become exemptfrom self-employment taxes is “irrevoca-ble.” Form 4361 itself warns that “oncethe application is approved, you cannotrevoke it.”

On two occasions in the past,Congress has enacted special legislationgiving ministers a brief window of timeto revoke an exemption from self-employment taxes.

The 1977 legislationCongress allowed ministers who wereexempt as of December 20, 1977, torevoke their exemption by the due dateof their federal income tax return for1977 (April 15, 1978) by filing a Form4361-A.

The 1987 legislationThe Tax Reform Act of 1986 gaveexempt ministers another limited oppor-tunity to revoke an exemption from self-employment taxes, by filing a Form2031 with the IRS by the due date fortheir federal income tax return for 1987(April 15, 1988). Congress provided this

limited opportunity for ministers torevoke an exemption from self-employ-ment taxes because of a recognition thatmany of these ministers did not qualifyin the first place.

Ministers who revoked an exemptionby April 15, 1988, did not become liablefor self-employment taxes all the wayback to the date of their original exemp-tion. Rather, they were required to payself-employment taxes effective January1, 1986, or January 1, 1987. This meant,for example, that a minister who revokedan exemption by April 15, 1988, had topay not only the first quarter’s estimatedself-employment tax for 1988 by thatdate, but also (1) the entire social securi-ty tax liability for 1986 and 1987, or (2)the entire social security tax liability for1987. The minister elected on the Form2031 whether to pay taxes for both 1986and 1987, or just for 1987.

Very few exempt ministers revokedtheir exemption. The reason is simple:

Most ministers who were seriously con-sidering revoking their exemption wait-ed until the deadline, only to discoverthat revoking their exemption wouldmake them liable for at least five quar-ters of self-employment tax. Even on amodest income, this was a crushing lia-bility that few could afford.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTSIn 1998, a bill was introduced inCongress that would have allowedministers another opportunity torevoke an exemption from social secu-rity. The bill passed in the House ofRepresentatives by a vote of 410 to 1,but the legislative session endedbefore the Senate could take action. Anidentical bill was introduced inCongress in 1999, and passageappears likely. If enacted, this billwould allow ministers to revoke anexemption from social security by fil-ing a form with the IRS by April 15,2002. Ministers can choose to revoketheir exemption beginning either withyear 2000 or year 2001. The bill speci-fies that ministers who revoke anexemption will not be permitted toapply for exemption at a later time.The decision to revoke an exemption isirrevocable.

THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLESALL ASSUME THAT SENATEBILL 331 WILL BE ENACTED:Example: Rev. D. opted out of social secu-rity in 1980 because he did not want topay the self-employment tax. He now rec-ognizes that he was not eligible for theexemption, and would like to revoke it. IfCongress enacts the pending legislation,Rev. D. will be able to file a form with theIRS revoking his exemption. On this form,Rev. D. will designate whether he wants torevoke his exemption beginning witheither the year 2000 or the year 2001.

”It appears as though weneed either a higher basket or

a shorter pastor.”

© 1999 WENDELL SIMONS

100 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

Remember that the

longer you wait to revoke your

exemption, the more back taxes

you will have to pay

If enacted, this bill would

allow ministers to revoke an

exemption from social security

by filing a form with the IRS

by April 15, 2002.

Example: Same facts as the previousexample. Rev. D. waits until September1, 2002, to file his revocation form. Hehas waited too long. The form must befiled no later than April 15, 2002.

Example: Assume that Rev. D. has netself-employment earnings of $50,000 in2000 and 2001, including his church-designated housing allowance. Assumefurther that Congress enacts the pend-ing legislation allowing ministers torevoke an exemption from self-employ-ment taxes. Rev. D. waits until April 15,2002, to decide whether to revoke hisexemption. By delaying his decision, henow has two options: (1) Revoke hisexemption beginning with the year2000. He will be liable for back taxes toJanuary 1, 2000—that is, for 2 yearsplus the first quarter of year 2002 self-employment taxes. This will amount toapproximately $17,200 (multiply the15.3 percent self-employment tax ratetimes 2 years of net self-employmentearnings of $50,000, plus the firstquarter of compensation for 2002).Obviously, this liability is so large thatit is doubtful that Rev. D. will be able toafford it. (2) Revoke his exemptionbeginning with the year 2001. He willbe liable for back taxes to January 1,2001, or 1 year plus the first quarter ofyear 2002 self-employment taxes. Thiswill amount to approximately $9,600(multiply the 15.3 percent self-employ-ment tax rate times 1 year of net self-employment earnings of $50,000, plusthe first quarter of compensation for2002). Obviously, this liability is alsosubstantial, making it unlikely thatRev. D. will be able to afford revokinghis exemption. The problem in this

example is that Rev. D. waited too longto decide whether or not to revoke theexemption. The key point is this—thelonger ministers delay in making thisdecision, the less likely they will be ableto afford revoking their exemption.

Example: Assume that Rev. D. has netself-employment earnings of $50,000 in2000 and 2001, including his church-designated housing allowance. Assumefurther that Congress enacts the pend-ing legislation allowing ministers torevoke an exemption from self-employ-ment taxes. Rev. D. learns of the newlaw, and decides to revoke his exemptionimmediately by filing a revocation formwith the IRS in January of 2000. He des-ignates on the form that he wants torevoke his exemption beginning with theyear 2000. Rev. D. uses the quarterlyestimated tax procedure to pay his taxes,and so he simply begins basing hisquarterly estimates on both incometaxes and self-employment taxes. Thiswill increase his quarterly payments byapproximately $1,900 (one-fourth of hisannual self-employment tax, computedby multiplying net self-employmentearnings of $50,000 times the self-employment tax rate of 15.3 percent). Bymaking the decision to revoke theexemption early, Rev. D. is avoiding theproblem of having to make large pay-ments of back taxes. It is more likelythat Rev. D. will be able to afford revok-ing his exemption in the event that hewould like to do so.

RECOMMENDATIONSThere are several important considera-tions for ministers to note:

1. Nothing has been enacted, yet. Nolaw giving ministers an opportunity torevoke an exemption from self-employ-ment tax has been enacted yet.Ministers who would like to revoke anexemption should do nothing now—except to review their options and beprepared to act quickly if any of thepending bills become law.

2. Enactment is likely. It is very like-ly that Congress will enact legislation

giving ministers an opportunity torevoke an exemption from self-employ-ment tax.

3. Be prepared to act. Since it is likelythat Congress will enact legislation giv-ing ministers an opportunity to revokean exemption from self-employmenttax, ministers should be reviewing theiroptions at this time. Here are somequestions to ask:

• Am I exempt from self-employmenttax? You are if you filed a timely Form4361 in triplicate with the IRS, andreceived back one of the forms marked“approved.”

• Was I eligible for exemption at thetime I filed Form 4361? When you filedyour exemption application, were youopposed on the basis of religious con-victions to accepting social securityand Medicare benefits based on yourministerial services? Many ministerswere not.

• Do I want to revoke my exemption?Some ministers will want to revoke anexemption because they now realizethat they were not eligible. It is an ethi-cal matter for them. For others, theinducement to revoke an exemption maybe to qualify for Medicare coverage andthe other benefits of social security.

• If I decide to revoke my exemption,when should I do so? Remember thatthe longer you wait to revoke yourexemption, the more back taxes you willhave to pay—up to a maximum of 2years plus one quarter of self-employ-ment taxes. Even on modest incomes,this can result in a crushing tax liabili-ty. If you decide to revoke your exemp-tion, consider doing so as soon as thelaw allows. This will minimize thefinancial impact of your decision andmake it more affordable by avoiding alarge back-taxes liability.

Richard R. Hammar, J.D., LL.M., CPA,serves as legal counsel to The GeneralCouncil of the Assemblies of God. A gradu-ate of Harvard Law School, he is theauthor of over 30 books on legal and taxissues for churches and pastors. This arti-cle is excerpted from his bimonthly ChurchLaw & Tax Report, Copyright 1999.

Since it is likely that

Congress will enact legislation

giving ministers an opportunity

to revoke an exemption from

self-employment tax, ministers

should be reviewing their

options at this time.


102 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

Some are so embarrassed they become pub-licly humiliated and hide in their office, committee meetings, or the golf course.

It is a challenge to raise a family in the pub-lic eye. Sometimes our kids demonstrate nega-tive behavior, and it brings a form of shame to

our ministry. How we respond makes all thedifference in the world—and in what we aremodeling for the child-raising parents of ourcongregations.

Through observations made in over 22years of children’s ministry, my wife and Ihave found that when young children act upin public, it is usually because they are expe-riencing a lack of love and attention in the

BY ROBB DUNHAM

Most of us would

agree that our

children are on

loan to us by God.

They are not our

possessions; we

do not own them.

F A M I L Y M A T T E R S

he PK Syndrome

Preacher’s Kid…Pastor’s Kid…PK. Thesewords can strike terror into the hearts of

children’s pastors, youth pastors, Sunday schoolteachers, and children’s workers. “I’ve got thePK in my class, so you know what that means.”

Many pastors’ kids inherit a bad reputationbefore they even have the opportunity todemonstrate a specific behavior pattern, good orbad. It is assumed that PKs are the worst kids inchurch. Unfortunately, this assumption is some-times justified.

Pastors respond to these comments abouttheir children by saying, “It’s because my chil-dren are forced to live their lives in a fishbowl;everybody can see and judge their behavior.Their privacy is violated. My kid’s behavior is nobetter or worse than any other healthy, normalchild.”

Other pastors try to ignore their children’sbehavior, choosing the ivory tower attitude. “I’mtoo busy to be bothered with mundane thingssuch as my child acting up in children’s church.”

Our children require a great deal of

love and attention from us, and often

we feel the demands of church and

ministry are overwhelming.

“If you play with me, it can mean the difference between a heartwarming sermon illustration and a poignant one.”

© 1999 KEVIN SPEAR


home. PKs and their parents have expe-rienced these problems since Bibletimes. Read between the lines whenstudying the accounts of Absalom andDavid (2 Samuel 18:33), or Hophni andPhinehas and their dad, Eli the priest (1 Samuel 2:12–34). Think about thelack of child raising that brought aboutsuch tragedies. We have all seen thefallout in our day: The pastor whosegrown daughter calls every weekend ina drunken stupor; the district officialwho, unable to sleep, goes out to a lone-ly field late at night and cries out to Godfor the life of his drug-dealing child.

There can be no doubt—our childrenrequire a great deal of love and attentionfrom us, and often we feel the demandsof church and ministry are overwhelm-ing. Some pastoral families have dual-working parents; some pastors’ wivesare also employed by the church. Churchcommittees, ministry programs, andchurch office work take her time. Howcan we strike the balance between homeand church that we advocate from ourpulpits?

Perhaps taking a different approachwill help. Most of us would agree thatour children are on loan to us by God.They are not our possessions; we do notown them. We are to invest in them, andthen disburse them into the kingdom of

God. Like Jesus’ parable of the profitableand unprofitable servants, we are toinvest that which He has entrusted to usfor the growth and blessing of theKingdom.

Our children are searching for loveand attention. This means spendingtime with our children. The investmentof time with our children pays rich andlong-lasting dividends. When we areconvinced that the investment of timein our children will pay these divi-dends—peace, joy, harmony, and clari-ty—we will take the steps necessary toachieve it.

You have probably heard the formulathat lists the priorities for our lives: Godfirst, family second, and church third. Allthree comprise the ministry of our lives.All three are intimately intertwined. Weminister to the Lord; we minister to ourfamily; and we minister to the body ofChrist. Church ministry is an extensionof our ministry with our family.

We need to ask ourselves the

penetrating question, What good is asuccessful megachurch ministry if I losemy own child? How many children,teens, and adults harbor deep resent-ments because the church stole theirpastor-parent’s time from them? Theresults are devastating. An old truthbears repeating: I have yet to hear min-isters on their deathbed regret they didnot spend enough time in the office. Butthey do regret spending too little timewith their children. Is it possible thatwith proper priorities we can have God’sblessing on both home and church?

Many churches understand the valuetheir pastoral staff place on keepingfamily times a high priority. Some pas-tors schedule one evening each weekwithout any church activities or meet-ings, and hold that night sacred. Manychurches are insisting that unless thereis a true emergency, the pastoral staff isnot to be called on their day off, andthey are not to show up at the office orcall in. Other churches allow their pas-toral staff to attend special family activ-ities during normal business hours ofthe church. They realize special timesbetween parents and children don’talways come at the convenience ofchurch schedules. If they love their pas-toral staff, churches are wise to investtime in them.

Dividends are paid back to the churchthat cares for their pastoral staff—addedrichness and depth to their ministry,longevity (which saves the churchmoney), joy, and greater productivity.The congregation that is blessed withpastoral staff having these qualities willreflect them, and will grow in an infec-tious way. An added benefit is that thepastor’s children are more likely to growup as well-adjusted adults serving in ourcongregations. Others who observe thesehealthy pastor/family relationships willwant the same in their own family. Anda legacy is handed down to the next gen-eration. No more PK syndrome.

Robb Dunham is an Assemblies of Godfamily and children’s evangelist with anationwide ministry called SuperKidz 4Christ. He lives in Denver, Colorado.

Many pastors’ kids inherit

a bad reputation before they

even have the opportunity to

demonstrate a specific behavior

pattern, good or bad.

104 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

Peter Drucker, famed consultant toAmerican businesses, says there are two

fundamental questions that need to be askedto evaluate a situation and get to the heart ofa matter: “What is our business?” and “How isour business doing?”

Peter Wagner states, “The single most effec-tive evangelistic methodology under heaven isplanting churches.” One of our foundationalbeliefs is that the local church is the centerfrom which evangelism and ministry spread.Planting churches has been one of the prima-ry goals of the Assemblies of God. We cannotimprove on the New Testament pattern ofpreaching the gospel, baptizing and disciplingbelievers, and planting new churches.

We, as the Assemblies of God, must ask:“What is our business?” Nothing less thantotal honesty will do at this pivotal crossroadsin our history. Since the church is the heart ofspiritual life in the kingdom of God, our busi-ness is to grow strong, healthy, reproducingchurches. Our business is not about buildings,bank accounts, reputation, or even politicalpower. It is about raising up churches whosemain concerns are the Great Commission andthe Great Commandment.

We must also ask: “How is our businessdoing?” The figures do not look good for ourFellowship. In 1998, we had almost 12,000churches and more than 30,000 credentialholders. Yet our net growth was only 17churches for the entire United States. Ourinability to produce strong, healthy churcheshas caused our production capacity to sink tohistorical lows. In the 4-year period from1979–83, it took 56 Assemblies of God church-es to net 1 church per year. In the 4-year

period from 1994–98, it took 339 churches tonet 1 church per year. Our production capacityis now only one-sixth of what it was just 15years ago.

However, there is good news. There aresigns that the tide has begun to turn. In thelast 6 months, my office has received moreinquiries about church planting than the pre-vious 6 years combined. The response hasbeen all across the board, from Bible collegestudents to men who have well-establishedministries.

Doug Oss, a former professor at CentralBible College, has planted a church in SaltLake City. Dan Betzer, executive presbyter forthe southeast region and pastor of FirstAssembly of God in Fort Myers, Florida, hascommitted his church and resources to helpplant churches in south Florida.

The final question we must ask is: “Whatcan be done?” As ministers and leaders, ourindividual response will determine the heartand direction of our Fellowship. Each of uswill become either a part of the solution or apart of the problem.

Here are some determinate things you cando to become part of the solution:

1. Revive the pioneer spirit of sacrifice andobedience in your own life.

2. Recognize and promote new church-planting efforts by giving it a high priority onyour agenda. What you fertilize grows.

3. Respond to the call to personally plant achurch or have your church involved in a localchurch-planting project.

4. Rejoice as you partner with Him and reapan abundant harvest.

If we determine to be part of God’s harvest,we can expect God’s greatest blessings to beon us. Let’s serve Him with no reserve, noregret and no retreat.

Paul E. Drost is director of church planting for the

Division of Home Missions, Springfield, Missouri.

F O C U S O N A M E R I C A

oing Our Father’s Business

BY PAUL E. DROST

In the 4-year period

from 1994–98, it took

339 churches to net 1

church per year. Our

production capacity is

now only one-sixth of

what it was just 15

years ago.In the last 6 months, my office

has received more inquiries

about church planting than the

previous 6 years combined.

E n r i c h m e n t • 105E n r i c h m e n t • 105

S E R M O N S E E D S

✃

FORGIVENESS AND INTERCESSION

Exodus 32:1–14, 30–33INTRODUCTION:Israel had a very bad habit—the nationforgot God. This causes the same troubletoday as it did in Bible times. ThePsalmist warns against forgetting God(Psalm 9:17). Our text tells us how Israelbroke the first and second command-ments (Exodus 20:1–5) by making andworshiping a golden calf.

MESSAGE:1.The condition (Exodus 32:1–6).

a. Impatience (verse 1). Moses was onthe mount praying. The people didnot know if he was going to return,so they made an idol. We do notneed to see God to worship Him—we worship Him by faith.

b. Indifference (verses 2–5). Moses’brother Aaron collected the earringsand bracelets, and made a goldencalf. Then Aaron had the gall tomake a feast unto the Lord. Here wesee a picture of double-minded peo-ple holding to the world and at thesame time holding a religious profession.

c. Impurity (verse 6). After making

offerings and sacrifices to the goldencalf, the people drank and played.What a mixture of worship and sin.

2.The condemnation (Exodus 32:7–10).a. God’s command (verse 7). God told

Moses to go down to the people—they had corrupted themselves.

b. God’s controversy (verse 8). Thepeople had turned aside, worship-ing a calf and not the Lord.

c. God’s compassion. Though theyhad turned aside, He still lovedthem and was patient and kind. Godis longsuffering toward all sinners(2 Peter 3:9). He wants all to besaved (John 3:16–19). If Christianssin, God is willing to forgive them(1 John 2:1).

3.The concern (Exodus 32:11–14).a. The pleading (verse 11). Moses

pleaded and interceded for his peo-ple. To intercede means to standbetween God and man. Do youintercede in prayer for the souls ofmen?

b. The problem (verse 12). Mosesasked God to be patient with thepeople to preserve their testimonyto the heathen nations.

c. The promise (verses 13,14). Mosesreminded God of the promise Hemade to Abraham.

4.The compassion (Exodus 32:30–33).a. The sin (verse 31). Idol worship is

sin. God could not close His eyes tothis flagrant breaking of His laws.

b. The sympathy (verse 32). Mosesprayed that if someone must bedestroyed as punishment, let it behim. Paul displayed this sameunselfish compassion (Romans9:3).

c. The separation (verse 33). God can-not tolerate sin (Ezekiel 18:20). Allsin, whether committed by a believ-er or an unbeliever, must be pun-ished unless it is confessed and forsaken.

CONCLUSION:Do you care enough to pray for others?Do you believe they will be lost if theyare not born again? (John 3:5). Will youintercede for them, as Moses intercededfor the sinners in Israel—or are youunmoved by the doom of the wicked?

—Croft M. PentzWaynesboro, Pennsylvania

CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP

Luke 9:57–62INTRODUCTION:Christ’s words on discipleship offer a studyin contrasts. On the one hand, they seemharsh and demanding; on the other, theyare full of love and understanding. All theseingredients are evident in the responsesChrist made to three men who declaredtheir allegiance to Him. From the responsesof these three, we observe what He requiresof Christian disciples. He demands:

MESSAGE:1.Discipleship based on an intelligent

decision.a. The first man made his decision to

follow Christ ignorantly—withoutknowledge of the difficulties,demands, and denials of self in

discipleship (verse 57).b. Christ lovingly revealed by personal

illustration the hardships of discipleship (verse 58).

c. An intelligent decision for Christ willbe based on an understanding thatpeace and persecution, happinessand hardship, and love and loneli-ness are involved in discipleship.

2.Discipleship motivated by a centralaffection.a. The second man put love for family

before love for Christ (verse 59).b. Christ bluntly declared that love for

God and His kingdom must be first(verse 60).

c. Christ must and will be our centralaffection—before family, friends,employment, or pleasure.

3.Discipleship perpetuated by a perse-vering spirit.a. The third man said he would follow,

then turned back (verse 61).b. Christ clearly indicated that one

who turns back is not fit for God’skingdom (verse 62).

c. We must not only begin well, but wemust persevere to the end.

CONCLUSION:Each Christian should ask: Have I intel-ligently decided to serve Christ? Is Hethe center of my affections? Am I press-ing “toward the mark?” Unless theanswer in each case is positive, he orshe cannot be called a disciple of Christ.

—Warren D. BullockBrier, Washington

✁

THE WALK WORTHY OF VOCATION

Ephesians 4:1–3INTRODUCTION:The first three chapters of Ephesians dealprimarily with doctrine. The last threedeal with practical living. Because of thebeliever’s high calling, as outlined inEphesians 1–3, his or her life should belived on a higher plain. The following areelements of the believer’s worthy walk:

MESSAGE:1.Lowliness or humility (verse 2).

a. Lowliness or humility wasregarded as vice rather than a virtueby pagans.b. The humble are the greatest in

the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:4;20:20–28).

c. John the Baptist (Matthew 3:14)and the centurion (Matthew 8:8) areillustrations of humility.

2.Meekness or gentleness (verse 2).a. The word translated “meekness”

was used of trained animals. Whenapplied to believers it refers to hav-ing desire and emotion under God’scontrol.

b. A special blessing is pronounced onthe meek (Matthew 5:5).

c. Moses is an illustration of a meekman under God’s control (Numbers12:3).

3.Long-suffering or patience (verse 2).a. The word translated “long-suffer-

ing” refers to patience with others.b. Long-suffering is a characteristic of

God (Romans 2:4) and is a factor inthe believer’s salvation (2 Peter3:15).

c. The prophets are an example oflong-suffering (James 5:10).

CONCLUSION:When believers walk worthy of theirvocation, they will “keep the unity of theSpirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians4:3).

—Hardy W. Steinberg

THE WALK IN GOOD WORKS

Ephesians 2:10INTRODUCTION:When believers turn their lives over toChrist, they become God’s workmanship,as the potter molds the clay (Jeremiah18). He creates them unto good works inwhich they should walk. The believer’ssalvation is not of works, but works fol-low salvation.

MESSAGE:1.The nature of good works.

a. Work and labor of love in ministering

to saints, as in the case of Dorcas(Acts 9:39) and others (Hebrews6:10).

b. Ministry to others who are sufferingor in need (Matthew 25:34–40;Luke 10:25–37).

2.The attitude toward good works.a. Jesus Christ gave himself that He

might redeem a people zealous ofgood works (Titus 2:14).

b. The good works should be donewith meekness (James 3:13) andhumility (Matthew 6:1–4).

3.The results of good works.a. People will glorify God (Matthew

5:16; 1 Peter 2:12).b. Others will be challenged to do good

(Hebrews 10:24), and unsaved willbe won to Christ (1 Peter 3:1,2).

CONCLUSION:While there is a satisfaction in doinggood, there is the further incentive ofknowing believers’ works follow them indeath (Revelation 14:13).


THE BELIEVER’S FORMER WALK

Ephesians 2:1–3INTRODUCTION:The word “walk” in the New Testamentis often used in an ethical sense andreflects the spiritual condition of theperson. Before people are born again,they walk according to:

MESSAGE:1.The standards of the world (verse 2).

a. The world represents all that is hos-tile toward God and His righteous-ness (James 4:4).

b. The world represents all that is

hostile toward the efforts of God’s people to live according to HisWord.

2.The suggestions of Satan (verse 2).a. Satan suggests that people reject

God’s Word, as in the case of Adamand Eve (Genesis 3:4,5).

b. Satan suggests that people rejectGod’s salvation (Acts 13:6–8).

3.Their own will (verse 2).a. God has a perfect will for everyone

(Romans 12:2).b. Unbelievers walk contrary to this will

as in the case of Pharaoh (Exodus

5:2) and Balaam (Numbers 22:22).4.The desires of the flesh (verse 3).

a. The desires of the flesh can takemany forms (Galatians 5:19–21).

b. The desires of the flesh may some-times take seemingly respectableforms (Philippians 3:4–6).

CONCLUSION:In the walk before conversion, people arecandidates for the judgment of God(Ephesians 2:3). After conversion they“sit…in heavenly places” in Christ (verse 6).



106 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0


✃

THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD

1 Corinthians 1:18 through 2:16INTRODUCTION:The message of the Cross is foolishnessto the lost (verse 18), but it is the powerof God to those who are saved.

MESSAGE:1.How wise it is.

The foolishness of God is wiser thanman’s wisdom (1:20–25). a. God has made worldly wisdom fool-

ish (1:20).(1) The world through its wisdom

cannot see God (1:21).(2) God chose to save believers

through the foolishness ofpreaching (1:21).

b. We therefore preach Christ, cruci-fied for us (1:23).(1) This preaching is a stumbling

block to Jews, who ask for signs(1:22).

(2) It is foolishness to Gentiles, whoask for wisdom (1:22).

(3) It is the power of God to thosewho are called by God (1:24).

2.How powerful it is.The foolishness of God is more pow-erful than man’s ideas.a. God deliberately chose the seeming-

ly foolish things to confound thewise (1:27).(1) That no one should glory before

God (1:29).(2) That we might receive our salva-

tion through Christ, not throughour own wisdom (1:30).

b. Paul himself did not use theapproach of the philosopher (2:1).(1) He used simple preaching (2:1).(2) He preached only Christ (2:2).(3) He himself was not pretentious

(2:4).(4) He wanted his converts to

endure by God’s power only(2:5).

3.How to understand it.The foolishness of God can be under-stood only by a spiritual man(2:6–16).a. This apparent foolishness is really

wisdom, revealed through a

“mystery” (2:7).(1) It is unknown to wise men (2:8).(2) It was made plain to us by the

Spirit (2:10).(a) We did not receive the spirit

of the world (2:12).(b) We received the Spirit of God

who made spiritual thingsplain (2:12).

b. This divine wisdom is not receivedby the natural man (2:13).(1) He cannot understand (2:14).(2) The spiritual man can judge it

and receive it (2:15).

CONCLUSION:The gospel fulfills the Old Testamentprophecy in Isaiah 29:14: “The wisdomof their wise men shall perish, and theunderstanding of their prudent menshall be hid.” For man is not wiseenough to instruct God (1 Corinthians2:16), but we who have the mind ofChrist can humbly receive God’s wisdomand be saved.

—Howard C. Osgood


A MORE SURE WORD

2 Peter 1:1–21INTRODUCTION:A psychic advertisement on televisionincluded the disclaimer, “for entertain-ment purposes only.” Why? Becausepsychics know they cannot live up totheir claims. But the claims of Scriptureare bold (Numbers 23:19; Matthew24:35). There is no fine print; noexplaining away the promises of God.God’s Word is not “for entertainmentpurposes only.” It contains the messagevital to your well being today and youreternal future tomorrow.

MESSAGE:1.God’s Word is sure in its accuracy

(verses 20–21).The psychics say if you get the wrongmessage, it’s because you talked tothe wrong psychic. Each one claims tobe able to deliver the goods. But God’sWord is clear—the standard for God’sprophetic Word has 100 percent

accuracy (Deuteronomy 18:21,22).The exciting fact is that each of the

314 prophecies concerning the birth,life, works, death, and resurrection ofJesus Christ have already been ful-filled to the letter. Thirty-nine times inthe Gospels there is reference to theOld Testament Scriptures being ful-filled in relation to the life of Christ.

2.God’s Word is sure in its relevancy.(verse 4).The three-fold purpose of prophecygiven in 1 Corinthians 14:3 is that of“edification, exhortation, and com-fort.” No wonder the promises of Godare spoken of as “exceeding great andprecious.” The Word of God will help:a. build you up (verses 5,6).b. stir you up (verse 13).c. take away the fear of death (verses

14,15).3.God’s Word is sure in its urgency

(verse 10).a. The only unfulfilled promises of

Scripture relating to Jesus Christ arethose which speak of His return (2 Peter 3:1–15).

b. The skeptics will be silenced on thatday, because God’s Word assuresus, “The Lord is not slack concern-ing his promise” (3:9), and “Theday of the Lord will come as a thiefin the night” (3:10).

c. The believer who “gives diligence”(1:4) to make his calling and elec-tion sure, will be ready when thelast-days prophecies of the Word ofGod are fulfilled.

CONCLUSION:Millions of dollars are spent annually onpsychics’ consultation fees. Sooner orlater, the victims of Satan’s scam will bedisappointed. But God’s offer of eternalsalvation is free, and there is no disappointment.

—Samuel BushJasonville, Indiana


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OPPOSITION OR OPPORTUNITY

Acts 19INTRODUCTION:The church at Ephesus is an example ofhow opposition can become opportunity.

MESSAGE:1.The opposition.

a. It was spiritual in nature(Ephesians 6:12).

b. It was evident in various forms:(1) Hardened hearts (Acts 19:8,9).(2) Pagan religions (Acts 19:23–41).

2.The opportunity.a. Every opposition and circumstance

was an opportunity (Acts 19:8,18).b. God gave unusual demonstration of

power (Acts 19:11,12).c. Mightily grew the Word and

prevailed (Acts 19:20).

CONCLUSION:Will you tarry at your “Ephesus” untilGod makes opportunity of your opposi-tion (1 Corinthians 16:8,9)?

—Wm. E. PettryAdapted from Advance

MARY

Luke 1:42INTRODUCTION:It was a long way from Eden toBethlehem. But God said woman wouldhave the last word—there would be noChristmas without Mary. One part of thechurch worships her; the other partignores her. She should be recognized asthe only woman chosen by God to be themother of the God-man.

MESSAGE:1.Her relationship to God (Luke 1:28).

a. His choice was a Jewess in thedirect line of David (Isaiah 9:6,7).

b. She was devout and knew theWord—evidenced in the Magnificat.

c. There was no immorality in her(Luke 1:34).

d. She was willing to pay the price ofmisunderstanding (Luke 1:38).

2.Her relationship with Joseph.a. We are told little about him, but

believe after Jesus’ birth, Josephand Mary had a normal, fully devel-oped love life.

b. Children were born after Jesus(Matthew 13:55,56). God had sim-ply asked for first place in theirlives.

c. Joseph was a laborer with restrictedmeans, indicated by his offering(Leviticus 12:6–8; Luke 2:23,24).

d. God chose and loved Joseph, whotrusted Him (Matthew 1:20,21).

3.Her relationship with Jesus.a. He grew under her training (Luke

2:52).b. She lived with mystery concerning

His future (Luke 2:34,35) and Hispurpose (verses 49,50).

c. At Cana she had to take a new place(John 2:4). Those who do God’s willare now just as close to Jesus as she(Matthew 12:50; Luke 11:27,28).

d. The tie was broken at His death; no

earthly ties in heaven (John 19:26).Mary can’t save you or speak for you,but you can go to Jesus (John 6:37).

4.Her relationship with the Church.a. Mary was at the cross. She needed a

Savior.b. She was in the Upper Room tarrying

for His Spirit to be outpoured on her(Acts 1:14).

c. She will be in heaven, not as queen,but as a sinner saved by grace. Sheis saved by the Blood that was shed,not by the birth she gave.

d. She will reign with Him, as you andI will, as part of the bride of Christ.

CONCLUSION:Mary was a great woman, not a goddess.Her name should be respected, but thereis only one Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).God chose Mary, and Mary chose God.He has chosen you.

—C.M. Ward

THE SHEPHERD OF LOVE

Psalm 23INTRODUCTION:In just six short verses we have a beau-tiful picture of our divine Shepherd, theLord Jesus Christ. He called himself theGood Shepherd because He would giveHis life for His sheep. That is the ulti-mate demonstration of love. Let’s lookmore closely at this wonderful Shepherdof Love.

MESSAGE:1.Personal love (verses 1–3).

a. Notice the personal pronouns: “Myshepherd”; “I shall not want”; “Hemaketh me to lie down”; “He lead-eth me”; “He restoreth my soul.”

b. Salvation is a personal gift to youfrom God.

2.Practical love (verses 4,5).a. “I will fear no evil; for thou art with

me.” The Shepherd’s rod and staffcomfort the sheep because they areconstantly fighting evil forces thatrise up against them.

b. The prepared table speaks of the

Shepherd’s abundant supply of thesheep’s every need (John 10:10;Philippians 4:19).

3.Perpetual love (verse 6).a. “All the days of my life.”b. “Forever.” His love is eternal, never-

ending (Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians3:19; 1 John 4:10).

CONCLUSIONI’m so glad He’s my Shepherd. Is Heyours?

—John F. Walker


PLANNING WITH FAMILIES IN MINDIn your planning sessions, prayerfully consider what is put onthe church calendar. Be aware of school holidays, springbreaks, and other community activities. Don’t fill the calendarjust to fill it. Ask, “Are we doing this just because it’s tradition,or does this truly build up individuals, families, and couples inthe Lord?”

Your area is different from another’s, and you must prayer-fully discern with your staff what will best build your families.Just because something worked for one church doesn’t mean itwill work in your area. Distribute surveys and brainstormamong your congregation to see what their needs are. Look atthe culture around you and plan activities, events, and pro-grams to help couples and families face the challenges oftoday’s society.

—Nancie Carmichael, Black Butte Ranch, Oregon

A HIGH-IMPACT MARRIAGE MINISTRY IS POSSIBLE“This has saved our marriage!”

“This has been life changing—thanks!”Have you ever longed to hear that kind of response from

your people? It is possible. By God’s grace and some hardwork, we often hear these phrases about the Family LifeMinistries of our church. One class in particular, a young mar-rieds class, has experienced continual growth and unabatedenthusiasm over the last 3 years.

What is the key to this growth and excitement? One thing isfor sure; it didn’t happen by accident. We have been intention-al about creating a high-impact marriage ministry, and thegrowth strategies we adopted have led to some very satisfyingresults. The principles we use are transferable and will workfor any church that is committed to developing a high-impactmarriage ministry. Here is how it is P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E:

Partnership. Since the goal of the class is to equip couples tobe better marriage partners, we model this goal by having ahusband and wife team-teach the class. This teaching partner-ship brings the unique perspective of both the husband andwife, and enables the class to see how a marriage partnershipworks. This element of a teaching partnership has beenreceived with acceptance and appreciation, and is now evenexpected by the group.

Openness. The class responds more enthusiastically whenthe teachers are open and vulnerable about their own mar-riage. Couples sometimes find it difficult to relate to the pic-ture-perfect marriage they often observe in their leaders. Theyneed to know how to make it when marriage is less than perfect. Our teachers talk openly and in very practical terms

about how they overcame the challenges and failures of theirown marriages.

Sources. We worked hard to find creative sources for teachingmaterial that would attract not only the couples in our church,but the unchurched as well. There is tremendous competition inthe world for the hearts and minds of people, so we paid closeattention to offering both interesting and relevant topics.

Solutions. Couples need help—real solutions to everydayproblems. They don’t need theory; they need solid foundationsbalanced with practical and workable answers. We are com-mitted to teach truths that work in the real world: how toprocess anger, communicate assertively, listen with an under-standing heart, and resolve conflicts. This strategy puts thepractical tools they need in their hands for building strongrelationships.

Involvement. We didn’t want to just talk at them; we wantedthem to talk back to us and to each other. We include smallgroup discussions as a part of every lesson, encourage feedback,and provide opportunities for couples’ home group Bible studies.As couples interact with other Christian couples in the class,they develop relationships, encourage and pray for each other,become accountable to the group, and, ultimately, their lives arechanged.

Bible-centered. There are many great marriage resources onthe market, but in the end we wanted marriages and lives builton the Word of God. We made the commitment to center ourteachings on the Word and not just the opinion of Christian mar-riage experts. We alternate our marriage series with solid Biblestudies. This helps establish a core value that built-to-last mar-riages are built on the Word of God.

Leadership. We defined various roles and responsibilities andenlisted couples to form teams to help with this ministry. Classmembers are responsible for weekly refreshments, social activi-ties, visitor follow-up, promotion and marketing, ministry mealsfor new moms, a prayer ministry, and much more. These teamscreate a sense of ownership for the ministry and enable the classto thrive and continue as an ongoing ministry.

Enjoyment. Helping couples build lasting relationshipsrequires dealing with a host of difficult issues. To ease tension,we sometimes insert humor and fun into the class. Couples thatlaugh together, last together.

Any church can have a first-class ministry that attracts cou-ples both from within the church family as well as from theunchurched community. You can have a growing, exciting,healthy couples ministry that is relevant, practical, fun, life-changing, and, most of all, God-honoring. It is POSSIBLE.

—Ray Noah, Portland, Oregon

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LETTERS OF APPRECIATIONFrom time to time, it is good for a Sunday school director, pas-tor, or minister of education to write personal letters to the work-ers. It is not always necessary to wait for a special occasion.(Many people do not have events that are tremendously recog-nizable except being faithful each Sunday and giving their best.)From time to time, words of appreciation, a pat on the back, and“Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” need to be given.

Following is a sample letter of appreciation.Dear______:Someone has wisely suggested there are four types of people

in any organization, including the church. There are those whomake things happen, those who watch things happen, thosewho try to keep things from happening, and those who do noteven know anything is happening.

It is obvious to me you are in the group God uses to makethings happen. The skills God has given you, and your willing-ness to use them for His glory, give us a positive means to affectthose who attend (name of church) for the cause of Christ.

No one really knows the lasting and powerful influence of alife like yours, nor do we really know how to say how much weappreciate what you are doing. You are an important part of theteam God has given us. Thank you for all you are doing at (nameof church). You’ve blessed my life and many more.

Because He lives,Minister of Education

—Adapted from 100 Great Growth Ideas by Neil Jackson, Jr., © 1990, Broadman Press,

Nashville Tennessee. Used by permission.

MISSIONS MAILTo instill in the children a desire to pray for the missionaries ourchurch supports, we assigned a missionary to each child whocould write. The name of each missionary and the child assignedto that missionary were recorded in an address book.

We purchased a white plastic mailbox and printed the lettersBGMC on both sides. We also purchased a plastic storage boxwith numerous compartments to hold religious stickers, stampsand stamp pad, pencils, pens, BGMC notepads, and envelopes.

On BGMC Sunday, the children come to the classroom beforemorning worship and write a letter to their missionary. Theydecorate their letters with stickers and stamps, address the enve-lope, and place it in the mailbox. The church secretary mailsthese letters.

We pray that each child will have a special place in his or herheart for these missionaries.

—Dalinda Marshall, Youngstown, Ohio

PLANNING ACCORDING TO YOUR CHURCH’S MISSIONSTATEMENTWhat is the mission statement of your church? What do youwant to accomplish as a church? After reflecting on these ques-tions, take an analytical look at your church and ask: Is ourchurch family-friendly? Does it build the lives of younger fami-lies? What will our church look like in 10 years? Does my ownfamily love to be here? What makes it a great place to attend?

Analyze the facilities and ministry of the nursery and Sundayschool. One pastor of a large church helped in the nursery onemorning during a women’s Bible study. He gained some insightinto what it takes to run a good nursery, and his presence spokevolumes to the young mothers. Are the Sunday school roomspleasant and comfortable? Do they say, “Welcome—this is awonderful place”? Or are they dreary? The atmosphere of aroom speaks volumes.

People today are extremely busy. They have many options fortheir time, and we need to work to remind families of the impor-tance of church. Our planning must make attending churchworth their while.

—Nancie Carmichael, Black Butte Ranch, Oregon

GET ME TO THE CHURCH ON TIME!How many prospects have given up attending a church becausethey could not find the church’s location. We can take a timelytip from the metro real estate ads that give street names to turnon from the main highways near the church (N. Main to SecondSt. to Oak St.).

Other ideas include printing a simple, “We Are Here” linemap in the yellow pages. You can also put this map in the areanewspapers and on the back of your church business card andpromotional flyers.

The use of sign at strategic locations can indicate directionsto your church. We have also used commercial billboards togive direction at strategic spots. Radio and TV promos can alsooffer tips for finding your church.

By using signs and maps, you can help visitors find yourchurch instead of giving up and going back home.

—Douglas R. Rose, Grand Prairie, Texas

PRAYER WALKING WITH CHILDRENPrayer walking provides a concrete means for children to actu-ally see the things for which they are praying. For example, it isdifficult for our kids to pray for their home city of Richmond,Virginia, while sitting in a Sunday school class. But take themto the observation deck of city hall, and their prayers take onnew life. Prayer walkers call this “praying on-site with insight.”


Find people in your church who are knowledgeable about thegeography, politics, and history of your area. These experts aregreat resources for preparing children for the prayer walk; they alsomake great guides during the prayer walk. Remind them, howev-er, that prayer walk sites need to be kid friendly. Kids respond tosites that tend to be more sensational, such as places where bat-tles took place, or on top of tall buildings overlooking your city.

One site we chose for a prayer walk was the original MasonicLodge in Richmond, where some of the first slaves in Americawere sold. While we were holding hands in a circle and praying,a white girl in the group asked forgiveness for the sin of slavery.It was a powerful moment when the eyes of that girl met theeyes of a African-American girl in the group. This was truly aclassroom-of-life experience that could never be duplicated in aSunday school room.

Other good prayer walk sites include schools, churches, placeswhere the homeless gather, headquarters for ministries, hospi-tals, jails, abortion clinics, or any place where significant spiri-tual or historical events have occurred.

During a 2-hour prayer walk, we usually cover 3-4 locations,more if several sites are within easy walking distance of eachother. Before we begin, we have a time of prayer to prepare ourhearts. We ask God to examine our hearts, and we confess anysin God shows us. We then ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in ourintercession. Through prayer, we put on the armor of God andask God to protect us from the enemy.

Take time to teach the kids appropriate ways to pray while ona prayer walk. We usually utilize conversational prayer, since itgives all kids an opportunity to pray. Conversational prayer isshort, to the point, and natural, which is exactly how most kidspray. In conversational prayer, you pray for one topic at a time,so each prayer builds on the previous prayer. When everyonewho wanted to has prayed for a topic—usually indicated by aperiod of silence—a new topic can be introduced. If the kids arereluctant to pray at first, assign topics.

Encourage adults to let the kids do the praying. Long adultprayers tend to rob kids of the ownership of the prayer walk. Iusually place the children in the center of the circle with theadults surrounding them.

Don’t forget to debrief after the prayer walk. Ask kids to sharethe impressions they received from God while they were pray-ing. God tends to speak to kids through mental pictures, proba-bly because they think more concretely or maybe because theyare just more open to God speaking to them in this way. Webring a large pad of paper with us on prayer walks so the kidscan draw pictures that come to their mind as they are praying.These pictures motivate the kids to pray by helping them

visualize what God is doing in the heavenlies.For example, on one prayer walk the kids were interceding at

St. John’s Church, where Patrick Henry gave his famous, “Giveme liberty or give me death” speech. A young child drew a pic-ture of the church grounds planted like a vegetable garden. In thedrawing, God was gathering the ripe fruit and vegetables. Thegirl believed God gave her this mental picture to show that theprayers of the kids were going to begin a great harvest of soulsin Richmond. That picture energized the children’s prayers forrevival, a revival we are just now starting to see years later.

Prayer walks are probably the best way to involve children inthe community. Prayer walks don’t take much effort to facilitate,and there are huge rewards, both in the lives of the children andthrough the fruit of their answered prayer.

—Peter Hohmann, Mechanicsville, Virginia(More ideas for kids can be found in the book and videoMobilizing Kids for Outreach, Gospel Publishing House,

order #715-LC-204.)

ATTENDANCE ACTIVITIESTo make a Sunday school and church grow, there is a constantneed to work on increasing the attendance. Listed below areways to increase Sunday school attendance.

1. Action—Once a year, canvass areas of your community toenlist new people and find new prospects.

2. Saturday Morning Team Visitation—Visit church membersor visitors not yet attending Sunday school.

3. Class/Department Goals—Establish outreach goals by classor department.

4. One-for-One—Personal goals given to outreach leaders andteachers.

5. Fellowship Bible Class Transfers—Enlist members of homeBible study classes for church classes.

6. Neighborhood Outreach Teams—Organize outreach teamsby neighborhood.

7. Internal Census—Once a year, enlist nonattending parentswhose children are in Sunday school.

8. Weekday Sunday School—Have Sunday school during theweek for those people who work on Sunday.

9. Enlist During Sunday Services—Have enlistment cards inthe pews.

10. Special Education Emphasis—Once a year in September.11. Bus Ministry—Enlist families of bus children in Sunday

school at least once a quarter.12. Cradle Roll Concentration.

—Adapted from 100 Great Growth Ideas by Neil Jackson, Jr., ©1990, Broadman Press, Nashville, Tennessee. Used by permission.

BLAMING OTHERSThe bumper sticker read: “Humpty Dumpty was pushed.” Wehave all heard the nursery tale about Humpty Dumpty fallingfrom the wall. But now we are saying he didn’t fall—someonepushed him. Blaming others is nothing new. It began withAdam blaming Eve for his sin and Eve blaming the serpent.

The three hardest words to say are: “I am wrong.” It’s easierto blame someone else. We want to believe that, like the sayingon the Humpty Dumpty bumper sticker, our accidents or prob-lems are someone else’s fault.

—Croft M. Pentz, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

CHEESEBURGERS AND LEADERSHIP“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skill-ful hands he led them” (Psalm 78:72, NIV). This Scripture is anantidote to one of leadership’s most insidious diseases, typecastoften as “not paying attention to business.” A sure-fire slidetoward spiritual leadership disaster includes ideas like: 1) Idon’t think; 2) I don’t know; 3) I don’t care; 4) I’m too busy; 5) Ileave well enough alone; 6) I have no time to read and find out;and 7) I’m not interested.

A Wall Street Journal article shows how to reverse the down-ward slide into mediocrity. It is a story about William P. Foley II,who, since 1994, has been CEO of Carl’s Jr. fast-food restaurantchain. He recently bought Hardee’s, the nation’s fourth largest,but languishing, hamburger chain. The story read:

“Between the buns of a bacon cheeseburger lay a clue to thesales decline at Hardee’s. Plastered to the hamburger patty wassomething less than a slice of bacon. A slice of a slice of a slice;it invited customers to ask, ‘Where’s the bacon?’

“The puny strip was part of a pattern that caused customerturnoffs. Foley bought the Hardee’s chain saying, ‘If you payattention to business, and become responsive to the customer,and serve up a quality burger in a clean environment, peoplewill buy it. You can revive your business,’ Foley explained, ‘ifyou carefully think through the ideas of excellence, and beginon a regular basis giving excellence the chance to make its ownstatement to your customers and community.’ ”

The same is true in building a church or growing a ministry.A pastor’s worst nightmare is to hear somebody say of his or herleadership or preaching, “Where’s the bacon?” You can curethat, just as you can cure a poorly managed and ill-run ministry.But it takes paying attention to business and being responsiveto people.

The Wall Street Journal article closed with this note: “‘Gettingyour order filled sometimes takes longer, but it’s worth it,’ saysNathan Schadt, 16, unwrapping his second big 99-cent burger.”Ah, a satisfied customer.

Quality begins with the leader. When you determine to be thebest you can be, work hard at it, and extend the search for excel-lence in all God gives you to do, you’ll be an effective instrumentin God’s hands for reviving and lifting His work. Customers willfind you. You won’t be able to stop people from unwrapping theirsecond big 99-cent burger, and then coming back to you for more.

Do your best this year to exegete excellence and pay attentionto the business God has put in your hands.

—T. Ray Rachels, Huntington Beach, California

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUSEarly in the morning, December 25, 1492, while trolling off thecoast of Hispanolia, Christopher Columbus ran aground in hisflagship, the Santa Maria. He and his crew spent the rest ofChristmas Day unloading the ship in a vain attempt to float again.

Ironically, many families will spend Christmas Day franticallytrying to salvage a month-long season that has taken on a sur-plus cargo of stress, debt, family tensions, extra calories, andunrealistic expectations. No matter how hard they try to keepChristmas afloat, they won’t succeed. A day meant for worship,joy, and a sense of God’s love will sink in the sands of selfishpursuits.

The alternative is to let the storms of the season pass whileyou anchor in the harbor of personal reflection. Take your cuefrom Mary, the mother of Jesus, who “treasured up all thesethings and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19, NIV). Thenwhen Christmas Day comes, you can raise your sails and let thewinds of celebration blow freely.

—Adapted from The Log of Christopher Columbus.Submitted by Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois.

BURNING YOUR SHIPIn 1519, Hernán Cortés outfitted some ships in Cuba to explorethe coast of Mexico. After landing at the southeastern Mexicancoast, Cortés ordered the men to have all of the yardage, sails,metal fittings, and the cannon removed from the ship. He thenordered the ships to be burned so there would be no retreat. Itmust have been a terrible sight for those men, standing on ahostile beach with a mysterious continent to their backs, towatch their ships burn. They probably thought they would neversee home again. By burning his ships, Cortés committed himselfand his soldiers to survival by conquest.

Are you willing to burn the ships in your life? Are you willingto say, “No retreat. It’s all for Jesus—my life, my plans, mygoals, my ambitions, my heart, my mind. Lord, I’ll go where Youwant me to go.”

—Adapted from an encyclopedia article on Cortés.Submitted by Morris Chalfant, Bourbonnais, Illinois.

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FAR FROM HOME?When Anthony Olearchick, 86, and his wife Viola, 85, left theirKenilworth, New Jersey, home on an errand, the couple had noidea it would be over 24 hours before they would return home.A wrong turn sent them on a journey of perhaps 800 milesthrough three states. Their excursion did not end until they col-lided with another car in Newton, New Jersey.

Family members reported the couple missing after the usu-ally punctual pair missed a doctors appointment. Viola suffersfrom several illnesses and requires two insulin shots per dayand several other medications. Nevertheless, the couple onlystopped two times over the 24-hour trip, and only for gas, notfor food. “If you eat, you fall asleep,” Anthony noted.

The next part of the story is the most curious. The extendedjourney could have been avoided, but Anthony refused to askfor directions during the entire trip. Even while stopping forgasoline twice he would not ask for help. In the end, having acollision spared them.

Many people are lost in life, and their own efforts take them fur-ther and further from God. It’s time to stop and ask Him for help.

—Adapted from a July 1997 news article in the BergenRecord. Submitted by Chris R. Rainey, Fort Lee, New Jersey.

GOD’S WORDA person once asked, “Can I be a Christian without reallyknowing God’s Word?”

My response was, “Yes, you can. But it’s like being a quar-terback without a playbook, a traveler without a map, a pilotwithout a compass, a CEO without a job description, a chefwithout a recipe, a building contractor without a blueprint, aconductor without any music, or a mailman without a route.All are in a position to do something, but have no direction. Isthis the kind of Christian that is pleasing to the Lord? Is thisthe kind of Christian you want to be?”

—Patrick Newton, Terre Haute, Indiana

AS YOUNG AS YOUR HOPESGeneral Douglas MacArthur wrote: “People grow old by desert-ing their ideas. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give upinterest wrinkles the soul. You are as young as your faith, asold as your doubts; as young as your self-confidence, as old asyour fears; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.”

—Adapted from 1985 Pastors Manual, by T.T. Crabtree.Submitted by Douglas R. Rose, Belleville, Illinois.

LINCOLN LISTENEDStrong leaders know that listening carefully to others helpsthem in two ways. First, by hearing what others say, their own

vision for the future can be clarified, modified, and intensifiedby what they hear. Second, when leaders listen carefully andrespectfully, even to criticisms, they not only gain additionalinsight, but often receive the support of the one speaking tothem. When leaders listen, people rally around them.

An exceptional example is that of Abraham Lincoln. One ofthe reasons for his effectiveness as America’s leader during theCivil War was his ability to listen. In his day there were no pub-lic opinion polls. “Yet he kept in touch with common people andwas able to perceive what they were thinking better than anyother American politician at that time,” observes David HerbertDonald, Ph.D., professor of American history at HarvardUniversity.

“With no way to measure public opinion, Lincoln inventedone. The doors of the White House were thrown open almostevery day for what Lincoln called his ‘public opinion baths.’Dozens of people dropped in and voiced their opinions.Sometimes Lincoln shaped policy to follow public opinion. Moreoften than not, however, he used his ability to read people’s sen-timents to determine how to sell them the policies he favored.”

—Adapted from an interview with David Herbert Donald on leadership lessons from Abraham Lincoln. Submitted by Victor Parachin, Claremont, California.

TO QUOTEThere is nothing more clearly declared in the Bible than thatChrist will come and reign on earth during the Millennium.

—Billy Sunday, Second Coming, 1913

The Church had never such influence over the world as in thosedays when she had nothing to do with the world.

—Harnack

God judges what we give by what we keep.—George Muller

It is the set of the sail that decides the goal, and no the stormsof life.

—Anonymous

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B O O K R E V I E W S

The Second Coming of theChurchGeorge Barna (Word Publishing, 217 pp., hard-cover, $18.99)In The Second Coming of the Church, GeorgeBarna addresses classical social problems andhow the church will address these problems.Without transformational change, the churchwill experience virtual oblivion in the next 50years. This book sounds the alarm and makesspecific suggestions for navigating change.

The book is divided into four parts. Parts I andII present the sociological problems in ournation and churches and attempt to build thecase for change in ways that are meaningful todistinct generations. Barna presents three casestudies of churches from the perspective of babybusters, baby boomers, and builders. He sug-gests that the church will have difficulty apply-ing effective church models for one generationto other generations.

Part III develops the theological and theoreti-cal rationale for addressing the changes.Important concepts in change are godly churchleadership and a biblical worldview.

Part IV provides a prescription for avoiding thepitfalls identified in parts I and II. In this sectionhe uses themes addressed in previous books suchas the need for vision, change, and authentic

relationships in families and small groups.This book is an excellent resource for church

leaders engaging in strategic planning. Barnaprovides numerous lists that are useful in pre-senting the need and methodology for change tothe church. His suggestions for the futurechurch are worthy of prayerful consideration.

—Reviewed by Jeff Fulks, professor of behaviorial sciences at Evangel University, Springfield, Missouri.

Elements of a ChristianWorldviewCompiled and edited by Michael D. Palmer(Logion Press, 576 pp., hardback, $39.95)Elements of a Christian Worldview explores theelements that contribute to a person’s world-view. Palmer defines “worldview” as “a set ofbeliefs and practices that shape a person’sapproach to the most important issues in life.”

Fourteen Pentecostal educators contributed tothis exploration of the integration of faith, learn-ing, and life. The chapters take the reader on ajourney from “The Role of the Bible in Shaping aChristian Worldview” to “Politics for Christians(and Other Sinners).”

Throughout the text there are sidebars on top-ics such as “Torah,” “Yiddish,” and “TheChristian Calendar,” as well as mini-essays on“Free Will,” “The Elements of the Lord’s Supper,”and “The Puritan Ethic.”

Elements of a Christian Worldview is a textbookwritten for young adults who are being confront-ed by questions regarding fundamental facets oflife. It is extremely helpful to those who are in asecular college or university environment, butanyone will profit from the book’s rich insights.

The book helps the reader see the connection ofChristianity to science, ethics, music and otherentertainment, work, and leisure. Its greateststrength lies in its stimulation of the thinkingprocess. Students of the Christian life will go awayfrom their reading of this book with a desire tolearn more and an ability to think more criticallyabout Christianity’s influence on society.

—Reviewed by Kenneth R. Horn, managing editor, Pentecostal Evangel,


George Barna (WordPublishing, 217 pp.,hardcover, $18.99)

Compiled and edited by Michael D. Palmer(Logion Press, 576 pp.,hardback, $39.95)

Eating the ElephantThom S. Rainer (Broadman & Holman, 212 pp., hardcover, $16.99)If you have ever left church growth or other how-to confer-ences feeling overwhelmed, this book could bring encour-agement. Rainer makes a strong case for proper perspectivein pastoral leadership. He emphasizes that “church growth

and leadership books” describing the latest cutting-edge methodologies must be eval-uated in view of the church’s uniqueness and the parameters of Scripture.

His case studies are limited to his Southern Baptist denomination, but the book wouldbe a valuable addition to any pastoral library. It provides insight into the many optionsfor ministry, whatever the size of the congregation. It offers encouragement to the pas-tor of a small congregation who struggles when comparing his or her Sunday atten-dance to that of a megachurch.

After reading the book, I was drawn to a quote from Billy Graham: “We are not calledto be successful. We are called to be faithful.”

—Reviewed by Howard Cummings, senior pastor,Aurora First Assembly of God, Aurora, Colorado.

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Planting GrowingChurches, 2nd EditionAubrey Malphurs (Baker, 368 pp., paperback,$22.99)Malphurs divides the task of church plantinginto four considerations: preparation, person-nel, principles, and process. Each area is givenmultiple-chapter treatment in a volume thathas gained, in its first edition, widespreadrespect among church-planting practitionersand theorists.

Threaded throughout the book is the con-stant challenge to reevaluate the cultural rele-vancy of how churches do church. The authorargues that if it was all right to accommodatevarious aspects of 1950s culture, then it is allright to do the same for 1990s culture. What isunacceptable and ineffective is to offer a 1950church to a 1990 community.

It is not necessary for the reader to acceptevery aspect of the author’s user-friendlyapproach. He challenges the reader to thinkabout which aspects of doing church are Bible-based and which are actually tradition-basedand therefore changeable.

It is regrettable that Malphurs sometimespresents Scripture references as saying morethan they actually say, sometimes viewschurch planting as more specialized andsophisticated than it has to be, and disallowsthe leadership of women in local church min-istry. It should be noted, as well, that the sec-ond edition adds essentially nothing to thefirst. However, the book, in either edition, is aworthy addition to anyone’s study of churchplanting and growth.

—Reviewed by Judy Brown, professor of church ministries, Central Bible

College, Springfield, Missouri.

Purpose-Driven YouthMinistryDoug Field (Zondervan, 400 pp., hardcover,$19.99)With insight from years of youth ministry,Doug Field explores the essential ingredients inbuilding an effective youth ministry. His bookbreaks down the intimidating task of starting

a youth ministry from the ground up by clear-ly and thoroughly addressing the basic princi-ples needed to begin a youth ministry.However, this is not simply a book for thosestarting in ministry. Field offers perspectiveand strategy that will benefit even the veteranyouth pastor.

The book begins by focusing on the impor-tance of knowing and defining a clear missionand purpose for youth ministry. Field walks thereader through a strategy for developing a pur-pose statement and explains the importance ofhaving students and leaders know and embraceit. He also demonstrates the best way a youthpastor can share his or her vision, inspire stu-dents, and build a team of great leaders.

The remainder of the book presents practi-cal issues that can make or break a youthministry: relationships between youth pastorand parents, between youth pastor and seniorpastor, how to build a worship team, and howto develop creative and strategic outreaches.Field acknowledges that his approach isn’tthe model, it’s simply a model. This book andits principles provide an example for anyyouth worker.

—Reviewed by Scotty Gibbons, youth pastor,James River Assembly of God,


Doug Field(Zondervan, 400pp., hardcover,$19.99)

Aubrey Malphurs(Baker, 368 pp.,paperback, $22.99)

Pastors of Promise: Pointingto Character and Hope asthe Keys to FruitfulShepherding Jack Hayford (Regal, 288 pp., hardcover, $17.99)From the first chapter, dealing with the call of God on a pas-tor-leader’s heart, to the final chapter where he sounds thewarning to guard against the “thief,” Pastors of Promise is laced with scriptural promisesand is tinctured with experiences, tests, trials, and triumphs from Hayford’s own memoirs.

One of the great challenges facing pastors today is knowing how to accept theresponsibility of God-given leadership without feeding the spirit of machoism. PastorHayford faces this issue head-on. He shows how, with the sword of the Spirit, to slaythe two-headed dragon of male chauvinism and machoism.

Pastors of Promise is a timeless treasure that will be a pastor-leader’s handbook forinspiration and strength until our task is completed, and we are transported to ourhomes on high.

—Reviewed by J. Don George, senior pastor, Calvary Assembly of God, Irving, Texas.



Renewing Your ChurchThrough Vision andPlanning: 30 Strategies ToTransform Your Ministry Marshall Shelley (Bethany, 288 pp., hardcover,$19.99)If you are looking for pat answers and quickfixes, this book will leave you frustrated andready to look for answers in other places.However, if you are a leader who likes to sortthrough the “stuff” until you find exactly whatyou are looking for, this book is the answer.

In Renewing Your Church you will meet cre-ative and gifted leaders who rank among thefinest in today’s church world. Each of themwrites about vision and planning from a uniqueperspective. In this mix pastors will find practi-cal principles that will work well for them.

Renewing Your Church is the second volumein the Library of Leadership Development byLeadership. The same high quality typical ofLeadership is exhibited here.

The chapters are relatively brief and to the point.Typically, each writer is anecdotal enough to breakthe possible boredom and redundancy of rigidleadership theory. Each writer provides helpfulinsight into the personal side of his own ministry.

Here is a book worth the time of a busy pas-tor who wants to tackle head-on the hardest job

of all—casting vision and making it work.—Reviewed by Richard L. Dresselhaus,

senior pastor, First Assembly of God, San Diego, California.

Servant Leadership—AJourney Into the Nature ofLegitimate Power andGreatnessRobert K. Greenleaf (Paulist Press, 338 pp.,paperback, $14.95)Servant Leadership is one of the 10 most impor-tant books in my collection. At first it seems sec-ular, but then its scriptural roots grab you.

Robert Greenleaf spent 37 years in manage-ment research development and education atAT&T. After retirement, he taught at universi-ties and served as a consultant for founda-tions. Greenleaf, a deeply committed Christian,came to the thesis of this book by readingHermann Hesse’s Journey to the East.

A great leader is first a servant—not someonewith leadership abilities who decides to act likea servant. Greenleaf provides an exposition ofthe deep truths of Jesus’ words on the subjectsof privilege, money, and power. The book readseasily, but is not easily understood because of itspriority on the power of symbolism.

For me, chapter 11, “An Inward Journey,” isworth the price of the book. Greenleaf draws aparallel between Robert Frost’s poem,“Directive,” and the poorly understood passagesof Jesus in Matthew about some revelation beinghidden so the “wrong ones don’t get it”(Matthew 13:10–17). Greenleaf provides a rareglimpse into Christ’s teaching so often hiddenfrom the perception of westerners.

—Reviewed by Delbert Tarr, Ph.D., formerpresident, Assemblies of God Theological

Seminary, Springfield, Missouri.

Strategies for ChurchGrowthC. Peter Wagner (Regal, 216 pp., paperback, $12.99)If you are a leader whose idea of ministry is toignore numbers and statistics, Strategies forChurch Growth will confront you and yournotions about effective leadership.

Robert K. Greenleaf(Paulist Press, 338pp., paperback,$14.95)

The Praying ChurchSourcebookAlvin J. Vander Griend with Edith Bayena (Church DevelopmentResources, 368 pp., paperback, $24.95)The second edition of Praying Church Sourcebook pro-vides dozens of innovative ideas for local church prayerministries. Some of the topics covered in the Sourcebook

are: The prayer coordinator, the school of prayer, teaching children to pray, familyprayer, prayer guides, prayer chains, senior intercessors, evangelism prayer groups,pastor’s prayer support team, solemn assemblies, and prayer-walking. These chap-ters contain effective techniques to enhance local church prayer ministries.

Dr. Vander Griend speaks of the powerful prayer movement in our world today andthe need for leaders to set the example for others by their prayer habits. He remarks,“The church’s greatest deficiency today is in power—not in programs, strategies,materials, or ideas. And power for ministry can be released only through prayer.” Hestresses the fact ministry without prayer leads to work in the power of the flesh, andprayer without ministry becomes complacent Christianity.

— Reviewed by Sandra B. Clopine, former coordinator of the Assemblies of God National Prayer Center, Springfield, Missouri.

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Marshall Shelley(Bethany, 288 pp.,hardcover, $19.99)


Wagner feels that keeping count is a biblicaland practical way of determining effective-ness. Jesus’ disciples pulled in 153 large fish(John 21:11), and He later said, “I will makeyou fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Wagner’spoint: “It is better to win 153 persons to JesusChrist than 152. The more fish the better.”

The harvest principle is a foundational idea inthis book and is a launching pad for planningstrategies for church growth. Workers, money,energy, and planning should focus on where theharvest appears most ready for reaping.

This book offers an excellent structure forworking out the practical dimensions of grow-ing a congregation or a mission by givingspecifics for targeting your outreach. If you findyourself in a situation “characterized by little orno fruit,” says Wagner, then look to four areas:

1. Intimacy with the Savior is a must.2. Be sure you are preaching to the right people.3.You have been using the wrong methods.4. Be sure you are working hard enough.This book can have an empowering and

effective result on your leadership.—Reviewed by T. Ray Rachels,

Southern California District superintendent,Irvine, California.

Strategies for VictoriousChristian LivingCompiled and edited by Hal Donaldson, KenHorn & Ann Floyd (Gospel Publishing House,120 pp., paperback, $5.99)

For years the Pentecostal Evangel has providedinspiring articles to encourage believers in theirwalk of faith. Christians look forward to thesearticles in each week’s edition of the Evangel.The Evangel staff has now combined many ofthese articles into book form.

In today’s society, believers want answersand help in living godly lives. Strategies forVictorious Christian Living provides thishelp. Each article contains practical advicefor overcoming the challenges of life and living in victory over the difficulties we face.

Strategies for Victorious Christian Livingcontains 27 chapters on topics such as:prayer, salvation, healing, holiness, the Holy

Spirit, daily living, and other topics pertinentto the Christian life. Authors include: ThomasE. Trask, George O. Wood, Charles T. Crabtree,James K. Bridges, G. Raymond Carlson, LorenTriplett, J. Robert Ashcroft, and many others.These articles will encourage and strengthenthe reader in his or her faith in Christ.

Readers can incorporate the articles in thisbook into their daily devotions or read achapter before going to bed each night. Thearticles can also be used as a resource to pro-vide answers for many of the specific needsof life.

Strategies for Victorious Christian Livingwill be an asset to any Christian’s library. Andit is a great gift to encourage others in theirwalk of faith.

—Reviewed by Richard Schoonover, associate editor, Enrichment Journal,


Women of Courage: InspiringStories of Faith, Hope, andEnduranceDebra Evans (Zondervan, 224 pp., hardcover, $14.99)Through the lives of 12 women from biblical and Churchhistory, the reader is drawn to moments of decision wherethese women’s destinies were determined.

These women have impacted their world and revitalizedmany people’s views of the significant role of women. The stories of these women comealive as these women encountered opposition and faced profound personal trauma.

In the warm style of a great storyteller, Evans describes the circumstances thesewomen faced and how they responded with courage. These women do not neces-sarily represent powerful characters, just ladies who acted on the opportunities theyencountered; perhaps just trying to pick up the thread of their lives.

It is important to identify with contemporary and historical role models as wesearch for ways to live a victorious Christian life. As women, we often face uniqueand fascinating challenges. We have a responsibility to respond with courage to theopportunities God gives to us.

—Reviewed by Rosalyn R. Goodall, adjunct professor of writing at Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri.

A S E R V I C E

Enrichment reviews books we feel our readers wouldlike to know about. These books are not always inaccord with our point of view, and the reviews donot constitute a recommendation of the books. As aservice to readers the Gospel Publishing House willsupply any of these books, but books cannot bereturned for credit.


C. Peter Wagner(Regal, 216 pp.,paperback, $12.99)

Compiled and edited byHal Donaldson, KenHorn & Ann Floyd(Gospel PublishingHouse, 120 pp., paper-back, $5.99)

CHURCH STEWARDSHIPSERVICESChurch Stewardship Services (CSS) is amember of the Assemblies of GodFinancial Services Group. Its mission issimple: to provide Assemblies of Godchurches with superior, personalized,and creative stewardship consulting ser-vices that will challenge faith andrequire a dependence on the leadershipof God’s Holy Spirit.

CSS’s individualized campaigns uti-lize a unique campaign manual and avariety of training resources, includingE.M. Clark’s book, How To Be HappyGiving Your Money Away.

To receive a complimentary CSS infor-mation packet or a complimentary copyof How To Be Happy Giving Your MoneyAway, call the CSS office at 800-962-7499.

CHURCH STEWARDSHIPSERVICES CHALLENGES YOU TOSAY “YES, LORD!”Would you like to strengthen, enhance,or expand the ministry of your churchthrough capital improvements? Wouldyou like to lead each person in your

congregation to seek and discover God’swill for his/her life in relationship to thefuture ministry of the church? Wouldyou like to encourage growth in thegrace of giving? Would you like to teachthe biblical principles of lifestyle stew-ardship? The answer to these questionsis, “Yes, Lord!”

Studies reveal that in churches with500–1,000 in attendance, over 40 per-cent of the families do not give anythingof record to their church. Statisticalstudies also prove that in the averagechurch, less than 20 percent of themembers give 80 percent of the moneyfor the work of the church.

Many people will not give until it is“demonstrated” for them, and “demon-strating” is scriptural. Read Paul’swords in 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7.

The words, “Yes, Lord!” are the cor-nerstone to a life that is pleasing to God.Any undertaking for God, great or small,has to start with these two words.

“Yes, Lord!” is also the theme for mostcapital stewardship campaigns, but it ismuch more than that. It’s about atti-tude, character, and lifestyle.

A CSS consultant can assist churchesin designing a program to challengeindividuals in the church to participatein the campaign, embrace the vision oftheir church, and grow in the grace ofgiving.

The qualified consultants of ChurchStewardship Services challenge you tosay, “Yes, Lord!” For a complimentaryCSS information packet or a complimen-tary copy of E. M. Clark’s book How ToBe Happy Giving Your Money Away,please call 800-962-7499.

FREE 2000 HIGHLANDS BABYCALENDARBegin the millennium right by orderinga free Highlands baby calendar for the

families of your church. Each monthfeatures a cute baby picture along witha humorous or thought-provoking cap-tion. For your convenience, the calendaralso notes national holidays andBenevolences events.

To order free Highlands baby calen-dars for you and your church families,please complete and mail the Highlandsbaby calendar reply card in this issue ofEnrichment and indicate quantity.

NEW BENEVOLENCESDEPARTMENT BROCHUREAVAILABLEA new, 20-page, full-color brochuredescribing the ministries of theBenevolences Department—HighlandsChild Placement Services and MaternityHome, Hillcrest Children’s Home, AgedMinisters Assistance, and DisasterRelief—is available for distribution inquantity.

To order this free brochure, check rsc#1 and indicate quantity.

HIGHLANDS BABY BOOTEE CLUBDAY FEB. 20The Highlands Baby Bootee Club is aninnovative way Women’s Ministriesgroups, Missionettes clubs, Sundayschool classes, and other groups fromyour church can get involved in the pro-life ministry of saving babies from abortion through Highlands ChildPlacement Services and Maternity Home.Baby Bootee Club Day is Feb. 20, 2000.

Each group joining the Baby BooteeClub receives a starter packet, quarterlyidea packet, and a plastic baby bootee-shaped coin bank for each member.

To receive Baby Bootee Club materialsand for more information, check rsc #8.

BEREAN COURSE WINS HONOR“Assemblies of God History and Polity,”

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a Berean University course, won firstplace in the undergraduate credit coursecategory in the annual contest spon-sored by Christianity Today, Inc., andthe Association of Christian ContinuingEducation Schools and Seminaries(ACCESS) in January 1999, in Orlando,Florida. This marks the first time aBerean course has placed in a college-level category.

This annual competition motivatesmember schools to improve the qualityof their courses. Judges consider theinstructional design, materials produc-tion, and learner support of each coursesubmitted. The Berean course scored 97points out of a possible 100.

“Assemblies of God History and Polity”is a required course for every associateof arts student studying for a ministeri-al studies degree. However, the coursebenefits anyone wanting a more thor-ough knowledge of the Assemblies ofGod’s heritage and policies.

The course’s first unit traces the rootsof the Fellowship from the revivals ofthe 19th century. The second unit exam-ines the Constitution and Bylaws of theAssemblies of God. The third unit pro-vides guidelines for leading the localassembly in conducting its business.

Berean University has been a memberof ACCESS for 13 years. ACCESS hasapproximately 60 institutional and indi-vidual members; among them are suchwell-known schools as Wheaton College,Moody Bible Institute, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Membersmeet annually to share ideas andresources and to grow professionally.

BEREAN OFFERS A FRESHCONCEPT IN ADULT EDUCATION Berean University has developed aseries of non-credit, non-diploma cours-es called, “Current Topics in Continuing

Education” courses. These courses willenhance any Christian’s ministry,whether a pastor or a layperson. Finalexams are not required unless the cours-es are taken for credit.

More compact than other for-creditcourses, Current Topics studies aredesigned to give greater insight intospecific areas. Two Current Topics cours-es available now are “Experiencing Lifein the Spirit” and “The Evangelist andthe 21st-Century Church.”

“Experiencing Life in the Spirit” is aclear explanation of the fruit and thegifts of the Holy Spirit. The course’sinstructional guide is a companion tothe textbook, The Pentecostal Experienceby Donald Gee.

Evangelist James O. Davis authoredthe textbook and the instructional guidefor “The Evangelist and the 21st-Century Church.” He presents the essen-tial steps to growing an evangelisticpreaching ministry, one that includesthe ministry of the local church pastor.

These steps include biblical, spiritual,and practical factors. The textbook isentitled The Pastor’s Best Friend: TheNew Testament Evangelist.

Students’ costs for these coursesinclude $15 for tuition, $10 for theinstructional guide, and the price of thetextbook. For further information con-tact Berean at: 1-800-443-1083.

Berean is one of 17 endorsed A/Gpostsecondary schools.

A/G POSTSECONDARY SCHOOLSThe following Assemblies of God post-secondary schools have announced thedates for the first day of classes for thespring 2000 semester, college days, andspring commencements.

American Indian College, Phoenix,Ariz.—Jan. 6; not yet set; April 28.

Assemblies of God TheologicalSeminary, Springfield, Mo.—Jan. 6; N/A;June 9.

Berean University, Springfield, Mo.—Varies; N/A; not yet set.

“Pastor, did you know that you plagiarized our last pastor withthat sermon? He too spoke on Ephesians Six.”

© 1999 DIK LAPINE


Bethany College of the A/G, ScottsValley, Calif.—Jan. 13; Feb. 17,18; May 6.

Black Hills Indian Bible College, RapidCity, S. Dak.—Jan. 4; N/A; April 21.

Central Bible College, Springfield,Mo.—Jan. 13; not yet set; May 4.

Evangel University, Springfield, Mo.—

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Jan. 13; March 23,24; May 5.Latin American Bible Institute, La

Puente, Calif.—Jan. 25; Feb. 24-26; May 6.Latin American Bible Institute, San

Antonio, Tex.—Jan. 5; not yet set; April 28.North Central University,

Minneapolis, Minn.—Jan. 18; March30,31; May 5.

Northwest College of the A/G, Kirkland,Wash.—Jan. 10; Jan. 22; May 6.

Southeastern College of the A/G,Lakeland, Fla.—Jan. 6; Feb. 3,4; April 21.

Southwestern A/G University,Waxahachie, Tex.—Jan. 13; not yet set;May 5.

Trinity Bible College, Ellendale, N.Dak.—Jan. 12; March 30,31 & April 1;May 4.

Vanguard University, Costa Mesa,Calif.—Jan. 12; N/A; May 6.

Valley Forge Christian College,Phoenixville, Pa.—Jan. 12; Feb. 10,11 &March 16,17; May 5.

Western Bible Institute, Phoenix,Ariz.—Jan. 10; March 20,21; May 1.

ENRICHMENT JOURNALPRODUCES 85TH ANNIVERSARYHISTORICAL TIMELINETo mark the 85th anniversary of theAssemblies of God, Enrichment Journalhas produced a high quality, glossy, full-color timeline depicting 100 years ofPentecostal and Assemblies of God his-tory. The timeline highlights significantevents from three major tracks of histo-ry: Assemblies of God History, ChurchHistory, and World History.

Illuminated with a wide selection ofphotos and text, The Rise ofPentecostalism and the Assemblies ofGod (1899-1999) timeline measures 201/2- by 29-inches and is suitable forframing. It will complement the décor ofany church or minister’s office.

Unfolded timelines sell for $5 each; 2

or more $4 each, postage and handlingincluded. To order your copy of the A/G timeline, call 1-800-641-4310 andrequest item #751-028 or check rsc #10.

SALVATION RESPONSES SENT TOTHE EVANGEL REACH 4,000MARKIn mid-May, the Pentecostal Evangelreceived its 4,000th salvation responseform from a reader who had made adecision to follow Jesus Christ. Thattotal was reached in 29 months. TheEvangel began publishing “The ABCs ofsalvation” and a response form on acontinuing basis with the Jan. 5, 1997,edition. Since then, the periodical hasaveraged more than 140 salvation indi-cations per month.

An individual who shares his/her deci-sion to become a Christian is sent a copyof the booklet, Rock Solid–Building YourRelationship With Jesus. In addition, therespondent’s name, address, and tele-phone number are forwarded to a near-by Assemblies of God church for follow-up. Many of those accepting Jesus Christwere recipients of Evangels distributedby churches and laypersons in theirlocal communities.

Hundreds of men and women behindbars have also received Christ as theirSavior by following “The ABCs of salva-tion.” Nearly 8,000 copies of the Evangelare mailed weekly to correctional institu-tions across the United States. The costof printing and mailing the magazineinto prisons is underwritten by Light forthe Lost’s “Key Bearers” fund.

VENTURE WITH GOSPELPUBLISHING HOUSE PRODUCESFIRST BOOK WITH PENTECOSTALEVANGEL IMPRINTThrough a joint venture with GospelPublishing House, the Pentecostal

Evangel has produced its first book,Strategies for Victorious Christian Living(ISBN 0-88243-340-7). The book, con-taining material by 27 PentecostalEvangel contributing authors, debuted atthe 1999 General Council in Orlando, Fla.

Among the contributors are Thomas E.Trask, David Yonggi Cho, Tommy Barnett,Dan Betzer, and Robert C. Cunningham,who also wrote the book’s foreword.Chapters featuring the work of lateAssemblies of God statesmen like G.Raymond Carlson, J. Robert Ashcroft,Richard Champion, and Bernhard Johnsonare also included. The book covers a widerange of subjects, such as prayer, revival,worship, holiness, and healing.

Strategies for Victorious ChristianLiving was compiled and edited byEvangel Editor Hal Donaldson, ManagingEditor Ken Horn, and Associate EditorAnn Floyd. Copies can be ordered by call-ing GPH Customer Services at 800-641-4310 and requesting item #02-1032. Theprice is $5.95 per copy.

PENTECOSTAL EVANGEL WEBSITEIMPROVED AND EASIER TO REACH What’s the easiest way to reach theimproved website of the PentecostalEvangel? Just use the web addresspe.ag.org and you’ll find the Internethome of the Assemblies of God’s officialpublication. No prefix or additionalidentification is needed.

The magazine’s new web addressbecame functional in spring 1999, whenthe Evangel homepage was undergoingimprovements as part of the A/G OnlineDevelopment Site. Along with other offi-cial Assemblies of God web locations,the Evangel site was standardized forease of use by both Internet visitors andheadquarters personnel.

A major benefit of the new site is theability to update current material quickly.

Shortly after the April 20 events atColumbine High School in Littleton, Colo.,the Evangel was able to place online theJune 13 cover story and other articlesdealing with the spiritual outpouring thatresulted from the tragedy. It marked thefirst time a portion of the Evangel wasavailable via the Internet prior to theactual printing of the magazine.

READERSHIP INCREASEFOR PENTECOSTAL EVANGELBy late spring, the Pentecostal Evangelhad reached a 10-year high in circulationwhen the periodical’s average distributionsurpassed 268,000 copies per week. Thefigures reflect the first 21 issues of 1999.By the end of the year, it is projected thatnearly 14 million copies of the Evangelwill roll off the press during 1999.

TEEN CHALLENGE DAY ISDECEMBER 5A generation ago, drug addicts and alco-holics began walking through the doorsof Teen Challenge. Since then, countless

people with testimonies of God’s gracehave walked out to become productive cit-izens—their lives changed forever. Manytimes they are restored to their families.

Teen Challenge is an incredible successstory. However, the ministry is always inneed of people willing to supply resources,prayer, and personal dedication.

“Many times our centers are full andshort staffed,” said Teen ChallengeInternational, U.S.A. director JohnCastellani. “As a result, we can’t takepeople in immediately. We have the solu-tion to their problems; it’s just a matterof being able to reach everyone.”

The Division of Home Missions asks youto join in support of Teen Challenge withyour prayers and finances on Dec. 5. Formore information, contact Teen ChallengeInternational, U.S.A. at 417- 862-6969.

THE BOOK OF HOPE REACHINGYOUTH IN THE SCHOOLS OFENGLANDThe Book of Hope, a Scripture book forteenagers, has young people in England

“Have you seen the pastor? He came out here hours ago to see if he could hurry you along some!”

© 1999 PAUL F. GRAY


buzzing about the relevance of God’sWord to their modern lives.

“I read it in one week,” one teenagersaid.

“I read it, and my mum is reading italso,” another student stated.

The Book of Hope is taken directlyfrom the Gospels of Matthew, Mark,Luke, and John, telling the life story ofJesus in chronological order.

The “Anglicized” edition has beendesigned especially for the young peopleof Great Britain, with sections showingthem how to address the felt needs ofteenagers with answers from the Bible.

The book is the product of theFlorida-based ministry Book of LifeInternational, founded by missionaryand gospel publisher Bob Hoskins. Itcomes in various versions—for youngerchildren and teenagers, in dozens of

languages and in several editions—andhas been placed in the hands of morethan 60 million students around theworld.

In many nations, the books are givento students in their public school class-rooms, sometimes as part of the curricu-lum. Part of the book’s popularity is dueto its innovative design. It is produced incolor, in a tabloid format, with text andgraphics designed to capture the atten-tion of today’s teenager.

“We know from the Scriptures thatGod’s Word cannot return void,” statesRob Hoskins, Book of Life Internationalexecutive director. “We’re seeing that inEngland, where teenagers are discover-ing for the first time that the Bible andthe plan of salvation through Jesus arelife-changing forces.”

The Book of Hope is changing the lives

of young people in England and aroundthe world. The Book of Hope, USA is alsoavailable for American schools. Formore information, call Rob Hoskins at954-975-7777.

FROM THIS DAY FORWARDOFFERS GUIDELINES FOR GOODLIVINGIn Jan. 1999, the Assemblies of God andEMERGE Ministries launched the newradio program, From This Day Forwardwith Dr. Richard Dobbins and JerryQualls. Pastors quickly realized the wis-dom shared by Dr. Dobbins would be avaluable resource when helping hurtingpeople.

“After listening to the first few broad-casts, we decided to make this informa-tion available in a printed format forreview later by individuals, as well as

122 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

pastors,” stated Media Ministries generalmanager Jeff Nene. “That’s when wedeveloped Guidelines for Good Living.

Guidelines is a condensed version ofthe weekly program discussions. For $20,subscribers receive a notebook and atotal of 52 Guidelines that will be mailedon a monthly basis throughout the year.

To subscribe to Guidelines, send acheck for $20 to: From This DayForward, P.O. Box 70, Springfield, MO65801; or, if ordering by credit card, call1-888-400-2001 and order item#1001—Guidelines for Good Livingsubscription; or mark rsc #9.

MBA LAUNCHES INVESTMENTEDUCATION PROGRAMMinisters Benefit Association haslaunched an investment education pro-gram to inform ministers about the newinvestment options available with theirMBA retirement funds. Over 50 districtshave scheduled seminars designed toinform ministers about MBA Planchanges, introduce new investmentoptions, and provide an opportunity toassess retirement planning needs.

MBA’s Original Plan, 403(b) Plan,and Choice Plan are now merged intoMBA SELECT Plan. Seven differentinvestment options, including newfunds developed by the Assemblies ofGod that do not invest in companiesthat involve alcohol, abortion, pornog-raphy, tobacco or gambling, are nowavailable. Ministers can continue toinvest in a stable fixed income pool pri-marily invested in church and ministryloans.

A new 1-800 number and PIN numberallow members to access account infor-mation 24 hours a day and modifyinvestment strategies as often as quar-terly. By the end of 1999, participantswill also have online access to account

information, which is particularly valu-able to foreign missionaries.

For more information on MBA’s newretirement options or for a copy ofLifePoints, an award-winning invest-ment education program, call 1-800-MBA-PLAN.

CHURCH PLANTING DAY IS FEB.13, 2000What’s happening to the church inAmerica today? Revival? Maybe. But theunderlying truth is, America is dying ofspiritual complacency.

“Most established churches inAmerica spend too much time lookinginward and trying to figure out how tonurture their members,” said HomeMissions Church Planting Director PaulDrost. “The church needs to look atitself as a family and procreate or plantmore churches. There’s no better nurtur-ing experience for a church body thanthe planting of another church.”

Over 10 churches (including alldenominations) are closed each daycompared to about 3 1⁄2 that areopened. “What many people don’tknow,” Drost said, “is the Assemblies ofGod is not insulated against this com-placency. In 1998, excluding churchesthat transferred in, we closed morechurches than we opened.”

Drost believes America, which ranksthird behind China and India in thenumber of unsaved people, is at a cross-roads. “We not only need to plant morechurches to reach America, we need tokeep from closing churches.”

According to church statistics, 50 per-cent of all Assemblies of God churchesplanted close within 5 years. “That’sgoing to change,” Drost commented.“We now have in place a screening andtraining program, complete with ‘bootcamp.’ Districts can use the training

program to help ensure each churchplant is successful.”

However, these new training pro-grams and camps are costly. On Sunday,Feb. 13, 2000, please ask your congre-gation to financially support the ChurchPlanting Department through a specialoffering or monthly support. “We cannotsit and wait for America to come to thechurch—we must take the church toAmerica,” Drost said.

NEW ADULT SMALL GROUPSTUDIES PRESENTED BY RADIANTLIFEThe four-book adult Biblical LivingSeries was released by Radiant Life atGeneral Council in Orlando. This seriesfocuses on relationships and everydayChristian living. It is ideal for adults of


all ages to use in Sunday school or othersmall group settings. “We believe ourchurches want and need numerousoptions for discipling adults. This serieswill be a great addition to our list ofadult resources,” said Paul Smith,senior editor for Radiant Life’s Adultcurriculum.

The Biblical Living Series includesfour titles: You and God, You andOthers, You and Your Family, and Youand Your Priorities. All four titles areavailable from Gospel PublishingHouse. To order or request more infor-mation, call 800-641-4310.

RADIANT LIFE RELEASES FIRST-EVER YOUTH ELECTIVESHoly Spirit: The Power Source intro-duces a new line of discipling resourcesfor youth. These real-life studies allowyouth leaders and Sunday school teach-ers to target foundational and contem-porary issues in their youth groups andSunday school classes. “We’ve beenlooking forward to this day for quitesome time,” said Tammy Bicket, senior

editor for Radiant Life Youth curricu-lum. “This new series allows us to pro-vide two lines of youth products thatwill be among the best resources foryouth Sunday school and small groupministries.”

Real Life Series studies will focus ontwo tracks: Essentials, covering doctrineand Christian life fundamentals, andThe Edge, dealing with contemporaryissues from a biblical perspective. TheReal Life Series will ultimately featureup to 24 titles. Four titles are alreadyavailable: Holy Spirit: The PowerSource; Different, But Alike; Facing MyWorld; and To Infinity and Beyond: TheEnd Times. To order or request moreinformation, call 800-641-4310.

FOUR NEW YOUNG EXPLORERSCHILDREN’S CHURCHCURRICULUM TITLES AVAILABLERadiant Life Children’s Church undatedcurriculum for elementary grades isreleasing four new titles: The Lord’sArmy: Lessons From the TenCommandments; Here Come the Judges:

Lessons From Old Testament Judges;Olympic Training: Lessons in ChristianLiving; and Around the World in 90Days: Lessons in World Missions.Similar to other Young Explorers releas-es, these new titles follow the themeapproach. The Lord’s Army lets studentsget a glimpse of army life as they studythe Ten Commandments. Here Come theJudges takes students into a newsroomenvironment as they explore the OldTestament judges. Olympic Traininghelps students understand training tobe an Olympian as they train to beChristians. Around the World in 90 Daysuses an airport environment to studyabout world missions and a personalmission field.

Young Explorers titles are complete,reusable kits, offering reproducibleactivity pages, cassettes, posters, andready-to-teach lesson plans in a three-ring binder. To order these new titles orrequest more information on YoungExplorers, call GPH at 800-641-4310.

LIGHT FOR THE LOSTCONVENTION 2000 MOVES TOAUGUSTThe LFTL 2000 convention will takeplace in Indianapolis, Ind., Aug. 7,8,2000. The convention will be held inconjunction with the 2000 Celebration.Make plans now to attend. Call 800-988-0292 for information.

NEW JUNIOR COUNCILMENBROCHURE AVAILABLELight for the Lost is now offering a newJunior Councilmen brochure. The brochureexplains the purpose of the JuniorCouncilmen program and how boys canbecome members. A new contemporarylogo and clear layout are just two of thefeatures of the new brochure. To order call800-641-4310 and ask for item #728-015.

“I like what you said about being a man of principal. I visited him six times this week.”

© 1999 JONNY HAWKINS

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2000 NATIONAL WOMEN’SMINISTRIES DAY THEMEEMPHASIZES EFFECTIVEOUTREACHIn 1999, the new identification forWomen’s Ministries projects nationwide,“Women Touching the World,” was intro-duced. This new umbrella name covers allministries on national, district, sectional,and local levels. The theme has inspiredwomen across the Fellowship to effectivelytouch their world by sharing their faiththrough lifestyle evangelism.

February 27 is National Women’sMinistries Day in the Assemblies of God.The theme for 2000, “TOGETHER—Women Touching the World,” is supportedby the theme Scripture, “In him you too arebeing built together to become a dwelling

in which God lives by his Spirit”(Ephesians 2:22, NIV).

While one woman can make an eternaldifference in the kingdom of God, whenwomen join together with one goal—touch-ing women and girls with the love ofChrist—their ministry is more effective.Together we can go beyond all limits andreach those who are lost and becomeinstruments through whom His Spirit cantouch a hurting world.

The 2000 National Women’s MinistriesDay service provides a wonderful opportu-nity to focus on honoring the women ofyour church, encouraging them to drawunsaved and unchurched women into theircircles, attracting them through love andfriendship in Christ. Pastors may also wishto recognize the women of the church for

their varied and valuable contributions tothe ministries of the entire church.

Receiving an offering for the nationalWomen’s Ministries Department as part ofthe day’s activities helps cover the signifi-cant costs of the ministries provided tosome 425,000 women and girls involved inAssemblies of God Women’s Ministries andMissionettes.

Information for planning a dynamicNational Women’s Ministries Day service ismailed to churches in December. If yourchurch does not receive the packet containinga program guide, offering envelopes, a samplebulletin cover, and other theme-related itemsby Jan. 15, call the national Women’sMinistries Department at 800-448-2235. Ifyou would like a free National Women’sMinistries Day program guide, check rsc #11.

126 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 0

With ChristRobert M. AbbottSpringfield, Missouri

Juan F. AlireSan Jose, California

Romualdo E. ArizaRoxbury, Massachusetts

O.R. BallFarmington, Arkansas

Eugene E. BargerSallisaw, Oklahoma

Lessie C. BarrettCedar Park, Texas

Florence M. BeckAltadena, California

John Leonard BeckClaremore, Oklahoma

Zola P. BedellKingfisher, Oklahoma

Paul J. BicketWaupaca, Wisconsin

Oliver L. BlackwellWeatherford, Texas

Clarice BottenfieldMount Solon, Virginia

Robert E. BowenPensacola, Florida

Tommie L. (Green) BowenPensacola, Florida

Earl R. BriggsThermal, California

Thelma BrottonTempe, Arizona

Willard T. CantelonVictoria, B.C., Canada

Beulah M. CarlsonOrange, California

G. Raymond CarlsonSpringfield, Missouri

Orville E. CarterRochester, Minnesota

Sandra K. CasadyBuffalo, Minnesota

Ermyn A. CavensNampa, Idaho

William F. ChapmanChandler, Oklahoma

Henry M. CisnerosMesa, Arizona

Robert R. ClaytonOakhurst, California

David O. CombsBrownsville, Tennessee

Robert O. CookBrandon, Mississippi

Herbert J. CooperEnterprise, Alabama

James H. CooperMillry, Alabama

Richard P. CrabtreeAdvance, Missouri

Richard M. CrenshawPass Christian, Mississippi

Alma Buff DittoTampa, Florida

Cordelia DonnellMidwest City, Oklahoma

Luther A. DunnLemay, Missouri

Ella M. EarnestClearlake, California

Oscar Andrew ElliottAztec, New Mexico

Irene B. EllsworthBaltimore, Maryland

Donald D. EubanksSpringtown, Texas

Donald H. FeeSeattle, Washington

Floyd Joseph FischerBoonville, Arkansas

T.J. FortuneFort Walton Beach, Florida

William G. FreemanSpencer, Indiana

James D. GardinerLoomis, California

Manuel B. GarzaLaFeria, Texas

Karo GillisSeminary, Mississippi

Frank GlassDonaldsonville, Georgia

Marian GoumasSaint Petersburg, Florida

Lionel GrimesHarrisonville, Missouri

Melvin R. HagansChambersburg, Pennsylvania

Joel L. HageeOceanside, California

Beauford M. HannumOklahoma City, Oklahoma

Ruby E. HenleyBeaumont, Texas

Edith P. HoldenRawlins, Wyoming

Woodrow W. HolderPensacola, Florida

William F. HopkinsBearden, Arkansas

John M. JalanivichOcean Springs, Mississippi

Everett L. JamesSanta Ana, California

Edgar J. JordonHonea Path, South Carolina

Fred L. JonesCommerce, Oklahoma

Mary Eloise JudahLakeland, Florida

David L. KensingerSpringfield, Missouri

Jewell Kirvin, Sr.Texarkana, Arkansas

Clyde J. KiteBowling Green, Kentucky

Clara E. KostenckiMoberly, Missouri

L.B. (Bill) LewisIrvine, California

Fay M. LockyerGrand Junction, Colorado

Cecilio MadeiraFremont, California

Andrew C. MaracleDeseronto, Ontario, Canada

Walter T. MarquisPhoenix, Arizona

Max L. MartinSpringfield, Missouri

Ramon Sanchez (Martinez)Maunado, Puerto Rico

Laurance A. MasonCastroville, California

John MastoNutterfort, West Virginia

Billy Max McCartyMemphis, Tennessee

Andrew L. McCrory, Jr.Mobile, Alabama

Alvin C. McGaughTexarkana, Arkansas

Dwight H. McLaughlinLynnwood, Washington

James C. McMullenDustin, Oklahoma

Guy S. MitchellCharleston Heights,

South Carolina

William H. MitchellShreveport, Louisiana

Robert A. MitchemTallahassee, Florida

Robert C. MooreRoseville, California

Ferne H. MurrayMooresville, North Carolina

John W. NewbyOklahoma City, Oklahoma

R. David OrtliebAsh Grove, Missouri

Thomas Paino, IIICarmel, Indiana

Luther P. ParkerVersailles, Missouri

Ernesto A. PartidaBaytown, Texas

James F. PerryCrossett, Arkansas

Charles F. PetroskeyFort Myers, Florida

John P. PhillippsMinneapolis, Minnesota

H.V. PhilpottTyler, Texas

W. Wayne PhinneyDayton, Washington

Robert E. PlattPascagoula, Mississippi

Hugh Lynn PorterBarton, Maryland

Lloyd O. PortinSeattle, Washington

Herbert Carl RasskeBakersfield, California

Ralph L. ReddoutCommerce, Oklahoma

William R. RileyConcord, North Carolina

Theodore T. RoarkThayer, Missouri

Clive R. RothertJacksonville, Florida

Rene SaltzmanWestlake, Louisiana

Vera M. SamuelsonWichita, Kansas

Josue SanchezSan Antonio, Texas

Bessie T. SavoieDallas, Texas

Clayton George ScharnbergDes Moines, Iowa

Marie A. (Brown) SchwalbeLongwood, Florida

Kenneth D. SevereModesto, California

Leslie I. SherwoodConcord, California

Frances G. SimmonsPortland, Oregon

Boyd U. SmithJonesboro, Arkansas

James E. SmithWellington, Texas

Marjorie E. (Herrold) SorensonLaguna Nigel, California

Thomas H. SpenceSpringfield, Missouri

Kenneth E. SquiresSaint Petersburg, Florida

Orvis D. StewartLittle Rock, Arkansas

J. Larry TathamEnid, Oklahoma

Dan L. TaylorFort Collins, Colorado

Earl Teeter, Sr.Waxahachie, Texas

John E. ThompsonCoarsegold, California

Ovid E. ThompsonMonticello, Florida

Russell L. ThompsonWaterloo, Iowa

A.L. ToddMagnolia, Texas

Tulaga S. TuliauSeattle, Washington

C.C. WallaceTulsa, Oklahoma

Roy B. WarnerPeoria, Illinois

Elmer T. WatkinsMidwest City, Oklahoma

Jeremiah WilcoxRialto, California

Ferguson A. WilsonYucaipa, California

Lester WoodCornelius, Oregon

Paul C. WrightModesto, California

consecrated themselves before God, theywere victorious. When we consecrate our-selves, God is able to work in andthrough us. We become channels of God’spower and presence. Read Romans 12:1.

Cleansing. God works through cleanvessels. The Scripture states that with-out holiness, “no man shall see theLord” (Hebrews 12:14). At Isaiah’scleansing (Isaiah 6:7), God pronouncedthat “thine iniquity is taken away, andthy sin purged.” After this cleansing,Isaiah had a God-given vision.

Commissioning. A fresh vision willresult in a new commission. In Isaiah6:9, God commanded Isaiah, “Go, andtell this people.” God also wants us togo. When we have a fresh vision, therewill be a compelling urgency to respond,“Here am I, send me.”

Change. We will be changed fromglory to glory; from self to the image ofHis Son. We will never be the same. Wewill have a different set of priorities. Ourgoals will not be man-made, but God-given. We will see people differently; wewill feel for people differently; we willhear differently. We will hear the cry ofbroken hearts. We will see people turnfrom sin to a Savior. Instead of death,they will have life.

I pray that as a church in the 21st cen-tury we will have a fresh, clear vision ofwho God is, what He wants to do, andthe way He wants to do it. For it is “notby might, nor by power, but by my spir-it, saith the Lord”(Zechariah 4:6).

Thomas E. Trask isgeneral superinten-dent of theAssemblies of God,Springfield,Missouri.

B Y T H O M A S E . T R A S K

The writer of the Proverbs states in29:18, “Where there is no vision, the

people perish.” Another version readsthat where there is no vision “the peoplecast off restraint.” The best commen-taries all agree, where the prophet seesno vision and fails to declare God’struth, the people are deprived of moralrestraint.

It is imperative for the church of JesusChrist to declare that the exceeding sin-fulness of sin and the sure judgment ofGod are coming unless we as a peoplerepent and turn back to God. Ourpreachers must be prophets, warningand forewarning what God’s Word says.

In recent years, people do not believesin is as sinful as it once was. Judgmenthas become doubtful, mercy universal,and God’s love wonderful. The last partis true, but so are the first three. What ispreached or taught from the pulpit, thepew accepts, and the public acts upon.

Judges 21:25 states, “In thosedays…every man did that which wasright in his own eyes.” The Word of theLord was scarce in those days. Therewas no open vision” (1 Samuel 3:1).When there is no vision, the immediateeffect is in moral conduct. People losesight of eternity. The end result is peoplewill perish. As we start the 21st century,we need a fresh vision of God, a divineawareness of His holiness, His majesty,and His glory.

William Booth of the Salvation Armyonce said we must be spared from:

1. Religion without the Holy Ghost.2. Christianity without Christ.3. Forgiveness without repentance.4. Politics without God.5. Heaven without hell.

As pastors and churches, we mustlook at our communities as God seesthem—sheep without shepherds, lostmen and women. Then we must askHim how we can reach people with thisglorious gospel. God knows how toreach a city, and He will give us a visionof how it is to be done and what meth-ods need to be used.

Vision will only come as a result ofprayer, both individually and corporate-ly. This might require waiting in thepresence of God until the vision becomesclear. Then we can come out of theprayer closet and speak to the hearts ofGod’s people by saying, “Thus saith theLord.” Then the church will respond tothe challenge to reach, teach, and touchthose who need to have the gospel ofJesus Christ. There will be a passionwithin the hearts of God’s people.

Five things will affect the church as aresult of a fresh vision—Five Cs:

Costly. There is a price leadership willneed to pay for the church to have afresh vision that will result in revival.We can expect conflict; there are thosewho are happy with the status quo.They are happy with the way things arewhile men and women are going into aChristless eternity. But if we will pay theprice, standing firm in the vision Godhas given us, He will hear and answerour prayer.

Consecration. Consecration assures usof victory. When the Children of Israel

n Closing

As pastors and churches, we

must look at our communities

as God sees them—sheep

without shepherds, lost

men and women.


A D V E R T I S I N G I N D E X

* DHM Intercultural..................................................122

* EMERGE.................................................................90

* Enrichment Journal.................................................98

2 Fiberglass, Specialties..........................................123

* Financial Counseling..............................................93

* Global University.....................................................58

* Graebel.................................................................120

* Guide One...............................................................59

* GPH Biblical Living Series......................................39

* GPH Logion............................................................29

* GPH RL...................................................................75

3, 4, 5, 6 GPH Services..............................................63

* GPH SDS................................................................38

* GPH Staff Training...................................................67

7 GPH VBS................................................................52

* GPH Youth Electives................................................51

8 Highlands............................................................118

* LFTL................................................................... card

* Marriage Encounter................................................95

9 Media Center.........................................................66

* Miami Tent...........................................................118

* Ministerial Enrichment Office.........................10, 103

* Ministers Benefit Association............................cover

* Pentecostal Evangel.................................................6

* Phoenix First AG....................................................74

* Royal Rangers.......................................................98

* Senior Adult Ministries..........................................93

* Southwestern University.........................................33

* Speed-the-Light....................................................73

* The Choice............................................................79

10Timeline..........................................................32,120

* 2000 Celebration....................................................5

* We Build People....................................................37

* Week of Prayer.........................................................4

11Women’s Ministries.............................................125

* Youth Alive.............................................................79

* Youth Department............................................14, 28

* Did not request readers service number.

The following advertisers #s match thebox numbers on the reader service card.Simply check the boxes on the card toreceive the items which interest you.Postage and handling to be added; alsostate sales tax where applicable. Pricessubject to change. Charge orders aresubject to credit approval.

* ACMR.....................................................................89

* AG Loan Services....................................................16

* AG Theological Seminary..................................11, 53

1 Benevolences.................................................71, 125

* Book of Life.............................................................58

* CE Counselor..........................................................45

* DFM...................................................................cover

* DFM Africa Tabernacle............................................19

* DFM Europe.........................................................card

* DFM HealthCare.....................................................64

* DFM Missionary Associates Office..........................65

* DFM Project Rescue...............................................25

* DHM Chaplaincy.................................................... 87

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© 1999 DAVID W. HARBAUGH

“It’s the chairman of the budget committee; he has insomnia.”

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Documents

WINTER 2000 Developing Vision for the New Millennium · tant to the church during the next century. . . .. . . . .8 The Second Coming of the Church By George Barna The church in America