Right now it seems as though the Church is changing in many dramatic ways, and it can feel a bit scary. The thing is, the Church has always been changing. Regardless of the tradition you come from, it has changed. Historically, we can see that the Church reconsiders doctrines, and it reflects and reforms. Martin Luther — the great reformer — knew this. The Reformation was a mammoth shift in the way the Western Church looked: It was a shaking, a sifting and ultimately, a renewal.

There is much discourse in the contemporary Church about the “falling away” of young people from Christian belief. A Barna Group survey from 2019 shows that 64% of young people stop attending church between the ages of 18-24. The pandemic has also left a lasting mark on church attendance.

But perhaps the most relevant and influential shift that I see taking place in the contemporary Church is the shift of power dynamics away from the traditional senior pastor into a diffusion of influential voices across the digital space, from blogs to YouTube channels to podcasts. These days, some of the most influential voices in the Church are not pastors, and never will be pastors. Instead, many of them are podcasters.

What does it mean for the global Christian Church when many of its most influential voices do not have any particular church affiliation?

If you google the top 50 most popular Christian podcasts, you will find most of them are not associated with a church or run by a pastor. They are run by “Christian journalists, researchers, scholars, apologists, influencers and artists,” to name but a few.

Why are people choosing to listen to these podcasts? Why are they so popular among young Christians?

I believe these are questions the Church should be asking. It may be that many pastors already recognize that the seat of power and influence is moving to the digital space because large numbers of them are moving there too.

From Pastors to Podcasters

On December 24, 2021, the Washington Post published an article entitled “The first Christmas as a layperson: Burned out by the pandemic, many clergy quit in the past year.” On February 21, 2022, the Wall Street Journal ran an article entitled “Houses of Worship Face Clergy Shortage as Many Resign During Pandemic.” Even the secular outlets are noticing the changes.

The Wall Street Journal article reports that the pastors they interviewed repeatedly admitted that “the job of being a pastor, while always demanding, has become almost impossible during the pandemic: Relationships with and among parishioners have frayed, and political divisions have deepened, fueled by fights over Covid-19 protocols.” A Barna Group survey of Protestant pastors published in November 2021 found that 38 percent of Protestant senior pastors surveyed have considered leaving the ministry over the past year. Among pastors under age 45, that number rose to 46 percent.

I can think of quite a number of pastors who have stepped down in recent times. I am sure you can too. Many of them are starting non-profit organizations or different discipleship ministries outside the context of the local church. And, of course, many of them are starting podcasts.

These changes are in large part due to the pandemic we have just been through, which rapidly and dramatically shifted the “way” we do church. All over the globe, Sunday morning services transferred to the digital space. I ended up watching many different sermons, in addition to my own local church, as YouTube suggested videos to me. In many ways, it was wonderful to engage with other Christian voices and perspectives. It was also formational for my faith in unexpected ways, as I am sure it was for you too.

The point is, we are not the same. The Church is not the same. We have been through a dramatic season of change. And we need more than ever to meet God in the present, to find Him in what might seem like unfamiliar or confusing settings.

The secular journalist Ian Lovett (writer of the above-mentioned Wall Street Journal article) states that “The labour shortage within the clergy, which parallels shortages in other industries, is reshaping worship in some parts of the country as more congregations search for ways to operate without a pastor. Lay people are filling more roles and congregations are sharing leaders.”

How is the Church reshaping? Where is God taking us?

I would suggest that God is taking us to the MISSION FIELD. What do I mean by this? I do not mean that you need to get on a plane. No. This new season of dramatic change is our mission field.

In the past decade, we have watched the trickle in the decline of church membership turn to a geyser. Young people doubt their faith en masse. There is persecution and war. Dogmatism and confusion are epidemics because of the proliferation of digital echo chambers. Politics is king, and confusion abounds.

This is our mission field. This is the space that needs God’s truth spoken in love. It is the place that needs the light of the gospel, now more than ever.

A missionary must learn the place in which they are called to, i.e., the language, the culture, the people. But now, in 2022, we need to learn how to navigate the changed face of our culture so we can effectively reach it.

How do things work on the mission field?

First, I would say that everyone is used on the mission field. Hierarchies break down if you are ministering in the jungle, so anyone willing to serve is given a chance. The Church cannot afford to strain out a gnat when the world is in such desperate need. I would suggest that our hierarchies are already being undermined by all the podcasts our congregants are listening to anyway.

Paul, our great example in missions, was willing to use all kinds of people. He was innovative and flexible rather than rigid and legalistic. He had Timothy circumcised when he felt it would help the mission (Romans 3). He worked in a secular job outside of ministry (Acts 18). He spoke to secular politicians (Acts 26). He advocated for enslaved people to be freed and then used them in the ministry (Philemon). He willingly used women in extraordinary ways (Romans 16 and elsewhere). It was these early God-directed, flexible choices Paul made that enabled the successful spread of the early Church.

The Church in 2022 is still vitally important in the world.

How can we be a connected and useful body if we are just dispersed across the digital space?

In the digital space, we can choose not to be challenged by choosing to listen only to voices we fully agree with or affirm us completely. Yet, sometimes we need to be challenged. The body of Christ is bone, muscle, and sinew that are closely connected and work together for God’s Kingdom (1 Corinthians 12).

If the real live Church is to continue toward renewal, we must be willing to have a missionary mentality because 2022 is our mission field.

So let us throw open our doors, roll up our sleeves, and decide to work together. We need everyone in this mission. We need all the outlets at our disposal. We need NGOs, podcasts, cathedrals, and school gymnasiums. The Church is made up of women and men, those with disabilities along with the able bodied, all colours, nationalities, genders, and races. We are the body of Christ, together reaching out to this contemporary mission field.

In 2022, we need everyone. The harvest is ripe, but the labourers are few. But God is in control. He will bring renewal from this turmoil, but it will not be a return to something: It will be a new work.

And all of us are needed on the field to work together for God’s Kingdom.

Bibliography:

Boorstein, Michelle. “The first Christmas as a layperson: Burned out by the pandemic, many clergy quit in the past year.” Washington Post. December 24, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/12/24/christmas-covid-pandemic-clergy-quit/

Lovett, Ian. “Houses of Worship Face Clergy Shortage as Many Resign During Pandemic.” Wall Street Journal. February 21, 2022.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/houses-of-worship-face-clergy-shortage-as-many-resign-during-pandemic-11645452000

The current crisis of the evangelical church in America is being called a “massive discipleship failure caused by a massive catechesis failure.”¹ The ideologies of our age have grown more magnetic and are both infiltrating and fragmenting the church. Even where such destruction is avoided, we no longer have sufficient common ground with our neighbors to enjoy the passive formational benefits of a Judeo-Christian culture.

For some time, I have been thinking about what it would have taken to be a church inoculated against 2020, and I am convinced the church must develop a more robust paradigm for Christian education. I have in mind here, not private K-12 schools or colleges, but Christian education in the context of the church: Christian education as discipleship. Although the format for this type of education can and should be diverse, whether sermon series, Sunday School classes, Bible study curriculum, or more likely all the above, we need a framework to set the agenda for the whole education, as well as help us assess where our individual congregations are currently at and what is still required.

The goal is disciples who are equipped to live out a Christian vision of life in the context of our present world. No matter the topic, be it sexuality, social justice, or faith and work, a complete Christian education has four components, which here we will call Theology, Anthropology, Missiology, and Doxology. We will take each of the four in turn.

Theology

A Christian education must begin theologically. This requires more than chapter-and-verse references to a particular topic and more than just expressing the clear commands of scripture. A theological approach is rooted in God’s character, works and plan. Articulating a theology of a topic means that we present not just the what of a Christian ethic but the why. A theological approach to a given topic helps disciples navigate through the lenses of Creation: God’s purpose and design, the Fall: where sin and the curse interfere with and hinder that design, Redemption: how salvation in Jesus Christ remedies what has gone wrong, and Consummation: the hope we have as Christians that sets the trajectory for our life. Altogether, a theological approach provides a worldview which not only presents the Christian life but explains it as well.

Anthropology²

On top of having a biblical and theological view of a topic, our disciples also need to understand the view of the culture around us. The anthropological component in Christian education makes the theological component conversant with the world we live in. It is here where the core beliefs of our culture should be identified, as well as their history traced. In any given culture, we should be able to affirm what the culture gets right, reject what it gets wrong, and redeem its unfulfilled desires, showing how Christianity better meets their longings.

When our disciples are not equipped with an anthropology of their time and place, they will not be able to identify where their own lives are being shaped by the culture they live and breathe … thus they will be conformed to this world. Without an anthropology our disciples will also struggle to communicate the gospel in all its abundant-life-fullness to the world they live in. Failure here leads to ideological compromise in our churches, as well as the fear-fueled label-making which throws around culture war terms without being able to define or discuss them (and ironically leaves them vulnerable to other sub-Christian ideologies).

Missiology

The context for the faithful Christian life is the local church. Disciples are not called to follow Jesus as individuals but as part of his community, fulfilling the “one-anothers” of the New Testament. This means that a Christian education is incomplete without extrapolating the resources and agenda God has given to the church. I will confess, this is an area where many of us are so weak that it makes it difficult to illustrate, but consider the Christian sexual ethic. The church, by design, is a family (Matthew 12:46-50; 1 Tim 5:1-2). Jesus in fact envisions it as the family for those who are rejected by their own (Mark 10:30), or excluded from marriage by their bodies, or their devotion to Jesus (Matthew 19:10-12). It is this loving community that makes a Christian sexual ethic joyful and possible. Without it, we condemn the single and celibate to isolation and are worthy of Jesus’ criticism as those who lay heavy burdens and do not help bear them (Matthew 23:4). Missiology means casting this vision, designing our ministries in ways that include and incorporate single people, and exhorting all Christians to live out their responsibilities to love their Christian brothers and sisters, not just their biological family. When we disciple our congregation in missiology, we form not just disciples but God’s new community, the church, and in doing so accomplish God’s mission.

Doxology

Christian education is never complete until it is lived out. Disciples are not called to merely know Jesus or his will but to follow him. Therefore, our paradigm is incomplete without doxology: worshipping God by growing in his ways. The doxological aspect of Christian education requires a slight shift in posture. Whereas the above components are primarily instructional, doxology requires dialogue. It also requires wisdom and even creativity as we seek to apply God’s word in our specific lives at this specific moment.

Because sanctification is a lifelong process, this part of Christian education is open and ongoing, asking again and again what is the next step in following Jesus. Even where this requires repentance, creativity and support is often necessary to pick up the pieces and pursue obedience. Doxology is also the pinnacle of the growing specificity across the aspects of a Christian education.

Theology is universal and unchanging. Anthropology focuses on the unique culture of a particular church’s time and place. Missiology narrows the field to this local church. And doxology moves to the individual choices and context of each disciple.

As leaders and pastors, we must expand our understanding of discipleship to include the four categories above. Jesus has appointed us to bear fruit (John 15:16). To make fruitful disciples, we must help them lay deep roots in Theology, help them to understand the soil in which they grow through Anthropology, help them see themselves as branches of God’s tree the church in Missiology, and bear the specific fruit for this season in Doxology. Lord willing, doing so will create disciples who live robust and distinctively Christian lives of joyful obedience and present a witness that is winsome and worthy of Jesus and his gospel.

_NOTES:

_{¹ James Ernest quoted in The Atlantic, “The Evangelical Church is Breaking Apart.”}

_{² For a great example of this on sexuality see Jonathan Grant’s book Divine Sex. On Social Justice see Timothy Keller’s article, “A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory.”}

Why are Millennials and GenZ kids who grew up in the Church leaving in droves? How can we reach people struggling with doubt and deconstruction? Evan Wickham, pastor of Park Hill Church in San Diego, has a lot of perspective to offer on this topic. Between his time as a youth pastor, traveling worship leader, and spending years pastoring in Portland (a culture hostile to the Christian faith), Evan has seen his fair share of doubt & deconstruction… as well as experiencing some himself.

Evan shares his insight into how we can come out the other side of doubt and deconstruction with a positive attitude aiming to build the Church up, rather than tear it down, and how we can reach people who are currently struggling with their faith. He introduces a concept called “Spiritual Consent” that he has found helpful in ministering to people burned out and wounded by things they’ve experienced.

We hope this conversation helps you in your walk with Christ and is a helpful resource to you as you make every effort to help others discover the Way of Jesus.

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GoodLion began as a dream of Christian Podcasters Aaron Salvato, Brian Higgins, Mike Neglia & Lindsay Kennedy. The idea was simple: what if Jesus-loving content creators joined forces to partner together for Kingdom Work? In 2018 they began to work together towards the goal, and soon after, the team at the Calvary Global Network decided to come alongside them to support the vision.

We work together as a team to produce free, high-quality content that points people to Jesus, encourages the church and equips creatives to reach people through podcasting!

Join us on June 28-July 1 for the Calvary Chapel CGN International Conference!

Brian Brodersen and Kellen Criswell discuss the vision for this conference, and how the ultimate goal is for you, the attendee to receive teaching, training, resources, fellowship and more!

Visit conference.calvarychapel.flywheelsites.com for full details and registration.

#calvarycgn

There are aspects of teaching literature to high school students that can drive a person absolutely nuts. However, there are also amazing opportunities to weave concepts rooted in the gospel seamlessly into what you are reading and studying. I teach for the most part freshman and sophomores at a small high school in a little Utah town that is more than two hours away from any major city. We are the epitome of rural America. Many of the students that I teach will never travel more than five hundred miles from their hometown, and to be honest, that is perfectly ok. There is beauty in the simplicity of our little community. One of the best elements of teaching classic works of literature to teenagers is expanding their horizons and enabling them to see a world they may never experience themselves. There is a dynamic impact of introducing them to the lives and cultures of people they may not otherwise ever have the opportunity to know.

A large part of our curriculum for sophomores is dedicated to exploring the Holocaust. We read Elie Wiesel’s seminal work Night, and Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus. As we set the context of the Israelite people and lay it alongside the horrors they suffered throughout history to include the Holocaust, there is a move toward a depth of empathy and sacredness in the students who wrestle with humanity so devoid of common decency and respect for human dignity. These are powerful moments as a teacher, and even more so as an evangelical pastor in a tiny rural town in the US. It gives one the deep sense that all is not lost with this bewildered and divided generation.

For as long as I can remember, we have careened through a season of misunderstanding and mistrust in our culture.

One of the aspects of peace that I draw from these times of turmoil and uncertainty is that we have been here so many times before, and not merely as a nation, but also as humans existing in history. One of the saddest aspects of our current world’s condition is the impact that the conversations regarding race are having on the church as a whole. It’s one thing for a nation to falter in its way, but an entirely different thing for the Kingdom of God to suffer the heartache of friendly fire in camp. There seems to be an overwhelming push to build fortresses rather than a desire to build bridges.

One of my greatest joys this year as a teacher has been the opportunity to read and teach the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. It is the first time I have read this novel since middle school. One of the most prevailing themes of Harper Lee’s classic novel is the concept of seeing life from another person’s perspective. The narrator of the story, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, converses with her father Atticus about the idea of walking around in another person’s skin (Lee 30). Atticus says to Scout, “‘First of all…if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it’” (Lee 30). This concept is understood by a six-year-old in rural Alabama in the 1930s, yet it continues to be one of the most fleeting skills in our culture today. It would seem to be common-sense, especially for the Christian, to consider walking a mile in another person’s shoes; to live incarnationally among those we do not necessarily have life experiences in common with.

Jesus says the second greatest commandment (and really part B of the first) was to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). The principle Jesus is revealing has obvious application to those around us: We should be willing to enter into our neighbor’s suffering. Loving others gets messy. But if we’re unwilling to go deep with those who are hurting, we’re presenting a truncated Gospel. Jesus desires whole-person transformation.

As His partners of reconciliation, we need to be willing to share a deeper understanding of where people are coming from before we can share the truth with them.

A dissonance that continues to baffle me about the conservative evangelical church in the United States is the level of empathy we exercise toward the plights of the people of the Nation of Israel, yet at the same time, there exists in some a reluctance to fully accept the impact of how African Americans have suffered under similar levels of oppression, slavery, and racism. Many Americans believe that because we had radical changes brought in through the Civil Rights Movement, that there has also been a complete transformation in the realities of legal and logistical life for Blacks. Many believe that the progress made in the last 57 years is enough to fully actualize the liberties granted through the Civil Rights Act of 1964. One only needs to read the book of Ezra to understand the dichotomy amidst the mixed emotions of sorrow for the past and joy for the future. Ezra writes, “But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy” (Ezra 3:12). The concept of experiencing sorrow for the brokenness of the past, while celebrating the strides of the present, is not a strange reality for the people of God. I believe that this understanding is truly at the heart of how we should operate as the church in light of the depth of brokenness surrounding the issues of racism in our nation and the world in general.

When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, it was in large part a national acknowledgment of the horrors of Jim Crow, segregation, disenfranchisement, and a multitude of other moral and ethical failures on the part of our nation as a whole. However, the process of righting a nation perverted by centuries of inequality and injustice is an incredibly tedious and lengthy one. We have made incredible advancements in these areas, and no one with an ounce of common sense can deny the incredible progress that has been made by the overwhelming majority of the American population and its institutions. Nevertheless, we, like the elderly Jews who mourned the memory of Solomon’s Temple, must be able to acknowledge the sorrowful specter of racism that still exists in our national conscience. On the other hand, like those youthful, liberated captives whose hard labor and diligence produced the second temple, we should freely celebrate the victories won as each generation passes.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch correlates courage with someone who, in spite of knowing you are “licked before you begin…you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee 112). Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson despite knowing that the deck is stacked against him: Tom is black, and the members of the jury in a little rural southern town are all white (Lee 216).

The level of courage modeled by Atticus in 1930’s Alabama has enshrined him as an integrity-filled archetypal hero for generations.

Listen to Mrs. Maudie’s words: “We’re the safest folks in the world…we are so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us” (Lee 215). Miss Maudie is trying to explain to Atticus’ children why she has hope amidst the sorrow they are all feeling after the announcement of a grievous miscarriage of justice against Tom Robinson. In one breath, she acknowledges the brokenness of her culture, and also the hope she has for the baby steps that have moved them forward (Lee 216).

This is the way forward for pastors ministering in the divergent undertow of our cultural upheavals. We must on one hand acknowledge and mourn over the devastating impact the experiences of racism have on our neighbors, loved ones, and church family. On the other hand, it is vital to our survival to acknowledge and celebrate the successful progress our nation has made toward rectifying the broken road, all the while, looking forward to a continuing city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10).

Dear CGN,

Calvary Chapel Jinja would like to express our deepest gratitude for your generous contribution towards COVID-19 relief to Calvary Chapel Jinja and the church members. Your donation was very helpful and timely to the church members and the community. It helped the continuity of our commitment to serving the community and church members. This would have not been accomplished without your act of generosity in support through the church.

As it’s said, “God is never too late to respond,” this relief came at a time when it was most needed.

Below is a highlight of how the donation was utilized:

Click here to read the full report

If anything is certain over the last few months, it is that the predictability of ministry has been anything but certain! Because of the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic, people around the globe have been asked (or ordered by their respective governments) to shelter in place, practice social distancing, work, and school from home, and avoid any and every crowd that consists of over 10 people. The very community we long to be meeting together with is now suggested to be a perceived threat to our health. This has caused most churches to transition to online services, pastors to preach to empty rooms and into a camera lens, and the gathering together of God’s people in person to be restricted to viewing their church’s streaming content from their own homes.

Church budgets simultaneously pay utility bills to keep lights and a/c on in empty buildings, while finding new line items to make room for camera, sound and lighting upgrades. Every pastoral team suddenly found themselves attempting to be video producers. Every home fellowship either was postponed, or moved to video conference calls–where our koinonia has been digital, virtual, and fumbled. If that weren’t difficult enough, our economy went into a tailspin and many congregants were unable to make their bill payments–so our benevolence funds have been tapped, maxed, or exhausted. People in our communities are frightened, anxious, and desperate for hope–and yet are seemingly unable to congregate with the body of Christ and hear the transforming hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In short, we long to meet together again!

Many states are reopening and establishments such as restaurants, gyms, and movie theaters are safely accommodating their customers and patrons as they open back up for business. And though the church never ceases to be “closed”–whether due to a pandemic or due to a government decree–we do praise God for the amazing opportunity to be gathered together again with the saints to worship God and be equipped. However, there are some challenges ahead that we should be prepared for. Here are five best practices for the reopening of local churches after the coronavirus pandemic:

1. Give people options.

There are many Christians who are not living in a paralyzed panic–but who are genuinely “high risk.” They may have pre-existing conditions that put their health at risk. They may be a caretaker for someone who is high-risk. They may have a family member who lives with them that is more susceptible to disease. Whatever the unique cases may be, there are plenty of people in each and every church who will not have the flexibility, freedom or peace to immediately gather again in-person. We need to make sure we extend an online viewing option to them for the foreseeable future. There are many great resources out lately for churches to offer an online option–do some research and keep it simple!

2. Give people reassurance.

Make sure the congregation knows that the building(s) you will be meeting in will be sanitized and disinfected in between gatherings. Ensure that seats are spread out or partitioned to allow for social distancing. You may have to move to an additional service in the meantime to accommodate a smaller crowd in a bigger room–but in this season (and in every season for visitors!) people will appreciate a little distance or empty seats around them.

3. Give people grace.

As we begin to meet again, one of the new social norms we will be adjusting to is the face-to-face greeting. In the past, a handshake or hug was an expression of welcome or affirmation (or for the first-century church, a holy kiss!). Today, people may misinterpret a fist-bump or an elbow bump as a rude gesture. If someone goes to hug another churchgoer who is not comfortable with physical contact yet, this can create a tense exchange that can leave people with misunderstandings and awkwardness. We need to champion grace in this season: grace for those who don’t want to shake hands, and grace for those who want to hug every friend they’ve missed for two months. The more we can communicate grace from the pulpit in these confusing times, the better.

4. Give people clarity.

Each church should take the necessary time with their leadership teams to have a clear strategy for reopening. What is the timeline for your gatherings? If there is a limitation on size, what kind of registration will we be offering, and where online will this registration be found? What are the next steps for people to give financially, serve the body, or respond to the call to receive Christ? Will we have health screening, hand sanitizer, masks? Will there be children’s ministry, or will we be having a family service for the foreseeable future? What safeguards have been put in place for volunteers, and what are the options for future home fellowships? The more clarity we provide, the less confusion and frustration we will experience as a church community.

5. Give people hope.

More than ever, our communities need the hope of their sins forgiven and their standing with God to be made right. They need to know that God is sovereign, good, and in control. They need to know that in His great love for us, He sent His Son to put on humanity and take their place, receiving the wrath they deserved. As the world scrambles for a vaccine as a relief from the threat of sickness and death, we have the true answer for the brokenness of sin: Jesus Christ! So as the church begins to gather again, give more opportunities in your church than ever before for unbelievers to repent and trust Christ. Take the time now to plan out new believers’ classes and evangelism training for your congregation. Spurgeon said, “The fact is, brethren, we must have conversion work here. We cannot go on as some churches do without converts. We cannot, we will not, we must not, we dare not. Souls must be converted here, and if there be not many born to Christ, may the Lord grant to me that I may sleep in the tomb and be heard no more. Better indeed for us to die than to live, if souls be not saved.”

Let’s be the city on the hill that is ready to draw a dying and desperate world to the hope that is only found in Christ.

Let’s be ready to “open” and to gather together again in-person with God’s people.

Let’s thank God for this sovereign interruption–even as it has wrought incredible difficulty, challenges, and even death for many–as part of God’s wise and trustworthy rule continues to provoke our praise, gratitude, and submission. In our current cultural moment, can anything be more essential than that?

Would it not be “profitable” (2 Timothy 3:16) to make a list of what Jesus “likes and dislikes” about His churches? There is a list of likes and dislikes that He revealed in the letters to the churches (Revelation 2-3). Likes and dislikes are not the same as love, for the covenant love of the Lord for the Church He “washed in His own blood,” does not wane or change. It does not have a tidal ebb and flow. His love, like Him, is constant and unchangeable.

My wife and I have likes and dislikes, but they do not change the vows of a covenant marriage relationship. In His letters to the seven churches of Asia, Jesus reveals a glorious picture of Himself as Head, making covenant promises to each church, coupled with many likes and dislikes. Like a Good Shepherd, “He leads us beside still waters to restore our souls,” but with tough-love care that “disciplines for our profit.”

What does the Master Craftsman want from the church He is building, “a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle,” the Church He will present as a “chaste virgin” to Himself? “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown” (Jeremiah 2:2). He desires the intimacy of “first love,” its delightful and ravishing desires, and the fragrant love of espousal that draws you away and captures your heart with a longing desire for communion.

Note that in His letters to the seven churches of Asia, little is about the administration of the churches, perhaps because there are “different administrations, but the same Spirit.” However, enough is said to make a list of things Jesus likes and dislikes about the character and governance of each church. These relate to His character and His assured covenant promises. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to read through chapters two and three of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, making a two-column list of things He likes and dislikes about each church. All you need is your Bible and a prayer, “Lord, open my eyes. ‘Prove all things, hold fast the good.’”

Likes:

1. Love

Jesus likes an intimate relationship, the love of espousal, and “that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9). Jesus desires all to know His love, and He confirms that “all men will know you’re My disciples by your love for one another” (John 13:35). He chose the word to know (ginosko) by experience. As a result of the observable oneness and practical love that you demonstrate toward one another, “the world will believe the Father sent Me” (John 17:21). Jesus “likes” it, even “loves” it, when you “love God with all your heart,” and “love your neighbor as yourself.” Edifying love is greater than puffed-up knowledge, or even faith and hope (1 Corinthians 13). “Above all these put on love, the perfect bond of unity” (Colossians 3:14). Jesus likes loving unity.

“Love never fails.” Jesus likes what love produces:

• Deeper worship

He likes, not a mechanical routine, but an unhurried rest, sitting at His feet, reading His word and praying ardently or fervently for His will to be done.

• Joyful obedience

Love is a purposeful commitment, but there is that emotional element of joy. If obedience is the thermometer of love, joy may be the mercury. “If you love Me, keep My commandments. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (John 14:15, 21). His commandments are not grievous, but the joy and rejoicing of our heart. He likes a church that lovingly obeys, which joyfully seeks to do His will above all else.

• Sacrificial love

He likes love’s essence of self-sacrifice. True biblical love longs to enrich its object, not to possess it in a self-serving way. You can’t hate your brother and claim you love God (1 John 4:20-21). “How does God’s love abide in one who does not love in deed and truth by meeting needs in practical ways” (1 John 3:17-18)? The worldly notion of love is, at its best, a reciprocal and mutual benefit, but the Christian notion is to give to others out of an overflow of God’s amazing grace. A loving church is sacrificial. Jesus rejoices (2 Thessalonians 1:3), “because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” He likes a church that is growing in love.

2. Deeds

Jesus obviously likes “works, labor and service,” especially when the “latter works are more than the first.” Work is a good thing. Part of being created in His image is our fulfillment in working. He has planned “good works from before the foundation of the world,” works He intended us to walk in. Being “His workmanship” includes walking in the works He has planned. Like Paul, we “lay hold of why He laid hold on us.” He also uses the words “labor” and “service.” The most common word in the New Testament for servant is bond-servant (doulos) or free-slave (Exodus 21; Psalm 40; Hebrews 10).

Jesus was the ultimate bond-servant (doulos) of God. Moses was called a servant (therapon) in the house of God (Hebrews 3:5), which is much like an honorable and watchful squire. A servant (diakonos), such as deacons are termed, is focused more on the accomplishment of a task or specific ministry. Paul asks, “Who are you to judge another’s servant (oiketes)? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4). Here, the word servant (oiketes) refers to one born in the house, one who is, you might say, part of the family, honoring the Father’s wishes. There is also another servant (huperetes), a servile under-rower of a ship who awaits exact and specific commands.

These five words encapsulate the labor of our servant-hood. Your service in every capacity of a “doulos,” “therapon,” “diakonos,” “oiketes” and “huperetes” is something He likes. Why else would He choose five different ways of describing such service? We are called and bound by love to serve as free slaves, constrained to perform the traditions of our Father’s household, to gladly do it with a willing spirit, fully surrendered and absolutely subordinate to our Superior, “the Head of the church.” Jesus likes the various administrations of “works, labor and service.”

May there continue to be “different administrations” but the “same Spirit” of humble, loving service in “the church of the living God,” because He likes it.

3. Patience and Perseverance

Jesus likes a church that demonstrates patience and perseverance. “Faith works by love.” Faith has a relationship to patience and perseverance, because Jesus expects us to live, “by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He commends those who have, “kept My word, and have not denied My name,” and also those who “have kept My command to persevere,” even in the midst of worldly pressures to compromise. Like Abraham, be His friend, and fully believe in the “Person and Work” of Jesus Christ, counting the cost to stand firm and seal your testimony as a martyr by not loving your life unto the death.

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Jesus likes the faith that relies upon His resurrection (Philippians 3:10), patiently persevering to the end with unswerving assurance in His character. Isn’t it reasonable to trust the trustworthy? It is more than reasonable to faithfully and patiently persevere in the WORD of one who has proven trustworthy. He likes this testimony: “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God-Father” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Jesus likes to keep account of every aspect of “the trial of your faith, which is more precious than gold.” He likes your persistence. Press on, because He likes it.

4. Do Not Tolerate Evil

Jesus likes those who do not tolerate evil, but test false apostles, and hate what He hates, such as the deeds of the Nicolaitans and the doctrine of Balaam. Jesus likes it when we bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) and bear with the weak (Romans 14:1), while at the same time not bearing with the false! “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know (epignosis) them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15). Jesus likes it when the church “tests the spirits” (1 John 4:1), proves all things, and abstains from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21, 22). Like John who received this revelation, be a Berean (Acts 17:11) and, “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed” (2 John 9).

He likes this kind of vigilance. Bishop Ignatius of Antioch wrote to Ephesus: “Ye all live according to truth and no heresy hath a home among you; nay, ye do not so much as listen to anyone if he speak of aught else save concerning Jesus Christ in truth.” (Ramsay, p.241). Jesus likes it when a church “cleans house.” He likes it when you (Hebrews 12:3-11), “Do not despise the chastening of the Lord… endure chastening… if you are without chastening, you are illegitimate and not sons… He corrects us for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.” The Prince of Peace likes no appeasement or toleration with evil.

5. Bears Tribulations

Jesus likes it when a church bears up under pressures and tribulations, rejoicing in every blessing of the true riches, while experiencing physical poverty, measuring its wealth by a true perspective (Philippians 3:10), “the fellowship of suffering,” and rightfully reckoning the “present sufferings that are not worthy to be compared to the coming glory.” It was said of Him that, “He was poor, yet making many rich,” so we are those who live as, “having nothing yet possessing all things” (2 Corinthians 6:10). Jesus commends this kind of loyalty under pressure. He says, “I know your works, tribulation and poverty (but you are rich).” The word poverty (ptocheian) means “destitute.”

Imagine how much Jesus liked the poor church of Macedonia (2 Corinthians 8:2), which cheerfully gave “out of their extreme poverty, and overflowed in a wealth of liberality.” He must have really liked it when Paul and Silas, even as suffering prisoners, were singing (Acts 16) after being beaten and imprisoned. As Peter said (1 Peter 2:20), “For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” Jesus likes it when you follow His example of commendable suffering.

6. Do Not Fear

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom… the fear of man brings a snare.” Do not fear imprisonment, persecution or even death, but overcome fear with fear. Proper fears will, “Fear Him who can cast body and soul into Hell.” Jesus asks that we be strong and courageous by that perfect love that casts out fear, in order to “hold fast to My name, and not deny My faith.” His faith is the faith that works by love. True biblical faith and the wrong kind of fear cannot coexist, so He advises the church of Smyrna, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer.” The purifying fires of suffering cause the lamp of testimony to shine ever brighter. History reveals that the blood of the martyrs was the “seed” of the church. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). Jesus likes welcoming home the un-fearful. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” He likes those who express a strong biblical theology, who believe that even through death, burial and resurrection we are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

7. Be Watchful

Jesus commends His church when they, “do not defile their garments,” but are “watchful, and strengthen the things which remain.” He likes it when a church obeys His command to (2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1). “’Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’ Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Jesus appreciates the value of separation, “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. Therefore, put away from yourselves the evil person” (1 Corinthians 5:11). Jesus likes a clean-hearted, single-minded, Christo-centric church that commits to personal purity.

8. Repentance

Jesus likes Repentance. He commends those who are passionately committed, who heed His counsel, who zealously repent and open the door of their heart to dine with Him. “I stand at the door and knock.” Jesus does not force Himself upon you, but He likes to politely draw you, patiently pleading, “Open to Me. I sleep, but my heart is awake; it is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, ‘Open for me, my love, my dove, my perfect one’” (Song of Solomon 5:2). “I have taken off my robe; how can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; how can I defile them?” If you hear Him knocking, initiating real relationship, respond quickly, lest (5:6), “I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away and was gone.” Make no excuses, but reciprocate this relationship, which is more than merely, “Let’s do lunch or coffee.” To “sup” or dine was the main meal, and it was the time to invite honored guests. God requests the honor of your presence at His banqueting table, promising, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23).

Dislikes:

1. Distractions

Jesus dislikes distractions and anything that interferes with the oneness of intimacy. A good thing can oftentimes keep you from the best thing, such as choosing to “sit at His feet,” in order to hear His Spirit, and lovingly obey His commands. How many times has a “good” thing kept you from prayer? He dislikes interferences with “first love.”

2. Compromise

He dislikes compromise with the world, “being unequally yoked,” and the doctrine and deeds of the Nicolaitans (nicao-rule and laos-laity), which refers to either the high church hierarchy or to the democratic opinion of the people. Jesus dislikes both. Clerical hierarchy is often associated with the impurity of licentious antinomianism.

3. Hypocrisy

He dislikes the hypocrisy of profession without possession, those who masquerade, pretending to be something they are not. Jesus has a “woe” for all hypocrisy!

4. Stumbling Blocks (Sexual Immorality)

He dislikes the Doctrine of Balaam’s stumbling blocks and sexual immorality.

The Doctrine of Balaam (Numbers 31:15-16) is to intermarry and compromise in worship.

The Way of Balaam (2 Peter 2:15) sells the gift of prophecy to make ministry about money. If Jesus visited your church today, with the same passion with which He turned the tables of the money changer over on the Temple Mount, would He upset anything?

The Error of Balaam (Jude 11), “to run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit,” Jesus has clarified dislike, for “you cannot serve God and mammon.”

5. Seduction (Deception)

He dislikes both the seductions of Jezebel and her usurping of authority. “She calls herself a prophetess,” meaning she “usurped authority.” Historically, Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, was the daughter of Ethbaal, a priest of Ashtaroth, the queen of Zidon. She was the equivalent of the Greek goddess, Aphroditus, and the Roman goddess, Venus, the sex goddess. Eight hundred and fifty of her prophets killed as many righteous prophets as they could. “Ahab did more to provoke the Lord to anger than all the kings of Israel before him” (I Kings 16), for by marrying a pagan Queen, he was “unequally yoked.” Sadly, Ahab allowed her influence, built pagan idolatrous temples and also allowed temple prostitution.

6. Temptation

Jesus dislikes “unfulfilled works” and those who make a name for themselves, who do not strengthen the weak, and those who do not watch in readiness. Temptations come like a thief in our unguarded moments: “Watch that you enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). “Watch alertly against the wiles of the devil” (1 Peter 5:8). “Watch, grievous wolves will invade the flock” (Acts 20:29-31).

Jesus likes for us to guard against these signs of deadness:

. If He loses preeminence to a church’s own history.
. If He loses preeminence to a great “man’s” name.
. If the philosophy of ministry becomes more prominent than Christ Himself.
. If there is more concern about material things rather than spiritual things.
. If the members produce no opposition, then you know it is a dead church!

Watch out, “When all men speak well of you” (Luke 6:26); “She that lives in pleasure, is dead while she lives” (I Timothy 5:6).

7. A Lukewarm State

Jesus dislikes having to rebuke the lukewarm indifference of those who do not see the naked reality of their spiritual poverty. However, He lovingly does it, despising the dislike. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6). “Do not despise the chastening of the Lord… if you are without chastening, you are illegitimate and not sons. He corrects us for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness” (Hebrews 12). Endure. Healing is often accomplished with pain. Love cares enough to, “speak the truth in love, reprove, rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering.” Poetically put, (Song of Solomon 5:2), “I sleep, but my heart is awake; it is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, ‘Open for me, my love, my dove, my perfect one.’” Make no excuses! “I have taken off my robe; how can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; how can I defile them?” If you hear Him knocking, initiating real relationship, then respond quickly. We all dislike, “I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away and was gone” (5:6).

Bottom line: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Although His love for His Church will never change, there is much that Jesus “likes and dislikes” about His churches. Jesus heard what the Spirit says, “He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear, to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away” (Isaiah 50). Let us also hear!

As much of the world is now on lockdown, meaning that voluntary physical distancing became physical distancing through a government order, I wanted us as believers all over the world to consider the difference between “social distancing” and “physical distancing.”

Social Distancing vs. Physical Distancing

Rather than term what we are all doing as “social distancing,” would it not be better to refer to this as “physical distancing?”

Here’s why this is important:

• Social distancing means that we are isolated socially, not in touch with anybody, alone, feeling abandoned and definitely not part of a loving and living body of people (1 Corinthians 12:12).

• Physical distancing is simply just that; you don’t get too close to people. This is a small difference in choice of words, but a huge difference in understanding, acceptance, and consequently, practice.

For the sake of others, let us practice physical distancing willingly and obediently. Let us be the model citizens the Word calls us to be (Romans 13:1) and exemplify those who put into practice the instructions of our respective national governments that are given for the good of all.

The church is still the church despite physical distance. Nothing will stop the church being the church. Nothing. Jesus said that, on the bedrock truth that He is the Son of God, nothing would ever prevail against the church (Matthew 16:18), and being physically distant from each other for a fixed period of time will certainly not. So, valuing others more highly than ourselves, let us willingly practice physical distancing.

During this unprecedented time, we have a wonderful opportunity to see if the church is really the church.

We will see if this body of people is self-supporting, self-sustaining and self-supplicating (James 5:16).

• Is the church reaching out to the community?
• Is the church meeting the needs found therein?
• Is the church bathing its members in prayer?

We will see if this body of people is Kingdom focused or kingdom-focused (Matthew 6:24).

Is the church focused on God’s plans and purposes during this time, or is the church focused on the things that have been postponed or cancelled. Is the church focused on the programmes or the people?

We will see if the church is filling its God-given mandate to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

On any given Sunday (or Friday for me), the actual work of the church is usually done by a select few, those “on staff” maybe, or the faithful few who understand that serving the Lord through serving His people is not optional for the believer. Now that this physically cannot be the case, we will see whether the church family at large will spring into action and be the hands and feet of our Lord.

We will see if there is fruit and a root (James 2:14-26).

What we do always shows what we believe, so this time of enforced change will quickly bring to the surface through our actions what we hold dear and where we are willing to invest our time, talent and treasure. Does our fruit match what we claim to be our root?

Simply, we will see if this called-out-of-the-world group of people really are fully regenerate born again believers, part of the living body of Christ, or just a group of consumers who turn up to watch a religious TEDTalk once a week.

This is going to sting for some; this is going to turn some away (John 6:60), but for those truly part of the body, this is going to be a defining period of time, a call to action, a call to take up arms, a call to show that, yes, we are the church. We aren’t going anywhere; we are here for each other and for the world.

Brother, sisters, in a spirit of deferential love, let us willingly practice physical distancing, but let us not now nor ever be a church that is comfortable with social distancing. Let us come together, socially and spiritually, and show the world that we are the church today, tomorrow and every day.

An update to all of our CGN church friends from Pastor Brian Brodersen about the coronavirus pandemic.

Having pastored a church without small groups, and now having pastored a church where always at least half of the congregation is in a small group, I can tell you the latter is preferable. People need to know each other. People need to interact with healthy Christians. People need community.

But many churches have a hard time establishing a thriving small group ministry. I know this through observation, but also through many conversations I’ve had with pastors and leaders who ask me for advice about small groups in their setting. And it has been a joy, over the years, to help a handful of churches lead and launch fruitful small group ministries.

What follows is some of the advice, along with some observations, I give to churches.

1. My Bible teachings aren’t the only things needed for transformation to occur.

I love the Bible. I dedicate roughly half my work week to studying, writing and teaching the Bible. When I was 18, I heard the voice of the Lord say, “I’ve called you to teach my Word.” I haven’t looked back. This task has consumed my life. I love the Bible.

But I know people need to live out the Bible with other Christians. Someone can hear about purity from the pulpit for 20 years, yet remain in secret sin. However, when they get into a small group, the impurity manifests itself. Someone can hear about wise financial management, but never do anything with the word they’ve heard. But in a small group, they’ll interact with Christians who have handled their finances well. Their lives will back up the message. From the pulpit, they will hear about the cross of Christ. I try to teach everyone about the importance of their newfound identity in Him. I urge them on toward sanctification. And I apply the great doctrines of Christ to their personal holiness, relationships, workplaces and family life. But I’ve seen how someone can hear those messages for years, yet never evidence any real change, and then, through interaction with other believers, watch it all come together.

You see, I can talk about confession, but where will they confess to others? I can talk about loving others, but where will they have an outlet to do so? I can talk about the importance of Christian fellowship, but where will it occur? I can talk about parenting your children in Christ, but where will they see it exemplified? So often, it’s been in the context of the smaller group.

If my pulpit work alone is responsible for transformation in people’s lives, I’ve put too much weight on the pulpit.

2. I shouldn’t overemphasize the personal aspects of the Christian life while neglecting the communal life of the church.

The early church expected to go through life together. They were instinctively tuned toward a “together” life. But our modern age and western thought often highlight the individual rather than the community. We think a lot about ourselves, focus on ourselves and prefer ourselves.

But the Christian life cannot be lived alone. Yes, our faith is personal. Each individual must submit to Christ and follow His lead personally. A Christian’s devotional life, consecration and service to God are personal in nature.

Still, we shouldn’t only emphasize the personal aspects of the faith. We are a community, one which reinforces the doctrines and practices we want to employ as individuals. In other words, the group helps each person become what they should. The “one-another” of the New Testament helps the church live life together, and this leads to greater spiritual health in each individual.

3. I don’t need to develop small replicas of a church service.

As I said, I love the Bible and have received a strong tradition in the Scripture from those who came before me. I love Bible study. I like teaching it. I like listening to others teach. It’s one of my favorite things to do, just not in a living room.

In a small group, I want to know people, not hear another sermon. I want to hear how the Word of Christ has affected the people I’m in regular interaction with. I want to know what the Lord is saying to them.

Honestly, hearing people talk about how the previous Sunday’s text and teaching ministered to their hearts is so encouraging. Then, over the years, watching people grow and develop as the Word messes with them is one of my greatest joys.

But, often, because we love the Word so much, churches will let small groups be a little replica of a Sunday or midweek church service. First, the small group sings. Then, announcements. Finally, a teaching.

All this can be fine, but we need places to apply the Word, pray for others and be known. We need a place to talk about the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, break bread and pray together (Acts 2:42).

4. I have to get out of my comfort zone.

Many pastors are more comfortable behind a pulpit than in a living room. They like communicating to, but not with, others. Get them sitting on a couch in someone else’s living room, without any other assignment, to listen to and love the people they’re with, and their palms get sweaty. Can’t we just have a church service? They might think.

But the Lord wants us to spend time with people. Many people claim to be introverted, but I assure you, I am. I try to let God use it for His glory. It’s part of what makes me comfortable with extended hours in private study, writing or prayer. But I also know it would be unhealthy for me only to be alone with God; I must also be with God’s people. And though I can’t spend personal time with every member of the church, I certainly can with my small group.

If a pastor doesn’t like being in a small group, he won’t emphasize them. If he doesn’t value Christian community, he won’t prioritize it for the church.

5. I must recognize the need for a holistic approach to spiritual development.

Since the Word of God is perfect and pure, our teaching of His Scriptures helps shape the mind, heart and soul of the people we serve. But people need other venues to become balanced and whole believers. While the development of the mind and intellect are important, so is the maturation of the emotions or the body. Feelings and habits are often shaped in the context of a Christian community.

I’ve found many pastors have been so powerfully shaped over the years by the teaching ministry of others, that they forget this isn’t the normal experience. I spent my first decade in Christ, consuming massive amounts of teaching and preaching from others. I am still an avid listener and reader of Bible teaching. And I feel all of it has shaped me into a more Christlike version of Nate Holdridge. But, if I’m not careful, I will think my experience normative. Many folks, though, will need more of their breakthroughs to take place in the context of community.

Let me give an example. When I was younger, I went through a phase where I wasn’t taking care of my physical health at all. It was a what-really-matters-is-the-kingdom-not-my-weight kind of attitude. Now, obviously, people obsess and worship their health quite often in our modern world. But I kind of let myself go. All the while, I received teaching about stewardship, even stewardship of the body. But I did nothing about the message.

One day, some friends and I got to talking. We determined we weren’t taking care of the bodies God gave us, so we challenged each other to start taking our physical health seriously. And that short season changed my life, setting me on a trajectory of physical fitness. Now, I try to steward my body well so I can, with strength and stamina, serve Jesus for many years. But it took Christian community for the lesson to sink in. The Word had shaped my mind, but I needed a community to live it out in.

And in small groups, the Scriptures are discussed, but we also talk about our feelings. When we vocalize our feelings, doubts and insecurities, the Spirit receives some room to operate. When we commit to various habits and disciplines, the community helps us recognize whether we are staying the course.

6. Our small groups don’t have to threaten the unity of the church.

I don’t think you can be a church with small groups if the secondary and tertiary doctrines of Scripture are treated like primary ones in your church. For example, if a pastor can’t talk about eschatology without humility, and instead insults Christians with views other than his, then the small group experience will suffer. People won’t know how to handle Christians who, though being solid on the primary doctrines of Scripture, aren’t exactly like them in the others.

But if a church is able to give treatment to the secondary and tertiary doctrines with conviction and charity, then they will become a place that can more easily handle small groups. A pastor’s tone in the pulpit will help set the atmosphere of the small group.

And, yes, small groups can unearth all kinds of things: not just doctrinal differences, but interpersonal conflict. The thing is, these often already exist. Why pretend they don’t? Instead, face them head-on. And, though life gets real inside small groups, I have found our church much more unified than before. Every awkward moment, disappointment, or conflict, in my estimation, has served as an opportunity for sanctification to take hold.

***

Our fellowship has enjoyed a prioritized and vibrant small group ministry for the past eight years. We were a collection of people before, but now, after years of meeting together in smaller settings, thousands of quality relationships have formed. We know and love one another.

It has been a joy for me, as a pastor, to watch this development. It has been messy. People have gotten hurt. Complaints have come. But sin is going to be part of the church until Christ returns, so it’s inevitable, especially when you put people in the same room with each other, that offense and misunderstanding and anger will occur. But, through it all, we have encouraged, loved and walked with one another through life. We have so far to go to become like the earliest church, but we are growing more into Christlikeness every day, and I believe these smaller settings are working so well with our larger gatherings toward that goal. If I had to do it all over again, I would lead us toward small groups because people need community.

10-Minute Seminary ReLaunch

We are excited to relaunch our video training series, 10-Minute Seminary!

In this first installment, Pastor Phil Metzger shares some quick helpful insights on church planting in diverse cultural contexts.

We thank Phil for taking a few minutes to share some of his experiences from planting churches in cross-cultural settings.

Recently I had the opportunity to meet with dozens of Calvary pastors from around the country in New York City for a special time of prayer and fellowship. Our time together was marked by a noticeable thirst to see God’s kingdom come and will be done in our cities as it is in heaven. Though primarily focused on those ministering in the East and Northeast, the meeting was designed for pastors around North America to gather and seek the Lord for His church. It was powerful, memorable and refreshing for everyone there.

One of the main takeaways for all of us was a quote that Pastor Brian Brodersen shared. He quoted author and Desiring God contributor, Ann Voskamp, who had recently tweeted, “Know your Lord. Know your lane.” What ensued was a robust dialogue for hours about how important it is to have an intimate relationship with God and to be acquainted and comfortable in the calling He has for us.

KNOW YOUR LORD

In Philippians 3:8-11, Paul says, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

In these verses, the apostle Paul compared his spiritual inventory before Christ—an impressive religious résumé by most standards—with refuse. In comparison to knowing Christ, Paul said all that religion offers should be thrown away as if it were unclean excrement. He said that his one desire was to simply know Jesus and the power of His resurrection, suffering and death.

Nothing compares to knowing our Lord. Jesus corrected busy Martha and drew attention to her sister Mary who had “chosen what is better” (Luke 10:42). What was Mary doing? She was sitting at the Lord’s feet. For Martha, the focus was on effort, work and tasks that were done in such a way that Jesus would be served. For Mary, the priority was spending time getting to know Jesus, not merely serving Him. Our ministry should flow out of our relationship with the Lord. Moses’ face was radiant after spending time in the presence of God (Exodus 34:29). Peter and John were identified by the religious leaders as “having been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). The highest priority for a pastor is to cultivate his relationship with God. We are messengers, not professionals. That means we must seek the King to receive from Him before we dare to speak for Him.

Spurgeon said it powerfully:

“If you want to serve God, as I trust you do, I charge you first be careful of your own souls; do not begin with learning how to preach, or how to teach, or how to do this and that; dear friend, get the strength within your own soul, and then even if you do not know how to use it scientifically, yet you will do much, The first thing is, get the heart warmed, stir up your manhood, brace up all your faculties, get the Christ within you, ask the everlasting God to come upon you, get him to inspire you, and then if your methods should not be according to the methods of others it will not matter, or if they should, neither will it be of consequence, having the power you will accomplish the results. But if you go about to perform the work before you have the strength from on high, you shall utterly fail. Better things we hope of you.”

Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Peter ends his second epistle with these words, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18). May we make the priority to know our Lord like never before and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior!

KNOW YOUR LANE

Obviously this is a reference to driving. When we drive, we stay in a particular lane for a particular amount of time. Often on my commute to work, I will see people frantically changing lanes to try and move ahead of the pace of traffic. But if you know what lane you need to be in, you can rest content to stay in your lane. When we “know our lane,” it means we understand who we are, and what God has called us to do and be. We aren’t striving to find and do ministry; we are serving the Lord exactly where He’s called us to be.

As a man and a minister, it is critical to know my calling. Paul opens up his first letter to Timothy by introducing himself as: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1). Paul explained to Timothy that he was called an apostle only by the command of God. An apostle is simply one who is sent. Paul didn’t ordain himself. He didn’t send himself. He was sent by the command of God. This clear call, traced back to the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9), would encourage Paul in the future, should he ever grow discouraged or distressed.

Later, he said this to his young protégé in the faith: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:12-13).

Paul could trace his calling into ministry back to the Lord Jesus. He didn’t enter the ministry under obligation, coercion or out of greed. He entered the ministry out of obedience. That is how all of us are to enter ministry!

In his final letter to Timothy, Paul’s “lane” was clearly delineated: “…To which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:11-12).

Paul knew his lane. He was a preacher, an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles. He had all the spiritual past of someone well-equipped to minister to the Jew, but the Lord had opened specific doors for him to turn his attention to the Gentiles (Acts 18:6). Do you know your lane?

Some people struggle with “lane envy.” They want to be in someone else’s lane. They want someone else’s ministry, influence, church or life. Paul certainly could have argued with God about his calling: “But Lord, I would prefer to reach my fellow Jews, like Peter!” Instead, Paul understood that he was appointed on purpose for a specific purpose. When he rested in that, the Lord was glorified and the church advanced.

When we know our lane, we then have the capability to stay settled and content—knowing that the Lord is using us for His glory and our joy. Our unique gifts, personalities (and even quirks) can be redeemed and used to build His kingdom. We can advance the work of God doing what we love and are spiritually gifted to do. When we don’t know our lane, we stumble and struggle and squander precious years and energy while our real mission gathers dust.

Do you know your lane? Do you know your Lord?

“Is there one key conviction or one fundamental ingredient that local churches who send well have in common?”

Due to the scope of the ministry the Lord has bestowed on me and the number of relationships I have with leaders of local churches and many of the missionaries from those churches, I’ve been asked that question in one form or another dozens of times over the past few years.

Yes, there is one key ingredient: conviction or mindset that I’ve observed is almost always present in every church I know that sends and actively cares for their own members that God calls to be missionaries.

Although I’ve answered the question in a variety of ways over the years, these days my default answer makes use of an illustration that I first heard many years ago from a friend whose heart beats in unison with mine for God’s glory among the nations.

AN EIGHT-SLICE PIE OF MINISTRY

Think of a local church as an uneaten pie cut into eight equal slices, sitting snugly in the pan it was baked in. The leaders of the church have determined how many slices there are and what ministries each slice represents.

In most churches, the eight-slice pie of ministries looks something like this:

Slice one: Nursery, toddler and children’s ministry through the fifth or sixth grade

Slice two: Junior and senior high school ministry

Slice three: College/young adult ministry

Slice four: Women’s and men’s ministry

Slice five: Small group ministry

Slice six: Outreach (local, domestic, international)

SUNDAY MORNING ADULT SERVICES-TWO OF THE SLICES

Slices seven and eight: Two slices are dedicated to the Sunday morning ministry to adults because the energy and resources committed to make it the best experience possible is substantial.

. From the thoroughly studied and powerfully presented message by the pastor

. To the diligently prayed through song selection and the prepared and rehearsed worship team

. To the faithful, behind the scenes efforts of the audio and visual crew

. To the greeters, ushers and parking lot attendants

The reason why this is true is easy to understand; the Sunday morning adult services receive much more attention than the other ministries because they are usually the first slice of the church’s ministry pie that most visitors will taste.

This reality, coupled with the fact that each of the single-slice ministries are promoted a few times each year from the pulpit during the Sunday morning services, provides a fairly clear declaration that Sunday morning is actually two slices of the church’s ministry pie.

WHEN GLOBAL MISSIONS IS A PART OF ONE OF THE SLICES

In a church where the leaders view the ministry pie in this way, global missions is viewed as part of the “outreach” ministry slice-not significant enough to warrant having a whole slice dedicated to it. And the frequency and number of references to global missions during the Sunday morning adult services reflects the importance the leaders have assigned to it.

Although there are always exceptions, when a local church views global missions as just one part of one of its ministry slices-or even if one whole slice is dedicated to it, the odds are that the missionaries that go to the mission field from that church will be sent, but usually not cared for in a manner worthy of God.

WHEN GLOBAL MISSIONS ISN’T A SLICE, BUT THE PAN THE PIE SITS IN

Keeping the pie illustration in mind, the key conviction or ingredient that churches that send well have in common, isn’t a larger slice or even more slices of the ministry pie dedicated to global missions.

Instead, it’s their view that global missions isn’t a slice of the ministry pie at all; it’s actually the pan the whole ministry pie sits in.

These church leaders and all the members of the church are convinced that participation in God’s global purposes is a foundational reason for their existence and should therefore permeate and give meaning to all of the slices that make up their ministry pie.

All slices of the ministry pie in this kind of church are continually reminded that the church as a whole and their specific ministry serves an important role in what God is doing around the world, and they are also kept aware of the progress God’s kingdom is making among the variety of ethnicities and languages He’s created.

Every ministry slice, including the children’s ministry, knows who the missionaries are that the church supports, especially the church’s own members that have been sent to the field; they are kept updated regularly, and they are praying for them.

When God’s heart for the nations is in the DNA of a local church and global missions isn’t a slice of the ministry pie, but the pan that holds the whole ministry pie together and that every slice rests upon, missionaries will be sent well.

THE BOOK

A few months ago, I decided to reread Spurgeon’s classic work, The Soul Winner. Like most people, my view is that anything Spurgeon writes is worth the time and effort to read. This book of course is no exception. While many Christian books can be tedious and dry, the only thing I found to be dry in rereading this classic was my highlighter. Paragraph after paragraph, one liner after one liner, jumped off the page as I found God calibrating my focus for the gospel needy souls in my life.

From the time I gave my life to Christ, evangelism has always been a focus for me. Maybe it’s because I came to Christ on a Monday night at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa where the gospel was always faithfully preached by Greg Laurie. Maybe it’s because, like many of you, I realize that the foundation of Calvary Chapel is in the hope that Jesus Christ provides to any heart, no matter how dark the sin or how lost the soul.

It’s not the machinery of ministry that has built this movement. It’s the power of Christ’s cross and resurrection; a truth we can never afford to forget. With that in mind, let me share three amazing quotes from this book and some brief thoughts.

IT’S THE GOSPEL

“Beloved teachers, may you never be content with aiming at secondary benefits, or even with realizing them; may you strive for the grandest of all ends, the salvation of immortal souls! Your business is not merely to teach the children in your classes to read the Bible, not barely to inculcate the duties of morality, or even to instruct them in the mere letter of the gospel, but your high calling is to be the means, in the hand of God, of bringing life from heaven to dead souls. Your teaching on the Lord’s Day will have been a failure if your children remain dead in sin…. Resurrection, then, is our aim! To raise the dead is our mission!” (Spurgeon, The Soul Winner, 1895, p. 64)

There should be nothing more precious to us and primary in our preaching than the gospel of Jesus Christ. For the soul winner, everything springs forth from the gospel. It is the seed that brings forth the root, the trunk, the branch and the fruit. It’s not only precious because of the fruit it produces but because of what it has done and continues to do in us personally. But make no mistake, the power of the gospel alone brings forth fruit for God’s glory (John 15:8).

Our message isn’t encouraging moral reform or church going; it’s for people to be resurrected by the power of the gospel. We beckon people to come to a Person not a religion; to the one name that can save them, the name of Jesus.

A CHURCH ON FIRE TO SEE LOST PEOPLE SAVED

“I like to burn churches rather than houses, because they do not burn down, they burn up and keep on burning when the fire is of the right sort. When a bush is nothing but a bush, it is soon consumed when it is set on fire; but when it is a bush that burns on and is not consumed, we may know that God is there. So is it with a church that is flaming with holy zeal. Your work, brethren, is to set your church on fire. You may do it by speaking to the whole of the members, or you may do it by speaking to the few choice spirits, but you must do it somehow. Have a secret society for this sacred purpose, turn yourselves into a band of celestial Fenians whose aim it is to set the whole church on fire” (Spurgeon, The Soul Winner,1895, p. 56).

If God’s people are spiritually on fire for anything, it should be to see the lost saved. There’s a battle for the very soul of God’s church in America. We are a nation of consumers, and that influence is beginning to consume Christians. Gatherings are geared to satisfy the most superficial impulses, and the thought that “it’s not all about us” is gone with the wind.

May God send a fresh wind into the hearts of our pastors and churches that stokes an unquenchable fire for the lost to be saved. John Wesley once said, “I set myself on fire and people come and watch me burn.” May that fire be lit in our lives first.

BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL DO THE WORK

“The most likely instrument to do the Lord’s work is the man who expects that God will use him, and who goes forth to labor in the strength of that conviction. When success comes, he is not surprised, for he was looking for it. He sowed living seed, and he expected to reap a harvest from it; he cast his bread upon the waters, and he means to search and watch till he finds it again” (Spurgeon, The Soul Winner, 1895, p. 22).

At every church gathering we preach the gospel and extend an invitation for people to respond. By God’s grace we see many come forward to receive Christ weekly. On the other hand, when I was church planting in New Hampshire, saved souls seemed harder to come by. Nevertheless, we never gave up believing in the power of the gospel to save.

No matter where God has planted you, His purpose for your life is to proclaim the gospel, to hold it up as the light in the midst of darkness, believing that it is powerful enough to save ANY soul. God is the one who does the saving; we are the ones who do the proclaiming.
One of Satan’s most powerful tools to silence the preacher is discouragement. Keep praying, keep preaching and keep believing, whether in the workplace, in your home, at the ballfield or in the pulpit! As Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

As I’m writing this article, one of the greatest soul winners, Billy Graham, has at last heard Christ say, “Well done good and faithful servant!” Billy has personally experienced, in the fullest sense, the power of his preaching. His life has left us so much to emulate and to pray for. His preaching and its impact is unsurpassed, and his integrity is unchallenged. While Billy Graham’s ministry was unique, let’s ask God to give us what He gave Billy; an unsurpassed love for the gospel of Jesus Christ, a deep and genuine burden for lost souls, a lifelong commitment to Biblical integrity, and above all, a desire for God’s glory to be magnified in the greatest way possible through our lives.

May God make soul winners of us all!