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Does the Church Really Need Leadership

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Do churches really need leadership? In principle you will answer yes, of course. But in practice, that principle may be challenged. Every church has positional leadership, those who fill the form of leadership, but not every church has functional leadership. Because of our understanding of the priesthood of all believers, we believe there are general and special offices in the church. Those who fill the special offices, elder and deacon, are chosen from the general offices, members of the church.

That automatically reminds us that leadership involves both formal and informal leaders. As we see in the Scriptures, the church is made up of both. Hence, the challenge is twofold: for both categories to function with a unity of spirit and purpose and for both to do what God intends within those roles.

For the past two years, the Presbyterian Church in America has had a group of people involved in a “strategic planning process.” It was intended to encourage and assist local churches, presbyteries, and denominational agencies towards planning within a generally agreed on framework. The results of that effort have been represented, discussed, and now commended to churches and presbyteries by the last two general assemblies.

Officers’ Threefold Responsibility

Formal church leadership has three particular responsibilities and opportunities. First, ordained leaders have the responsibility of “keeping the purity of the faith.” The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus that the leaders must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Failure to exercise that responsibility creates what the late Martin-Lloyd Jones calls “a church that ceases to make a difference.”

Knowing and contending for the faith is a prime responsibility of church leadership, especially the eldership (see the book of Jude). If this is not done, the church not only flounders in its mission, but the people are not properly discipled and the foundations are shaky. That is why one requirement for church officers is that they be sound in the faith.

A second responsibility and privilege focuses on shepherding God’s flock. In 1 Peter 5 elders are referred to as shepherds. “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you“(1 Pet. 5:2, ESV). Shepherding requires personal contact. The PCA Book of Church Order says officers are to know the people, pray with and for them, and visit in their homes, primarily to inquire into their spiritual growth, needs, and development.

Recent TV reporters polled people in the street as to their knowledge of the leaders. They could name the president of the United States but for many, which was as far as they could go. Knowing the pastor of the church is fine and good, but knowing the collective leadership is also important in order to cultivate a willing following. The Bible teaches that sheep know their shepherd and shepherds, their sheep.

A third responsibility and privilege of the ordained leadership is to oversee the planning process. In the same passage, 1 Peter 5, elders are instructed to have “oversight” of the flock. Oversight requires many things, such as leading the flock in the right direction, seeing that the people are trained and equipped for service, and following the right shepherd.

The Planning Process

This article singles out the third responsibility of overseeing the planning process. Some have said that planning is not for the church because it is a management model and the church should not follow that model. Our understanding of leadership, however, is determined by our theology-our understanding of who God is. We learn from the Bible that God himself was a master planner. Before the foundation of the world, God developed a plan, and with creation began implementing that plan. Planning is a very godlike process. Christians could even say that planning is one of the most godlike things that we can do because planning is simply seeking by faith to discern God’s direction for our church. It is asking and answering in faith several strategic questions:

Who are we as a church?

Why do we exist?

What are we supposed to be doing?

Where are we in that process?

Where do we believe God wants us to go?

What do we have to do in order to focus own our part?

How can we know that we are doing the above?

Once you begin to get an overall picture of what you believe God would have you be and do as a church, then you can ask essential questions such as: what should be our key result areas for ministry? How should we organize or structure ourselves to facilitate effectiveness in those areas? How do we train, mobilize, and organize our people to be involved in our church’s ministry? How can a clear plan enable us to make better decisions and choices?

Biblically based leadership, according to Peter, requires that leaders first set the direction for the church. Failure on the part of leadership causes churches to “wing it,” or “fly by the seat of their pants” in their efforts, causing them to be ineffective. Leaders following a biblical model set the course and insure that all things necessary for that course are put into place.

When we encourage churches to do strategic faith planning, we are simply asking the leadership to ask God what kind of ministry, present and future, that he would have this church to have. That is a simple question that requires much prayer, biblical instruction, and common sense.

We have heard testimony after testimony from church leaders saying, “I have done that type of planning in my business for years but have never thought about doing that in the church.” One of the things I realized during my doctoral studies was how many biblical principles were actually used in “managerial psychology.” Principles were borrowed from Scripture, but with a different objective, namely profit. The world always operates on God’s borrowed principles. The Westminster Divines were bold enough to underscore the sufficiency of Scripture in the Westminster Confession of Faith but they also said:

“…There are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government and government of the Church, common to human action and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.”

Those who understand the concepts of “common grace” and “all truth is God’s truth” understand something of what they were saying. Though oriented to a limited or specific circumstance in the WCF, that principle applies to the whole of life.

Good Planning Facilitates

Good planning actually enables the leaders understanding of how the church is to be God’s salt and light in the world around them. God’s truth is not circumstantial in that it changes from situation to situation. But the context in which we communicate God’s truth does change. We see through the scriptures how God’s people adapted their method of communicating God’s message to their particular circumstance. Had that not been true, there would have been only one of the four Gospel books. Only one of Paul’s epistles would have been necessary.

Good leadership is able to ask and answer numerous strategic questions about their church’s role and mission to the world around them. Two main questions that should constantly challenge leaders are: who are we and what should we or shouldn’t we be doing in serving God’s purpose? How leaders respond to those questions will often determine a church’s effectiveness of ministry and how they communicate that ministry clearly to the people. Effective leaders will always be careful to plan and to communicate to their people their church’s purpose or mission. They will curtail the temptation of the “tyranny of the urgent.” Without a clear plan it is easy to do urgent things at the expense of doing the important things.

Why “strategic faith planning?” Strategy refers to direction. Faith reminds us that we walk by faith and not by sight. Even though in the planning process we are attempting to ask God what he wants us to be and do, we need to follow God’s lead which requires us at times to flex with God’s working. Walking by faith, requires learning that God would sometimes have us alter or correct our present course of action.

We have seen a number of PCA churches and other related organizations make great strides as a result of the planning process. Frank Brock, past president of Covenant College, has said that the process of planning may be as valuable, or more so, than the plan itself. It can encourage a spirit of unity and purpose that Paul speaks of in Ephesians. It can facilitate each part doing its work in the local church’s ministry. It can keep a people humble before the Lord, as they seek to know the role of their church and their place in the church.

What is the difference between a plan and a framework? The framework is the setting in which planning is done. In this case the PCA provides that unifying framework. Being Revived, Bringing Reformation is a booklet written by the General Assembly Steering Committee. Subtitled A Framework for Planning for the Presbyteries and Churches of the Presbyterian Church in America, it lists four strategic priorities. These are: empowering health and growth for new and existing churches, developing leadership for the future, increasing denominational understanding and effectiveness, and engaging the culture.

The framework further states the identity for which the PCA is known. The first characteristic of the PCA is its commitment to biblical inerrancy and authority. That commitment is expressed with our reformed theology. Because of the church’s interdependence, mutual accountability and cooperative ministry are two other distinguishing marks of the PCA. The mission statement of the PCA is expressed in the following manner:

“The mission of the Presbyterian Church in America is to glorify and enjoy God by equipping and enabling the churches of the PCA to work together to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples of all nations, so that people will mature as servants of the triune God, will worship God in spirit and in truth, and will have a reforming impact on culture.”

Being Revived, Bringing Reformation will be a helpful tool with both its framework and listing of PCA agencies and individuals who can offer assistance in the planning process.

It is available from our CEP bookstore 1-800-283-1357 or www.pcanet.org/cep.

Conclusion

While leaders in the church must be concerned about the purity of the faith and shepherding God’s people, they need to be people of vision who know how to set direction for the church’s ministry, communicate that clearly to the church, and through training and guidance, help each member know where he or she fits in that overall ministry. That requires not only knowing how to develop plans, but also how to coordinate the interpersonal relationships among the people necessary to implement the plan.

We ask leaders up front, what do you think God wants your church to be and do and where are you in that process? Our suggestion is local church leaders can develop a planning leadership team made up of both formal and informal leaders, male and female. They can explain to the planning team exactly what they want them to do and give them resources to accomplish that task. The elders can then monitor their progress and keep the congregation informed to encourage prayer for the planning team. CE&P has numerous suggested resources to use along with the PCA’s strategic planning framework to assist in the planning process. Contact our office at 678-825-1100 for assistance.

Godly leaders are a key to a church’s effectiveness and godly leadership requires a delicate balance between people and task and when given the choice, they always come down on the people side of the ledger. Jesus demonstrated that principle so clearly when he washed his disciples’ feet and then when he finally died on the cross as the atonement for our sins. Godly leaders are always in need of the renewing power of the Holy Spirit, hence constantly in need of the prayers of the people. When we find a church in an unhealthy mode, it generally reflects the type of leadership in that church.

Good planning is a means of seeking to understand God’s will for the church, as well as a means of enabling the leadership to mobilize the membership for ministry/service. It will also enable the church to make better decisions on how to use their resources to accomplish God’s purpose.

Questions for discussion:

Does my church have an overall plan of ministry?

Does our congregation understand our church’s plan for ministry?

Are our leaders helping us know where we participate in our church’s ministry?

Am I being trained and equipped to use my gifts in a manner that contributes to helping our church’s ministry?

Is our church attempting to be strategic (directional or intentional) in what it does?

How is our church’s ministry determined and driven by our theology?

How Do Deacons Relate to Mercy Ministry?

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The office of deacon is one of two ordinary and perpetual offices that are given to the New Testament church. In context of church leadership, deacons are shown to be a part of the team. Paul addresses them specifically along with elders in Philippians 1:1, and gives the qualifications for each office in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Deacons are called to serve a very important purpose. The church displays its idea of that purpose through how it prioritizes the duties of deacons. Before looking at the most prevalent view of what deacons do in our churches, consider what Calvin wrote in his Institutes of the Christian Religion:

“As to the order of the diaconate, I would raise no dispute, if the office which existed under the apostles, and a purer Church, were restored to its integrity. But what resemblance to it do we see in their (Roman Church) fictitious deacons?”In the same paragraph, regarding the ordination (of deacons) by the bishop, Calvin writes,”But they act just as if one were to say he was ordaining apostles, when he was only appointing persons to kindle the incense, clean the images, sweep the churches, set traps for mice, and put out dogs…After this, let them not pretend that those whom they appoint to mere stage-play are deacons.”

These are indeed stinging words for those who denigrated the office of deacon through the centuries. In the years leading up to the Reformation, the church had strayed far from the teaching of Scripture on the ministry of deacons. How do we view the duties of deacons in our times? We live in a vastly different culture from that of the early church. Today, churches often own large properties and buildings and deacons are delegated the responsibility of their care. In the PCA Book of Church Order, the duties of deacons are spelled out. “They shall have the care of the property of the congregation, both real and personal, and shall keep in proper repair the church edifice and other buildings belonging to the church.” Over the years, I have found that deacons readily admit that this is the duty that occupies most of their time and energy. According to Scripture and Calvin’s comments, this ought not to be.

Alexander Strauch has written a book, Minister of Mercy, The New Testament Deacon in which he writes, “Thus the work of the deacons, the servant-officers of the church, is to oversee people’s practical, material needs. This necessitated the administration of church funds. Since the first Christians did not have buildings to maintain, the first deacons were preeminently people-helpers and administrators of the church’s charity. They were ministers of mercy.”(Italics added)

Calvin also addresses what he calls the squandering and diversion of funds by the church from a true diaconal ministry. “I say, that what is employed on the adorning of churches is improperly laid out, if not accompanied with that moderation which the very nature of sacred things prescribes, and which the apostles and other holy fathers prescribed, both by precept and example…Meanwhile, so far are they from taking due care of living temples, that they would allow thousands of the poor to perish sooner than break down the smallest cup or platter to relieve their necessity.”

There is the danger of reducing the office of deacon from what the BOCO says is “spiritual in nature” to one of caretakers of property and buildings. We overburden deacons with upkeep of material structures that require nothing of the qualifications outlined in 1 Timothy 3:8 and Acts 6:3. Consider briefly the description of the office of deacon in BOCO 9-1, “The office is one of sympathy and service.” These descriptive words are relational and people oriented. One definition of “sympathy” is the capacity to enter into and share the feelings of another. It is also a feeling of compassion and pity. The primary ministry of deacons is to people, people, people, not property, property, property. Repeatedly, the Scripture speaks of God’s concern for the poor, for widows, orphans, those who are hungry, in prison, unclothed, and the fatherless. Deacons need to learn the heart of God, and reflect that as they do their work.

The next phrase in the BOCO goes on to say “…after the example of the Lord Jesus.” What a high calling to be commissioned to follow the Lord Jesus Christ’s example. In Mark 10:45, Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The Apostle Paul concurred in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “Yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” Jesus was a man of compassion, and he has provided for his compassion to be carried on, through the office of deacons. The disciples on the Emmaus road describe Jesus of Nazareth as “a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” The challenge for deacons today is to be known as men who are mighty in deeds of mercy before God and all the people. “For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 3:13)

The very first duty set forth in BOCO 9-2 is that deacons are to minister “to those who are in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress.” Each of these categories can be found in every one of our PCA churches. This duty is first in the list, and should be first in priority for every board of deacons. Because this ministry is so vital and large in scope, the Session should study well BOCO 9-7:

“It is expedient that the Session of a church should select and appoint godly men and women of the congregation to assist the deacons in caring for the sick, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners, and others who may be in any distress or need.” Here is where the spiritual gifts of mercy and giving are practiced in the communion of the saints.

In conclusion, the church should be warned against undermining the office of deacon by establishing separate committees of mercy without the inclusion and oversight of the deacons. This goes against the very nature of the church government as set forth in Scripture. Deacons are assigned the responsibility for mercy ministry. Dr. George Fuller says in the introduction to his book, Resources For Deacons, “They must organize the ministry of mercy. They must become God’s channel for mobilizing the members of his church to minister in the lives of others.” By doing so they will multiply the blessing of God in the lives of multitudes of suffering people. Dr. Fuller also states that “the low estate of the office of deacon today is what we brought upon it, not what God intended.” It behooves the elders of the church to issue a fresh call and challenge to deacons to reclaim their rightful role in the church. Calvin might say this would mean breaking down some traditions in the church and breaking loose more resources for mercy ministry. Only then will the church see deacons acquire a good standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

As deacons gain vision for mercy ministry and pray for the Holy Spirit to fill them, they will lead the church in showing the mercy and love of Christ, both in the Body and in the community.

Suggested Reading

Minister of Mercy The New Testament Deacon, Alexander Strauch

Resources for Deacons, Tim Keller

Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin, Book IV

The Handbook for Deacons, Gerard Berghoef & Lester DeKoster

Book of Church Order, Chapter Nine

Ministries of Mercy, Tim Keller

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXVI

Deacon is a Verb

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By George Fuller. Jack graduates from college, or even receives his MBA. He finds a job with a company in their home office. The building is large and shaped like a pyramid. Each level has a number and the top floor is Level 1. Of course, in the pyramid the lowest level is the largest, and that’s where most people begin. But Jack did passing work in school and his uncle works on an upper level, so he does not have to begin at the ground level.

His workspace is a modular unit in the middle of the level. He cannot even see a window from his cubicle. But he finds satisfaction in the fact that the people on the levels under him serve him; they are clerks and cleaning people. Even in the beginning, Jack has career goals. He wants to move to a cubicle closer to a window, as people with those more cherished locations die, are fired or move up. Eventually, he wants to move to a wall unit, hopefully with a window. His most lofty dream is to move along the wall to a corner office, maybe even one with windows on two sides.

From time to time, employees move up to the next level allowing Jack to move up as well. The process begins again as he works his way from the middle of the floor, to the edge, to the corner window. The ultimate goal – so ultimate that perhaps no one really achieves it – is to be at the pinnacle, at the very top floor, one office, windows all around; you report to no one, and everyone reports to you. If Jack is asked, “how many people work for you?” he says, “everyone.” “Whom do you serve?” “No one (other than myself).”

Jack will probably never get close to that pinnacle. He’ll retire, be retired, be fired or reach some kind of ceiling. His initial level may have been too low.

The pyramid scheme is deeply entrenched. It assumes that at the top are happiness and success, at the bottom are misery, drudgery and a kind of slavery. The world’s cultures, from ancient Greece to modern America, do not place high value on or dignify menial service. It is considered infinitely better to receive it than give it. The pyramid principles may apply in the home office of a large company. They may also describe some teachers, farmers, truck drivers, mothers-at-home or ministers who believe the goal in life is to get ahead, move up, be served.

Jesus turned the pyramid upside down. He revolutionized the world’s scheme. Success is found in working your way to the bottom. The issue is never “service received” but is always “service given.” It is never “how many people report to me?” but always, “can I serve others better or more?”In an extreme but proper sense Jesus alone occupies the point at the bottom of the new pyramid. He is the Ultimate Servant. Self-giving to the point of death itself, He took upon Himself the form of a servant, becoming obedient even unto death.

Seeking to have the mind of Jesus in them, the servants of Jesus prayerfully and humbly work their way down the new pyramid, becoming more like Him. Increasingly they are known by their humble and quiet service to people in need and to Jesus Himself. They receive gratefully the important support of other Christians, but they rejoice all the more in opportunity to offer service to others.

Look at the Last Supper again. Jesus said, “The hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table” (Luke 22:21). “They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.” What happened next? Did Thomas think, “It surely is not me”? Perhaps Matthew and Peter had the same unspoken thoughts. Did they begin to compare themselves to one another? It is clear what the result was- “also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.”

They simply did not understand the pyramid problem. Jesus said to them, “the kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them are given the title Benefactor. But you are not like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at table? But I am among you as one who serves.”

Throughout the ages and the world, people admire the great pyramid and give their lives to the pyramid game. But it is an evil game, seducing and entrapping. Escaping from the world’s pyramid is not easy, but it is critical. How do you move from a scheme that has universal endorsement? You can begin by understanding the word “serve” in the words of Jesus; “I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:27).

First, know that “serve” is a verb. One related noun is translated “deacon.” Another related noun talks about the activity of deacons and is translated “service, ministry.” It refers to the “act of deaconing.” But Jesus’ word is the verb “to minister, to serve, to deacon.” You remember how verbs work: I deacon, you deacon, he or she deacons.” It’s a word of action. The reference is to something you do, or in this case something Jesus does.

Secondly, recognize that Jesus came specifically “to deacon.” If you were to say, “Jesus, why did you come?” He might respond, “in fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” He might say, “for the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” But hear Jesus: “for even the Son of Man did not come to be served (to be deaconed), but to serve (deacon), and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The verb flows through his life, even out of his death. He came to deacon, not to be deaconed. The antithetical distinction between those two expressions reveals the vast difference between the two pyramids.

He came to turn the world upside down, by demonstration and by power, even to death. Infinitely more might be said of His ministry of grace, mercy and love. We could expound on all that He accomplished in life, on the cross, in His resurrection, in His ascension, in His present and future ministry. But we focus on the startling fact that this one life had as its purpose pure service to others. He came for the specific purpose of serving, that is, “to deacon.”

Thirdly, recognize that Jesus’ disciples “deacon.” They are moved from being served to serving. Theirs is the pyramid or kingdom marked by service given. They know that God has loved them even while they were sinners. The cross is the pledge, the proof and the demonstration of that love. Paul affirmed, “but God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

A disciple of Jesus knows that he or she does not deserve the love of Jesus. It is unmerited, undeserved grace and mercy. Sin and the sinner are not lovely, lovable or easy to love. But God loves the sinner anyway. He has love for the unlovely. The Christian is then possessed with that same love. John said, “no one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us…. We love, because he first loved us” (I John 4:12, 19). The Christian serves, out of a love that he or she first experienced at the cross. Self-giving sacrificial service originates at Calvary. So the Bible speaks of a new birth, a new life, a new heart, a new love and new service in Jesus’ name.

Finally, we all need to be reminded of this highest of all callings, to be a lowly servant of Jesus. We need encouragement, challenge and command from God’s word to be what we are-servants of Jesus.The world and the church offer immense opportunity for those with servants’ hearts. The Old Testament calls God’s people to serve widows and orphans and strangers. What kinds of people did Jesus serve? A paralytic, the blind, the deaf, the suffering, the sorrowing, the outcast and the demon possessed. He served the dying, even the dead, children especially, but old people, too.

What then needs to happen? In the first place, each Christian must prayerfully and humbly ask the Lord to display His love through him or her. No Christian is excused from the ministry of “deaconing.” Jesus is the prime Example. But elders, deacons, all members, men, women and children are called.

We must also ask the deacons of our churches to do what they are called to do. Deacons, lead all of us by good example in the ministry of mercy. Beyond that, mobilize all of us in this great high calling. Make it a goal not to deprive one Christian of the blessing of service in Jesus’ name. Help us to join with the angels (Matthew 4:11) and Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:15) and the women at the tomb (Matthew 27:55) in ministering to Jesus. We want to be included among the sheep on His right hand, who will hear Him say, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Deacons, help us all to be good deacons.How much we all need to learn about the life of giving service. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God…. and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!”

REACHING THE RISING GENERATION – SHOW THEM JESUS

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By Sue Jakes. Jacob is only four years old, but his mother struggles to love him. His temperament is indifferent at best, and when he does not get his way, his tantrum is so embarrassing she is brought to tears. Even the people in her church do not like him. One Sunday the school teacher quit rather than deal with Jacob each week.

Lauren is bored with church and Sunday school. She has heard all the stories before in her Christian school. None of her best friends go to her church, so Sunday school is not only boring, but it also has no social appeal for her. Her parents will not let her stay at home and they fight about her attitude every Sunday morning.

Daniel has a learning disability. School is difficult enough for him, but now at 10 years of age, his parents have decided to go to church. He dreads the humiliation of a room full of kids every Sunday morning who know all the answers. No matter how hard he tries to understand this Jesus stuff, it makes no sense to him.

Our churches are filled with Jacobs, Laurens, and Daniels. The names may be different but these scenarios are all too common in the body of Christ today. How do we develop a children’s ministry program that will address these kinds of problems? What is the answer? More paid staff? More puppets, games and music? More programs and activities?In the end, all three of these children need to see Jesus. They need to see him in the teacher. They need to see him in the taught Word. They need to see him in the other students. They need to see him in the whole body of Christ. If we develop our children’s ministry philosophy and strategies around this simple truth…Show them Jesus…what we do in the church could radically change.

Teachers who model Christ and his covenant are a necessity. Most churches recruit teachers by placing yearly ads in the newsletter or bulletin that “beg” for anyone who will do it. A one year commitment seems to be the best we can expect from anyone these days, and many times this commitment is from a team of rotating teachers. Does this system show our children Jesus? In his name, Emmanuel, we have the covenant promise, “I will be with you.” We are trying to teach our children to believe this message while we model something entirely different. “We will be with you for a year when it is our turn to be there.” The last time I looked, the Sunday school teacher I had at four years old was still teaching four year-olds at my home church. That message speaks louder than any words I ever heard. ” I will be with you” is a message worth modeling.

This generation is crying out for mentors and leaders and friends who will understand that children are great blessings from the Lord. To love, teach, and befriend them is a life-long calling for the parents, grandparents, older siblings, and all other covenant family members. Mathew 18 shows us all a Jesus who is indignant when the disciples thought for a moment that he did not have time for the children. The tithing of our time should begin with the loving instruction of our children…as we rise up, as we sit down, as we walk along the way. (Deuteronomy 6)

At the foundation of any children’s ministry should be the prayer that God will turn the hearts of the Fathers toward the children. Pray for a ministry team who will be there, not for a year, but for a life. A congregation who desires to know, love, and serve their children is the bottom line need for any thriving children’s ministry.

What then do we teach? Mistake number two in many churches is that, after begging for “anyone” to do it, any curriculum will do. The children’s market is flooded with fun curriculum that anyone can use to plan a class on the way to church. Children are not only worth teaching, they are worth teaching well. Permeating the Sunday school mindset is the idea that volunteers should not have to put much time into this effort. Teaching the truth to the next generation deserves all the time it takes to do it well. We should not only train our children’s teachers in the Reformed faith, but also put curriculum in their hands, which is always reinforcing what our church believes. Does it matter with little children? This is the age where it matters most.

I just recently read a 3rd grade lesson on Cain and Abel. It appeared in a curriculum published by one of our nation’s largest Christian publishers. The aim of the lesson was “When you are corrected you should have a good attitude.” As reformed Christians we do not believe that the Cain and Abel story is about fostering a good attitude. Hebrews 11 tells us that Abel believed the promise and by faith, even though he is dead, he still speaks. From Genesis to Revelation, the scripture is about God’s promise to redeem his people. That redemption, the very promise that Abel believed by faith, is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. When our children are in Sunday school, Bible club, Vacation Bible school, or any other ministry of our church, this must be the message…what God has done, is doing, and will do to redeem his people through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

It is disturbing how many times I have heard testimonies of late life conversions from people reared in churches where they never heard the gospel. It is even more disturbing when I hear a teenager tell me that they just cannot “be” a Christian because it is just too hard. The idea of belonging to a covenant family through God’s choosing and electing grace has never registered in their minds. Are our children hearing the true gospel? We must be training our teachers regularly to insure that they not only study and understand God’s Word, but also correctly communicate it.

The model and message of a child’s team of teachers needs to be constantly reinforced by the whole body of Christ. The congregation must consider the vow taken at covenant baptisms as seriously as the parents do. When that begins to happen every member of the congregation will be able to give testimony of their personal ministry to the covenant children in their local church. You do not have to teach Sunday school to know and serve the children in your church. However, if you do not know and serve them in some capacity, you need to search your heart before taking the baptismal vow again. Praying for the children and their families is a great place to begin the faithful keeping of this vow.

What kind of child are we trying to produce? What does a disciple of Christ look like? When Jesus was twelve years old, in the Jewish tradition he was taken to the temple. This happened at twelve, not because he had learned how to behave in synagogue, but because he was ready to participate in study, dialogue and worship. He had become a man. We are losing many of our covenant children between 12 and 20 because we are asking them to wait. The youth ministry mindset in many churches is that we will continue to teach them and if they are bored, we will entertain them to keep them coming. Twelve year olds want to serve. They will continue to learn, but they will learn best in the context of ministry. Our ministry needs to be showing, teaching and allowing children to serve at the youngest age possible.

One of the nation’s largest evangelical ministries published some interesting statistics a few years ago. After surveying the involvement of their membership it was found that new members need to “own” a ministry and have seven significant relationships in the body within six months of joining or they would eventually leave the church. If they did not leave they were on the peripheral edge of the membership and were very difficult to find and engage in ministry. To “own” a ministry meant to be involved in such a way that you could not miss a Sunday without being “missed”. You are needed at church. The significant relationships are not about good friends with whom you have many things in common. They are significant because they are your leaders and mentors who hold you accountable, or you are the leader or mentor holding them close.

Our children are no different. When they become young men and women, they need to own a ministry in our congregation. Helping with the nursery, children’s church, or preschool Sunday school, designing and putting up bulletin boards, singing in the choir, writing to missionaries – these are just a few of the service areas that ten to twenty-year olds can do quite well. In these kinds of ministries they also develop those significant relationships. Four-year olds in children’s church look up to them and adults on the missions committee lead them into a more active involvement as the assign special tasks to them. Our children, we must use them or lose them.

This vision for children and youth in our churches is hindered by one thing. We, the older generation, are choosing to spend our time and energy elsewhere. We do not have time to teach, mentor, or get to know the children in our own body. In the new millennium, time is considered the greatest commodity or treasure. To truly turn our hearts toward our children (Malachi 4:6, Luke 1:17), we must put our treasure, our time, into the next generation, “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

I find myself hoping that someone else in my congregation has time for Jacob, and Lauren, and Daniel. But as I pray for them, the Lord calls me to receive them in his name, and by doing so I have received him. Jacob needs someone to be with him every Sunday to keep him on task – a mentor, a friend. Lauren needs an older woman to take her as an assistant in Sunday school or children’s church – a mentor, a friend. Daniel needs a Christian family to include him and his family in their life as they learn what it means to follow Jesus – mentors, friends. This is true discipleship and it is the fulfillment of the Great Commission in the most precise and accurate way. “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) To show them Jesus is to be with them.

In a culture that is too busy to know, find and do what is eternal, Jesus has called us to go and makes disciples. It begins at birth, at baptism. The Christian Education Committee of the Presbyterian Church in America has a strategic plan to equip you and your church in making disciples. Our training and resource focus for the last four years has been to reach the millennial generation. It is a focus that we will not compromise until our Lord returns. Let us help your local church raise up a generation that will love and serve Christ – a generation who has seen Jesus.

Questions for discussion:

1. How much emphasis does our leadership place on the children’s’ ministry? Why do you say that?

2. Do we have a general plan for starting with the youngest in making disciples? What is it?

3. Because the attitude of the leadership is an example, how excited are our people regarding our church’s ministry to the younger generation?

4. Do we experience difficulty in recruiting teachers and helpers in our children and youth ministries? If so, why?

5. What specific things can we identify that our church does to demonstrate our love and care for the young people?

Thinking Long Range

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Years ago when I was starting out in ministry, I was working with young people. I directed a summer youth camp and conference program during my seminary days and couple of years after graduation. What a thrill it was to see some of the young people come to know Jesus Christ. As I travel throughout the country, in and out of many different churches, from time to time I run into some those now grown children that I had the privilege of working with and teaching the Word. I think of a man who is now the pastor of a huge mega church in the north. We had spent much time together during his teen years in the church as well as that camp and conference setting. And there are so many others. What a rewarding experience that was.

I also had a couple of Young Life Clubs during those seminary days. I later pastured a church in the Atlanta area where I had earlier led a Young Life Club and some of the teenagers in the clubs, now adults, were members of that church. The senior pastor with whom I worked during those early days had a placard in his office and I will always remember it: “No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.” What a truism and how consistent with the Scripture!

But on the other hand, I remember a man who was in charge of placement at my seminary saying to me on one occasion, challenging me work in another setting, “Don’t spend so much time with the calves, that you forget the cows that give the milk.” I’ll never forget that statement either. During my years as a pastor, I always made it a point to work with the young people. They matter to me. I said in an address to the 25th PCA General Assembly meeting in St. Louis, one of the reasons I left the mainline church to help start the PCA was because I wanted to communicate to the younger generation that truth mattered, and that we cared for them and wanted them to have a church home that would teach them the Christian world and life view, and I was never more serious, when I said that.

At Christian Education and Publications I have found a place to continue to express that interest and for the past five years, our strategic faith plan has focused on reaching the rising generations, particularly the millennials. If you have read Equip for Ministry in the past or heard me speak, you already know that. The difference at this point is that we do not have the opportunity to work directly with the young people, except on occasion in our local church home. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was about two years ago when one of the older teenagers approached me, after I had preached that morning, to ask if I would help him develop a biblical world and life view. We have had a great experience studying and praying together since that time. He is now in college.

Our role in the PCA is to train, equip, and serve as an encourager and resource to those involved in ministry to the younger generations. We develop curriculum, conduct training workshops, and everything else that we can do with the older generation to challenge them to see the opportunity to reach this younger generation. We have a fulltime staff, as well as regional trainers committed to helping you and your churches to plan and implement an effective ministry that communicates to your younger generation that you really care about you.

This past year we added, a fulltime coordinator of Children’s Ministry. Sue Jakes, who has worked with us and our Sunday school publisher, Great Commission Publications. We have asked Sue to write the lead article. In that article you will see something of her heart, as well as ours, regarding this important task. Reaching this next generation has always been a god-given assignment to the church, but as we look around us today, especially since Sept. 11, 01, that assignment has taken on a new urgency. We are living in a dangerous world politically, economically, morally, and spiritually. By the time you read this article, we may have already gone to war to fight terrorism.

I have spoken by request on several occasions recently on the topic of Islam in America. (We will address that in later issues of Equip for Ministry). I need say no more at this point except that this fastest growing religion in the world and in America has targeted young people. They are being quite effective and our youth are extremely vulnerable. One statistic shows that around 80% of Muslim converts have had some kind of church background.

Both postmodernism and the growth of neo-paganism in America remind us that we are not exposing our younger generations to the truth of God in a life transforming way. As I stated to one of the groups mentioned above in response to a question, what do you see for the future with Islam as it relates to America? My response was “humanly speaking, not good. Muslims appear to be better prepared to talk about Islam and the Muslim faith than are Christians about our God and faith. If you read some of the polls and trends, many which we have mentioned in this publication, and we have reviewed many of their books, Gallup, Lindsay, Barna, American Demographics, etc. We are raising a biblically illiterate generation of young people in America. While local and national leaders are discouraging things like Bible reading and prayer in the educational systems, they are allowing other religions, such as Islam, to have their privileges.

We want our readers to know that we at CE/P are concerned and committed to doing all that we can do to help those of you in local churches to have the best discipleship program for your young people that you can have. Of course the programs are secondary, so we first emphasize the most important element of all and that is personal relationships and a sense of community. The younger generation both want and need relationships with older committed Christians.

I was so pleased this past Sunday to be in a church both for preaching and training leaders where one of the elders, a retired executive with a major corporation spoke to the youth group on Sunday evening. As I talked with him on that afternoon, I could detect a sense of excitement and challenge about that opportunity. He told me, I am going to tell them that we need to know that things in this world do not last and that we should not be too wrapped up in the world. He had on a coat, a shirt, and tie. He opened his jacket and he had ripped his shirt to shreds to illustrate his point. We smiled about that. Those young people were blessed because that man’s attitude was infectious.

In this issue, we have the lead article by Sue Jakes. I encourage you to read it carefully and respond to the questions for discussion. The “In Case you’re Asked” section talks another opportunity through Christian schooling to minister to this younger generation. You will also see several news articles about some things that we are doing at CE/P and in the PCA to minister to this rising generation. The book reviews are important, especially the one dealing with Islam.You will also find a listing of the various conferences and seminars that CE/P will be conducting. They are listed both for your information and prayers.

I am reading a book on Christian education that I will review in future issue of EFM, entitled Christly Gestures. The author Brett P. Webb-Mitchell talks about the importance of baptism in the education process of making disciples. He writes, “We perform the gesture of many profound vows at our baptism. The crucial ones in the education of Christians are the ones uttered for the child by parents or guardians and the ones uttered by the adult being baptized, and the gestured utterance of the members of the congregation-that they will raise the newly baptized into what John Calvin would call an “understanding of our baptism.” I believe if we took this ministry to the younger generation seriously, there would be more young people who do not abandon the church in their teens and later life and more adults who are excited about their Christian faith because they are sharing with the next generation.

We are here with our training, resources, and consulting to assist you in developing, expanding, or improving your ministry to the next generation. We need to work together in this task. The challenge is more than any one person, church, or denomination can do, but if we work together, praying, being intentional, and knowing the situation, I believe we can be a part of the solution and not a continuation of the problem. By the way, that is the only way that our church, the PCA, and your church locally, or you as an individual will see the long rangeimplications and applications of this challenge.

The Bible We Believe

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Read 2 Timothy 3:16

By Bryan Chapell. On the evening of the first Rodney King verdict in South Central LA, a group of young men knocked another to the ground and began brutally beating him. Into the angry mob waded an elderly minister named Bennie Newton. Risking his own life, he repeatedly stepped in the way of the blows, taking some of the punches and kicks on his own back and legs. “You must not do this,” he said. “This man has done nothing wrong. You must stop this.” And eventually the mob did stop. They turned away in disgust from the old man, who had faced them with nothing more than a Bible in his hands. His weapon was the Word. He literally entrusted his life to the Bible, as we have for eternities. Why? Why would anyone who wrestles not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities, face the forces of evil with mere paper and print in hand? I pray it is what we believe about this book.

I. We believe the Bible is inspired.

See the first words of II Tim 3:16. The language of the KJV is explained for us in the NIV: all Scripture is God-breathed. That translation is a direct rendering of a Greek word that combines the terms for “God” and “breath”. The idea is even as you speak your breath comes out of your mouth, so the Scriptures are what God has breathed out, what he speaks — these are his Words.All that is Scripture is God-breathed, God’s very word to us. This is not merely an academic fact. It is the precious truth that everyday and during the greatest trials of my life, in his Word God speaks to me.

We are so misled in thinking that life would be easier if God would perform a miracle and speak in the lightening or write his will in the clouds. We forget the greater miracle that he has put his Word in our laps, and it does not fade with the thunder or get blown away by the wind. Every day he makes his Word known to us. He is as present and real as his Word. Here God speaks. You can face anything with his voice in your ear, as his breath flows upon your heart with his Word.Even that voice will bring you little courage or comfort, however, if you cannot trust it. We must add another dimension to our understanding of Scripture for it to be what God intends it to be in our lives. To the conviction that the Bible is inspired, we must add …

II. We believe the Bible is inerrant.

The word inerrant means the Scriptures are without error. This is a direct consequence of the fact that the Bible is God’s Word. Since it is of him, it should reflect his character. This is precisely the point of Ps. 19. Listen to how God’s Word is described there:

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”

“The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.”

“They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”

“By them is your servant warned;” (Ps. 19:7-11)

If you only to consider the adjectives, what does the Word of God sound like? It sounds like God. He is perfect, trustworthy, wise, right, pure … thus it makes sense that what he says, what he breathes, would be the same. His Word is perfect, trustworthy, wise, right, pure, enduring and sure.

Release from the Slavery of Subjectivism

If “the rule of God’s Word” sounds constraining, recognize the necessary slavery of any other approach. If the Bible is not entirely true, the only authority we have is our own opinion of what is true. Rather than having a higher guidance, all that I would have without an inerrant Scripture is my own judgment. I am forced to go through life with wisdom no greater than my own. My life becomes enslaved to my own opinions (or worse, the opinions of others.) Human judgment determines what is right and wrong, proper or imprudent. Without an entirely true Scripture, we become slaves to the radical subjectivism of our age, where people will only do what is right in their own eyes.

Though usually described in academic terms, inerrancy is fundamentally a conviction that combats a suffocating aloneness, of being shut up with one’s own judgments and opinions as one’s only guiding companion in life. If God does not speak consistently in his Word, when I cry out in the darkness for aid all I hear is my own voice echoing back.

When we say that the Bible is without error, we must quickly add that our interpretations are not without error. Even Paul will remind Timothy that he must study to be a godly workman who is “rightly dividing the Word of truth” (II Tim. 2:15). There can be wrong divisions, but this does not deny the inerrancy of Scripture, it simply calls us to be skilled interpreters. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are above our thoughts. Along with the easily reached truths are those that make us stretch so that the majesty of our God is as clear as His present voice.

Liar, Lunatic or Lord

Yet, extolling the wonders of Scriptures inspiration and perfection is not enough to give us confidence in its use. When you have broken appliance, a perfect wrench from Sears with Craftsman quality and a guarantee of perpetual service is a wonderful thing, unless what you need is a screwdriver. Inspiration and inerrancy are wonderful things unless they do not supply all we need to deal with the spiritual brokenness of our lives. We need full toolboxes, and for that reason the Bible assures us that Scripture is not only inspired and inerrant…

III. We believe the Bible is complete and sufficient.

1. Its completeness is marked by its finished-ness in terms of its sufficiency andultimacy.

The first feature of the Bible’s completeness is its sufficiency. Paul says that the Scripture that is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” equips the man of God for every good work. The man of God (the one that is equipping others) is himself equipped for every good work. The ripple effect is that the Scriptures provide what is needed for all believers’ spiritual development. There are not pages missing that we need. Colloquially, we would say that in the Bible, “you have got what you need.” Peter says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his won glory and goodness” (II Pet. 1:3). Everything we need for life (what we are to face) and godliness (what we are to be) God has provided by using the Word he has given to equip us sufficiently for every good work.

The sufficiency of Scripture is one reason that we do not feel abandoned by God if we are not connected by some sort of spiritual hotline where God is daily saying, “Heaven calling, George. This is what I want you to do.” New revelations become unnecessary when we already have a Word that is sufficient.

In 2 Tim. 3:16,17, the words “thoroughly equipped” are really the combination of the adjective and verb form of the same root word. We would actually translate this as, “All Scripture is inspired … in order that the man of God may be equipped, equipped for every good work.” That repetition, as awkward as it sounds, is actually crucial for it intensifies the equipping concept. Through the Scriptures we are really equipped, or as the NIV says it, “thoroughly equipped.” Thoroughly equipped for what? For everything. Now if the Bible tells you the Scriptures thoroughly equip you for everything, what is the implication of your looking for something else? It implies you question more than its completeness and sufficiency, but also its authority.

There are many references in Scripture reminding us that we are not to add to or subtract from its content, (Deut. 4:2, 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18-19) and others warning that we are not to receive any other Gospel, whether it be endorsed by men or by angels (Gal. 1:8). We understand why the Church insists on the ultimate and final authority of Scripture. The Bible is complete because of its claim to sufficiency and its necessary ultimacy. Such understanding directs us from seeking new revelations, new authorities, trusting in personal experience, or other scriptures.

2. The Bible’s completeness is not only marked by these signs of its finished-ness,but by what it is finishing.

There is one other dimension to the completeness of the Bible. We are pointed also to the source of our completion. For if the Bible is given to equip, complete or make us perfect (cf. KJV, “to make the man of God perfect”), our need for completion by a source outside ourselves shows that we are incomplete in ourselves. Our need of Scripture’s sufficiency necessarily indicates our insufficiency. Scripture’s supply of what we need to fulfill God’s purposes in our lives is testimony of its redemptive character.

Says Jesus, “The Scriptures testify of me” (John 5:39). These words caution us against using the Bible merely as a compendium of rules or boxes to check off on the assumption that if we check off enough that we are OK with God. In his Word God is providing himself. Says Peter, “You have been born again … by the living and enduring Word of God” (I Pet. 1:23.) John adds, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…. In him was life and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1f). The apostles’ conflation of the ministry of the Savior, the Word of God, with the inscripturated Word of God is intentional. The Word of God is the very heart of God on display and presently working.

Think of what the combination of these beliefs about Scripture mean that God is providing us. In his Word he provides us his voice, for the Word is God-breathed. In his Word gives us his hand to lead us inerrantly down the path of his own will and purpose. And in his word he shows us his heart, for here he provides for our insufficiency with his own sufficiency. Grace echoes in every line, because God displays himself in every Word. That is why our own hearts yearn for the Word at a soul level. The world (and some believers) will long for an experience of God in personal sensation or exceptional events. We who understand the nature of the Word recognize that God regularly gathers our souls next to his heart through his Word.

You know the Word of the Psalmist, “As the deer pants for water so, my soul thirsts for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God (Psalm 42:1,2).” We may forget how the Psalmist says that thirst is satisfied: “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times …. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.” (Psalm 119:20 & 131)

In his word we find the fountain of God’s truth and care, his own refreshing presence and grace. I have never heard this stated more starkly than when hearing the testimony of a friend who in his adult years came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He was an ordained minister in a church that considered the Bible a work of men that should be critically dissected for its occasional truths amidst its primitive religious expressions.

By mistake, my friend got hooked into a tour of Israel that had him and his girlfriend traveling with a bunch of evangelical ministers and their wives. One day the tour took them to the Garden Tomb, one of the places in Israel reputed to be where Jesus was buried and rose from the dead. The ministers decided to celebrate communion there. Since my friend had stayed in the background for most of the tour, the others decided now was the time for him to do his share of ministering. He was asked to give the elements. He did so. As this unbelieving minister distributed the elements and the Words of Christ’s saving work in the shadow of this tomb, he was struck not only with the hypocrisy of what he was doing, but with the reality of what Christ had done.

When the service was over, the other ministers continued touring the site. My friend did not. He went back to the tour bus, and waited with an anxiety he can hardly express even now for the others’ return. He says, “For the first time in my life I was thirsty for Scripture, and I felt I would die if we did not get back to the hotel as quickly as possible so that I could read my Bible.” There are streams of living water in the Word that satisfy the thirsty heart with God. Here may you know them. Studying the Word of God as it is in truth the ministry of Christ Jesus to your own soul.