Christian Standard | February 2020 by Christian Standard Media

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Letter from the Publisher Healing the Brokenhearted

He was absolutely convinced he was doing the right thing. His indoctrination into the rightness of his position came about over many years; it was painstakingly produced through study and a network of key relationships. His animosity toward this new sect was fueled by an urgency to stamp it out quickly, before it irreparably damaged the true faith forged in a 1,500-year fire of trial and adversity. Followers of this cult didn’t deserve mercy, pity, or the benefit of due process; they didn’t deserve even a second thought

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because of their perversion of all things good and right. He couldn’t have been more wrong. He participated in an honor killing of one of the cult’s leaders, an exercise in vigilante justice. He built his reputation on ruthlessness, cruelty, intimidation, and separation of families. He invented ways to discourage anyone from giving this new belief a second thought. He expanded his mission to surrounding areas to keep this cancer from spreading . . . right up until a fateful day on a dirty Damascus road.

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Saul’s life underwent perhaps the greatest about-face in human history. His transformation from one extreme to the other and his subsequent ministry defined much of early church history. His missionary journeys, the churches he established, the leaders he produced—discipling giants like Luke and Timothy—and his willingness to take his faith to the extreme again and again became legendary.

Peter couldn’t shake what he had said and done . . . though he stood at the empty tomb, had firsthand knowledge of the resurrection, and later saw Jesus and ate with him in the upper room. His betrayal of Jesus was not so dissimilar from Judas’s treachery. And while it wasn’t premeditated, it certainly was a stark reminder of the weakness of his faith and the falseness of his friendship. His regret and brokenness were apparent as he returned to his old life of fishing.

But if we examine the mind of this unlikely apostle, we might discover a man who struggled daily with a broken heart and regret that resulted from actions taken out of misplaced zeal. He no doubt was haunted by the faces of early Christians he had abused. Did they rob him of sleep at night? Was that part of the suffering God alluded to in Ananias’s vision (Acts 9:16)? Did those memories contribute to Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7)?

Jesus’ healing of the brokenhearted is perhaps most conspicuous in the Gospel stories of Jairus, Zacchaeus, the woman subject to bleeding, two blind men, the leper, and the demon-possessed. But Jesus healing the broken heart of someone so close to him, to men who would surrender their lives for him, provides an added dimension. I hear it in the conversation along the banks of the Sea of Galilee when Jesus reinstated “Simon son of John.” I hear it in the reassurance that Peter will indeed give his life for his faith when he is old (John 21:15-19). I hear it in hymns being sung in a Philippian prison at midnight after a beating that could have been avoided (Acts 16).

Paul had more reasons to regret his past than most, but there was another who bore similar pain and carried its scars to his final day on earth. Unlike Paul, that man is remembered more for impulsiveness than calculation. He was a man of big personality and bigger inconsistency. His name was Simon Peter.

The fact is, Jesus heals the brokenhearted . . . even those who have broken his heart.

In Caesarea Philippi, he was commended for recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, only to be rebuked as “Satan” seven verses later (Matthew 16:16-23). When Jesus told his disciples that “this very night you will all fall away” (Matthew 26:31), Peter boldly declared he would die for Jesus (v. 35). Ultimately, however, Peter denied Jesus three times in quick succession (vv. 69-75), just as Jesus foretold (v. 34).

Jerry Harris is publisher of Christian Standard Media and senior pastor of The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest. @_jerryharris /jerrydharris

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CHRISTIAN STANDARD — FOUNDED 1866 BY ISAAC ERRETT Devoted to the restoration of New Testament Christianity, its doctrine, its ordinances, and its fruits.

The Staff Jerry Harris, Publisher Michael C. Mack, Editor Jim Nieman, Managing Editor Shawn McMullen, Contributing Editor Megan Kempf, Designer Abby Wittler, Designer Renee Little, Operations Kim Harris, Marketing and Advertising

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720.598.7377 info@christianstandardmedia.com Volume CLV. Number 2. Christian Standard (ISSN 0009-5656) is published monthly by Christian Standard Media at 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Periodicals postage paid at Parker, CO, and additional offices.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”

matthew 25:34-36

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Christian Standard Media, 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Phone: 1-720-598-7377. SUBSCRIBERS: Send address changes to Christian Standard, 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Send old and new addresses, complete with zip codes, at least six weeks before delivery date.

Christian Standard is published by Christian Standard Media, www.christianstandardmedia.com. On The Cover: Bill Twaddell is a retired prison chaplain who now serves as part-time director of a prison/jail outreach ministry; read his article on page 70.

Matthew 25

I was hungry and thirsty

I was a stranger

Don’t Lessen ‘the Least of these’ By Jon Weatherly

The Dollar Club By Steve Poe

Solving the American Church’s PR Problem By Tyler McKenzie

TABLE OF CONTENTS —

IN E V ERY IS S UE 2-3 | L E T T ER F ROM T HE P UBL ISHER Jerry Harris

6-7 | L E T T ER F ROM T HE EDI T OR Michael C. Mack

8-10 | e 2:EFFECTIVE ELDERS

W hat Does God Wa nt f rom Elders of His Church? David Roadcup

11-13 | ME T R IC S

‘ T h i s I s for A l l t he L onely B o ome r s ’ Kent Fillinger

14-15 | HOR IZ ONS R iver of L i fe

I needed clothes

I was sick

I was in prison

The Thrift Store Ministry By L. Mackenzie

One of ‘Those’ People By Nate Graybill

Depression and Ministry

Ministry Behind Bars By Bill Twaddell

Laura McKillip Wood

17-19 | P OL ISHED

‘ Fi r e a nd R a i n’: T he Powe r of a P r ay i n g Wi fe Megan Rawlings

20-21 | MINIS T RY L IF E

Eter nit y w it h a Child Molester Halee Wood

By Paul H. Alexander

Called To Counsel By Heath Neal

Your Medical Debt Has Been Forgiven By Justin Horey

22-29 | F E AT UR E

D on’t L e s s e n ‘ T he L e a s t of T he s e ’ Jon Weatherly

78-79 | IN T ER A C T

Matthew 25 and the Role of Christ’s Church

Letter from the editor

We’re trying something a little different this month. We have provided what amounts to a 56-page Bible study of 16 verses: Matthew 25:31-46. We begin with exposition; Jon Weatherly skillfully provides context and commentary for this passage. Of course, effectual Bible study begins with careful observation and accurate interpretation, but it means nothing without application. We must “do what it says.” And so we tell the stories of churches and other Christian organizations living out Matthew 25:34-40. They demonstrate what it looks like to feed the hungry, welcome strangers, clothe those in need, look after sick in various ways, and visit and minister to people in prison.

The Father sent Jesus into the world, and Jesus has sent us (John 17:18; 20:21). We can point to several reasons Jesus was sent, but I want to focus on two: (1) He came to save sinners, giving eternal life (John 3:16; Mark 2:17; 10:45; 1 Timothy 1:15). We have been well-schooled and have proficiently proclaimed this part of the good news for many

The needs in our culture are obvious to those who want to see.

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The church is called to care about people’s spiritual needs, telling them about Jesus, and love those same people enough to also care for their physical, mental, financial, and relational needs. It’s not an either-or dilemma for the church. As Weatherly put it, “We can confidently reject the false choice between evangelism and benevolence. They are inseparable.” We do not need to choose one or the other. If we want to reach people in today’s post-Christian culture, we must understand the nexus between loving our neighbors in practical ways and living evangelistically in God’s kingdom.

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decades. And (2) he also came to be the solution for a broken human society:

tian church loved their communities enough to make a real difference in the lives of those who need all Jesus offers them. This might be fanciful thinking, but imagine if politicians were to say, “We don’t need to raise taxes to take care of the underserved; the church is doing that!” (Perhaps that’s not as far-fetched as it might seem. See “Solving the American Church’s PR Problem,” by Tyler McKenzie on page 36.)

[Jesus] found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” . . .

May we restore the self-sacrificing character of the New Testament church that “sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need,” which was likely at least partially responsible for “the Lord [adding] to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:45, 47).

He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:17-20). As Christ’s body, we are sent to do the same. When we faithfully serve others in our communities, when we lovingly and sacrificially care for the “least of these,” we “proclaim good news,” and those deeds of love and goodness win for us a voice to boldly preach salvation in Jesus as well (Acts 3:1–4:12).

God has richly blessed us so we might be a blessing to those in need. As God has loved us, let us love one another. @michaelcmack @michaelcmack @michaelcmack

This is our responsibility as the body of Christ. Imagine the impact if every Chris-

/authormichaelcmack

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e 2 : e ffe c t i v e

e ld e r s

What Does God Want from Elders of His Church? BY DAVID ROADCUP

My 23 years of coaching and consulting with churches and their leaders has led me to conclude, As go the leaders, so goes the church. Leaders set the example, tone, faith, and practice for believers in the church they serve.

David Roadcup is cofounder and outreach director for e2: effective elders. He also serves as professor of discipleship and global outreach representative with TCM International Institute. He is also on the board of directors of Christian Arabic Services.

So we, as leaders, need to ask ourselves, What does our Father want from us, and how do we accomplish his ultimate task? Using Scripture as our guideline, here is an overview of what the Lord wants from the primary leaders in his church.

/e2elders @e2elders

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1. A Healthy and Growing Spiritual Life God wants all church leadership teams to serve from a healthy and growing spiritual life. • Jesus calls all leaders and believers to die to themselves on a daily basis. In other words, we kill our will and invite the will of Jesus to direct and guide our lives (Luke 9:23, 24). This is the cornerstone to growing and maturing in our faith; it’s the essential element in personal, spiritual maturity. Church leaders who have no transforming experience—who do not die to themselves—are leading in the flesh rather than the Spirit.

2. An Understanding of Their Scriptural Job Description

• In dying to ourselves, we learn obedience to all of the Lord’s commands and expectations. We learn to obey in all things and every situation.

God wants elders and staff to know and understand their scriptural job descriptions. As overseers and leaders, elders are to carry out these functions:

Obedience is Jesus’ love language! Jesus clearly indicated that obedience is the acid test of our love for him. Four times in John 14:15-24, Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” He essentially said, “This is how I really know whether you love me: if you do what I ask you to do.” The Lord expects the leaders of his body to continually be growing in obedience. When we dedicate our lives to Jesus at baptism, we give up the right to say no to him in any way.

• They provide general oversight for the health, care, and management of the church in all aspects of her ministry.

• The Lord calls all leaders to personal spiritual growth. (See Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 1:28, 29; Colossians 2:6, 7; Hebrews 5:11–6:1; 1 Peter 2:1-3.) Our growth comes as we weave spiritual disciplines into our daily schedules and routines. These disciplines include attention to the Word of God, prayer, meditation, fasting, journaling, service, generosity, solitude, and others. These ancient practices bring us into the presence of our Father, who then feeds and strengthens us as his children. They move us to new levels of spiritual awareness. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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• They handle, along with staff, the major decisionmaking tasks of the congregation. • They work together in harmony, unity, and love. • They work with staff to develop the mission, vision, and values of the congregation. This includes teaching these important concepts to the congregation. While staff usually leads in the creation of these elements, elders should oversee and participate in their execution. • They develop an effective plan for recruiting, training, and developing future leaders. This often neglected task is one of the most important elements in cultivating a good leadership team. • They provide fiscal oversight. FEBRUARY 2020

e2: EFFECTIVE ELDERS

And as shepherds, elders are to pastor the church in these ways: • They are to be “heart-deep” in the life of their church. Each elder should be spiritually, emotionally, and mentally committed to the believers in their congregation. • They oversee and encourage evangelism. (Is the church reaching unbelievers on a regular basis?) • They manage the discipling and maturing of the believers committed to their care. They should have a plan in place for new believers as they step out from the baptistery. This plan should help connect them spiritually and emotionally to the church family. They should have a plan to foster personal and spiritual growth in believers. The congregation needs to be fed, nurtured, and stimulated to grow in their faith journey. The job description for the elders of Northwest Bible Church in Dallas, Texas, attests to this: “The purpose of our Council of Elders is not meetings but maturing. It is about knowing God and growing in Christlikeness which is the fruit of true spiritual community.” • They make careful and discerning decisions. Shepherds should collect all of the critical information, immerse the issue in prayer, and then decide. Decision-making is one of the critical responsibilities of church leaders. • They protect the doctrinal purity of the church body. False teaching abounds today. Protecting people from incorrect doctrine is one of the main roles of biblical elders. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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• They pray for the sick and anoint them with oil. • They oversee church discipline. Shepherds do this biblically, with great care and discernment, always with the goal of restoring the struggling brother or sister to Christ. • They teach in multiple ways. If formal teaching is one of an elder’s gifts, then he should teach classes and at other opportunities. If teaching formally is not a gift, then the elder should teach by example, words, and influence. • They give generously and model the giving of their finances as obedient stewards. Elders must be financially committed to the body of Christ. It is impossible to teach people to give if elders are not leading by example. When God birthed the church, he had a structure and a plan for the church to effectively accomplish his intended outcomes. This plan included elders who would lead through prayer, obedience, wisdom, discernment, and love. He also gave a job description for them. Knowing what the Lord expects will help us to accomplish with excellence what he has requested.  FEBRUARY 2020

M et r i c s

‘This Is for All the Lonely Boomers’ BY KENT E. FILLINGER

“OK Boomer” is a new social media catchphrase that is becoming popular with many people younger than 40. In the Washington Post, Holly Scott defined the phrase as “a jab from the young to the old, a collective eye-roll at the out-of-touch judgments baby boomers pass on the tastes, values and lived experiences of millennials and Gen Zers.” Generational divides and derision are nothing new. Ironically, when boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) were young adults, many said you can’t trust anyone over the age of 30. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

Kent E. Fillinger serves as president of 3:STRANDS Consulting, Indianapolis, Indiana, and regional vice president (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan) with Christian Financial Resources.

/3strandsconsulting 3strandsconsulting.com

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Are Aging Boomers OK? Census figures and other research show that baby boomers are aging alone more than any generation in U.S. history. “The resulting loneliness,” say Janet Adamy and Paul Overberg in a December 2018 Wall Street Journal article, “is a looming public threat. About one in 11 Americans age 50 and older lacks a spouse, partner or living child. More than one in four boomers is divorced or never married and about one in six lives alone.”

In my June 2019 Metrics article, I asked, “Is your church ready for Generation Z?”—those born from 1999 to 2015. This month, I want to turn our attention to the largest generation—baby boomers. Almost 10,000 boomers a day turn 65, and the same number of boomers retire each day. An October 2019 Pew Research survey found that 76 percent of boomers describe themselves as Christians. This is second only to the silent generation (those born between 1928 and 1945), among whom 84 percent claim to be Christians. By comparison, only 49 percent of millennials (those born 1981 to 1998) describe themselves as Christians. Thirty-five percent of boomers say they attend church services once or more weekly, while an additional 13 percent say they attend church once or twice a month. So, almost half of boomers attend church once or more each month. Based on these statistics, most of our churches likely have more boomers attending than any other age group. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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A 2017 study by Harvard University, Stanford University, and AARP found that, “The lack of social contacts among older adults costs Medicare $6.7 billion a year, mostly from spending on nursing facilities and hospitalization for those who have less of a network to help out.” Another study showed that, among those 50 and older, lonely people see their primary care physicians more than those who aren’t lonely. More than 8 percent of boomers reported they often feel lonely, the highest percentage of any generational group. A survey of seniors on Medicare found that 27 to 29 percent of them are lonely. “Research suggests that those who are isolated are at an increased risk of depression, cognitive decline and dementia, and that social relationships influence their blood pressure and immune functioning, as well as whether people take their medications,” according to Adamy and Overberg. “Loneliness and isolation are bad for your health at any age, but the forces that take hold late in life often compound it.” Churches and church leaders need to take note that some of these lonely, isolated boomers are sitting in your church every Sunday wondering whether anyone is going to notice them or help them. FEBRUARY 2020

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Minister of Loneliness? Churches today, especially larger churches, are hiring all sorts of new staff members—from storytellers to filmmakers to fitness instructors to IT specialists—to help them accomplish their mission. So, someone might ask, why not hire a minister of loneliness? The British government in early 2018 appointed its first “minister of loneliness” to help combat the growing issues of aging, social isolation, and loneliness in their country. I’m not seriously advocating that churches hire a minister of loneliness, but I wonder, • How would your ministry focus change if you made reducing loneliness a priority? • Who in your congregation and your local community would be helped if you made this part of your ministry and mission strategies? • Among your current ministry practices, what can you leverage to minister to lonely people more effectively? In 2002, a group of seniors in Boston came together to form a “village” to help each other with household services, social activities, and old-age planning. This group has spawned 240 similar groups in 41 states with 100 more in development in what is now known as the Village to Village Network. A primary component of their mission is to “provide social activities that minimize isolation and promote interaction and trust within the Village community, between individuals who offer their help and those who ask for help when needed.” The members of these village networks help each other with such things as rides to doctors’ appointments and handyman services, while also arranging group activities like exercise and bowling. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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This sounds like what everyone in our churches (not just staff members) should be doing—helping one another as needed! It also sounds to me like the early church described in Acts, which shared what they had with one another, cared for one another, and looked after the needs of the widows and elderly.

What Are the Next Steps? There are 59 “one another” verses in the New Testament that command us to do a variety of things for each other. Perhaps at your church’s next strategic planning retreat or ministry programming meeting the leaders should read through those 59 “one another” commands and ask the following questions: • How are we doing as a church in obeying these commands? • In what specific ways am I personally living out these teachings? • As a church and as leaders, how could we be more intentional about living out the “one anothers” in the Bible? My guess is if your church did this, it would transform both your church and community. I’m confident the levels of loneliness and social isolation would decrease for boomers and everyone else in your church. And I’m convinced the spiritual and physical health of your congregation and community would improve dramatically.  FEBRUARY 2020

Ho rizo n s

River of Life BY LAURA MCKILLIP WOOD

“When I was 14 years old, I traveled with my father to a little town in the middle of nowhere to teach one man. This man was planting a church in his house. My dad went there every month to teach him, and when I saw this, it really touched my heart. He left the city where we lived, a classroom full of students, and a big church where he ministered to go to just one person in a small town.” Jeff Fife watched his father on that trip. He saw his father’s care for that pastor, the sacrifices he made to mentor him, and he decided he would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a church planter.

Third-Culture Roots

Laura McKillip Wood, former missionary to Ukraine, now serves as the registrar at Nebraska Christian College in Papillion, Nebraska, and works as an on-call chaplain at a nearby hospital. She and her husband, Andrew, have three teenagers. /laura.wood2 @woodlaura30 @woodlaura30 lauramckillipwood.com lauramckillipwood@gmail.com

Jeff and his five siblings lived as third-culture kids while growing up in Brazil. His parents were from the United States, but they moved to Brazil to serve as missionaries the year Jeff was born. He made one short trip to the U.S. when he was 4, but his first real experience in his parents’ home culture occurred at age 15. Because of this, Jeff says he feels more Brazilian than anything. He speaks Portuguese fluently and has a slight Portuguese accent when he speaks English. After deciding as a teenager to work with churches and church leaders, Jeff began taking Bible classes. However, when deciding on a career, he chose not to become a traditional missionary like his parents, because, as he put it, “I didn’t want to raise funds.” Instead, he started his own business renting out sound equipment for events. When he and his business partner started their venture, they did not know Jeff would eventually marry this man’s daughter, Monica. The couple now have two children together. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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Growth and Change In 1991, Jeff and Monica planted a church in Brazil, and later they decided to move to Massachusetts to plant another church to reach out to Portuguese people living there. To support his family, he began his own house-painting and cleaning business and hired Portuguese-speaking Brazilians to work in it. Through contacts with the Brazilian community, Jeff developed a network, and the church grew. About this time, Jeff’s father invited him on a trip to Tennessee. His father had secretly planned a tour of Johnson University’s campus to convince his son to move his family there and finish his bachelor’s degree. The dad’s plan worked perfectly, and Jeff eventually graduated from Johnson. At this point, Jeff’s ministry kicked into high gear. He went back to Brazil, and through his organization, Brazil River of Life Ministries, started 17 churches in 17 years in San Paolo and the surrounding areas. When he began planting these churches, Jeff wanted to follow a model that people in the community could sustain without complete dependence on American funds. This involved several important elements. First, all the churches’ pastors have other jobs. The churches do not pay them, so these pastors all have full-time outside work. Second, the churches begin as house groups. As they grow, they may move to larger buildings or build facilities for themselves. The churches follow what Jeff calls the “50/50 rule.” Supporters of Brazil River of Life Ministries contribute some funds for the new church buildings and programs, but the churches themselves must contribute at least 50 percent toward that monetary goal. This might mean a church in the U.S. provides 50 percent of the funding for a project, such as a church building, and the local church contributes the other 50 percent. It might also mean the local church contributes manpower to build the structure themselves, thereby saving a considerable amount of money. As Jeff puts it, “People may not have money, but they have labor. They can do the work and use the money raised more efficiently. They then feel ownership of it.” Not only that, but each church gives 10 percent of its offerings to missions. Jeff realized contributing to the work of God in other cultures empowers the Brazilian people to reach out and minister themselves. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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Reaching Farther The ministry Jeff started has influenced Brazil and also branched out to other parts of the Portuguese-speaking world. About 30 years ago, a popular Brazilian soccer player named Kleber came to a service at the church where Jeff’s parents served. When he heard the message, Kleber came forward crying. He accepted Christ that day, during a time he was about to join a bigger and better-paying soccer team. Instead, Kleber decided to go to Bible college. After that, he planted several churches. He and his wife eventually moved to Mozambique to become missionaries. Brazilian churches support Kleber and his wife and their work among Portuguese-speaking people in that African nation. They work among the Makua, the largest people group and the poorest ethnic group in Mozambique. The Makua have no running water in their villages, no electricity, and no sewers. Despite that, the Makua believers reached out with the gospel to neighboring people groups. They have now trained people from those groups to start churches among their own people, working as missionaries to their own. Now the Makua people support those missionaries in their work. Jeff’s early years as a missionary kid reluctant to raise funds has led him to teach generations of church leaders to reach out and form financially and spiritually stable churches all over the Portuguese-speaking world. In 2019, Jeff Fife served as president of the International Conference On Missions, further promoting intercultural ministry around the world. As he says, “Help us plant churches in Brazil, and we’ll plant churches all over the world. The Brazilians are willing to go!”  FEBRUARY 2020

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P o l i sh ed

‘Fire and Rain’: The Power of a Praying Wife BY MEGAN RAWLINGS

The lyrics of James Taylor’s song “Fire and Rain” (and this verse, in particular, “I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend . . .”) echoed in my mind as I thought about the past year. I’ve received an unbelievable number of calls from disheartened wives during the past 12 months. Many of these ladies live with men who struggle with porn, constantly threaten divorce, have affairs, and/or battle alcoholism. All of these women are Christians who are married to nonbelieving husbands; they all need reassurance they are not alone.

Megan Rawlings is the founder and CEO of The Bold Movement. She is an extrovert, pastor’s wife, and lover of the Scriptures.

I needed a success story of a couple who had overcome such obstacles to share with these women— an assurance that Christ keeps his promises to the faithful. But how does one seek out such a story? And then—in God’s timing—the phone rang. The narrative I needed was on the line. This is that couple’s story.* C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

/tbmministry @tbm_ministry @tbm_ministry @theboldmovement theboldmovement.com

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Renae’s Story Renae was a cultural Christian. (That is, she attended church because that is what “good people” do.) She was born and raised in Korea, which is where she met David during his deployment in the late ’90s. It was love at first sight, and they soon married. After two years of marriage, the newlyweds made their way to America. David worked during the week, and hunted, fished, and enjoyed sports on the weekend. But for Renae, America meant isolation. She was in a new country with no friends and a husband who was never home. Despite their growing emotional distance, Renae found herself pregnant. Nothing changed after the birth of their first child, except that Renae now had the added stress of raising a baby. She felt she had no support. Fast-forward a couple of years. Renae became pregnant again and felt more alone than ever. She longed for an adult friend. In a moment of desperation, she turned to the God she had heard about at church. “God, if you are real,” she prayed, “help me and show me.” Renae began praying a lot. Her demeanor changed, but the transformation wasn’t easy. “I decided to read his Word [and] believe what he said,” she told me, “and it really did change me.” C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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When God Doesn’t Answer the Way You Want While reading her Bible, Renae stumbled upon this verse: “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct” (1 Peter 3:1, 2, English Standard Version). Renae immediately began submitting to her husband, refused to nag him, and loved him the way he needed to be loved. Despite her efforts and obedience to God, she did not immediately “win” her husband. In fact, he began drinking even more heavily. After four years in the States, David and Renae were ordered back to Korea, where he began drinking more and staying out later. Renae learned of David’s new love—gambling. Soon, he had wiped out their savings. Renae handled news of this financial setback with grace, and she continued to grow through prayer. She refused to complain; instead, she respected and loved her husband. After all, “It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife” (Proverbs 21:19, New Living Translation). Yet, the situation got worse. Credit card debt grew. As soon as they would pay off a card, David would misuse it again. Renae simply continued to pray. FEBRUARY 2020

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Beauty in Faithfulness In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis tells of an experienced demon who is mentoring his nephew, a less experienced demon. He says, “Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending to do our Enemy’s [God’s] will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.” This is exactly what Renae did. She fought with grit in the face of adversity, and despite her circumstances, she did what Scripture told her to do. Several strenuous years had passed since Renae became a Christian and started praying for her husband, but a fateful day eventually arrived. After David received word of his deployment to Iraq, something happened to him. He told his wife, “Renae, I just want to thank you for being so patient with me. God has shown me the error of my ways. I am truly blessed, and now, I have decided to follow Jesus.” Sinful behavior doesn’t disappear immediately. Renae prayed for and supported David throughout his battle with addiction. She refused to criticize him when he messed up but, rather, encouraged him through the tough times. This wasn’t necessarily what she wanted to do, but it is what God called her to do. It took time for David to give up the bottle, but he eventually did. If you are facing a similar situation—attempting to get through a trying time in life—here are five practical tips. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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How to Persevere Through a Trying Circumstance Fight like Christ. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he fought the enemy by quoting Scripture. Memorize verses in context and use them when you are at your weakest. Be consistent. We are inclined to give up when something doesn’t happen overnight. Fight that temptation, because your husband can be won by your actions. Be persistent. The success of your ministry is not measured by how others respond to your efforts. If your husband is not changing, that does not mean your ministry is ineffective. Be faithful. Tony Evans said, “Faith is acting like God is telling the truth.” Know that God will never lie to you. Pray . . . even when it feels hopeless. Prayer really does change things. Sometimes it changes the person you are praying for, and sometimes it changes you. Nonetheless, God hears you!  *The facts in the story are true, but the names have been changed to ensure privacy. FEBRUARY 2020

Ministry L i fe

Eternity with a Child Molester BY HALEE WOOD

Hatred . . . Love. Despair . . . Hope. Rejection . . . Acceptance. Contradictory emotions filled me as I stood faceto-face with a child molester. Despite having been abused by a much older boy— resulting in pregnancy and abortion by age 14— God had provided me with a story of redemption that sparks emotion and hope, especially among those who share a similar history and for those living with a spouse who shares my experiences.

Halee Wood shares unashamedly about Christ’s grace and healing through loving, serving, discipling, writing, and speaking. Learn more about her testimony and work at runtheracetogether.com. runtheracetogether.com

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When I share my testimony publicly, it is not uncommon for someone to discreetly wait around until the room is all but empty, then walk forward to confess, “I’ve never told anyone my story before . . .” Their stories of abuse and abortion have held them emotionally and spiritually hostage for decades. As they bravely unfold the deeply hidden secrets of their past, I sense I am witnessing the beginning of their redemption story. My imagination goes wild: How might their marriage be healed? How will future generations be influenced by this moment? God is so good to restore the brokenhearted. While listening to and praying with several women after an event one evening, I became aware of a middle-aged man lingering in the back. He stood with his head down and arms folded, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. When my line settled, I approached him and introduced myself. “I can’t stand to think about it,” he declared without introducing himself. “Would you like to share your story with me?” I asked, preparing myself to be a compassionate listener. His facial expression writhed with anger and pain as he uttered his confession. Few things rattle me, but this was different . . . it felt personal. Emotion and truth clashed within me and I felt I might explode. His confession? He had molested his daughter many years earlier. He had served a prison sentence, and while he had previously felt remorse for what he did, hearing my testimony brought a deeper understanding of the suffering his daughter and her husband have likely endured because of his actions. I did not want to have compassion for this man! I was more inclined to scream at him or punch him. Seriously, who let this guy in? Am I supposed to feel sorry for him because he feels pain for her? What a joke! C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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I was about to stare him down with a mixture of hate, disapproval, and utter contempt when a still, small voice whispered to me, “If he can’t come here, where should he go?” I momentarily considered where I would like him to go, but then a profound truth from God’s Word and my own experiences washed over me. In my own abuse story, God empowered me to forgive my abuser, and, in that process, I considered whether I was willing to pray for his salvation. In other words, if God answered my prayer, I would have to spend eternity with my abuser. At first thought, it was absolutely mortifying. But God planted within me a vision of my abuser as a new creation, and I realized if he was saved, I would not have to spend eternity with him, I would get to spend eternity with him. The greatest gift to me as the victim would be to see my abuser healed and whole, never to abuse again. The only way my abuser could receive the healing power of Jesus Christ was if someone chose to share the good news of Jesus Christ with him . . . despite his heinous behaviors. So, as I stood eyeto-eye with this man who had just confessed to me, I had to choose in a single moment whether to hate and turn him away or to assure him he was in the right place. If I turned him away, it could possibly be a catalyst for his sinful tendencies to fester and perhaps lead him to abuse again. If I chose to assure him he was in the right place—a place to hear, learn, and experience the Word of God and his people—it might possibly someday help him and his daughter to sort through their complicated hopes of healing and maybe . . . perhaps . . . even experience a miraculous reconciliation. He was definitely in the right place, and now my heart is too.  Submit your own 500- to 700-word essay telling of an experience through which you learned a vital ministry principle by emailing it to cs@christianstandardmedia.com with “MinistryLife” in the subject line. See more information at www.christianstandard.com/contact-us/submit-articles.

FEBRUARY 2020

matthew 25:34-36

don’t lessen ‘the least of these’

By Jon Weatherly

“The impious Galilaeans support not only their own poor but ours as well.”

—Julian, Letters, 22

The scene is dramatic. The language is poetic. The effect is chilling. The Son of Man sits on the divine throne, surrounded by angels. Before him are the peoples of the world. He sorts them like a shepherd separating the more valuable sheep from the less valuable goats. But they are sorted for blessing and punishment, for a reason none quite expects. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did [or ‘did not do’] for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did [or ‘did not do’] for me” (Matthew 25:40, 45). Matthew 25:31-46 depicts a singular criterion of eternal judgment: treatment of “the least of these.” Naturally, Christians are keen to identify who Jesus is talking about and determine how to apply the passage today. Recent publications on this text connect it to all kinds of contemporary social problems: hunger, global migration, torture, sexual assault, the U.S. presidency, Christian support for Israel, the rights of Palestinians. If it is in the news, Christians have applied this passage to it. And they have drawn conclusions about the identity of “the least of these”: narrowly as Christians, more narrowly as Christian missionaries or Jewish Christians, or more broadly as anyone in need. Question-begging and conclusion-jumping are rampant when it comes to this text. But too much is at stake for such carelessness. We need a thorough look at this text, its context, and its role in the book of Matthew before we set our agenda.

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the features of storytelling The artistry of this text is exceptional. The description is spare but deeply meaningful. Jesus refers to himself as “Son of Man,” his characteristic term for himself that alludes to the triumphant figure who defeats the evil kingdoms in Daniel 7. Enthroned as king, he acts as shepherd, an image repeatedly used in Israel’s Scriptures for their kings (Matthew 25:31, 32). He announces that the group on his right, the side of kingly favor, are blessed by his Father and will inherit the kingdom prepared before the creation of the world (v. 34). He enumerates the reasons for their blessing in pairs: feeding and giving drink, sheltering and clothing, caring when sick and visiting in prison. These were acts of mercy viewed by Jesus’ contemporaries as the duty of God’s people, but they signal heightened hardship as the list ends with imprisonment. The Lord is the object of persecution, the victim of the prevailing, wicked empire.

Those who are blessed are utterly unaware of what they have done. Incredulous, they ask for an explanation. They had no idea they had served the Lord. The Lord answers their incredulity by asserting his solidarity with “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine.” Then the scene reverses to those who have not served the Lord. The cursed hear the Lord’s pronouncement in the same way as the blessed, with only a few words omitted to shorten the story. They also are ignorant and incredulous. In contrast to the kingdom prepared before creation, they go to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (v. 41). Both groups call the king their “Lord” while expressing the same ignorance of their deeds (vv. 37, 44). Their destiny hinges not on their words when their Lord is visible but their actions when the Lord is invisible yet present.

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the function in context This story comes as the conclusion to a long discourse that began in Matthew 23:1, the fifth long discourse in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 5:1–7:27; 10:1-42; 13:152; 18:1-35). In this last discourse, exchanges with the religious leaders lead to Jesus’ denunciation of them for not practicing what they teach (23:3), especially for neglecting justice, mercy, and faith (23:23). Their determination to hold their power leads them to reject Jesus, bringing to a climax the persecution of God’s prophets throughout Israel’s Scriptures (23:29-36). That rejection will be answered by Jerusalem’s destruction (23:37-39), of which Jesus warns his followers (24:1, 2), cautioning them to be ready to endure hardship and persecution (24:3-13), yet assuring them that God’s good news will still be heralded throughout the world (24:14). These events must not be confused with the fullness of Jesus’ reign as king, however. That comes at a time unknown even to the Lord himself (24:36). His followers must therefore serve faithfully and patiently during what seems to be Jesus’ absence, like servants while their master is away (24:45-51; 25:14-30). They must be prepared to endure, even if his arrival takes longer than they hope (25:1-13).

At the conclusion of this discourse, the story of the sheep and goats refocuses the Lord’s seeming absence. Though invisible to all on earth, he nevertheless reigns over earth, knowing what all on earth do. And though invisible on earth, he is served on earth whenever one serves one of “the least,” those who hunger, thirst, are naked or strangers, are sick or imprisoned. The Lord is, after all, the “Son of Man,” Jesus’ term of self-description by which he both claims divine authority (9:6; 12:8) and warns of coming suffering, death, and resurrection (17:9, 12, 22, 23; 20:18, 19, 28; 26:24). One such warning immediately follows this story (26:2). Then comes the account of Jesus’ death, in which his thirst (27:34, 48), nakedness (27:35), physical distress (26:38; 27:50) and incarceration (26:50, 57; 27:2, 26) are in the forefront. He becomes one of “the least of these.” How does the Lord rule when he appears to be absent? How can God’s good news be proclaimed to all the nations when the world is in turmoil and Christ’s followers are persecuted? In part, the answer is in the simple, lowly service of his followers toward those who are in need . . . service that serves the Lord who himself became lowly and needy.

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the fabric of the gospel This passage connects themes in the entire Gospel of Matthew. We often read this text narrowly for its teaching on the terms of final judgment. But that judgment must be understood in relation to Matthew’s larger emphasis: the coming of the reign of God, “the kingdom of heaven” in Matthew’s terminology, through the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew says God’s purpose will be accomplished, God’s promises will be fulfilled, God’s righteousness will prevail, God’s will shall be done on earth as it is in Heaven, all through Jesus serving, dying, rising, ruling, and sending his followers to make disciples who do what he commands until he returns. This ending of the last of Jesus’ five long discourses in Matthew’s Gospel corresponds with the other discourses, especially the first, the Sermon on the Mount. Those who are blessed under God’s coming reign are needy, downtrodden, unable to assert their own power (Matthew 5:3-6). As the objects of God’s purifying, peace-making mercy, they are animated by the same qualities (5:7-9), joyously confident of his reign even when they are persecuted as subjects of the true king (5:10-12), transforming the world by their faithfulness to their king (5:13-16). Those connections continue through the Sermon on the Mount. God has loved those who become subjects of his kingdom despite their rebellion against him. So as God’s true children, they love even their enemies (5:43-48). That love replaces vengeance with self-sacrifice (5:38-42). Their love, like God’s, is not limited to any category of people.

(Matthew 6:11-13, 25-34; 7:7-11). They can therefore treat others as they would want to be treated (7:12), knowing their generosity will not outrun God’s. They know confessing Jesus as Lord demands that they do the will of the Father (7:21-23), that they act on Jesus’ words (7:24-27). They find their sabbath rest in Jesus, the meek and lowly (11:28-30). But God’s reign does not arrive immediately in its fullness. Many reject the good news and despise the generosity of God’s subjects. Jesus cautions about those who reject God’s gifts (7:6), warning repeatedly to expect rejection (10:14-39; 13:3-7, 18-22) and still insisting that many will receive the gifts gladly (10:40-42; 13:8, 23). All these exhortations are grounded in the character and actions of the king who gives them. When asked by two disciples to be enthroned at his right and left, Jesus concludes his response by calling on all to become great in the kingdom by becoming the servant of all: “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

These kingdom subjects can be so remarkably generous because they know their king supplies their needs

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the fellowship of the least It takes question-begging and conclusion-jumping to derive simplistic answers from this text about everything from how to vote to whether to give to beggars on the street. But in this story, we realize the breathtaking scope of ministry to the least of these. The Lord who gave his life for the unworthy, even for those who tortured him to death, calls his followers to love even their enemies, not in word only but in the most generous of deeds. It therefore appears implausible that as “the least of these,” Jesus spoke only of Christians or Christian missionaries, even with his statement addressing the reception of Jesus’ messengers (Matthew 10:40-42). We limit our circle of ministry at our peril when Jesus calls us to love even those who persecute us. Even if we especially serve the family of believers, we must do good to all people (Galatians 6:10). Does this mean we are called to serve the needy more than to declare God’s good news? Not at all. This scene of judgment in which “all the nations” are gathered parallels the commission to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19, New American Standard Bible). Those who preach to all the nations serve all the nations, doing all the Lord commands while teaching others the same. We can confidently reject the false

choice between evangelism and benevolence. They are inseparable. Is the church responsible to feed the whole world? Do we need a strategy to end global poverty? Our resources, after all, are finite. Our sense of inadequacy to respond to the needy multitudes also arises as we contemplate discipling “all the nations.” Like Jesus’ call that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law (Matthew 5:20), the scope of this mandate should leave us deeply aware of our weakness. Recognizing our inadequacy, we go again to the cross as those poor in spirit, who hunger and thirst for God’s right way, depending on God’s mercy and power, realizing the tiny mustard seed grows to be a great tree in which the birds build their nests . . . not by our wise strategy or exceptional generosity but by the Lord’s power. Those commended in Jesus’ story were not brilliant planners or martyr-like givers. They simply did what the Lord’s mercy prompted as the need appeared, unaware of the immense significance of what they did. The Lord is with them always, even when they are unaware (Matthew 1:23; 28:20). We can serve the least of these only when we know we are the least of these. 

Jon Weatherly serves as professor of New Testament and vice president for academic affairs/provost at Johnson University. /jon.weatherly

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@SWNID

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@SWNID

FEBRUARY 2020

I was hungry and thirsty you gave me food and drink

The Dollar Club BY STEVE POE

Remember when a dollar was worth something? I remember paying a little less than a dollar for a gallon of gas. Today gasoline commonly costs triple that amount. Some time ago, if you wanted hot coffee, you could buy one for yourself and one for a friend and still get change back from your dollar. Today a Starbucks coffee starts at $1.85. You just can’t do much with a dollar anymore. And yet, what if each of us combined our dollars? That’s exactly what we do at our church with an initiative we call Northview Dollar Club. Four times a year, we ask everyone at all our campuses to contribute a dollar for an unknown cause. Two weeks later, we show the church a video story of what we did with the money. It usually is very emotional to watch the story unfold. Again, a dollar is not worth much, but when combined with other dollars, we can make a significant difference in a hurting ministry or family. Together we can help “the least of these.”

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Dollar Club Stories We collected about $5,000 in our first Dollar Club offering five years ago. A family at one of our campuses had a 12-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy. She was deaf and couldn’t walk or talk. Some of their friends told us the family wanted a communication device for their daughter but couldn’t afford it. To keep our plan a surprise, we told the family we would like to film a story of their journey with their daughter. At a certain point in the interview, I asked about the communication device. I then reminded them about the Northview Dollar Club, and as I handed them a check, I told them we would like to purchase it for them. You can imagine the surprise and emotion that followed. Our second Dollar Club collection benefited a new ministry we learned about called Circle City Relief. Founders Matt and Sandy Gay set up in an Indianapolis parking lot every Sunday and provide hot meals, socks, and toiletries for the homeless. We heard they had to borrow a friend’s van every week to haul everything to the parking lot. We told Matt we wanted to shoot a video of their ministry to show to our church. While one of our pastors interviewed Matt in the parking lot, another pastor drove up behind them in a van we had purchased with Dollar Club money. He walked up behind Matt and told him about the Northview Dollar Club, and we had heard their ministry needed a van. He handed Matt the keys and asked him to turn around. The van was right behind him. It was a powerful, emotional moment as Matt threw his arms around our pastor. Another offering benefited a young woman who had fallen down the stairs and broken her neck, leaving her a quadriplegic. She was struggling emotionally and had thoughts of suicide. Because of the Dollar Club and the support of friends, not only did she decide she wanted to live, but she started attending church and turned her life back to God.

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Christmas Dollar Clubs We take a broader approach with our Christmas-themed Dollar Club each year. For instance, one year I went to a filling station in a poorer community and purchased gas for everyone who drove in. I then went to a small family grocery store in the city and paid for groceries as people came through the checkout line. In a few cases, I told the families to go back and shop some more—that I would pay for all their groceries. The grocery store manager told us one of his employees was having a difficult time. She was raising her grandchildren and her husband had lost his job. I spoke with her about the family’s struggles and told her we wanted to help. She broke down and cried, as did several other employees we helped that day. We’ve also paid utility bills and purchased Christmas presents for families. We were able to end homelessness for two families and purchased work clothing for the residents of Isaiah House, a reentry house for exoffenders in Indianapolis. We have helped families with terminally ill kids dealing with long stays at Riley’s Children’s Hospital. There are plenty of great ways to help at Christmas.

Recent Dollar Clubs Not long ago we were able to abolish medical debt for almost 6,000 families through a company called RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that purchases unpaid debt for pennies on the dollar. (See “Your Medical Debt Has Been Forgiven” on page 64.) On this occasion, we asked our church to consider giving $3 each, assuring them it would be worth it. We raised $40,000, and RIP used that money to pay off more than $7.8 million in debt! RIP Medical sent letters to beneficiaries throughout our area telling them that Northview Church had paid their medical debt, allowing them to have a fresh start. We have campuses in 10 communities, and through this

initiative we were able to pay off anywhere from 37 percent of medical debt in one community to as much as 100 percent in another. The most recent Dollar Club benefited a widow whose pastor husband had passed away several years ago. They had served a small church, so finances were always tight, but he died suddenly, leaving her in a very difficult situation. A few years later, the woman’s father died, and so her mother came to live with her. There was no more room in the house, so they converted the garage into a small apartment for the mom, but the apartment didn’t have a bathroom. The Dollar Club funds paid for installation of a bathroom in the apartment. Both women were emotional to receive this gift of love.

Jesus said we have an obligation and responsibility to help “the least of these.” One day we will give an account for how we helped hurting people. Yet, so often people feel they don’t have much to offer. This is one reason I love the Northview Dollar Club! I think it helps people see that, while we might have limited ability to make a difference in our world, we can work together to help the least of these. If every believer will give God their first and best, I believe the church can change the world! 

Steve Poe has served as senior pastor of Northview Church—a multisite church in central Indiana, currently with 13 locations—since 1999. He began his ministry after spending 11 years in the business world and cultivating a heart for the unchurched. @pastorstevepoe

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I was a stranger you invited me in

SOLVI NG THE AMER I C AN CHURCH ’S PR PRO B LEM

By Tyler McKenzie

Outsiders consider people inside the church to be extreme and irrelevant. That’s according to recent research about perceptions of Christianity in America conducted by Barna Group and its president David Kinnaman. You may disagree with these descriptors of churchgoers—extreme and irrelevant—but perception is reality to some degree. Outsiders either despise us or don’t care about us. We clearly have a PR problem on our hands.

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Extreme

The extremist label (see sidebar, “Extreme”) does not bother me, just as long as we are extreme for the same things as Jesus. But the perception that Christianity and Christians are irrelevant does bothers me. It keeps me up at night. Christians have been criticized for our beliefs throughout history. If we live counterculturally, we will always be criticized. However, we should never be criticized for our relevancy.

Some of the more vocal critics of Christians and Christianity accuse us of holding extreme views. But perhaps they should look in the mirror. In their recent book, Good Faith: Being a Christian When Society Thinks You’re Irrelevant and Extreme, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons found Christianity’s critics (skeptics) hold some rather extreme views of their own:

We are a resurrection movement! As Paul said (and I’ll paraphrase), “If the resurrection happened, then nothing else matters, and if it didn’t happen, then nothing else matters.” We believe it happened, yet we cannot convince our neighbors, coworkers, or even our children.

• 8 3 percent believe attempting to convert someone to Christianity is extreme. • 6 0 percent believe protesting government policies for religious reasons is extreme. • 4 7 percent believe quitting a good-paying job for mission work in another country is extreme.

THE LOVE THE ’VILLE STORY

• 3 4 percent believe waiting until marriage to have sex is extreme.

Five years ago, because of our conviction that “nothing else matters,” Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, decided to do something about the church’s PR problem. We believed we could solve Christianity’s relevancy problem by being extreme . . . that is, extremely cross-shaped.

• 2 7 percent believe regularly donating money to a faith community is extreme. • 1 3 percent believe reading the Bible in a public place is extreme. • 11 percent believe attending church is extreme. Critics of Christianity may not fight for religious truth, but they do fight for causes, politicians, policies, and values they find important. They protest. They attempt to convert others. They give money. They read literature in public, and perhaps even hand it out. They attend rallies, meetings, and gatherings. They leave high-paying positions for jobs with more “meaning.” They are “extreme” by their own definition.

Since people outside the church generally have a negative view of us, we decided to change that by earning a reputation as the “Love the ’Ville Church” in our city. Wouldn’t it be awesome, we thought, if that became our nickname in the mayor’s office, the public school system, and the homeless shelters, among refugee families, in prisons, and in every home?

Christian leaders have said for years, “America’s problem is moral relativism.” But polarization in our culture proves people believe there is right and wrong, absolute truth and untruth, and they’re willing to fight for it!

Our preeminent goal became redefining our church around the cross-shaped love of Jesus. Our extreme focus became Jesus’ great commands and cruciform example,

—T.M.

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for they both have proven relevancy! The empty tomb illuminated the cross’s potency over death while energizing future generations through the power of the resurrection. Nothing could possibly be more relevant! We’ve seen that to be true. In five years, • We grew from zero to six Love the ’Ville outreach staff. When I teach church leaders about our approach, they always say, “Yeah, we do that stuff too.” A friend recently said those very words, and then he asked, “Who owns outreach at your church . . . your discipleship guy?” I answered yes, but added that all of our people have responsibility for being cross-shaped servants. I said we’ve built an entire team around this. I then challenged my friend, “Until your outreach team is at least as big as your weekend programming team, how committed are you to what happens outside that one hour? Where your treasure is . . .”

“

TH I S LOVE THE ’ VILLE FR AMEWO R K GOES B E YO N D DO I N G A FEW SERVE PROJ EC T S O R B E I NG N I CE .

• We have more than quadrupled our financial commitment to outreach.

IT’S NOT A ‘ SERVE DAY,’

• We have built deep, personal partnerships with 10 public schools. People in one of the largest public school systems in America love us. Christians have long lamented, “We need God back in school!” In Louisville, the public school system has invited God in through us!

IT’S A

‘serve-DNA.’

• We have developed deep ministry partnerships with some of the best organizations serving “the least of these.” • We’ve launched more than 30 organic ministries within our church. Some of our stakeholders have approached

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our church’s leaders and said, “I love what we do, but God is calling me to love a certain group our church is not serving.” Those are wonderful conversations, because we get to send those folks out to serve that group. We tell them, “Go! Don’t ignore God’s call. Let’s work together to make this dream a reality. But go!” Over the years, we’ve seen more than 30 dreams become realities. These outreaches are led by our people and funded by our people (and not our staff or budget).

than employing quick-church-growth gimmicks.

• Virtually everyone at Northeast has participated.

Our approach has unleashed an evangelistic fervor in our church because it has made evangelism accessible to everyone. We believe evangelism starts with something as simple as loving others in cross-shaped ways, and who can’t do that? Evangelism has become a dirty word today; it rings of gospel tracts, awkward confrontations, and telling folks, “Hell is hot!” A proselytizing approach is guilt-driven and turns folks off. The targets of such an approach feel like projects, not people.

• Our city’s mayor and the governor of Kentucky have both recognized and awarded our church for its service. • Most importantly, our city trusts us as the Love the ’Ville Church. The changes we’ve made aren’t the types of things typically recommended by church growth gurus. We don’t set goals to “triple in size” or “add 1,000 people” or “plant five campuses.” Rather, our emphasis is simple—“Earn a reputation for living crossshaped lives!” The rest takes care of itself. We have shifted our budget, ministries, and mission in massive ways. We value kingdom impact over weekend attendance. We have grown 10 to 20 percent per year over the last several years . . . I think. I’m not certain about the percentage because we just don’t watch attendance numbers that closely. Instead, our approach prioritizes values like self-sacrifice, servanthood, generosity, relationships, story, and faithfulness; these types of things are hard to quantify on a metrics dashboard. This relational approach takes the long view rather

Our approach requires patience. Sadly, many churches that ask our advice will try our approach for a season, but quickly will lose patience and gravitate back to their old ways. Some churches that revert back then dismiss our approach as “social gospel” and “lacking evangelistic fervor.”

EVANGELISM FOR EVERYONE

At a conference, I once heard a church leader say, “Ten percent of your church has the gift of evangelism. Tap into it!” I thought to myself, I didn’t know evangelism was an option for the other 90 percent. It isn’t. I think that conference speaker was really saying this: “Only 10 percent of your church is weird enough to walk around and ask people, ‘Do you know where you’re going when you die?’” At Northeast, we don’t encourage that approach because it lacks the emotional intelligence and relational currency it takes to have a serious conversation about Jesus with a nonbeliever. At Northeast, our unique approach to evangelism is this: We always walk the walk, and then we talk the talk when the opportunity is right.

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SOCIAL IMPACT Northeast wants to make a social impact on our community—extremely so—but without abandoning our call to evangelism and orthodox truth. This Love the ’Ville framework goes beyond doing a few serve projects or being nice. It’s not a “serve day,” it’s a “serve-DNA.” It is the operating system in every department of our church. This is our spiritual formation system, our discipleship model, our evangelism strategy, curricular philosophy, justice program, and part of how we express our worship. This is what we do. Our dream is to be a movement of people who live the Love the ’Ville lifestyle. Our rally cry is, “We unleash Jesus’ love—everybody, every day, everywhere!”

GOD’S PLAN A “Call Northeast Christian.” That’s what the Mayor’s Office told an elderly couple from an impoverished neighborhood when they called for help last October. They needed help clearing fallen debris from their backyard to forestall eviction. Six organizations had ignored their calls for help. The government was their last hope, they thought, but our civic leaders had another idea: “Call Northeast Christian.” That’s the vision! Five years ago, we knew the American church had a PR problem. Lifelong Christians were walking away from church and our kids weren’t even considering it. To them, the church was boring, judgmental, irrelevant, abusive, extreme, or focused on all the wrong things. Rather than complaining about the problem, we decided to be the solution and earn a reputation as the Love the ’Ville Church. Today, we have captured the attention of a major

American city. We are the cutting edge of compassion in Compassionate City. As we like to say at Northeast, Jesus is why. I invite you to join us in this journey. We are five years old and have much to learn. We have not yet gone through our rocky teenage years! But we have to get this right. While the American church is neither growing nor held in high esteem, it is the most important institution in our country. God has called preachers and ministers to the most important work on this planet . . . more important than work performed by Apple and Google. The mission of Christian leaders is more important than that of Amazon or Nike. Ask yourself—all you young students, church planters, and emerging leaders whose hearts blaze with Holy Spirit fire to see revival in this country—Ten billion years from now, what will remain: the church of Jesus or the government of the United States? The answer is obvious. The church is God’s plan A (and there is no plan B). Paul calls us the body of Jesus. That means you and I are as close as anyone will get to Jesus this side of Heaven. Let’s make sure we represent him well. Let’s make sure we invite others to experience his life. Let’s make sure they experience love shaped like a cross. 

Tyler McKenzie is lead pastor at Louisville’s Northeast Christian Church, better known as “the Love the ’Ville Church.” To find out more or join them in this movement, email them at contact.us@necchurch.org. contact.us@necchurch.org

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I needed clothes you clothed me

D FURNITU

ORE TH AN H M

THE THRIFT STORE MINISTRY

IS CHURCH

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BY L. MACKENZIE

APP

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On December 15, 2008, leaders of The Crossing in Quincy, Illinois, were discussing possible changes to their benevolence strategy. Several of them had just visited a church in Post Falls, Idaho, where they sought out ideas for growth. Elder Bruce Freeman was among those who listened as an idea for a thrift store ministry was discussed. Freeman was head of benevolence, a man passionate about helping others. He also had 25 years of experience working in the retail clothing world and had run four stores of his own. He realized he was the person who could lead this brand-new, experimental ministry. The group approved moving forward with the thrift store approach. “Our line item for benevolence [back then] was $18,000,” recalls Freeman, who now serves as benevolence pastor with The Crossing’s million-dollar thrift store ministry. How did this become a ministry that both employs and clothes people in need? Through a combination of humble leadership, a healthy dose of the Holy Spirit, and a huge heart to serve Jesus by clothing the least among us.

The clothing ministry began with a $3,000 budget and a small team. The Crossing has a penchant for taking unused/abandoned buildings and repurposing them. In this case, they chose an unused grocery warehouse space at their church location in Macomb, Illinois, because the rent was free.

The remaining 4 percent is given away as financial assistance and used for food pantry items. The Crossing was also able to fund “Blessings in a Backpack,” a program where at-risk students receive food-filled backpacks to take home from school on Fridays, which provide them with food to eat over the weekend until their next free or reduced meal at school.

After just two announcements from stage in Quincy, donated goods poured in for the ministry. Another elder offered his semitruck, and it soon was packed with clothing, furniture, and wares ready for shipping to Macomb about 60 miles away. Before long, a mountain of clothing piled up at Macomb as volunteers sorted and put everything in order. The space smelled musty and floor tiles were broken and stained, but volunteers worked with what they were given. “Every rack was used or donated,” Freeman says. “The space was ugly. The lighting was horrible and didn’t work. It was a mess, but at the end of opening day, there was $450 in the register,” he remembers with a smile. And now—with eight stores in six locations across two states—Freeman certainly has many more reasons to smile. In 2019, the stores employed 70 and fed 2,257 families through the associated food pantry. Total revenue was $1.37 million that year and all expenses were covered. During the 11 years of existence, the stores have generated $940,000 for benevolence ministries. (See sidebar.) Of the monies generated by the thrift store operations, 35 percent goes to pay for rent, utilities, and fixed operating expenses, while the lion’s share—61 percent—covers payroll salaries along with benefits for managers. You read that correctly: The fulltime managers of Crossing’s thrift stores

I M PAC T I N G I N D I V I D UA L LIVES Some would say this ministry recycles more than just clothes. Here’s one man’s story. Billy Cole was taken to church as a little boy, but when he grew up, “I lived however I wanted to. I wanted instant gratification. I wanted everything now.” In between wandering and backsliding, he bounced in and out of recovery and churches. He was in a recovery program at The Crossing when a pastor came alongside him. At age 36, Billy was immersed. However, once again, the pull of the flesh became too much for Billy. He fell back into a bad lifestyle. Trouble with illegal and prescription drugs, sex, marijuana, meth, and alcohol led directly to hospital detoxes, psyche wards, and, finally, trouble with the law. At one point, he was charged with home invasion and could have been imprisoned for 6 to 30 years. He was given probation instead but began feeding the flesh again. He stopped reporting to his parole officer, but the pastor kept knocking at the door to talk (to little effect). When Billy was arrested again, the pastor visited him in jail. “Well, you can’t run from me now,” he said.

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have outstanding comprehensive healthcare and a retirement plan.

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family members, and others. “You never know what God’s going to do,” said Billy. “Different families’ eternities are being changed every day [through this ministry].” Freeman says of his employees and those helped by the thrift story ministry, “It’s never ‘us and them’ or ‘we gave them a second chance.’ We’re all in this together.”

I M PA C T I N G T H E KINGDOM FOR ETERNIT Y

Fast-forward to 2018. Billy began volunteering at the ministry’s Quincy locations, loading trucks and baling clothes. Each day, when he finished, Billy began organizing the warehouse. His manager noticed and asked if Billy could help at another warehouse location. After observing the sorting protocol there, Billy had ideas. Everything was piled high to the ceiling—a “hoarder’s paradise,” Billy called it—with only small paths to navigate through them. Billy set out to organize it all and miraculously transformed the space. It once could take two hours to find an item, but now it takes two minutes. “Getting [the space organized] was easy; maintaining is what’s hard.” Billy confides, “It’s kind of like [my faith walk].” Similar to how Billy has organized the thrift store warehouses into efficient and peaceful places, God is restoring Billy’s peace with who he is and what his future holds. To date, Billy has baptized his dad, eight other

“Not every store is profitable,” Freeman admits, “but [each store] gives us a presence in each community to minister.” The profitability of some stores allow the others to remain open, just as some of The Crossing’s locations financially support other multisite locations. When one calls a store to speak with a manager, it’s not unusual for the caller to be told, “Valerie is praying for someone right now. Can she call you back?” The thrift store ministry isn’t just about selling recycled clothes; there are many opportunities to minister, both to employees and the public. Last year, The Crossing leadership recognized that students in their communities needed winter coats. From stage, executive pastor Clayton Hentzel preached that any teacher or school worker who knew of a child in need could come to the church and receive thrift store vouchers to get clothing and coats. Principals and administrators of local schools were stunned and thankful for the help the church offered their students and families. “We can be the face of the church because [a thrift store is] a lot less scary than a church,” Freeman theorizes.

2,592 “Blessings in a Backpack” 202 church families financially assisted $1,265,000 in benevolence disbursed since inception (11 years). Of that amount, $940,000 was generated by the thrift stores and $325,000 came from donations.

God alone knows the number of people who are being baptized because they visit a store where they are loved, respected, treated with dignity, and probably receive an invitation to a service to hear the gospel message of Jesus. Christian ministry isn’t always just preaching the gospel, but also living it out in real time. Who are the least in your local communities? How can you help serve them from a practical standpoint? Maybe a thrift store ministry could be right for your church. It certainly has been for The Crossing. Freeman offers two key suggestions for starting such a ministry: (1) Start with what you have, though the task may seem overwhelming, and (2) Never lose sight of the purpose of your ministry and whom you serve.  For more information on how to start a thrift store ministry, contact Bruce Freeman and his team at (217) 214-0555 or brucefreeman@thecrossing.net.

L. Mackenzie’s passion for “thrifting” is rivaled only by her love of biblical research. She serves at a multisite megachurch, where she helps find nuggets of biblical inspiration for the preachers’ sermons, and she regularly writes Bible study and small group discussion questions for The Lookout.

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2,257 families—or 6,771 people—fed through the food pantry’s six locations

295,000 pounds of clothing recycled 626,000 items sold

70 employees Payroll: $712,000 Sales: $1,370,000

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I was sick you looked after me

ONE OF ‘THOSE’ PEOPLE A GENER ATION BECOMING FULLY DEVOTED TO CHRIST

By Nate Graybill

“I’m one of ‘those people.’ Hypocrite. Liar. Addict.” This admission was a moment of rigorous honesty that changed my life. It came after hours of bingeing on my drug of choice. More afraid of where my habit was leading me than of being exposed, I woke up my wife and said, “Honey, I need to tell you something. I’m addicted to porn. I need help.” I finally accepted the fact that I was not powerful enough to control my sin. Broken and afraid of losing my marriage, I was willing to try anything to heal. My wife suggested we tell our pastor. I was skeptical. Our church, Watermark Community Church, was less than a year old. Growing up a pastor’s kid, I knew church could be a risky place to talk about personal struggles, but out of desperation, I agreed. C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D

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The Power of Community and Confession After discussing my struggle with our pastor, Todd Wagner, we asked if he could point us to help from another couple who had dealt with this problem in marriage. He said, “Oh, porn is a big problem here, but I can’t refer you to anyone with this problem because you are the first to admit it. But I do have a small group of people you can trust. Let’s start with them.” Alone in this particular struggle, feeling like a failure (I was leading a ministry at the time), the suggestion to expose my sin to others seemed like a really bad idea. Except, it wasn’t just pastoral advice; it was biblical instruction. James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” I needed healing. Confessing your gut-wrenching sins to a group of peers is one the most frightening, humbling experiences anyone can undergo. Pretense is dismantled; the risk of rejection is monumental. Yet, this confession is the threshold of the transformational fellowship described in 1 John 1:7: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Sharing my sin with the small group was humbling, but freeing. No one acted shocked. In fact, they shared stories of their own messes and Christ’s healing. They remained present to comfort us and help us heal. “[God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). As our group searched the Bible for God’s healing path, I examined my entire life. We noticed patterns of sin. Pastors’ kids are keenly aware others are watching. Growing up, I began to relish the affirmation of the

community when I performed well. When I became afraid of failure, felt rejected, or didn’t get the approval I wanted, I struggled with porn. In my fantasy world, I was always successful, pursued, and affirmed. Discovering that my addiction was fueled by a desire for validation changed everything. Idolatry was my heart problem. I stopped trying to manage an unmanageable addiction and began weeding the garden of my heart. I shared fears, resentments, and confessed the smallest sins. I forgave others and made amends for harm I caused. Most importantly, I embraced my identity in Christ—priceless, bought with Jesus’ blood, chosen by Him for Him. God’s view of me now defined me. Through recovery, intimacy in my marriage flourished, our small group bonded, and deep affections for Christ filled my heart and crowded out those idols. Months later, my wife and I reported back to our pastor. He was excited and asked, “Well, whom are you going to tell? Others need to know what God’s Spirit can do working through his Word and his people.” We remembered what it was like to feel alone, so we began helping other struggling couples. When Watermark launched a Christ-centered recovery ministry, I agreed to help lead.

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The Start of a Christ-Centered Recovery Ministry Surprisingly, I found the 12 steps of recovery to be like my own healing experience. Participants admitted powerlessness over sin, believed God could save them, and trusted God for recovery. They inventoried, confessed, and repented of sin. They made amends, practiced daily recovery, and shared hope with others. Curious, I researched and learned that the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) were developed by people from the Oxford Group, a Christian group focused on biblical practices for spiritual growth: • Sharing sin and temptations with other Christians • Surrendering their lives—past, present and future— into God’s keeping and direction • Restitution to all whom they had wronged directly or indirectly • Listening for God’s guidance in all things, and carrying it out Sadly, as AA grew apart from the Oxford Group, it did not keep Jesus as essential, but let people surrender to “a god of their understanding.” While AA members did experience authentic accountability groups, they focused on sobriety rather than surrender to Christ, and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit was lost. Thankfully, the recovery material purchased by Watermark reinstated Christ as the only “Higher Power.” The ministry was a place where everyone showed up “broken” and ready for change. Because it was a safe, Christ-centered place to work through struggles, lives were healed. With full support of church leadership, Watermark’s ministry grew, and I joined the church staff to provide oversight. After a few years, we started surveying participants to see if we were fulfilling Watermark’s mission to call people to full devotion to Christ. We found that people were growing in their trust of God, experiencing authentic accountability, and getting sober. But we also discovered they were not growing in knowledge and use of Scripture or trust of the church. Participants struggled in areas of life beyond addiction. Many of their

relationships remained unreconciled. They didn’t understand their identity in Christ, spiritual gifts, or God’s purpose for their lives. Many were not experiencing a daily, dependent relationship with Jesus. Furthermore, some participants sheltered themselves in the safety of the recovery ministry without integrating fully into the church. Recovery people viewed “those people in the church” as inauthentic, unsafe, and different. Some participants feared leaving recovery because the meetings were viewed as essential for continued sobriety. Likewise, longtime church members, though happy to have a place for “those people in recovery,” didn’t see the ministry as something useful for their own spiritual growth; they saw their struggles as less significant. We were missing the mark. Sobriety over one issue is a shortsighted goal. Christ doesn’t heal us so we can just go on with life unbothered by sin. He wants us to surrender every area of life. He is restoring us to the image and glory of God so we can fulfill his purpose. This transformation doesn’t happen through devotion to a program but through devotion to a person, Jesus Christ. The biblical principles I practiced before I knew about the 12 steps led me to a daily, dependent relationship with Jesus that changed every aspect of my life—a transformation that is promised to all who come to Jesus willing to change. All of us need recovery in Christ.

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Re:Generation: Restoring the Biblical Roots of Recovery Ministry Our church’s recovery ministry needed to refocus. So we took recovery back to its biblical roots to help participants focus on Jesus for daily transformation. We created daily curriculum relevant to everyone, from unchurched addicts to mature Christians growing in their faith. We named it re:generation, meaning “new birth” (Titus 3:3-7). Re:generation’s 12 steps focus on spiritual formation. Participants realize their desperation for Christ by uncovering the sin hindering their relationships with him. Daily, they trust their lives and wills to him. They learn how to confess and repent of sin. Out of Christ’s love, they reconcile relationships and practice intimacy with God through Bible study and prayer. They embrace their identity in Christ—chosen, set apart, and uniquely designed to do God’s will. Bridges are built between recovery and the church. Baptism, church membership, and serving are emphasized. Participants ask Christians already in their lives to be mentors. Christians who wish to disciple others volunteer to mentor unchurched participants. Those seeking counseling services from the church are directed to participate in re:generation, too. All members (including church staff, elders, and leaders) are encouraged to attend when they struggle, but also just to grow in their faith.

Today, more than 1,500 people attend re:generation weekly at Watermark— half come from outside the church. Groups are mixed with people whose struggles range from chemical addiction to pride to unresolved hurt or anger. Most of our staff have participated. “Recovery” has no stigma at Watermark. We are a community relentless in helping each other remove barriers to intimacy with Christ in order to know, love, and serve him more. I am one of “those people,” a sinner rescued from sin by Christ, made new, and set apart to do his will. This is not just God’s desire for me but for everyone. He is recovering lost humanity to himself through Christ. You too are one of “those people.” 

Nate Graybill helped launch the recovery ministry at Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, in 2002 and joined the staff in 2006. He wrote the curriculum for re:generation, a 12-step discipleship program now used in churches across the country.

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Depression and Ministry: How Do We Respond When Our Church Leaders Are Struggling? By Paul H. Alexander

When they did, it was very serious. I always asked why pastors waited to call; the answer was predictably simple: “I was too embarrassed.” Pastors are in a tight spot. They are responsible for the spiritual, emotional, and sometimes even physical well-being of their flock. They give, sacrifice, lead, pray, teach, and serve, and unfortunately, they get burned out. It is a challenging job with little relief. I know how much pastors give of themselves. As the son of a pastor, I saw firsthand what it is like to always be on call, to always be connected to your flock. My parents served selflessly for 50 years, and I know, at times, it was hard for them.

The pastors’ emotional struggles were widely known. Yet, most people did not know just how real and intense the struggles were day in and day out. Only God knows how much pain these men were in. About 18 months ago, a pastor in Southern California killed himself. In the following months, two more young pastors also tragically took their own lives. In this area everyone knew someone who was impacted, at least indirectly, by these events. Many men and women I know were affected directly by the tragedies. While I did not know any of those pastors, I understood their pain. When I was a young man, I battled depression for almost a year. It was a very dark and lonely season. Since that time, I have sought to understand how depression affects leaders. Specifically, I have worked with many pastors who struggle with depression and anxiety. Early in my career, I worked for a Christian mental health company. I was in charge of seminars and the “pastor help line.” Rarely did the help line ring. We did a good job promoting the service, but pastors were reluctant to ask for help.

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When the first tragic event happened, I reached out to Gene Appel, the pastor of my church, and asked if I could do a staff in-service presentation on ministry and depression. I’ve worked behind the scenes with churches for many years, helping pastors when they need help or are burned out or, in some cases, hospitalized. I led the training at Eastside Christian Church and the response was positive. I’ve since spoken to 1,300 pastors in California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Here’s important information you need to know: 6 percent of all adults in the U.S. suffer from clinical depression and 18 percent of adults suffer from one or more anxiety disorders. That’s approximately one in four adults nationwide struggling with significant emotional health issues. Research indicates pastors suffer at these rates, or most likely, even higher rates.

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The

‘NASTY ’

Stressors and Potential Depression Factors for Ministers

1. The sense that programmatic success is all that matters 2. Loneliness and boredom 3. “Sibling” rivalry on staff 4. Lack of true soul care 5. Unresolved trauma and grief 6. Unclear job expectations 7. Addictions 8. Shame over brokenness 9. A perception of the church as an unpleasable parent

>> Addressing What Hurts At the recent ministry and depression seminars, Hope International University colleague Joe Grana and I have been conducting survey research asking pastors to rate nine elements I’ve identified as stressors and potential depression factors for pastors. Three of the “Nasty Nine,” as we refer to them (see sidebar), rise above the rest as problematic for the 1,300 pastors we’ve surveyed. They are: “lack of true soul care,” “unresolved trauma and grief,” and the sense that “programmatic success” is all that matters. The strongest of the three, the number-one factor weighing on this considerable size sample of pastors in Christian churches, is a “lack of true soul care.” When I steer the seminars to this topic, the pastors in the room get very quiet. I confess to them that this issue is hard for all of us in Christian leadership. We feel called to lead and serve, and we can sense when our energy is waning, yet we don’t stop. We keep going; we go until we can’t. Why? Why do pastors not stop? Why can’t they take time off when they need to rebalance, heal, rest, and find

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>> Understanding Depression restoration? These become the most important questions for elders, staff, and pastors. How can we help each other find a new model that allows our pastors to take the time they need when life happens? I suspect there are some laudable reasons and some pretty lousy reasons. Pastors feel called to their work— work that is critical to them and to the church—and there is always more to do. I also think pastors tend to be people pleasers. They want to be helpful and available—which is great—until it isn’t so great anymore. Many pastors fantasize about being able to get away to a desert island or the mountains or a resort where they can just be alone. They want to unplug. We must let them. Only when our pastors get true re-creation can they get the relief they need to determine how to get recharged or address what is hurting. The second factor identified by the survey is that pastors find it difficult to process trauma and grief. Why? Again, processing trauma and grief takes time and can be embarrassing to admit. Pastors do a great job helping those with trauma and those walking through loss, but they are not so good at asking for time and help when they are hurting or grieving. This also is true of mental health professionals— we’re good at helping others, but not so good at getting the help and rest we need when we are hurting and raw.

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Among adults in the United States, 15 percent will never go through a depressive season in their lives. The other 85 percent of us will go through one or more of these seasons. If you’ve never been truly depressed, I can best describe it this way: Imagine you have the flu, and you must live your life but never get better. (See sidebar, “Symptoms of Depression.”) Depression hurts. It hurts emotionally, physically, spiritually, and relationally. When this kind of pain goes on for years, people become desperate. People who don’t understand this pain will almost certainly wonder how a person can take their own life. They see it as selfish. And to a degree, it is selfish. The self is in such pain the person feels they can’t take it any longer. They don’t necessarily want to die, but they are in so much pain they can’t bear to continue to live. When someone takes their own life, hurting family, friends, and the church are left to try to make sense of it. But that is difficult, as well. I’ve tried and failed to comfort people well when this happens. It boils down to this: Our pastors hurt just like everyone else. We need to support them, pray for them, and help them when they are hurting. I don’t know whether we have a mental health crisis in ministry. Time will tell. I can tell you our pastors are hungry to learn more about the issue and are open to admitting that self-care is a real challenge.

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SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom listed below. The severity of symptoms also varies with individuals. A person’s diagnosis depends on the number of symptoms they have, how strong those symptoms are, and how long they last. • Depressed mood most of the day • Diminished interest or pleasure in all or most activities • Significant weight loss or weight gain (unintentional) • Insomnia or sleeping too much • Physical agitation or sluggishness • Fatigue or loss of energy • Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt • Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness • Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

>> Responding to the Challenges What can we do? First, we can pray for our pastors. Second, we can get pastors the help they need when they are headed toward burnout. They need time and a place to recover. Third, we can destigmatize counseling and medical help and encourage hurting pastors to get help. Finally, we can all be more honest about the fact that at times, we are not OK . . . we’re just not. I was in my twenties and just out of college when I crashed emotionally. My childhood friend, Karl, reached out to me and helped me up from the worst of the pain. It took 10 months to get out of the pit I was in. It took counseling, medical help, and patient friends and co-workers. It was the worst emotional pain of my life, pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Sometimes we’re anxious, sometimes we’re depressed. Admitting this makes everything easier and less embarrassing. We can ask the Lord to show us how to treat our leaders with more care and more thought than we have become accustomed. We have been taking from our pastors for a long time. Now is the time for us to give to them. Let’s give generously. 

Dr. Paul Alexander is president of Hope International University. He has served at HIU for 25 years in a variety of roles. He is also a licensed marriage and family therapist and ordained pastor. Paul is passionate about helping pastors and churches thrive.

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HOW WE ARE SHARING GOD’S GRACE WITH THE HURTING AND LOST

BY HEATH NEAL

Everywhere you look, people are sick and hurting. At our church, we encounter people every week hurting from the sickness of sin. Some of their pain comes from the sin of others, but often it is the devastating result of their own sin. This shouldn’t surprise us. Scripture repeatedly tells us we all are sinners. (See Genesis 3; Romans 3:10, 23; Jeremiah 17:9; and John 3:1721 as examples.) For years, our church’s response to the sick and hurting was to pray for them and hand them the number of a counselor in town. Unfortunately, we weren’t pointing them to the One who could actually heal them—Jesus. Through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we began to “walk alongside” troubled folks inside our church and in our community. We had been outsourcing our role as Christ’s ambassadors to the hurting and lost. It had to stop. This decision began a several-year journey of discovering how to equip people to be disciples of Christ who make disciples of Christ. Our lead pastor, Shannon Lovelady, convinced eight people in our church family they could be the helping hand that people needed as they walked out of their sin and into the arms of a loving Savior. So he sent them to a biblical counseling conference. Imagine their fears: I’m not a counselor. That’s for professionals. In the midst of such reservations, the eight discovered this: As disciples of Christ, we are all called to counsel (Romans 15:14). So the little group came back to Carrollton, Georgia, believing, We can do this. We should do this. We must share God’s truth, love, and grace with the sick and the hurting.

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called to counsel

CREATING SPACE FOR A BIBLICAL COUNSELING PROGRAM

organizations & resources AVAILABLE TO CHURCHES INTERESTED IN STARTING BIBLICAL COUNSELING

• Association of Biblical Counselors (christiancounseling.com). We partner with them for all of our training. They help equip churches to train lay counselors. • Real Change: Becoming More Like Jesus in Everyday Life by Andrew Nicholls and Helen Thorne. This six-session study teaches how the gospel changes us to be more like Christ. • Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change by Paul David Tripp. This book teaches practical ways to minister to others. Additionally, Southern Hills, The Church at City Station is happy to share advice on how it trains lay leaders to counsel hurting people with God’s Word. Contact hneal@sohillscc.com with questions about how you can get started walking alongside those in your church. —H. N.

Fast-forward five years; today our church has a full biblical counseling program that discipled more than 120 individuals in the last year. We sold our church building and built a community center called City Station that is open seven days a week. City Station includes a restaurant where people can experience the love of Christ. The proceeds help our partner mission organizations. The community center also houses a fitness center where each instructor has been trained to hear people’s stories of hurt and pain and teach them the truth of the gospel. City Station also has conference rooms available free to our community for business meetings, birthday parties, and any other need. We offer these spaces so hurting folks can meet someone who has been healed by Jesus. Our campus also has 16 apartments that house 60 college students being discipled in covenantal housing (that is, in a community that covenants together to live a life that honors and brings glory to God). There is also a full-day Christian preschool to train the next generation. And, of course, there are rooms for counseling. Our church also meets here. We minister to sick and hurting people from our community all week long. It is amazing! Our church finds joy in this. Our staff comes to work every day excited to hear how hurting people are connecting to Jesus. Our members and volunteers are excited to hear stories each week of how their giving is helping people escape the enslavement of sin. When you step into the mess of other people’s lives, you are blessed beyond imagination.

STEPPING INTO THE MESS Make no mistake, it is messy. We hear about marital infidelity, porn addictions and masturbation, loneliness and depression, anxiety and despair, drug abuse and physical abuse, anger and pride. We hear how personal sin has damaged others, and how other people’s sin has wreaked havoc on the otherwise innocent. When a couple comes in and the wife says they are getting a divorce because “I found him cheating and he has a porn addiction,” the problem isn’t solved overnight. There will be

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many meetings, phone calls, and “I just can’t do this anymore” moments. In the process, we might need to provide a couch to sleep on. Dealing with people’s sin is messy, but it’s worth it! In our biblical counseling program, called Soul Care, we listen to people’s stories, introduce them to Jesus, and help them live out God’s truth. Everyone has a story to share, and most people are willing to share if someone will listen. We start with, “Tell me what is going on in your life.” Once we know that, we begin a journey of helping them understand how God created them to live and teaching them how to walk in his plan.

WALKING ALONGSIDE HURTING PEOPLE To be clear, we don’t “fix” people who apply for counseling. We can’t. We have seen countless lives move from addiction to freedom, pride to humility, anger to forgiveness, despair to hope, and anxiety to peace. But we can’t take credit for any of it. All of the credit goes to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our role in this is to be faithful to his calling: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:19, 20, New Living Translation). This is what we strive to do at Southern Hills, the Church at City Station. We walk alongside people in their messes, sickness, and sin. We teach them how to obey God’s commands, and God changes their hearts. We hope not just to see changed behavior in every person who enters our counseling process. It really doesn’t matter if someone stops watching porn but doesn’t surrender their desire for someone or something other than God to satisfy them. No, in every person who walks through Soul Care, we hope to see a changed heart and a desire to live a life completely sold out to Jesus. As Paul said, “Christ is all that matters” (Colossians 3:11, NLT). When that happens, marriages are restored, addictions are beaten, lives are changed, sickness is healed, and God is glorified! This is what biblical counseling is all about. We want God to be glorified as people are healed from their sin and sickness. One important piece of advice: Don’t copy us. Don’t start a counseling center. Don’t sell your church building and build a community center. These things will not heal the sick in your church and your community. They are just tools given to us by God. Don’t seek the tools. Instead, seek to walk alongside the sick and hurting. That’s the place to start. On Sunday morning, instead of outsourcing God’s call to counsel those in need, answer that call. Speak the truth in love. “I don’t know how to heal you, but I know Jesus, and he can heal you. Can I walk alongside you in this?” Trust the Lord in this process and watch the miracles of healing he will perform.  Heath Neal serves as executive pastor of discipleship at Southern Hills, The Church at City Station, in Carrollton, Georgia. He and his wife, Karen, are the parents of Reese (8), Vivian (6), and Eliette (18 months). He loves the outdoors, games, sports, and having fun. /heathaneal

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YOUR MEDICAL DEBT HAS BEEN FORGIVEN HOW CHURCHES ARE ERASING HEALTH CARE OBLIGATIONS FOR THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES IN NEED

BY JUSTIN HOREY

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ulie was a single mother of two when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her health insurance helped cover the cost of treatments that ultimately put the disease in remission, but she was still left with $18,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses. Despite the generosity of family members and her own personal commitment to making installment payments on the various bills, Julie was unable to pay it all. Like the estimated 43 million other Americans with unpaid medical debt, Julie eventually had her accounts written off as “bad debt” and sent to collection agencies. In the summer of 2019, Julie unexpectedly received a letter notifying her that all of her remaining medical debt had been forgiven through the generosity of Bethany Christian Church in Washington, Indiana. Julie is not a member of Bethany Christian, though she is personally acquainted with senior pastor Matt Merold and his family. She wasn’t chosen because of any connection to the church; she was one of 3,227 people in six Indiana counties who had a total of $4 million in medical debt forgiven by the congregation. It all cost the church just $15,000.

RIP Medical Debt Bethany Christian Church was able to initiate the forgiveness of medical debts of thousands by donating the proceeds of a special offering to New York-based nonprofit RIP Medical Debt, which locates, purchases, and abolishes what it calls “unpayable medical debt.” The organization negotiates to purchase bundled debt portfolios from collection agencies at a steep discount—on average, just a penny on the dollar. Because RIP exists entirely to forgive medical debts, it seeks donations to cover the costs of the portfolios it purchases instead of attempting to collect on them. RIP offers debt forgiveness to Americans who meet three criteria. Potential recipients must earn less than twice the federal poverty level, which varies by state and the size of the household. They must have a financial hardship as a result of medical expenses greater than or equal to 5 percent of their annual income. Finally, they must be facing insolvency because their debts are greater than their assets. Medical debt forgiveness is not an easy way for people of means to avoid paying their bills. It is a purposeful campaign to show grace and love to people who need it.

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A Growing Trend Bethany Christian is not the only church to forgive the medical debts of its neighbors; in fact, the congregation is not the only church in Indiana to do so. Northview Church, with 11 campuses throughout central Indiana, erased $7.8 million in medical debt for nearly 6,000 families in the spring of 2019. (Read more about Northview’s story in Steve Poe’s article on page 30.) Pathway Church in Wichita, Kansas, gained national media attention for its debt forgiveness efforts after Easter last year, when USA Today published a story about the congregation. Pathway raised $22,000 in a special offering and managed to erase $2.2 million in medical debt in Kansas. As the article noted, Pathway’s contribution was enough to cover “all available debt for every Kansan facing imminent insolvency because of medical expenses they couldn’t afford to pay—1,600 people in all.”

Giving Through the Church At Bethany Christian Church, forgiving medical debt is just one way the congregation is trying to create a culture of generosity. Matt Merold said he wants to teach people not only to give to the church, but to give through the church. To that end, each month BCC invites people to donate to the “Dollar Difference,” a special offering the church uses to bless local families in need. Merold and the church have seen how the program affects the recipients month after month. He said, “Just a drop of generosity is able to soften even the hardest heart.” Last summer, Bethany Christian originally planned to pay off debts for recipients in three local counties. Based on RIP’s standard formula, the $15,000 raised by the church was expected to pay off $1.5 million of debt. In the end, that amount was able to forgive more than $4 million of debt in six counties. “It was pretty awesome what God was able to do through the work of his people,” Merold said. “Many of the recipients wondered if the letter was actually true—that a church really did pay off their medical bills.” Northview Church runs the “Northview Dollar Club”—an initiative similar to Bethany’s “Dollar Difference” offering—through which it collected $40,000. For Northview senior pastor Steve Poe, erasing the medical debt of nearly 6,000 families “was a big win all the way around.” Beyond the obvious benefit of blessing people in the region, the project generated positive publicity for the congregation in both local and national media. After he was interviewed by Fox News, Poe heard from people nationwide who wanted to learn more about how their churches could become involved. “I would highly recommend that other churches do this,” Poe said.

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Despite the involvement of churches like Bethany, Northview, and Pathway, tens of millions of Americans are still responsible for medical expenses they cannot pay. RIP Medical Debt accepts donations from individuals, but the need for larger, lump-sum donations from churches and other organizations is great. When churches forgive medical debts for their neighbors, thousands of people experience the love of Christ—some of them for the first time. “This is a great example of churches meeting people’s needs in practical ways as a demonstration of God’s love,” Poe said. Americans in all 50 states face insolvency because of medical debt, and churches in all 50 states are able to help. For each dollar raised, churches can work with RIP Medical Debt to forgive an average of $100 for neighboring families who cannot pay their healthcare expenses. Sometimes, as Merold and Poe can attest, RIP is able to negotiate even better terms.

‘A God Thing’ When their medical debts are forgiven, families can begin to rebuild their credit scores and their finances—often narrowly escaping bankruptcy in the process. When churches bring about the forgiveness of those debts, God receives the glory. After being notified her medical debt had been paid, Julie wrote to Matt Merold and Bethany Christian Church, saying in part, “I found this to be a God thing. I sincerely thank you for this [medical debt] forgiveness—from God, your people, and you!” Countless Americans undergo successful medical treatment each year that saves their lives but destroys their finances. The lingering obligations and calls from collection agencies bring heartache and sleepless nights. Thanks to the generosity of churches like Bethany, Northside, and Pathway, many of those patients can finally, truly rest in (financial) peace. 

Justin Horey is a writer, musician, and the founder of Livingstone Marketing. He lives in Southern California.

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How Your Church Can Help

I was in prison you came to visit me

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I must confess, I was a reluctant prison chaplain. Though I had taught and baptized in prisons for almost seven years, I walked away from that conversation not at all convinced I would help the man. I wondered why I should assist this guy with eternal life when he had shown absolute disregard for the lives of his victims. I often wonder about things like that. I couldn’t help but ask myself, What about the victims? Did the Lord instruct us to give special attention to convicted felons to the exclusion of those affected by the felony? And then there’s the big question: Is the gospel for everyone? A F T E R trying my best to avoid him, I found myself face-to-face with a murderer. I didn’t like this guy. He had done horrible things to land himself at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mt. Sterling, Illinois. In the casual parlance of American jurisprudence, he was a “poster child” for the insanity defense. Many years earlier, he had committed a murder, pleaded insanity, and been found not guilty. After being set free, he committed another murder. By the spring of 2011, this man had spent most of his life behind walls and razor wire. He had sent several request slips asking to meet with me. I, quite frankly, had been avoiding him. Then, one day, I went to the Health Care Unit; when the officer opened the door, there he was. “Chaplain, I need to talk to you,” he said. After completing my intended task, I called out his name and asked, “What’s up?” He said, “I’m dying, and I’m scared.” He wasn’t kidding. He had cancer and was in a wheelchair. I decided to speak with him in private, so I wheeled him into a nearby laundry room.

As I began to think and pray about it, the Lord brought to mind several Scriptures that led me to a decision. Among them, “The Lord is . . . not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). But the key passage for me was Jesus’ story of the landowner who paid the same wage to all the men he hired throughout the course of the day (Matthew 20:1-16). When the men who had worked all day complained that men who had worked only one hour received the same wage, the landowner said, “Take your pay and go. I want to give to one who was hired last the same as I gave you” (v. 14). I interpreted those words as, “It’s none of your business who I want to save.” I basically responded, “Yes, Sir—message received,” and I haven’t looked back since. Prison administration helped with the arrangements. One March day, the prisoner was wheeled to the chapel, where he was lifted into the baptistery by two men guilty of the same crime as he. The two-time killer was baptized and returned to the Health Care Unit. He died a month later. Was he sincere? I’ve often wondered. Fortunately, that’s not my jurisdiction.

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I S T H E G O S P E L F O R E V E RY O N E ?

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D E M O N S T R AT I N G FA I T H F U L N E S S ON THE ‘INSIDE’ Looking back now, I see a larger picture was developing. This man I just described was the 99th prisoner I baptized. It took seven years to reach the 100th. After that, we averaged 101 baptisms per year at that prison alone. As of this writing, there have been 917 baptisms—more than 800 in the eight or so years since the baptism of this prisoner in the wheelchair. “It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:12). This is the whole issue in prison ministry. My role is not to judge sincerity, but to be faithful. Prisoners have often lost the faith of their family, friends, and society, and so prison volunteers must demonstrate faithfulness individually and collectively. I was fortunate to have reliable, faithful volunteers during my career as a chaplain in the Illinois Department of Corrections. I served with a volunteer to Spanish-speaking prisoners who drives two hours from Peoria every Saturday. He has done this faithfully since 2001. On his return trip, he stops at the prison in Canton, Illinois, to teach a Bible study. A favorite memory is when I called a brother from the noninstrumental churches of Christ and told him the moratorium on the Lord’s Supper and baptisms he had operated under for years had ended. He wept in my office at the good news. We labored together for more than 10 years. He went to be with the Lord in early 2015; his passing left a hole in my Sunday-morning and Monday-evening programs. The state of Illinois recognized the faithfulness of both these men, and they were named volunteers of the year. I have been happy to guide and work alongside other faithful stewards, as well.

The Crossing in Quincy, Illinois, contacted me in 2010 about establishing services at a nearby prison. The church was already using technology to establish satellite campuses. We talked, but the Illinois Department of Corrections had security concerns about such a plan. No deal. Five years later, we got together to discuss it again. This time we received approval. The Crossing donated the necessary equipment—a projector, HDMI cable, and playback system—and worked with the prison to install it. The first service at the prison was Sunday, July 5, 2015. The Crossing works to ensure the prisoners feel like they are part of the church. Each Sunday the speaker welcomes those joining from “the inside.” That simple strategy alone has worked wonders with the prisoners. In September 2015, we expanded to four services, one for each housing unit. Volunteers arrive at 7 a.m. each Sunday and stay until 2:30 p.m. “The inside” baptisms are announced monthly at The Crossing via a baptism video. People cheer when that total number of baptisms is posted. Last June 30, as we were marking four years, there had been 444 baptisms during that time. Additionally, five Bible studies are conducted weekly at the prison, including one at a satellite work camp. Thanks to the cuttingedge thinking of an assistant warden, we established the only Bible study (that we are aware of) in a segregation unit in the state of Illinois. Inmates have four weekly opportunities to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Other state facilities in Illinois heard about what was going on and were eager to join in. Sadly, the demand was greater than our

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ability to meet it. Eventually services were added at the jail in Pike County, Illinois— for women on Sunday night and men on Wednesday night. They use different technology—Apple TV—to view services. Last March we began Monday evening services at the women’s prison in Vandalia, Missouri. That facility uses yet another form of technology—one put together by a volunteer from The Crossing’s campus in Hannibal, Missouri. We started a Bible study in the Jacksonville, Illinois, prison in September 2019. Baptisms were scheduled to begin in November. The same technology being used in prisons and jails is also being used to reach people in four transitional centers. We are also talking with a renowned drug treatment facility with connections to the Illinois prison system about establishing services in as many as four of their sites. I retired as chaplain from the Illinois Department of Corrections in October 2018. The Crossing asked me to come on staff part-time to continue the work we had begun together. I am glad for that opportunity. It is a privilege to continue reaching those in prisons and jails whose spiritual bondage has led to their physical bondage. Together, we are remaining faithful to the calling and the opportunity the Lord has set before us.  Bill Twaddell is retired from the Illinois Department of Corrections as an officer, tactical officer, hostage negotiator, and chaplain with more than 25 years of experience. He is still involved in law enforcement and is the part-time director of The Crossing— Inside, a prison/jail outreach ministry of The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest. /billt2

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Interact Finally! . . . Bradley Miller, Louisville, Kentucky Thank you for mentioning the deaf community’s needs [“Pah,” by Chad Entinger, p. 64, November 2019]!!! Praise Jesus!

Mary Alice Gardner, Council Bluffs, Iowa My uncle, Sam Stone, was editor of Christian Standard for many years. I went to college in Cincinnati with the hope that one day I could write for the magazine. Special thanks to current editor Mike Mack, who asked me to write about the important work being done with the American Sign Language Version [“Deaf Missions: Seeing God’s Word Come to Life,” p. 60, November 2019]. Very honored and excited to share this with you.

Least and Last . . . John Allcott, The Philippines There are 500 English translations, and many hundred languages with no translation [“Pioneer Bible Translators: ‘To the Least and the Last,’” by Greg Pruett, p. 48, October 2019]. That’s a picture of the Church’s priorities in outreach overall. Big manpower and resources for the reached, little to nothing for the thousands of unreached tribes. Jesus’ words are still true: The harvest is still plentiful, and the laborers are still few. I blame pastors who ignore these huge problems or pay lip service to them. Jesus deserves to be worshiped by all peoples, but billions don’t even understand who he is.

CCU’s Closure . . . After the October 28 announcements that Cincinnati Christian University would close and Central Christian College of the Bible planned to provide ministry training in Cincinnati, Christian Standard published multiple online-only articles, both news stories and commentary. To read these stories, go to www.ChristianStandard.com and search for the name of the article or “Cincinnati Christian University.” Here are some of the many responses we’ve received. Judith Miller @JudithM09795907 The closing of what was once a strong force within the Restoration Movement should cause great concern [“Cincinnati Christian University to Close Doors after 95 Years,” October 29]. It is time (or past time) for our focus to be on the future of our schools. Christ needs to be our primary focus as we educate and prepare the future generation for service.

Jeff Faull Thank You for your mature and measured response and your words of caution about our responses [“CCU’s Closing: Choosing to Respond Wisely,” by Michael C. Mack, October 30, 2019]. I am saddened too, but I will always be grateful for what I received from Cincinnati Bible College.

Shelley Park Thank you for the reminder. As an alum, I too pray for the students, faculty, and trustees during this difficult time. The legacy of CBC or CCU will remain and continue as our main mission . . . to go seek the lost remains the main constant in a world of constant change.

Gary Johnson Thanks, Mike, for your wise counsel and reminder to express ourselves in a God-honoring manner— particularly in difficult circumstances. I thank the Lord that “I drank from a well I did not dig” while a student in the Seminary and later as a member of the adjunct faculty. I give thanks to God for the many lives that were eternally impacted by CCU in her 95-year history.

Dan E. Online college is pressuring small colleges of average reputation, especially those that are sectarian, that have traditionally relied on the local populace for students. The Internet makes it possible to attend a more remote school with a more nationally notable reputation and do so without paying costly room and board fees or commuting. Schools such as CCU are most at risk, and we are just at the beginning of a tidal wave of similar schools closing their doors. Colleges and universities that have notable reputations, offer unique online curricula, offer good value for the money, and have courses and degrees that appeal to working adults will survive. Fail in those, and the end is nigh.

Donn Ford Thank you for stating the unfortunate biggest problem with Christian ministry. It is the local congregations’ responsibility, and they will be held accountable, to teach and train members for acts of service (ministry). What will the church here in America do when the freedom to worship openly has and will be soon taken away from us?

John Herndon Superb reflection on a difficult situation. As an alum and a parent with a child who is at CCU now, having to go through this is difficult, to say the least, but it is teaching once again, to fully trust God through this.

Brian Rutherford @BrianorLumpy There are so many factors pressing in on higher education. Unfortunately, CCU is just one of many institutions that will suffer this fate in the next 10 years.

Sam Burton The whole thing is tragic [“CCU’s Trustees Apologize, Plus Other Updates about Pending Closure,” November 6, 2019]. As an alumnus, it’s especially sad. I won’t point fingers. It doesn’t help. I’m grateful to all the colleges that have offered help. It’s time to move forward. I treasure my memories of my classes and the wonderful professors who helped me learn. May God continue to honor the legacy of CCU.

Gretchen Holley Thanks for sharing this story [“Except for God,” by Jerry Borton, November 18, 2019]. Changed my perspective to keep my eyes open for the “Except for God” [moments] that lay ahead.

Victor Knowles An outstanding, positive, and balanced report by David Fincher [“Three Stories of Hope: The Legacy of Cincinnati Ministry Education,” December 4, 2019]. We all need to get behind this noble effort. I plan to send support to Central’s support of the Cincinnati work because of my father’s great respect for George Mark Elliott and my own respect for Bob Russell.

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For space, length, readability, relevance, and civility, comments sent to Interact may remain unpublished or be edited. We do read them all and prayerfully take them to heart. If we publish your comment, we will try to honestly reproduce your thoughts with those considerations in mind. Where we disagree, let’s continue to keep P.H. Welshimer’s words in mind to “disagree without being disagreeable.”