Christian Standard | June 2019 by Christian Standard Media

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Letter from the Publisher

I’ve always been an admirer of old souls in ministry. Their simple, godly lives are inspiring to me. I’ll just go ahead and say this . . . The latest book or ministry techniques typically don’t enthrall me, nor do the youngest and brightest stars of Christianity who are at the forefront of the speaking circuit. I confess to having cynical thoughts about this new breed’s sense of fashion— the tight shirts that highlight countless hours in the gym—and their huge social media followings and what seem to be nearly perfect lives.

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Sometimes I battle judgmental thoughts when I hear about a hot-shot pastor who confesses to one or more affairs, or who admits to financial misconduct or staff abuse or substance abuse or deceiving the public in order to bask in greater fame. When bad behavior is made known, I think about how the reputation of Christ and his church also take a hit. It affects us all. And, inevitably, I am reminded of my own inconsistencies, and I wonder how I would respond to a similar level of fame. Maybe that’s why I like old souls so much. They have gone the distance. They have kept their marriages

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strong. They carry old and well-worn scars that bear witness of valiant ministries. They have stood the test of time; they have not withered under pressure but have continued to reflect the radiance of the message of Christ.

spoke that year at Exponential and, in my opinion, brought down the house! My leadership team attended that year, and I asked brother Coleman if he would pray over my guys. None of us will ever forget the power of that precious experience.

Years ago, I was at a gathering where many bright stars shared the stage. Michael English, Sandi Patty, and others filled the room with songs of praise . . . and the crowd of 11,000 praised them for it. Then an old man stood and was helped to the platform to sing just one song: “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” His name was George Beverly Shea. After the event, I made my way down to the front to shake Shea’s hand and thank him. I felt honored to do so. I thought about all that Shea had experienced in his life. He wrote the tune to that song in 1932 and then, starting in 1947, traveled with Billy Graham for decades.

I share these stories because I believe in the incredible value each generation brings to the table of the Lord. We enrich one another. The path of least resistance is to hear from our own generation, but so much more is gained when we also hear from past generations and future generations. It’s one of the reasons I care so much about Christian Standard. This historic publication reminds us of our roots, our plea, our distinctives, and the voices that blazed the trail, while also introducing us to the voices of our future and the fresh perspectives they have of God’s timeless message.

A few years ago, an Exponential event with a discipleship emphasis was being planned for Orlando. I was part of a conference call that was discussing the lineup; many big names were scheduled to speak, but a few more were needed. In the moment, I suggested Robert Coleman, who wrote what is probably the most famous work on discipleship, The Master Plan of Evangelism, back in 1963. The book has sold more than 3.5 million copies and been translated into 100 languages. The others on the phone call didn’t know his availability or how to contact him . . . or even if he was still alive. I set out to find him, and ultimately emailed him asking about his interest and willingness to speak.

Someone once said, “If you don’t know where you come from, it’s hard to know where you are. And if you don’t know where you are, how can you get to where you’re supposed to go?” We are best when we let all generations speak into our hearts and ministry.

A couple of weeks later I received a phone call from brother Coleman. As he spoke, I could hear evidence of his long walk with Jesus. His prayer that day, over the phone, transported me to a wellworn place where he had spent countless hours. He

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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

Subscription Information To order Christian Standard for yourself, your church, or your group, visit christianstandard.com or contact Customer Service. Bulk pricing is available.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

720.598.7377 info@christianstandardmedia.com

Volume CLIV. Number 6. 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. 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: 1-800-543-1353. 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.

good love

TABLE OF CONTENTS

24 34 42 46 50 56 60 66

F E A T U RE ART ICLE

—

the BOLD movement

I N E V E RY I S S UE

by Megan Rawlings

2-3 | L E TTE R F RO M THE P UB L ISH E R

LIVING in the TENSION

Jerry Harris

by CALEB KALTENBACH

6-7 | L E TTE R F RO M THE E DITO R Michael C. Mack

GREG JOHNSON: shunning lab els and serving leaders

8-11 | ME TRIC S

Is Your C hurch Ready fo r G en era ti o n Z ? Kent Fillinger

by justin horey

12-14 | e2 : E F F E C TIVE EL D ER S the stor y of EKKLESIA CHRISTIAN CHURCH— the church Matt Wilson didn’t plan to plant

Three Ways Elders Must Respond to the Next- Generation Crisis

Gary Johnson

15-17 | IMAG INE

Fi rs t C h ri s ti a n C hu rch , Surf C i t y USA Mel McGowan

good love: 5 ways to help emerging adults f ind G O OD LOVE and G O OD LOVIN’

by haydn shaw

18-19 | MIN ISTRY L IF E Models of Christian Womanhood Jacqueline J. Holness

DARYL REED: building bridges for the next generation

20-21 | HO RIZO N S

by melissa wuske

Youn g People i n M in ist r y: I nves t, I nves t, I nvest Emily Drayne

KENDALL GR ACE KEMERLY: Founder, Kendi’s Cows of Grace

24-33 | F E ATURE ART I CL E Th e B old Movem ent Megan Rawlings

by Kelly Carr

78-79 | INTE RAC T you can call me GRUMPY

80 | B IB L ITIC AL LY C O R R ECT C o m mun i o n C o m m ot io n After Class Podcast

by dan schantz

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Letter from the editor

With apologies to Abraham Lincoln (and John Wycliffe, who, it’s said, actually originated the phrase I’m referencing), Christian Standard is produced by different generations of people, with different generations of people, and for different generations of people . . . to equip and encourage people to make disciples of and effectively lead different generations of people. The Christian Standard team consists of three millennials (born 1981–2001): operations manager Renee Little and designers Megan Kempf and Abby Wittler, and four baby boomers (born 1946–1964):

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publisher Jerry Harris, managing editor Jim Nieman, contributing editor Shawn McMullen, and me. The best teams, like the best churches, can be described as family, and families are by nature intergenerational. And like many multigenerational families, we face challenges in working well together. I don’t want to make too many “generationalizations,” but we simply don’t always look at things the same way. As Haydn Shaw pointed out in his June 2018 article, these generational differences can “create irritations, miscommunications, and misunderstandings,” and I’d say we’ve experienced

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each of these to a degree, especially when we started working together. As the title of Shaw’s book suggests, we must raise our “generational IQ” to work effectively together, which starts, he says, with asking the right questions. (Search for “5 Things You Need to Know About the 5-Generation Church” at ChristianStandard.com to learn more.) Over time, our team has increased our generational IQ and we are working more and more in harmony with one another. I see God at work in this. He has taken people from different age groups, genders, backgrounds, aptitudes, temperaments, giftings, and even geographic areas where we live and work . . . and put us together to accomplish what he wants us to do. This is what God does! He takes imperfect people, puts them together in ways that often seem random or ridiculous to us, and uses them to carry out his mission and bring him glory. He “has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be” (1 Corinthians 12:18). No matter what it may look like in your group, team, church, or even your family, remember, God knows what he’s doing! In fact, a seemingly messy collection of individuals may be God’s way of working in your weakness to demonstrate his power. If you work with people who are imperfect, recognize and celebrate that; they’re the only kind of people God can use. I believe successfully working together, especially with multiple generations, starts with humility. Many of the “right questions” will have more to do with them than us, says Shaw. We boomers need to be asking lots of questions of our younger team members. We must listen to understand, not to respond with our own opinions and viewpoints. We must go first in valuing others and their perspectives, even when we find it difficult to identify with their viewpoints.

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I’m still working on this, but I find it’s a vital learning opportunity for me to become more Christlike, a better person, a more altruistic leader. And I’m seeing that we truly can accomplish much more together than any of us, or any generation, can accomplish alone. That’s important, because our multigenerational team is working hard to make an impact on multiple generations. We are very intentional as we plan future issues—to use writers young and old to tell stories about people young and old to speak to readers and leaders young and old. You’ll see that reflected in this issue. Millennial Megan Rawlings and “old fogey” Dan Schantz both tell their inspiring and humorous stories. We also share the stories of Matt Wilson and Greg Johnson, a younger minister and an older minister who are partnering to grow the kingdom in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We tell the story of Kendi Kemerly who started a nonprofit ministry at age 8 and how those who are older have supported her in this ministry. And we discuss two issues—issues that people of different generations view differently—that the church must better understand and address. The influence and blessings of Christian Standard have been passed on for more than six generations. Like our faith, though not as vital, of course, we want to pass this ministry on to the next generation. To do that, we’ll need all generations—staff, writers, and readers—working together. Thanks for being a part of that.

@michaelcmack @michaelcmack @michaelcmack /authormichaelcmack

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metrics

Is Your Church Ready for Generation Z? BY KENT FILLINGER

It might seem hard to believe, but the millennial generation is approaching middle age! The oldest millennials will turn 38 this year, which means they were entering adulthood before today’s youngest adults were born. Many researchers and demographers are now shifting their attention from millennials to generation Z to learn more about them. Kent E. Fillinger serves as president of 3:STRANDS Consulting, Indianapolis, Indiana, and regional vice president (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan) with Christian Financial Resources.

Researchers quibble about when the millennial generation ends and generation Z begins—the years range from 1996 to 2002—but a Pew Research Center article from January indicates people in the two age groupings aren’t all that different. Here’s the article’s headline (so judge for yourself): “Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues.”

/3strandsconsulting 3strandsconsulting.com

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This Pew report’s notable findings about the young adults of gen Z include these: • 35 percent know someone who uses genderneutral pronouns. • 70 percent believe the government should do more to solve problems in this country; thus, they favor a more expanded role for government. • 62 percent see increased racial diversity as good for society. • 48 percent say same-sex marriage and interracial marriage are good for society. • 67 percent are indifferent about cohabitation, while 20 percent see it as a good thing for our society.

Is Generation Z a Priority for Pastors and Churches? A July 2018 Lifeway Research study on the “Future of the Church” found that the largest percentage of pastors, and 40 percent of Protestant pastors, said “reaching the next generation” was their big-

70%

gest concern. By comparison, the next highest area of concern was the “lack of discipleship in the church” (16 percent). Almost one-third of these pastors (32 percent) said church attendance by 18- to 29-year-olds increased in the last five years, while 29 percent reported a decline, and 39 percent said attendance stayed the same. Almost three-quarters of pastors (72 percent) predicted attendance among 18- to 29-yearolds would increase over the next five years.

Is Engaging Young Adults a Priority for Our Churches? For the first time, our annual church survey asked church leaders to respond to this statement: “Our church puts a significant priority on training and developing the next generation of church leaders.” Survey response options ranged from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” Here’s a breakdown of responses from leaders of churches of various sizes:

OUR CHURCH PRIORITIZES T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N O F C H U R C H L E A D E R S

60% ME G ACHUR C HES

50%

E ME RG ING ME G ACHUR C HES

40%

LARG E ME DIUM

30%

SMALL

20%

V E RY SMAL L

10% 0%

STRONGLY DISAGREE

DISAGREE

NEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE

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AGREE

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STRONGLY AGREE

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When looking at the combined percentage of churches that either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” on the importance of developing next-generation leaders, it’s notable that 92 percent of megachurches reported it’s a priority. Emerging megachurches and large churches were next, at 79 percent and 80 percent, respectively.

The same trends held true for emerging megachurches, although the differences between the two groups (“strongly agree” vs. “agree”) were less pronounced. The gap was wider, however, among emerging megachurches that “neither agree nor disagree”:

There was a noticeable drop-off among mediumsize churches (62 percent), small churches (50 percent), and very small churches (47 percent).

EMERGING MEGACHURCHES 10%

What Impact Does This Have on Church Life?

1,379

10%

7.5

5.6 5.5

1,379

1,303 1,321

S T RONGL Y AGREE

STR ONG LY AG R EE

AGREE

AG R EE

NEIT HER AGREE NOR DIS AGREE

NEITH ER AG R EE NOR DISAG R EE

0 BAPTISM RATIO

BAPTISM RATIO

S T R O N G L Y AG R E E

6 ,0 0 0

-1% 1,303 1,321

AVERAGE GROWTH RATE

MEGACHURCHES

1,500

6.1

Breaking the data down even further, a church’s emphasis on developing next-generation church leaders seems to impact other areas of church life, 1,500 as evidenced by this chart:

12%

AG R E E

4,937

N E I T HE R AG R E E N O R D I S AG R E E

3,956

6.1

S T R O NGL Y A GR EE

STRON GLY AGREE

S T R ON G L Y A G R E E

A GR EE

AGREE

6,000 0

4,937 0%

3,956

AVERAGE GROWTH RATE

BAPTISM RATIO

AVERAGE WORSHIP ATTENDANCE

STR ON GLY AGR E E

These statistics indicate a positive correlation beBAPTISM RATIO tween placing a high priority on developing nextgeneration church leaders and overall growth metrics.

AGR E E

What Are Our Churches Doing to Reach the Next Generation? 0

The chart shows megachurches that “strongly AVERAGE WORSHIP Ae T d” T E Non D A Nthe C E importance of developing nextagre generation church leaders grew almost twice as fast as megachurches that “agreed”; the megachurches that “strongly agreed” baptized more people and had almost 1,000 more people in attendance each week. C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

Another new question this year was, “What is the best thing your church is doing to engage young adults in worship, discipleship, and/or ministry?” This question received 366 responses ranging from “we don’t have anything for young adults” to “we have a vibrant, thriving young adult ministry.” - 10 -

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churches mentioned using young adults for specific help with worship ministry and children’s ministry)

I appreciated this response from one small church leader: Our church has struggled for many years to attract young adults, therefore engaging them is difficult. We remain a predominantly older church, however we do have more young adults now than a few years ago. A primary reason our church struggles to attract young adults is because of a desire to hold on to past ways of doing church and the personal preferences of an older, vocal minority. It was just one comment among several, but my hunch is many of the churches in our movement are fixated on preserving man-made traditions at the expense of reaching the next generation for Christ. Fortunately, the majority of the responses were more positive and upbeat, and demonstrated many of the churches in our study are very committed to adjusting their ministry styles and investing staff, time, and money to reach and engage the next generation. Here are the 10 basic responses to the question, “What is the best thing your church is doing to engage young adults in worship, discipleship and/or ministry?” • Young adult and/or college-age ministries • Small groups for young adults (several churches mentioned using “Rooted” to help with this discipleship process) • Hiring a young adults minister to focus on reaching the next generation • Hiring a younger staff to attract a younger demographic • Recruiting and engaging young adults in volunteer ministry roles inside the church and out in the community and world (many of the C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

• Residency and internship programs to provide a forum for leadership development • Designing, changing, and/or adding worship venues geared to reaching and engaging young adults (several churches mentioned adding Thursday night or Sunday night worship venues for this purpose) • Mentoring programs for young adults • Special events and activities for young adults • Giving young adults a voice and opportunity to lead ministries in the church

Will Churches Pass the Baton? It’s time for churches and church leaders to embrace generation Z. A 2017 LifeWay Research study found that 66 percent of young adults who attended church regularly as teens dropped out of church as they transitioned into adulthood. This was a slight improvement from a 2007 report that showed 70 percent of teens who were active in church during high school dropped out during their college years. (See “How Can Churches Keep Teenagers Connected?” January 15, 2019, Facts & Trends.) Of the 66 percent of young adults who left the church during college, 71 percent didn’t plan on taking a break. And only 31 percent of the 66 percent who left said they came back to church and now attend regularly again. Among those who stayed, 54 percent said they had regular responsibilities at their church; conversely, only 15 percent of those who dropped out had regular responsibilities. Let’s take the steps necessary to ensure the next generation of church leaders and members are in place so we can pass on the baton of faith!  - 11 -

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e 2 : e ffe c t i v e

e ld e r s

Three Ways Elders Must Respond to the Next-Generation Crisis BY GARY L. JOHNSON

Dr. Gary Johnson concluded 30 years of ministry with Indian Creek Christian Church (The Creek) in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 28. He is a cofounder of e2: effective elders, which he now serves as executive director.

I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t finished breakfast and had already heard of three crises facing our nation. One news commentator spoke of the growing crisis at our southern border, while other reporters spoke of global warming and opioid crises. And some commentators questioned whether these were crises at all. It caused me to think of a real crisis facing us as Christians: How does the church reach and keep the next generation for Christ?

/ e2elders @e2elders

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In recent years, we’ve experienced a definite decline in the number of young people coming to Christ, while increasing numbers of Christian young people have left the faith. Barna Group’s statistics should serve as our wake-up call. Their research shows that fewer people in generation Z (those born 1999 to 2015, according to Barna) are engaging the Christian faith; beyond that, 13 percent in gen Z claim to be atheists, compared with 7 percent of millennials (whom Barna defines as those born 1984 to 1998). This crisis did not happen overnight. More than a decade ago, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons coauthored UnChristian: What a New Generation Thinks about Christianity and Why It Matters (Baker Books, 2007); Kinnaman followed that book with You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church . . . and Rethinking Faith (Baker Books, 2011). These writers concluded that individuals ages 16 to 29 are walking away from the faith and alleging that the church is hypocritical, sheltered, too political, too judgmental, and anti-homosexual. Like it or not, this is the new reality, and we—as elders—must face it. If we are to lead well, we must respond to this crisis with urgency and intentionality. To reach and increase the numbers of young people in the Christian faith, consider three practical initiatives. C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

cultivate relationships Scripture describes several relationships between older and younger people. Many of these relationships are characterized by mentoring, such as Moses taking young Joshua into the tent of meeting to teach him how to meet with God (see Exodus 33:7-11). Elijah took Elisha under his wing to mentor him in the role of prophet. Naomi mentored her widowed daughter-in-law Ruth with respect to remarriage in the Hebrew culture. Moreover, by observing Paul and Timothy we learn how to cultivate relationships with the next generation in three unique ways. First, Paul met Timothy and they became known to one another (Acts 16). Second, Paul wrote of Timothy, “I have no one else like him” (Philippians 2:20). What a compliment! Paul valued young Timothy in the scope of his ministry. Finally, Paul referred to Timothy as “my son whom I love” (1 Corinthians 4:17). Known. Valued. Loved. What if we—as elders—cultivated similar relationships with young people . . . getting to know and value them, and loving them unconditionally? Could we reach and keep more of those in the next generation in Christ? - 13 -

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- e2: EFFECTIVE ELDERS -

Equip and Empower the Next Generation We’re challenged by Psalm 127:3-5: “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate” (author’s translation). Notice the context: “like arrows . . . hands of a warrior . . . contend with their enemies.” The psalmist is describing war. A warrior doesn’t keep arrows in his quiver. Instead, he shoots the arrow where he cannot go . . . he sends the arrow into battle. The gates of an ancient city were the most vulnerable point. If the gates were breeched, the city could be invaded and its inhabitants killed.

integrate the generations It’s one thing to lead a multigenerational congregation, yet it’s different to lead one that is intergenerational. We sincerely hope your church has multiple generations . . . from newborns to those well advanced in age, and we urge you to integrate the generations. For example, recruit teens to serve on the guest services team with retirees. Welcome gifted teens to the adult worship team; encourage older musicians to mentor younger musicians. Tech-savvy teens can help develop and leverage church websites, apps, and more—that’s a way for some young people to “mentor upward” those individuals who are older. Look for ways to introduce older and younger individuals to one another, fostering mutual respect. C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

In the same way, we want the next generation to advance the kingdom of God in ways our generation never accomplished. We want to send our children and grandchildren into ministry service to do far more for God’s glory than we even dreamed possible of ourselves. We must sincerely desire to send further those who are younger; we mustn’t be envious or intimidated by the next generation. Let’s solve this crisis by making the most of the opportunity to reach and keep the next generation. Each generation must bring those who are younger to faith in Christ, and then disciple them so they remain anchored in him. The next generation must courageously advance his kingdom in ways we have not. The dwindling number of young people coming to faith and staying faithful to Christ is a crisis, but in the strength of the Lord, we can—and must— overcome it.  - 14 -

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I m ag i n e

First Christian Church, Surf City USA THE VITAL ROLE OF SETTING IN A CHURCH’S MASTER PLAN BY MEL MCGOWAN

Imagine a 2,400-member church that has a rare and beautiful, four-acre setting on the Main Street of Surf City USA, and just down the street from where Huntington Beach Pier juts out over the Pacific Ocean. Not long ago, if you drove by that church—yes, it’s real—all you would have seen was the brick backside and moss-covered roof of a dated Aframe sanctuary. It was so closed off, some area residents thought the century-old church had disbanded.

Mel McGowan is cofounder and chief creative principal of PlainJoe Studios. He is a leading master planner and designer of churches in America.

So, when First Christian Church asked for navigational design help to get through the next 100 years in Huntington Beach, California, I jumped at the chance to work with them. I mean, it’s Surf City USA. What’s not to love? C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

@visioneer /visioneer

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BEFORE: and son of former senior minister Bruce Templeton. “It has revolutionized from a laid-back surf town to a modern tourist destination for a new generation.”

On this project, we took extra time to study the complex Huntington Beach setting. We had to fully understand its history and anticipate its future to instill just the right experience to the church’s master plan. Prior to 2000, Huntington Beach—with its mild climate and miles of sandy beaches—was known as a laid-back, easygoing surf town. The 1,850-foot pier, built in 1902, is the second-longest on the West Coast and remains the center of the city’s prominent beach culture. Residents of Huntington Beach embrace the outdoors and sunshine. But a significant shift happened over the past few years. The city began to embrace its position as a popular tourist destination. In 2006, the city fought for the “Surf City USA” trademark; and in 2015, Time named Huntington Beach the “Best Beach in America.” A large retail center was built on the former site of the 1960s vintage town center. Another center with shops, restaurants, and hotels opened near the beach in 2009. And in 2016, Pacific City, a 31-acre site of unique shops, upscale dining, a four-star hotel, and luxury apartments, opened across from the famous pier. The waves at Huntington Beach are consistent, but not huge; they attract surfers from all over. The U.S. Open of Surfing draws more than a halfmillion visitors each year. The long pier provides a unique vantage point to watch the competition. It’s no wonder Huntington Beach has become a vital Southern California tourist attraction. “I grew up in Huntington Beach,” says Curtis Templeton, a former staff member at First Christian C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

“With all the new retail space on Main Street, we wanted to move people from consumerism to connection at FCC,” says Curtis, who was a project manager during construction. “Our goal was to have them walk straight onto our campus from Main Street and be able to engage right away, feeling that the environment didn’t change. To do that, we had to leap forward from where we were [for] about 50 or 60 years. Not an easy thing to do.” A strategic, phase-by-phase “design intervention” was required. Rather than the “neo-Taco Bell” aesthetic many newer developments in the city were cutting-and-pasting, PlainJoe dug deep into the history of the town once named Pacific City. Urban planner Art Cueto led a complicated design and approval process, allowing us a more eclectic look that blended Coastal Craftsman, Victorian, Mediterranean, and contemporary elements. Upon its approval, the team started with kids’ environments, then a multiuse facility for middle and high school students, and then offices for staff above a coffee shop and bookstore. And what became of that brick A-frame? We reroofed and added a steeple and white Victorian board and batten details to create a postmodern homage to the church’s original historic structure. We moved the original bell of the chapel to the courtyard to honor the church’s rich history. “What is so incredible about the setting of FCC is God’s undeniable, mind-blowing, and amazing creation there,” says Johnny Davis, creative director of Spatial Storytelling at PlainJoe Studios. “I wanted people to experience the majesty of his creation as they walk from the pier down Main Street and all the way through the First Christian Church campus.” People now see a vibrant beach environment that blends in with Main Street but also pops enough to be noticed. We kept the traditions and reverence - 16 -

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- IMAGINE -

to the history of the church while creating a beach cottage and bungalow feel, but with a modern appeal to the future of Huntington Beach. People are invited to walk in and experience authentic community. Guests can just sit and hang out, grab a coffee, and chat with friends as the kids play. “We found fresh ways to connect with people who had never been to church before,” Curtis says. “The chapel became an icon to the community, and we tripled our engagement almost immediately.” The church also takes part in community events, participating in a massive Fourth of July parade along Main Street and putting on a drive-through, living Nativity every Christmas. Next year First Christian Church will be 125 years old. That’s pretty amazing! We celebrate with them and are thankful we had the opportunity to work with them and the beautiful creation God provided in Huntington Beach.  First Christian Church of Huntington Beach is passionate about “leading people to recklessly follow Jesus.” Find them at fcchb.com.

ministry l i fe

Models of Christian Womanhood BY JACQUELINE J. HOLNESS

No one told me a queen was coming to Central Christian Church in southwest Atlanta, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what seemed to be happening when a tall, carefully coiffed, gray-haired woman in a flowing pink dress sashayed by me and my friends escorted by her even taller, burly husband one Sunday morning during my childhood. Who is that? I wondered as I eyed her from a back pew. As a preteen, I had begun paying keen attention to adults, other than my parents, who inhabited my world, which consisted primarily of church and school at that time.

Jacqueline J. Holness, a member of Central Christian Church in Atlanta, is a correspondent for Courthouse News Service. Read more on her website, afterthealtarcall.com.

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I particularly loved observing the women at church. Some of them dressed modestly and spoke in quiet tones. Others wore conventional clothing, but their physical presence was overpowered by their stern commands. These were the women who reminded me of my schoolteachers, ever ready to hush my friends and me during church services. And then there were the women who reveled in their appearance. Their hair, whether straightened or teased into an Afro, commanded attention. Shades of red, coral, or brown adorned their lips. Their clothing choices, from their shoes to their hats, were ensembles. Their personalities matched what they wore: They spoke with authority. I liked those women the best. I looked forward to when I could express myself through my clothing—to when I was old enough for people to listen to me. When Mrs. Raglin showed up that day, I knew she would be among the women I watched closely. As I grew up, I thought I wanted to be a librarian, since the library was where reading books all day, every day, was OK. In about sixth grade, a neighborhood librarian helped arrange an internship, of sorts, and I assisted her with her duties that summer. When I found out Mrs. Raglin was a school librarian, I knew she was a kindred spirit. When I was a little older, she gave me a beautiful coffee-table book, I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America. “I think you will enjoy this book,” she said as she handed it to me. Years would pass before I owned my own coffee table on which to display it. Much later, in 2009, Deacon Raglin, the husband of Dr. Raglin (she had earned her doctorate by then), passed away. She created a church library in his memory, stocking it with wonderful books through her wide network of library contacts. She asked me to assist her in running the library, and I was honored to oblige. C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

Helping her organize books according to the Dewey decimal system, and affixing library pockets and cards to them, took me back to sixth grade. While completing these tasks, we discussed living alone. Her husband had handled home repairs, and I knew how to do such tasks since I lived alone for several years before marrying. I was amazed I had advice to offer her. I listened when she bragged on her two daughters, who also have doctorate degrees. “I do look forward to when they get married and I become a grandmother, though,” she added wistfully. I’m sure my parents felt similarly at that time. Together, we created the Central Christian Church Summer Reading Program. As a child, I had devoured book after book to win summertime reading prizes, and I hoped incentivizing reading would foster a love for it among the church’s children. One fluffy-pigtailed reader named Morgan won the biggest cash prize for reading year after year, and she regaled me with stories of how she used the money to purchase items she wanted. Now, as a high school student, Morgan comes to me for advice about everything from hairstyles to class choices. To my delight, she towers over me when she says, “Ms. Jackie.” Only God knows where her path will take her in adulthood, but I hope I have been an example of Christian womanhood for her, just as older women have been for me. 

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.

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ho riz on s

Young People in Ministry: Invest, Invest, Invest BY EMILY DRAYNE

As a child, when I heard the word missionary, I envisioned an elderly lady sitting around a fire talking about Jesus to unreached peoples. Now, eight years into my job working with missionaries, I know that’s not (always) the case. Kendi’s Cows of Grace is a great example. Kendall Grace Kemerly visualized her mission when she was 8 years old (see her story on page 60). I’m not sure what you were doing at that age, but I was playing with Barbies and Cabbage Patch dolls. Purchasing livestock wasn’t on my radar. It’s key to note that no one pooh-poohed Kendi’s idea simply because she was so young. Instead, her parents supported her dream, and now 16-yearold Kendi’s mission is to help people all over the world by providing sustainable income and food. Stories like this give me goosebumps. Invest in your kids!

Emily Drayne lives in North Carolina and has served with the International Conference On Missions since 2011. /emilydrayne @edrayne0530 @edrayne0530 www.theicom.org

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Mentor Students and Involve Them in Ministry Roles

but also how to personalize and extend the mission. If fear takes over, it can cripple the ministry.

I talked to Teddy Haubner and Jim Chamberlin about working with youth and millennials. Chamberlin was student director with International Conference On Missions (ICOM) from 2007 to 2015, and Haubner joined the ICOM staff in 2016. Both come from missionary families, have taken countless mission trips, discipled young adults in different areas, and have great perspectives on ministry.

“Where I’ve seen it succeed and fail has been in the ability of those in transition to be able to take their hands off the reins once and for all,” Chamberlin said. “Hopefully, as older adults continue to hand off to younger people, there will be grace and peace on all sides.”

I asked why they think it’s important to involve students in ministry roles both in the church and on the mission field. Their answers boiled down to the words significance and discipleship. Young people want to feel they have significance to someone. They want to do something, not just talk about it. “It is not only important, but also vital, to the future of the church, that middle and high school students have the opportunity to do ministry,” Haubner said. Students also need a mentor. Don’t just mentor those who are new to Christianity; even students who have grown up in the church need a mentor, he added. Students and young adults need someone to engage with them on a real level and not [just] coddle them because they are young. The best example of this is in the Gospels, he said. “Many leaders discount the ability of student hearts to be engaged at a high capacity, but over and over again I see students step up in incredible ways when we have high expectations for them.”

Hand Off Ministry to Younger Adults with Grace Many young families and couples are heading to foreign countries or starting urban city works, and some are facing trying times working on a team. Chamberlin talked about how complicated transitions can be. It’s tough being the long-term kingdom workers who see a new regime coming to take over their work of many years. On the flip side, the incoming worker might have tons of great ideas, but not all of them are met with acceptance. The new workers are trying to figure out how to fit in, C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

Invest in Families So where does it start? How can we groom young people and families for ministry and mission work? Haubner said leaders are the key to discipling and training students. He suggests the focus should be not on their age, but on “who they are and the difference they can make through who God created them to be.” He also suggests that churches need to invest in the family as a unit. “Parents need to be poured into and we need to allow them to be the ‘hero’ in their kids’ lives,” Haubner said. “Parents need to take the spiritual responsibility of their kids back from the church, and the church needs to create more opportunities for ministry.” As a new parent, I can totally relate to that statement. I would love for someone to take the time to show me how God wants me to spiritually raise my daughter. Chamberlin and Haubner said it’s a two-way street: Leaders and parents need to be flexible, and so must students and other young people. “We need to understand that when we focus on love instead of change, we have a better opportunity for influence,” Haubner said. He encourages young people to “listen to those who have come before you and respect them.” Don’t assume you know everything because of your passion to serve. Chamberlin adds this reality check: “Learn to ride things out. Life is a series of challenges with moments of boredom in between an occasional thrill, so don’t walk away when times are tough.”  - 21 -

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the bold movement T R A I N I N G M U LT I P L E G E N E R AT I O N S O F W O M E N TO C A R R Y T H E I R S W O R D S A N D U S E T H E M P R O P E R LY BY MEGAN R AWLINGS

if so many Christians read the Bible why do they seem to know so little about it?

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the alarm wakes me early

on a Saturday morning. A few minutes later, I grab my Bible and race out the door, headed to a Bob Evans an hour away. I pray as I drive, asking God for boldness and that my millennial heart will be content with him receiving all the glory. I walk into the bustling restaurant and sit down in a booth across from a new disciple of Christ. The waitress brings me my usual, a cup of half coffee, half hot water. This has been my Saturday routine for almost a year. I was not always committed to waking up early on my day off, but I learned about some needs that shifted my priorities.

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the need for biblical understanding According to Barna Group, 50 percent of high school graduates think Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife, 51 percent of churchgoers have never heard of the Great Commission, 13 percent of people surveyed believe Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife, and a considerable number think Billy Graham preached the Sermon on the Mount. I initially struggled to believe these statistics, but a conversation opened my eyes. I asked some Christian friends, “Who preached the Sermon on the Mount?” They half-laughed and then shrugged. One answered hesitantly, “Abraham?” At first, I thought he was kidding. Finally, another friend asked earnestly, “Then who did?” I was stunned. I wondered long and hard why self-professed Christians knew so little about their faith. I initially concluded they simply do not read their Bibles. As I searched for ideas on how to encourage others in this, I stumbled onto another Barna study that determined half of believers do regularly read Scripture! But if so many Christians read the Bible, why do they seem to know so little about it? In Ephesians, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to outline the full armor of God. Paul referred to the Word of God as “the sword of the Spirit.” A soldier is not handed a weapon and sent directly into battle. A soldier first receives extensive training in the proper use of a sword. Likewise, Christians need to be trained to understand and use their Bibles. Moreover, consider Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch: And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to [the eunuch] and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him (Acts 8:29-31, English Standard Version). The eunuch accepted Jesus as Savior and was baptized. Church leaders need to realize their congregations are filled with people who read the Bible but do not understand it, and that those people need guidance.

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the need for mentors It’s hard for a woman to find someone to mentor them in their Christian walk. It’s politically incorrect to say this, but I believe women should disciple women and men should disciple men. As a young Christian, I was fortunate to be surrounded by dedicated disciplers; unfortunately, few were women. To this day, I still seek advice from Scott Rawlings, a pastor for 60-plus years (and my father-in-law). I ask him questions about my walk with Christ every day. Our relationship is special and unique, but I still long for the guidance of a mature, Christian woman. And I wonder, Why wasn’t there a godly woman not only willing, but eager, to mentor me? I asked Christian women to help me, but some told me they weren’t knowledgeable enough, and others said they were too busy. These were reasonable excuses, but they were just that—excuses. Older disciples who are rightfully worried about the state of the church—myself included—should eagerly seek out younger people to guide. This situation inspired me to start The Bold Movement (TBM), an online women’s ministry and support system. My idea was to blog about ways women could find resources to help with their quiet time. As the idea evolved, TBM has focused on training women to find resources to help with their personal Bible study, and then to disciple other women. TBM has grown into a 17-person team. We prepare women through weekly podcasts featuring Christian leaders. Since adding monthly live streams to help ladies understand Scripture and demonstrate ways to share the gospel, our social media engagement has spiked. We are creating educational videos to help women study, plan, and teach a Bible study. We are also preparing material to help parents walk their children through the faith process step-by-step. And, of course, we are nearing completion of our first women’s Bible study—on Leviticus, of all books! We at The Bold Movement believe people who understand the Word will be bold believers ready to serve as God’s instrument to embolden others. We begin by teaching women which commentaries are faithful to the Word. We show them how to use Greek and Hebrew interlinears to better understand Scripture. We train women to use a concordance, and we teach the historical and cultural backgrounds of the text (such as explaining that the father of the prodigal son tossed off all dignity by running to him). We at The Bold Movement believe it’s not enough to read the Bible. We must also learn how to study it and absorb its message so we can help others do the same . . . whether in a group setting or one-on-one over a cup of coffee. We will walk hand-in-hand with our women to help them disciple others through discreet social media interactions.

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the need for multiple generations in making disciples TBM is a multigenerational ministry serving women from the “greatest generation” down to our youngest member, Carter Brooke, a 5-year-old who asks everyone she meets if they know Jesus! We support all women to do whatever it takes to win souls for Jesus by using Generational IQ, a groundbreaking book by Haydn Shaw, as a reference tool. We have listed the steps we are taking with each generation to show you how it can be done.

T H E G R E AT E S T G E N E R AT I O N Women in the greatest generation were born 1900 to 1945. They are loyal to their commitments, but they also fear not being useful due to their age or lack of physical abilities. These women are needed more than ever. They should take the lead in training younger women of the church who are willing to listen to them. Yet, too many are just trying to fill their days. TBM is calling upon the greatest generation to be trained and combine their wisdom with biblical knowledge to mentor young women in their congregations.

B ABY B O OMERS Christian women of the baby boom generation (born 1946 to 1964) are passionate and view faith primarily as a relationship that has benefits and problems. Unfortunately, most of the Bible studies produced by this generation have been heavy on “self-help,” emphasizing psychology over theology. We challenge baby boom women to take their passion and combine it with solid biblical training, while using their relational gifts to help their peers and younger women.

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G E N E R AT I O N X People of generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) are from the overlooked latchkey generation. These women are pretty grounded. They are most concerned with the result (and not the how). Their first question tends to be, “Does it work?” The Bold Movement reminds these women that God’s ways always work and encourages them to combine their practical approach with the riches of Scripture to make an eternal impact.

MILLENNIAL S According to most experts’ definition, my own generation was born between 1981 and 2001. Millennials are confident, brave, and look for meaning. Courage and passion are wonderful traits, but boldness without knowledge is dangerous. For example, Barna reported that 73 percent of millennials claim they know how to respond when someone raises questions about faith, and that they are gifted at sharing their faith with other people. Yet, almost half of millennials say it is wrong to evangelize in hopes of converting someone. The Bold Movement challenges millennials to prioritize the teaching of the Word of God over political correctness, and encourages them to find true meaning by evangelizing the lost and discipling the saved.

G E N E R AT I O N Z People of generation Z were born after the end of the 20th century. We are still learning about this generation, but these young folks appear to be open to instruction—yet terrified of messing up. They seem to be the most anxious of any generation. Gen Z folks are the least likely to have close personal relationships, but they crave relationships more than any other generation. The Bold Movement wants to train them and give them peace by fostering a close relationship with their creator and others.

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the Word will be bold believers ready to serve as Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s instrument to embolden others.

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The ministry of The Bold Movement is still in its infancy, but we have been awestruck by what God has done through the efforts of a handful of hungry disciples. Jill Walters is a woman of passion who was searching for a greater purpose in life. After joining our team, she has constantly been looking to share Christ with others. While traveling recently, she spoke with two strangers while they ate breakfast together in a hotel lobby. She invited them to church with her. They declined by explaining they are practicing homosexuals and they did not think they would be welcome. Jill silently prayed for them and left for worship. As she loaded her rental car the next morning, the two women pulled up next to Jill and one asked, “How was church?” Jill excitedly told them about the sermon that focused on baptism. One of the women confessed she needed to repent and return to the faith. The Bold Movement was God’s instrument in helping Jill be brave in speaking about her faith, and it may have had an eternal impact on two strangers. TBM wants more and more women to grow in their faith, gain confidence, invest in other women, and boldly share Christ wherever they find themselves. C.H. Spurgeon said, If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for. People in our culture need to be bold, but they also need to be trained, and that’s why this ministry exists. We all are busy, but we need to make time to learn God’s Word. As poet and missionary C.T. Studd wrote, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

At the end of our breakfast meeting on that especially cold Saturday, the waitress approached us with excitement. She told us our weekly meetings inspired her to find a church and recommit herself to Christ. When you pray for God to make you bold for his glory, he will. Are you ready to be bold? 

Megan Rawlings is the founder and CEO of The Bold Movement. She has a master’s degree in Christian leadership with an emphasis in theology. She is married to “the most interesting man in the world” and teaching pastor at Christ’s Community Church in Portsmouth, Ohio, Matt Rawlings. The Bold Movement team has reached more than 5,000 women in less than six months. theboldmovement.com

info@theboldmovement.com

/tbmministry

@tbm_ministry

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the need for boldness and training

LIVING IN THE TENSION How the Church Must Respond to Sexual Identity Issues in Both Truth and Grace

By Caleb Kaltenbach

They had been together for 10 years and married for three. The ladies believed they should divorce, but there were extenuating issues. First, they loved each other. One of the ladies was disabled and sexual intimacy was impossible, but they had a strong emotional bond. Second, if they divorced, one of the ladies would lose her health care. For her, this was terrifying as she’d be without medicine for her schizophrenia. “I almost got shot the last time I didn’t have my medicine,” she told me. “What happened?” I asked. “Well, I thought I heard my family calling me from outside. So, I went outside and kept yelling to them. I went down to the sidewalk to yell. The police showed up and I couldn’t tell the difference between their voices and the other voices I was hearing. They probably thought I was crazy. I saw one officer pull out his gun and I dropped to the ground.” You could hear a pin drop as she told her story. “I know they were just doing their job,” she said. “But it’s not easy being a black schizophrenic lesbian at nighttime when cops think you’re crazy.” We finished our time together by discussing possible options for their situation. I told them they should go back to their church leadership and ask to walk with them during this season. Let me ask you, would your church be willing to walk with those ladies? Does your congregation stand firm on the words of Scripture with an openhanded posture of grace and love? If your church wants to be like Jesus, you need to stand in the tension of grace and truth. Jesus came in grace and truth (John 1:14, 17). Paul tells us, speaking the truth in love brings maturity (Ephesians 4:15). John pleads with us to love in action and truth (1 John 3:18). Instead of taking sides, how can churches live in the tension of grace and truth? Here are five ways your church can begin living in the tension.

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Not long ago, I sat in an apartment crying with two AfricanAmerican lesbians. They were married and were attending a church in Houston that I was working with. After being with the church awhile, they concluded God designed sexual intimacy for marriage between a man and woman. They asked the church staff about next steps, but the ministers were as confused as the ladies. Now I was in their living room processing their situation.

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Strive for Unity Within the Tension Everyone gravitates naturally either toward grace (mercy) or truth (rule-keeping). People usually stay “on their side” of the divide because tension is uncomfortable. When Christians take sides, they move away from each other. Christians who quit taking sides, and instead live in tension, cultivate unity. Those on the truth side stretch to grace, and those on the grace side stretch to truth—they move toward, not away, from each other. This creates tension, but tension brings the gift of each other in a unified middle. Churches should maintain the belief that sexual intimacy was designed for a man and woman in marriage, while teaching that grace is for everyone . . . and that includes anyone. The tension also makes churches different and allows them to love people with whom they disagree.

Value God’s Words Over Society’s Latest Trends In Moral Choices (Zondervan, 2018), ethics professor Dr. Scott Rae highlights the conflict between society’s latest moral norms and our desires, beliefs, and values. Society is shifting from values based on Christian-Judeo principles to moral ambiguity. “[Society sees] no such thing as objective reality, truth, value, reason, and so forth,” philosopher J.P. Moreland wrote several years ago in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. “All these are social constructions, creations of linguistic practices, and as such are relative not to individuals, but to social groups that share a narrative.” Increasingly, society sees little difference between acceptance and agreement. Many people consider disagreement with their choices as rejection of their personhood. Churches are pressured to choose tolerance over tension, but churches that do so have seen significant drops in attendance and cultural influence. Ironically, more people who relate as LGTBQ attend nonaffirming churches (that is, they live in the tension . . . like the two ladies in Houston) than affirming churches. The women didn’t feel shamed; they were OK with their church disagreeing with them, because they felt loved. Thus, the church gained influence to speak into their lives.

Most of the time, individuals who are attracted to the same sex do not experience a shift in attraction. Some might find themselves attracted to the opposite sex or a particular individual of the opposite sex, but these examples are few and far between. Many share the experience of Dr. Wesley Hill, a New Testament professor who lives with this burden because he has chosen to remain celibate because of his biblical convictions. “Although I did not and still do not want to dispute that some same-sex-attracted persons experience what have been described as ‘significant shifts on a continuum of change’ and end up marrying a spouse of the opposite sex, I did want to testify that such shifting had not been (and still has not been) my own experience,” Hill wrote in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2016. “I have remained exclusively attracted to members of my own sex.” Christians attracted to people of the same sex, and who have chosen celibacy, are carrying a more difficult burden than single heterosexual Christians. Single heterosexual believers may eventually fall in love and get married, but the same isn’t true for same-sex attracted Christians (unless they fall in love with someone of the opposite sex). Unfortunately, they carry the difficult burden of being alone and single. While this is a sacrifice for Jesus, it is still a difficult burden. As such, churches are responsible to care for such attendees and members who are celibate (especially if church leaders have recommended celibacy). I’d contend church leaders should become family in a special way to such folks. To figure out how to do so, church leaders should ask questions such as these: Who will become family for this person? What does this person enjoy? Who is currently in this person’s life? Where can we best serve him? How can we ensure she will not feel isolated?

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Help People Carry a Difficult Burden

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When Christians take sides, they move away from each other. Christians who quit taking sides, and instead live in tension, cultivate unity.

Churches will never live in the tension if they primarily guard the gate (e.g., sacred cows in your church). Guarding gates, while important, can forge a gap where a bridge could be built. Tension builds bridges by establishing boundaries of grace and truth. On the bridge, Christians and non-Christians are able to do life—even church—together. Contrary to popular opinions, the church does not exist for Christians or for unbelievers. The church consists of Christians who encourage and equip one another to pursue unbelievers with the gospel for the glory of God alone. Can you feel the tension? Far from being new, this tension was experienced by first-century churches. Paul advised the Corinthian church: “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” (1 Corinthians 14:23). We get so lost in arguments on tongues that we miss Paul’s real scenario—unbelievers in a church service with believers—and Paul told believers to be intentional about what they do and don’t do during worship services. Paul loved intentionality. He preached one way to Athenian philosophers and another way to Festus, the Jewish people in Jerusalem, etc. He urged Christians to have the same intentionality in their personal lives: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:5, 6). Yet Paul never compromised or erased grace. Rather, he asked churches to live in the tension of grace and truth. If he asked first-century Christians who lived in a brutal, sex-crazed society to be intentional, how much more should we be intentional? The Houston church’s intentionality created margin for a lesbian couple to attend, feel loved, and trust the leaders enough to ask for their help in a difficult season. Again, living in tension afforded the church influence.

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Be Intentional

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Prioritize Conversations Policies are important; they provide organizational guardrails. However, churches living in the tension of grace and truth need more conversations than policies. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Paul shared how he was intentional with different people so he could relate with them and eventually share Jesus with them. He was always ready to correct error, but he was more concerned with making a difference. People who were unlike Paul liked sharing time with him (as those unlike Jesus liked Jesus). However, when he gained influence, Paul was willing to share uncomfortable truth for the person’s long-term gain. He believed doing otherwise was unloving. “People who love authentic community always prefer the pain of temporary chaos to the peace of permanent superficiality,” John Ortberg wrote in Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them (Zondervan, 2003). “Telling people what they want to hear is not love.” Church leaders can gain influence as Paul did. Paul spent time with people. He listened and dialogued. We can do the same. Paul and Jesus also asked really good questions. Howard Hendricks, the late Dallas Theological Seminary professor, was a brilliant teacher. He was wellknown for saying, “If you want to understand a biblical text, you’ve got to bombard it with questions” (from Living by the Book [Moody, 2007]). Similarly, if church leaders want to understand people, they need to learn how to ask good and helpful questions. Good questions are less threatening. Questions allow people to talk about themselves (which most people love). When they do, they will reveal their story and you’ll be able to be empathetic toward them and gain influence. Leading a church in the tension of grace and truth isn’t easy. You’ll be accused of either being too tough or compromising truth. You may even doubt yourself. Living in tension takes courage, but people are worth it . . . people like the two ladies in Houston. Their relationship with Jesus is worth all the uncomfortable tension in the world. 

JU N E 2019 C H RI S T I A N S TA N DA RD - 41 Caleb Kaltenbach is the author of Messy Grace: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction and God of Tomorrow: How to Overcome the Fears of Today and Renew Your Hope for the Future. He founded The Messy Grace Group where he helps churches understand, love, and engage LGBTQ individuals without sacrificing biblical beliefs. You can reach him at messygracegroup.org. Also, Caleb knew Dudley Rutherford back when Dudley had hair.

Matt Wilson is a 37-year-old church planter and pastor at Ekklesia Christian Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Greg Johnson is a 65-year-old â&#x20AC;&#x153;far-from-retiredâ&#x20AC;? mentor who has served as a missionary and minister. Several years ago, Wilson asked God to provide someone who had led a larger church. Johnson is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;supernatural provisionâ&#x20AC;? in response to that prayer. He is a supporter, encourager, and example for Wilson as God uses both men to build his church.

gregjohnson

đ&#x;&#x2022;&#x160; missionary đ&#x;&#x2018;? coach â&#x153;? pastor đ&#x;&#x2122;? mentor đ&#x;&#x201D;Ľ influencer đ&#x;&#x2019;Ą entrepreneur

shunning labels and serving leaders. by justin horey

Missionary. Coach. Pastor. Mentor. Influencer. Entrepreneur. Greg Johnson prefers not to be labeled, but he could be described as any of those. “I don’t like titles,” he says. “Even when I was leading a megachurch, I didn’t want to be called ‘Pastor Greg.’ I’m just Greg.”

international beginnings Johnson grew up in Ethiopia, where he attended boarding school while his parents worked as missionaries. His family lived in a very remote area where there were few white people. He remembers Ethiopian nationals traveling for miles to see him and his classmates and touch their white skin. In boarding school, Johnson says, he heard a lot of talk about Jesus, but he really didn’t “get” him. In fact, as a high school student, Johnson briefly considered a career as a professional hunter. After graduation, Johnson decided to live one final year in Ethiopia. He spent time with many of the national Christians there and observed a supernatural joy in them—a joy he wanted for himself. By the end of that year, Johnson says, he not only was a believer, he had decided to follow in his parents’ footsteps and become a missionary. He moved to the United States, where he attended Milligan College and Emmanuel School of Religion and met his wife, Becky. The couple spent more than 19 years as church-planting missionaries in Kenya, where he helped build the Maasai leadership training center in Kenya with CMF International (CMFI). As the national Christians assumed more and more oversight of the ministry in Kenya, Johnson moved to Indianapolis and served for five years as marketplace ministries director at CMFI, imagining all the while that some day they would go back to the mission field. His decades of ministry, though, had taught him to be open to God’s leading and hold his own plans loosely. During that time, he and Becky prayed. They decided, “When God opens doors, we will step through.”

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a surprise calling to florida That’s when Generations Christian Church in Trinity, Florida, called. The struggling congregation was looking for a proven leader to guide a new season of ministry. Johnson had never planned to serve in full-time local church ministry in the United States, but as he considered the possibility, two American pastors called and encouraged him to apply his passion for connecting people to Christ and his missionary mind-set to reaching people in America. Johnson ultimately accepted the call to serve at Generations, choosing to go where God was leading. It was a radical change of plans, Johnson says, but, “A clear mission helps you determine when to say yes and when to say no.” Johnson spent 16 years at Generations, during which the church grew to about 3,000 in average worship attendance. By embracing Johnson’s vision of being a church with “a broad, open front door where everyone is welcome,” the congregation shared the gospel message with unreached people who were far from God. mattwilson I’ll tell you why God wants you to move here ... you are God’s answer to our prayers.

While serving there, Johnson was active in the community—connecting with local politicians and business owners to advocate for community development through One Community Now, a nonprofit organization he helped to establish in Tampa Bay. As 2017 ended, Johnson left his position at Generations Christian Church, and he and Becky again spent time in prayer seeking to discern God’s plan for their next season of ministry. Johnson knew this job transition was not the end of his active ministry. At 65 years old, he describes himself as “far from retired.”

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the move to myrtle beach The Johnsons have one adult daughter living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and another serving as a missionary in Thailand. For much of his life—from his childhood in boarding school until his early 60s—ministry kept his family apart. In 2018, Greg and Becky asked themselves, “Why not move to Myrtle Beach, where we can be closer to some of our family?” Johnson began looking for a church he could serve in some useful way. When considering the move to Myrtle Beach, he was hoping to find a church that shared his spiritual DNA. “In ministry,” he says, “everyone is doing a lot. The question is, are you doing the right things?” Be fore re locating, he trave le d to Myrtle Beach, where he had lunch with Matt and Tina Wilson of Ekklesia Christian Church. Johnson asked to hear the church’s vision, and he listened as the Wilsons shared the story of their church plant. Then, to Johnson’s surprise, Matt Wilson said, “I’ll tell you why God wants you to move here.” Wilson explained that Ekklesia Christian Church was in the process of transitioning from a temporary site to a permanent home and that he had been praying for an experienced minister—someone who had been through a full-campus relocation and successfully led a larger church—to serve as a mentor and support to him. He was convinced Johnson was the man he had been seeking. He said plainly, “You are God’s answer to our prayers.” The congregation was averaging 400 to 450 in Sunday attendance when Johnson and Wilson met. The church averages closer to 800 now.

Johnson is helping Wilson with growth projections and systems development as Ekklesia continues to expand its ministry, but he has no formal role on the church staff, though he does preach occasionally on Sunday mornings. In their first meeting, Johnson told his young friend, “I am not a threat to you.” He continues to regularly remind Wilson he seeks only to be a blessing, not to be employed by the church. “Matt is an exceptional young man,” Johnson says. “God is using him in a powerful way.” Johnson sees tremendous potential in Ekklesia Christian Church. The biggest challenges, he says, are to establish a good structure and systems for the church, and to make time for Matt and Tina to rest from the increasingly busy work of the ministry. In addition to serving at Ekklesia, Greg and Becky Johnson have created Level Up Ministries, a partner organization with CMFI, which provides strategic planning services to churches and Christian workers in the United States and around the world. This ministry calls for international travel, mentoring, and speaking. “God has gifted me with lots of energy and lots of vision,” Johnson says. He plans to keep serving Christian leaders and growing churches, but as usual, he is hesitant to put a label on the work. “Leaders have to walk humbly before the Lord,” Johnson says. “If you don’t walk humbly before him, you won’t hear from him.” Of all the titles Johnson could wear, one he might willingly accept is listener. 

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

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ekklesiachristianchurch.com /ekklesiachristianchurch

#unconventional The Story of Ekklesia Christian Church— the Church Matt Wilson Didn’t Plan to Plant

“God did it all.” That, in just four words, is how church planter Matt Wilson tells the story of Ekklesia Christian Church since the congregation’s launch in June 2014. In his characteristically self-effacing way, the 37-year-old Wilson says, “I don’t know how other churches grow, but every year, God comes through with some completely offthe-wall way for our church to grow.” In the last five years, Wilson jokes, “God took this little hick from South Carolina and showed him what faith was.”

a desire to do what God is behind

a conversation that changed everything

Wilson comes from a family of ministers. His father was a preacher, and his brother is a preacher. He is originally from Tennessee, though his father planted a church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in the 1980s.

Ekklesia Christian Church launched in June 2014 with 130 people in attendance. Wilson remembers being amazed by the crowd’s size that first Sunday, because only 20 people were on the church’s launch team. The next week, he says with a hearty laugh, only 30 people showed up.

As a child, Wilson says, he loved God, but being a pastor’s kid was difficult. His father’s church plant was located on a farm and included a crisis intervention and rehabilitation center. “Church was a burden, to say the least,” he says. In middle school, Wilson began to question the things he had been taught about God, and he fell away from the faith. Still, he stayed involved with the church during those years, and at age 17, he was asked to lead the middle school ministry. “I wasn’t into it,” Wilson says flatly, but the fledgling ministry to young teens began to grow nonetheless. Through that experience, he rediscovered his love for the Lord and a passion for ministry. Ironically, Wilson recalls, “Those kids taught me about what it means to serve and follow Jesus.” For years he continued to serve at his father’s church in Myrtle Beach, though he couldn’t escape the sense he should do more.

Wilson was still serving full-time at his father’s church (which he continued through the end of 2016), and he remembers feeling like he devoted only about an hour to the church plant each week. Despite his severely limited availability, Ekklesia grew—very modestly at first. Attendance eventually increased from 30 to 35, and the church reached a high of 60 people during its second year. It may have been his own insecurity, or perhaps the church services truly were substandard because of his divided attention, but Wilson found himself repeatedly apologizing to visitors for what he saw as glitches and failures. One week, he recalls unleashing “a barrage of apologies” to a woman who was visiting for the first time. She listened patiently to his excuses and explanations for the perceived shortcomings of the Sunday service and then said, “I won’t be back, but not because of all the things you said. I won’t be back because you don’t believe in it.”

“I didn’t want to do ministry that I was born into or hired into,” he says. “I wanted to do something that God was behind. I had to know if God was with me or if I was just a hired hand.”

That conversation changed everything.

Through his time in youth ministry, Wilson noticed students were graduating from high school and then dropping out and leaving the church. He began hosting a Bible study for young adults at his home, trying and hoping to “get them back into church”—but without much success.

From that day in the summer of 2015 forward, Wilson says, “I decided that we’re not going to try to be perfect. We’re just going to be the church.”

Then, unexpectedly, a woman with a local college approached Wilson and asked if he would consider starting a church there. A church plant wasn’t what Wilson had in mind when he expressed a desire to do something that God was behind, but a donor offered enough funding for Wilson to hold worship services at the college for 10 weeks.

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the faith to keep moving forward

Instead of focusing on the Sunday service and obsessing over its inadequacies, he turned his attention to discipleship. When he began to concentrate on discipling people, they started to stay at Ekklesia. The congregation doubled in just one year. As the church grew, Wilson started to seek a permanent home for the congregation. He dreamed of a particular parcel on Highway 501 in Myrtle Beach, but he considered it financially out of reach. - 47 -

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He still speaks wistfully about that “prime piece of property. It was almost like God blessed it.” Rather than praying for an opportunity to acquire his dream site, Wilson worked with a local Realtor and visited smaller parcels. “They were mostly pretty terrible,” he recalls, but he planned to present three of them to the congregation as potential new homes for Ekklesia Christian Church. Before he could follow through on his plan, a trusted friend and mentor, Pete Kunkle, senior minister at First Christian Church in Kernersville, North Carolina, challenged Wilson’s lack of faith. He said, “If you’re going to go on faith, then do it.” Convicted by his longtime friend, Wilson personally called the owners of the “prime property” and made a very low offer. They declined. Then, over the course of that afternoon, the property owners called Wilson repeatedly—negotiating against themselves and lowering their sale price. Twice. Then three times. They called over and over C H RIS TI AN STA N DAR D

that day, lowering the price of the property each time. Finally, the owners agreed to Wilson’s original offer, saying, “If you can get the money together, it’s yours.” Like so much of Ekklesia’s early history, the building campaign did not go smoothly. The church’s original contractor offered to construct a modest facility, took thousands of dollars but built nothing, and left the congregation wondering what to do. Then construction costs ballooned quickly, to more than 10 times the original budget. Not knowing what else to do, in the spring of 2017, Wilson and Ekklesia Christian Church decided to continue the construction project in faith, partnering with The Solomon Foundation. TSF team members pushed the church to expand their vision and, ultimately, to more than double the size of the building they originally thought they could afford. Wilson compares the experience to Peter walking on water with Jesus. “Every time we step out,” he says, “God kind of makes the water solid.” - 48 -

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a hub for the community Walking on water is an appropriate metaphor, because Ekklesia ministered to thousands of people in the fall of 2018 when much of South Carolina flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. The elevation of the land where the church was being built was among the highest in the area. When the devastating floods hit, the dry property served as a distribution center for flood victims even though the building was not yet complete. Volunteers from Ekklesia served 300 meals the first day, and 3,000 the next! People who didn’t attend Ekklesia Christian Church became involved with distributing food from the church’s property during the flood, creating a unique opportunity for side-by-side ministry and evangelism. “Our core focus has always been discipleship,” Wilson says. “Because of the flood, we were able to disciple people through their involvement in ministry before they ever came to church.” Ekklesia eventually completed construction of a 30,000-square-foot building and the church is already running three weekly worship services there

and averaging roughly 800. The first services in the new building were for Christmas 2018. Through the disaster relief and the work of the temporary distribution center, Wilson says, “Ekklesia became a hub for the community. If it hadn’t been for the flood, the surge of visitors we experienced after the grand opening would have eaten us alive.” Instead, Ekklesia Christian Church is successfully ministering to the people of Myrtle Beach one at a time. “Every person who comes in matters,” Wilson says. Matt Wilson takes no credit for the remarkable journey of the church he didn’t plan to plant. Instead, he gives all the glory to the One who planned it all. “God didn’t do anything conventionally,” he says with a laugh. “There’s nothing other than God glorifying himself that would make this work.” Wilson, his wife, Tina, and their seven children have seen and experienced incredible moments through their involvement with Ekklesia Christian Church. He encourages other church planters to follow his unlikely example with one piece of advice: “Go all-in and watch what God does if you’re obedient.” 

good love.

5 Ways to Help Emerging Adults Find Good Love and Good Lovinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; By Haydn Shaw

Connie wrung her hands as she confessed that her 24-year-old daughter had started having sex with her boyfriend. “My husband and I raised her in the church. Until recently she believed that sex outside of marriage is wrong,” Connie told me. “But she informed me that as soon as she can get a better job, she’s moving in with her boyfriend. She says they love each other and plan to get married in a few years.” Why are my kids putting off marriage but not sex? is a question I hear all the time from parents, especially committed Christians. I’m not surprised. Most parents and churches do attempt to talk about the facts of life. We explain that God designed sex for marriage. Often we promise that sex will be much better if emerging adults will wait. But there are two facts of life we don’t talk about, and our silence is hurting our young people.

Why are

my kids

putting off

marriage but not sex?

We don’t talk about the fact that most Christian singles are having sex. According to religion researcher Robert Wuthnow—from his book After the Baby Boomers (2007)—evangelical Protestants are the most likely to say that premarital sex is always wrong (about 42 percent), yet 69 percent of unmarried evangelicals ages 21 to 45, and 78 percent of mainline Protestants, had sex with at least one partner during the past year. We must also consider that millennials are waiting about five years longer to marry than boomers. Since most of us who are older didn’t wait that long for marriage, we don’t know what to tell them. Some of us doubt anything will work, so we say nothing and hope they aren’t doing what they shouldn’t be doing. But it sends mixed messages to our kids when we don’t talk about sex much in a world that talks about it constantly, that worships it. And when singles do ask how to handle their sexual desires for five additional years, parents and churches stammer and mumble things about trusting God and holding strong.

Emerging adults (and their parents and grandparents) need practical help figuring out how to deal with the additional five years until marriage. We have to start talking about this new fact of life. Millennials want to marry eventually, but like Connie’s daughter, they don’t think it’s realistic to go without sex until they’re 26 and finally get married. Western culture flipped during the 1960s. Christianity historically has said that sex was good but not vital. The sexual revolution said that sex was vital and faith optional. So what do we do? We’ve not had to face later marriage since the 1940s, when our grandparents last married later. But they didn’t spend as much time alone and weren’t immersed in a culture that worships sex. (Chapter 10 of Generational IQ explains how we came to worship sex and evaluate Scripture by sex rather than sex by Scripture.) I don’t have all the answers, but I will make the following suggestions.

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Start the Conversation We need to start talking about sex and the additional five years people are waiting before they marry. And we need to do it now. If we stay quiet because we don’t know what to say, our emerging adults will wonder whether we think it’s impossible to wait that long. What’s more, those lessons and discussions need to happen frequently and at a much younger age than we are comfortable with. Studies show that girls begin to think in terms of their sexual identities as young as age 6. Of course, we only talk about what our kids are ready for, but if we listen, we will learn what they think and what they need to know.

don’ t start with the commandments about sex; start with why God gave them to us.

Listen First Listening so we know what our children think and what they need to know applies to emerging adults even more. Connie was surprised her daughter was sleeping with her boyfriend because Connie hadn’t talked to her daughter about the ideas and images in our culture that were undercutting her daughter’s beliefs in God’s plan. We can’t help our kids unless we learn what they really think. We need to ask more questions as we transition from being the parent of a child to being the parent of an adult.

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Talk Why and How Connie thought her daughter believed sex outside of marriage is wrong. Her daughter may have known the commandments and some of the consequences like pregnancy or disease, but she didn’t understand or agree with the why. She didn’t believe God would give her what she needed to be happy, because she believed she needed sex. We want kids who not only know the rules but who agree with God. Our kids become transformed spiritually when they grasp the beauty of righteousness because they see the good that comes from obeying God. That won’t make their sexual desires go away, but it will make it worthwhile to learn how to deal with them when they really believe God knows what he’s talking about. Don’t start with the commandments about sex; start with why God gave them to us. We don’t sugarcoat or soften what God says. We just reverse the order. Take a moment to practice. Try this exercise that I give groups when I speak in churches: List three reasons sex before marriage isn’t best for us, without mentioning the Bible. If God is great and good, then there are practical reasons for his rules. Talk about those reasons more than the commandments.

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Teach Your Children the Beauty of Sacred Sexuality God made us sexual beings even if we never have sex. He wants us to find our sexuality rooted in him instead of in our bodies. There are three central reasons sacred sex is more vital than the worship of sex. 1. You can be happy without sex. Jesus’ life shows we can be happy without sex. Many fans of Jesus but not Christianity forget that Jesus was a virgin. Sex is so important in their worldviews that a psychologically healthy, happy celibate makes no sense to them. They can’t help but try to marry Jesus off (see The Last Temptation of Christ and The Da Vinci Code for examples). So why wasn’t Jesus obsessed with sex as people are today? Jesus knew that sex, when it’s removed from its rightful place, can own us. He shows us how to take sex less seriously because it’s good, but not vital, to a vibrant, healthy life. Because Jesus didn’t make sex the epicenter of his world, sex did not own him. 2. Sex is too powerful to be “vital.” Each generation has increasingly seen sex as more vital than the last. It is seen as vital because it’s so powerful that resistance is futile. The book of Proverbs agrees that sex is powerful—too powerful to be vital: “Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 6:27-29, New Living Translation). The apostle Paul later explained that not only is sex nonvital, unmarried sex harms our vitality (see 1 Corinthians 6:12-20). Christian sex keeps this power in a safe container—marriage—where it can bind two souls together. Jesus didn’t talk specifically about sex much (the Bible he read talked about it a lot, and he didn’t have much to add). But one statement was so important that Jesus quoted Genesis: “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one” (Mark 10:7, 8; see also Matthew 19:5). According to Jesus, our images and ideas about sex focus too much on how it feels to our bodies and not enough on what it does to our souls. 3. Sex is too fragile to be the foundation of a marriage. Looking for heaven on earth always disappoints. How could we not be disappointed when it inevitably gets boring? Because sex, like all other physical desires, will at some point become boring. When it does, it takes more or someone else to make it spine-tingling again. Sex will disappoint Christians who wait as well. This is part of the problem with abstinence approaches that promise, “If you wait until marriage, you’ll have better sex.” I’m the first to admit there’s a strong case in the psychological literature about the benefits of married sex, and I think we should tell people about them. But sometimes in our desire to get people to follow the Bible’s teachings, we use a sales pitch the Bible never promised. The reason to have sex only with your spouse is because marriage is a God-ordained mystical unity. Marriage teaches us to love the way God loves us, which we can’t do if sex (and our marriage) is all about us. If the best reason to wait is to have mind-blowing sex later, then sex is still worshipped more than God, and the minute it gets boring, we’re not only disappointed, but we also feel lied to and robbed. When a couple centers their life and marriage on God, they don’t take sex as seriously. They don’t have a “duty” to have mind-blowing sex; they can pull it off the throne and put it back in its proper place. Then they are free to discover its unexpected surprises and a mojo that can last throughout the years.

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Ask Them How They Are Doing We ask our emerging adult children awkwardly direct questions about how they are preparing for the sexual temptations in their romantic relationships. My wife, Laurie, and I found it hard dating for four years; we have to talk about it if our kids are going to make it six more. I ask my boys, “How’s your car running? What’s your plan to stretch your money until you start your summer job? And how are you doing keeping your hands to yourself?” They don’t even flinch at the question anymore. Times have changed and sex is the most important topic the church must address to help people find a vibrant faith. I’ve asked us to start talking about sex and marriage in a way that helps people discover the God who gave us our sexuality and knows what to do with it. That’s the only thing that will help us get to 28, or 88, if we never marry.  Haydn Shaw is a minister who speaks to and consults with churches and other organizations to help them grow. He is founder of People Driven Results and is a leading expert on helping different generations work together. For more about this topic, see chapter 10 of his book Generational IQ: Christianity Isn’t Dying, Millennials Are the Problem, and the Future Is Bright, from which this article is adapted. Learn more about generations in the church and find free resources at http://christianityisnotdying.com. /TheHaydnShaw

@TheHaydnShaw

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@haydnshaw

daryl reed Building Bridges for the Next Generation

by MeliSSa WUSke

“I’m the grandson of a preacher,” says Daryl Reed, “so I always had it in my mind that it’d be cool one day to be a preacher.” When it came time for college, however, “I really didn’t want to go to any preaching school or seminary, because . . . I thought I was still too cool for that,” he laughs. This isn’t a story about youthful overconfidence, though; Reed was following the example of earlier generations of his family, and now he’s helping subsequent generations of young people live it.

“My grandfather was a reluctant preacher,” Reed says. “He had to go into the ministry because of a church split. When he and my grandmother refused to follow an authoritarian leader in Milwaukee, they took three other couples and started a new church.” Reed’s grandfather answered God’s call, though he lacked certain qualifications for the job. He hadn’t graduated high school; he couldn’t read well. “My grandmother actually had to help him prepare sermons,” Reed says. “From that church, the impact has been unbelievable. It grew and grew”—right before Reed’s young eyes. “I was born in that situation of toughness and faith. That independent streak.” Reed attended Western Illinois University where he played basketball. “During that time, I got excited about helping college students,” he recalls. Instead of learning Greek, as he’d seen others do in Bible college, Reed learned to simply sit and read the Bible with people and apply Scriptures. “I saw how the Bible could come alive and change somebody’s life.” With that practical, hands-on vision, Reed graduated and went into ministry. After a series of ministries in Michigan, Illinois, California, and Ohio, he and his wife, Charon, and their three sons moved to Washington, DC, first partnering with an existing church, and then planting DC Regional Christian Church in 2003.

No Place Like DC “For me, there’s no better area for me to raise up my own African-American children and . . . to raise up next-generation leaders,” Reed says. “All regions in the country don’t have [equal] privileges for the African-American community, but Washington is ripe with opportunity. There’s a multigenerational influence of intelligent, educated African Americans.”

Since launching the church more than 15 years ago, he’s focused on young African-American men because he clearly sees how their potential can be overtaken by the materialism, ego, and busyness of life in a major city. “My challenge is to make sure our young people don’t get caught up in the world,” Reed says. Instead of young people investing their talents in the world around them, he desires they “reinvest them in kingdom work.” His vision is to equip people to minister to others no matter their vocation. “In our church, we have a lot of sharp people, especially because we initially targeted campus ministry-aged folk,” Reed says. “They’ve grown up now, they’re well established with their jobs, and we’re reaping the benefits of targeting those groups early.” For years the church rented space—high school auditoriums, middle schools, government buildings. Flexibility was exciting at first, but over time setting up and tearing down got old. In October 2018, DC Regional had their first service in their own building in Suitland, Maryland, just outside DC, which it acquired with the help of The Solomon Foundation. More than 600 people attended. “It’s a milestone,” Reed says. “In our community it’s a big deal to be able to have something. There’s a sense of ownership and a sense of pride.” Suitland has a substantial population of African Americans and low-income people, but it’s also an up-and-coming area. The building will serve the community through a daycare and a nonprofit to build partnerships with schools to help at-risk youth in the community.

“We feel that the building sets us up for generational impact [and] permanence to impact the community . . . to be known in the community, not just for the message but for our service.”

because of my upbringing. So, when there are accidental insensitive [behaviors], or even intentionally prejudicial behaviors, I’m able to shake it off.”

As the church grows roots in the neighborhood, its history of meeting in various places means members are scattered all over DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Reed sees it as a positive. “That gives us a toughness and ability to reach the area long term,” he says. It has ingrained a philosophy that “ministry is people, not a building.”

But overall, Reed says, “I’ve been welcomed in an incredible way. I’ve been invited to a lot of churches where God was already at work and they felt the need for greater diversity. It’s good to be able to trace our ancestry back to common ideology. We have so much in common.”

The change of season for the church coincides with a shift in focus for Reed.

WHEN we look at

Fellowship Across Boundaries A vital part of the wisdom he is sowing in the next generation is the value of building bridges to connect with people across dividing lines. Reed grew up in African-American noninstrumental churches of Christ, but in the last decade or so, “I’ve started to connect with brothers and sisters from other Restoration Movement roots,” many of them from other racial backgrounds. Those connections have provided rich fellowship and “a door of ministry and connectivity that has been invaluable and mutually beneficial.” In 2017, he was the first African-American president of the Eastern Christian Conference (it was ECC’s 50th anniversary), and in 2013 he served as vice president of the North American Christian Convention. But significant milestones don’t always come easy. “Any ‘first person’ or trailblazer often gets hit,” he says, “but I’m thick-skinned

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Cable News more than we LOOK At

our Bibles, our

IdeOlogies get

“Now that I’m at my double-nickel age of 55, I feel like I’ve crossed that line from being the young guy to being the trainer.” He’s excited to raise up the next generation of leaders with more urgency than ever—“and as long as I have my voice and my Bible, I’m gonna keep on preaching.”

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twiS ed.

Bridge Builders Needed

More bridge builders are needed, he says.

Building bridges is a key to keeping the gospel moving into future generations, he says, adding that much of the friction of crossing boundaries comes from the heartbeat of politics in the nation’s capital.

“I think we have a lot of people out there who are still reluctant to break through their culture,” Reed says. The apostle Paul was no different. “He had to receive the vision three times to be sure that he would share the gospel with all nations.”

“We need to preach the gospel loudly and boldly, and then share our political thoughts quietly. Very quietly,” Reed says. “I think we’ve got that twisted. Some churches are actually going backward on this the last decade or so because political ideology can be more intense than spiritual ideology.”

Reed has been growing as a bridge builder for years.

Reed contends too much focus on politics, particularly on only one particular issue, “can overshadow some basic gospel principles.” The results can be far-reaching.

As his urgency for the next generation grows, Reed is calling for change.

“When we look at cable news more than we look at our Bibles, our ideologies get twisted. The example of the church at large can be diminished. Truth seekers, especially young people, can be turned off.” Political and racial dividing lines seem deeply set, but Reed sees a clear path forward. “[Churches have] a fad mentality. What’s the latest? What’s the hottest?” Reed says. “I think what’s old should be new again: Love one another and love God. If we can remove the blinders from those two commands, it actually puts us on the exact same path, the same mission. “So, ministry happens, unity happens, reconciliation happens because we have the same love for the same Jesus, we have the same commitment to love our neighbor, and we have the same passion to make disciples of all nations. I think we’d get past the racial divide because we’re driven by something bigger—more depth and less hype.”

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“I attended an all-white church in college and that changed my mind. Jesus is the same [there]. Culture might be different, but Jesus is the same.”

“Church leaders should have diversity in their friendships. The church goes where the leaders go. They lead the way by diversifying their relationships. Initiate, and intentionally diversify, friendships. My questions is, Have you had lunch with anybody?”

The Goal: The Next Generation Reed’s story of reaching the next generation— and overcoming political and racial hurdles in the process—comes back to a deeply personal message. “It starts with my view of myself, how the seed was planted in me at a young age. I still, in some weird way, view myself as a young guy. My grandfather is 94 years old, and he still provides that example. I still view myself [as his] grandson.” He says his grandparents’ example of “just loving God and using your gifts as far as you can take it—it just sticks, it just resonates.”  Melissa Wuske is a freelance editor and writer. She and her husband, Shawn, and their son, Caleb, live and minister in Cincinnati. Find her work online at melissaannewuske.com. /melissa.wuske

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KENDALL GRACE KEMERLY founder, kendi's cows of grace

This teenager who started a nonprofit ministry at age 8 continues to make a difference in the world

by kelly carr

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God’s teaching me that we’re not promised tomorrow so we have to put forth our best today, every single chance we get. I need to to him and follow “God’s teaching me that we’relisten not promised tomorrow, so we have to put forth our best today, every sinthrough what I’mglebeing do, chance we get.called I need to listen toto him and follow no matter what. through what I’m being called to do, no matter what.”

These wise words come from Kendall Grace Kemerly, who has been following the Lord in ministry since she first dreamed of making a difference at age 8. Now 16, she has spent 8 years overseeing Kendi’s Cows of Grace, a nonprofit that strives to support sustainability for communities and education for children by providing the gift of livestock. “I was just being obedient to what God was calling me to do. It was God saying, ‘Kendall Grace, this is what I need you doing.’ And I followed.” If this world-changing idea from a person so young surprises you, you simply haven’t met Kendi yet.

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nothing is impossible Kendi was in elementary school when she felt the urge to buy cows (and then chickens) to help people in other countries. “Livestock teaches a person not only how to care for themselves but care for something else,” Kendi explained. “They learn how to save milk and eggs, how to give it to others and show grace, how to sell it, [and] if they have extra, how to mix it with farming [and] gardening, and create a more sustainable way of life.” Kendi’s parents, Jason and Jessica—who themselves are in ministry at Christ’s Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana—initially anticipated Kendi would collect funds and donate animals to another organization. However, as the idea took shape, the Kemerlys saw that Kendi felt the need to start her own ministry. When Kendi first told her parents about her ministry goals, Jason admitted, “I kind of laughed and said, ‘Well, that’s a big dream, and that’s good, but it’s pretty much impossible.’” Then Kendi reminded him that he always taught her and his church that nothing is impossible. “It’s what I’d been teaching, but I hadn’t been living it out,” Jason realized. Jessica agreed, telling him, “We’ve got to get on board—or get out of the way.” While Kendi found support from her parents, some adults around her thought she would surely grow out of this idea in a couple of years. And perhaps she might have, had Kendi not gone to Haiti to witness firsthand the people her ministry was impacting.

A Life-Changing Trip The first hurdle Kendi’s Cows of Grace faced was finding a ministry partner in another country. Kendi had money in an account yet no one to give it to. “When we started, it was really hard to find people who wanted to help and wanted to work with a kid my age, because they didn’t think I was serious,” Kendi recalled. Eventually Haitian Christian Outreach was willing to take a chance on a young person who has a heart for Jesus and a well-researched plan to help others. But the organization shared something important with Kendi: People in Haiti need chickens, not cows. That was no problem for Kendi; she soon sent a check for chicken farms. The partnership continued to develop for a couple years, and when Kendi was 11, she received a gift she never anticipated—someone paid for her to travel to Haiti. “Going was incredible. . . life changing,” Kendi said. “I saw I wasn’t just doing what I think is right, I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.” She met several children whose survival odds had been very low. But God was using the chicken farms to bolster families and the entire community, and now these kids had futures filled with hope. She watched these same children who were supposed to lose so much now giving to others around them. “It was inspiring. I’ve never been so touched by something,” Kendi said. “God’s doing this rippling effect.”

more about kendi

KENDI’S FAMILY Dad and Mom: Jason and Jessica Siblings: • older sister Kirsten is married to Sean and has two children, Elias and Lucy (so Kendi is an aunt!) • older brother Cole goes to Ozark Christian College • younger brother Corbin is into video games

KENDI’S PETS Kendi has two pets of her own, “But they aren’t livestock!” she said. Her dogs are named Gus Gus (a golden retriever) and Rainey (a St. Bernard/Mastiff mix puppy). “Both lay on top of me in the morning,” Kendi said with a laugh. “Sometimes when life is hard, and I need encouragement, God gives me my dogs to say, ‘Look, here’s one little thing to make you smile.’”

KENDI’S LIVESTOCK While Kendi feels called to donate cows and chickens, her favorite farm animals are mini goats! “They bounce around everywhere. They’re so funny. They eat everything, but they’re adorable!”

KENDI’S IMPACT Kendi’s Cows of Grace has raised more than $125,000 and has partnered with organizations in six countries so far: Haiti, India, Liberia, Philippines, Ghana, and Lesotho. Discover more: KendisCows.org Facebook: /KendisCows Twitter: @KendisCows Instagram: @kendis_cows

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No matter what you’re going through, you can help; you can do something, We all have different talents; we’re all being called to do something different. You just have to do it.

Role Model—for Kids and Adults Kendi wants to be part of God’s ripple effect, not just overseas but by showing kids in the United States that young people can make a difference. At International Conference On Missions events, it’s evident Kendall Grace Kemerly is a role model—children, teens, and college students flock (pun intended!) to the Kendi’s Cows of Grace booth, wanting to learn how they can participate in ministry beyond their backyard. “No matter what you’re going through, you can help; you can do something,” Kendi tells other kids. “We all have different talents; we’re all being called to do something different. You just have to do it.” Kendi is proof God can use anyone to change lives, no matter how young they are. “I want them to know it’s only because of God,” she said. If young people have big ideas but don’t know what to do next, Kendi recommends asking for help from the adults in their lives, especially adults in their church. “Talk to people who know business; I have a lot of Christian business friends, and they watched me grow up. When I was asking for help, they had very good advice.” Most importantly, if people have ministry ideas but are hesitant, Kendi wants them to ask God for his guidance. “Pray, because if you’re hesitant, it [may] mean you’ve got to do it, and you’re just scared or worried. Or it means you’re not called to do that, but you are called to do something else.” Kids aren’t the only ones who can learn from Kendi. Adults also need to realize how much her generation can do for God’s kingdom. “Yes, we’re still kids and still growing up, so we’ll make mistakes,” Kendi said. “But we’re not always as immature as people think we are, because God’s leading us on this. If we’re set on this, it’s because God’s driving us.” Kendi said if all of us—kids and adults alike—put our faith in God, he will take care of us and our efforts for him.

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What’s Next? Kendi said she’s learned through trial and error that large projects work best when divided into smaller stages. “It works better because it’s more planned out.” The current goal for Kendi’s Cows of Grace is to continue through the phases of a large project in Liberia (while continuing with the ongoing project in Haiti). The organization sent two students from Liberia to college, and now those students are back in their community, beginning to teach everyone how to take care of animals, how to farm, fish, etc. Next, Kendi’s Cows of Grace and its local partners want to construct buildings to help with these efforts and get the materials the community will need to create sustainability. Kendi hopes to someday visit Liberia, if her health will allow. You see, while spending time going to church and school, and running a nonprofit, the teenager is battling physical challenges. Kendi copes with chronic migraines, asthma, and fatigue and is undergoing additional tests. She has an adjusted class schedule to make sure she gets enough rest between all her work and ministry. “My family is right there helping me get through it, telling me it’s OK,” Kendi said. As you might have guessed, these struggles haven’t dampened Kendi’s spirit or her faith. “Sometimes we feel like we’re drowning in the world and its craziness. But in the end, there’s always a reason, and there’s always something that will make you better and make the rest of the world better.” God is certainly using this teenager in Indiana to make the world a better place. 

Learn more online and partner with Kendi: KendisCows.org

Kelly Carr, former editor of The Lookout, enjoys sharing and shaping people’s stories as a writing and editing consultant in Cincinnati, Ohio (EditorOfLife.com). /kellycarr

@kbirdcarr

YOU CAN CAL L M E

G R UMPY

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“Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly . . .” (Leviticus 19:32).

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With church members in America steadily aging, we need to know how to respectfully address our elders, but the last thing we need is more politically correct gag orders. Therefore, now that my body has passed its “best by” date, I hereby give you permission to call me by any of the following terms.

YO U CA N CA L L ME . . . 1. OLD FOGEY—Meaning “old-fashioned,” or “living in the past,” the term fogy comes from the word fog, and describes the way some old people go around in a daze: confused, forgetful, lost. I do live in a fog, but I have been that way most of my life. So, I’ve had a lot of practice dealing with it. Many of my 18-year-old college students lived in a fog, too: confused, late to class, forgetful. It’s life, not age. As for living in the past, I am relieved to be rid of much of it. Take the hymns, for example. We seniors have been accused of worshipping the hymns more than God himself, but there are many hymns I never liked. Especially the militant ones, like “Onward Christian Soldiers,” “The Fight Is On,” and “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.” I am simply not a militant person, and these songs embarrassed me. Back then, most churches used a hymnbook with, say, 758 pages, but they sang the same 27 songs all year because those were the only ones the pianist could play. Needless to say, I am burned out on those 27 tunes. If I hear “Standing On the Promises” one more time, I think I will run, screaming, into the street. Truth is, we older members like many of the new tunes, and I especially like new arrangements of the old hymns, the best of both worlds. 2 . OLD GEEZER—From the root guiser, it’s the word for disguise, and it refers to the way we become hard to recognize as we get older, because of weight gain, hair loss, or eccentric behavior. I was invited to speak at an anniversary service of a church where I had been the preacher 40 years previously. To my amusement, no one recognized me when I walked in the front door! They were still expecting the same skinny, 29-year-old boy with black hair and shiny, white teeth. Oddly enough, I like myself better now than I did back then. I may not be as strong, but I am much more disciplined and organized, so I get a lot more done with less strain. I find salt-and-pepper hair to be more interesting than monotone black, and I still have all my own teeth, thanks to modern dentistry. When I look in the mirror, I see my Dad, and there could be no greater honor than to look like him. So, yes, I am a geezer, and, no, it doesn’t hurt.

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3. OLD CODGER—This is the Old English term for beggar, and back then most older folk were poor and dependent. I am a beggar, and I am not ashamed of it. Everything I have is a gift from God, and I know it could vanish overnight. I am extremely dependent on my redhead for judgment, companionship, clean jeans, and tasty food. I prize the advice I get from my daughters—they keep me from getting strange. And I often need help from friends and neighbors. I live on a small, unfunded pension and evaporating savings. Consequently, I still have to work . . . and I’m glad. I preach almost every Sunday, somewhere, and I write for a variety of publications. I raise some of my own food, repair my own cars, mow my own yard, and mop the floors for Sharon, who can no longer do that. Most days I don’t get done with everything on my list. I’m not selling pencils on a street corner yet, but I am truly an old codger, dependent on God and his children. 4 . OLD FUDDY DUDDY—From the words fussy and dud, the term describes the way some old folks get very fussy about how they do things and are unable to change. (In other words, they are duds.) My wife and I still do some things the old-fashioned way because we enjoy the old ways. We have never felt any pressure to be contemporary, just for the sake of being contemporary. Usually we blend the old and the new. I am writing this article with a pencil on paper, because I love the feel of a pencil sliding over paper. But I will load it into my Mac for editing and export. My wife loves to hang laundry outdoors, where she can enjoy the sunshine. The clothes last longer when they are not tumbling in a dryer. But she has a dryer for rainy days. We boomers have lived through a tsunami of change in the last 40 years, but we don’t get enough credit for the way we’ve adjusted to it and even initiated some of the change. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, and Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, were both born in 1955, but they are still leading change agents in the world. 5. GRUMPY OLD MAN—Just yesterday my wife said to me, “You are truly grumpier than you used to be, but it’s mostly amusing.” “Well,” I growled back, “studies show that grumpy people live longer, so you should be glad.”

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Some of my grumpiness comes from not being able to see well, hear well, or walk without wincing. Paul said, “We groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:2). Grumpiness is my version of “groaning toward Heaven.” Most of my grumpiness, however, comes from watching television. When I see my Christian values being mocked by newscasters, actors, and politicians, I get more than grouchy. Like ancient Lot in Sodom, I am vexed by the sinful and suicidal lifestyles of Americans. “It’s just a generational change,” young people tell me, but they are naive. It will be the difference between Heaven and Hell for many, and “hell on earth” for the children of these experimental lifestyles. See how grumpy I can be? Get used to it.

T H E G O L D EN RUL E OF TH UM B The five terms listed here are just a few of many ageist pejoratives for older people, and most of them are “male.” I will leave old bitty and old hussy to some female writer. What should we call older people? Kindness is the rule of thumb. My wife says, in her Irish voice, “You shouldn’t mock something that people cannot help, like baldness or changing body shape.” So, old baldy and hunchback are definitely out. The Bible uses the terms old, older, elder, and aged, so those are fine. One AARP study showed that most Americans are happiest with just being called older. After all, everybody is older than somebody, even a 3-year-old. And seniors got high marks, too. New terms are being invented all the time, like classic citizens, keenagers, prime timers, and groovy grays, but personally, I find them a bit too cute. I like it when young people call me Sir or Mister, not because I have any need to be revered, but because it’s good for them to practice respect. Frankly, I’m fine with the term old. Jonathan Swift said, “No wise man ever wished to be younger,” and we seniors know exactly what he meant. We may want to conserve some old values, but we have no desire to go back, only forward. Like many seniors, I am shocked at how happy I am at this stage of life. When you begin to run out of years, every day is like Christmas. Old age is many things. I am no dwarf, but all in one day, I can be Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Sleepy, Sneezy, and Happy. But above all, Grumpy.  Dan Schantz taught “Education of Adults” at Central Christian College for many years. By the way, the grumpy man pictured is not Dan Schantz.

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THIS SUMMER ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SIMPLE.

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BUILDING AND HONORING THE

core CORE VALUES values OF YOUR ORGANIZATION

Adopting core values and following them is imperative in building a successful organization. Core values are central to how you show up, serve, promote, and protect your organization. Core values give focus to the mission you are trying to achieve. Infusing your core values into every aspect of your organization increases the likelihood the organization will achieve its purpose. A church’s core values likely will center on reaching people with the story of Jesus. All churches desire to be more successful at that. Once a church outlines and adopts core values into its daily life, and builds enthusiasm around those values, it makes it easier to attract the right ministers and staff, build devoted teams, clearly communicate its purpose and plan to the community . . . and ultimately grow. Every consumer measures a company’s—or church’s—core values and mission, even if sometimes unconsciously. These play key roles in choosing a store to shop at, an airline to fly with, a cruise company to vacation with, or a church to attend. People care about the values a company or church portrays, and more importantly, the values leaders of those organizations demonstrate every day.

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EXAMPLES from examples FROM the THE corporate CORPORATE WORLD world Companies that successfully implement core values, and those that don’t, both provide evidence for their importance. In 1998, Royal Caribbean was caught dumping waste off the coast of Florida. In 2017, United Airlines had security officers drag an innocent person off an overbooked flight. That same year, Equifax, a credit rating agency, allowed (and then mishandled) a security breach. When comparing these companies’ stories to those of businesses that have strong core values that permeate all levels of their operations and among all staff, we see major differences. Southwest Airlines, it seems, has endless success stories about helping people who are in need. American Express goes above and beyond to address and defeat fraud whenever a customer’s account is targeted; it quickly offers credits to the victims. Tylenol pulled all products off shelves to protect consumers even though a recall required the company to pull only a portion of them. Chick-fil-A honors the Lord’s Day—and forsakes profits— by remaining closed on Sunday. These are examples of companies that make choices based on their core values. Corporate strength and corporate values go hand in hand . . . you cannot have one without the other.

how HOW to TO determine DETERMINE core CORE values VALUES for FOR your YOUR church CHURCH This applies to the church as well. People in the pews and people who are seeking a church in your community want to be sure the church’s core values align with their own. This might involve indepth conversations about baptism and Communion and elder boards, but it’s likely to take in more than that. People today assign great value to daily virtue. They want to be part of a church— leaders and attendees—that seeks to reach the lost, is generous with people in need, and has a high level of integrity. The core values are the first thing you see when you walk into the new building of Ekklesia Christian Church, Conway, South Carolina. There is no doubt Ekklesia seeks to unite in love, expand in influence, disciple in truth, give with generosity, and dare to believe. Every action Ekklesia takes—from the senior pastor and his wife to the volunteers helping park cars—is rooted in these core values.

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Taking the time to develop core values isn’t enough. You must also teach them to staff and volunteers, and then run each choice and decision through a test by asking: “Does it match with our core values?” Repeatedly doing this, allowing core values to guide actions, will bring success to organizations and corporations. The result is even more dynamic for churches that align their core values with Scripture, for when God gets behind something, nothing will stop it. Determining core values for your church will follow a fairly typical path. Pray about it, seek wise counsel of churches that have successfully developed core values, talk to your leadership team, dream big, and take notes. The second step is to keep your core values centered around your church’s mission. Reaching the lost, feeding the hungry, serving the least, or funding the growth— root your mission in core values, and then make sure leaders center their choices around them.

GUARD against guard AGAINST ‘mission ‘MISSION drift’ DRIFT’ Finally, guard against drift! If leaders or choices begin to drift away from the core values, those “values” become meaningless. “Harvard and the YMCA are among those [organizations] that no longer embrace the Christian principles on which they were founded,” Peter Greer wrote in Mission Drift: The Unspoken Crisis Facing Leaders, Charities, and Churches. “But they didn’t drift off course overnight, drift happens in small subtle ways.” Watch out for mission drift! • Mission-true organizations make hard decisions to protect their mission. • Mission-true leaders build in safeguards and set culture and tone for the organization. • Mission-true board members or elders understand their top priority. The best way to develop core values and guard against drift is to center them in Scripture. Assign a Scipture verse to each one. Memorize your core values, print them on everything you do, and teach them to staff, volunteers, and everyone involved. When you have a choice—even a small, simple choice—weigh it against your core values. When choosing elders, choose those who have already demonstrated alliance with your values and vow to defend them.

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In December 2010, eight Christian leaders came together for the first board meeting of The Solomon Foundation. Barry Cameron presented the opening devotion that served as catalyst for development of the 5 Core Values of The Solomon Foundation. Each of the core values aligns with a Scripture and helps drive the mission, which is to grow God’s church through a church extension fund. These were the core values outlined that day: 1. Honor God. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9, 10). 2. Help people come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives” (Proverbs 11:30). 3. Help our investors get a great rate of return on their investment. “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:24, 25). 4. Help churches get to the next step. “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14, English Standard Version). 5. Have fun. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). Now, for almost a decade, core values and Scripture have worked hand in hand to help The Solomon Foundation contribute to God’s mission by helping to grow the church. The people who serve with TSF seek to honor God through their work. Every choice, every meeting, every flyer, every loan, every event, every hire, and every board member—all these things are tested against The Solomon Foundation’s core values. This has contributed greatly to the success in helping more than 240 churches secure loans, 4,800 investors earn great returns, and overall growth to reach more than $550 million in total assets, making TSF the fifthlargest church extension fund in the nation. All of this is accredited to God’s glory and is a testament to the significance of core values. Whether you are planting a church tomorrow or are leading a church that is established through years of service, take time to consider adopting and instilling core values. It will be the step that leads to success in your mission.

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INTERACT

CHRISTIANITY IN CONFUSION Thank you so much for the powerful reminder of what makes the Restoration Movement so unique in church history [“Christianity in Confusion: What Happens When We Forgo Reading the Directions,” by Kent Fillinger, p. 8, April 2019]. I pray that your call to remember that the Word is the lifeblood of Christianity will resonate with a generation that is in danger of giving up the treasures of Heaven for the passing pleasures of emotionalism built on a foundation of sand. Thank you for standing on the firm foundation of truth. Steven via email

BENEFITS OF BIBLICAL PREACHING This is an excellent article [“Preach the Word: How to Embrace Biblical Preaching in the 21st Century,” by Chris Philbeck, p. 40, April 2019]. I pray that more preachers will read and consider the author’s points. We all benefit from biblical preaching! Jackie M. Collier via website

REAL INFLUENCE I definitely would like it if more people agreed with me on the most important issues [Letter from the Editor, by Michael C. Mack, p. 6, March 2019, which references a web-only article by Michael McCann, “How to Have Influence in Dialogue with the Ignorant, Obstinate, and Belligerent . . . and with Those Sitting on the Sidelines”]. I can think of two very different ways to make that happen: (1) Spend my life haunting every YouTube account, Facebook page, and website that has discussion forums about the most important issues, or (2) “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded.” John Allcott via Facebook

Give us your feedback /ChristianStandardMagazine @ChrStandard @christianstandardmagazine Cs@ChristianStandardMedia.com 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.”

- BIBLITICALLY CORRECT -

COMMUNION COMMOTION From After Class Podcast

A kerfuffle at First Church of Christ these last few months shows no signs of abating. During a study on Communion in the early church, the congregation learned that first-century Christians took Communion as part of a community meal at their regular gatherings. First Church, which is committed to restoring the New Testament pattern of worship, now has a potluck each Sunday after church. At about the midpoint of the meal, participants pause to remember the body and blood of Christ by sharing broken bread and the fruit of the vine. Though it has been well received generally, this practice is not without detractors. A longtime church member who desires anonymity has taken issue with the new format. “How can we focus on our personal sins and unworthiness to enter into God’s presence during Communion when we’re laughing and talking with the people around us?” the man lamented. “No one is going to feel the weight of his guilt and sorrow in that kind of environment.” Another concerned member asked, “Doesn’t the very definition of Communion require us to focus solely on God in a moment of quiet personal reflection?” She wrung her hands and added, “I don’t understand how food and fellowship create a communal experience.”

The popularity of this change among most, however, suggests First Church is unlikely to revert back to its former method for Communion. Supporters point to the church motto, “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; and in all things, love,” and stress that they are of one mind in their desire to persevere in their efforts. Yet challenges persist. During the autumn months, many members struggled to coordinate potluck attendance with football viewing. Also, the ad hoc nature of the event makes it nearly impossible for regular attendees to stake out permanent places to sit week after week. Many enthusiastic participants seem determined to move around in order to talk to different people, frustrating all such efforts. And now an unforeseen theological question threatens this new practice. Is it right for unbaptized children to participate in the potluck? After all, the entire meal is being treated as Communion—albeit with a break in the middle when baptized members remember the broken body and shed blood of Christ—so can just anyone participate in the wider meal? And what about guests who may or may not be baptized? Only time will tell if the shift is sustainable. 

The After Class Podcast guys are Bible and theology professors at Great Lakes Christian College; from left to right in the logo, they are Samuel C. Long, Ronald D. Peters, and John C. Nugent. They strive to engage provocative contemporary topics with wit and careful biblical scholarship. www.afterclasspodcast.net

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