Excerpt from new monthly Christian Standard

LET ME TELL YOU HOW YOU SHOULD VOTE

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NACC DIARY

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$50 MILLION IN FULLERTON ®

RESOURCING CHRISTIAN CHURCHES

FIRST MONTHLY ISSUE • SEPTEMBER 2012

How Churches Are Encouraging People to Give

SHOW ME THE MONEY! www.christianstandard.com

CONTENTS

September 2012 ®

RESOURCING CHRISTIAN CHURCHES

SEPTEMBER 2012

Volume 147 Number 36

17

This Month

14

Stewardship: What Have We Done to This Word?

I spent eight years in Bible college and seminary, where I majored in theology. In all those years, I never had one class, not even a lecture, on the theology of stewardship.

By E.G. “Jay” Link

17

Don’t Ignore Your Debt, Eliminate It!

On the outside, we looked very successul. But in reality, we were living way beyond our means.

20

40

By Barry L. Cameron

20

Giving Up!

Rocky Mountain Christian Church was hammered by the downturn—and that’s only a small part of the story. The church’s lead pastor explains it all.

By Alan Ahlgrim

Every Month

28

Your Church

Giving It Away!

Two churches conducted smashing giving campaigns earlier this year and then gave it away—to places not even associated with the churches.

By Darrel Rowland

Christ followers should carry core convictions with them—especially when they step into the voting booth. Here are the five key planks, as I see them.

1 6 10 51 55 62 64

From the Editor — We like it! Do you?

4C’s — Cooking with Poo . . . say what?

Seen and Heard — Wealth as an end in itself.

From My Bookshelf — Bios about Shakespeare and Steve Jobs.

Interview — Bridget Schnautz ministers in a paint factory.

In Opinions — An exercise in “demographic Darwinism”?

And So It Goes — Paul Williams asks, “Change is good, right?”

E-mail: christianstandard@standardpub.com

SEPTEMBER 2012 (611) 3

Let Me Tell You How You Should Vote

Website: christianstandard.com

Group Think — Good facilitation promotes participation.

Ministry Today — Called to spread the whole gospel.

Elders Meeting — A roadmap for your next meeting.

What’s Next? — Success, celebrity, and Christ.

Notable & Quotable

40

By Ben Cachiaras

53 57 59 61

Subscriptions/Customer Service: 1-800-543-1353

BY SIMON J. DAHLMAN

Associate Professor of Communications Milligan College, Tennessee

Why Wealth?

Making money cannot be an end in itself—at least for anyone not suffering from acute mental disorder.

To say that my purpose in life is to make more and more money is like saying that my aim in eating is to get fatter and fatter.

Making money cannot be the permanent business of humanity, for the simple reason that there is nothing to do with money except spend it.”

74%

Percentage of likely voters identifying health care as a key issue of the 2012 presidential campaign (the most frequently cited issue among 12 choices).

62% “To love what you do and feel that it matters—how 29% could anything be more fun?”

—Sir Robert Skidelsky, English economist, and Edward Skidelsky, English philosopher (father and son), “In Praise of Leisure,” The Chronicle Review, 18 June 2012.

Percentage who identified tax policy as a key issue.

—Katherine Graham (1917-2001), Washington Post publisher and Pulitzer Prize winner

Percentage who listed abortion as a key issue (the least-cited choice).

—The Barna Group, May 2012

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Inner Awareness “The silence does make me aware of my inner workings . . . what we call in the monastery ‘self-knowledge.’ I can’t pretend that I’m always a nice guy, always patient, always calm and receptive. I have to admit that I can be abrupt, cold to offenders, or would often prefer efficiency to the messiness of other people’s moods. Silence seems to keep me from idealizing myself.”

—“Father B,” a Trappist monk, in an interview with Jeremy Mesiano-Crookston, “How Silence Works: Emailed Conversations with Four Trappist Monks,” The Awl blog (www.theawl.com), 1 June 2012

Dads Fuel Persistence

If parents want to teach their kids to stick with it, then dads especially need to stick with it. Fathers are in a unique position to help their adolescent children develop determination. The secret is for dads to practice what’s called “authoritative” parenting (not to be confused with authoritarian), which includes three basic qualities: (1) children feel warmth and love from their father; (2) accountability and the reasons behind rules are emphasized; and (3) children are granted an appropriate level of autonomy.

—“‘Keep on Keeping On, Even When It’s Hard!’: Predictors and Outcomes of Adolescent Persistence,” by Laura M. Padilla-Walker, et al., Journal of Early Adolescence, 18 June 2012

Free to Restrict

“T

oo many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves.”

2.2 billion: people who live in countries with increasing government restrictions or social hostilities toward religion.

69 million: people who live in countries with decreasing restrictions or hostilities toward religion.

30 percent: Proportion of nations in the Middle East and North Africa with increasing government restrictions on religion.

—Albert Einstein (1879–1955), German-American Nobel Prizewinning physicist

—“Rising Restrictions on Religion,” the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

“L

ove is that splendid triggering of human vitality . . . the supreme activity which nature affords anyone for going out of himself toward someone else” —Jose Ortega y Gasset (1883–1955), Spanish philosopher and essayist

Teens Brew Loneliness

—“Drinking, Socioemotional Functioning, and Academic Progress in Secondary School,” by Robert Crosnoe, et al., Journal of Health and Social Behavior, June 2012

PR Man

“All the President is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway.”

—Harry S. Truman (1884– 1972), 33rd U.S. president, in a letter to his sister, November 14, 1947

SEPTEMBER 2012 (619) 11

Teenagers who drink to be socially “in” are only kidding themselves. In fact, drinking only makes things worse: Not only is drinking more likely to make teenagers feel like social outcasts, but it may be causing their isolation. After analyzing health data on 8,271 adolescents from 126 schools (grades 7 to 12), three sociologists found a relationship in every type of school between drinking and feelings of loneliness and not fitting in—but these feelings were especially substantial among self-reported drinkers in schools where fellow students tended to avoid alcohol and were tightly connected to each other.

S T E WA R D

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What Have We Done to This Word?

SHIP

BY E.G. “JAY” LINK

If word abuse were a crime, many Christian leaders and teachers would be in jail for how they have abused one of our most important biblical terms—the word stewardship. If you were to poll your congregation and ask what stewardship means, I suspect the overwhelming majority would say it has something to do with money and giving. Part right and part wrong.

And, as my grandmother would say, “If something is partially wrong, it is all wrong.”

Churches have fund-raisers/capital campaigns, but often refer to them as stewardship campaigns. (A stewardship campaign sounds much more spiritual, don’t you think?) We use the term “good stewards” to refer to people who are “good givers.”

We teach that tithing will make a person a good steward. Many larger churches now have stewardship pastors who are really financial pastors. I could go on, but I think you see my point.

Many churches use the word stewardship as if it were a synonym for giving. But it actually is an antonym (opposite meaning). Let me explain. Giving has to do with what we deploy. Stewardship has to do with what we retain. Stewardship is not about what we put in the offering when we go to church; it is about what we do with what is left in our checkbook after

we have done our giving. Stewardship is about what we are keeping.

A Stool with Three Legs So, what exactly does stewardship mean? Let me explain stewardship as if it were a three-legged stool, and all three legs are essential for the stewardship stool to properly stand.

Leg 1—The first “leg” of this stool is the fact that God owns everything because he created everything. For example, King David tells us, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it; the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). I think that about covers everything we will ever get our hands on in this life.

Leg 2—The second “leg” is the fact Continued on next page

SEPTEMBER 2012 (623) 15

I spent eight years in Bible college and seminary where I majored in theology. In all those years, I never had one class, not even a lecture, on the theology of stewardship. Everything I now share with you I have learned since those days long past.

Since very few institutions include this topic in their curriculum, the overwhelming majority of pastors/ministers have either no stewardship theology, or worse, a bad stewardship theology. Consequently, it is really no surprise our churches are, at best, theologically adrift in this area of stewardship, and at worst, being falsely taught.

Here are a few examples of how the word stewardship is being abused in many churches. Church bulletins and newsletters often have a stewardship report that includes the amount of the offerings.

How do you respond when the economy is down and the ministry challenges are multiplied?

Here’s one church leader’s candid response.

GIVING UP!

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Rocky Mountain Christian Church opened its 30-acre Frederick, Colorado, campus (above) in September 2008, just as the nation’s economy went south.

Picture this: Your church launches a new campus with a state-of-theart, 70,000-square-foot building on 30 acres—just before the economy implodes in the greatest recession most of us have experienced. Meanwhile you are fighting for the church’s life in a lawsuit that costs you $2 million to win. This creates a loss of momentum that results in staff reductions and the departure of many members to another congregation nearby.

What do you do in such a situation?

Alan Ahlgrim, pastor of Rocky Mountain Christian Church in Colorado, faced all those challenges and more. As he shares in this candid testimony, his experience has made him reflect as never before about how God provides.

BY ALAN AHLGRIM

“The kingdom of God is not in recession!” I really resonated with that comment from my buddy Cam Huxford. I agree with Cam that God’s good work on earth is always advancing by God’s Spirit.

Unfortunately, God’s work is not always so well resourced by God’s people! The average giving of the typical Christian is anemic. It’s somewhere around 2.5 percent!

The church I serve has made no apology that “money matters” to God. Every year we share clear, biblical teaching on this theme. That’s one reason our giving has often been 20 percent greater than most would expect to see, even from a mature congregation.

However, since 2008 we’ve discovered that strong giving alone does not guarantee the financial stability of a ministry.

That is our painful reality! Here’s some of what we’ve experienced and some of what we have learned.

What We’re Learning In our new economy, “flat” is up! We’ve had no budget increases for the last five years. Virtually all staff salaries have been capped and many have been cut. We’re learning to live lean as we pay for the decisions of the past and the expenses of the

ALAN AHLGRIM

By God’s grace we have been living on manna!

present. While we don’t regret investing in a new campus, we’re definitely strained due to how much we spent on it!

We now have a demanding debt load.

Just as many families have discovered, our church family can testify that debt is not our friend. While the strategic decisions were made in a different economy, the bills must be paid in this economy. As a ministry, we enjoyed more than “seven years of plenty,” and now we’re enduring at least “five years of difficulty”!

By God’s grace we have been living on manna! That means all of our bills have been paid on time, none of our missionaries have been cut back, and we still have 10 percent of our budget in emergency savings. Furthermore, all of this has taken place despite a massive number of people “moving on” and moving away this year.

Given that, it’s actually some small comfort that our year-to-date giving is down only 1 percent! God continues to provide!

Daunting, Not Impossible This isn’t the first time our ministry has faced a huge financial challenge. After we occupied our first facility, one Sunday morning our treasurer said, “This church is just two bad sermons away from disaster!”

After our second expansion, I told many we weren’t merely out on a limb, we were out on a twig! Time and again we have recalled the words of one elder who said, “Once again, God has us right where he wants us, totally dependent upon him!” And God has brought us through every time.

The call of God is not just to go through a challenge, but also to grow through it.

Linden Kirby, our pastor of operations, also leads Excel Ministries. He talks about seven steps in giving. It’s a great summary of how we need to challenge others to “grow in the grace of giving.”

Occasional Giving—Virtually everyone gives something. That might be through the donation of used clothing or a few canned goods. No country in the world practices philanthropy quite like ours. Most people claim to give about 2 percent of their income to some sort of worthy cause whether they are Christ followers or not.

Continued on page 58

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Our “Perfect Storm” We were hammered by the downturn.

Just when the economy went south in September 2008, Rocky Mountain Christian Church opened the doors to a stateof-the-art, 70,000-square-foot building on an additional 30-acre campus. We had decided to launch that campus in an under-resourced community in an adjacent county. We were boldly building for the growth everyone expected.

Unfortunately, the economy brought virtually all of the new housing construction to a sudden halt. Many lost their jobs, homes were foreclosed, dreams were crushed, and families imploded. While the immediate attendance growth on our new campus exceeded our expectation, the giving was far beneath our expectation—and still is.

We were financially drained by expensive litigation. A five-year legal battle with Boulder County resulted in a precedentsetting victory for land use rights across the country. That invaluable victory in U.S. District Court was later upheld by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; the decision was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case.

We were vindicated and deeply gratified. However, we discovered that every

victory couldn’t be measured financially. Our legal bills had to be paid in real money. Our net legal costs exceeded $2 million, and all of that was paid from our general fund.

We were struggling with the loss of momentum. The reduction of our staff by 25 percent, and then the loss of our campus pastor for the new facility, rocked us.

Internal frustrations over the departure of so many staff members, the legal controversy, and changes in music style, weighed us down. All of that came at the same time a nearby ministry was enjoying explosive growth. These factors combined to lead to a discouraging and unprecedented number of departures. Special note: momentum is wonderful when it’s working for you, but not when it’s against you!

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it for f o e n nd no by . . .

A . s g fferin ve learned o l a i c o spe hat they’ w T . s rche own use. W u h c o Tw ches’ r u h c the

g n i v i G y a w A It RREL

BY DA

AND

ROWL

Mounting a successful fund-raising drive is challenging enough for any church, especially in these difficult economic times.

But two churches not only carried out smashing one-day giving campaigns earlier this year, they turned around and gave it away—all $176,000 of it. In fact, most of the money went to places not even associated with the church.

Leaders of both churches say your congregation should try it, too.

Launched in 2005, Forefront Church in Manhattan began an annual giving event called Celebration Generosity in 2009.

That first year, members chipped in about $27,000 for various social service organizations around New York City.

This year, the church collected more than $145,000, including $61,000 for a Forefront plant in Brooklyn slated to open in late September.

Why hold a big special offering and give most of it away?

“Our vision at Forefront is to see God’s kingdom restored,” said Jonathan Williams, pastor of the new Brooklyn church.

“This goes beyond us. It goes beyond the church and allows us to see what others are doing in the city as being God’s hands and feet.

“This year we gave to a group that feeds and educates the city’s homeless and a ministry that saves women from sex trafficking. Even though they’re not associated with our church, we see them as part of the larger vision to see the kingdom restored through the power of Christ.”

Continued on next page

SEPTEMBER 2012 (637) 29

©iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Hope Now At about the same time, more than 300 miles to the northeast, eight-year-old EastPoint Christian Church in Portland, Maine, was putting together its first Hope Now celebration on Easter Sunday in one of the city’s biggest meeting places, historic Merrill Auditorium.

“We were trying to prayerfully figure out how we could break into downtown Portland and give something back to the city, no strings attached, just to show that we are a church that wants to be part of the community,” said EastPoint’s pastor, Scott Taube.

“Another focus point was for us to be able to make connections and build relationships with the people in the community to further extend our reach with the gospel of Jesus.”

The goal of $20,000 was crushed by the 1,300 who attended and gave an offering of more than $31,000. The money went to Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, the only such facility in the state.

The idea sprang from a staff vision/ planning retreat. The leaders not only wanted to hold a community Easter celebration, but to make a gift to the community as well.

“We could have given a park bench or tree or something like that, but our goal became one of connecting with as many people as possible,” Taube said. “A gift to Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital surfaced as what we believe was a Spirit-led idea.

“We determined that we could connect with physicians, hospital administrators, nurses, custodians, etc. as well as hurting families with children in need of the

No matter what the gift, a loving father is pleased when his child happily gives it.

Gifts that Make God

SMILE Autumn Joy toddled across the room and stood at the edge of my laptop-centered view.

I was in task mode, typing away in my living room recliner. My 18-month-old daughter looked up at me, her Shirley Temple curls bouncing around her face. Then she handed me a plastic doughnut from her kitchen play set.

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BY JEFF ANDERSON

I looked at the doughnut my toddler had just given me and then back at her again.

She was waiting for a response. So I lifted the doughnut to my mouth and said with great animation, “Yummm, ymmm . . . thank you, Autumn! This is soooo goood.”

Then something beautiful happened.

Her big brown eyes widened, and her lips pushed a giant smile against her puffy cheeks. She stood up on her toes and let out a high-pitched squeal.

After soaking in the experience for a few seconds, she ran back to her kitchen and brought me a little pink spoon. Again, I responded, showing her my approval. This cycle continued a few more times as I began to collect plastic pieces from her kitchen set.

For Autumn, this gift exercise kept bringing her back to Daddy. For me, it kept me looking forward to my child’s return. I was moved by the exchange . . . the interaction . . . the connection. I was so pleased.

The whole experience wasn’t about the

doughnut. If one of her older brothers had brought me a plastic doughnut, it wouldn’t have been the same. Somehow the gift was exactly right coming from her, even if it was just a toy.

The Aha! Moment And then it dawned on me: Could this be how our giving feels from God’s perspective?

Are our gifts to him like plastic doughnuts?

After all, God does not need our gifts or our money. But like a father moved by a gift from his child, perhaps our gifts really can get God’s attention. Suddenly I saw giving from a different perspective.

As early as Cain and Abel, God was quite interested in the gifts of his children.

When God “accepted Abel and his gift” (Genesis 4:4, New Living Translation), the word in the original Hebrew text (sha’ah) suggests God paid attention to and gazed at Abel’s gift in a special way.

When Noah stumbled off the ark and

offered burnt sacrifices, God “smelled the pleasing aroma” and made a covenant to never destroy the earth with water again (Genesis 8:21). The word nichowach (pleasing aroma) means soothing, quieting, tranquilizing. Like our comfort from a steaming hot coffee on a cool day, God has his sweet aroma moments too.

For 1,500 years under the Law of Moses, the Israelites presented “acceptable offerings” (Leviticus 1:3) to God. Biblically speaking, the word acceptable means “pleasing.” Sure enough, these acceptable gifts resulted in the same delightful aromaeffect God experienced with Noah’s gift.

What about Today?

We don’t offer animal sacrifices today; instead, we give gifts of cash and possessions. Do they have the power to get God’s attention in similar ways?

Continued on page 38

SEPTEMBER 2012 (645) 37

©iStockphoto/Thinkstock

BY BEN CACHIARAS

As the 2012 elections approach, many feel there are no good options. Voting for one candidate or the other is like choosing whether you prefer to be hanged or shot.

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Others feel strongly there is only one clear option and how you vote is simply a matter of whether you are smart or stupid, a choice between acting as a courageous, loyal American, or a wimpy, fascist pig. It’s clear!

I know many who are fearful about what is happening in our country, the economy, the fraying of moral fiber, the loss of freedoms we hold dear—fearful about the well-being of our children and their children. It seems there is much at stake, and this election becomes a proving ground for which philosophy of government one believes holds the best chance of saving the nation.

A growing number of people are indifferent. Polls indicate if there was a Whatever box on the ballot, masses would check it. Or maybe the whole thing makes you angry. The mud slinging, empty promises, and political rhetoric leave you politicked off.

As the political news ticker runs across the bottom of the TV screen, questions also scroll through our minds: What does the future hold? What should be our role as Christians? What should be my priorities? How would Jesus vote?

Continued on page 42 Bottom line: How should I vote?

Let Me Tell You How You Should Vote

ŠGetty Images/Thinkstock

SEPTEMBER 2012 (649) 41

I once preached a sermon with the same title as this article.

There was such a buzz about it beforehand, I borrowed a bulletproof vest and wore it when I stood up to speak, just in case someone got a little too jacked up on political hormones.

Presuming to tell someone how to vote is dicey business.

LET ME TELL YOU HOW YOU SHOULD VOTE Continued from page 40

While I would not presume to tell you whom to vote for, I do believe we can talk about how we should vote. Christ followers should carry core convictions with them— especially when they step into the voting booth. Standing on a soapbox to defend a certain candidate will only divide us. Instead, we can stand on a scriptural platform that is large enough to hold us all.

I see at least five key planks in that platform. Nailing each one into place gives all of us room enough to stand, insight into how to vote as a Christian come November, and a picture of how to live out the mission of Jesus until he comes again.

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Straddle a Paradox The first plank requires that we straddle a paradox. This is difficult for some folk. We sometimes prefer things to be simple, clear-cut, black and white. When two ideas on the surface seem to contradict each other, but both are actually true, holding both in tension takes extra energy some don’t want to expend.

We may struggle with the “both/and” thinking of paradoxes. But the Bible is filled with paradoxes, and Jesus is apparently very comfortable with them. And when it comes to the relationship of Christian people and government, the best position to take is the straddle of a paradox.

On the one hand, we are called to submit to government. Respect it, obey it, follow it, living as the best citizens we can be.

In Romans 13:1, Paul says we must “submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.”1 Instead of rebelling against governing authorities, we are to trust they are “God’s servants, sent for your good” (v. 4). He goes on to urge paying of taxes, and says, “Give respect and honor to those who are in authority” (v. 7).

Clearly, Christ followers are to submit

cause he exposed their hearts as hypocrites, to the government as model citizens. But and then he said, “Show me the money.” then there’s the other side of the paradox: Jesus was handed a coin, which of course submit to government, yes, but you can represented the government of Rome, never completely trust government. And if backed by the Roman Empire. It was the government ever requires us to go against currency of their culture. It stood for the the Word of God or the will of God or the things of this world. Jesus asked the name ways of God—well, then, we must stand of the person whose image was stamped on up, speak out, and put God first. Because that coin, and they replied, “Caesar.” Jesus that’s where our ultimate allegiance lies. then amazed them with his answer, which When Peter and friends were clearly in turn, helps us know how to vote: told to stop preaching and healing in Je“‘Well, then,’ he said, ‘give to Caesar sus’ name, he knew that command went what belongs to Caesar, and give to God against what Christ had called him to do. what belongs to God’” (v. 21).

He could not follow orders from those auPay or render to Caesar the things that thorities and, at the same time, continue are of his domain—that is, a thing of this to be faithful to Christ. And so he replied world. in Acts 5:29 with words that capture the Fulfill your duty to the state. Live in other side of the paradox: “We must obey this world as a good citizen. Pay your taxGod rather than any human authority.” es. Do jury duty. That’s Caesar stuff.

Yet Jesus seemed to think we could live But Jesus went on to say, “Give to God in the tension of this paradox. In Matthew what belongs to God.” Respect and honor 22 Jesus stood between political enemies government, but never at the expense of attempting to trap him. The Pharisees were your loyalty to God. These are separate the nationalists who hated the idea of Rocauses, and there should be no doubt man dominance and found it unacceptable which one is most important in your life. to be mixed up with pagan dogs. Their opOur supreme duty is to give glory and ponents, the Herodians, were the “liberals,” honor to God without compromise. The named after the Herod with whom they state must never override the principles sought compromise for various reasons. of our faith, and our faith must always You think there’s tension on the debate guide us in our political and governmenfloor when Republicans and Democrats tal dealings. If there is ever a tough choice talk about taxes? The Pharisees and Herobetween them, God wins. dians had plenty of sparks Maybe this is what Jebetween them, but they If you expend all sus was driving at when worked together to try to he said, in John 17, that he entangle Jesus in a political your energy to didn’t want us to be taken snare. After buttering him up with false compliments, convince another out of the world, but to be in the world. He wanted they presented an imposbeliever how to us to be involved, not sibly poisonous question: detached—but not of the “Is it right to pay taxes to vote, you’ll have world—not serving under Caesar or not?” (v. 17).

If Jesus said “no, you precious little left it, held captive by it. That’s the paradox: Be in, but shouldn’t pay homage to to love him. not of, the world. That’s the Roman government how you should vote! by submitting to their Before Pilate, Jesus taxes”—he would have said he was a king, but that his “kingdom been arrested for rebellion and sedition. is not of this world” (John 18:36). So, Paul But if he said “yes, you should pay your said our true citizenship is in Heaven taxes to Rome”—he risked alienating his (Philippians 3:20), which means we will largest group of supporters, the common always be like aliens here, temporary resipeople who hated being under Roman dents who are never too much at home in rule and who could not afford to pay exorthis country, because we know we’re just bitant and unfair taxes. These two groups passing through (1 Peter 2:11). So live in thought they had Jesus in a lose/lose situand love this land; but remember your ation where he would bury himself in poheart is made for another homeland. Be a litical quicksand. good citizen of the realm where you live, Of course, Jesus saw through their sham. but seek first and foremost the kingdom of His reply was not politically correct, be-

N AC C

diary

BY MARK A. TAYLOR; PHOTOS BY TOM PATRICK

“Lord, we all come from different circumstances,” 2012 NACC President Rick Rusaw (above) prayed on opening night. “Meet us in the middle of our needs. We’re inviting you to speak into our lives.

We need you. We want to be refreshed.”

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Almost 700 people gathered for the President’s Banquet, with the expectation that Dan Garrett (left), Dave Stone (second from left) and Jeff Walling (right) would entertain them, and they weren’t disappointed.

It seems all who attended this year’s North American Christian Convention, July 10-13 in Orlando, were happy about their experience.

Many speak of the Marriott Orlando World Center Resort where the conference was held under just one roof.

They praise the preaching. They comment on the refreshing insights from special guests like Alan Hirsch and Reggie McNeal. They were engaged and inspired by the creative worship led by Tim Foot.

They loved laughing with Chonda Pierce.

And quite a few of them played golf and enjoyed the waterparklike pools offered by the resort.

The numbers reported by NACC Managing Director Larry Collins give even more reasons to be happy.

First there’s attendance. When you add 101 Bible Bowl teams and unregistered attendees to the registration total of 5,694, Collins estimates total attendance of almost 8,400, not bad for a convention so far away from our movement’s strength in the Midwest.

Live streaming was a big success this year, with total video-on-demand views of 15,206. Tens of thousands more views happened after the convention, as sessions remained online free into August.

The convention offering exceeded the $130,000 goal, at $144, 213, due largely to the opening night offering of $80,000.

Happy conversation and many smiles were the norm for the whole week. Those who attended were very glad to be there—refreshed by the creative convention schedule, a beautiful location, and the spirit of Christ in the sessions and hallway conversations.

“Come and be refreshed by our amazing God,” said Tim Foot (playing the piano) as he opened the worship at the 2012 North American Christian Convention in Orlando, Florida.

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Standard Publishing cosponsored Networking Breakfasts two mornings, allowing Christian leaders to share ideas and encouragement. Brenda Garrison (above, center) was one of more than a dozen table hosts for the event.

Mark Scott (left) of Mountainview Community Christian Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, preached at the opening session Tuesday evening. He lifted up the refreshing presence of God, beginning with the invitation in Isaiah 55: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.” He led us through the chapter, pointing out the potential in each section for refreshment to the spiritually weary.

As he reached the end of the chapter (“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace . . .”), he reminded us that living our future now may bring the Christian the greatest refreshment of all.

MINISTRY TODAY

The Whole in Our Gospel

BY TIM HARLOW

The slogan I’m repeating these days: We’re called to bring Heaven to earth and take earth to Heaven. How well are we doing both? company our faith.

But if we’re not careful, it may lead us to the wrong stadium.

©Hemera/Thinkstock/adapted by Mark Haas

Hole or Whole?

I worry that for some, the “hole” in the gospel is becoming their “whole” gospel. The strange thing about the wonderful new philanthropy that exists in the world— some of the largest companies and richest people are deciding to give to the poor and neglected—is that it can lure Christians away from the organizations that are doing something for

Continued on page 60

SEPTEMBER 2012 (665) 57

I took my dad to the World Series in Detroit in 2006. The Tigers were playing our beloved St. Louis Cardinals (we are lifelong Cardinal fans), and we had connections, so we went. I had never been to Tiger Stadium, so I relied on MapQuest to guide us there. We arrived at a stadium, but it looked pretty old and run down; the lights weren’t on, and there were no cars in the lot. As it turned out, the decrepit park represented the way Detroit played in the series, but we knew we were in the wrong place. This was the old stadium; the new stadium was up the street. My information wasn’t far off, but it was off.

This MapQuest misadventure is the same type of thing that makes me a little nervous about the new justice movement in the 21st century. There is a beautiful new call, especially from the younger generation, to actually learn to live out Matthew 25 and care for the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized. I love it. Two of my daughters are training for that kind of ministry right now. One is in Bolivia.

I couldn’t be more committed to being the hands and feet of Jesus. My generation believed it was all about “us,” and many of our churches merely gave lip service to missions, and to serving Jesus through the “least of these.” But, thankfully, the next generation realizes we have been incredibly selfish, even in the church.

Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, wrote an excellent book about this, The Hole in Our Gospel. He says, “It is not our fault that people are poor, but it is our responsibility to do something about it. God says that we are guilty if we allow people to remain deprived when we have the means to help them” (p. 123).

I agree with all of this, and it has revolutionized the way we do ministry today.

James warned us against saying, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed” (James 2:16, 17*), without deeds to ac-

body and soul.

We are called to spread the whole gospel. Salvation . . . period. The good news should be about having your physical needs met, but it must be about having your spiritual needs met, as well. It should be about not dying from malnourishment or easily preventable diseases, and not dying eternally from an easily preventable spiritual death.

Jesus plainly asked, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).

We have ignored the part of the gospel that calls us to give “a cup of water” (Mark 9:41). But Jesus did say we were to do it “in my name.” If it’s just a cup of water, it’s not enough. Jesus’ priority was on forgiveness

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Culture of Celebrity Pastors

BY BRIAN MAVIS

tion” (Philippians 1:15-17).

We know from these letters that some Christians have a misguided devotion to some of the celebrity leaders. So the fault wasn’t only on wrongly motivated celebrity leaders, but also on the followers who helped create a culture that nurtured them. Paul wrote to those followers to warn them of this behavior. We don’t know whether Paul ever wrote to celebrity leaders about the dangers of desiring celebrity status, but that is whom I am writing to and what I want to do.

The purpose of the “What’s Next” column isn’t just about responding to future conditions, it’s also about creating future conditions. It’s not just asking “what will be next?” but “what SHOULD be next?”

This leads me to my story—actually, more of a sentence than a story.

Celebrity Crisis I have a dear friend named Nick Yphantides (Yee-fan-tee-dees). Nick (aka “Dr. Nick”) is the chief medical officer for the 3 million-plus residents of San Diego County in California. His name likely would be on the short list for any upcoming surgeon general appointment. He is a well-known, dearly loved, and larger-than-life personality in Southern California. At one time he was the youngest elected official in San Diego County, where he became known as “the big man with a big heart.”

Big man? Nick weighed 467 pounds. He lost more than half his weight 10 years ago when he went on an amazing weight-loss journey that makes people both laugh and cry when they hear it. Big heart? Dr. Nick is a huge advocate for the poor—because of his devotion to Jesus. His proudest professional accomplishment is that he has never worked on an insured patient. One more thing you need to know is that Nick loves all the attention, but that is not his ambition.

Last year I went to see Nick when he was entering a crisis. Sitting in his kitchen, he shared with me some of the pain in his personal life and how it touched his professional life. Then with tears in his eyes, he said, “I don’t want to be a celebrity. I just want community credibility.” He expounded on that statement, and then expressed his frustration with some Christian leaders he felt desired celebrity more than credibility.

That sentence hit my heart. I’ve been tempted by the desire for celebrity, but I’ve also despised that desire. It has been a real tug-of-war for me. The problem has been that on one side of the rope I’ve had a clear desire named “celebrity,” but at the other end of the rope I’ve had a vague, unnamed notion telling me “you shouldn’t want that.” That notion didn’t have a strong enough pull to win.

What Nick gave me is a named desire—“credibility,” and it is stronger than the desire for celebrity. This was a gift and challenge for me, and I want to pass this gift and challenge on to you. Desire credibility—community credibility and Christian credibility—more than you desire celebrity. Care more for the mission than recognition. Make Jesus famous. And if you do become well-known, have it be because it was an outcome of following Jesus and leading with credibility.

Brian Mavis is executive director of the Externally Focused Network.

He also serves as the community transformation minister at LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado.

SEPTEMBER 2012 (669) 61

Putting ourselves first is as old as day one (I mean, day six). The difference today is that the ability to reach the fruit, feed that temptation, and be applauded for it has never been easier. Just consider these low-hanging branches: YouTube, MySpace, iTunes, iMac, iPod, iPad, and iPhone. “I, me, mine . . . it’s all about me” is now our culture and religion. The “culture of celebrity” is the “culture of narcissism” on steroids. It is the narcissism culture normalized, popularized, and finally celebrated.

American pastors live inside this culture, and they are tempted to give into it.

I should know, because I’ve been tempted for years. But as a result of one conversation, that temptation is diminishing in me.

I will share that story in a moment, but first let me clarify what I’m not saying. I am not saying that being a celebrity pastor is bad. I am saying, however, that desiring to be a celebrity pastor is bad. Some pastors are celebrities as a result of being faithful and gifted. And some pastors are celebrities (or wannabe celebrities) as a goal.

Paul mentions both groups in his second letter to the Corinthian church. In the first instance he tells them he is sending to them, along with Titus, “the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches” (2 Corinthians 8:18, New American Standard Bible). It appears this leader’s fame resulted from his faithfulness. In the second instance, Paul sarcastically refers to a group of self-promoting leaders as “superapostles” (2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:11). Both were famous; one as an outcome and one as an ambition. Paul, himself, makes this distinction in Philippians when he says, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love. . . . The former preach Christ out of selfish ambi-

©Stockbyte/Thinkstock

Joel Osteen, Rob Bell, Francis Chan, John Piper, T.D. Jakes, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Billy Graham, Dwight L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, John Wesley, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Augustine, Origen, Polycarp. Celebrity pastors are nothing new. So what’s new and what’s next?

AND SO IT GOES

Change Is Good, Right?

BY PAUL S. WILLIAMS

Welcome to the new monthly Christian Standard. As you can see in this first issue, the magazine is a lot thicker. The amount of content is roughly the same as you would find in four weekly issues, but now it is all delivered in a single monthly package.

As Mark Taylor has written, with this issue we are unveiling a number of new features. We thought long and hard about whom we would ask to write. To our great pleasure, all of our requests were accepted with enthusiasm. We hope you will be pleased with the changes. We certainly are.

There are a few changes that might require a little adjustment. For instance, this column will appear in print only 12 times a year. “But wait,” you say, “I don’t think I can get through a week without a column from Paul.” (Hey, I can dream, can’t I?) Well, do I have good news for you!

I will still be writing a weekly column for Christian Standard. The first week of each month the column will appear in

print and online. The remaining 40 weeks of the year the column will only be available online. Finding it will be easy. Just go to the website christianstandard.com, click on From the Editors, click on Paul Williams, and there it will be—in all of its dependable mediocrity.

Seriously, I consider it a great privilege to write “And So It Goes.” A lot of ideas for columns come from you. I let them simmer for a while on a back burner before I see if they come to a boil. I write a first draft and a week or so later I begin the long editing process. (I missed a lot of grammar classes when I was a kid.) Eventually I send the column to Cincinnati where Mark Taylor and Jim Nieman, our managing editor, take the column through another round of editing.

Many of you write and tell me how much you appreciate my column. It is humbling to receive so much affirmation. As you consider my 450 words each week, I do not take lightly the responsibility to use your time wisely. I’m glad you think it is worth reading—at

I do hope you will read the monthly magazine and the weekly postings. least most of the time.

I do hope you will read the monthly magazine and the weekly postings.

Through both you will keep abreast of what is happening among Christian churches and churches of Christ. You will receive timely and relevant articles about Christ’s church, and you will hear from our best minds on the issues that concern you most.

Christian Standard has a rich 146year history. We hope these changes ensure that it meets the growing needs of our healthy movement.

Read a new column from Paul Williams every Wednesday at www.christianstandard.com.

Coming next month in

®

You Must Read This! October is our annual reading resources issue.

• FIND THIS BOOK AND READ IT!

64 (672) CHRISTIAN STANDARD

If you’re going to read only one book this year, choose from this list. More than a dozen Christian leaders tell about the book they recommend most.

• READING FOR TEACHING AND PREACHING Preachers and professors from across the country share their secrets and sources for finding facts and illustrations that make their Bible lessons come alive.

• TRUTH IN FICTION

Why read novels? Pat Magness tells about several fine

works of fiction written from a Christian worldview.

• NOT A FAN

Christian churches everywhere have used the book by Kyle Idleman to help Christians move from membership to discipleship. Read Paul Boatman’s Interview with Kyle to get his take on the challenge of reading and writing.

• WHY I WRITE BOOKS

He’s in touch with technology and culture, but Dudley Rutherford extends his influence through books. Ever wonder why?