Bayou Christian

Really nothing left to add

2008-07-03T14:24:00.004-04:00

As to the PCUSA GA - there is really nothing left to add. It's a done deal except for the reactions. If you care to follow those further here are some key links that will come in handy (other than the usual suspects in the Consistory and the Layman which are on the right hand margin).

I'm tired of it. Local ministry calls.

Presbyblog by Bob Davis has a report pending.

GA Junkie has some ongoing conversation and is brutally neutral.

Berkley Blog - nothing since GA - I wonder what he will say?

PFR - getting better

NWAC - get to Atlanta in August - it will be hot!

My recommendation - check back on those sites about once a week. You just don't need to be that worried about what is going on. Clicking back and forth from site to site all day - its just not healthy.

Killing Stereo Types

2008-07-02T10:11:00.002-04:00

I'm almost done with reporting about GA but so many folks need information right now.

Let's kill a stereotype here "Conservatives Never Compromise and liberals are lovie dovie folks who are never rigid."

Really?

So we have the so called conservatives Mark Achtemeir and Jack Haberer totally caving in on TPUP and then we get this kind of language out of the "More Light Crowd" - "Myth Number Five: We Can Accept Compromise..."

This is for my friends who think there are still options, that the fight in the PCorpUSA is still within reach. The implacable foe is not going to compromise with you. And exactly what are you really fighting for? The body of Christ is not equal to the PCorpUSA - it is made up of the universal Church. Ultimately you are fighting over the assets of the national corporation.

Two Synods will never pass, however, a large negotiated split will. Those of us who have gone before have made a beachhead it is yours to take advantage of it.

What the Pews are Yearning For Today

2008-06-30T10:51:00.003-04:00

My hits are way up. I know that the source is not my great writing but the angst of people across this great country trying to cope with yet another bitter defeat and public humiliation. There are tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands? of hurting presbyterians out there).

What people are looking for is biblical, prophetic, and self sacrificial leadership -they want Pastors and Elders who will take up the call to lead their people into a land of Milk and Honey. I commend a reading of a series of talks on Ordination vows starting here.

Leaderhship is critical it is an opportunity to offer people a clear choice in a land of confusion. It looks and sounds a lot like this:

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Church Leader at the end of this year will your people know that you gave them a clear choice? Or will they feel like they muddled through another year on earth without having made a clear stand for anything?

They are yearning for it, they are ready to follow a leader who will serve them, it will have cost but today as you think about this I want you to think of the generations to come - do you want your children raised up within a church system that approves pastors such as this? Are these the people you want teaching your children? If so choose.

PFR - recants

2008-06-28T11:33:00.001-04:00

Finally - copied from the PFR website. Not as strong as I would hope but a reasonable response.

Reshaping the PC(USA): PFR Looks Beyond the 218th General Assembly

Written by Presbyterians For Renewal
Friday, 27 June 2008
Sometimes it takes pain to make things clear. While this General Assembly was not the first to bring pain to the church, its pain has been used by God to bring clarity to Presbyterians For Renewal.For two decades Presbyterians For Renewal has worked with congregations to faithfully engage in God’s mission in the world. Our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and our commitment to the Presbyterian movement remain strong. The faith and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has been a consistent concern both of our congregations and of PFR as a national organization. As our North American culture has changed, our denomination has changed along with it. Having lost sight of her clear, Christ-centered identity, the PC(USA) has continued to embrace our culture’s beliefs and morals. The actions of the 218th General Assembly have made it clear that the PC(USA)’s compromise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has reached an unprecedented level. It is clear that the PC(USA)’s confession of the Lordship of Jesus Christ and commitment to our Reformed confessions has weakened to the point that we can no longer assume a common framework of conversation. The pain of this realization has been used by God to clarify our next steps. While PFR’s mission has not changed, our context has. We are compelled to do the following:
In order to faithfully witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in and for the PC(USA), we will actively pursue a means of re-shaping the life of the denomination. For the sake of our witness to the Gospel, we believe it is necessary for the different visions of Christian faith and life in the PC(USA) to be expressed in formally distinct bodies without a formal split in the denomination. Such possibilities have been discussed hypothetically under the rubrics of non-geographical or “missional” presbyteries and synods. We will pursue the ideas and relationships necessary to make this a reality, and we call upon the whole church to think creatively about ways to achieve this end. Perhaps revisions to the work of the Form of Government Task Force that will be brought to the next General Assembly are a way to advance this effort.
We will no longer consider the debates over ordination standards and sexual ethics as a meaningful venue to seek resolution of our denominational malaise. We acknowledge that we are simply talking past each other, and realize that this debate is merely a symptom of deeper divisions. These deeper divisions include our understandings of the authority of Jesus Christ as Head of the Church, and our calling to exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven to the world. As we pursue a means to make these differences manifest in “missional” governing bodies, we hope that over the long-term God will re-unite the faith of the PC(USA) and enable a formal re-unification.
While we pursue significant changes to our denomination’s polity, we will work to defeat the amendment to the “Fidelity and Chastity” standard for ordination, and to bring to the next General Assembly a new “Authoritative Interpretation” regarding homosexual practice. We will also work to improve the processes each presbytery uses to elect commissioners to General Assembly, so that the next GA is more representative of the faith and life of the PC(USA). We do not, however, believe such measures are an adequate response to the state of the PC(USA), and therefore will pursue the larger polity changes mentioned above.
We will also pursue a revision of our constitution’s property provisions, which would allow those who cannot live with the church’s ordination standards to depart with their property. In the providence of God this may at some point serve those who have advocated changing our traditional standards. Regardless, we believe that the unavoidable lawsuits that proceed from our current property provisions are a disgrace to God’s mission in the world.
While these polity actions take form, we will encourage our congregations to begin or continue redirecting their giving into missions and ministries that serve the Kingdom. In the past we leapt through many hoops to keep our giving within denominational structures that we believed would be faithful. While those ministries remain a viable option, we will no longer hesitate to direct our giving to ministries beyond the current forms of the PCUSA.
We will also pursue missional partnerships within and beyond the PCUSA, including a means of confessing our faith in the Lordship of Jesus Christ with integrity, so that mission and ministry might proceed in good faith even while larger polity solutions are being worked out.We do not see the way to the end of this particular path, but we believe that God is calling us to take these next steps, and we welcome those who would walk with us. We especially look forward to working with Presbyterians of racial and ethnic distinction, and with Presbyterians in other parts of the world, whose concerns for the faith and witness of the PC(USA) we share. Our primary concern in taking these steps is to enable our congregations to faithfully proclaim and live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their own communities, and to do so together. Our hope is and will remain in Jesus Christ and him alone. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and we confess our firm confidence in his power to renew his church. We call the Presbyterian Church (USA) to a new season of prayer and repentance, and to gather in solemn assemblies to ask the Lord’s guidance as we face these changes in the life of our denomination.

PCUSA crosses the line: again, and again

2008-06-27T14:41:00.006-04:00

By introducing a new authoritive interpretation written by Dr. Achtemeier, the PCUSA has once again opened the door to the ordination of non repentant sinners.

whoops scratch that other bit (if you read it)

right now they are considering whether to admit this decision by actually change the words in the Book of Order to match the definition they have now made.

Remember all AI's are effective immediately - it is now beyond a shadow of a doubt the PCUSA officially allows the ordination of Practicing, non repentant, GLBTs (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered) into the offices of Deacon, Elder, and Minister of Word and Sacrament.

and bam there goes the Fidelity and Chastity clause itself!
and there goes the old AI - homosexuality is not a sin (in the PCorpUSA).

Back to what matters

2008-06-25T16:28:00.002-04:00

I really need to stay in the real world today. I don't have the energy or even the ability to keep up with the doings of certain denominations in free fall.

so back to Missional!

First it is simply a matter of the Great Commission.

Go! Far too many churches in American and particularly those of us of the "reformed" persuasion consider it evangelism to put a sign out front with worship times on it. That's just not going to cut it. In my studies I come across statistics many from Barna they break down roughly like this:

the Silent Generation: roughly 70% of attend worship 2 times a month
The boomers: roughly 35%
Gen X: roughly 15%
Gen Y: roughly 7%

You get the idea. It's no longer about growing your church in a christian marketplace. Our lives as congregations have become a matter of actually speaking to pagans about the claims of the Bible and the witness of Jesus Christ. More and more our members are really needing to be trained as missionaries. Therefore just like in biblical times congregations need to see themselves as the ones having been sent into the world to tell about Christ.

Being missional is a new "buzz" word for an old idea.

Here's how missional works.

What we do needs to be focused upon how to reach people who are lost (many people are debating even using this word anymore - you know what? I've been lost and this word makes sense to me) and showing them a place where they can feel found. Churches become less a bastion of Christianity as they are equiping grounds for missionaries.

For instance our church when it made the budget for babysitters talked not about how many kids our members had but the kids of the people we hope to attract to our church, therefore, we have a budget line for church sitters, and outreach sitters. Every homegroup, bible study, church group can ask for and will recieve money to pay for a sitter. We used to have alot of quite on Sunday now I could call the "moment of silence" during confession the "opportunity to hear what all the kids are thinking"!

that's missional thinking. That's what we're talking about.

Delete the "C"

2008-06-25T14:32:00.005-04:00

Oh I so wanted to stay out of the PCUSA semi-annual mudfest but now it is getting ugly(and personal).

A $2 million request for legal fees has made it out of committee. The stated goal is to maintain connectionalism by putting forward a great legal defense by the PCUSA. (see layman article "GA asked to approve 2 million to Battle New Wineskins and EPC"). Attach this to an attempt to smear the EPC and the NWAC and it is not looking good.

You know if I had a dollar for every time I have been told not to take my brother to court this past year.... Apparently that only applies to me and nobody else in the PCUSA. I mean the former local presbytery tried to prevent a group of American citizens from peacefully meeting and assembling (see reports on Woodland Presbyterian in New Orleans)! Of course we didn't take our brother to court but asked a court to get a corporation off our backs (and out of our pocket).

Now follow the bouncing ball - we have; on the record, a request to re-define the GAC as "General Assembly Mission Council" (see Layman article "Local Ignorance Blamed for Funding Decline")along with the GAC's attempt to take over the budget of the Presbyterian Foundation and its millions of "mission" dollars (breaking news this has been settled by the committee and both parities have agreed to form a mediating committee to settle these matters - however - I warn you watch the use of "mission" as an attempt to move money into institutional preservation. The end of this may simply be that it is a testimony as to how little trust the GAC has). Saying bascially that the GAC determines how mission will be defined and where those dollars will be spent. In that same speach it was explained that the local church just doesn't know what the denomination is doing - duh (message to GAC if you ever get honest about that you won't believe how empty the pews get)!

The unprecedented actions of Synods overturning the Presbytery's sole authority over property. Congregations being strung along for many months without decisions on dismissals.

All of this led by a team of Lawyers in Louisville (not that all lawyers are evil)!

We can only hope that reason will prevail on the plenary floor but if not then...

I think the gloves are about to come off and we are about to see the real face of the modern PCUSA - just delete the "C" call it "PUSA corp. " this will not be a church but a national corporation about to use every tool that corporate law has taught its leaders to squelch every bit of dissent. This isn't about maintaining connectionalism this is about power and control. A very small minority is manipulating and lying to an oblivious community and robbing their ancestors.

Whether the people pay up or not will no longer be a problem they will just take the money from the dead (again these attempts seem to be falling in comittee so only time will tell but the attempts are clearly being made).

If these committee recomendations pass just write:

Ichabod! ( a friend rightly points out that the bigger issue is the statement on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all worshipping the same God)

Missional

2008-06-24T11:59:00.003-04:00

Before I begin the missional conversation for those who just can't help themselves...(should be said with teeth clenched and long pauses between words).

Now the word "Missional" (I was going to link to a definition of this word but frankly there are so many that it might be unhelpful).

What does it mean?

The answer (unfortunately) is as different as who you talk to. For my purposes the discussion will come from two primary sources one the work of Darrell Guder and company (two different books). Second will be the working definition of the EPC:

A missional church is a church . . .

1. That is grounded in the Scriptures and historic Christian orthodoxy and so
committed to the primacy of the Great Commission.
2. That believes that the United States has become post-Christian and is now a
mission field.
3. That believes that it has been planted by God in its own community to
effectively reach those around them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
4. That is committed to reproducing a community of authentic disciples of Jesus
Christ.
5. That is continually in the process of equipping its members to be missionaries
sent by God to live and proclaim the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus in their own
world and to the ends of the earth.
6. That is constantly re-examining itself as to whether it is merely doing
maintenance of existing ministries and members, or whether or not it is
effectively doing the mission of reaching its own community with the reign of
God through the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.
7. That perceives the essence of these fundamental attributes is the essence of its
own existence.

A missional denomination is a denomination . . .

1. That believes the location of ministry is the local church.
2. That is made up of local congregations committed to be missional.
3. That is constantly re-examining itself as to whether or not its polity,
structures, and programs are serving or inhibiting a missional mindset.

there is alot more to say but for now I will let you chew on the working definition and please respond with your thoughts.

Where to next?

2008-06-23T12:35:00.005-04:00

Dear Reader:

Has the GA of the PCUSA already got you down? Just a glance at the headlines can make one ill.

Fear not because your friend in the Bayous has relief for you. This week I will be talking a bit about things going on within the New Wineskins and the EPC and brothers and sisters that will be a relief in contrast.

Let not your heart be troubled.

Coming Topics:

Defining and Explaining the term "Missional"

Talking about the Progress of the New Wineskins Presbytery and the NWAC

Talk for clergy and elders trying to find their place in a new home

And back to conversations about church transformation

See you soon!

Heading to Bethesda

2008-06-14T17:23:00.004-04:00

I'm heading to dip my feet in the water, no I'm going for a swim!

Is it appropriate that the first New Wineskins Presbytery of the EPC meeting I will attend is in a town whose name means "house of mercy"?

Wounded and broken we come!

Excited and ready we come!

Traveling with joy we come!

Friend I wonder how many of you, have for years gone off to your presbytery meetings gearing up to fight the good fight? Is this the way it should be? Is the best we can do is the better of two evils?

I think we can do better, that we can work with the Holy Spirit to create an institution that enables the church to be the church!

I hope and pray it is so!

So I go - I will not be reporting from the trip but I will report when I return to the office Monday after next.

God bless you!

Note: Since I will not have access to this blog all week I will temporarily turn off the comments (one time I had some pretty creepy stuff get on it while I was away).

A little Sorry

2008-06-11T18:14:00.005-04:00

Dear friends I am a little sorry for not writing lately.

I've been busy.

Busy getting ready for the New Wineskin's Presbytery meeting in Bethesda and the EPC GA to follow afterwards. A little busy doing church mission. A little busy reading some books.

It is also incredibly distracting to hear about the situation in the Presbytery of South Louisiana. The news that the Presbytery tried to file a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO's) against Woodland and then is still proceeding to trial after their vote by a 98-2% margin to affiliate with the NWEPC is just astounding.

We've been told for over a year that what was so troubling to the PSL about the various legal cases brought were that TRO's were filed - I guess two wrongs make a right. Keep in mind that both First Presbyterian of Thibodaux and Woodland Presbyterian Church did not file TRO's against the Presbytery.

Further we find this news about the bankrupt nature of the PCUSA: Disappearing Confession

It is a timely reminder of the exhausting nature of the PCUSA.

All I have to say about this is pray, pray for the congregations under threat of legal suit, pray for presbytery leadership who thinks this makes sense, pray for a hurting world that needs the church to be the church.

taking it easy

2008-06-05T15:05:00.004-04:00

I wanted to share this awesome picture of me surfing in on my kayak at the Summer Vacation.

I'm just not up to heavy lifting this week so:

1.) What first tells you that Summer is here?

I fish year round but come April early May the speckled sea trout migration begins. The fishing becomes ridiculously good. Then you start mowing your grass more than once a week! Then the redfish start moving and life becomes a battle "Mow or fish"? Longer grass is ecologically friendly right?

Also I know because the fruit on the ground around my fruit trees begins to smell like a winery

2.) Name five of your favorite distinctively Summer habits or customs.

I actually like to mow the grass - God speaks to me behind a lawn mower

I pack away the neoprene waders, the jackets, the xtra gear, I just slap on some shorts a Tshirt and sunscreen and repellant and go fishing

Playing in the yard with the kids - they especially like the "slip and slide" and the look on my wife's face as I do it with them is worth a million bucks the look on theirs is worth two million bucks

Things slow down during the summer

The family beach trip!

3.) What is your favorite smell of Summer?
Confederate Jasmine (my backyard is surrounded by it) - followed by the smell of cut grass - followed by the smell of fish slime on my hands

4.) What is your favorite taste of Summer?
fish

5.) Favorite Summer memory?
When Julia and I were dating (like our second or third date) we went down to the lake it was about 100 degrees but we were in love - I put my foot in the husk of the watermelon and she's been laughing ever since

6.) Extreme heat or extreme cold? Which would you choose and why?
heat - are you kidding me? I've shoveled 3 ft of snow out of the driveway before!

7.) What books do you plan to read for the season?
Working on Pierced for Our Transgressions by Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach right now

Will be reading Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God ; Power Through Prayer ; The Practice of the Presence of God ; and Destined for the Throne

These will be part of the retreat a number of us are taking this summer!

8.) How does the Summer affect your faith? Is it a hindrance or an ally?

It bugs me a little that church attendance falls off a bit, but my kids are going into school this year so I suspect next summer I will be taking some time off come summer (of course I will go to church while I'm gone). Beyond that life is life, every day is a gift, I don't get caught up too much in the seasons - each day is its own. I know its trite but its true.

Just in Case you missed it

2008-06-03T11:53:00.002-04:00

Great examination liberals vs. conservatives over at Adiaphora.

How does this relate to redirecting congregations? If you don't give it away you won't keep it!

Getaways

2008-05-23T11:51:00.003-04:00

Time to take a family vacation - rest, relax, and yes fish! Some people go to the beach to lay around, I bring my Kayak and gear! The kayak tied to the top of my minivan is pretty comical!

See You soon

Gateways

2008-05-22T15:59:00.002-04:00

Gateways are important.

Pretty obvious they let things in, they let things out. Well how many gateways does your church have? (Remember the church is not the building its the people) How do you let people into the fellowship life of your congregation? You say, well there's worship and Sunday School - what about the person who works on Sunday? Or simply works all night on Saturday?

Do you have childcare for the families with kids? Childcare for meetings? How do you make it work for people to enter into your fellowship? It's a critical question. Are you offering things that people need?

One great resource out there is available for free:

Percept

Take the free quizzes and you will learn a great deal about what you could be doing to open up your fellowship to the world around you (to the Glory of God of course).

Going on vacation through the 30th see you then.

Is it Really About the Fish?

2008-05-20T08:49:00.007-04:00

One of the things a congregation needs to figure out is why it was started, who is in it, and what is its purpose. Many church growth experts will tell you that the church needs to exist to be fishers of men. This is true. Other traditionalists and theologians will tell you that the church exists only to Glorify God. Any other actions stems from that truth. That is also true.

Hmmmm....

It is about God - to God alone be the glory!

However, Matthew 28:19 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

The challenge for any church is keeping the main thing the main thing, however, the main thing is often bigger than we might think. Is it all about the worship service for the elect to praise God? Or is it all about making it accessible to the outsider so they can get closer to God?

Bringing it into our Reformed tradition:

Q: What is the chief end of man?

A: To glorify God and enjoy him forever.

So they both are important but before you go out on a membership recruiting drive slow down. Churches that are in decline are usually that way for a reason. Rarely did they lose half their members over night (although such things do happen). They need to glorify God and ENJOY Him. Fact is that many churches that love God forget to enjoy him and if you aren't enjoying God nobody in their right mind wants to hang out with you or "that god".

When I arrived here at Thibodaux there was a wonderful core group of Christians. They weren't stuck in the mud. They weren't hide bound but the congregation had been in decline for years. Why? Those answers are in many ways as complex as society. Rather than ask "why" we asked "how". How do you turn the tide? Later we will begin to answer some of the why questions but that is later....

The book of Acts teaches us that, 'yes signs and wonders occured but also the Word was proclaimed'. In fact the signs and wonders appear to be all about drawing people in to the word. Alot of church growth experts say "have great music and they will come". Despite all the pundits out there we grew without a vibrant music ministry. In fact we either had High School pianests or used a digital hymnal. At times the music was bluntly put - horrible. But we dedicated ourselves to 'fellowship, prayer, and the Apostles' teachings'.

We made sure the service flowed in an order that made sense and enhanced the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. We did well what we could do well and we tried not to worry about the other things. No matter our lack of style nobody could doubt the sincerity of what was going on. I tagged it "casual but reverent" that's our style and it was about reverence but approachability. We maintained true and sound worship but we made moves to make sure that the outside world could enter into our 160 year old community. It was about us worshipping God and our desire that others come and join in. And in that first year we went from 25 in worship to about 50 and we had 20 people join or rejoin the congregation.

This gives honor to God and it draws fish to the net! Most churches will count their success in handfuls not thousands. Most congregations in fact are thrilled to hold the line. All of this points us away from God. We can't become fish counters. Its potato salad (this ones for you Viola). Its not the eggs, or the potatoes, or even the olives (for the record I love olives in my potato salad) - its about them working together. Glorifying God cannot be seperated from reaching the fish.

In the liturgical church one thing that often occurs is the worship may not make sense anymore to anyone outside the small group of believers present on Sunday am. Why do we say a creed? Why do we confess our sins communally? Why do we do that before we hear the sermon? What is a sermon anyway? Does it matter to my life? All these questions and more had to be answered both privately and publicly. You see we are all fish and some of us get used to the water we are in and forget to explain to the new fish why it works so well.

To truly honor God you must live out the worship service and that includes the primacy of faith sharing. So it is all about the fish but only because its all about God (and he loves the Fish). So if God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son.... How much do you love that world? What are you giving (to God's glory) to honor God's love? Give up the organ? Let go of a creed? or even add an organ? Add in a creed? There is no magic fix but there needs to be intentionality.

Would love for you to push back add your thoughts. Interact.

Congregational Gumbo

2008-05-19T14:15:00.002-04:00

One of the next steps in knowing your congregation and figuring out where it is heading is to understand that congregations are not single ingredient soups. They aren't tomato soup or potato soup, they resemble more of what we call Gumbo. And even within a rather broad category of what we call gumbo there are gumbos and then there are gumbos.

If you order one in New Orleans and you recieve some from one of my Cajun neighbors they will look radically different. Some make it with a dark roux and others with a light roux, in my neigborhood a good gumbo is often served with potato salad right on top! They're all good - but they are different and where you serve them matters.

So if you've got a handle on where your church has been. You next need to get an honest sense of where it is, most particularly who it is. Some categories of church members:

Traditionalists - they are there in large part because of family history, a sense of tradition, place, history. They tend to think the solutions (and the problems) of the congregation lie in the past. They might say:
"If we could just have that combination of clergy, organist, etc. from way back when it will all be fine."

Denominationalist - they are there because, in our case, you are presbyterian. They won't go to just any church it has to be presbyterian. They might say:
"When we get back to the book of order it will be ok. or If we would use Westminster with seriousness things would get better." Another common statement would be: "Growth doesn't matter it's faithfulness that matters."

Jesus Freaks - Although there will be "Jesus freaks" in all categories of members but some are defined by being Jesus Freaks they are only there at your congregation because they met Jesus there and frankly if you aren't on board with Jesus they will find a church that is! They might say:

"I don't care about the name on the church I care about Jesus, if he ain't here, I ain't here."

(Ok I do not know anyone who talks that way but it sounded good to me!)

That combination will also include people I like to call "Teflon Christians" doesn't matter what you throw at them nothing sticks - honestly I have no idea why they are there. I am glad they're there but I'm not sure what they are coming for.

Teflon Christians - unlikely to say anything other than "Nice Sermon" as they walk out the door.

What you can do as a congregation will depend greatly upon who is in the gumbo. This is not necessarily a right or wrong. It just is.

But if you begin to pray about the congregation's traditional reason for existing and its current talents, you might just begin to get and inkling of the seeds God has planted in your midst. No matter how lifeless the church God is up to something in that place. It's not up to us to make God happen but to look for God's call and then to urge it on.

God is not done with his Church not by a longshot!

Ezekiel 37:2-11 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-- a vast army. 11

Change takes Time

2008-05-15T17:46:00.003-04:00

Well friend it is time for a change, time for something new!

New Wineskins presents something radical. Something possitive and oddly enough something familiar.

For me the familiarity comes out of 10 years of training for and doing ministry in a particular church. I want to begin to turn the topic of this blog to talking about building healthy churches.

Am I an expert. No way. Has our congregation grown - you bet. At times it has grown dramatically in numbers, at other times it has grown dramatically in maturity, it's outreach has expanded.

One of the first steps of change is getting perspective. So Pastor, Elder, Deacon, or fired up member. Do you know your church? Is what you think you know accurate.

First step is to take time to study the history of the congregation - ours is 160 years old and I have read or at least skimmed all 160 years of session records, I have read the church history, I have listened to the stories. I am not the Lorax and I do not speak for the trees but I know the history of this church and I consider it part of my job to speak for it. It is an important tool in strengthening a dying church because somewhere in every church's history is a reason. A reason for existing.

Do you know yours? Is it to glorify God and Enjoy him forever? There is the official history and the unofficial history.

Is 1984 Too Crazy a Comparison?

2008-05-13T19:36:00.005-04:00

Maybe I've finally gone nuts (some of my liberal critics sure think so). Or maybe like Kramer, "I'm so crazy I've gone totally sane." Now I realize there is no human agency (or at least I would like to think so) that is as far over the top as the "Big Brother" described in 1984 but none the less there are elements of the Institutional behavior that is scary.

The obvious comparisons are the totalitarian government, the total loss of individual freedom, the slogans "War is Peace", "Freedom is Slavery", and "Ignorance is Strength" all seem to ring incredibly true at times. One point that struck home is the idea that "Who controls the past, controls the present and who controls the present controls the past" (sorry about the lack of anotation but I am reading in my Amazon Kindle these days and it doesn't use page numbers!). Throughtout the debate is the ongoing power exercised by Louisville to reinterpret history and as they completely rewrite the Book of Order they are rewriting history. Expunging all record of things undesireable while, just like in 1984, doing so without anyone's knowledge or awareness. Major pieces of the constitution of the PCUSA will just go down the "Memory Hole".

But even all of that wasn't what struck me as the most diabolical thing that I could compare to life in the PCUSA it is this rather long qoute that I will type here and let speak for itself:

"The problem was how to keep the wheels of industry turning without increasing the real wealth of the world. Goods must be produced, but they must not be distributed. And in practice the only way of achieving this was by continuous warfare. The Essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labour. .... It is deliberate policy to keep even the favoured groups somewhere near the brink of hardship, because a general state of scarcity increases the importance of small privileges and thus magnifies the distinction between one group and another."

That passage just made me say hmmm..... War is Peace...? Peace, Unity and Purity Report...

So many of those who seem to be caught in the middle remind me of the horse in another of Orwell's great works "I'll work harder."

Think, Think, Think

2008-05-12T15:10:00.003-04:00

Like good ol' Pooh Bear I need some time to think....

While you're waiting you may want to digest this:

Louisville, always up to something

PS - for those that have asked. Things are going well. Still sorting things out with the Presbytery but as for our congregation all is well.

Break the Teeth of the Young Lions

2008-05-08T12:41:00.005-04:00

As we watch the ongoing press of Louisville to stifle church individuality and faithfulness to God's calling here is another example of the NEO Catholicism of the PCUSA.

Reformed Pastor

Today a brother in the Lord called and offered up a prayer of protection:

Psalm 58:4-6 4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, 5 that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be. 6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; tear out, O LORD, the fangs of the lions!

Stop the Madness

2008-05-06T22:51:00.005-04:00

And the full court press goes on:
Reformed Pastor

Classical follow up

I guess the official response from Louisville is:

No Soup for YOU!

Letting Go

2008-05-05T12:34:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends,

The following news will come as no surprise to most of you who have read this blog. For generations the Presbyterian Church and its member denominations have grappled over belief. Belief in Jesus as the singular, saving, Lord of all. Belief in the Trinity. Belief in the Bible as God's infallible Word. Belief in miracles. ETC. I have spent over 10 years grappling with these issues as an inquirer, candidate, and 7 of those years as an ordained clergy. Grappling, fighting, disagreeing over the most basic matters of the faith. Nearly 2 years ago I attended my 2nd GA as an observer and it became clear to me that we were spiritually matched in a deathgrip. I for one felt called of God to let go and yesterday the congregation I serve by a unanimous vote agreed.

To my friends still in the PCUSA - please understand that the door of escape is closing if you must stay then please do so in full awareness that you will face loss of goods and kindred if you wait - a worthwhile choice if you must make it. To my friends in the NWEPC - see you soon! Thanks for the safe harbor and the blessing of good fellowship already extended.

Statement:

The First Presbyterian Church of Thibodaux at its duly called congregational meeting on May 4th, 2008 voted unanimously to disaffiliate from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and voluntarily affiliate with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Of its 91 voting members 47 were present and all voted in the affirmative to disaffiliate and all voted in the affirmative to seek admission into the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

It is with great expectation that we announce what we consider this to be our return to our roots in orthodox Christian practice by joining our sister churches in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). Already one of the congregations we had the honor of planting many years ago (First Presbyterian Church of Houma) is a member of the EPC with them and others we are taking a firm stand for the Essential Tenets of the Christian Faith as articulated in the EPC Constitution.

For decades we have watched with alarm as the PC (USA) has drifted from its roots and its clear proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord. We do not perceive this so much as our leaving the denomination as our recognition that it left us. With that realization came a desire to return to our long lost family in the EPC. As a Christian Church in the Reformed tradition we hold dear to the teachings of the Bible and its call upon our lives (see the possition papers section). In this action we choose to remain Presbyterian in our polity (church governance) and Biblical in our beliefs while affirming that actions as well as words matter.

This moment is made bittersweet by the many friends that we leave behind in the PC(USA) but we know that we must follow Jesus above all other relationships. We also live in the hope that our friends will realize that we have not changed; merely our institutional affiliation has changed. We will continue to pray for the PC(USA) but it is time for us to move forward with joy and expectation into our new life in Christ.

Matthew 10:38-39 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Churches under Seige Part 3 - Kirk of the Hills

2008-05-03T10:23:00.003-04:00

For me this is the "Shot Heard Round the World". I want to put it in context so bear with me as I tell the story from my own perspective:

I was attending a Synod of the Sun post TPUP event called "Next Steps". I was the only vocal Evangelical in the room (later I asked is there were others and about 5 more raised their hands). I ended up expressing my incredible frustration that out of a Synod representing 100's of churches most of whom would self identify as "conservative" I was one of only 6 conservatives that could be found willing to attend. I explained that such an event resulted in mutually affirmed heterodoxy. You feel normal because everyone in the room is just as far to the left as you are except a few scared individuals (not my exact words but the meaning conveyed).

It was at that meeting and after a polite disagreement with the Exec from Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery (EOP) that the announcement of Kirk of the Hills disaffiliation arrived. Now the EOP story was that they had to cloud every church title in their presbytery because some of their "Indian" churches were running amok taking out loans on their property etc (a little paternalistic don't you think?) of course at the same time th "Louisville Papers" story had just broken, needless to say all of us evangelicals were skeptical about the innocence of EOP. However, all of us were sincere in sending the team from EOP home with prayers - I think I recall that we prayed for the Kirk of the Hills as well.

Since that time Kirk of the Hills has been under siege.

Folks lets be honest - there are other churches in Tulsa, the PCUSA presence there is not held in question. Kirk of the Hills is never going to return to the fold and the minority there is so small that they can never sustain the property maintenance, much less the note. So why the ongoing battle? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Tenants must pay their rent. The so called mission priorities of the liberal groups must be sustained and the only way to do it is to get huge cash settlements. These large churches can pay them so the lawyer expenses will get covered. Additionally the cost is recouped in the sense of preventative maintenance. The huge legal expenses and great risk have backed many clergy and their congregations away from property freedom.

Many big evangelical churches considered the choice for freedom and have retreated. So their huge donations to the Presbytery's and the PCUSA will be sustained.

Hidden deep in the heart of the FOG report are two significant pieces of constitutional change:

Around the Scuttlebutt (can I say that on a Christian blog?)

all of this eventually (I believe) in direct logical procession leads to the AC formed in PSL.

So when denominational authorities say "Trust Us" is it any wonder that many of us tend to say, "grab your wallet"?

Churches Under Seige Part 2 - Congregational Limbo

2008-05-01T09:39:00.003-04:00

For the background go to this story:

ST Paul's

Here's the tactic. Ignore the will of the congregation, ignore the will of the Presbytery, find one, two, or 10 people who are willing to call in the Synod. Form a Synod review (or if you willing to go nuclear form an Administrative Commission) and just stretch this thing out as long as you can.

What's the effect? Pastor bogged down waiting for calls from the Synod, ministry's bogged down waiting for leadership to have no looming issue hanging over their daily lives. Congregational anxiety leading to a sense of frustration.

Sure it's pure polity. It is the way things are done. But it is used not pastorally but as a weapon of a miniscule minority to get vindictive support in their cause. The Institution gets the advantage of holding on to its Essential Tenants funding their ongoing left wing extremeism.

The salient facts regarding the background of this story can be found at Presbyterian Troubles.

Here in the Presbytery of South Louisiana the Presbytery Exec is trying hard to hold things together. Here are his words.

I appreciate his very delicate situation. I am also learning that many of the Presbytery Leadership are starting to accept the AC and hope that it will be a help.

My opinion and not meant as an insult but an attempt at humor:

Keep Slapping lipstick on that pig!

A term used by many, generally in reference to someone who may be trying to make something or someone look appealing or attractive when it quite clearly will not work, or will only deceive the dumbest of people.

What else can they do? It is reality it must be accepted unless someone would want to file a remedial case with the GA regarding the matter (for instance the jumping over the normal polity process of working within the presbytery first, filing a remedial complain, then forming an administrative commission). I'm not constitutional expert but those who are tell me there are many options.