conversations along the way

We need a few good men

2011-09-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

The following was composed by my co-worker, Gary Floyd.

We need a few good men! In fact, we need a lot of men and their families.

We need a few good men. Actually, we need 180 good men. We are looking to plant 45 congregations in Region 2 which involves southwest Washington and the Olympic Peninsula. It is a mostly rural area with the major cities being Bremerton, Longview, and Olympia (state capitol). Some Region 2 communities are commuter communities for Olympia, Seattle, or Tacoma. The population of 987,337 lives in 11 counties and is mostly comprised of white, Hispanic and Native American people groups. Northwest Baptist churches reach 0.3% of the population; our goal is to impact 2.0% within ten years.

We are also looking for 45 churches outside of Northwest Baptist life who will partner with us for the long haul. Our greatest need is prayer, especially for church leaders in Region 2 to hear and respond to God’s call to multiply disciples. We also need churches to pray that God will call out four men from their church who will come and invest their lives in planting a new church in Region 2.

We are looking for men (and their wives) between the ages of 28 to 45. Four men will work to develop one church plant. These men must have a sense of call to live and work in their communities. They are men who resonate with Dr. Jeff Iorg's message in Phoenix. Some would call them bi-vocational but they are not. Bi-vocational assumes that one day a person will become totally dependent upon a ministry vocation to support their family. These men will always be seen living and working in their communities – it creates instant access and credibility. We are asking these men to commit to ten years living and working in the Northwest, planting a church that will impact at least 200 people per week and make disciples who will plant other churches.

We had a team of college students working in Silverdale, WA this summer helping us gather community data and build relationships. We will have three teams next year identifying more communities. Being able to place four men in Silverdale in the next 18 to 24 months would maximize the church planting possibilities there.

This is our ministry picture for Region 2. Any insights or observations you have would be greatly appreciated. Your prayer and partnership is invited.

Commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others

2011-08-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

Many challenges face us as we move into the future as the network of churches we call the Northwest Baptist Convention. The staff reduction in 2012, the financial challenges we face and the necessity to change in order to effectively penetrate the lostness of our culture are among those challenges. Our partner, the North American Mission Board is sharpening its focus which has had a significant impact on the resources we receive from them and how we will use them. These realities have catalyzed the changes to our NWBC staffing. We are saddened that we will lose a team member in our region. Jon Beard brings many talents to our team and he now faces the challenge of discovering new avenues of ministry. It is tempting to look at these challenges and changes and see only the clouds of winter. However, I have peeked into some other windows and have reason to believe that the future is bright.

I see a bright future when I look into the experience of pastors and church leaders who are pouring their lives into the lives of faithful men. (2 Tim. 2:2) The hope of the NWBC is the churches. In many of those churches, pastors are spending time with selected men, investing in them and developing leaders, who will in turn, develop others. I have sat with pastors in three separate “pastor clusters” in recent weeks and there I have discovered that many of them are meeting with groups of three, five and even ten men in their church, mentoring them and training them to become the leaders who will step up in church leadership and even step out and begin new ministries and churches that will impact our region with the gospel. This has been one of the choruses we have repeated as our RT² has met with leaders. “Choose five men” we have challenged, and teach them to become disciples and to lead others also.

Elisha learned from Elijah, the twelve disciples learned from Jesus, Timothy learned from Paul. The Bible and church history is filled with examples of mentoring relationships that resulted in leaders developing leaders who changed the world. The future of the NWBC is in the churches, the bride of Christ. I see a great deal of hope, a bright future as pastors step up and pour their lives into faithful men who will be able to teach others also!

Why a Church Assessment?

2011-04-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

Why should your church have a church assessment? Why do you look both ways before you cross the street? … to evaluate where you are, where you are headed, identify any danger, and make wise decisions going forward. An assessment is a tool that can help us evaluate and set a course for health.

There was a season in my life when I was accruing tools of all sorts. In college I accrued landscaping tools like rakes, shovels, mowers and trimmers. I was the only tenant in our grassless apartment complex with two push mowers and a riding lawn tractor. Next I gathered and assortment of mechanical tools to keep them operating. In another season I picked up a variety of power tools like saws and drills etc. Then there was the parsonage with the wood burning stove that required a chain saw and a ¾ ton pickup truck. As a pastor I gathered a different assortment of tools. A collection of many books was followed by communication tools like a personal computer (an Apple IIC), phones, PDA’s, and upgrade after upgrade.

As a denominational minister I have continued to tool up, to learn skills and processes that may help me do my work more effectively. Our regional team, along with church leaders is continually learning and employing tools that will promote church health and effective disciple making.

One such tool helps us come along side your church leadership and assess the health and condition of the church. Transformational Church identifies the strengths and challenges in a local church. We can then leverage the strengths to face the challenges before us. It just may be the right tool for the job to launch your church into a bright and hopeful future.

Sermon Collaboration: Receiving the Gift

2010-12-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

I am working on a message to preach on December 26th. I'm working with several texts (see list below.) I want to communicate what it means to receive a gift - perhaps to appropriate the gift. Somehow I want to communicate that to receive the Gift means so much more than taking advantage of the benefits. Instead, to appropriate the Gift means that we embrace all that we know about the Christ Gift.

When I receive the gift of Christ and enjoy the benefit of grace, I will also extend grace.
When I enjoy the benefit of love, I will extend love.
When I experience the benefit of forgiveness, I will also extend forgiveness.
When I experience ...

The idea of conduit is here as well.

John 3:16 (HCSB)
¹⁶ “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 6:23 (HCSB)
²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 17:11 (MSG)
¹¹ For I'm no longer going to be visible in the world; They'll continue in the world While I return to you. Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life That you conferred as a gift through me, So they can be one heart and mind
Acts 5:31 (MSG)
³¹ God set him on high at his side, Prince and Savior, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven.
Acts 2:38 (MSG)
³⁸ Peter said, "Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

What do you think? Does this resonate with you? How would you communicate this message? I will greatly appreciate your input, whether you are a "preacher" or not. If you are still working on that after Christmas sermon, perhaps we will collaborate and share the same message on the same day.

Please reply here so we can all benefit from the discussion.

The Culture Within

2010-12-11T22:11:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked to respond to the question: What is the greatest challenge facing the church today? Of course there are many challenges we face. The economy continues to present a challenge as many churches have fewer resources to work with. It is easy to identify the increasingly secular bent of the society we live in, however how do you explain that other religious groups are growing such as Islam and Mormonism? They live and move in the same climate as we do.

My best answer right now is that the greatest challenge churches face is the culture. However I am speaking about the culture in our churches. There are some great stories unfolding in some churches in the Northwest, but we also recognize that there is a lot of unhealthiness as well. What is it about the culture within the church that is such a challenge? One challenge is a need to preserve the past. We like what we did before. We may have seen success. Even if it did not bear much fruit, it is comfortable. Part of that challenge is generational. Every generation does things differently and has differing preferences. Another part of that challenge is that we are not comfortable with the people we exist to reach. We don’t think much of them. In fact, we don’t even like them.

Last August, my wife and I took a jet boat excursion on the Columbia River. As I engaged the first mate, Jeremy, he told me that he had been raised in a divided family. Half of the family was devout evangelical Christian who was fully engaged in church and even started a school. The other side of the family was agnostic. They did not deny the possibility of a god but they did not see God as personal or engaged in this world. His observation from growing up in this divided family was that the agnostic folks were kinder, more forgiving, more loving and less judgmental than the Christians. As a teenager Jeremy was totally opposed to Christians though he has become more open now (in his 20’s.) I apologized and said I’m afraid there were times when I was that guy.

Our greatest challenge is to change the culture of our churches to reflect that we do what we do to reach the people who are not here yet; to be a people who are known for our love for one another, love or our enemies, and love for the people who have not yet received Jesus as Lord and Savior.

I know: there are bursts of light and we are making some progress, however we have a long way to go. Lord, teach us to love God, love one another and to love our neighbor.

The Incredible Power of Alignment

2010-10-12T23:25:00.000-07:00

The San Jose mine collapse on August 5th has led to the demonstration of absolute alignment that is resulting in the rescue of the thirty three miners held captive 2000 feet below the surface of the earth. I reflect as the 4th miner is emerging from the rescue capsule. Over the past 69 days, the rescue effort has been focused on the singular purpose of saving the miners. Below the earth, the miners were focused on survival, with the belief that their co-workers would not give up on them. They were all aligned on one purpose.

Imagine how absolute alignment on a singular purpose can launch you forward in your life or in your church.

Sowing Seeds

2010-06-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

I look forward to this time of year because I love to watch things grow. These days I buy my fresh picked corn, but I am still watching it grow. I drove by the local field where my corn grows and was encouraged by the rows of corn plants because they represent the future; they represent the harvest we will enjoy at summer’s end.

We are a full year into the Strategy for Renewal of the NWBC. People ask, “How is it going?” and “What do you do now?” The short answer is that we are working to build relationships that encourage and empower the churches toward a spiritual vitality that results in healthy churches and planting healthy churches. We are coming along side local churches and pastors to discover together what healthy churches look like.

How are we doing this? By sowing ideas as we come along side the pastors and ministry leaders. What does church health look like in your ministry setting? What would it look like if your church were to become a partner in planting a church, a new congregation in the next three years? How does the discipleship process happen in your community of faith? What does the path look like for a person to come to faith in Christ; grow and develop and become engaged in ministry to impact their world? How do you develop leaders in your church setting?

We are seed sowing, idea planters; partners in the process; looking toward the great potential in every setting.

⁶I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow. ⁷The one who plants and the one who waters really do not matter. It is God who matters, because he makes the plant grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (TEV)

We join you in the labor of ministry where ever we have opportunity. That the gospel may advance in our territory.

Perspective on Disappointment

2010-05-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

I had a great afternoon of fishing the other day with two friends; a friend who loves to fish, and knows what he is doing and another guy like me. We were fishing for sturgeon on the Columbia River near Longview, WA. He gave us a bit of a heads up, that in his experience, he catches about 17 to 20 sturgeon for every legal keeper. In the part of the river we were fishing, a sturgeon must be a minimum of 37 inches and a maximum of 54 inches in order to keep it. We fished for 7 hours and caught 17 sturgeon and caught one we could keep, it was number 12. Several were oh so close, within an inch, but they were not legal to keep. I was privileged to have caught the keeper, however, it took all three of us to get it in the boat. The fighter tried to swim around the anchor rope and it took experience and multiple hands to get free from certain entanglement. But as you can see - we won!
Some interesting observations:

We fished for seven hours and only caught sturgeon. 17 of them! There are other fish in the river, but we only caught sturgeon. Rick knew where to fish and what bait to use. We were fishing with the bait a few inches from the bottom in 70 feet of water. That is where sturgeon look for food.
We caught eleven fish before we could keep one. Experience had taught Rick that's what you can expect. It proved true. Apparently we are average fishermen.
Disappointment diminished when hope was alive and was feed by near success.

I'm crossing from my fishing experience to perspective on disappointment because of a conversation I had with a ministry leader about disappointment. Many ministry leaders find their bubbles of hope to be popped much more often than they are fulfilled. We tried to learn from my fishing experience.

When I hooked my first fish of the day, a rush of adrenalin flooded me as I reeled in the fish at the end of seventy feet of 85 pound mono-filament. But since the fish was not pulling on the drag of the reel, Rick warned that it was probably too small to keep. We got him to the surface and sure enough, it was only about 24 inches - much too small to keep. So without getting it out of the water my partners removed the hook and let it swim free.

After a few hours, we had each caught a small one and then we each battled fish that put up a fight, and brought hope for dinner, but only to measure up just an inch too short. Having caught larger fish, our hope was encouraged that we would catch a big one! And then I hooked the keeper and we were all involved in getting it in the boat. It was exciting and satisfying that we had caught a keeper. We caught 5 more which we had to shake off, but the disappointment was not as great at the end of the day. For one thing, we has a keeper and also we discovered that Rick's experience was true - If you fish in the right place with the right bait at the right time, eventually you will experience success.

Working with people will, at times, lead to disappointment, however perspective can re-frame that which disappoints us and experience can support hope.

What are you reading?

2010-05-24T11:34:00.001-07:00

These are the books on my Kindle

Leading Change (Ch 6): Communicating the Change Vision (30-minute read) [Kindle Edition]

A Sense of Urgency [Kindle Edition]
By: John P. Kotter

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God [Kindle Edition]
By: Francis Chan

The Shelter Of The Most High [Kindle Edition]
By: Francis Frangipane

Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe (RE: Lit) [Kindle Edition]
By: Mark Driscoll, Gerry Breshears

Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship [Kindle Edition]
By: Alan Hirsch, Debra Hirsch

Old Yeller [Kindle Edition]
By: Fred Gipson

Missional Map-Making: Skills for Leading in Times of Transition [Kindle Edition]
By: Alan Roxburgh

Renew Your Congregation: Healing the Sick, Raising the Dead (TCP Leadership Series) [Kindle Edition]
By: William T. McConnell

Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty [Kindle Edition]
By: Patrick M. Lencioni

Raised with Christ [Kindle Edition]
By: Adrian Warnock

PRAYzing!: Creative Prayer Experiences from A to Z [Kindle Edition]
By: Daniel Henderson

Intercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth [Kindle Edition]
By: Dutch Sheets

The Wonders of Prayer A Record of Well Authenticated and Wonderful Answers to Prayer [Kindle Edition]
By: Various

Wounded Prophet: A Portrait of Henri J.M. Nouwen [Kindle Edition]
By: Michael Ford

Experiencing God Day By Day [Kindle Edition]
By: Richard Blackaby

Messy Spirituality [Kindle Edition]
By: Mike Yaconelli

Spiritual Leadership In A Secular Age: Building Bridges Instead Of Barriers (TCP Leadership Series) [Kindle Edition]
By: Edward H. Hammett

Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life [Kindle Edition]
By: Henri J. M. Nouwen

Influencer : The Power to Change Anything [Kindle Edition]
By: Al Switzler

Neuro-linguistic Programming for Dummies(r) [Kindle Edition]
By: Romilla Ready

How to Tell a Story and Other Essays [Kindle Edition]
By: Mark Twain

Holy Bible (NIV) [Kindle Edition]
By: Zondervan

The Story Factor (2nd Revised Edition) [Kindle Edition]
By: Annette Simmons, Doug Lipman

Brain-Based Learning: The New Paradigm of Teaching [Kindle Edition]
By: Eric P. Jensen

Peru and you

2010-03-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter is going to Peru this summer on a mission trip. I'm so pleased with her desire to help others and communicate the love of Christ. I want to share the following letter with you and invite you to join the team. If you are so inclined to support her mission in prayer or financially, please respond to the invitation at the end of the letter.

Dear Friends and Family,

Have you ever waited so long for something to happen and as it approaches, you are unable to comprehend that it’s so close? That is exactly what I’m experiencing in my life right now. As a child, I saw my brother and sister go on mission trips to Guadalajara and Hong Kong and knew that I wanted to do that when I grew up. Well, I have grown up enough and have been blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime. This August I will be able to spend two weeks in the mountains surrounding Canta,

Peru

with about 90 other students and adults from the Northwest sharing God’s love through word and deed.

While there we will break into groups of 8-10 people and travel to villages and small towns. In those villages, activities for us will range from teaching music and crafts to children, to teaching Bible studies about character building to teenagers, and leading out in sports, along with whatever else we’re instructed to do. On the weekend we will go to assigned villages to host block parties, help clean up the communities, play and lead in sports, and help with worship services.

This is my second mission trip and my first international trip. In the summer of 2007, my youth group went to Lustre, Montana. There are so many things that make me passionate and excited about this trip to Canta. In this life we are called to do things that stretch our comfort zones. As much as I like to believe that I’m comfortable anywhere, I know that isn’t true; so I’m forced to trust God with all that I am.

Prayer is the key to this trip. While our team of 90 is preparing to leave this summer and while we are there, please keep us in your prayers. It takes a lot of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual preparation. Staying healthy and being in shape is an important aspect so that we will be at the top of our game for sharing love through actions; please pray for our health. There is a language barrier which is a challenge but we’re working on memorizing Bible verses and everyday phrases in Spanish so that we will be able to communicate a little bit but we definitely need prayer as we learn something completely foreign. Being away from home for two weeks in another country is going to be tough so please pray that I will remember that my Heavenly Father will never leave my side. Over the next seven months pray that God will open up our own hearts so that He will be able to use us like He wants to. Also pray for the Quechuan people that they would be open to everything we say and do while we are there. To see the hope in their eyes and to teach them that despite their rough lives there is someone who sustains them is what makes me passionate about these people.

As vital as prayer support is, financial support is also needed. This trip costs approximately $2000 with $1200 of that due by April 25. I trust that God will provide what I need in order to go serve Him which may include Him using you! Any amount will put me that much closer to my goal. You can make checks out to Grant Avenue Baptist Church, but send them to my home address. Everybody can be involved in this trip in some way by supporting me in prayer and/or financially.

Thank you for your support,

Rebekah Peters

3842 Cottonwood St

Longview, WA 98632

Sacred Anointing - Life Action Revival Ministries

2010-03-06T10:26:00.000-08:00

Sacred Anointing - Life Action Revival Ministries

Prayer for anointed preaching

2010-03-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

Fresh Oil

Fresh oil, dear Lord, I pray to Thee; let new anointing fall on me.

My feet are tired, my hands are weak; reviving oil, O Lord, I seek.

Fresh oil, I pray, pour down on me,

That all my life would burn for Thee!

The need's no greater than before, as sin lies always at our door.

Your strength unchanged can win this day; for cleansing oil, O Lord, I pray!

Fresh oil, I pray, pour down on me,

That all my life would burn for Thee!

Fresh oil to preach, fresh oil to pray, fresh oil to witness night and day!

The fuel that feeds revival fire; enabling oil pour out this hour.

Fresh oil, I pray, pour down on me,

That all my life would burn for Thee!

And knowing that our lives are weak, a greater measure now we seek.

Let glory dwell within our land; sustaining oil, Lord, from Your hand.

Fresh oil, I pray, pour down on me,

That all my life would burn for Thee!

Poem written by Bill Elliff in Edinburgh, Scotland, July 20, 2006. Taken from Psalm 92:10b.

Inspire Trust

2010-02-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

Today I came across the following in a web post. Click (or cut & paste to your browser) the link below to read the article but here is a great quote.

Conant: The essence of my leadership philosophy is very much the same as it was before. We have what we call our Campbell Leadership Model, and we drive off of that. It basically says you have to inspire trust, and once you earn people's trust, you have permission to do some amazing things. Trust gives you the permission to give people direction, get everyone aligned, and give them the energy to go get the job done. Trust enables you to execute with excellence and produce extraordinary results. As you execute with excellence and deliver on your commitments, trust becomes easier to inspire, creating a flywheel of performance.

http://gmj.gallup.com/content/125687/Saving-Campbell-Soup-Company.aspx?utm_source=email&utm_medium=10FEB-B&utm_content=morelink&utm_campaign=newsletter#1

Your thoughts?

Powerless Leaders

2010-01-18T15:38:00.000-08:00

Today I am pleased to be sitting with 14 leaders from NWBC Region Two among about 175 others attending the Great Commandment Prayer Conference in Jefferson, Oregon. The lessons learned here have the potential to make a significant difference in the churches where they minister. Pastor Dee Duke is teaching on the Blessings of prayer.

Here's a quote to ponder this week:

John Drescher – “Prayerless leaders are powerless leaders who produce powerless followers. Until we learn to pray and know the revelation to spiritual truth which prayer brings, we remain unbelievers at heart, regardless of how many doctrines we declare or how much theology we teach. Further, our work will not prosper and our people will stray.”

Philippians 1:9-11
9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you can determine what really matters and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that [comes] through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

What matters more?

2010-01-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

Prayer is what we call how we communicate with God. The One who lives within the life of a Christ follower, and yet one we cannot see. This blog will remind the reader and the blogger of the importance of making prayer a common practice in daily life.
Alistair Begg – “If our prayer is meager, it is because we believe it to be supplemental and not fundamental. When I don’t pray, deep down inside, it’s because I believe it doesn’t really matter. When I do everything else except pray, it is because I’m suspicious of the possibility that all these other things matter more than prayer. When churches have everything in their church calendar and prayer is somehow an addendum somewhere, then it says about the church that they regard prayer as being supplemental not fundamental to what’s going on.”
1 Thess 3