How would you characterize your church's relationship (by and large) toward "revival?"
Both evangelicalism and fundamentalism developed partly from revivalistic movements. The Great Awakenings, tent meetings, even annually scheduled “revivals.”
As a newer believer, I was influenced by that concept somewhat (although not to the extreme), and it is no longer the way I think. And it is not the way our church (by and large) thinks, although it was an important part of our church’s past.
So we are not asking about individuals in your church, but the direction and leadership of your church are in view.
Discussion
The Importance of Presence in Ministry
Going Beyond Public Gatherings
God calls every believer to teach His Word to others at a grassroots level. To motivate and equip them to do this, He provides pastors. These are responsible to “hold nothing back,” devoting themselves to ministry in two venues: public gatherings and private settings (Acts 20:20). While both settings are necessary, it seems that prevailing Western models favor public gatherings over more personal settings. Perhaps this imbalance hinders our efforts to engage people in ministry.
We work hard at our public gatherings. Pulpit style. Stage lighting. Usher training. Multimedia presentations. Music of all kinds: congregational, choral, instrumental, solo, ensemble, instrumental and choral. Service orders and liturgies. Invitations (or not). Announcements. Special events. Dramatic interpretations. Guest speakers. Sound systems and auditorium acoustics. We give attention to all these things and more.
But do we give equal or adequate attention to the other important ministry setting? Do we devote ourselves to connecting with believers in personal settings to the same degree? Church ministry that occurs only (or primarily) at a central church building misses a key element of the “hold nothing back” approach that Paul emulates.
Discussion
The Anatomy of a Leader's Heart, Part 2
From Voice magazine, Mar/Apr 2016. Used by permission. Read Part 1.
Our Heart’s Treasures
The second chamber of our leadership heart pertains to our treasures. This chamber pulsates in rhythm with the previous one, our thoughts. Jesus, in the process of sculpting the heart of His disciples, said: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34). Our hearts follow our treasures.
What exactly are treasures of the heart? A treasure is what we highly value. It is what we define as having great worth. It is what we pursue by virtue of declaration of its value. For example, what is the value of a $100 bill? The actual paper is worth pennies at best. The ultimate worth of the bill is determined by the declaration of the United State Treasury Department. Apart from their declaration, the worth of a $100 dollar bill is not worth any more than the paper upon which it is printed.
Discussion
The Anatomy of a Leader's Heart, Part 1
From Voice magazine, Mar/Apr 2016. Used by permission.
All ministry leadership ultimately involves spiritual work in hearts. It is doubtful that any ministry leader in our circles would deny or challenge that biblical reality. But as I have the blessing of serving ministry leaders here and abroad, it has been my observation that the proposition of ministry leadership being ultimately a spiritual work in the heart is too often mentally affirmed but functionally denied.
The key word is process. While a seminary student I well remember Prof. Hendricks repeatedly stating, “Process always determines product!” As a young and immature Christian, I had little idea at that time how pregnant that statement was with implication. If the process is natural, the product will be natural. If the process is spiritual the product will be spiritual.
Discussion