Leadership Training Part 2 - The Church and Her Mission

At Village Seven, we take leadership development seriously. Men who may be called to serve as elders or deacons go through 9 months of classroom instruction as well as a one year apprenticeship. In an earlier post, I listed some of the articles that the men read on gospel foundations. Here, I am listing some of the resources that we use for understanding how the church ministers in its particular context in such a way that it is faithful to her biblical mission. In my opinion, no one has been more thoughtful or theological in his thinking on this subject than Tim Keller. As a result, most of the resources have been produced by him.

Center Church by Tim Keller. For some, this might read like a textbook, but it is incredibly rich. In this book, Keller not only lays out his philosophy of ministry, but gives leaders the tools for developing their own.  I found the Kindle version hard to read. This is one that you will want to read in print. There are video discussions of most of these chapters on Vimeo.

How Do Word and Deed Ministry Fit Together? by Tim Keller. The title of this article says it all. Very helpful for those in leadership.

Missional Church by Tim Keller. Keller wrote this article years ago, long before he wrotes Center Church. I found it very helpful.

Reading Scripture Missionally by Christopher Wright. Unfortunately, I cannot find a link to this article online. However, Wright has written several books along this theme. In this article, he shows that the mission of the God is not ancillary to the mission of the people of God, but is seen throughout Scripture.

Insourcing by Randy Pope. Randy shows how equipping disciples for mission is key to the church's mission.

The Burden of Change by John Frame. This is a short article on how and why church leaders must be change agents.

Leading Change by John Kotter. This book is the standard text on how to lead change in an organization. Those in officer training are not required to read the book, but we do review the outline of it. A good summary of the book can be found here.

Leadership and Church Size Dynamics by Tim Keller. Church size affects how a church operates. Since Village Seven is a large church (at least by PCA standards). This is important to understand for those coming from smaller churches.

No Man Left Behind by Pat Morley and David Delk. We do not use this book in our Officer Training, but we have used it with our staff and other leaders. The book is not just about how to minister to men, but how to develop sustainable ministries. It provides a very helpful model.

Great Books on Knowing God

All of us have a tendency to fashion God in our own image. The result is that we worship a god of our own creation rather than the God who is really there. The truth is, the real God is far greater than any idol of our making. Without knowledge of this true God, our faith will be weak, our worship tepid, and our spiritual growth stunted.

The antidote to this false worship is knowledge of the true God, or, as Francis Schaeffer put it, The God Who Is There. The way we come to know this true God is through His own revelation in both Scripture and nature. Yet, we do not need to embark on this journey alone. One of the gifts God has given to His church are teachers who can open up the Scriptures to us in order to give us a greater glimpse of who God is.

Here are some of my favorite books that will help you come to know more about the great God we worship.

The God You Can Know by Dan Dehaan. This is a relatively short, easy to read book and is a wonderful introduction to the character of God.

A Heart for God by Sinclair Ferguson. This is another short, easy to read book that is rich in its description of God and His character.

Knowing God by J. I. Packer. This is a bit longer than the two above, but is one the greatest Christian books of the 20th century. Once you read it, you will want to reread it again and again.

The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul. As the title says, this book focuses on one attribute of God, His holiness. It is both very readable and very profound.

Summer Reading - Defending the Faith

In 1 Peter 3:15, we are told that we should always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is within us. Today, we are bombarded with questions about the truthfulness of Christianity. These books will help you answer questions that you and your friends are asking.

The Reason for God by Tim Keller. Keller deals with questions like "There Can't Be Just One True Religion?" "How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?" "How Can A Loving God Send People to Hell?" and "Science Has Disproven Christianity."

A Shot of Faith to the Head by Mitch Stokes. The subtitle says it all: "Be a Confident Believer in an Age of Cranky Atheist." Like Keller (but with a different approach) Stokes also deals with the relationship of faith and science. Yet, this book is much broader than that. He also deals with the problem of evidence and the role of faith.

Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl. This book focuses on the practical ways you can engage with unbelievers.

What is an Equipped Disciple?

Our mission at Village Seven is to make, equip and deploy disciples who live out and proclaim the gospel through word and deed in Colorado Springs, the West and the World.

To guide is in our mission, the elders developed this definition of an equipped disciple:

“Equipped disciples” are those who are prepared to engage with their Hearts, Heads and Hands in God’s mission.

Heart

• They love God and respond to His grace through regular worship and fellowship with God through regular practices of the means of grace.

• They love other believers as fellow heirs in Christ and express that love in service, encouragement and blessing toward other believers.

• They love the lost and regularly express that love by reaching out to unbelievers in word and deed where they live, work and play.

Head

• They know and are familiar with the Scriptures and understand how all of the Scriptures testify to God’s plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. 

• They know the basic truths of the Christian faith and can discern truth from error. 

• They know a biblical view of all of life to include self, others, home, work, culture and community

Hands

• They share their faith in Jesus Christ and seek opportunities to connect where they live, work and play. 

• They share their various gifts with generosity. They serve inside and outside the church by sharing and exercising their spiritual gifts and talents. They share of their earthly wealth and possessions with their local church, other believers and the world in need. 

• They share their lives with others by participating in Christian community and openly living all aspects of their lives in fellowship with other believers.

Recommended Articles - Gospel Foundations

At Village Seven, we spend a great deal of time and effort training men to serve as elders and deacons. Our officers go through nine months of classroom training usually followed by a one year apprenticeship. Much of what we study would be of benefit to all church members. So, over the next few weeks, I will post some of the articles that men in the training read. This week's post focuses on the Centrality of the Gospel.

Gospel Centered Sanctification by Jerry Bridges. Whenever anyone asks me my view on sanctification, this is the article that I give them.

The Centrality of the Gospel by Tim Keller. In this article, Keller shows how the gospel renews every dimension of our lives.

Martin Luther's Preface to His Commentary on Galatians. Tim Keller has edited this a bit. This short article sums up what it means to live in line with the gospel.

The Gospel Centered Life. This is not an article, but a Bible study curriculum. It does a great job of outlining how to grow more and more in Christ-likeness.

All of Life is Repentance by Tim Keller. Very, very helpful on what repentance is and how to do it.

Why PCA Elders Should Vote for the Minority Report on the Insider Movement

PCA Study Committee for Insider Movements

Minority Report 2014 FAQs

 

Prelude

As an aid to Commissioners to the 2014 General Assembly of the PCA regarding the Study Committee on Insider Movements, the authors of the 2014 Minority Report entitled, “Realities on the Ground, An Additional Perspective,” present the following FAQs.

Question:  Why did you submit a Minority Report to the 2014 General Assembly? 

Answer: While the Committee Report (CR) provides vital theological foundations and helpful boundaries for doing mission (through the Affirmations and Denials) which we support, we believe it's important for those doing mission among Muslims to receive information concerning certain on-the-ground realities, along with some associated biblical considerations.  We hope and pray that the additional perspective in this 37 page report will provide practical help to PCA churches, assisting them in their broad sowing of the message of God’s saving power through his Son and the building of his church throughout Muslim nations, “…that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations” (Psalm 67:2, NIV).

Question: What is the relationship between MR 2014 and the Minority Report submitted during the General Assembly of 2013?

Answer: MR 2014 has new authorship and thus we consider it as a total replacement for Minority Report 2013.

Question: What is the significance of MR 2014’s recommendations to the 2014 General Assembly?

Answer: Our recommendations mirror those of the CR with the exception that we separately recommend that the 2014 General Assembly, "make available and recommend for study" both the CR and MR 2014 to its presbyteries, churches and missions committees. Treating the papers separately allows commissioners to discuss and vote for each paper on its own merit. A General Assembly action to “make available and recommend for study” does not imply agreement with every word or idea expressed in a paper. We are not requesting, “adoption” of these reports, but that the Assembly send the papers to presbyteries, churches and missions committees for study.

Question: Tell us some of your convictions on matters related to Insider Movement missiology.

·         We hold to the Scriptures as our only authoritative guide to engaging in mission.

·         We believe that both Scripture and our confession encourage believers to apply scriptural principles to the realities of everyday life, wherever they live.

·         We believe that Christ ordinarily intends that his people will follow him in the context of their family, birth community, and vocation.

·         In recognition of the comprehensive claims of Christ on the lives of his people we hold that identity in Christ is wholly controlling in the life of the believer; we do not advocate or support voluntary, indefinite retention of Islamic religious identity by MBBs.

·         We hold that disciplers of MBBs should not encourage a disciple to remain within Islamic religious institutions.

·         We hold that every believer is a member of the church of Jesus Christ, and we believe in the central importance of every believer to be part of a local expression of church.

·         We hold by faith that Muslims are people made in the image of God, and that through Christ alone, people from Muslim majority countries will be among those represented before the throne of God (Rev. 7:9-10).

(Note:  In Minority Report 2014, references are provided for the above points to specific Affirmations and Denials from the Majority Report.)

Question: What is the outline of the Minority Report?

 

Answer: After providing introductory context to this report, we describe five realities faced by believers living in Muslim societies and treat four considerations that undergird and inform our approach to mission in the midst of these realities. A list of questions for use by missions committees with their missions partners is also included. An outline of our major topics follows.

Part One: Realities on the Ground Facing Muslim Background Believers (MBBs)

·         Reality #1: It is Important that MBBs Live Biblically within Muslim Societies.

·         Reality #2: MBBs Can Live Biblically within Muslim Societies.

·         Reality #3: National Churches within Muslim Societies Do Not Always Accept MBBs.

·         Reality #4: Living within Muslim Societies Requires MBBs to be Vigilant to Avoid Syncretism.

·         Reality #5: Growing in Christ within Muslim Societies Holds Significant Challenges for MBBs.

Part Two: Biblical Considerations for Facing Realities on the Ground.

·         Consideration A: Every Culture has “Good” and Evil Aspects.

·         Consideration B: We Must Not Add Requirements to the Gospel: Principles from the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15.

·         Consideration C: We are Called to Live in the World But Not of the World:
1 Corinthians 7:17-24 and its Context.

·         Consideration D: We Must Not Participate with Demons in False Worship: A Warning from 1 Corinthians 10:19-20.

·         We hold that every believer is a member of the church of Jesus Christ, and we believe in the central importance of every believer to be part of a local expression of church.

·         We hold by faith that Muslims are people made in the image of God, and that through Christ alone, people from Muslim majority countries will be among those represented before the throne of God (Rev. 7:9-10).

Question:  What is the outline of the Minority Report?

Answer: After providing introductory context to this report, we describe five realities faced by believers living in Muslim societies and treat four considerations that undergird and inform our approach to mission in the midst of these realities. A list of questions for use by missions committees with their missions partners is also included. An outline of our major topics follows.

Part One: Realities on the Ground Facing Muslim Background Believers (MBBs)

·         Reality #1: It is Important that MBBs Live Biblically within Muslim Societies.

·         Reality #2: MBBs Can Live Biblically within Muslim Societies.

·         Reality #3: National Churches within Muslim Societies unfortunately Do Not Always Accept MBBs.

·         Reality #4: Living within Muslim Societies Requires MBBs to be Vigilant to Avoid Syncretism.

·         Reality #5: Growing in Christ within Muslim Societies Holds Significant Challenges for MBBs.

Part Two: Biblical Considerations for Facing Realities on the Ground.

·         Consideration A: Every Culture has “Good” and Evil Aspects.

·         Consideration B: We Must Not Add Requirements to the Gospel: Principles from the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15.

·         Consideration C: We are Called to Live in the World But Not of the World:
1 Corinthians 7:17-24 and its Context.

·         Consideration D: We Must Not Participate with Demons in False Worship: A Warning from 1 Corinthians 10:19-20.

Summer Reading - Growing in Grace

If you live in Colorado, it may not feel like summer outside just yet, but summer is almost here, which means it is time to get caught up on some good books. To help you with this, each week, I will post a few suggested books on various topics. On this week’s list are some of my favorites on spiritual growth. Next week, I will post some suggestions on how to make the spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible reading, worship, etc.) a part of your life.

1.      The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Jerry Bridges. Jerry is a member of Village Seven, but he was one of my favorite authors before I ever met him. This book will teach you how to apply the gospel to your life so that you are growing in grace every day. Also, Bookends of the Christian Life by Jerry Bridges. This is a very brief “gift book” size book that summarizes how the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit are key elements in your spiritual walk. Other

2.      Holiness by Grace by Bryan Chapell. This is a book that I refer back to time and time again.  It is readable and practical, teaching you how to live by grace in all that you do.

3.      Desiring God by John Piper. Piper calls us to live a life of pure hedonism where we find our pleasure and delight in God. When I first read this book, it gave me a glimpse of what it meant to follow Christ out of delight rather than mere duty.

4.      The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification by Walter Marshall. While this book is short, not everyone will find it easy to read. Written by Marshall, a Puritan, during the 17^th century, this book does an outstanding job of showing how the gospel leads to holiness and joy.

5.      The Prodigal God and Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller. Easy to read and life changing. Read Prodigal God first. It will transform your view of God and His grace.