FORT WORTH?Attorney Shelby Sharpe watched as dozens stood in a Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary chapel audience, responding to his question of how many were training for ministry in a country where Christians are criminally and civilly prosecuted.
“I take it that the rest of you have no intention of ministering in the United States, because we’re only decades away from this happening.” Encouraging his audience to look at the trends in American culture, he cited legal cases in which:
?using Scripture is prosecuted as a hate crime,
?churches are sued for revoking a minister’s ordination, and
?the government decides the curricula for theological schools.
Findings of George Barna and the Nehemiah Institute, after polling teenagers, reveal the nation is only a decade or two away from a complete loss of a Christian consensus, Sharpe warned.
“When the World War II generation is gone and the generation coming right behind it … the Christian influence is hugely lacking. You will quickly have a country that doesn’t even hardly know about God,” he said, forecasting the future U.S. as a pagan nation that Christians should regard as a foreign mission field.
Such dire predictions will come true if Christians continue to give away the foundation on which the United States was established, Sharpe said. “If you’re going to be in ministry in 10 or 20 years, you will see this. It does not necessarily have to happen.As we conceded it and gave it away, we can with God’s help take it back,” he argued.
While commending Southern Baptists for effectiveness in evangelism, Sharpe said there remains an indictment for all Christians who believe in the inerrancy of Scripture when they fail to carry out the balance of Christ’s command to be salt to the earth. “If you look at our culture as it exists today, where is the salt?”
After reading the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20, Sharpe turned to Matthew 4:4 to note Jesus’ response when he was tempted to turn stones into bread after 40 days of fasting.
He said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Observing that the word “man is used in a generic sense in reference to all people, Sharpe said the instruction is not limited to believers. “We are to have this culture live in obedience to every command of God,” he stated.
Answering skeptics who charge that the Supreme Court finds such behavior unlawful, Sharpe remarked, “So what? When did they get above God?”
Using early sources from American history to describe the founding of an intentionally Christian nation, Sharpe reminded that the first colonial grant was given to Sir Walter Raleigh in order to deliver the Christian faith to people who lived in darkness.That reference was cited in a Supreme Court opinion in 1892, describing a continent founded on a commitment to spreading the gospel through laws and charters written to advance the kingdom of God and convert the heathen.
“Here was an intellectually honest Supreme Court of the United States that looked at our history and determined this is a Christian nation.” In contrast to such clear statements, Sharpe said, “We have people today who say this has never been a Christian nation.
That fact has not been lost on the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, which is sponsoring a series of “SENT” missions conferences designed to equip laypeople for gospel work at home and abroad. The next conference is scheduled Oct. 6-7 in Grapevine.
An ever-burgeoning immigration to the United States has brought the world’s people groups into Texas businesses, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Reaching internationals is no longer something only foreign missionaries do.
One of the most timely aspects of the conference will be a Friday evening session on how to engage Muslims in spiritual conversation, said Tiffany Smith, SBTC missions mobilization associate.
In recent years Southern Baptists’ International Mission Board and North American Mission Board have recognized the international mission field has come to America. In May 2005 IMB representatives met with pastors, associational leaders, and laypeople from around Texas to introduce techniques overseas missionaries use with specific people groups. Those applications are now being used to reach first- and second-generation Texas immigrants, including Muslims, Smith explained.
Jesus’ commission from Acts 1:8 to begin witnessing in Jerusalem can end up reaching the ends of the earth with a phone call, text message or e-mail.
Raised on the foreign mission field where his parents witnessed among a predominantly Muslim population, *George Adidas said at eight years of age God gave him a heart for reaching Islamic people. A short stint on the mission field as an adult with the IMB International Service Corps solidified that call and today he is using what he has learned from his upbringing and IMB training to teach others how to share the gospel with Muslims.
Adidas spoke at the first SENT Conference in Austin last April and will give another presentation and field questions at the October event.
His predecessors have seen the mission field move from the lands abroad to the homes next door. And that, Adidas said, is where he feels called to witness. During his mission work, Adidas worked as an English as a Second Language teacher in a large European mosque and would, under the guise of teaching English, use Bible stories in the process.
The most important thing a Christian can do, Adidas said, is to become friends with those Muslims in their lives?men becoming brothers and women becoming sisters. It is within the bonds of that relationship of trust that the channels of honest communication are opened, he said.
Because Islam is a works-based religion, Adidas said Muslims “will try to be more Christlike” than the Christians trying to reach them. That is why it is important to have a true servant’s attitude when witnessing, emphasizing the fact that Christians serve out of a love for God and people, not out of a sense of duty alone.
Another key element of witnessing to Muslims, Adidas said, is being a good listener. It is in the listening that the Christian can begin to formulate questions to pose. Adidas recalled a time when a Muslim friend lost his job. While listening to his friend tell of his concerns, Adidas knew he was in the middle of a witnessing opportunity. The discussion soon turned to prayer.
Adidas’s friend stated he was faithful in praying the mandatory number of times each day and Adidas shared that he prays to God without ceasing. He noted that all Christians are children of God?a concept with which his friend was not familiar, he said.
Questions, Adidas said, can flow from the teachings of the Quran to the truths of the Bible, a technique called the Camel Strategy. Such an approach draws Muslims from statements noted in the Quran (Adidas said the Quran mentions Jesus and the Bible numerous times) to the ultimate truths of God’s word. It was a simple question that led an Imam to faith in Christ.
EULESS?SBTC Evangelism Director Don Cass is praying the 2007 Empower Evangelism Conference will help spur spiritual renewal and awakening in Texas and beyond.
The annual conference, scheduled Feb. 5-7 at First Baptist Church of Euless, includes a nationally recognized slate of speakers and musicians whom Cass hopes will help equip Southern Baptists to “take back to their churches the things they have learned.”
“Our hope is they will. The main purpose of this conference is to equip and inspire people to do the work of evangelism. So I certainly hope this will be a springboard or a catalyst to help increase baptisms in the local churches, that we would be zealous for the kingdom of God, more compassionate toward lost people, and more passionate for Jesus.”
The conference theme, “God’s Amazing Grace,” is based on Ephesians 2:4-7: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions?it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”
This year’s speakers include Tony Evans; Jerry Falwell; Roy Fish; Jimmy Draper; Rick Stanley; Dwight McKissic; Steve Hale; Terry Fox; Herb Reavis Jr.; Johnny Hunt; and Jay Lowder.
Musical headliners will be Point of Grace. Other musicians include longtime crusade leader John McKay and vocalist Anthony Evans, son of Tony Evans, the Crabb Family, Dawn Smith Jordan, Lou Verle Griffin and choirs from First Baptist Euless and Castle Hills First Baptist Church.
Gil Lain, pastor of Paramount Baptist Church in Amarillo, told Texas Baptist Crossroads, the SBTC missions magazine: “All of us know that people need the Lord, but do we genuinely care enough about them to tell them about Christ? God has used the Empower Evangelism Conference to remind me and motivate me to witness for him.”
A women’s session on Monday afternoon will feature Laurie Cole, Dawn Smith Jordan, Jaye Martin and Priscilla Shirer.
SBC President Frank Page will address the Cooperative Program luncheon crowd on Tuesday during the conference and on Wednesday, the Senior Adult Luncheon will feature Jim Bob Griffin and comedian Dennis Swanberg.
Registration for both events is available at sbtexas.com on the evangelism page.
“I pray God will use this conference to help bring spiritual awakening to our state,” Cass added. “This country desperately needs revival, and I think many times it is conferences like this that create the hunger for spiritual awakening, so people go away humble and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways and become obedient to him.”
H. Bailey Stone, a member of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano and pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church in Odessa, said of the conference: “The Holy Spirit uses it to empower pastors, staffs, and lay persons who attend ? to keep the focus on intentional evangelism as a major priority in their lives and churches.”
A friend tells of an old preacher who told him that young pastors are susceptible to “girls, gold, and glory.” He then quipped that old preachers are more likely to fall for “glory, gold, and girls.” We’d be hard pressed to find a ruined pastor who couldn’t trace his demise to one of these temptations. It’s never funny; it’s always a tragedy and a loss for us all.
Some people just love stories of “ministerial misconduct.” Sure, when someone like former pastor Terry Hornbuckle of Arlington is convicted of three rapes, it’s news. I understand that. More common are stories about a quarrel between church members–rancorous, probably tragic, but hardly of general interest. Fair or not, the pastor (authority, power, maleness) usually fares badly in the public judgment of these squabbles.
In any case, all of us and our churches take a hit when a pastor and church fall out with one another. When the charges against a pastor are criminal, it’s even worse.
Danny Akin’s Baptist Press column, “Cultivate integrity in ministry,” is a good treatment of what we should be as church or ministry leaders. He said it better than I could so I’ll let you read that for yourself. It’s definitely something we should say to ourselves in front of our congregations. It’s also something our congregations should hold us to.
I’d like to approach the matter of ministry train wrecks from the other direction. What is the responsibility of churches in examining, calling, and working with a pastor?
If the pastor has a heavy stewardship for the ministry of a church, and he does, it doesn’t mean that other church members are without responsibility for successes and failures in ministry.
In Baptist churches, calling a pastor is a matter of both candidate and congregation discerning the will of God. Both parties talk to God and both parties should agree before a man becomes pastor. In addition to the theological and methodological questions we normally ask, we should look into a couple of more mundane things when considering a candidate.
>A credit check: You’re unlikely to call a pastor who’s in it for the money. In fact, it is very common for ministry families to be living on the edge of not enough. The point of a credit check is to determine if he has serious financial problems that will become part of his ministry in your church. Also, a man who has a pattern of unpaid debts is either a poor manager of his own affairs or has an integrity problem. It’s worth asking and worth discussing with him if you see something that raises questions.
>A criminal background check: You’ll do it for your nursery workers (you should at least), so why not for your pastor? Ministry in most churches involves a lot of time and work done in solitude. This requires trust. The church takes on some liability for the actions of its pastor. It is certain that your pastor is an important keeper of your church’s reputation. Check it out. Very few men will mind.
Consider also that most pastors are checking your church out. Your growth pattern, former pastors, neighborhood, and giving are going to interest him as he considers what he might expect of ministry there. Asking some basic questions of him is not an insult. It is due diligence. I can think of some cases where these steps might have headed off tragic events in the life of a church.
Once your pastor is in place, consider the unnecessary burdens and risks you might be putting on him. Dr. Akin is right in saying that pastors should stay away from the church’s money, for example. For their part, churches should neither expect him to take on accounting or check-writing duties for the church nor allow him to do it if he volunteers. Both parties have to say “yes” before this problem becomes even potential.
Churches should also make some kind of allowance for the pastor’s need to minister to the women in the congregation. Other church leaders can provide cover and accountability for the pastor so as to safeguard his reputation and that of those he visits, counsels, or works alongside.
Don’t put your pastor in a situation of working alone at church with a female secretary or visiting/counseling alone with female church members. Provide people to accompany him or be on site when this will accommodate ministry above suspicion or reproach.
Pastors in small, single staff churches and in very large churches find it easy to become isolated in ministry. Some notorious situations, as well as some little-known ministry meltdowns were aggravated, even enabled, by isolation that became secret sin. Churches either know or should know when this becomes possible.
No pastor sets out to fail. Churches can help him avoid the temptations of ministry. Integrity is a partnership between all members of the body of Christ. Your sister churches and your brothers and sisters in Christ depend on your ministry maintaining a high level of wisdom and innocence.
WAKE FOREST, N.C.–In 1 Timothy 3:2 the Bible says leaders in the church must be “blameless” (NKJV), “above reproach” (NIV). In recent days a number of stories have appeared in the media concerning well-known ministers forced to resign because of inappropriate or unwise actions.
The cause of Christ has been harmed and the respect for ministers significantly damaged. There are a number of issues addressed in Scripture that speak to the essential nature of integrity in ministry (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4), but let me encourage ministers and others in church leadership to especially guard their lives in six particular areas:
Guard your integrity by always being completely honest. Do not pad your resume or reputation with false or inflated accomplishments. The Bible says God hates a proud look and lying tongue (Proverbs 6:17). Be a truth-teller in every area of your life, both in the big things and the little things.
Guard your integrity in your dealings with the opposite sex. If you are married, covenant with the Lord and your mate never to be alone with anyone of the opposite sex. Men, be known as a “one woman kind of man” (1 Timothy 3:2; Ephesians 5:33). Ladies, be known as a “one man kind of woman.” If you are single, be careful in your conduct with the opposite sex. Treat them with the respect due a sister or brother in Christ. Avoid those private places where your hormones can override your will and you make a bad decision that can change your life forever.
Guard your integrity when it comes to money. As a minister, require annually a full outside audit of your church finances. On the personal level, have nothing to do with the direct financial responsibilities of the church. Do not have check writing authority. Do not handle or receive money, but direct individuals to the proper persons who handle the finances of the church. Never use a church credit card for personal reasons. Use your own credit card for personal reasons. When you do use a church credit card, always document its use with a receipt and a description of how it was used. Maintain accountability with someone in your church office or on your finance committee. Go the extra mile to be blameless.
Furthermore, realize people who love you will want to be a blessing to you. Develop an attitude of gratitude, but never one of entitlement. Ministers do not deserve nor should they expect special treatment. The Lord Jesus will properly reward them when they stand before him (1 Peter 5:1-4). If that reward is not sufficient, I would suggest you get out of the ministry and do so quickly.
Guard your integrity when it comes to your family life. First Timothy 3:4 says leaders must rule their own house well and have children who are in submission with all reverence. Titus 1:6 adds that they must be faithful, “not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.” One’s family life is often an accurate reflection of his spiritual life. Godly men and women will raise up godly children who love Christ and obey the Bible. Few areas of investment will yield greater reward.
Guard your integrity with solid theological competency. Often moral and ethical sins grow out of a defective biblical and theological life. Failing to cultivate a healthy understanding of theological truth like the sovereignty and holiness of God, the sinfulness and depravity of man, the process of sanctification and the necessity of biblical wisdom, and the centrality of Christ and the crucified life, you begin to think and then live in a manner that is foreign to the clear teachings of Scripture. Nothing will be more valuable in avoiding this danger than a steady diet of biblical exposition, whereby you are continually exposed to the totality of God’s revealed truth. What you believe will determine how you live. Belief and behavior always go together.
Guard your integrity with the model of ministry you pursue. God calls you to be shepherds of his sheep. You are not called to be CEOs or drill sergeants. You are not called to be ranchers or dictators. You are certainly not called to be spiritual superstars or celebrities.
A word of caution is in order at this point. The greater your natural gifts and abilities, the more susceptible you are to entrapment by these seducing sirens of the world. Men, and women, with charismatic personalities and a commanding presence can operate too easily in the power of the flesh and not the Spirit. They can be deceived into believing their own press and the accolades showered on them by adoring followers. If they are not careful, they can begin to believe they have the right to operate by a different standard. This is the way of foolishness. This is the way that leads to the damage, and potential destruction, of a ministry.
There is no place in the church for spiritual superstars, who, like proud Diotrephes, love to have the preeminence (3 John 9). No, preeminence is rightfully reserved for only one and his name is Jesus. Do not lose sight of how you serve, it is with integrity as you imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) in every sphere of your lives.
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