Unsung Heroes: Thanking Lay Leaders for their Service
Posted by Pastor Joel - 02/02/09 at 07:02:15 amIn my mind and heart, there is a special place reserved for heroes of the faith. While Christians are certainly not to seek applause and publicity for charitable acts and contributions to the Lord’s ministry, God’s choice servants deserve recognition and appreciation for working well and diligently for the Lord. During my life and ministry as a pastor, I have deeply appreciated such heroes as Paul Lampert, Don Eveland, Ron Hayhurst, and a host of other godly lay leaders (both men and women) who have persistently and patiently walked the walk of service in ministry to the Lord and His people. Often invisible to the church congregation as they work behind the scenes, lay leaders are the special, load-bearing timbers of the local church. You may not know the men whom I have named, but they are significant to the Lord, to the ministry, and to me. The three men epitomize the Biblical picture of what a diakonate (deacon) is: a servant.According to I Timothy 3:18, lay leaders boldly set a good example: “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Where others stumble, deacons lead. When others falter, deacons lead. When prayer is needed, deacons lead. When times are difficult and hope is fading, deacons lead. To lead is their calling, their gift, and their responsibility. They set the example for extraordinary service. Our present ministry here at SVBC has done well (humanly speaking) in large part because of the character and work of our deacon team. Continue reading Unsung Heroes: Thanking Lay Leaders for their Service…
The Decision-Making Process of the Local NT Church
Posted by Pastor Joel - 15/05/08 at 11:05:02 amOver the last 18 years of life, ministry and study, the lecturer has had the privilege of witnessing a variety of decision-making models that are common within the framework of contemporary fundamentalism. It has been a growing fear over the years, that many of the decision-making approaches one finds in fundamentalism are biblically unhealthy for all involved. Too often the result of this is a ministry characterized by a continual “fog of direction.”
Unfortunately, the scriptures do not give one clear method to local church decision-making. Therefore it is up to the NT Christian and each congregation to examine the practice and flow of the early church in relation to the development of a decision-making model. It is then necessary for each congregation to consider which decisions most naturally belong to the elders, the deacons and which decisions ought to come back to the entire congregation.[2] Over the last decade of study and ministry, this lecturer has identified and applied an inductive model of decision-making to a local-church setting. This model was partially applied at Mildred Bible Chapel in Backus, MN (from 1996-99). The model has been fully applied at Southeast Valley Baptist Church in Gilbert, AZ (from 1999 - present). This model is pieced together with a deductive and exegetical understanding of the offices of the NT church, the practice of the early church, combined with other Biblical theological and philosophical consideration. This means that the model is not to be taken as a Biblical absolute! As important as this issue is, it should not be added to the sine-quo-non of fundamentalism! (practically or formally)
Purpose of this Presentation -
1) To identify the extremes of a few decision-making models.
2) To present an alternative model that attempts to honor the spirit of the NT text.
3) To identify the decision-makers of the NT church.
4) To identify a healthy approach for local church decision-making.
Continue reading The Decision-Making Process of the Local NT Church…
Towards a “real-life,” proactive application of Ecclesiastical Separation and Unity
Posted by Pastor Joel - 14/05/08 at 07:05:19 amIntroduction: Most of us who have grown up in a separatist background have heard presentations on separation. Furthermore, many of us have had to work through periods in which we have been tempted to react or over-react from one side of the unity-separation pendulum to the other. This position paper is written in order to clarify what we at Southeast Valley Baptist Church understand is the teaching of Scripture on this important doctrine. It is imperative that each member and participant of SVBC understand what we believe concerning this issue, because of the domino effect it has on church life. The Biblical Doctrine of Separation is divided into three sections.Categories of Separation: The application of this doctrine is seen in three primary arenas:
1. Personal Separation - separation from sin & worldliness (Pastor Gary will be presenting a paper on this sub-topic soon.)
2. Ecclesiastical Separation - separation from theological & Biblical compromise
3. Political Separation - separation of church and state (we will deal with this category sometime in the future.)
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