MIM Ezine, June 1, 2010

-- Running A.M.O.K. Creative Arts Ministry: Why Do Artists Get a Pass?, by D. C. Weiss.

-- Book Review, "First Principles: Basics of Biblical Faith," by David E. Crosby, reviewed by Elizabeth Warnimont.

In my previous column dated April 26, 2010 (http://www.ministryinmotion.net/MIM_April_26_2010.html,) I described Jenny as a ministry leader whose team has dreams bigger than they can imagine accomplishing by themselves. To answer God’s call upon their ministry, they are exploring partnering with other teams or organizations to meet the needs of their community.

The first component of ministry partnerships is prayer, which is how we align our hopes and dreams with God’s hopes and dreams.

Second, partnerships are developed with people forming relationships with other people. At some point, agreements need to be solidified in contracts, and proposals need to become covenants, but ultimately it is people working with people.

Consequently, cultivating and nurturing healthy relationships are critical in launching and sustaining ministry partnerships. There are two essential ingredients for these relationships to sprout: time and communication. Some partnerships are best nurtured in prayer covenants. As people pray together, they begin to lay aside their own agendas and mutually seek what God may dream for the greater good of the mission.

However, in some partnerships, praying together may not be practical because not all ministry partners share the same faith convictions, which should not be surprising. God often uses those outside the covenant to accomplish his objectives.

Still time to share about dreams and values are critical. Time invested up front to explore and explain the vision will save much time and heartache later.

Time is also needed to listen. What in this opportunity is of interest to the other parties? If there is not mutual benefit to all parties, there is no reason for others to invest their precious resources.

Since many people process information differently at different speeds and in different ways, frequent and repetitive communication is necessary for partners to develop the trust needed to launch adventurous partnerships. In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes about the need for effective leaders to first understand, then to be understood. Effective leaders know that potential partners may take the opportunities more seriously when they see their needs and hopes addressed up front.

Third, focus on points of agreement. Allow space for partners to refuse to partner where it is not of interest to others in the relationship. For example, the YMCA is not particularly interested in the women’s bazaar on the second Saturday of every November. (Frankly, the senior pastor is not much interested either!)

That’s okay. The Y does not have to support everything the church does any more than the church has to participate in everything the Y does. Of course, there are deal breakers. These have to be explored thoroughly ahead of time.

One church wanted to buy a strip mall in a poorer section of town to provide some ministry services such as preschool, child care, and after school tutoring. In order to make the business model work, they needed a few rent-paying tenants for some of the unneeded spaces.

One of the current tenants who was most reliable in paying the rent was a locally owned bar. On one hand, they were an ideal partner. They were busiest at times when the rest of the strip mall was quietest, and vice versa. But ministry leaders had to carefully consider if this was the kind of image they wanted to present to the community.

Fourth, the more partners, the more likely the partnership will succeed. This seems counterintuitive at first glance. It seems as though the more partners there are, the more complex the relationship becomes and the more cumbersome the decision-making process becomes. However, if there are multiple partners who have a stake in the success of the partnership, the more likely it will be that the partnership will survive the challenges of sustaining the ministry. One or two partners may drop out, but the ministry continues if there are several more still committed to accomplishing the mission.

Fifth, quality leaders are essential in developing ministry partnerships. Today, our country has seen a proliferation of 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations. Recent news releases from the IRS report that there are about 1.5 million registered nonprofits in the US today. With today’s economic climate and many people cutting back on charitable giving, many of these nonprofits will not survive.

Finding people with warm and generous hearts is not sufficient to guide ministry partnerships through the whitewaters of partner building. Effective ministry leaders will look for people with key skills such as business planning, accounting, legal work, and networking with other ministry leaders. Lack of quality leadership may not simply lead to failure, but result in significant disaster.

Is the effort worth it? Indubitably! Healthy and effective ministry partnerships can multiply their effectiveness and maximize the stewardship of their resources.

Tom Hanover is Advertising and Promo Director of MIM ezine. He has served in a variety of pastoral leadership roles for more than 35 years, including seven as a District Superintendent supervising the ministries of more than 100 pastors and churches in southern Ohio. He is currently Senior Pastor of Sulphur Grove UMC, a multisite ministry in Dayton. He has a BA (cum laude) from Taylor University, and the MDIV and DMIN degrees from United Theological Seminary in Dayton. You can contact Tom at hanover@dbmim.net.

Harry Truman had a plaque on his desk that said, “The buck stops here.” The translation is that we all want to pass the blame and we usually want to pass it up the hill, then it becomes someone else’s responsibility. It is almost as if Truman looked up the hill and realized he was at the top; there was no one else to pass the buck to. The ultimate responsibility for making decisions was his and that was a difficult position to be in. In your ministry, you are the leader and ultimately you answer to God.

Each of us, as Christ followers, probably has someone like this in our own lives; someone who carries the responsibility. They are often our church pastors, and while they should not be autocrats, they need to be accountable because they bear a huge burden on their shoulders. And that burden is probably not what you think; let me explain. We often have a misguided idea that the pastor as an employee of the church can be hired and fired at will. But if you hold this view of your pastor, you are part of the problem. Congregations that expect pastors to meet all their spiritual needs, keep them comfortable and happy, as well as take the church where they want it to go are impeding the effectiveness of the church and pushing pastors toward heresy. (Don’t hold anything back, Dave, tell us how you really feel!)

It’s true! The job of a church pastor is not to take the church where they want to go, neither is it about keeping the congregants happy. The job of the pastor is not a job at all. It is a calling. Pastors are not employed by churches. They are called by God and given a vision to lead a body of believers to follow the Lord and do His work. It’s all about pleasing God and not at all about pleasing man, because, let’s face it, some of those things that please us are far from what pleases God. A pastor’s responsibility is to build the body of Christ into His image. And what we want has very little to do with it, at least until we begin to have the mind of Christ.

Why do I write this when my writings deal mainly with creative Christians? Because we are part of God’s body. If you are not part of a congregation of believers, you need to be. And as such we need to support our pastors and help them foster their God-given vision. We need to use our gifts in such a way that they enhance that vision and we dare not impose our own vision on the pastor and expect him to acquiesce to it. Sometimes this might even mean humbly serving and laboring in ways that may not have anything to do with our gifts. If you find yourself being asked to do something that you feel might be below your “pay grade,” re-read John 13. In it Jesus takes off his outer robe and washes His disciples’ feet. This was traditionally the job of the lowest slave in the house. Jesus, the creator of the universe, the king of kings and the Lord of Lords, washed the dirt and dung off feet He created. He did it as an example for us to follow and said we would be blessed if we did likewise.

A lot of us complain that the church has no use for our gifts and sometimes we leave, but maybe what we need to do instead is take off our robes and get our hands dirty. We should show we are willing to serve and can come under authority, show we can be trusted and we are onboard with the vision. Maybe it’s time we helped our pastors bear the buck. Humble service might even open doors to your gifts and eyes to see how they can be used. Remember it’s all about God’s glory and His vision.

D. C. (David) Weiss is pastor of New Creation Fellowship in Reading, PA and has been a professional in the graphic communications/visual arts field for over 20 years. A few years ago, he felt led by the Spirit to combine his love for art and ministry and A.M.O.K. Arts Ministry Outreach for the Kingdom was born. A.M.O.K. is a ministry dedicated to helping people of all creative disciplines and ability levels to use their God given gifts to serve the Lord in preaching, teaching and reaching. More information on A.M.O.K. including free and low cost resources for preaching teaching and reaching can be found at http://www.amokarts.com.

Judging by its title, First Principles appears to be an introduction to Christianity, perhaps intended for those curious about or new to the faith. Indeed, the author states in the opening sentence, “I judge the following subjects to be first principles for the follower of Jesus Christ… They are ‘first’ in that they precede all other doctrinal formulations. They are also ‘first’ in that they are of the greatest importance for living a faithful Christian life.” However, the book is actually one man’s examination of his own, personal faith experience, as evidenced in the chapter titles, each beginning with “I Believe.” It also gets fairly academic and philosophical, using terminology and expounding on principles that only an experienced person of faith would recognize. A title reflecting more of the nature of the text would reach a better targeted audience.

The individual perspective of the author becomes clearest in Chapter Seven, “I Believe in Baptism.” A sub-heading reads, “The Baptist Heritage,” under which Crosby describes the history and doctrine of the Baptist faith, and how it differs from other Christian sects. In Chapter Eight, “I Believe in the Lord’s Supper,” the book returns to a more neutral stance, only to return to the Baptist doctrine in Chapter Nine, “I Believe in the Priesthood of the Believer:” Crosby writes, “The priesthood of the believer means that each believer is able to relate to God himself without the mediation of another human being.” He continues, “Some people feel that centuries of traditional beliefs cannot be wrong…(whereas) the Baptist doctrine of the priesthood of the believer is bound to our doctrine of God and his love for all men.”

In Chapter Thirteen, “I Believe in Missions,” Crosby reveals his own church affiliation. Under the subheading, “Our Southern Baptist Mission Work,” Crosby describes the history and workings of Baptist missions and the Southern Baptist Convention. He specifies his own church in the next subheading, “The Mission Work,” in which he states, “First Baptist Church of New Orleans has been a leader in mission enterprises from its beginning. As a recipient of mission dollars in early years, we have become a source of financing for many specific mission efforts in New Orleans and beyond.” Praises for Crosby’s New Orleans church continue through the rest of the chapter.

The title, First Principles: Basics of Biblical Faith, also implies that the book is targeted towards relative newcomers to Christianity. Such a novice, however, may not know the basic structure of the Holy Bible and, therefore, would not know what to do with the frequent scripture references. Crosby also introduces so many concepts, which can be overwhelming to a reader with no previous exposure to the vocabulary. For example, the word “commandment” is introduced without definition. Other concepts including God’s providence, his Word, and the fall of man are introduced in the first chapter with scripture reference, but without definition.

“First Principles” is an interesting thesis. It explores many facets of the meaning and practice of the Baptist faith, from the humble, personal perspective of the pastor. It could be of interest to academically minded readers interested in exploring the deeper meanings in the faith. It is not, however, useful as an introduction to Christianity.

Elizabeth Warnimont holds a BA in Germanic language and literature from the University of California-Santa Barbara. She is currently a substitute teacher for the Benicia Unified School District.

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DBMIM June 1, 2010