July 2004 Contents

This is our July cover.

In This Issue

Pastor General 

Our doctrinal team continues the process of examining what the Bible says about whether women may serve in the office of elder, writes Pastor General Joseph Tkach. Page 5.

Denomination

Leadership in the Worldwide Church of God rests on a foundation of several biblical leadership principles, writes Dan Rogers, “where all the leadership gifts in the church are honored and used in ways that foster interdependence.” Page 8.

Window on the World

This is a hard article to write. It’s much easier to tug at your heartstrings about the poverty-stricken places  where some of our brethren live, writes John Halford. But what do I say about Scandinavia? It’s idyllic. Page 12.

Regional Snapshot

New opportunities are facing the Worldwide Church of God, writes James Henderson. In Africa, independent unaffiliated churches are growing at an un­precedented rate. Page 14.

Children's ministry

The over-arching  purpose of children’s ministry is to help children come to Jesus and then mature as his followers, writes Ted Johnston. This mission is pursued through a four-part disciplemaking strategy. Page 18.

Discipleship

The WCG is introducing its pastors to a new discipleship curriculum for individual and small group study, writes Dan Rogers. Church Administration believes that members will find the four-volume study inspirational. Page 20.

Lessons From the Bible

The Bible tells us that Jesus was made like his fellow humans in every way (Hebrews 2:17). In this passage we find that like many of us, Jesus’ family was ready to have him committed, writes Mike Feazell. Page 22.

Financial Report

Regular mail income for May was $1.362 million, writes controller Ronald Kelly. This brings our income for January through May to $6.41 million. Page 24.

Bible Study

In Romans, Paul has presented the gospel—from our need for divine rescue to the future Jesus offers us, writes Michael Morrison. Page 25.

Northwest members,
ministers meet
in Portland, Oregon

By Dee Bulante
Olympia and Port Orchard, Washington, pastor

PORTLAND, Oregon—Two hundred thirty-one attendees representing 30 churches in six states and Calgary, Canada, participated in the Northwest regional conference, April 30 to May 2, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Portland.

Participants spent time assessing the disciplemaking environment in their

Guy and Penny Engelbart

 congregations, and shared ideas in improving worship, discipleship, prayer and fellowship. Local church programs were examined in detail and evaluated.

Pastor General Joseph Tkach encouraged attendees by emphasizing the Worldwide in Worldwide Church of God. Dr. Tkach chronicled the growing work of our denomination worldwide through a pictorial presentation. He also presented the many benefits of being part of a denomination.

The Northwest pastors honored former district superintendent, Guy Engelbart, with a surprise retirement gift—a 36-inch flat-screen color television.

RETIREMENT—Northwest pastors present Guy and Penny Engelbart with a retirement gift [Photos by Dave Erbes]

Participants had several choices of breakout sessions, from Enhancing the Worship Service to Developing Youth Ministry. Mark Vincent of Design for Ministries presented a  session titled “Money, Success, Happiness—and God?” The conference ended with an inspiring communion service.

Here are some comments about the conference:

Ken Williams, district superintendent: “Joseph Tkach’s presentation helped all of us see how the Holy Spirit is working mightily all around the globe in making disciples for Christ.

“It is evident to me that we are a completely different Worldwide Church of God from what we were 10 years ago. We are not perfect, but we are definitely making spiritual progress, and I love it.

“Dr. Tkach’s message was simple. People need a church family, and thanks to

From left: Tommy Erbes, Ted Stone and Allan Hablutzel.

 God’s grace the WCG is a great one to be part of. Dan Rogers’ exhortation to encourage members to make friends with sinners so we can share the gospel was simple, but likely one of the most effective things we can do to make disciples for Jesus.

“I’m grateful that so many pastors and pastoral teams were at this year’s conference to hear these encouraging and useful messages.”

Guy Engelbart, retired district superintendent: “One area that impressed me with Dan Rogers’ presentations was the need to pray for the lost, become friends of sinners and be a ‘halfway house’ to those who are coming to Christ.”

Bart Baril, Gig Harbor, Washington: “This conference was both confirming and affirming. Grace Community Fellowship [the Port Orchard, Washington, church] has already begun a journey down a path God has shown us, and this weekend served as a huge road-marker along the way. I would compare this weekend to landing lights at an airport, unmistakable in both message and direction.

“This weekend not only confirmed that we are on the right track, but it gave us a road map for the future. We as a church knew our mission, and this weekend helped solidify our vision.”

Letters to the Editor

Disability awareness

I was pleased to see the article in the February WCG News on disability awareness. I have a lifelong disability and have been associated with the WCG for a long time. I was pleased to see that the congregation that sponsored the event had presenters on this topic who work at an independent living center.

I have been working at an independent living center near my home for 11 years and was on their board of directors before that. Disability awareness is a big issue for all of us. This type of article helps us all learn that it is OK to have a disability.

People with disabilities have a lot to offer their communities and churches. From my own experience, in the past, the unspoken reality was that people with disabilities were not asked to participate much in the WCG. I am glad to see attitudes are changing.

Stewart Holman
Washburn, Wisconsin

‘Who Cares What Happens to Haiti?’

I read your (Barbara Edward’s) article on Haiti (April WCG News), and I couldn’t help but think about our conversation in Tucson, Arizona. You were going over in your mind things that you wanted to add or thought you should have re­membered to put in your article.

I thought about that as I was reading it. I could read your love and compassion for the people of Haiti through your writing. I loved how you used the history to not only show the struggle that these people have gone through but the courage with which they fought for their independence.

You showed the beauty of the place (talking about what Columbus wrote when he arrived there), you showed the struggle and the feeling of hopelessness, but with the gift of letting us know that these are noble people who are struggling with a bad situation.

People tend to write Haiti off, as you said, because they have nothing to offer (i.e., we can’t make money off of them). Your writing showed a dignity to these struggling people. Haiti is a place most people take for granted, and what most people know (or care to know) is these are the people who arrive here by boat.

I think your article will open a lot of eyes and hearts as your readers get to know a little more about their brothers and sisters in Christ.  Thank you for writing such a beautiful article, though sad. Through prayer we know that God does bring hope to the hopeless.

Lela Duncan
Riverside, California

Women in Church Leadership
Part 2

Preface by Joseph Tkach

Our doctrinal team is now examining what the Bible says about whether women may serve in the office of elder. This involves clarifying what the office of elder entails. One of the key scriptures under discussion is 1 Tim. 2:12: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.”

One of the key words in this verse is authority. What authority is involved in the office of elder? Is this the sort of authority that Paul did not allow women to have? We will address the meaning of this verse in more detail in a future article, but in this article we want to explore what the Bible says about church leadership and authority in general.

Our doctrinal team has developed and approved the following article. I think it will be a helpful point of reference as we study whether the Bible teaches that we may ordain women as elders. The article discusses valid principles of Christian leadership no matter who the leaders may be.

Joseph Tkach

  The Nature of
Leadership in the Church

 Jesus told his disciples: “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves” (Luke 22:25-26).

In the church, authority must be viewed in a different way than it is in the world of government and business. Jesus did not say that it was wrong to lead, but that leaders should serve others rather than expecting others to serve them. They are to be motivated by love, not selfishness. They are to be humble, rather than giving themselves important-sounding titles. There is nothing wrong with being a benefactor, but it is wrong to call attention to how “good” you are.

Those who seek authority more than they seek to serve, no matter whether they are men or women, are not viewing church leadership in the right way. Church leadership is not a place to assert the importance of a particular person, ethnic group, personality type or gender. Leadership roles are a means of service, not a means of venerating the leaders or the groups to which they belong.

Leaders in the church do have authority, and Christians are told to obey them, but that authority does not rest in themselves—they are servants “who must give an account” to God (Heb. 13:17). Their authority is authentic only as it re­flects God as he has revealed himself in Jesus Christ as described in Scripture.

God wants leaders to use their authority to serve. Paul twice wrote that the Lord gave him authority for building people up (2 Cor. 10:8; 13:10). That is the purpose of authority in the church. Leaders are to build up the church, edify the believers, and help them grow spiritually.

Responsibility to teach

Not every leader is a pastor, but for the purposes of this paper, let us look at what Ephesians describes as the role of a pastor. God gave pastors to the church “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Eph. 4:12).

Pastors serve by preparing believers for service and helping them work together, so that the church grows (v. 16). This involves doctrinal instruction (vs. 13-14). Teaching is one of the main responsibilities of leaders who are identified as “pastors and teachers.” This is suggested not just in Ephesians 4, but also by the following points:

l Ephesians is the only book in the Bible to use the word pastor to describe church leaders; in other places the primary leaders of congregations are called elders and overseers—apparently two terms for the same role. The ability to teach is part of the description of an elder or overseer (1 Tim. 3:2; 2 Tim. 2:24; Titus 1:9), but it is not part of the description of a deacon, suggesting that the primary responsibility for teaching falls to elders and overseers.

l The apostles decided that it was more important for the apostles to attend to “the ministry of the word” than to supervise the distribution of food. They viewed teaching and preaching as their primary role, and this focus on “the word” is apparently appropriate for elders as well.

l Paul told Timothy to devote himself to teaching Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13).

Elders should not teach on their own authority—they should “preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2)—teaching truth in agreement with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. A message is “inspired” not by rhetorical skill or volume, but by whether it is true to the Bible, and by whether it leads people to faith in Christ.

An elder “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9). “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Members are to weigh carefully what is said, deciding whether it is true to the gospel (1 Cor. 14:29; 1 John 4:1).

The authority of an elder is a derivative authority, as authorized by God. Leadership therefore be­gins with submission to God’s authority. When elders teach false doctrines or attempt to promote themselves, they are misusing the authority of their role. Their authority lies largely in the truth and their ability to teach it. That is the way in which members will be built up, being helped to become more like Christ.

Administrative authority

Sometimes, however, administrative authority is necessary. Since elders are to “take care of God’s church” (1 Tim. 3:5), the elders usually have a supervisory role in the administrative matters of the church. Paul himself was involved in administrative matters when he oversaw the collection of resources to aid another part of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 16:1-4).

Paul told the Corinthians that if he could not correct them through his letter, then he would have to come in person and “be harsh in [his] use of authority” (2 Cor. 13:10). He had authority, and he had already judged and instructed the Corinthians to expel one particularly blatant sinner (1 Cor. 5:3-5). He warned them not to associate with people who claimed to believe but persisted in certain sins (v. 11). He gave similar instructions in Rom. 16:17 and 2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15.

Paul told Titus to “encourage and rebuke with all authority” (Titus 2:15). If people do not listen to sound doctrine, they must be rebuked (Titus 1:13). False teachers “must be silenced” (Titus 1:11). For practical purposes, this must be done by elders—we do not invite heretics to present their case before the entire congregation (see 2 John 10) to see whether they should be expelled, just as we do not invite wolves into the flock to see whether they might devour anyone.

When false ideas are circulating, elders need to teach the truth and refute what is false, and do what they can to prevent heresy from being taught. Although biblical truth informs the judgment, elders must use their own judgment to decide whether the sins or heresies are sufficiently grievous to warrant this type of discipline, when repentance is genuine and reinstatement is appropriate, and what level of confidentiality or announcement is necessary.

This administrative authority is generally given to elders, although it is often appropriate for elders to consult with their ecclesiastical supervisors on such decisions.

Summary

Elders are to

1) train members for works of service, coordinate their work and promote unity

2) devote themselves to prayer and Scripture

3) preach the gospel of grace

4) defend the church against heretics, false believers and divisive people

5) supervise administrative functions of the congregation and

6) anoint the sick (Jam. 5:14).

Elders also perform baptisms, officiate at weddings and funerals, and lead communion services, although these functions are not restricted to elders. The Bible does not mandate, although practical considerations usually do, that the elders be formally appointed. This is the function of ordination.

Peter gave this instruction to elders: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:2-3). Elders are not to use their position for their own benefit, but to help others.

God will judge church elders on how well they serve in these areas of responsibility (Heb. 13:17), and he gives them authority to serve in these ways. He also gives spiritual gifts that help them lead.

Pastoral gifts

There are many types of spiritual gifts, Paul told the Corinthians, but they are all given “for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7). Although the gifts are different, they “are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines” (v. 11). God distributes these abilities so that we might grow by helping one another.

Paul explained: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully” (Rom. 12:6-8).

Elders would find any of these gifts useful, but not all elders are equally gifted in each area. Some are gifted speakers, some are helpful with physical needs, some are good at explaining doctrine; some are very motivating; some are very generous with their time and other resources; some are great personnel coordinators; and some are good at hospital visitation.

Elders generally start with some of these skills, and grow in the others as they gain experience. No matter what gifts they have, they are to use them to help others (1 Pet. 4:10-11).

When applied to elders, these gifts can be deemed as “pastoral” gifts, but the presence of these “pastoral” gifts does not automatically qualify a person to be an elder—particularly when others in the congregation are even more gifted. Pastoral gifts may be used in a variety of roles, such as in children’s ministry, lay counseling or in leading a small group.

An elder should be gifted by the Spirit, and responsive to the Spirit in using those gifts. As a practical matter, for spiritual leadership to be effective, the congregation should agree 1) that the person is gifted for pastoral service, and 2) that the person is submissive to the Spirit.

Qualifications

What skills do elders need? Paul gave some guidelines about the people to be appointed: “The overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

“He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap” (1 Tim. 3:2-7).

This is an idealized portrait, as we can see by a comparison with the similar list in Titus 1:6-9. Since Timothy was working in an older church, Paul said that an elder must not be a recent convert; but he did not specify this for Titus, since the churches Titus was working with were new. Paul himself had appointed elders in new churches (Acts 14:23), which means that he appointed new converts, because those were the only people who were available.

Therefore, when Paul told Timothy that an elder must not be a new Christian, he was not creating a rigid requirement for all future churches. This shows that the items in his list should be seen as important guidelines, but not as absolute requirements. For example, elders who have already served well would not be automatically disqualified by a disobedient college-age child. All the factors should be taken into consideration.

We should also comment on what it means to be “the husband of but one wife.” This is not talking about polygamy (which was rare). Nor does it disqualify single men and remarried widowers, although a literal reading would disqualify both.

The term (literally, “a one-woman man”) means a man who is faithful to his wife rather than having a mistress on the side (which was common in Greco-Roman society). There was no stigma attached to a widower who remarried, nor to a man who was legally divorced and remarried. What was important for Paul is that the elder, if married, would be faithful to the woman he was married to.¹

Practical considerations

Ordination as practiced by most churches today serves biblical goals, for it involves a formal ceremony in which people are appointed as congregational leaders, and the congregation asks God to help those leaders as they serve the congregation in the work of God.

A formal ordination acknowledges that 1) leaders are not self-appointed, and 2) other Christians agree that these people are gifted and called by God to a leadership-service role. Formal appointment helps a person not only lead within the congregation but also represent the congregation in the community.

If a person claims to be gifted and called to the role of elder, but the congregation does not look to that person for leadership, it is likely that the person has misunderstood the call. Since the fact of service is more important than the title that is given, such a person should serve in other ways, and perhaps in time the person or the congregation will come to see the situation differently. Not everyone who claims to have pastoral gifts is really called to be an elder.

The selection of elders is a practical matter as well as a spiritual one, and it is affected by social expectations, since leadership itself is a social phenomenon dealing with the functioning of a group of people.

Paul wrote that an elder should have a good reputation even among unbelievers. Consequently, cultural matters must be considered, and it would be a mistake to appoint someone who was not respected in the particular culture, and it would be a mistake to appoint anyone who was unable to win the respect of the congregation.

Shared leadership
in congregations

By Dan Rogers
Superintendent of U.S. ministers

Leadership in the Worldwide Church of God rests on a foundation of several biblical leadership principles. One of these is shared leadership. As noted in the WCG-USA Church Administration Manual (refer to Chapter Four), shared leadership “is team-based in structure and collegial in tone where all the leadership gifts in the church are honored and used in ways that foster interdependence.”

To implement shared leadership, the manual calls for the formation of specific leadership teams within each of our congregations. In this article I describe the function of these teams in a variety of congregational circumstances.

Questions about the formation and operation of these teams may be di­rected to your district su­perintendent. The Church Administration Manual should be consulted for additional details (the manual is available in each congregation’s library and is posted on the WCG website at http://www.wcg.org/lit/ church/manual/).

Pastoral leadership teams

Most of our congregations have one or more elders who are ap­pointed by the denomination through ordination. Some elders are then licensed by the denomination to serve as pastors within their congregation—one as the senior (lead) pastor and others as associate or assistant pastors. Together, these pastors form what we refer to as the congregation’s pastoral leadership team. The team shares pastoral leadership of the congregation and is led by the senior pastor.

Team-based pastoral leadership within our congregations is new for many of us because most of our congregations have only one pastor. But our goal is to see, over time, the formation of pastoral leadership teams in most congregations, with the senior pastor working together with multiple associate or assistant pastors.

We are making positive strides in this direction by licensing some of our elders to serve as associate and assistant pastors. More progress will come over time, and patience is needed, for as Paul admonished Timothy, we must not “be hasty in laying on of hands” (1 Tim. 5:22) to appoint elders.

As our congregations develop by emphasizing the ministry of all believers in living out Jesus’ disciplemaking strategy for the church, new workers will emerge, and out of this pool of workers new leaders will arise—leaders gifted by the Holy Spirit for pastoral leadership. Some of these will be appointed by the church to serve as elders who will be licensed to serve as pastors on a pastoral leadership team.

The primary focus of the pastoral leadership team is the spiritual oversight of the congregation. Specific responsibilities include vision casting and communication, monitoring of the spiritual well-being of the congregation, oversight of the content of the teaching within the congregation (with much, though certainly not all, of that teaching being provided by the pastors), and administration of church governance within the congregation, including church discipline should that become necessary (note: the processes for such discipline are defined in Chapter Eight of the Church Administration Manual).

Though there is to be mutual submission and accountability among the members of the pastoral leadership team, the team is directed by the senior pastor, who has principal spiritual oversight of all matters within the congregation. Though team-based shared leadership calls for mutual accountability among all team members, for purposes of primary supervision and accountability, the senior pastor reports to his district superintendent and any associate or assistant pastors report to their senior pastor. In some larger congregations, the senior pastor may have an assistant pastor report directly to an associate pastor.

In a few congregations, no elder is licensed to serve as senior pastor. Pastoral leadership in such cases is provided by a pastoral leadership team that is comprised not of licensed elders, but of other leading members (including ministry leaders and non-licensed elders).

As noted in the Church Admin­istration Manual, the district superintendent appoints this team with input from the congregation. The team re­mains in place until an elder can be licensed to serve as the congregation’s senior pastor. The team’s leader, who may be male or female, is referred to as the pastoral team leader and serves as the primary point of contact be­tween the congregation and the district superintendent.

Advisory council

Within each congregation (with limited exceptions—see below), an advisory council is appointed by the senior pastor to offer ongoing advice and counsel to the pastoral leadership team (or to the senior pastor if no team is present). The Church Administration Manual de­scribes in detail how the advisory council is appointed—a couple of options are given, both involving all members in the selection process.

The primary reason for having an advisory council is to provide the congregation’s pastoral leadership team with ongoing, meaningful input from other members. One of the characteristics of leaders is that they see life through the eyeglasses of a leader—indeed, that is how God has gifted them. Knowing this to be true, wise pastoral leaders actively and consistently seek input from others who see life and ministry from a different perspective.

The members of the advisory council are therefore active members of the congregation who bring to the table other backgrounds, perspectives and gifts than those of the pastors. Advisory council members might include non-licensed elders (elders not serving as pastors) and some ministry leaders, but most of the members of the advisory council should be members who are not in primary leadership roles but do possess spiritual maturity and the gifts of wisdom and discernment. Advisory council members must also be willing and able to verbally express wise counsel to the pastoral team.

When the advisory council meets, it generally assembles with the pastoral leadership team (which in some of our congregations means meeting with the one pastor—but remember, our goal is to have a team of pastors in each congregation). The senior pastor might chair the advisory council meeting, but another pastor or a member of the advisory council might serve as chair.

How advisory council meetings are structured is at local discretion—one of the first topics for the council to discuss is how to conduct its meetings. The council will need to determine how it will arrive at a consensus position that will then be offered to the pastoral leadership team as the collective advice and counsel of the group. In that regard, some advisory councils vote in order to arrive at consensus, while others simply like to pray through an issue until a consensus position emerges. The district superintendent can provide coaching concerning how to conduct these meetings.

A question that often arises is what is the pastoral leadership team (or the senior pastor if there is no team of pastors) to do with the advice offered by the advisory council? First, please understand that the advisory council is an advisory group, not a board established to govern the congregation.

That being said, the role of the advisory council is essential to the appropriate operation of the congregation in accord with the principle of shared, team-based leadership. And so it is our expectation that the pastor(s) will carefully weigh the advice offered by the advisory council in formulating policies and setting goals with re­spect to the defined spiritual oversight responsibilities of the pastoral leadership team noted above and defined in greater detail in the Church Administration Manual.

To facilitate the giving of this advice and counsel, the advisory council is to meet often with the pastoral leadership team (we recommend monthly, but such meetings must be at least quarterly). The frequency of such meetings will depend, in part, on the degree of change occurring in the congregation. The more change, the more frequent the meetings.

In congregations that have no senior pastor (and thus are led by a pastoral leadership team made up of ministry leaders and others), the requirement to have an advisory council is waived. This is the case because the pastoral leadership team in such cases provides pastoral leadership and fills the role of the advisory council. The requirement to have an advisory council is also waived in small group churches (a technical term for certain small, non-chartered congregations—refer to the Church Administration Manual for details).

Finance committee

Each congregation is to have a finance committee that is a specialized leadership team with responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the financial system of the congregation. The details of that system and of the responsibilities of the finance committee are set forth in the Financial Management Man­ual. This manual is now operational as congregations move into the new financial model.

The finance committee includes, at minimum, a treasurer, head usher and one at-large member (some congregations will also have a financial secretary). The treasurer is typically the committee’s leader, though this appointment may vary at local discretion. The finance committee is accountable directly to the senior pastor (or other pastor at the senior pastor’s discretion, or to the pastoral team leader where there is no senior pastor) and works in cooperation with the pastoral leadership team, the advisory council and the ministry leadership team.

Ministry leadership team

The ministry leadership team is made up of the commissioned ministry leaders who direct the ministry teams serving in the individual ministries (ministry segments) within the congregation.

Examples of ministry segments include worship ministry, hospitality ministry, children’s ministry, teen ministry, women’s ministry, men’s ministry, facilities ministry and prayer ministry. Approaches to organizing and naming ministry segments vary from congregation to congregation, but our goal is that each segment will have a team that works together to provide balanced disciplemaking ministry.

By “balanced disciplemaking ministry,” we mean ministry that attends to the full scope of Jesus’ disciplemaking strategy: winning nonbelievers to Christ, building be­lievers in their love for Christ, equipping believers to be effective workers in Christ’s disciplemaking mission, and multiplying leaders to be servant-leaders with Christ in that mission.

As explained in the Church Ad­ministration Manual, ministry leaders are appointed to their office of leadership in a congregation through commissioning (note that some congregations, at local discretion, refer to their ministry leaders as deacons).

Ministry leaders are members in good standing who are proven workers with the gifts needed for their area of service. Each ministry segment usually has one principal ministry leader, but that leader shares responsibility with his or her team of ministry workers so that leadership is shared and new ministry leaders are being multiplied.

The ministry leaders (who together form the ministry leadership team) report directly to the senior pastor (or at his discretion to another pastor), or to the pastoral team leader where there is no senior pastor. The senior pastor (often together with the entire pastoral leadership team) will frequently conduct meetings with the ministry leadership team to discuss vision, values, strategy and ministry operations. Other key leaders in the congregation (such as the treasurer and the advisory council) might be invited to these meetings depending on the topics being discussed.

It is not uncommon for one of the pastors (licensed elders) to serve as a ministry leader—thus wearing two leadership hats. For example, a senior pastor might lead the worship ministry. Or an assistant pastor might lead the hospitality ministry. Doing double duty is often necessary and works well so long as the individual understands the distinctions between role responsibilities.

Conclusion

Primary leadership in our congregations is provided through the important work of the pastors (the elders who are licensed to serve as senior, associate or assistant pastors), and the ministry leaders. This dual focus expresses the biblical division of primary leadership be­tween elders (sometimes referred to in Scripture as overseers, bishops or pastors) and deacons (which we refer to as ministry leaders).

In addition to pastors and ministry leaders, our congregations also have specialized leaders, including members of the advisory council and the finance committee. Our desire is that all these leaders work together as a team of servant-leaders, clearly focused on our goal to be great commandment—great com­mission congregations, all to the glory of God.

My thanks to our leaders and members for their loving devotion to Jesus Christ, to his church and to his disciplemaking mission. May we make disciples who make disciples.

Summary of the primary leadership offices
in the WCG-USA congregations

Refer to the WCG-USA Church Administration Manual
for detailed descriptions of these leadership offices

Pastoral leadership team. A team of pastors (senior pastor plus any associate or assistant pastors) in a congregation. The team is led by the senior pastor and works together to provide pastoral (spiritual oversight) leadership in the congregation. Where a congregation has no senior pastor, this team is made up of ministry leaders and other leading members who, together, fill the role of senior pastor.

Senior pastor. The lead pastor in a congregation. He reports directly to the district superintendent and works collaboratively on a pastoral leadership team with other (associate or assistant) pastors in the congregation.

Associate pastor. A pastor in a congregation who shares most of the responsibilities of the senior pastor—often filling in for the senior pastor at the opposite end of a multi-congregation church circuit. He reports directly to the senior pastor.

Assistant pastor. A pastor assigned to fill a limited but substantial spiritual oversight responsibility within the congregation. He reports directly to the senior pastor or to an associate pastor.

Licensed elder. A man who has been ordained as an elder and then licensed to serve in spiritual oversight leadership within the church, most often as one of the pastors in a congregation. All pastors are licensed elders.

Non-licensed elder. A man who has been ordained as an elder but is not licensed to serve as a pastor or in another licensed elder role. Non-licensed elders may perform various duties of an elder under the direct supervision of a licensed elder.

Advisory council. A group of members who are appointed to provide ongoing advice and counsel to the pastoral leadership team in the congregation (or to the senior pastor if there is no pastoral leadership team).

Ministry leadership team. A team made up of the ministry leaders within a congregation.

Ministry leader. A member who is commissioned by the senior pastor to lead an individual ministry within the congregation.

Finance committee. A group of members appointed by the senior pastor to serve as the primary managers of the congregation’s financial management system. The committee includes the congregation’s treasurer, head usher and at least one general member. The committee reports directly to the senior pastor.

Window on the World

From Randal Dick
Superintendent of Missions

By John Halford

  TYREHEIM, Norway—This is a hard article to write. It’s much easier to tug at your heartstrings writing about the poverty-stricken Third World hell holes where some of our brethren live.

Norwegian members

But what do I say about Scandinavia? It’s idyllic. Here at Tyreheim, 50 kilometers from Oslo, cozy log cabins fringe a mountain meadow dotted with wild flowers. Beyond is a forest of dark green fir trees, with just a trace of the winter snows. The peaks soaring above are still snowcapped.

Far below, a lake sparkles as the melting ice gives way to crystal clear water. A boat makes its way slowly to the opposite shore. The sky is blue, with a few puffy white clouds on the horizon. Norway in spring is paradise—heaven on earth.

Statue in Vigeland park.

I am here to enjoy a spring festival with members from Scandinavia. They have come from Norway, Sweden and Denmark to spend a few days together. They need the contact, because there are not many of them, and they have an important job to do. Scandinavians may live in paradise, but they have lost the knowledge of God. The Nordic region is one of the most spiritually deprived places on earth.

Our church’s congregations have never been large here. We have 85 members, scattered throughout Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. We have two elders. Carl Aas from Oslo is the regional pastor, and Don Boddie takes care of the church in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Scan­dinavia includes Iceland, but our church has never had members there. Mr. Aas also serves members in Estonia—see box, page 13).

As good as it gets

Every now and then the United Nations ranks the countries of the world according to a quality of life index. The Scandinavian countries usually come out on top when such things as education, health care, in­come and life expectancy are compared. The average Norwegian can expect to live to 78, twice as long as in some Third World countries. In terms of physical well-being, the Nordic countries are the best places on the earth to live. 

But without God in their lives, they surely are not the happiest places, we are tempted to say. Scandinavian countries are relatively crime free, and although they have pockets of misery, overall they are disciplined and tranquil. Their towns and cities are pin clean and the buses and trains run on time.

Carl Fredrik Aas

Scandinavians are to be found on the cutting edge of humanitarian and environmental projects around the world, and at home they are extremely generous, giving more to charity per capita than almost anyone else. And don’t be­lieve that stuff about the suicide rates being higher—the statistics don’t bear it out.

Norwegians, Swedes, Finns and Danes may not be an exuberant people, compared to, say Italians or Filipinos. But don’t mistake seriousness for unhappiness. They are not un­happy. Why should they be? 

So, what is this article about? Perhaps to help you understand the question our Scandinavian members have to ask themselves sometimes—what is the church’s job here?

The problem of paradise 

Although the Nordic peoples have a long Christian tradition, most now show little interest or involvement in religion. Nearly everyone is a de facto member of the state church, but most are content to leave it at that. They would say they are Christian if asked, but the knowledge of God does not intrude much into their lives. The cradle to grave welfare state has blunted the physical consequences of letting go of traditional morality.

So preaching the gospel to Scandinavians is like selling proverbial refrigerators to Eskimos. What do they need it for? They are already blessed.

The church members told me that when they try outreach projects they often find themselves getting in the way of state-run departments formed specifically to do the same thing.

No need for God

Something is frightening about this paradise. The people who have the highest standard of living on earth now see no need of God. Their “Christian” ethic has helped them become developed, civilized and democratic. But a “Christian” society without the real power of God coursing through it is ultimately a liability.

Prosperity without the knowledge of God can lead to self-satisfied delusion. “What does it profit a man that he gains the whole world and loses his life,” argued Jesus. He meant life with God—real life—but what does that mean to someone who has no understanding or knowledge of God?  The Scandinavians have not really rejected Christianity—it has simply become a non-issue.

Why does life need to be better? Why is Christ the answer if you aren’t asking the questions? Why bother about the wages of sin when you have a welfare state? Why do you need a Savior if you have no sense of guilt?

“Our challenge here is not to explain to people what the Bible means,” Mr. Aas said. “People don’t yet know what it says. They certainly don’t look to it for the answers to the big questions in life. Like the church in Laodicea, they are rich in material goods, but do not see that they are poor in spiritual matters. This is a problem in most of the Western world, but especially in Scandinavia.”

Uphill battle

Church members work together  to write, edit and publish booklets on various topics in the main Scandinavian languages—Danish, Swe­dish and Norwegian. (Scandinavians understand each other to some extent, but obviously prefer to learn in their own language.) Today we have an active reading list of 1,400 people. The members also organize concerts and public lectures. But it is an uphill battle.

On a day-to-day basis, Scandinavia’s physically blessed people have little need to stop and think about God.

But as French scientist and theologian Blaise Pascal observed, “There is a God-shaped hole in everyone.” Even the most physically secure people cannot escape their humanity. However good life is, it does not last forever.

Reality check

Don & Beth Boddie with sons.

In Oslo, a sculpture park is dedicated to the work of Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943). Dozens of bronze and granite human figures are on display, modeled with brutal realism.

Instead of idealized, perfect physiques, many of Vigeland’s statues show us as we really are. It is a sharp reminder of reality in this humanistic paradise, and you can’t walk through it without wincing.

The central feature is a 50-foot statue, sculpted from a single piece of granite. More than 120 figures are sculpted, scrambling and clawing in a tangle of arms and legs, seeking to climb higher and higher.

Vigeland was expressing our restless need to grow, to get somewhere, to be more than we are and to find something to fill the God-shaped hole. And when you’ve reached the top? Well, on the day I looked at it, a pigeon was casually relieving itself.

Eventually even the most physically blessed people on earth must confront their mortality and ask, “What is the purpose of it all?” At such times, God’s voice can often be heard most clearly—but not by people who have long lost contact.

The words of Isaiah 40:3-5 have a special poignancy in this context: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed.”

Please remember your Scandinavian brethren as they work together to do their part in clearing a way for the message of hope in their magnificent spiritual wilderness. 

Our church in Estonia

The WCG has 15 members in Estonia. Carl Fredrik Aas, regional pastor, visits four times a year, while Leo Kaagjarv is our local leader. Mr. Aas gives a public lecture every time he visits on topics suggested by the invited audience. In the last seven years he has covered more than 20 basic but important biblical topics. The last one was about forgiveness.

Attendance at the lectures is between 30 and 80, depending on the topic. After the lecture, while the audience is enjoying coffee and cakes, Mr. Aas and Mr. Kaagjarv have prayed for those with health or family problems.

Many people in this once communist satellite republic respond with tears of gratitude and relief when they are prayed for. They have never had someone pray for them just because they cared.

Regional Snapshot

From James and Shirley Henderson, Africa

Is God opening a
door for us?

By James R. Henderson

 JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—New opportunities are facing the Worldwide Church of God.

For example, in Africa independent unaffiliated churches are growing at an un­precedented rate. Researchers speculate as to why, but the simplest explanation is that God is at work.

Lamin Sanneh, Gambian writer and theologian, talks of “the worldwide Christian resurgence … that seems to proceed without Western organizational structures, including academic recognition, and is occurring amidst widespread political instability” (Whose Religion Is Christianity? The Gospel beyond the West, page 3, Eerdmans, 2003). We have seen this, no doubt, in Africa.

CHIRIRI, CONGO—[Photos by James Henderson]

Some of these churches, or groups of churches, contact us for help. They want to affiliate with us, to be taught by us. Denominational growth is growth in accountability. Accountability is a good thing—it can prevent irresponsible individualism and protect churches from heresy. In this case these groups want to place themselves willingly under the accountability of our church.

As we talk with such groups who have their own structures and leaders in place, we have a need for new thinking. Sometimes these situations are much more open-ended than we have been used to or comfortable with in the past. But is God opening a door for us? Should we go through it? Or should we close the door and hope it will still be there later when we feel more prepared? What is the response of faith?

Bukavu in the eastern Congo

CHIRIRI, CONGO, CONGREGATION

About a year ago, our main contact in Rwanda, Jacques Muzalia, met a man named Luta Butochima while attending a Christian Leadership class in Kigali.

Mr. Butochima had become disillusioned with the charismatic church with which he had been associated, and was looking for a more balanced denomination to which he could affiliate the four independent churches (about 450 adults) under his general pastorate in Bukavu, Congo. Jacques introduced him to our denomination, and Mr. Butochima got in touch with me to ask if his churches could become part of us.

I went to see these new contacts in early February. Bukavu is one of the conflict areas you may have heard of in the international news. Many people spoke of what they would do “if peace comes.” A strong military presence is there. Just a few days before I arrived, a few skirmishes took place in the outskirts of town. [In June, fighting once again broke out in the Bukavu area. Your prayers for the groups there are much appreciated.]

God is at work in these battle zones. Luta Butochima, his wife and other members

BUKAVU, CONGO—Luta Butochima

 actively help those most in need. I was able to visit a clinic they run. They nurse people suffering from malnutrition. Also among those regularly treated are rape victims, often in need of surgery and treatment for infection as a result of brutal attacks, typically from rebel soldiers. Mr. Butochima also provides trauma counseling. The clinic has been looted on a number of occasions, mattresses and medicine have been stolen, and it is now badly under-equipped. I gave them a donation that I had received from a woman in the United States.

Later there were discussions, mainly on points of doctrine, with various pastoral teams. It seems possible that these churches are coming into our fold.

BUKAVU, CONGO—Sewing project

One Sunday I visited two of the churches that are seeking affiliation—Bukavu, where attendance was 150, and Chiriri with an attendance of 95. There was much singing and laughter and excitement.

In early May, Kimani Ndungu, East African area pastor, made a follow-up visit. Kimani commented: “I found no issues of a doctrinal nature that I had to deal with. They had already read our statement of beliefs before we ever got to them and Butochima told me that they agreed with our teachings fully.

“In fact, he was concerned that we might teach in person something different from what was on paper. I will cheerfully go back to Bukavu! They are wonderful people and very committed. I was highly encouraged by their commitment to God in the face of hard times.”

Rwanda

We lost contact with most of our members and groups in Rwanda during the horrific fighting over the past decade or so, and also in some cases after the disastrous volcanic eruption near Goma. We are still out of contact with them, but there remains a small house church in Kigali, the capital city.

Earlier this year I asked that we would pray for this situation, that some contact would be re-established.

Luta Butochima and Jacques Muzalia

In April an independent group of 26 churches from the Goma area got in touch with us through the WCG’s Canadian web site. Since then I have sent them our statement of beliefs and added them to our African Update list, a mechanism for informing and training leaders. It seems that they agree with us and want be accountable to us philosophically and doctrinally.

What next? Sanneh observes in his book, in discussing such groups, that in the final analysis “religious vocations, formation, and apostolic structures will be needed to avert disarray and disenchantment.”

BUKAVU, CONGO, CONGREGATION

The Worldwide Church of God already has some of those ideas in place. We have people called to the ministry, we provide pastoral formation through seminars and conferences, and we have ecclesiastical structures that offer theological accountability. So perhaps we have the basis of a response.

Often, regrettably, we don’t have the finances to do what we are already doing—how can we finance the bringing of these groups into the safety of accountability and yet preserve what is good in their own structures? We need to be creative as we encourage local diversity and yet maintain the soundness of good doctrine. And we need to be on our knees—God cares for these people whether we get involved or not, but maybe he wants to use us. What should we do?

Please pray about these things. The Worldwide Church of God is one of God’s gifts not only to Africa, but also to every continent. We are part of it. The church is dynamic, moving, an event in process. Let’s  press on with the gospel of Jesus, the king.

Disciplemaking ministry foundations, part seven

Having a ‘commitment
to contact’ in your youth ministry

By Ted Johnston
National youth ministry development team co-director

CANTON, Ohio—In this youth ministry equipping and training column we are now focused on ways youth ministry workers and leaders can help to create environments in which ministry development may flourish.

You can impress people at a distance, but you can impact them only if you are up close.

Looking at the ministry of Jesus and the New Testament church, we observe important environmental factors that facilitate healthy growth. This month, we examine the last of six environmental factors—a commitment to contact that leads to disciplemaking young followers of Jesus.

In Carl Sagan’s novel Contact, an astronomer devotes her life to making contact with intelligent beings be­yond our solar system. The means by which she is drawn into that contact makes for thrilling science fiction.

I really like Sagan’s writing (excellent author and brilliant scientist), but what I wish he had learned before his death in 1996 is that we don’t have to go looking for intelligent life in outer space—it’s al­ready made contact with us.

As the apostle John wrote in his Gospel, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14a). God became human in order to be with us, to make himself known to us, to be our sin offering and to share his life with us both on earth and out there beyond known space and time.

After his death and resurrection, the glorified Word, Jesus, re­turned to heaven from where he came. But before he left, he promised to send another Counselor, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16); and he gave his followers the commission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Participating actively in this mission is our calling. And when it comes to

Our contact, on their turf, must be relational.

 disciplemaking, we can have no impact without contact. And so, in all ministries, including our ministries to children, teens and young adults, it’s essential that we teach and model contact with nonbelievers.

Howard Hendricks, Christian author and educator, says it this way: “You can impress people at a distance [but] you can only impact them up close. The general principle is this: the closer the personal relationship, the greater the potential for impact” (Leadership, Summer 1980).

Contact in­volves two related principles: getting on their turf and making it relational.

Getting on their turf

First, we must connect with others on their turf. Jesus, of course, is the ultimate example. Talk about changing turf! Getting on our students’ turf means going  where they are. Jesus has commissioned us to fish for people, and we can’t expect the fish to swim to us—we’ve got to go after them.

If we want to impact teens, we can’t limit our contact with them to short times at church. We have to get on their turf—visit them at home or be there at a concert where they are performing, or accompany them to a sporting event they enjoy. We’ve got to contact them outside the church setting.

If we want to impact children, we can’t expect all contact with them to be in adult-oriented activities—we have to get on their level; be with them in activities they enjoy.

I was reminded of this when my wife, Donna, and I visited Disney World in Orlando, Florida. About 20 years be­fore this trip we had visited there with our (then) young children, Traci and Joe, in tow.

But now we were  empty nested, and wishing we had a child to share the experience with. It felt pretty weird riding with Donna through “It’s a Small World” with no children beside us! But more than feeling weird, it felt incomplete.

Children love it when an adult does kid stuff with them. That’s why we play fun games in Sunday school with young children—to get on their turf and bring Jesus and his gospel with us.

Making it relational

The second important principle is that contact, on their turf, must be relational. As teachers and parents, contact with our students and children is often about sharing information. That’s necessary; but the contact that has the greatest impact emphasizes the building of a relationship.

Have you noticed how Jesus affected his disciples? He built a relationship with each one by being with them in all sorts of situations, formal and casual. In John 3:22 we’re given an example. We’re told that he took his disciples into the Judean countryside where (as it says in the old King James) he “tarried with them.” Tarried is from the Greek word diatribo, which means, literally, to “rub off on.” Through relational contact, Jesus was “rubbing off on” his followers, and they were becoming like him.

We follow Jesus’ model of relating as we develop friendships with our students and children—showing personal interest in them, developing a lasting relationship. And that makes a lasting impact.

I’ll never forget when I went to my father’s funeral in Indiana several years ago. A young woman from his congregation pulled me aside to tell me about the positive effect my dad had on her when she was young.

She told me that he had sent her several letters to point out the talents he saw emerging in her life. Not only was she encouraged by this affirmation, she was helped to find her life’s calling. Such is the lasting effect of relational contact.

To be relational in our work as youth ministers and parents, we have to work on

Contact that impacts does not happen by accident. We must be intentional.

 developing sensitivity toward our students’ and children’s developing identities. We need to relate to them in ways that are sensitive to their emotional, mental, physical and spiritual makeup—and that means accepting them as they are—with all their immaturities and other imperfections. We must strive to accept them as God’s creation and love them accordingly.

They will sense this love and be much more responsive to the important information we have to share with them.

I’ll close with one last bit of advice. Contact that impacts does not happen by accident. How about being sure that every child and teen in your congregation is greeted by name by an adult every week?

But don’t stop with what you’ll do at church. What if as a team of youth ministry leaders, workers and parents you come up with a plan for making frequent, personal contact with every youth in your congregation outside of the church service? You could assign certain ones to phone a list of youths every week. Or write them a letter once a month. Or visit them at a school activity once a quarter (once a year?). How about a plan to send each one a birthday card?

Let’s not just talk about it—let’s do it; and then keep on doing it. Your sustained, loving contact will make a lasting effect. And through that contact you’ll rub off on them—and if you’ve got Jesus living in you, he’ll rub off on them too. Go get ’em! (And have fun.)

Children's Ministry Corner

Winning lost children

By Ted Johnston
National youth ministry development team co-director

 CANTON, Ohio—Last month in this column we discussed the pressing need to make ministry to children a priority in our congregations and homes.

This column is designed to help equip us to do just that. Whether you are a pastor, children’s ministry leader or worker, parent, grandparent, or other adult or teen who is concerned about children, this column is for you. Please join me in praying that God will use it to advance ministry to children in the Worldwide Church of God—all to the glory of our Lord.

Mission and strategy

The over-arching mission (purpose) of children’s ministry is help children come to Jesus and then mature as his followers (disciples). This mission is pursued through a four-part disciplemaking strategy:

Equip older believing children to take on leadership responsibilities within the children’s ministry—preparing them for leadership within the church at large.

Win the lost. Introduce lost children to Christ and assist them in following him.

Build believers. Help believing children grow in their love for God and for people—maturing in age appropriate ways as disciples of Jesus.

Equip workers. Equip believing children to participate in ministry to their churched and unchurched friends and family.

Multiply leaders. Equip older believing children to take on leadership responsibilities within children’s ministry—preparing them for leadership within the church at large.

Too young?

To help a child receive God’s gift of salvation in Christ, you have to believe that a child can come to faith and become a disciple of Jesus.

I must confess that I have not always believed this. Don’t misunderstand, I have always deeply loved children (including my own), but I once thought that the focus of ministry to children should be on keeping them safe and reasonably well-behaved until they were young adults and could then be baptized and become Christians in the full sense.

In his mercy, God corrected my faulty understanding. Scripture and experience make it clear that children can indeed be believers and participate in Jesus’ disciplemaking ministry.

In Matt­hew 21 Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and heads for the temple courts where he drives out those turning the temple area into a flea market (verses 12-13). Having cleared out these unbelievers, the way is cleared for those whose hearts were open to God, including the blind and lame (verse 14), and also young children who were crying out in worship, “Hosanna to the Son of David” (verse 15).

Now the head honchos of the temple (the “religious” types) were indignant—perhaps they were uptight about the noise or perhaps it was the presence of the children themselves. Well, whatever put the burr under their saddle, it didn’t bother Jesus, for he proclaimed of these worshiping children (quoting from Isaiah): “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise” (verse 16). God has or­dained (appointed) young children to worship Jesus.

The Kingdom is open to any, including children, who turn to Jesus, trusting him to be their Savior (Redeemer) and their Lord (Master and God).

And Jesus welcomes them: “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them,” Jesus told his reluctant disciples, “for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14). The immediate context is Jesus blessing little children, but it would make no sense for Jesus to say that the kingdom belongs to ones like these children, if children did not, themselves, enter the kingdom (which one does by being born again—see John 3).

The kingdom is open to any, including children, who turn to Jesus, trusting him to be their Savior (Redeemer) and their Lord (Master and God).

Part of the reason that I did not believe that children could turn to Jesus (be converted) was that I saw conversion as requiring lots of information—the sort of information that only an adult could master. Certainly we learn information about Jesus. But as a famous  theologian once observed, the essential message of the Bible is summarized in a well-known children’s hymn: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

How old do you have to be to understand that Jesus loves you, forgives you and is the Lord of your life? Not very old, it seems to me. And I’ve got evidence to back me up. Many of us have had the privilege of leading children to Christ and then baptizing them as a public profession of that faith.

Charles and Keysha Taylor (who pastor our congregation in Miami) had this privilege. Their 8-year-old daughter Chakeyra accepted Jesus Christ and was baptized.

Here’s what Charles wrote me concerning her baptism: “One night a few months after our daughter had given her life to Christ, she was lying in bed. It was pretty late and I thought everyone was asleep. But Chakeyra called to me from her bed, ‘Daddy, could you come here please?’

“When I got to her room she said to me, ‘I want to be baptized.’ She then said, ‘I’ve been lying here in my bed thinking, and I really feel God wants me to get baptized.’

“I said, ‘Really? You do? Why?’

“She said, ‘I’ve accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, and I want to really commit myself to him in a bigger way and be a part of the church.’

“So we talked a bit, and I told her we would start baptism counseling.

“The next morning, she said, ‘Daddy, can we start my baptism counseling today?’ Every day after she would ask, ‘Are we doing our baptism counseling today?’

“She would never let me forget. Sometimes if I was busy during the day, she would remind me before she went to bed. We counseled for a couple of months and then one day she said to me: ‘Daddy I’m ready to be baptized. When can we do it?’

“Well, we set the date, and her baptism was as great a joy to Keysha and me as Chakeyra’s birth, and then her rebirth when she accepted Jesus. It was also a great encouragement to the adults and children present in our home for the baptism.”

I’ve known Chakeyra since she was just a baby. And I must say that she is a remarkable 8-year-old. Perhaps age 8 would be too young for some children to be baptized. But the calling of parents and children’s ministry workers is to share Jesus with all our children, and then minister to them ac­cording to their re­sponse.

A word of caution

I guess it’s clear by now how I feel about children coming to faith. But I also understand that children want to please adults and their friends and are thus easily influenced (even manipulated).

And so we have some cautionary policies. First, children’s ministry workers are not to  pressure a child to re­ceive Jesus.

Second, we are to be sure that par­ents or legal guar­dians are fully aware of what we are teaching, including invitations  to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Third, it is our policy in the WCG that preteens are not to be baptized unless a parent or legal guardian gives permission and is present at the baptism.

With these cautionary measures in place, we can reach out to children, sharing with them the greatest truth of all—Jesus and his love—inviting them to receive him and be his follower.

WCG announces
new set of
discipleship curriculum

By Dan Rogers

The Worldwide Church of God is introducing to its pastors a new set of discipleship curriculum for individual and small group study.

Church Administration believes that new Christians, as well as longtime members, will find inspiration in the new four-volume study.

This summer, James Roberts, president of the Center for Church Based Training (CCBT) in Richardson, Texas, will meet with pastors at regional conferences and district meetings to introduce the philosophy of the Discovery Series that CCBT has developed over the last couple of years.  

Mr. Roberts will conduct training for a discipleship initiative in congregations that will encourage participants to examine what they believe, why they believe it and what difference these principles make in their lives.

Peter Whitting, pastor of the Baltimore, Maryland, church, said that “this is good material, and after reviewing it, it seems to lay a good New Testament foundation for the lessons.” Mr. Whitting said he planned to train his small group facilitators to facilitate these lessons.

The Discovery Series is a process of individual study and group interaction that examines biblical principles in the context of everyday life. The purpose of Discovery is to establish members in their Christian faith for godly living and service in their home church and beyond. This series can be used in small groups, as Sunday school curriculum or other formats.

Some members from the Manhattan, New York, church have used the series since the beginning of the year. According to Pastor Dan Bierer: “Since our congregation has been using the Discovery series, there has been more interest in small group Bible discussions. The format and material seem to have been written especially for us.”

Church Administration will work with pastors to discuss training and a roll-out schedule for those who choose to adopt this curriculum. We believe that members will find that the Discovery Series is well-written, and that it will be a source of inspiration and education for members.

This material dovetails into the SonLife philosophy that Church Ad­ministration has been covering in our denominational conferences.  This year at the regional conferences, we have been emphasizing the goal of making disciples who make disciples who make disciples. The Dis­covery Series is another way to help Christians refocus on our call to serve Jesus wherever God may call us to work or minister.

Discovery Series books

• The first book in the series, Discovering the Christian Life, is designed for believers to reach a deeper understanding of their redemption, their God and their spiritual family—the church.

The book is also good for seekers, as participants will discuss “How I can be   saved, and what should my life look like once I am?” Participants will not only   reflect on the tenets of Christian doctrine, they will also reflect on their             relationship with God, other Christians and with nonbelievers.

• Discovering Intimacy With God is the second book. It is an intense study of the Trinity and the unchanging qualities of God, in­cluding his sovereignty and his love. It reminds Christians that the New Testament God is no different from the Old Testament God, except he has personalized his approach to his people through Jesus Christ.

• The third book encourages Christians to reflect on God’s church, dealing with questions such as how the church works and why God works through the church. In Discovering Your Role in God’s Family, participants will also begin to use their spiritual gifts to glorify God through the church.

• Finally, in Discovering How to Share Your Faith, Christians are encouraged to live the gospel daily. Christians will learn to share Christ in a natural way.

Lessons From the Bible

The Gospel of Mark, Lesson 19
Mark 3:20-27

A Lesson About Envy

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.

By J. Michael Feazell

The Bible tells us that Jesus was made like his fellow humans in every way (Hebrews 2:17). In this passage we find that like many of our families, Jesus’ family was ready to have him committed. They came down to “take charge” of him, believing him to be out of his mind.

Blindness of envy

Among the reasons Jesus was considered out of his mind, Mark in­forms us, was that Jesus was running afoul of the authorities. He was banishing demons from people, and the authorities, who apparently weren’t, found Jesus’ growing popularity most irritating.

If there is someone we’ve been disparaging, maybe it’s time to take our concerns to Christ the Redeemer instead of the grapevine.

It is a little reminiscent of Saul’s jealousy over David’s military success recorded in 1 Samuel 18. You might think a king would be grateful for the victories of a top general. But not so—Saul saw David as a threat. He feared the people might get the idea that David would make a better king.

 The same dynamics seem to be at work between Jesus and the authorities. Jesus was getting too popular. His power over the evil spirits was plain, which made it obvious to everyone that he had the blessing and power of God.

So the authorities saw Jesus not as a blessing, but as a threat. Jesus was better liked than they were. And he was clearly more powerful.

So what to do? Discredit him, of course. But how? Well, let’s see—suppose we tell the people that he has power over the demons because he is demon-possessed himself. Yes! That’s the ticket! The man is demon-possessed, and not just by any demon, but this Jesus whom you are cheering is possessed by Beelzebub himself!

Truth aside

Truth was not the governing factor. God’s will was not a consideration. The joy of those freed from wicked oppression didn’t matter. There was only one goal—discredit anyone who makes us feel insecure. Say whatever has to be said.

The accusation, of course, was absurd, and Jesus exposed it as such. “If Satan opposes himself and is divided,” Jesus said, “he cannot stand; his end has come.”

But Jesus’ remark was deeper than merely exposing the silliness of the authorities’ accusation. The truth was, Satan’s end had come, but not because Beelzebub was kicking out demons through Jesus.

The end of Satan’s kingdom had begun because the Son of God had walked onto the stage of history. Jesus continued: “In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.” Jesus was freeing people from demons because Satan had no power to stop him.

And the authorities knew that. They were not blind. They saw the works of deliverance. But it is possible, even for us, to become so selfishly oriented that we place the preservation of our personal goals above even the hand of God.

Redemption

John wrote, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). When our trust is in Jesus Christ (which is the same thing as walking in the light), we have fellowship with one another. This is a fellowship that breaks through the walls of self-centered living. People matter to us.

Jesus told the disciples: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

Just as light overpowers darkness, so love leaves no place for selfish envy.

Jesus was not a person to the authorities. He was an obstacle, a faceless object to be cleared out of their path. He didn’t matter.

Have you ever been treated that way? Take heart: Jesus traveled that path before you. He knows what you’re experiencing.

Have you ever treated someone else that way? Take heart: Jesus has forgiven you. And if you will receive it, he gives you a heart that can see people as people, not as obstacles in your path. Let’s agree to take a look at the relationships in our lives. If there is someone we’ve been disparaging, maybe it’s time to take our concerns to Christ the Redeemer instead of the grapevine.

For Reflection

• Has someone received a blessing you felt should have come to you? How have you responded? How have you treated that person?

• Have you been mistreated recently? How have you coped with it? Have you asked God for his peace (Phil. 4:7)?

Update From Finance & Planning

May donations take
a slight downturn

By Ronald Kelly

PASADENA—Regular mail income for May totaled $1.362 million. Compared to May 2003, with an income of $1.573 million, we are down just over $200,000 for the month. That’s a decrease of less than 1.5 percent. We reported gains in income for March and April, so this minor decrease for May is not unsettling. 

This brings our total income for January through May to $6.41 million. Compared to the previous year, we are down three percent.   But as we have reported, five private residences on Orange Grove Boulevard have been sold this year, making it possible to add more than $4.2 million to our reserve fund. In these figures, we are not including the two major campus sales that took place in February and May.

Having this cushion allowed us to maintain the campus sale project without any funding from member contributions. With about two thirds of the campus now sold, we are working hard to achieve a successful conclusion to the campus sale later this year. 

Of course, we have a lot of work yet to do, but we re­main optimistic. This year has certainly been an upbeat year for us financially.

We have been able to stay on target with our balanced-budget plan for member contributions. In other words, so far this year we have received $6.41 million in mail donations, and we have allocated $6.37 million to church operation expenses. Can’t get much closer than that. 

Our time and energy are now being devoted to rolling out our long-desired new financial model, where congregations will retain the bulk of their donations in the local church.

We now have a projected beginning date of July 10 to implement the first district and then every two weeks thereafter bringing in a new district. If all goes well in July and early August, we even have hopes of accelerating the implementation process so that all our congregations will be in the new model by mid-October—in other words, well before the end of 2004.

This will mean of course a dramatic change in the way the Worldwide Church of God functions financially. For more than 70 years our fellowship has maintained a centralized financial structure. For some 60 years the emphasis of our work was media and education- based radio, television, printed literature and Ambassador College. 

For the past few years we have been diligently preparing for the emphasis to be based at the level of the local church. That, of course, means providing funding at the local level, not at the international headquarters.

In fact, headquarters’ funding will drop from about $20 million per year for 2003 and 2004 to about $3.5 million during 2005. Thus you can easily see that the WCG will have quite a different financial look in the future. 

Our staff has been preparing for this transition for the past few years, and we feel confident this will be a tremendous boost to our congregations as our local church groups reach out in local communities to serve according to the gifts God has placed in each congregation within our fellowship.

We look forward with anticipation to see how God will direct and inspire each of you as together we live and proclaim God’s grace to the world.

Wills and Trusts

Many members have requested information on how best to make a gift to the Worldwide Church of God, either during their lifetime or upon death through wills, trusts or other means.

If you want to receive information regarding such gifts, the Legal Department of the church is available to aid you in this regard without cost or obligation.

Bible Study

Attitudes that please God:
A study of Romans 12

By Michael Morrison

 In his letter to the Romans, Paul has presented the gospel—from our need for divine rescue to the glorious future that Jesus Christ offers us. In chapter 12, Paul explains that the gospel has implications for the way we should treat one another. He begins with attitudes and principles rather than specific actions.

Living sacrifices

Paul begins with the word therefore, indicating that he is drawing a conclusion. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your proper worship as rational beings” (12:1, TNIV throughout). Since God is giving us mercy, we should submit ourselves to him.

Not only do various members have different functions, they also belong to each other. We have duties to each other, according to the way God has blessed us.

Our bodies are to be given to God in worship—not to be killed, but as a living and continuous response to God. We are set apart for him, to serve him—and as we do his will, he is pleased.

A literal translation of the last clause says, “this is your reasonable service.” Sensible people respond to God’s mercy by serving him.

What does this involve? Paul explains: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (v. 2). Our standard of behavior is no longer the society around us. We do not just continue doing what we have always done. Rather, we are to change, and this change begins in the mind. It takes conscious effort—thinking about how God’s way is different from the world around us. “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

After we stop looking to the world, we will see what God wants, and we will find that his way is better. His instructions are not arbitrary rules just to test our loyalty—they are to help us avoid causing pain for ourselves and for others.

Serving with our gifts

Paul first describes how the Roman Christians are to work together as a worship community: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you” (v. 3). By grace, God authorized Paul to give commands, and this first command is a call to humility. Take a realistic look, Paul says. Whatever faith you have, has come from God. We have value only because God chooses to give us value; no one has any reason to boast.

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (vv. 4-5). Not only do various members have different functions, they also belong to each other. We have duties to each other, according to the way God has blessed us.

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement” (vv. 6-8). God has given us different abilities, so some people serve through words, and some through their hands. Those who prophesy should stick to the faith, not their own opinions, to strengthen, encourage, comfort and edify the church (1 Cor. 14:3-4). Each person should do what he or she does best.

For the next three gifts, Paul adds an adverb to emphasize the way we should serve: “If it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (v. 8). Paul summarizes by saying, “Love must be sincere” (v. 9). All service should be sincere—gifts should be motivated by generosity; mercy should be given joyfully. 

Paul does not give these commands as requirements for salvation. Rather, these are what we should do after being saved, after God has shown us his mercy.

Harmony in the body of Christ

In verse 9 Paul begins to list some qualities that should characterize Christian love. He begins with a general principle: “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Love is not a vague feeling, but it discerns the difference between good and bad.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

He is focusing on attitudes within the Christian community: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (v. 10). Most people struggle to get more honor, but as we imitate our Savior, we should try to excel in humility and give more honor. Our status is secure in Christ, so we do not need to fight for it.

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (v. 11). Or as Paul says in Galatians 6:10, Do not grow weary in doing good. It’s not always easy or fun; we have to remember that we are serving God.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (v. 12). When life is difficult, don’t give up hope—be patient and keep on praying, looking to God for a way to deal with the problems.

“Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (v. 13). Our possessions, like other gifts, should be used to serve others. Even if we don’t own a home, we can be hospitable. At church, for example, we can be hospitable by welcoming others, being easy to approach and willing to help.

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (v. 14). Most people want revenge, but that is a destructive approach. If we respond to people in the way that Christ has treated us, then we will respond with good rather than evil.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another” (vv. 15-16). If other Christians are blessed, rejoice with them, rather than being jealous. If they are suffering, empathize with them rather than looking down on them.

“Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not think you are superior” (v. 16). Some Christians are in a high position; others are low—that has not changed. But those external matters are not the basis of a person’s real value. If people are less fortunate than you, don’t think less of them for it. Count them as an equal. 

Responding to enemies

In verse 17, Paul returns to the way that we should respond to persecution or injustice: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.” In other words, do not harbor grudges, and be sensitive to social values.

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (v. 18). We should do our best to avoid offense. Sometimes that means accepting restrictions on what we can do (1 Cor. 9:20). At other times, it is necessary to stand up for the truth of the gospel (Gal. 2:11).

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (v. 19, quoting Deut. 32:35). Let God take care of whatever punishment is needed—that will stop the cycle of violence.

Instead of vengeance, Paul assigns us a different job: “On the contrary,” Paul says, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head” (v. 20, quoting Prov. 25:21-22). Various suggestions have been made about why it might be good to put burning coals on someone’s head, but the expression is probably figurative, meaning simply that if we treat our enemies well, they may blush with shame.

Paul concludes the discussion by saying, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (v. 21). That is the way of Christ. Evil cannot be beaten by more evil—it can be conquered only by good.

Questions for application

• What steps can I take so that my mind is being conformed to God’s will?
  (vv. 1-2)

• Am I using my abilities to serve others? (vv. 6-9)

• In what ways can I give honor to others? (v. 10)

• What social values do I need to pay more attention to? (v. 17)

ACCM launches
new classes

By Aub Warren

The first level two classes in Ambassador College of Christian Ministry’s (ACCM) associate program are now available online at www. ambascol.org. These classes are for continuing students who have completed the four level one classes (see box for details).

Small Group Leadership and Effective Communication are the first of four level two classes in the three-level, 12-class Associate of Christian Ministry program. The other two classes will be released later this year.

Small Group Leadership takes students through the dynamics of group interaction and provides numerous practical applications in addition to a rich resource of readings.

Effective Communication gives students an insight into the communication process as well as practice in writing, speaking and listening skills. Both classes provide practical insights and applications designed to support individual and group communication needs in ministry.

ACCM was launched in July 2003 (see the August 2003 WN) as part of the church’s commitment to equip the saints for ministry. ACCM provides a quality on-line Christian ministry curriculum that offers a denominationally recognized certification. Students can undertake classes for either credit (assessment) or audit (no assessment). ACCM currently has students from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zea­­land and Belgium.

“ACCM provides formal Christian ministry education and a rich source of personal study,” said John McLean, Associate of Chris­tian Ministry program director. “It’s a flexible way of learning. Students can choose to study for credit or audit, on their own or as part of a local group of enrolled students.

“The church recognizes that every member is in­volved in ministry in some way, so Ambassador’s program is designed to provide a sound and informed foundation for each member’s ongoing, growing and maturing commitment to ministry.”

In May, ACCM also released its first master’s level class for pastors. Twenty pastors registered for this pilot class, Theology I, taught by Russell Duke. The next pastoral class, Background of the New Testament, will be released this fall.

For more information about ACCM’s classes, visit www.ambascol.org.

Your Amazon purchases can help ACCM: Amazon.com is a source for books, electronics and other things. If you use ama­zon.com for purchases, you can at the same time help ACCM without any cost to yourself. Just go to www.ambascol.org/html/amazon_portal.htm and click on the Amazon logo. You can then buy your products at Amazon, and ACCM will receive a small commission on any purchase you make.

Ambassador College of Christian Ministry

www.ambascol.org

Associate Degree in Christian Ministry

The program content will emphasize foundational and fundamental aspects of practical Christian ministry and will be delivered in three levels (completion of each level being a prerequisite for enrollment in the succeeding level).

Level 1: Foundations of Christian Faith: four classes

         Survey of the Bible (online now)

         Spiritual Formation (online now)

         Foundations of Christian Faith (online now)

         Life and Teaching of Jesus Christ (online now)

Level 2: Introduction to Christian Ministry: four classes (prerequisite:
         Level 1: Foundations of Christian Faith)

         Small Group Leadership (online now)

         Effective Communication (online now)

         Worship (available 2004)

         Christian Leadership (available 2004)

Level 3: Introduction to Pastoral Ministry I (prerequisite: Level 2:
         Introduction to Christian Ministry)

         Introduction to Preaching

         Introduction to Pastoral Care

         Survey of Church History

         Introduction to Youth Ministry

Information and registration online at www.ambascol.org

Connecting and Bonding
hosts pastors
and wives retreat

By Barbara Dahlgren

ONTARIO, California—“It was a time of refreshing and restoring. Something we all need.” These comments by Raul Ramos, pastor of the Pasadena Spanish church, seemed to capture the feeling of those who attended the March 12 to 14 Church Pastors and Wives Retreat sponsored by Connecting and Bonding, Inc.

Connecting and Bonding, a ministry devoted to nurturing pastors’ wives, has been sponsoring ministers’ wives conferences for several years. Founder Jannice May is a veteran pastor’s wife with more than 30 years experience.

She felt a passion for this ministry when women new to pastoral service kept asking for guidance. Jannice said, “I know from firsthand experience the stress and responsibility that sometimes accompanies the joy of leading the people of God.” So Connecting and Bonding was born.

For the past six years, ministers’ wives have been sharing stories and lessons with each other (connecting) and supporting (bonding) one another.

But often the women would say, “This is wonderful, but when is there going to be something like this for our husbands?” “We want our husbands to have time to be refreshed and get their spiritual batteries recharged too.” The result was the first Connecting and Bonding Church Pastors and Wives Retreat. The main focus this time was on the pastor.

Each day a short worship service was led by Dennis and Lorraine Pelley, who serve New Hope Christian Fellowship, the WCG congregation in Eagle Rock, California.

Couples heard from Keith Phillips, president of World Impact, a Christian missions organization dedicated to ministering God’s love to the inner cities of America. Dr. Phillips, author of Out of Ashes, The Making of a Disciple and No Quick Fix, gave insight into the differences between missions and evangelism in his presentation on “Ye Shall Be Witnesses.”

Other presenters were Archibald Hart and his wife, Kathleen. Dr. Hart, retired professor of psychology and former dean of the Graduate School of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary, specializes in the area of emotional hazards of the ministry.

Mrs. Hart is chaplain to student wives at Fuller Seminary. For the past 35 years, the Harts have spoken to ministry couples. The overall theme was “Finishing Well.” One aspect of that was a session on the theology of loss. Tom Ecker, who pastors in Moreno Valley, San Bernardino, and Beaumont, California, said: “I felt the theology of loss was especially helpful. We have all had so many losses in our lives.”

On the first evening everyone drew a name from a basket and was given the assignment to pray specifically for this person at the retreat. The name of this prayer partner was revealed during a sharing time on the last day.

Another highlight of the weekend was when all the pastors gathered in a circle with the wives surrounding them. As the women laid hands on them, Beth Holm, wife of pastor Rand Holm from Ventura, California, offered a moving prayer for the men.

This was followed by a prayer of thanksgiving given by Mike Swagerty for all the sacrifices the pastors’ wives have made through the years. Mike pastors the Sacramento, California, congregation.

The participants enjoyed plenty of time for fellowship and open discussion. The retreat ended with a communion service Sunday at noon, followed by a talk on marriage and a final prayer by Mrs. Hart.

 
PASTORS AND WIVES—From left:
Mike and Sandy Swagerty, Stephen
and Karon Smith and Mel and Barbara
Dahlgren. [Photo by Curtis May]

Book Review

The Grace Awakening
by Charles Swindoll

By Terry Akers

By the end of the 1980s the Berlin Wall was coming down and freedom from political tyranny was breaking out across Eastern Europe and in the Soviet Union.

At the same time, Charles Swindoll, a prolific Christian writer and former legalist, sensed a similar need for spiritual liberation in the church. Reflecting on 2,000 years of church history, Swindoll began to realize how difficult the battle for grace has been in a performance-based world.

It started with Jesus’ cry for freedom and the resulting confrontations with the religious establishment in his day. The European Reformers’ message of “by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone” met with similar opposition. Even in our day, religious oppression continues to plague millions. This personal reflection led to a spiritual awakening for Swindoll personally and resulted in the book, The Grace Awakening.

Swindoll calls the perpetrators of legalism “grace killers.” These are people who have a personal stake in perpetuating the status quo through a message of fear, guilt and never measuring up. They are negative, and use all sorts of harassment tactics to keep others in the same bondage they enjoy.

The following quote is from the Preface: “Scarcely a day passes when I am not reminded of the need for a book emphasizing the full extent of grace, giving people permission to be free, absolutely free in Christ.

“Why? Because so few are! Bound and shackled by legalists’ lists of dos and don’ts, intimidated and immobilized by others’ demands and expectations, far too many in God’s family merely exist in the tight radius of bondage, dictated by those who have appointed themselves our judge and jury. Long enough have we lived like frightened deer in a restrictive thicket of negative regulations.”

The Grace Awakening exposes the grace killers’ philosophy of various forms of legalism for what they are—cruel and enslaving lies. The book is a powerful defense of the liberating gospel of grace.

It demonstrates the fallacy of our Western “no free lunch” and “rugged individualism” mindset that has for too long rubbed off on the church.

It shows how many have come to Christ by grace alone, only to have an abundance of works thrown at them in order to “keep their salvation.” Swindoll says that we have been sold a bill of goods with the idea that we have to “earn what we get” when it’s applied to our salvation in Christ.

The book successfully exposes the false notion that our good works, behavior or obedience somehow contributes to the salvation process. There is no hint of, “now you can do as you please,” however. True grace involves the practical outworking of holiness from the basis of God’s unconditional love. Our justification and sanctification are bound up together in Christ.

The Grace Awakening is a book to be received with joy. Its message is pure gospel—liberating and exciting. It recaptures the original intent of Jesus’ proclamation of freedom from oppression and bondage that has often been obscured in church history.

In the chapter titled, “The Grace to Let Others Be,” Swindoll explains the two dimensions of grace: “Vertical grace centers on our relationship to God. It is amazing. It frees us from the demands and condemnation of the Mosaic Law.

“Horizontal grace centers on our human relationships. It is charming. It frees us from the tyranny of pleasing people and adjusting our lives to the demands and expectations of human opinion.”

This book makes a clear distinction between shame-based spirituality and a healthy spirituality.

The Grace Awakening is a major contribution to modern Christianity. Readers may find the book a refreshing, up­lifting and gloriously freeing experience as it gives them permission to be themselves. This book can make a real change in one’s attitude and outlook toward life and one’s concept of who and what God is.

Swindoll sets a solid foundation for the Christian faith in this book by portraying the grace of God as its cornerstone, displayed to humankind through his Son, Jesus Christ.

He calls for everyone to awaken to the simple truth that we are all sinners in need of a relationship with a loving God. Beyond Christ’s one sacrificial act, there is absolutely nothing we can do, but to accept his gracious offer.

Update:
News of people,
places and events

ACCM launches masters program

Ambassador College of Chris­tian Ministry launched its masters program for those in pastoral ministry.

The masters program began with a pilot class for 20 pastors to study Pastoral Theology with Russell Duke. The masters program will provide a quality in-service professional development program for WCG ministers who have not completed or who have not enrolled in regionally accredited ministry studies.

Like the Associate of Christian Ministry program, the ACCM masters program is part of the church’s ongoing commitment to equip those serving in ministry. The masters program is specifically designed to support those in pastoral ministry, although the program will be open to other qualified individuals who wish to continue in this course of study.

By making classes available online, ACCM enables pastors to engage in ongoing learning in a convenient, flexible and self-paced manner. Successfully completed classes count toward in-service training requirements and toward a denominationally recognized Master of Pastoral Studies qualification.

The ACCM masters program is composed of both core and elective classes. These classes include Pastoral Theology, Church History, Leadership, Preaching, Counseling, Church Administration, Pastoral Ethics, Missions Theology, Ethics, Polity and various other survey classes.

Tampa-Lakeland: ‘He Is Risen 2004’

TAMPA, Florida—What better way to remember the events of the season than to relive them in a dramatic production? That’s what the Tampa-Lakeland congregation did on Sunday, April 11th, in their annual resurrection celebration, this year titled “He Is Risen 2004.”

Under the direction of Ellie Kurzawa, the circumstances surrounding the life and death of our Savior, Jesus Christ, un­folded to the edification of the congregation.

After a stirring introduction by Selma Claxton, the play itself was narrated by Lynn Rowe as Luke, telling the story of Jesus to his granddaughter Rebecca, played by his real-life granddaughter, Lindsey Rowe.

The opening scene of the play illustrated Jesus’ love for children, played by Leslie Ann Mozon, Cassie Pitt, Randall Rowe, Hannah Quade and William Davis. Todd Rowe played the part of Jesus. Jesus also used the actions of Mary Magdalene, played by Donna Rowe, to teach his disciples about forgiveness.

In the next scene, Jesus and his disciples visited the home of Laz­arus, played by Herman Brijlall, and his sisters Martha, played by Marlene Hart, and Mary, played by Laura Quade. Jesus went on to explain the symbolism of footwashing and the elements of bread and wine to his disciples, played by Leslie Mozon, Leroy Davis, John Quade, George Gramlich and Mendel Claxton. At these points in the play, there were breaks for the congregation to participate in a footwashing ceremony and partake of the bread and wine. An offering was taken up while Jesus and his disciples sang “I Love You, Lord.”

The final scenes of the play, which took place after Jesus’ crucifixion, included touching soliloquies by Flora Mozon, playing the part of Susannah, and Willa Chlon, playing the part of Jesus’ mother, Mary. When Mary Magdalene saw the risen Jesus, she ran to tell the other disciples and the production ended with an exhilarating rendition of the song “Celebrate Jesus,” and Rebecca telling her grandfather Luke that she wants to be a Christian, too!

The cast of the play also took the show on the road this year by presenting the play on April 10 for the Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, congregation. The Tampa-Lakeland and Sarasota-Bradenton congregations are both pastored by Pete and Eileen Kendall. Laura Zager Quade.

 
AUSTRALIA NATIONAL CHURCH BOARD—From left:
David Jordison (secretary), Leah McLean, Margaret Cohen,
Randall Bourchier, Aub Warren, Colin Hardy, Rod Matthews,
John Chandler (investment committee member) and John
McLean at a Feb. 19 board meeting.
[Photo by J. Michael Feazell]

BACCALAUREATE SPEAKER—
J. Michael Feazell delivered the
baccalaureate address May 15
at Spring Arbor University in
southern Michigan. The Feazells’
daughter, Elizabeth, was among
the graduates.
[Photo by Na­than Smith]

COMMISSIONING—The Cadillac, Michigan, congregation has a new leadership team. Alden Sims Jr., former pastor, retired, and David Fiedler, district superintendent, commissioned a pastoral team. Left photo, from left: Mr. Sims,
Mr. Fiedler and the new leadership team: Ray Griffee, Susan Davis and Brian Smith. Top photo shows members of the congregation. 

Chicago West conducts food ministry

VILLA PARK, Illinois—Henry and Roxanne Rhodes of the Chicago West congregation started a food ministry that involves several denominations. Baptisms have resulted from this ministry.

FOOD MINISTRY—Jeff Krage and Glenda Kasza load a box of food into a van April 16. [Photo by Marcia Krage]

Food is collected from Dom­inick’s (Elm­hurst, Illinois), Wild Oats (Hinsdale) and People’s Resources (Wheaton) at various times each week.

The Chicago West congregation works with members from the WCG Chicago South congregation (South Holland, Illinois), Chicago Central Church of God (Chicago), Sunny Place Church of God (Addison), Harvest Bible Church (Rolling Meadows), Lithuanian Mission (Lemont), and First United Methodist Church (Glen Ellyn).

Food is distributed to families, the homeless, township and church pantries, missions and shelters. The ministry reaches individuals within a 50-mile radius of Lombard, Illinois.

Dennis and Jeff Krage and Phyllis Urbanek are other key participants from Chicago West. The Russian Baptist Church (Lombard) established its own food ministry with assistance from the WCG Chicago West congregation. Marcia Krage.

Houston marks Cinco de Mayo

HOUSTON, Texas—Houston Community Christian Fellowship conducted a service May 1 to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

This date is honored in Mexican history as it marks the defeat of a well-equipped French army by a smaller ragtag army of Mexican peasants who used hoes, picks, frying pans and other household items as weapons.

John Flores recounted the story of the 1862 battle that took place in Puebla, Mexico. He titled his message, “What We Can Learn From History.”

The worship music, led by John Mays, was sung in English and Spanish simultaneously.

A litany of thanksgiving, prayer of confession and a psalm of praise was offered up by Hispanics in the congregation.

Pastor Mark Mounts tied this history into his message titled “Who Shall Be Great,” taken from Matthew 20:20-28.

Norma Rios from San Antonio sang a song in Spanish as special music.

The celebration was capped off with a potluck dinner that included traditional Mexican food.

Entertainment during the meal was performed by 11-year-old Jennifer Rios. Jesse Soto.

Fort Worth, Texas, church to celebrate 40th anniversary

FORT WORTH, Texas—The 40th anniversary celebration for the Fort Worth congregations will take place July 3. A special service will be conducted at Daybreak Fellowship at 101 W. Glade Rd., in Euless, Texas, at 11 a.m. This is the location where New Hope Christian Fellowship meets each week. 

The service will include a message from Carn Catherwood, district superintendent. A potluck dinner after the service will include a slide show with pictures of members over the past 40 years. All are invited to attend.  Please call Max or Oleta Devereaux if you have any questions at 1-817-285-9344.

Augusta, Georgia, church to celebrate 25th anniversary

 AUGUSTA, Georgia—The Augusta church will celebrate its 25th anniversary July 17. The address is Worldwide Church of God, 285 Flowing Wells Rd., Augusta, 30907. Telephone 1-706-863-9562. The pastor is John Moskel.

 The service will begin at 10:30, and a potluck will take place afterward.

 For more information contact elder Bob Stewart at 1-706-863-9562 or Margi Saxton

at 1-803-594-1141. Michael Butler.

EARL GRANT RETIRES—J. Michael Feazell
(left) and John McKenna (right) attend a retirement
party May 21 at Azusa Pacific  University for
Earl Grant (center). Dr. Grant is a longtime
friend of the Worldwide Church of God. He
conducted seminars in church growth for WCG
regional and district leaders in Pasadena in the
late 1990s. [Photo by Mickey McKenna]

SPECIAL MUSIC—Walter
Pinder leads special music in
Grand Rapids, Michigan, May 17.
J. Michael Feazell, WCG
Publications director, gave
the sermon.
[Photo by J. Michael Feazell]

Needed: Spanish translator

The WCG is looking for qualified Spanish-language translators who can donate their time and expertise.

We are interested in individuals educated in Latin America but now living in the United States. The task consists of providing a written translation (from English to Spanish) of selected gospel tracts and booklets. The person or people should be proficient in writing Spanish and familiar with biblical and theological terms. Access to e-mail and Microsoft Word is a must.

If interested, please call Lorenzo Arroyo at 1-925-777-1296 and or send e-mail to him at lorenzo.arroyo@gci.org

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