Ministers attend Promise Keepers convention

Forty-three WCG ministers attended Promise Keepers clergy convention at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta Feb. 13-15.

By David Gilbert Pastor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ATLANTA, Georgia--At the last minute I decided to attend the Promise Keepers clergy convention in Atlanta.

I talked with a fellow pastor, Larry Wooldridge, who was going with a bunch of other ministers in Dale Martin's motorhome. I asked if they had room, and sure enough, I was on my way.

I didn't know quite what to expect, but I was overwhelmed from the start. Picture yourself singing "Holy, Holy, Holy" to God with your whole heart. Then multiply that by more than 40,000. That's how many voices were lifted up in praise to our great God.

In spite of differences in doctrine and practice, these 40,000 voices were singing in true unity because they all agreed on who their Savior is and what he has done for us.

After the first evening service, thousands of ministers crowded toward the subway station. Peaceful, happy, joyful. No pushing ahead or shoving. As we were waiting in the narrow gangway choruses broke out in the crowd, singing "Amazing Grace" and other Christian hymns. There had to be 10,000 singing in harmony, with the sounds reverberating off surrounding buildings.

Bill McCartney, former coach of the University of Colorado football team, and founder of Promise Keepers, in casting the vision for this historic event, said that this convention was a clear invitation to leaders to send a strong trumpet blast for biblical unity. McCartney said that division in the church was the cause of this nation's problems--that it was time to repair the breach. He portrayed two giants that needed to be slain: racial discrimination and denominational discrimination.

The theme of the convention was "Fan Into Flame." The three days of worshipful gatherings were full of meaningful messages on rekindling, guarding and spreading the flame of the Holy Spirit.

Speakers Tony Evans, Phillip Porter, Jack Hayford, John Maxwell and others encouraged pastors to remember their calling from God, to be accountable to at least one other fellow pastor, and to make sure their families are not neglected.

One of the most moving sessions for me was the one led by Chuck Swindoll, host of the radio program Insight for Living. In his message, "The Pastor and Brokenness" Dr. Swindoll said, "Before God can use you, he often has to bruise you." He then helped us to examine ourselves and to put any and all sins before God in private confession and repentance.

I couldn't help but think of how we've been so painfully bruised as a church in the past year or so. But I was also encouraged by the fact that God can now use us more effectively as part of the body of Christ.

The final day of the convention crescendoed as the topics of denominational harmony and racial harmony were discussed. Pastors from various ethnic groups led us in forgiving one another for the racial tension that has existed. We all took positive steps to affirm pastors of color.

One point that hit home was that we need to be willing to admit and ask forgiveness for what our ancestors have done to other racial groups. Yes, even though you and I perhaps haven't taken part in those sins, we represent our ancestors and their actions and we need to take on the burden of true repentance for them so that others can forgive from the heart.

Pastor and author Max Lucado gave a poignant illustration of where we find ourselves today in Christianity. He said it's as if God called you as an individual Christian and put you on a huge battleship with other Christians. Some of them tend to be legalistic in their thinking--they usually cluster at the "stern."

Others are more quiet and contemplative in their expression of faith--they usually cluster at the "bow." Some, down in the engine room, are interested in studying the nuts and bolts and are into "what you know," while others, usually on the deck, with their hair blowing in the wind, are into "what you feel."

At the weekly meeting with the "Captain" some are loud and some are quiet. Some believe in and engage in speaking in special languages, while others on the ship deny that such languages exist.

Some (and this is where we in the Worldwide Church of God could relate) believe they're the only ones on the ship--that no other Christians exist. Because of the tension of the "sailors" on the ship, some go adrift and refuse to get on board because they don't want to get in the middle of a fight between two sailors.

Lucado then brought to light a scripture that I never thought too much about before.

He quoted John 17:20-21: "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

He then asked, "If unity creates belief, could it be that unity is the key to reaching the world?" He mentioned that while Christ is the Door, we, as the church, have tried to be the Screen Door. We can certainly relate to that in our former way of treating people that were interested in the message.

Toward the end of his message, Lucado asked us to find someone from a denomination that we previously had spoken against and apologize to that person.

My immediate response was, "Which group haven't we (and I) spoken against?" It was with a profound sense of brokenness that I approached several ministers of Jesus Christ from various denominations and apologized to them, explaining the corporate and individual repentance that Jesus Christ has been leading us to.

And you know what? These individuals were all gracious and forgiving and accepting. Can we be that way to them?

I have to be honest with you. There were times that I was uncomfortable at this convention. Things were said and done that sometimes "pushed my envelope." In fact, when we read in the program that there was going to be a communion service at the end, a number of us discussed leaving early to avoid it.

But, as we responded to the correction of the Holy Spirit, and became more broken about our past as individuals and as a fellowship, the walls of resistance began to tumble down in our hearts.

We not only intellectually began to understand the magnitude of the body of Christ, we emotionally began to comprehend.

We were able to overlook the differences in practice and belief. I for one, am glad I participated in the emblems of the body of Christ.

It was symbolic of our willingness to work with, relate to, and yes, maybe even die for someone else in the body who doesn't look at things quite the way we do, but does indeed look to Jesus as Savior and loves him with his whole heart.

While Promise Keepers may not be for everyone, it is, in my opinion, a valiant effort to unite and not divide.

It exemplifies the goal of Christians to have "in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity." I'm glad I went!

As I told the brethren in Philadelphia when I got back, I wouldn't have even gone to such an event a year or two ago.

After all, there were only a few hundred true ministers of Jesus Christ on this entire earth! Boy, was I wrong!

These men, in spite of their differences on some points, agreed to the most important points--the points that are essential to salvation.

They weren't Satan-inspired deceivers, but humble men of God who have felt the calling to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world.

Copyright © Worldwide Church of God,1996