Regional pastors and wives met in Pasadena Aug. 12 to 17.
Pastor General Joseph Tkach opened the conference by emphasizing the need to preach core Christian doctrines.
They are, in brief form, the inspiration and authority of Scripture as the Word of God; the sovereign, triune nature of God; the deity of Christ, his sinless life, his atoning death on the cross and his bodily resurrection, his ascension to the Father's right hand, and his second coming in power and glory; salvation by grace through faith in Christ; the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers and his sanctifying and gifting work; the resurrection of the dead to judgment--the saved to the resurrection of life and the lost to the resurrection of condemnation; and the spiritual unity of believers.
These essentials can be stated or expounded in various ways, Mr. Tkach said, but they represent the core beliefs of the Christian faith.
Mr. Tkach said that some of our members are still in "no-man's land." Some do not attend worship services. Many love the church and changes, but still have emotional conflict.
"We need to reach out to them and invite them back," Mr. Tkach said. "We have a mission field."
Mike Feazell, director of Church Administration, then spoke about the church's need for effective pastoral leadership.
"We have all been praying earnestly that our pastors could be relieved from the heavy workloads of three- and four-church circuits.
"And Joe Tkach, Dan Rogers and I have been praying that God would show us how to provide every congregation with motivated, resident leadership that can promote an active sense of worship and mission among the members of our church."
For effective service to the members and for effective work in the community, each church area needs its own resident pastor. Yet many church areas do not have the financial resources to support a full-time pastor.
Mr. Feazell addressed this apparent dilemma by saying: "The Holy Spirit has impressed on our hearts something that perhaps should have been clear long ago--the fact that Ambassador-trained, full-time ministers are not the only way God can give pastoral leadership to our churches.
"He has moved us to see the need to provide effective, high-quality, lay pastor training for pastorally-gifted and called members and elders.
"God provides the leadership needs of the church, and we have come to see that we need to prayerfully equip and commission the leadership resources he has given the church among its membership.
"After careful selection and training of volunteers for the office of lay pastor, those who clearly are called to this office will be commissioned to pastor our smaller congregations.
"In short, God has led us to recognize that smaller congregations can be effectively nurtured and led by Spirit-gifted and empowered, trained lay pastors," Mr. Feazell said.
Church Administration is preparing an application and interview process that will begin to be implemented in the next few weeks.
Mr. Feazell acknowledged the need for caution: "The applications will be carefully prepared to reflect the appropriate qualifications for pastoral roles, and will require appropriate recommendations and references."
Applicants will be screened, interviewed and given high-quality, intensive training.
Lay pastors will serve on a probationary basis for six months, and will continue to receive training from Church Administration and their regional pastor.
Mr. Feazell commented: "These men will be respected as pastors in their own right. They are not second-class pastors in any way. They will have access to the same church resources as full-time pastors have.
"Every congregation needs a pastor who is truly gifted and equipped for the job, who is trained, and who has a heart prepared by the Holy Spirit for pastoral work.
"I believe the Holy Spirit will provide such pastors. They will be people whom God is calling and gifting for pastoral ministry, and who are willing, in service to Jesus Christ, to take on the responsibility (perhaps relocating to do so) of pastoring a small congregation without pay.
"As Pastor General Tkach has stated, one of our goals is to place a qualified resident pastor in every congregation.
"We believe, as I think you do, that for the long-term spiritual health and vitality of the church, every congregation ultimately needs its own called and trained on-site pastor whose sole pastoral assignment is that one congregation," Mr. Feazell said.
Gerald Schnarrenberger of Church Administration spoke on the recruitment and training of lay pastors.
Mr. Schnarrenberger described a system in which lay pastors (not on the payroll) would serve smaller churches and full-time pastors would serve larger churches.
On Tuesday, Aug. 13, Dan Rogers, superintendent of U.S. ministers, presented an overview of nearly 2,000 years of Christian theology.
"We deal with a variety of ideas about God, Christ, salvation and Christian living," Mr. Rogers said.
"When we discuss these topics with other Christians, we need to be aware of what has already been discussed. It is helpful to see how others have handled questions, where consensus has been reached, and what ideas have been shown to be unbiblical.
"We need to know how terms generally are used, so that we do not misuse them and cause misunderstandings about what we believe.
"We need to study theology and church history to give us the background for discussing theological topics with other Christians."
Mr. Rogers also addressed the need for humility in doctrinal opinions: "It is presumptuous for someone who has only recently learned about the new covenant to claim to have the truth about a particular doctrine, when that doctrine has been discussed for almost 2,000 years without consensus being reached.
"A principle we need to keep in mind is: In essentials, we should have unity. In nonessentials, liberty, and in all things, charity."
Marlin E. Thomas, founder and director of Resources for Resolving Conflict, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, spoke to the regional pastors about conflict resolution in the church.
Dr. Thomas helps Christian churches, families, ministry organizations, businesses and the community at large to build hope in overcoming the destructive effects of internal conflict, abuse and indiscretions that destroy relationships and render ministry and service ineffective.
Conflict is a reality of life, Dr. Thomas said. It is important to be able to identify conflict and be able to respond appropriately.
People avoid conflict because it is painful. However, Dr. Thomas said, when conflict occurs, we have an opportunity for reconciliation.
Dr. Thomas suggested the following:
1) Be patient with those who trouble us--Matthew 5:39.
Don't fight back in a nasty way. Overcome evil with good. You don't have to punish every evil deed. You don't have to be a doormat either.
2) Work at being a peacemaker- Ephesians 4:3.
Being at peace doesn't come easily. As much as possible, live peaceably with others.
3) Provide mutual recognition of each other's views-- Philippians 2:2-4.
Respect diversity. You don't have to agree, but you do have to respect.
4) Do not quickly pass judgment on others--Romans 14:1-15:1-6. Accept other's differences.
In an Aug. 17 session, church consultant Carl George (author of Prepare Your Church for the Future) said that each movement is chastened so it can do more.
He said that it is through adversity that God makes us able and competent ministers. He referred to the time when the storm arose and the disciples panicked while Jesus was asleep in the boat.
If there is no storm, Dr. George said, there will be no gain in insight. It was God who sent the disciples into the storm. God wants hardiness, and pain serves that purpose in our lives.
When we hurt, God reminds us that others are hurting worse than we are and they don't have him to rely on. God comforts us so we can comfort others.
This is a model for Christian ministers, and this is a primary way in which God makes us competent.
Accountability is greater under the new covenant than under the old, Dr. George said. That is something many churches have had to learn, and some have yet to learn.
"I am looking forward to what God is going to do in your church," Dr. George said. "The recent trials are God's gifts to you so you can be fully useful to Jesus. When you look back on it you will be thankful to Christ for what he has done for you."
Dr. George and his wife, Grace, celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary Aug. 17. After Dr. George's presentation Church Administration presented him with a bouquet of flowers to take home to his wife.
Edna Barr, Thomas C. Hanson, Michael Morrison and Ray Meyer contributed to this article.
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