Month: February 2007

Brian and I attended the Church Ministry in Focus conference today at Dallas Theological Seminary, where Andy Stanley was the keynote speaker. We had a good time. I ordered a DVD of his two sessions today as well as the church pastor panel if anyone’s interested in watching it later.
I thought I’d share some notes from the conference before I head to city council tonight and I’d love to hear some feedback.
These first notes are from the pastor’s panel, which included Carl Anderson (Trinity Fellowship Church), Gary Brandenburg (Fellowship Bible Church), Dr. Phil Humphries (Clearwater Community Church), Dr. Andy McQuitty (Irving Bible Church), Dr. Maurice Pugh (South Arlington Community Church) and Matthew St. John, (Scofield Memorial Church):

We must raise the level of unification in our churches to the Kingdom of God – regardless of race, age, or demographic. If we are unified around the Kingdom of God then people will unite.

The Kingdom of God transcends era and generations.

People want something bigger than themselves to look towards.

We must put feet to our faith and get involved in actually touching lives.
And here are some notes from the workshop over Developing Mature Believers, taught by Todd Wagner (Watermark Community Church):

We must first ask what do we want to produce? What is a mature believer?

Christ said a student will not be greater than the teacher.
– sounds like Star Wars to me
– if we want a mature church we must be mature and seeking Christ fully ourselves

Local communities (churches) do not expect enough out of Christians
– we don’t expect what God expects
– we’re happy if they show up, bring a few friends, leave money in the plate and come back next week

There must be a ripple effect
– we can only reproduce after our own kind
– if we’re not living as mature Christians we can’t expect others to

Our goal should be to make people like Christ
– not getting them to read and fill out three notebooks on how to be like Christ
– focus on the goal

A fully devoted follower of Christ is someone who, when shown an area of their life that needs improvement, will say, “Thank you,” and move forward and take steps to make corrections.
– you can be a fully devoted follower of Christ the second you accept Christ
– there’s a difference between a devoted follower and a mature Christian

Spiritual leadership is not a question of knowledge, it’s a question of passion and seeking Christ.
– a spiritual leader can lead without a lot of book/Bible knowledge if they make every decision based on what scripture tells us. they may not know themselves but they can seek God’s will and direction from others.

A mature believer:
1. Spends time in God’s Word
– buy a Bible you’ll read
– knowledge does not equal maturity
– we will be what we are now becoming
– it is up to us to build the means for people to find God
2. Runs with other disciples
– avoid isolation
– if people are not willing to build community they are not really seeking Christ
– community is transforming, authentic and relational
– authentic community brings about conflict
— think about marriage
– conflict is not a problem, it’s an opportunity to glorify God
– when working through conflict we’re making disciples
– any moving machine has conflict or friction
– if you want to avoid conflict, live in a cemetary
3. Is involved in the game and other people’s lives
– push people into other’s lives

Communicate why being a mature believer is important
– tell people what their marriage will be like
– tell people what their funeral will be like
– tell people what their job will be like
– tell people what their relationships will be like

Are you being shepperded?

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Last week I said I’d post the podcast from Brian’s message on Christ being the head of the church – to go along with the activity we did as a church on Sunday morning.
I finally got a chance to do that last night. So listen away on the encounter podcast.
And subscribe now to get all the weekly messages or subscribe via iTunes.

As if it weren’t provocative enough to hold a debate on religion in America, panelists in a recent debate were tasked with answering the following: “Is America Too Damn Religious?”
The event was part of a series of Oxford-style debates called Intelligence Squared U.S. Produced in New York City by WNYC, it is based on the Intelligence Squared program that began in London in 2002. Three experts argue in favor of the motion; three others argue against it.
In a vote before the debate, about 67 percent of the audience agreed with the motion. After hearing the debate, more than 70 percent agreed with the motion, roughly 24 percent were opposed and about 5 percent were undecided, concluding that America is in fact “too damn religious.”
NPR has a 50 minute edited version of the debate as well as some of the highlights like this one:

The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, says: “What is a damned religion? Damned religion is a religion so weak-willed and unsure of its own capacity to persuade others to support it or live by its guidance that it seeks the blessing of government. That it seeks financial aid from government. And that it even tries to convert its theological beliefs into legislative fiats. This damned form of religion is a corruption both of faith and of constitutional democracy. And it makes a mockery of the best in our history….”

and one against the motion:

Jean Bethke Elshtain, a professor of social and political ethics at the University of Chicago: “One should not, from any direction, separate America’s citizens who accept a secular world from those, the religious, who alleged do not. Citizens of religious commitment are among the most enthusiastic supporters of a secular government. They don’t want established religion, but they also understand that to support a secular government and state does not commit us to a thoroughly secularized society, shorn of religious voices, symbols, activities and commitments. We would be a greatly impoverished country were this to come to pass. So too damned religious? Nope. Just pretty damned American….”