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Top 12 from 2012 from Vineyard Churches

 

 

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Here are the most read, watched and listened to resources of the year from Vineyard Churches.

 

A cracking top ten by Rich Nathan, Senior pastor of Vineyard Columbus, Ohio:

Pastors and church planters face enormous demands as we try to juggle family responsibilities, ministry, and often, school and part-time jobs. How can we live sustainable lives? We read of tragic pastoral failures on a weekly basis. Most pastors don’t last in the ministry for five years (perhaps the only way we pastors are like pro football players!). I’ve been a pastor for 25 years. Here are ten practices that have enabled me to pastor for the long-haul.

#1 Build a rock-solid daily personal devotional life with God. This simply means that you spend time every day soaking in God’s presence. You can handle an enormous amount of pressure, if your foundation is solid. Pressure is not the problem. Weak foundations are the problem. If your foundation is shaky, you won’t be able to handle very much at all. Maybe you’ve heard the expression: “You can’t fire a cannon out of a canoe.” If you are really going to accomplish something; if you are going to be able to achieve and do the great things that God has in store for you to achieve and do, you need a strong foundation. The cannon of your life needs to be bolted into granite. And the granite of your life is your rock-solid personal time with God every day.

#2 Choose a prayer partner, who is a peer and with whom you can be utterly transparent. What I have personally done in my own life for the past 20 years and what we require of every pastor on the staff of Vineyard Columbus is to have a prayer partner. At Vineyard Columbus we take one day every month outside of the office talking and praying with our prayer partner. We have a set of accountability questions that we ask each other such as:

a. Are you struggling with sexual purity in any way?
b. Have you seen any pornography, or anything on TV or in a movie that you shouldn’t have watched?
c. Have you done anything sexually you shouldn’t have done?
d. Are there any emotional attachments forming with someone who is not your spouse?
e. Have you handled your money and financial dealings with absolute integrity?
f. Have you experienced any breach in any relationship? Are you at peace with everyone?
g. Have you forgiven everyone for everything?
h. Are you experiencing intimacy with God on a regular basis?

#3 If you are married, schedule a weekly date night with your spouse. It is really important to stay current and to fuel romance and intimacy with your spouse. My wife and I have a regular date every Monday. It doesn’t need to be expensive. It could be coffee and a long walk through a park or a leisurely breakfast. But schedule a weekly date with your spouse outside your home.

#4 Get financial counseling from a professional financial counselor. Strongly consider (if you are married, with your spouse) going to a course like Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Life is sustainable when your financial house is in order.

#5 Ruthlessly avoid all compromising situations with the opposite sex. There are few things that derail people from the plan of God more than sexual impurity. Jim Downing, who is one of the patriarchs of the Navigator organization, was asked some years ago: Why is it that so few people finish well? His response was profound. He said: “They learn the possibility of being fruitful without being pure. They begin to believe that purity doesn’t matter. Eventually, they become like trees rotting inside that are eventually toppled by a storm.” Live a sexually pure life.

#6 Take care of yourself physically. Join a gym. Get into the habit of walking with a friend. Watch your diet. It is not enough that you’re involved in ministry. It is not even enough that you grow in internal purity and intimacy with God. You are a whole person. Your life is integrated - body, soul and spirit. You cannot neglect your body or your emotional life and continue to do well. So, take care of yourself physically.

#7 Do not confuse knowledge or skills or giftedness for spiritual maturity. You are gifted. You may know a lot. You may help many people. None of those things are the same as spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is a matter of your internal character, your honesty, your willingness to forgive everyone for everything, your joy during trials, your trust in the sovereignty of God, your endurance in hard times, and your unwillingness to compromise integrity. Don’t confuse knowledge or skills or giftedness for spiritual maturity.

#8 If you are married, take a great marriage inventory with your spouse and have a professional marriage counselor discuss the results with you. Here at Vineyard Columbus we offer a marriage inventory called LIMRI. We have regular marriage retreats. Do a marriage inventory especially at the front-end of pastoring, and every few years after that.

#9 Join a small group (and if married, join with your spouse). Christianity is a team sport. We cannot grow successfully apart from biblical community. Join a men’s group, a women’s group, a coed group, or a recovery group where you can know and be known.

#10 Cultivate the fear of the Lord and a fear of sin. We sinners always dreadfully under-estimate the cost of sin and dreadfully over-estimate our ability to manage the consequences after we choose to sin. Sin costs and once you choose to sin, the consequences are out of your hands. We read in Proverbs 14.26-27, He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children I will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

Deuteronomy 10.12-13 says, And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Psalm 34.9 tells us this: Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.

Psalm 128:1 says: Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways.

 

ASD

Being Shrove Tuesday, our church plant, Stour Valley Vineyard Church is taking to the streets to do our Great Big Pancake Giveaway, offering these culinary delights to our town's office and shop workers, along with the shoppers themselves.

The 'Great Big GIveaways' came about after reading American Vineyard Pastor Dave Workman's book three years ago called The Outward Focused Life, which is all about creating 'a servant culture in a serve me world'. If you don't have a copy, buy one.

Today we'll be out there with our familiar SVV Gazebo, along with camping gas cookers, frying pans and spatulas. This follows on from the other mass giveaways we do, such as hot mince pies at Christmas, bottles of water and juices in the Summer, heart-shaped chocolates on Valentine's Day and Hot Cross Buns on Palm Sunday.

So why do we do it?

it is part of our expression of what we believe we are called to be: kind to strangers. We are in the Kingdom business of wanting to show a God of kindness and generosity - with no strings attached. We don't give it a name like evangelism. This is way too loaded and full of over-expectation. However, it is undoubtedly a witness and is making hopefully a postive statement why we do what we do. And we love it.

Of course, we want to see our church grow numerically and spiritually, but if we reduce evangelism to a free pancake on a cold Shrove Tuesday lunchtime it becomes a cheap gimmick and we should be very ashamed of ourselves.

Admittedly, but unbegrudgingly, it does costs us quite of a lot of time, money and energy to do these community events, and if we were looking at these from a business investment perspective I am not that sure we would have many financial backers.

But that's the Kingdom for you. It often takes the reverse position to point people towards Christ without distraction.

For instance, we see in the gospels the coming of Christ in an unkingly manner born in a dirty stable, the lonely unglamourous death on a Roman cross and the unexpected power of the resurrection. This is not an obvious formula for success. However following Jesus has spawned a worldwide movement, spanning 2,000 years and encompassing a third of the world's population, as well as still being the fastest growing major faith system.

This makes God's way very different to the world's. The Kingdom of God is an upside down way of working. For instance, In our weakness we find strength, we are told the first shall be last and the least shall be great. Whoever wants position must be another's servant.

So we go out on the streets and do something untriumphantly understated as give out a pancake. However we believe 'small acts of kindness done with great love', to quote Mother Teresa, can change the world. And it is within every Christian's grasp to do it, individually and corporately.

Yes, it means we are have to be sacrificial with our resouces without looking for a return on our investments, otherwise we are not truly being servant-hearted. For some today it will mean booking a day off work, lose a day's pay or simply getting the courage up to leave the walls of the church building and be seen as a servant of Christ in our community.

So as we prepare to begin Lent tomorrow, on Ash Wednesday, which for many Christians will mean abstention of certain things, may I wish you all a very Happy Pancake Day!

ASD

 

 

 

This weekend my family were forced to make the less than holy pilgrimage to Ikea.

It is something that we are obliged to do as part of our annual devotions of making our house more liveable. As we passed through the temple of all things MDF and colourful, we came across the ultimate in flat-pack products - the Pepparkakshus Gingerbread House in the food section.

Now admittedly I didn't buy it, but I was curious to know if it came with an Allen key and a 'how to assemble' instruction booklet.

After a morning of saying to my long-suffering wife, "Ikea - sheesh! They think of everything" I just sighed and thought this time they really have.

Of course IKEA is not everyone's cup of Sweedish tea. And if you are not into modern, practical urban living which comes in a flat pack I can quite understand, but there is something about it that draws you in. You try and be strong, principled and focused, but then something happens.You start finding the most bizarre and irrelevant item unexpectedly alluring. And then, before you know it, it's in your big yellow bag!

I find that once in Ikea it is easy not to have to think too much. If you have not come with a purpose, you can end up wandering around with the rest of the crowds, following the large arrows on the floors. Everything is thought out for your convenience.

Now I have heard it said by some respected people that some sections of the Church are in danger of offering flat-pack Christianity. You know, things like having our theology, teaching and worship neatly packaged for easy consumption on a Sunday morning. 

In fact, I can remember in the early days of the Alternative Worship movement, which I had been vaguely part of before it became the 'Emerging Church' movement, how some antagonists liked to mock traditional Evangelicals for just accepting what was put in front of them. It was easy pickings, but I found it quite harsh and judgementalist. It became a way to validate their own actions and reason for being.

The truth is 'flat-pack thinking' is everywhere and pervades most areas of our society at some level. I see even so-called New Atheists are now being accused of what amounts as flat-pack ideology. They have a worked out mantra with cliched arguments and seem incapable of accommodating other views of atheists of theists. Even spelling this out to them out can be met with a testy response.

Extreme political ideologies do the same. They offer one solution and one way of doing it. Isn't that how dictactorships start? Enough said.

One of the things I feel that we have to keep in our sights is the fact that Christianity has been called by academics, past and present, the greatest philosophical religion in the world. It is known as the 'queen of sciences'. By definition, it has required not only faith, but reason (the ability to think).

Peter in his first letter writes that we should "always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in us" (1 Pet 3:15). Our faith operates best using the head and heart, but lest it falls into a dry theoretical faith system, it also requires 'hands' - faith with action.

I find myself asking myself on a Monday morning: if the church we love really is to be effective and vital in a fast-changing geo-social environment, how does it exactly remain outward-focused - and in the world?  It must resist the temptation to withdraw and simply "huddle and cuddle" behind closed doors.

But I do recognise that there are risks with a truly outward-focused strategy. It means any 'flat-pack thinking' will get tested to the nth degree. At some stage, if we are doing it right, we will be forced to think outside of the flat, brown cardboard box. Now that has got to be a good thing.

We should all be able to agree on the basic materials, i.e., the Bible and doctrine, but we'll need to work out our own building solution, which is relevant and meaningful to our space and context.

Don't hear me wrong on this, ministries like Alpha are great, but they aren't everything. We need more entrepreneurs!

I believe that maybe the most successful building of the church in the 21st Century will require more work, more effort, more money, more hours... In fact, more 'carpet time' with God in prayer, but the end result will be worth it. And I bet stronger than a flat-pack programme!  If not, we will probably get frustrated with the instructions when 'A', does not going into 'B'.

As I reflected more on my Ikea flat-pack Gingerbread House, I thought of those words by Paul to the Church at Corinth: "We have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling." (2 Cor 5:1b-2a).

I'll put my hand up and say it is a struggle to continually think for yourself, pray for yourself, read the Bible for yourself (I say that as a church planter, husband and father), but we really are not doing it alone. We may at times groan for the burden of life to be lifted, but as Paul the apostle goes on to say we are "given the Holy Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."  We live by faith, not sight. That should give us some comfort.

We might not have the nice catalogue picture that shows us the how the finished article will look, but by faith, and suffering, we get on and build it...one carpenter's nail at a time. 

Time for a ginger biscuit.

ASD

 

 

My youngest child has got into the slightly annoying habit of saying "Why?" a lot at the moment. Her mother and I are not sure whether half the time it is a real question or just a way of keeping the attention on her. Nevertheless, it has become a part of her conversational style. In the last week I have been asking the question: Why me? But not in a self-piteous or negative way.

As our young church plant turned three this last weekend I saw the faithfulness of God in our journey, but sometimes I struggle with the responsibility of it all. I also know my weaknesses. I can say the wrongs things, do the wrongs, let friends down, give oxygen to the things I struggle with. And yet out of this imperfection I still find myself being used by God. Extraordinary.

For any pastor church is hard work and long hours, and the cost has already been great, but there's nothing quite like it when you see a prayer answered and circumstances change. All the difficulties and disappointments find their perspective in the grand narrative. But we never forget to tell each other we are on a journey.

Most people come to God because they want something out of him, but we are aiming to be a church that learns to come to God because of who he is and to simply to love him. For example, using the analogy of marriage, who marries someone just because of what they can get out of the other partner? It is nonsense isn't it?

As we begin our fourth year, we recognise that many people are nervous of coming to church because they feel they will be judged by Christians. Judged for being a single mum, judged for being a divorcee, judged for having a teenage abortion, judged for working as a lap dancer, judged for being gay. It takes a lot of courage to come through the door. I wonder why then we can make it so difficult for people by saying you must behave and believe our doctrines before you put another foot forward?

In that time honoured tradition we have learnt to say "come as you are" and mean it. Now that can be costly, as so often we like church to be normal, well organised and predictable. We have got it how we want it and don't want anyone messing with something that we have been perfecting over a number of years.

Yet for the Lord to grow his church he needs to grow our hearts in compassion. Change has to happen in us before we can expect to see it in others.

In Matthew's gospel it says that "when Jesus saw the crowd he had compassion on them" (Matthew 9:36). Crowds by description would suggest that they are strangers, unknown people. Yet Jesus was demonstrating the need for kindness towards them.

He says that they are "harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd". In other words, strangers need caring for. We need to get to know them. The church doesn't just look after itself.

It is a privilige to be called to serve others in this way and I am so grateful for those who have come alongside us to work in the "harvest field". I suspect also that I am not the only one asking, Why me?

If you are not a Christian and and reading this you need to know that none of us feel particularly special or sorted.

It is grace - and grace alone.

ASD

A couple of things I have always admired about the Church of England.

Firstly, its sheer ability to survive, considering the amount of controversies and challenges it has faced over the centuries.

Secondly, the broad beast that it is, allows for new initiatives such as Fresh Expressions to be pioneered alongside traditional churchmanships. It is now joined by the Methodists, URC and Sally Army amongst others. This is something that the Archbishop of Canterbury has called a 'mixed economy'.

To that end, there is a great article in The Times illustrating some of this 'fresh thinking'.

Bishop Graham Cray writes:

“It is clear that something very substantial has happened...Episcopal leadership is saying ‘Go for it, it’s a good thing’. The old churchwardens’ mantra, whenever a vicar suggested something new, of ‘the bishop won’t allow it’ has gone. Now the bishop would be very disappointed if you didn’t try it.”

Good stuff, Graham. Thanks for inspiring us with the stories.

ASD

I don't often write about my experiences as a Vineyard church planter. I sort of think most people in regular civvy life, Christian or non-Christian are not that interested, so if you aren't a leader and want to pop off and see how we are doing in the Cricket, I'll forgive you.

Still there?

I have put some thoughts from a church planting coach below, which I pass on to any other would-be church planter mad enough to answer the call.

But I have to first add that I recognise some reading this might think it is a weird thing to do.  Surely I could find myself a nice quiet hobby. For others, in a more traditional setting, they, perhaps, don't understand why I am not now ordained in the Church of England and making life easier for myself.

But the truth is I love the Vineyard's values and it has been instrumental in keeping me in the Church at a time when I was on the point of giving up. So it is not just a channel of service or an option, but my family. That is not to say the Vineyard is perfect. Far from it. But it one wonderful expression of the beautiful thing we call the Church.

So I find myself church planting because I love the Church and feel it is the best way to reach people with the good news I received myself - that being the gospel of Jesus Christ. To Him I am eternally grateful.

However, many church plants fail and that bothers me. I am told that for every three new churches started in the UK three are closed. If that statistic is true it is deeply depressing. So what can cause a church plant to stumble?

Via Rick Warren. David Putnam, a pastor at Mountain Lake Church, Stateside, makes some worthwhile quick-fire observations regarding:

1.  Underestimating the cost

2.  Violating the Sabbath

3.  Hanging on too long

4.  Not having a coach

Although you may need to read this through the lens of your own church situation, one thing that particular stood out at me was the fact that church planters want to rush ahead. David says:

"Most of us quick-start church-planter types are driven by the urgency of the calendar. We tend to focus on a launch date, and regardless if we are ready or not, we launch. Instead of being driven by the calendar, it would serve us well to be driven by milestones. Milestones focus on the accomplishment of strategic actions."

We can also look around and secretly harbour thoughts to be like such-and-such church down the road. It can become our model and benchmark for what we want our church to look like. The result? it can make us disappointed, ungrateful people.

When Jesus describes Peter as 'the rock' the Church would be built upon in Matthew 16:18 I have to smile. In Matthew's gospel Peter doesn't seem to fit the bill at all.  Not someone who you would naturally think is solid, reliable and go the distance.

You might also think, as Peter might himself, that Jesus was a lousy judge of character. But God in his infinite wisdom knows better. 

Peter made some mistakes, but was used amazingly by God. Any church planter should take encouragement from this example.

I have found a piece of old advice given by Vineyard's founder John Wimber to pastor Lance Pitluck (Anaheim Vineyard) useful and I pass it on as a last thought before the weekend:

"If you have oak, build with oak. If you have bamboo, build with bamboo."

In other words, be content with what you've got.

Whatever you have, the church still gets built. If He is in the centre of the plan and the plan is His, relax.  it might not look as you first might imagined or dreamed, but, hey, we go with it and enjoy the ride!

ASD

 

There is an interesting post on the Vineyard USA site which looks at this question. As a church planter myself I often wonder what makes idiots like us go out and do such a crazy thing! It is a lot of hard work, self-sacrifice and heartache. How did we get into this place?

Of course, reflecting on such a question when you have just spent all your physical and emotional energy and grace levels over a busy period is not a particular good idea!

It is an immense privilege to see the birth a church and start to watch it grow. Much like the birth of a baby, it is both exciting and exhausting. Some days it is great to be a father. Other days you find yourself longing for a simple life again. Of course, no-one really wants to go back to how things are before, that was boring, but we do like to let off steam once in a while.

I am truly grateful to God for all those he brings to us as 'pioneers'. They, too, have made a sacrifice. Rather than go to the big church down the road they have made a cognitive decision to get 'hands-on' with us.

Is there a personality type for this type of calling or is it just a Spirit of God thing?  Hm!

In my own experience I believe, on the whole, it is the latter?  Of course, faith, a sense of fun and a willingness to do absolutely anything and everything are not bad attributes to behold. And the for pastor I would recommend some theological and pastoral training, but the big thing has got to be knowing you are called. If you do not know that you could be in some trouble.

In established churches it is possible to avoid this issue, but in small church plants (and here I am talking in the Vineyard's definition being a church of under 60 people) something deep needs to sustain you.

For me that has been the constant faithfulness of God's blessing on me and my family and the wonderful friendships I have made since staring this thing. I hope that can be said of others too.

Otherwise, when the going gets tough the tough sadly go missing! And that is tragic.

ASD

The following article appeared in June's edition of Community News, a great little magazine which goes out to our town and surrounding areas. As I am aware that a large number are out of the circulation area, here it is again...

As the pastor of Stour Valley Vineyard Church, I have a confession: I have no faith in religion. There, said it. However, I think faith is great and a lot of us are pretty good at it. You might be thinking, “isn’t that being semantic? Aren’t religion and faith the same?”

Nope!  But stick with me and I’ll try and explain.  Faith leads to hope, it helps us to live life. Faith overcomes fear. Faith is also the dividing line between us and other species.

And contrary to opinion, faith is not the property of the Church.  Everyone has faith of some sort. Faith the sun will rise; faith that if we drop an egg it will break because of Newton’s gravity; faith in other people’s advice. In short, faith is critical to life. Without it we would do nothing.

And then there is religious faith.

There is the religion of large corporations like IBM and Google and Apple. There is the religion of sport, the religion of music. Each one draws its own set of followers and requires it adheres to its set of spoken or unspoken rules.

This is why we humans invented religion: to give our faith a system to belong, grow and develop. Religion is a like a mantra that tells us that belief is okay, it will help to get us there.

I once played, by invitation, at a rather posh golf club. At one point during play my gamesmanship was called into question. Later as I left the clubhouse a member thrust a weighty rule book into my hand. I was embarrassed and humiliated to say the least. This is the problem with religion, when you don’t play by its rules it wants to correct you, whether you want it or not.  At this point you accept or reject it. I never played there again.

The problem is that religion is a hindrance for many of us; it doesn’t support our faith, merely props up the status quo.  At worse, it judges, divides and subdues us.

Now, even by me writing these things I suspect some might feel threatened. Not by the implied criticism of some long held rituals and methodology, but because it probably feels like criticism of personal faith.  Please don’t. That’s not my intention. Faith is a gift from God.

I love my own faith because of what it stands for.  I guess I wouldn’t be a pastor if I didn’t!  But I understand that not all people share my enthusiasm. This is maybe because for them being a Christian is another word for being ‘religious’ and therefore is a barrier. It would be for me.  Yet if we lose the institutional aspects of church life maybe we might find at its core something that is personal, practical and real. Something that Jesus, perhaps, meant it to be.

The truth is I don’t want people to love religion or become ‘church goers’.  Pretty sure God doesn’t either.  I simply want people to have the chance to know God personally through his son Jesus –without all the nonsense.

I am told that well over 50% of the population believe in God.  Along with other churches in our area we’d like to help turn that belief into a personal faith.  Faith that gives hope and healing.

Maybe at some stage Emma and I might see you at a service at the Town Hall, Sudbury (usually 2^nd & 4^th Sundays of the month). Whatever, you’ll be welcome to come just as you are.

We’re a normal bunch of informal, all embracing, non-critical, non-religious people.  And I promise not to put a ‘rule book’ in your hand as you leave.

Have a blessed weekend and Father's Day.

ASD

I have been musing over something that the 18th century Scottish moral philosopher and economist Adam Smith said: to paraphrase, an established clergy is not willing to fight very hard to leave their church buildings and to go out to declare what it believes in.

It has been given as one of the reasons why we are seeing church attendance decline in this country, compared to the vibrant Christian faith that abounds elsewhere in the world.

Where Christianity has had competition it has been forced to reflect what it actually does believe and work out whether it is worth dying for. It makes a good reason why the Church of England may have a better future ultimately becoming disestablished.

Coming from the Church of England, I have seen how people like 'mild Anglicanism'.It keeps things pleasant and not too challenging. I have had conversations with people who have said to me, in so many words, ‘have a conscience by all means, but don’t put your convictions in my face please.’  And that is just fellow Christians!  

Of course, every denomination has its struggles, including my own tribe Vineyard, but it does need us to think movement, not establishment. Having said that, I recognise that 'established' is another word for rooted. And to be rooted is not such a bad thing, just along as we plant as well.

Or to use another analogy with a Western theme, we can identify that there are two types of Christian: the pioneer and the settler.

The pioneer loves to go out and do new things, they enjoy the frontier experience, the adventure, moving into uncharted territory. It’s what makes them feel alive and sharpens their faith in Jesus.

The settler, on the other hand, likes to arrive when things are established and when it feels safe enough to bring the family with them. They aren’t necessarily starters of new ministries, but they know how to manage them and are hugely important in bringing stability to church life. They can share the vision for a missional church just as much as the pioneer type.

Interestingly, I was talking to another pastor recently and we were discussing how church planters (pioneers) can often feel rootless. They have no compunction about moving around. Home is spiritual and relational, not necessarily geographical.  The only consideration for not moving more is probably the pressure of a spouse saying, ‘Hey, honey, think about the children!’

The truth is, whether we recognise ourselves as a pioneer or settler, we all have to get out and ‘fight the good fight with all of our might’.  We need to be outward-focused and allow ourselves to be continually challenged by the competition, whether it is secularism, atheism, Islam or plain and simple apathy.

However, importantly, we need to remember that our enemy is not a person, but a spiritual being.

God is love. Our weapon is not judgement, it is mercy. We are called to love all, be generous to all, but it does require us to leave our pews and come out fighting to do it.

ASD

 

10 Commandments for Church Planters and Pastors

A cracking top ten by Rich Nathan, Senior pastor of Vineyard Columbus, Ohio:

Pastors and church planters face enormous demands as we try to juggle family responsibilities, ministry, and often, school and part-time jobs. How can we live sustainable lives? We read of tragic pastoral failures on a weekly basis. Most pastors don’t last in the ministry for five years (perhaps the only way we pastors are like pro football players!). I’ve been a pastor for 25 years. Here are ten practices that have enabled me to pastor for the long-haul.

#1 Build a rock-solid daily personal devotional life with God. This simply means that you spend time every day soaking in God’s presence. You can handle an enormous amount of pressure, if your foundation is solid. Pressure is not the problem. Weak foundations are the problem. If your foundation is shaky, you won’t be able to handle very much at all. Maybe you’ve heard the expression: “You can’t fire a cannon out of a canoe.” If you are really going to accomplish something; if you are going to be able to achieve and do the great things that God has in store for you to achieve and do, you need a strong foundation. The cannon of your life needs to be bolted into granite. And the granite of your life is your rock-solid personal time with God every day.

#2 Choose a prayer partner, who is a peer and with whom you can be utterly transparent. What I have personally done in my own life for the past 20 years and what we require of every pastor on the staff of Vineyard Columbus is to have a prayer partner. At Vineyard Columbus we take one day every month outside of the office talking and praying with our prayer partner. We have a set of accountability questions that we ask each other such as:

a. Are you struggling with sexual purity in any way?
b. Have you seen any pornography, or anything on TV or in a movie that you shouldn’t have watched?
c. Have you done anything sexually you shouldn’t have done?
d. Are there any emotional attachments forming with someone who is not your spouse?
e. Have you handled your money and financial dealings with absolute integrity?
f. Have you experienced any breach in any relationship? Are you at peace with everyone?
g. Have you forgiven everyone for everything?
h. Are you experiencing intimacy with God on a regular basis?

#3 If you are married, schedule a weekly date night with your spouse. It is really important to stay current and to fuel romance and intimacy with your spouse. My wife and I have a regular date every Monday. It doesn’t need to be expensive. It could be coffee and a long walk through a park or a leisurely breakfast. But schedule a weekly date with your spouse outside your home.

#4 Get financial counseling from a professional financial counselor. Strongly consider (if you are married, with your spouse) going to a course like Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Life is sustainable when your financial house is in order.

#5 Ruthlessly avoid all compromising situations with the opposite sex. There are few things that derail people from the plan of God more than sexual impurity. Jim Downing, who is one of the patriarchs of the Navigator organization, was asked some years ago: Why is it that so few people finish well? His response was profound. He said: “They learn the possibility of being fruitful without being pure. They begin to believe that purity doesn’t matter. Eventually, they become like trees rotting inside that are eventually toppled by a storm.” Live a sexually pure life.

#6 Take care of yourself physically. Join a gym. Get into the habit of walking with a friend. Watch your diet. It is not enough that you’re involved in ministry. It is not even enough that you grow in internal purity and intimacy with God. You are a whole person. Your life is integrated - body, soul and spirit. You cannot neglect your body or your emotional life and continue to do well. So, take care of yourself physically.

#7 Do not confuse knowledge or skills or giftedness for spiritual maturity. You are gifted. You may know a lot. You may help many people. None of those things are the same as spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is a matter of your internal character, your honesty, your willingness to forgive everyone for everything, your joy during trials, your trust in the sovereignty of God, your endurance in hard times, and your unwillingness to compromise integrity. Don’t confuse knowledge or skills or giftedness for spiritual maturity.

#8 If you are married, take a great marriage inventory with your spouse and have a professional marriage counselor discuss the results with you. Here at Vineyard Columbus we offer a marriage inventory called LIMRI. We have regular marriage retreats. Do a marriage inventory especially at the front-end of pastoring, and every few years after that.

#9 Join a small group (and if married, join with your spouse). Christianity is a team sport. We cannot grow successfully apart from biblical community. Join a men’s group, a women’s group, a coed group, or a recovery group where you can know and be known.

#10 Cultivate the fear of the Lord and a fear of sin. We sinners always dreadfully under-estimate the cost of sin and dreadfully over-estimate our ability to manage the consequences after we choose to sin. Sin costs and once you choose to sin, the consequences are out of your hands. We read in Proverbs 14.26-27, He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children I will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

Deuteronomy 10.12-13 says, And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Psalm 34.9 tells us this: Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.

Psalm 128:1 says: Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways.

 

ASD

'Happy Pancake Day' from the church

Being Shrove Tuesday, our church plant, Stour Valley Vineyard Church is taking to the streets to do our Great Big Pancake Giveaway, offering these culinary delights to our town's office and shop workers, along with the shoppers themselves.

The 'Great Big GIveaways' came about after reading American Vineyard Pastor Dave Workman's book three years ago called The Outward Focused Life, which is all about creating 'a servant culture in a serve me world'. If you don't have a copy, buy one.

Today we'll be out there with our familiar SVV Gazebo, along with camping gas cookers, frying pans and spatulas. This follows on from the other mass giveaways we do, such as hot mince pies at Christmas, bottles of water and juices in the Summer, heart-shaped chocolates on Valentine's Day and Hot Cross Buns on Palm Sunday.

So why do we do it?

it is part of our expression of what we believe we are called to be: kind to strangers. We are in the Kingdom business of wanting to show a God of kindness and generosity - with no strings attached. We don't give it a name like evangelism. This is way too loaded and full of over-expectation. However, it is undoubtedly a witness and is making hopefully a postive statement why we do what we do. And we love it.

Of course, we want to see our church grow numerically and spiritually, but if we reduce evangelism to a free pancake on a cold Shrove Tuesday lunchtime it becomes a cheap gimmick and we should be very ashamed of ourselves.

Admittedly, but unbegrudgingly, it does costs us quite of a lot of time, money and energy to do these community events, and if we were looking at these from a business investment perspective I am not that sure we would have many financial backers.

But that's the Kingdom for you. It often takes the reverse position to point people towards Christ without distraction.

For instance, we see in the gospels the coming of Christ in an unkingly manner born in a dirty stable, the lonely unglamourous death on a Roman cross and the unexpected power of the resurrection. This is not an obvious formula for success. However following Jesus has spawned a worldwide movement, spanning 2,000 years and encompassing a third of the world's population, as well as still being the fastest growing major faith system.

This makes God's way very different to the world's. The Kingdom of God is an upside down way of working. For instance, In our weakness we find strength, we are told the first shall be last and the least shall be great. Whoever wants position must be another's servant.

So we go out on the streets and do something untriumphantly understated as give out a pancake. However we believe 'small acts of kindness done with great love', to quote Mother Teresa, can change the world. And it is within every Christian's grasp to do it, individually and corporately.

Yes, it means we are have to be sacrificial with our resouces without looking for a return on our investments, otherwise we are not truly being servant-hearted. For some today it will mean booking a day off work, lose a day's pay or simply getting the courage up to leave the walls of the church building and be seen as a servant of Christ in our community.

So as we prepare to begin Lent tomorrow, on Ash Wednesday, which for many Christians will mean abstention of certain things, may I wish you all a very Happy Pancake Day!

ASD

 

 

 

An Ikea flat pack gingerbread house with some thoughts

This weekend my family were forced to make the less than holy pilgrimage to Ikea.

It is something that we are obliged to do as part of our annual devotions of making our house more liveable. As we passed through the temple of all things MDF and colourful, we came across the ultimate in flat-pack products - the Pepparkakshus Gingerbread House in the food section.

Now admittedly I didn't buy it, but I was curious to know if it came with an Allen key and a 'how to assemble' instruction booklet.

After a morning of saying to my long-suffering wife, "Ikea - sheesh! They think of everything" I just sighed and thought this time they really have.

Of course IKEA is not everyone's cup of Sweedish tea. And if you are not into modern, practical urban living which comes in a flat pack I can quite understand, but there is something about it that draws you in. You try and be strong, principled and focused, but then something happens.You start finding the most bizarre and irrelevant item unexpectedly alluring. And then, before you know it, it's in your big yellow bag!

I find that once in Ikea it is easy not to have to think too much. If you have not come with a purpose, you can end up wandering around with the rest of the crowds, following the large arrows on the floors. Everything is thought out for your convenience.

Now I have heard it said by some respected people that some sections of the Church are in danger of offering flat-pack Christianity. You know, things like having our theology, teaching and worship neatly packaged for easy consumption on a Sunday morning. 

In fact, I can remember in the early days of the Alternative Worship movement, which I had been vaguely part of before it became the 'Emerging Church' movement, how some antagonists liked to mock traditional Evangelicals for just accepting what was put in front of them. It was easy pickings, but I found it quite harsh and judgementalist. It became a way to validate their own actions and reason for being.

The truth is 'flat-pack thinking' is everywhere and pervades most areas of our society at some level. I see even so-called New Atheists are now being accused of what amounts as flat-pack ideology. They have a worked out mantra with cliched arguments and seem incapable of accommodating other views of atheists of theists. Even spelling this out to them out can be met with a testy response.

Extreme political ideologies do the same. They offer one solution and one way of doing it. Isn't that how dictactorships start? Enough said.

One of the things I feel that we have to keep in our sights is the fact that Christianity has been called by academics, past and present, the greatest philosophical religion in the world. It is known as the 'queen of sciences'. By definition, it has required not only faith, but reason (the ability to think).

Peter in his first letter writes that we should "always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in us" (1 Pet 3:15). Our faith operates best using the head and heart, but lest it falls into a dry theoretical faith system, it also requires 'hands' - faith with action.

I find myself asking myself on a Monday morning: if the church we love really is to be effective and vital in a fast-changing geo-social environment, how does it exactly remain outward-focused - and in the world?  It must resist the temptation to withdraw and simply "huddle and cuddle" behind closed doors.

But I do recognise that there are risks with a truly outward-focused strategy. It means any 'flat-pack thinking' will get tested to the nth degree. At some stage, if we are doing it right, we will be forced to think outside of the flat, brown cardboard box. Now that has got to be a good thing.

We should all be able to agree on the basic materials, i.e., the Bible and doctrine, but we'll need to work out our own building solution, which is relevant and meaningful to our space and context.

Don't hear me wrong on this, ministries like Alpha are great, but they aren't everything. We need more entrepreneurs!

I believe that maybe the most successful building of the church in the 21st Century will require more work, more effort, more money, more hours... In fact, more 'carpet time' with God in prayer, but the end result will be worth it. And I bet stronger than a flat-pack programme!  If not, we will probably get frustrated with the instructions when 'A', does not going into 'B'.

As I reflected more on my Ikea flat-pack Gingerbread House, I thought of those words by Paul to the Church at Corinth: "We have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling." (2 Cor 5:1b-2a).

I'll put my hand up and say it is a struggle to continually think for yourself, pray for yourself, read the Bible for yourself (I say that as a church planter, husband and father), but we really are not doing it alone. We may at times groan for the burden of life to be lifted, but as Paul the apostle goes on to say we are "given the Holy Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."  We live by faith, not sight. That should give us some comfort.

We might not have the nice catalogue picture that shows us the how the finished article will look, but by faith, and suffering, we get on and build it...one carpenter's nail at a time. 

Time for a ginger biscuit.

ASD

 

 

Why me?

My youngest child has got into the slightly annoying habit of saying "Why?" a lot at the moment. Her mother and I are not sure whether half the time it is a real question or just a way of keeping the attention on her. Nevertheless, it has become a part of her conversational style. In the last week I have been asking the question: Why me? But not in a self-piteous or negative way.

As our young church plant turned three this last weekend I saw the faithfulness of God in our journey, but sometimes I struggle with the responsibility of it all. I also know my weaknesses. I can say the wrongs things, do the wrongs, let friends down, give oxygen to the things I struggle with. And yet out of this imperfection I still find myself being used by God. Extraordinary.

For any pastor church is hard work and long hours, and the cost has already been great, but there's nothing quite like it when you see a prayer answered and circumstances change. All the difficulties and disappointments find their perspective in the grand narrative. But we never forget to tell each other we are on a journey.

Most people come to God because they want something out of him, but we are aiming to be a church that learns to come to God because of who he is and to simply to love him. For example, using the analogy of marriage, who marries someone just because of what they can get out of the other partner? It is nonsense isn't it?

As we begin our fourth year, we recognise that many people are nervous of coming to church because they feel they will be judged by Christians. Judged for being a single mum, judged for being a divorcee, judged for having a teenage abortion, judged for working as a lap dancer, judged for being gay. It takes a lot of courage to come through the door. I wonder why then we can make it so difficult for people by saying you must behave and believe our doctrines before you put another foot forward?

In that time honoured tradition we have learnt to say "come as you are" and mean it. Now that can be costly, as so often we like church to be normal, well organised and predictable. We have got it how we want it and don't want anyone messing with something that we have been perfecting over a number of years.

Yet for the Lord to grow his church he needs to grow our hearts in compassion. Change has to happen in us before we can expect to see it in others.

In Matthew's gospel it says that "when Jesus saw the crowd he had compassion on them" (Matthew 9:36). Crowds by description would suggest that they are strangers, unknown people. Yet Jesus was demonstrating the need for kindness towards them.

He says that they are "harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd". In other words, strangers need caring for. We need to get to know them. The church doesn't just look after itself.

It is a privilige to be called to serve others in this way and I am so grateful for those who have come alongside us to work in the "harvest field". I suspect also that I am not the only one asking, Why me?

If you are not a Christian and and reading this you need to know that none of us feel particularly special or sorted.

It is grace - and grace alone.

ASD

'Mixed Economy' in the Church

A couple of things I have always admired about the Church of England.

Firstly, its sheer ability to survive, considering the amount of controversies and challenges it has faced over the centuries.

Secondly, the broad beast that it is, allows for new initiatives such as Fresh Expressions to be pioneered alongside traditional churchmanships. It is now joined by the Methodists, URC and Sally Army amongst others. This is something that the Archbishop of Canterbury has called a 'mixed economy'.

To that end, there is a great article in The Times illustrating some of this 'fresh thinking'.

Bishop Graham Cray writes:

“It is clear that something very substantial has happened...Episcopal leadership is saying ‘Go for it, it’s a good thing’. The old churchwardens’ mantra, whenever a vicar suggested something new, of ‘the bishop won’t allow it’ has gone. Now the bishop would be very disappointed if you didn’t try it.”

Good stuff, Graham. Thanks for inspiring us with the stories.

ASD

Church planting mistakes - yup, we all make 'em

I don't often write about my experiences as a Vineyard church planter. I sort of think most people in regular civvy life, Christian or non-Christian are not that interested, so if you aren't a leader and want to pop off and see how we are doing in the Cricket, I'll forgive you.

Still there?

I have put some thoughts from a church planting coach below, which I pass on to any other would-be church planter mad enough to answer the call.

But I have to first add that I recognise some reading this might think it is a weird thing to do.  Surely I could find myself a nice quiet hobby. For others, in a more traditional setting, they, perhaps, don't understand why I am not now ordained in the Church of England and making life easier for myself.

But the truth is I love the Vineyard's values and it has been instrumental in keeping me in the Church at a time when I was on the point of giving up. So it is not just a channel of service or an option, but my family. That is not to say the Vineyard is perfect. Far from it. But it one wonderful expression of the beautiful thing we call the Church.

So I find myself church planting because I love the Church and feel it is the best way to reach people with the good news I received myself - that being the gospel of Jesus Christ. To Him I am eternally grateful.

However, many church plants fail and that bothers me. I am told that for every three new churches started in the UK three are closed. If that statistic is true it is deeply depressing. So what can cause a church plant to stumble?

Via Rick Warren. David Putnam, a pastor at Mountain Lake Church, Stateside, makes some worthwhile quick-fire observations regarding:

1.  Underestimating the cost

2.  Violating the Sabbath

3.  Hanging on too long

4.  Not having a coach

Although you may need to read this through the lens of your own church situation, one thing that particular stood out at me was the fact that church planters want to rush ahead. David says:

"Most of us quick-start church-planter types are driven by the urgency of the calendar. We tend to focus on a launch date, and regardless if we are ready or not, we launch. Instead of being driven by the calendar, it would serve us well to be driven by milestones. Milestones focus on the accomplishment of strategic actions."

We can also look around and secretly harbour thoughts to be like such-and-such church down the road. It can become our model and benchmark for what we want our church to look like. The result? it can make us disappointed, ungrateful people.

When Jesus describes Peter as 'the rock' the Church would be built upon in Matthew 16:18 I have to smile. In Matthew's gospel Peter doesn't seem to fit the bill at all.  Not someone who you would naturally think is solid, reliable and go the distance.

You might also think, as Peter might himself, that Jesus was a lousy judge of character. But God in his infinite wisdom knows better. 

Peter made some mistakes, but was used amazingly by God. Any church planter should take encouragement from this example.

I have found a piece of old advice given by Vineyard's founder John Wimber to pastor Lance Pitluck (Anaheim Vineyard) useful and I pass it on as a last thought before the weekend:

"If you have oak, build with oak. If you have bamboo, build with bamboo."

In other words, be content with what you've got.

Whatever you have, the church still gets built. If He is in the centre of the plan and the plan is His, relax.  it might not look as you first might imagined or dreamed, but, hey, we go with it and enjoy the ride!

ASD

 

Is there such a thing as a "church planter personality type"?

There is an interesting post on the Vineyard USA site which looks at this question. As a church planter myself I often wonder what makes idiots like us go out and do such a crazy thing! It is a lot of hard work, self-sacrifice and heartache. How did we get into this place?

Of course, reflecting on such a question when you have just spent all your physical and emotional energy and grace levels over a busy period is not a particular good idea!

It is an immense privilege to see the birth a church and start to watch it grow. Much like the birth of a baby, it is both exciting and exhausting. Some days it is great to be a father. Other days you find yourself longing for a simple life again. Of course, no-one really wants to go back to how things are before, that was boring, but we do like to let off steam once in a while.

I am truly grateful to God for all those he brings to us as 'pioneers'. They, too, have made a sacrifice. Rather than go to the big church down the road they have made a cognitive decision to get 'hands-on' with us.

Is there a personality type for this type of calling or is it just a Spirit of God thing?  Hm!

In my own experience I believe, on the whole, it is the latter?  Of course, faith, a sense of fun and a willingness to do absolutely anything and everything are not bad attributes to behold. And the for pastor I would recommend some theological and pastoral training, but the big thing has got to be knowing you are called. If you do not know that you could be in some trouble.

In established churches it is possible to avoid this issue, but in small church plants (and here I am talking in the Vineyard's definition being a church of under 60 people) something deep needs to sustain you.

For me that has been the constant faithfulness of God's blessing on me and my family and the wonderful friendships I have made since staring this thing. I hope that can be said of others too.

Otherwise, when the going gets tough the tough sadly go missing! And that is tragic.

ASD

Why I have no faith in religion (article reproduced)

The following article appeared in June's edition of Community News, a great little magazine which goes out to our town and surrounding areas. As I am aware that a large number are out of the circulation area, here it is again...

As the pastor of Stour Valley Vineyard Church, I have a confession: I have no faith in religion. There, said it. However, I think faith is great and a lot of us are pretty good at it. You might be thinking, “isn’t that being semantic? Aren’t religion and faith the same?”

Nope!  But stick with me and I’ll try and explain.  Faith leads to hope, it helps us to live life. Faith overcomes fear. Faith is also the dividing line between us and other species.

And contrary to opinion, faith is not the property of the Church.  Everyone has faith of some sort. Faith the sun will rise; faith that if we drop an egg it will break because of Newton’s gravity; faith in other people’s advice. In short, faith is critical to life. Without it we would do nothing.

And then there is religious faith.

There is the religion of large corporations like IBM and Google and Apple. There is the religion of sport, the religion of music. Each one draws its own set of followers and requires it adheres to its set of spoken or unspoken rules.

This is why we humans invented religion: to give our faith a system to belong, grow and develop. Religion is a like a mantra that tells us that belief is okay, it will help to get us there.

I once played, by invitation, at a rather posh golf club. At one point during play my gamesmanship was called into question. Later as I left the clubhouse a member thrust a weighty rule book into my hand. I was embarrassed and humiliated to say the least. This is the problem with religion, when you don’t play by its rules it wants to correct you, whether you want it or not.  At this point you accept or reject it. I never played there again.

The problem is that religion is a hindrance for many of us; it doesn’t support our faith, merely props up the status quo.  At worse, it judges, divides and subdues us.

Now, even by me writing these things I suspect some might feel threatened. Not by the implied criticism of some long held rituals and methodology, but because it probably feels like criticism of personal faith.  Please don’t. That’s not my intention. Faith is a gift from God.

I love my own faith because of what it stands for.  I guess I wouldn’t be a pastor if I didn’t!  But I understand that not all people share my enthusiasm. This is maybe because for them being a Christian is another word for being ‘religious’ and therefore is a barrier. It would be for me.  Yet if we lose the institutional aspects of church life maybe we might find at its core something that is personal, practical and real. Something that Jesus, perhaps, meant it to be.

The truth is I don’t want people to love religion or become ‘church goers’.  Pretty sure God doesn’t either.  I simply want people to have the chance to know God personally through his son Jesus –without all the nonsense.

I am told that well over 50% of the population believe in God.  Along with other churches in our area we’d like to help turn that belief into a personal faith.  Faith that gives hope and healing.

Maybe at some stage Emma and I might see you at a service at the Town Hall, Sudbury (usually 2^nd & 4^th Sundays of the month). Whatever, you’ll be welcome to come just as you are.

We’re a normal bunch of informal, all embracing, non-critical, non-religious people.  And I promise not to put a ‘rule book’ in your hand as you leave.

Have a blessed weekend and Father's Day.

ASD

Are you a pioneer or settler?

I have been musing over something that the 18th century Scottish moral philosopher and economist Adam Smith said: to paraphrase, an established clergy is not willing to fight very hard to leave their church buildings and to go out to declare what it believes in.

It has been given as one of the reasons why we are seeing church attendance decline in this country, compared to the vibrant Christian faith that abounds elsewhere in the world.

Where Christianity has had competition it has been forced to reflect what it actually does believe and work out whether it is worth dying for. It makes a good reason why the Church of England may have a better future ultimately becoming disestablished.

Coming from the Church of England, I have seen how people like 'mild Anglicanism'.It keeps things pleasant and not too challenging. I have had conversations with people who have said to me, in so many words, ‘have a conscience by all means, but don’t put your convictions in my face please.’  And that is just fellow Christians!  

Of course, every denomination has its struggles, including my own tribe Vineyard, but it does need us to think movement, not establishment. Having said that, I recognise that 'established' is another word for rooted. And to be rooted is not such a bad thing, just along as we plant as well.

Or to use another analogy with a Western theme, we can identify that there are two types of Christian: the pioneer and the settler.

The pioneer loves to go out and do new things, they enjoy the frontier experience, the adventure, moving into uncharted territory. It’s what makes them feel alive and sharpens their faith in Jesus.

The settler, on the other hand, likes to arrive when things are established and when it feels safe enough to bring the family with them. They aren’t necessarily starters of new ministries, but they know how to manage them and are hugely important in bringing stability to church life. They can share the vision for a missional church just as much as the pioneer type.

Interestingly, I was talking to another pastor recently and we were discussing how church planters (pioneers) can often feel rootless. They have no compunction about moving around. Home is spiritual and relational, not necessarily geographical.  The only consideration for not moving more is probably the pressure of a spouse saying, ‘Hey, honey, think about the children!’

The truth is, whether we recognise ourselves as a pioneer or settler, we all have to get out and ‘fight the good fight with all of our might’.  We need to be outward-focused and allow ourselves to be continually challenged by the competition, whether it is secularism, atheism, Islam or plain and simple apathy.

However, importantly, we need to remember that our enemy is not a person, but a spiritual being.

God is love. Our weapon is not judgement, it is mercy. We are called to love all, be generous to all, but it does require us to leave our pews and come out fighting to do it.

ASD