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Reminders for the weary, or not so weary, church planter/pastor

Jun 27th, 2010
by GarrettWishall.

As I prepare to lead a church planting effort in Denver, Colorado, I am meeting with different pastors, planters and friends explaining our plans. If the person I am speaking to has ministry leadership experience, I usually ask if they have any advice for me.

I recently received five minutes of such advice that were worth taking a day off to hear.

Tom Nettles, Professor of Historical Theology at Southern Seminary, was the dispenser of the wisdom. It was simply, clear, godly and biblical, which sums up my experience of Dr. Nettles over all. Dr. Nettles said three main things:

You are a man under authority

“Every planter/pastor is under the authority of the Bible. You are not your own man doing your own thing: you are under authority” - Tom Nettles (paraphrase).

In the world of church planting, where methodologies are bantied about like investment strategies, it is easy for pragmatism to become king. While some such practical discussions are necessary, Dr. Nettles’ reminder to live and minister as a man under authority is an always-helpful word.

The same God who spoke the world into existence, speaks through His Word, a Word that is eternal, inerrant, authoritative and sufficient to equip men for every good work. Every pastor/planter should aim to bring God’s Word to bear on people’s lives so they can live and minister under its authority.

Pastors/planters are not self-commissioned: we are gifted and commissioned by God and recognized by a church/fellow believers. We are sent out as men under authority: Dr. Nettles reminds us that God’s Word is our authority.

Don’t forget the path God has you on/your call

“You will face discouragement as a church planter. Don’t forget the Lord’s work in your life to lead to where you are at. He has walked you through conversations, trials, decisions to get you to the point of planting. Don’t let one discouraging month(s) deter you from that path” - Tom Nettles.

Many church planters and missionaries speak of God’s call to plant/minister. They say that when the going gets tough, what enables you to push through is knowing God has called you to do what you are doing.

While such advice is helpful, I think it runs the risk of being a bit reductionistic or perhaps undefined and potentially misunderstood.

Scripture is clear that God calls people to salvation (Eph 1:4-5; Rom 9) and that He calls all of His people to ministry (2 Cor 5:11-21, Eph 4:12). Scripture also teaches that God calls people to ministry leadership through gifting and desire (Eph 4, 1 Pet 4; 1 Tim 3), a calling that is affirmed by the church/other Christians in those who meet the biblical qualifications for such leadership (1 Tim 3; Titus 1).

One problem with reminding people of God’s call is the way people speak of, and refer to, such a call. Some make it sound like an ethereal, internal-only, gut-level feeling or sense that God has led them to minister in a specific place and role.

While I think such a sense is good, I do not think it is the only thing potentially discouraged pastors/planters can draw on for strength, nor do I think it sums up God’s call to ministry leadership.

Dr. Nettles’ advice reminds discouraged planters/pastors that they can recall the gifting God has given them and how others have confirmed such gifting in them (facets of God’s call). Dr. Nettles’ advice also reminds discouraged planters/pastors to remember God’s  providential working in their life that has brought them to where they are.

Many conversations, trials and decisions will likely go into the decision to plant a church and God works in His people’s lives to lead and guide them through such situations. This providential leading and guiding is a source of strength and encouragement in the midst of discouraging times.

One could say this providential working is a part of God’s call and I would be okay with that. But such providential working is not usually in view when people speak of being “called.” Dr. Nettles’ advice helpfully fleshed out God’s call and God’s providential working as sources of strength and encouragement in trying times.

Be Christ-centered

“It is Christ’s church, not your church. Christ died for His church. Every person He died for is a precious jewel to Him. Remember that. There are people out there who will respond to the gospel, to God’s call. What they will respond to is the voice of Christ, so be the voice of Christ to His people.” - Tom Nettles.

The church pastors/planters lead is not their church, it is Christ’s church. And the voice non-believers will respond to with repentance and faith is the voice of Christ revealed in the gospel, not the ingenuity of man.

The reality that Christ’s people are more valuable to Him than they are to a church planter/pastor - so valuable that He died for them - gives the gung-ho, go-get-’em guy a reminder to trust in the Gospel, not his efforts, while also encouraging the discouraged and downtrodden fellow to persevere.

Christ loves His church: we are simply called to tell others about His love and to love as He loves.

I hope these reminders from Dr. Nettles encourage you as much as they did me and may they turn your eyes to our glorious Savior and the God who has saved us in Him.

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Posted in: Church leadership, Church planting, Local church.
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My answer to the question what is the Gospel?

May 6th, 2010
by GarrettWishall.

I recently filled out a church planting internship application that contained the following question:

What is the gospel? (i.e. theologically speaking, not how you would explain the gospel message to a non-Christian)

Here was my answer:

————————————————————-

I must begin by saying that Greg Gilbert has helped me in this area greatly and my answer is significantly indebted to him. Gilbert is an SBTS graduate and CHBC elder and church planter in training who wrote three blogs posts about a year and a half ago asking the question “What is the Gospel?” The links to those posts do not work anymore, perhaps because Gilbert now has a book out on the subject titled, “What is the Gospel?”

I’ll give a summary answer, fleshed out answer and some practical implications.

Summary answer:

The Bible speaks of the gospel in a narrow sense - matters of first importance (Acts 10:36-43; Rom 1:16-17; 1 Cor 1:17-18, 15:3-4) and a broad sense - gospel of the kingdom (Matt 4:23, Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:18, Acts 13:32).

The narrow sense of the gospel answers the question “what must a person believe and embrace to be saved?” The broad sense of the gospel answers the question “what is the whole good news of Christianity?”

The narrow sense of the gospel is (1) God, (2) sinful man, (3) Christ, (4) man’s response. God as a holy and loving Creator, man as a sinful creature, Christ as the perfect God/man who died and rose again and men responding in repentance and faith.

The broad sense of the gospel is (1) creation, (2) Fall, (3) redemption, (4) new creation. The broad sense of the gospel is not only forgiveness of sins in Christ, but also resurrection, reconciliation with both God and others, sanctification, glorification, a coming consummated kingdom that has already been established and the new heavens and new earth. Gospel in the broad sense refers to the whole complex of God’s promises secured through the life and work of Christ (2 Cor 1:20).

Scripture uses the word gospel to refer to both the narrow sense and the broad sense. But the narrow sense of the gospel is always a part of the broad sense of the gospel, and not just a part, but the center/core/fountainhead/gateway. The broad sense of the gospel without the narrow sense is no gospel at all: it is a false gospel (often a social gospel). But the broad sense of the gospel is not gospel-plus. It is the whole good news of Christianity that begins with, and centers on, the narrow sense of the gospel.

Narrow sense and broad sense of the gospel fleshed out:

The narrow sense of the gospel is: a holy and loving Creator made all things, including people who He made in His image. Those people were meant to worship Him forever by delighting in doing His will. Instead, Adam - the first man - rebelled against God, worshipped himself and disobeyed his holy and loving Creator (Gen 3). Every man after Adam has been born dead in sin (Eph 2:1-3) and has gladly worked out his sinful nature through sinful works.

However, God - in His mercy and love - sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross for sinners and rose again from the dead. In this sacrifice, Jesus substituted Himself for sinners. He took man’s sin on Himself. Every man who repents of his sin and believes in Christ has Christ’s righteousness credited to his account. Thus, the sins of every person who repents and believes are placed on Christ and Christ’s righteousness are placed in their account (2 Cor 5:21, Luther’s “Great Exchange”). Propitiation - satisfying God’s wrath - takes place (Rom 3:21-26), as does expiation - a man is cleansed from his sins and he is made new (2 Cor 5:17, Heb 1:3).

The broad sense of the gospel is God creating a world that was completely good. Man was the apex of God’s creation as the only creature made in His image (Gen 1:26-28). God gave men many good gifts, indeed, every good gift is from God (James 1:17-18). Man was designed to live in dependence on God, joyfully doing His will and enjoying God and his good gifts, forever. However, man rebelled against God - called the fall (Gen 3) - which had severe consequences. God’s infinite holiness required such consequences. The relationship between God and man was broken at the Fall, the relationship between people was hindered at the Fall and the relationship between man and the world was negatively affected by the Fall. The consequences of the Fall were thus personal, relational and cosmic.

Thankfully, the results of God’s redemptive work in Jesus Christ are also personal, relational and cosmic. Jesus lived the life Adam was meant to live, always joyfully doing God’s will despite the most intense temptation to sin (Heb 2:18, 4:14-16). Jesus obeyed God to the point of death, as He - the innocent One - died in the place of sinners on the cross (Phil 2:5-11). However - praise God - Jesus did not remain in the grave. Three days after He died, Jesus rose from the dead, walked on the earth and interacted with men and eventually ascended to God’s right hand where He reigns and intercedes for His people (1 Cor 15:3-4; end of the gospels; Acts 1:9-11; Heb 1:3, 2:17, 4:14-16).

While He was on earth, Jesus announced the inbreaking of his kingdom into the present evil age by healing people, doing miracles and casting out demons. In doing these things, Jesus was declaring, “I am the long-anticipated Messiah who has come to establish God’s kingdom.” The message of the gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached was the message that (1) the kingdom has dawned and (2) those who repent and believe may enter it (Matt 4:23, Mark 1:14-15). This is where you get the idea that the narrow sense of the gospel is the center/core/fountainhead/gateway of the broad sense of the gospel. What people must do to be saved has everything to do with the whole good news of Christianity. The inbreaking of Jesus’s kingdom entailed the forgiveness of sins, the lame walking and the blind seeing. The most astonishing part, of course, was the forgiveness of sins. Only God can forgive sins.

Right now, Christ’s kingdom includes reconciliation to God and it should include reconciliation between men, Jew and Gentile, men and women, between people of any race, rich and poor (Gal 3:26-28, Eph 2:11-22, James 2:1-13). Right now, Christ’s kingdom includes progressive sanctification (Phil 1:6, 2:12-13, 3:7-14). Eventually, Christ’s kingdom will include complete sanctification and glorification (1 John 3:1-3). Eventually, Christ’s kingdom will include a new heavens and new earth with no more tears, sickness or pain (Rev 21-22).

Practical implications:

Pastorally, Scripture places the emphasis on being ministers of the narrow gospel. What will it profit a man to gain the whole world if he forfeits his soul (Matt 16:26)? This does not mean that this is the only thing we do. But it is the central thing we do and everything we do connects to it (proclaiming the gospel and making disciples).

We don’t fall off on the fundamentalist side of preaching hellfire, damnation and stay away from the culture because it is bad. But this (fundamentalism) is better than a social gospel that does a lot of good things and leads people to hell.

Social gospel is like a doctor building a poor man a house, teaching him a trade, helping him raise his kids and never telling him “By the way, you have cancer and we need to do something about it.” If a doctor did that, he would be fired. In the same way, a pastor could have a great ministry to the poor in his community and abroad, could be a champion for social justice, but if he doesn’t tell people they stand condemned before a holy God everyone he ministers to will go to hell. Such a pastor should quit because he is not a biblically-faithful pastor.

I am all about mercy ministry that points people to the cross. Through our church, my wife and I have helped paint a building, pull weeds and mulch the yard of a business that (if I remember correctly) works with kids with down’s syndrome. We didn’t even interact with anyone who worked there, but I trust that our pastor of missions had a conversation with the people who owned the business where he explained that we were doing that because Jesus loved us, gave Himself for us and gave Himself for every sinner who repents and believes in Him.

I want to give myself - give myself - to making disciples. That is what lights my fire. I have not had much opportunity/have not created enough opportunity to see people convert to Christ. I have been sporadic with sharing the gospel, but not as intentional or consistent as I should be. I can’t live with that. I greatly desire to see people come to know Christ. I want to give myself to proclaiming the gospel to the lost, pleading with them, painting their house, helping them raise their kids, and calling them to believe in Christ out of a heartfelt desire to see them saved. I want to give myself to that.

I want to give myself not just to making converts, but to making disciples. I want to see people who follow Christ as Lord and submit their lives to Him. I want to teach people how to be godly husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. I want to figure out how to minister to single moms (right now I don’t know how, but hey that is where ministry is messy and great, right?) I want to train people to work as unto the Lord (Col 3:23-24), to work without complaining (Phil 2:14-16), to work with excellence. I want to train people to speak the truth in love and minister the Word to one another (Eph 4:15-16, Col 3:16).

I want to lead out in these things, I want to equip other men to be able to teach these things and I want to lead a people who do these things. And I want these things to be taking place in an atmosphere of godly camaraderie. An atmosphere where people enjoy being together and where they can laugh with one another, while they simultaneously seek to grow in Christlikeness, minister to one another, reach the lost and minister to the lost. This is what I think of when I think of being the church.

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Posted in: Gospel.
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5th annual March Madness challenge

Mar 14th, 2010
by GarrettWishall.

Three weeks of madness are set to begin.

This is the fifth year I have hosted a March Madness challenge. I bought trophies last year and handed them out to previous champions and then last year’s champion. A trophy awaits this year’s victor as well.

ESPN Tournament Challenge

Group: Wishall March Madness

This is a public group, so there is no password needed. Just search for Wishall March Madness and join the fun.

Last year, roughly 60 folks jumped in the fray, including family, friends from high school, high school basketball teammates, friends from college, friends of friends, friends from seminary, past co-workers, current co-workers and other asundry people from other walks of life.

Do you think you have what it takes? Then join the fray.

Just don’t cry when you go down in flames.

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Posted in: March madness.

Does the Gospel address man’s deepest psychological needs? I’m staking my ministry/life on it

Mar 8th, 2010
by GarrettWishall.

A biblical counseling course at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary helped cement in my mind the power of the Gospel and the Bible to address man’s deepest needs. By this, I mean every need. All of them. Every last one.

Viewing oneself as a fallen sinner who has rebelled against a perfect and all-powerful Creator and then through the lens of a crucified and risen Messiah who came to earth and conquered the power of evil forces, sin and death addresses every human need.

Paul wasn’t kidding when he said he counted all things as loss compared to knowing Christ (Phil 3:7). He really lived his life based on that foundation. To him, to live was Christ and to die was gain (Phil 1:21).

Perhaps you are skeptical. Perhaps you are thinking of your cousin who can’t sit still long enough to complete a sentence. Perhaps you are thinking of the co-worker who is as nice as your grandmother one minute and as mean as a Roman soldier the next. Perhaps you are thinking of people who cut themselves, are manic-depressive or who drink themselves to sleep every night. Perhaps you are that person.

Can the Bible and the Gospel really address these needs?

CCEF (Christian Counseling Education Foundation) has posted an article by Aaron Sironi called “Becoming a Biblical Counselor: A Skeptic’s Journey.”

In the article, Sironi shares how he has gone from being a licensed professional counselor who was a Christian to an avid proponent of biblical counseling who works out his Christianity in his counseling.

Here is an excerpt:

How could I have gone through four years at a graduate school that was part of seminary never having explored the depths and breadths of the gospel as applied to specific counseling issues? The most profound and researched psychological perspectives that had seemed so attractive, that seemed to offer penetrating insight, now appeared two-dimensional against the three dimensional biblical descriptions. Alongside biblical explanations, psychology’s answers to the fundamental issues that underlie every psychiatric condition (suffering, guilt, shame, fear, death, anger, responsibility, etc.) came up wanting. In these conversations with my elder, my disaffection with the psychologies grew even as my joy multiplied in seeing rich practical theology applied to counseling. As if beginning to see clearly for the first time, Scripture began to shine beautifully and powerfully into each of counseling’s complex issues. This was just the beginning of the comfort available in the gospel.

Helpful comments on the place psychological studies can play in counseling:

Allow me to clarify. Studying and learning from the astute observations of the psychologies was helpful. Thousands of thoughtful counselors are in the trenches each day comforting, challenging, and attending to people in need. And these counselors have something to teach us. But we must not embrace the anthropologies and philosophies upon which the secular theories and interventions are built. Clearly, the psychologies never address our willful hearts of worship that cherish and defend idolatrous and adulterous passions. They excellently examine many things but are blind to deeper things. They are mindless of that which is most important—the soul before the living God. At the end of the day, our counseling falls short if we’ve addressed physiology, family history, trauma, systemic influences, etc., but have not done so in relation to our Creator, Judge, and Redeemer. Even if our clients experience certain positive change in their lives, we fail them if we do not help them to examine their active, willful, and sinful hearts. We fail if we do not help them understand their sufferings through God’s eyes. We fail if we do not help them find God’s precious mercies.

And the conclusion:

Returning to where I began this journey—as an undergraduate studying psychology at a Christian liberal arts college, I remember learning about “biblical” counseling. But it was presented as a fringe movement of Christians who rebuked just about everyone who walked through the counseling door. Sadly, there was probably an element of truth to that caricature. I too have met counselors who call themselves “biblical” but who are otherwise offensive, overly simplistic, and insensitive to people. Had this been my experience at CCEF, I can assure you that I’d still be a “former” therapist. Remarkably, I have been warmly welcomed and my clinical training has been widely valued and redeemed. The transition to biblical counseling has been slow, at times circumspect, but always full of joy and personal transformation. And if the Lord wills, I’ll continue to grow and work as a biblical counselor for years to come.

If you are skeptical toward biblical counseling, I would encourage you to read this article in its entirety. The truths it stands on are worth staking your life on.

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Posted in: Biblical counseling.
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Clowney’s biblical theology of prayer: free PDF

Feb 15th, 2010
by GarrettWishall.

Edmund Clowney, author of Preaching and Biblical Theology and Called to the Ministry, has also written a Biblical Theology of Prayer that is available free, via a downloadable PDF.

Clowney’s treatment of a call to the ministry (a term I don’t really like) is one of the best I have read. Regarding a call to ministry, Clowney greatly values testing one’s gifts in the context of the local church and having those gifts confirmed through such service.

Clowney’s work on preaching is an excellent, Christ-centered treatment of this critical and central responsibility of a pastor. I am sure that Clowney’s work on prayer is likewise well worth digesting.

HT: Justin Taylor, TGC, courtesy of Beginning with Moses.

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Posted in: Christ-centered interpretation, Pastoral ministry, Prayer.

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