COMMENTARY: REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AS APPROVED BY THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

***UPDATE: COMPLETE REPORT MADE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BY THE COG ON 2/1/2010

I received a copy of a 12 page document entitled “REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AS ADOPTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL” It was asked that this document not be published so that time was given for it to be published by the COG offices.  So, I’m holding onto it and not publishing it until the COG puts it out soon.  But, I would like to go ahead and offer some commentary based on the content of the document.

First, I have to say these two bodies put out a number of strong actions taken to confront new realities of COG Gospel mission in the 21st Century.  It is a sweeping document.  And, our denominational leadership teams should be greatly appreciated for some most bold actions.  As is the case when even the most like minded people get together and discuss substance, I don’t agree with it all.  But, I love a lot of it.  Overall it is a very good document seasoned with an honest approach to some of our most taboo issues.

AMONG THOSE ACTIONS, THE PIECES I FIND MOST ENCOURAGING ARE:

1. Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) certification to insure integrity and financial accountability for our denominational offices.

8 Things I’m Looking Forward to in the COG in 2010

It’s 2010, which means it’s time for various reflective and proflective lists.  Feel free to add your own as I begin a series of lists I’ll be rolling out over the upcoming days and weeks.  Check it out what I’m most looking forward to in 2010 concerning the COG:

Merry Christmas

Kelly, Kourtney, McKenna, Blake and I wish you a Merry Christmas!  Smile, remember, and celebrate everything that is important, especially the reason for this time of year.  Thank you, Jesus for stepping into our neighborhood and living among us.

Thoughts about the American Church after a Few Weeks in Europe

Over the past three weeks, I was able to visit a number of beautiful Cathedrals, including St. Peter’s Basilica, Notre Dame in Paris, Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, the Duomo in Milan, and some others.

We went to Mass in a couple. It was striking sitting in the massive Notre Dame, attending mass with about 40 people (mostly tourists) while hundreds of tourists walked the interior perimeter admiring the architecture. The church in Europe, once the Bible Belt of the world is now just a shell. Beautiful architectural museums with gawkers looking at bodies of popes lying in state and relics of the past…forms with no power.  They left solid theology for nonsense and forgot mission in favor of monuments.

Ed Stetzer pointed out that the Bible Belt has moved multiple times since then. It’s the same story repeated (with less stellar buildings). We’re in process right now here in the US. Those of us that live outside of the southeast know what its like. Those living in the northeast, home of the Great Awakening can tell you about it.

But, for those of you that live within the confines of community hospitable to Chrisitanity, get ready. And, as you do, make sure your investment is in mission and that you are making disciples of solid Gospel-obsessed theology that aggressively promotes mission. Strong words aren’t sufficient. History tells us how it will go down.

Perhaps, the people of the new Bible Belts (S. Korea, Africa, S. America) will be so kind as to send their missionaries to reshovel our burnt over relics a few decades from now. God willing they can somehow capture our assets and repurpose them for mission- prying them away from our activities focused on life support, legacy formation, and monument building.

In the meantime, there is a lot of ripe low hanging fruit to be picked by American missionaries who want nothing other than Gospel propulsion in the cities, towns, and villages. You won’t reach them with anything less than a Jesus-focused Gospel. Hang up your trinkets, religious chicanery, and modern indulgences. They’re laughable to your emerging skeptical neighborhoods and friends. At the end of the day, these are the people that must be reached. They’re the ones walking around the perimeter of our churches looking over what will one day used to be.

Martin Taylor in the COG Blogosphere

Martin Taylor, my State Administrative Bishop (FL-Tampa) recently entered the blogosphere.  Make sure you pop in and check out his blog.  Bookmark it and link back as well.

In addition to blogging, he has a Twitter account too.  So, check it out and follow here.  In the event you aren’t familiar with Twitter, it is a micro-blogging tool that enables you to share your thoughts in 140 characters or less.  Sign-up and get in on the conversation.

Final Evaluation of Reallocation Results & Leadership Champions

I wanted to readdress this issue of “Leadership Champions who honored authority of the GA today“ because some good people have taken issue with my rendition of this. I probably need to correct that to say that in the end, I don’t think anyone put their name on the line to dissent in the final product in favor of an equal cut between World Missions, International Office, and the State Office.

Still, I wasn’t there…just going based on what I was told. I was speaking to it in the only venue I was given. So, if I’m inaccurate, it is because I was informed as a participant that was not invited to be a part of the official formation of a process I was key in initiating. So, for my uninformed view, I apologize for not being informed broadly enough…but, it wasn’t for lack of effort on my part.

Live Blog the Committee of Action Meeting Regarding the Reallocation of Resources

EDITED TO INCLUDE TRANSCRIPT OF LIVE BLOGGING EVENT.  LIVE BLOGGING TEXT IS INCLUDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.  Stats from the Live Blogging Event = 167 replies and 5,684 views in about 3 hours.

Join me on Actscelerate to Live Blog the Committee of Action’s Reallocation of Resources Meeting. If you don’t want to participate on Actscelerate, use this thread to share your thoughts.  I’ll be back and forth on both but primarily on Actscelerate.  The thread I’ll be using there is:

http://www.actscelerate.com/viewtopic.php?t=45906

To watch the Committee of Action’s deliberation on the Reallocation of Resources, follow this link:

http://www.leeuniversity.edu/video/default.aspx

The Schedule is as follows:

Session One: Thursday, April 30, 2:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Session Two: Thursday 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Session Three: Friday, May 1, 9:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Session Four: 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. (if necessary)

All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST).

LIVE BLOGGING EVENT FROM ACTSCELERATE BELOW.

The Mission Is Not to Employ People

The following quote is lifted from Christianity Today’s article “Church Pink Slips” with special thanks Todd Rhodes for the link.  In tough times, should the church or ministry reciprocate the dedication of its employees by keeping staff employed?

“A ministry’s mission is not to employ people; it is to serve a cause or constituency,” said Jim West, managing partner of the Orange County, California-based Barnabas Group, an organization for Christian leaders.

The church’s mission must be to introduce people to Jesus in such a way that the entire community is changed, said Tim Stevens, [the executive pastor at Granger Community Church]. That can’t happen, he said, if the church loses its integrity by failing to pay its bills.

“It will be a sad day when the mission of the church is reduced to keeping people employed,” added the executive pastor, whose congregation gave laid-off staff members three months of severance and benefits and hired a career transition coach to help them find jobs.

As the Church of God trims a mandated 33% off of its denominational budget and faces a downturning economy, there is no doubt that we are facing this question.  In fact, leading into the decision to cut the Tithe of Tithe fees, one of the leading objections was that real humans would need to be released from employment.  In light of these realities and the comments in the article by people like Tim Stevens and Jim West, how aggressive should we be with staff/administrative reductions on the denominational level?  And, what should our disposition be toward such reductions?

What can/should denominations do?

Great post/question by Bill Isaacs over at ForwardLeadership.org
Check it Out

You’re Invited to the TOT Reallocation Meeting

Raymond Culpepper opens the door further toward a future of denominational transparency.  There is zero doubt that this is the most interactive, transparent denominational leadership the Church of God has ever had.  The decision to open the windows and let the sunshine in does the following:

• Let’s the entire COG observe the process.
• Immediately distributes information.
• Causes members of the Committee of Action to own their decisions publicly.
• Gives the denomination a basis by which it can select its future leader based on the positions espoused.
• Guards against the perception of progress while private decisions are made toward protectionism.
• Extends an unclinched hand toward the constituents of the COG saying “I trust you with information and process.”

Read the original Post on Raymond Culpepper’s Blog.

The Listening Tours which began in February have all been completed and the collation of the responses has begun.  As soon as the response forms data have been entered and the session transcripts have been completed, a summary will be posted on the Internet of the responses received and issues and concerns raised.  I hope to have this material available by May 1. The major issues that surfaced during the Listening Tours included: Need for Resources, Accountability, Communication, Women in Ministry, and Connectivity.

On another matter, the Committee of Action on the Reallocation of  Resources will meet April 30 – May 1, 2009. The meeting will be video streamed live on our Web site through clicking on a special graphic which will link you to the event.  The schedule is as follows:

Thursday, April 30, 2009

• 12 Noon – Luncheon (North Cleveland Bryant Fellowship Hall)
• 2:00 – 4:30 – Session 1
• 7:00 – 9:30 – Session 2

Friday, May 1, 2009

• 9:00 – 11:30 – Session 3
• 1:30 – 3:30 – Session 4

Participants:

• International Executive Committee
• Council of Eighteen
• World Missions Director and Assistant Director
• Reallocation of Resources Steering Committee
• State/Regional Overseers
• 1st Elected State/Regional Council Member in each state/region
• Parliamentarians
• Historian

Location:

• Campus of Lee University (Jones Lecture Hall)

If you cannot join us in person, please join us via the Internet.

Preaching for Next Steps & Preaching for the Experiential

I recently responded to an email sent for Nelson Searcy regarding the chapter in his book, Activate (my review of the book is here) about using a Connection Card.  The dilemma was how do you preach for next steps (collecting connection cards at the end of the service) without disrupting an “invitation” or altar call.  Below is my response.  After reading it, share what your thoughts are for nurturing a sense of wonder and developing practical disciples and the tension that accompanies them working together:

———

In my tribe, we typically have an altar call.  In that time, we expect that God wants to do something transformational in people…something that can’t really be quantified on a Connection Card.  I lead my church to embrace the moving of God as something real…and even mysterious.  I teach and preach for what I’d like to call an experiential interaction with God to transform lives.

I don’t want to lose that connection with God or the people I’m attempting to lead.  I want to remain open to the unexpected, experiential moments I believe God may have planned for people who are a part of Life Pointe Church.

At the same time, I want to be a good steward as the lead pastor of Life Pointe Church.  I want to help people take practical next steps in their walk with Christ.  Nelson calls it “preaching for Next Steps.” This ministry practice has become an integral part of who we are as well.  The growth and the life change I’ve seen in people as a result of this practice are significant.  I could not imagine leading my church without practical devices (like the Connection Card) that assist in moving people forward in their walk with Christ.

So, I do both.  I ”preach for the suddenly, organic, experiential moments” where we give place to the Holy Spirit to collide with the seeker.  And, we “preach for Next Steps.” Here’s how:

1. We participate in worshiping God by observing Communion every week. By lifting up Jesus every week, we bring people face-to-face with what He has done for us.  And, we bring people face to face with who they are.  We communicate that we practice a Believer’s Communion.  Then, we give people the opportunity to repent, confess, and invite Christ to be their Savior. 
2. We have special prayer for Salvation during Communion (Altar Call). We have people at our Communion tables who are available to pray with people choosing to follow Christ.  Twelve people made this decision for the first time this past week.
3. We pray for the sick and special requests during this time. At each of our Communion Tables, we have leaders in our church prepared to pray for people based on James 5:13-16:

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.  16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

We typically observe Communion and prayer (altar call) prior to the message and during the music portion of worship.  It speaks to people who are desperate for a personal interaction with God’s presence.  And, according to Scripture, it “has great power and produces wonderful results.”  Also, since we are in heavily Catholic communities in Miami-Dade County and in the Florida Keys, it speaks profoundly to the richness of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf through the act of Communion.  The symbolism is vivid.  The moment is powerful.  The work of the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.

From there, we close our service with the Connection Card and Next Steps just like Nelson describes.  And, when I feel like there is an unscripted moment in the making, I am at liberty to call an audible and change things up.  But, we always, always, always collect Connection Cards and help people take practical Next Steps in their pursuit of Jesus.  After all, it would be a tragic thing to bring people into a place of wonder without giving them the tools to move forward in their pursuit of the revolutionary Jesus.

Denomination as Mother or as Child?

I lifted my comments from Don Warrington’s post on the Reallocation of the Tithe of Tithe.  I think the perspective will show the challenges we face.  I hear much talk of the denomination “resourcing the local church.” Actually, the local church has resourced the denomination for decades.  Because of significant waste, the denomination is far behind the output of the local church when it comes to the resourcing actually being done.  And, much of the resourcing being done by the denomination is work done by others and rebranded with COG nomenclature…hardly worth the investment of resources when its already available elsewhere.

My comments on Don Warrington’s blog entry were in response to the concern that the cut is going to go back into funding “maintenance” of the local church. My response reads as follows:

If the local monies go into maintenance of the local church, it is still an improvement over the maintenance of a too controlling bureaucracy.

One would have to admit that the size and power of our overly-centralized bureaucracy has led to abuse of one too many good men.  Men who are on the payroll of the COG bureaucracy use the funds of the local church to travel all over the world savaging the reputations of local church pastors.  If that kind of activity is defunded, that is reason enough for me.

DENOMINATION AS MOTHER
Those sentiments aside, I have found that strong, controlling parents are beneficial while the child is young.  As the child grows, the parent must release the child.  If the denomination is the mother and the local church is the child, we have controlled many of our children (churches) into overdependency on mom…time to trust the child to take some independent steps and enjoy the relational connection more than be under the authoritarian relationship.

DENOMINATION AS CHILD
I have come to believe that the most beneficial analogy is that the denomination is actually the child and the local church is the mother.

And, if this is the case, we have come to the place where the child has remained dependent on the mother for too long.  The child is too fat, too irresponsible, too dependent on the mother.

By removing the child from the bottle, the child will be forced to grow up, be more responsible, and accept more responsibility for its own future without demanding more coddling from the ever resourcing mother (local church).

COG denominational structure, it’s time to man up and lose the comfort of your cushion and remember why you were birthed.

Bridging Generation Gaps to Fill the Mission Gap

At Engage 21, Ed Stetzer said one of the things that the Church of God needs is someone who will bridge the gap between emerging generations and the more established generations…someone willing to take arrows and help new generations make it into the center of the organization.  We have people like that.  We need more.

BENEFITS

The benefits are bigger than making younger generations comfortable.  One of the greatest benefits is that gaps in mission are filled when people come together joining established influence and developing creativity, bringing them to bear on significant opportunity of mission.

YOUNG, OLD, AND IN-BETWEEN – ARM IN ARM

(The pictures below come from THE SATURN PROJECT benefit concert/St. Patty’s Day Bash with Pi Kappa Pi and People for Care and Learning at Lee University Alumni Park)

In working through the Anthems for a Broken World project over the course of the past year, there have been a number of people, young, old, and in between coming together to bring their influence, creativity, passion, and compassion to bear on mission.  It has been an amazing experience…an experience that has left me in awe of the potential our organization holds…an experience that has left me grateful for Fathers who are willing to take young men under their wing and guide them toward significance.  Men like Mitch Maloney, Fred Garmon, Sim Wilson Jr., Bill George, Doug LeRoy, Dale Denham, David Tilley, Mark Schrade, Victor Pagan, and Tom Madden have been integral in the success not only of the launching of this missions campaign/music project, but, they’ve been contributors in reaching across cultural and age barriers into the lives of younger men and women and drawing out the best in them in this moment and in others.

While standing backstage at Winterfest in Knoxville, Victor Pagan had 23 year-old Alejandro Santoyo under one arm and 29 year old (soon-to-be 30) Jesse Santoyo under the other. 

This is it: Reallocation of Resources

We are weeks away from the meeting where the Committee of Action will meet to decide how the Reallocation of Resources plan goes down.  It is decision time.  And, the Committee of Action is empowered by the General Assembly to make a decision.

REFLECTION ON THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

I won’t go into the details of how it went down.  There is plenty to read and plenty of record to examine.  What I will say is that Raymond Culpepper stepped into a chaotic situation, went to the floor mic, and invited the COG into a quest of trust.  He said, “no tricks.”  He stuck his neck out and the General Assembly put themselves on the line and trusted him implicitly.

THE COMING DECISION

Next month around 150 men will sit down and make the decision for how the Reallocation of Resources will go down. 

Adding a 2nd Service

I recently received an email with some questions about children’s ministries and volunteers as you add a second service.  I thought I’d respond here with some of the things I learned from experience and from others in preparation for adding services.  We currently have three services in two locations.

QUESTIONS:

Our church is about to transition to two services and we’re trying to figure out childcare logistics for those who would serve in the music ministry (among others) for both services. Have you guys faced this issue? For example if a single mother (or husband/wife team) sings in both services, do their children stay in children’s church for both services? Do you have separate childcare for people whose children have already been through one children’s church service?

First Words That Come to My Mind.

Fred Garmon.

Gratitude.

Genuine love.

The mission of Jesus.

Sons.

Global Mission.

Local transformation.

Discipleship.

Empowerment.

Mutual respect.

Shrinking globe.

Increasing mission.

Care.

Hope.

Trust.

Inspiration.

Orphans.

Brokenness.

Healing.

Genocide.

Rebirth.

Heart Break.

Burden.

Compelled.

Vision.

Action.

Mobilization.

Dreams.

Touch.

Connection.

Common bond.

Jesus.

Flesh.

Neighborhood.

Review Music. Get a Free CD. Do Good.

More here.

Thoughts on Mission: Post-Cambodia

I have to say that Fred Garmon and the guys and gals at his organization are ministering from a position that will become increasingly familiar in the United States.  As America becomes more secularized, we will have a greater need to establish ourselves from a position of servanthood and hospitality that establishes credibility and makes a way for the Good News.  Watch what is going on with People for Care and Learning and emulate their heart in your community.  Now, some thoughts:

• The trend of every organization is towards maintenance.  Fight it by turning radically outward.
• Touch the needs by touching the people.  Physically touch people and demonstrate the heart of Jesus.
• Experiment.  The Church is always changing.  God and His Word never do.
• Have guts.  Step out.  The conditions are never perfect.
• Financial uncertainty makes it difficult to fund old ministry paradigms.  Love the ministry more than the paradigm.  Evolve or die.
• Don’t wait for permission.  Leaders lead.  You’ve been commissioned by the Holy Spirit.  Stop subordinating the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to the approval of people.
• If you want friends, be friendly.  Generosity translates in every language.
• Believe in people.  If your greatest value is what you can do, you will not accomplish your greatest potential.  Believe in people.  Develop them.  Send them out.  Expect a lot.  Be there for them when they mess up.
• The Gospel is too powerful to allow someone to hijack it with a lazy attitude.  Work like the devil for the Lord.
• Have each others’ backs.  When you’re on the front lines, you have to know your team is going to come through for you.
• Dance. Play. Laugh. Love.  Scream. Sweat.  Wear your passion and your heart outside of your body.
• Get dirty. (Proverbs 14:4)
• Create safe places.  The world is a grinder.  Create spaces where you can escape the grind and be refreshed.
• Redeem the time.  Work while it’s day.
• Know that the Holy Spirit is so powerful that he can use a useless you to accomplish incredible good works.

Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
compassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

-Teresa of Avila

Follow Me and The Saturn Project to Cambodia

I’m live blogging my trip with The Saturn Project and Fred Garmon to Cambodia.  Follow the trip here.

New COG Blogger: Dr. Fred Garmon

Follow Dr. Fred Garmon’s new blog. He’s kicking off his blog, “Inspiring Hope” by sharing his experience with The Saturn Project in Cambodia.  We’ll be over there this week along with Mitch Maloney, Daniel Sylverston, and Mark Schrade.  I’ll be live blogging the trip as well at www.travisjohnson.net.