Values Exercise - what are we reflecting?

I’ve been pondering the phrase ‘recovering freedom’ for the last few weeks – what that means and how it relates to leadership development. I went back to the basics and revisited the five ‘frees’. I won’t review them all here as Bishop Keith has addressed them in his article. If, however, you turned to this page first when you received your copy of the Mosaic (hey – a girl can dream!), then please do read Bishop Keith’s piece.

As I studied the ‘frees’, I began to think of them as principles, standards or ideals: in other words, values. We all have values, the things or people in our lives that we regard as important, as useful and as having worth. These five ‘frees’, these values, became part of who we were as Free Methodists. They were part of our identity. That brought me to a question: Is that true of us today?

I have worked through a values activity with high school students, most recently in September. Each student was presented with 52 cards. Each card had a word on it that represented something good worth valuing: competence, honesty, integrity, leisure, athletics, cooperation, family, relationship with God – with Scriptural support. They had to do a quick sort of the 52 cards into 3 categories: Very important to me, Somewhat important to me and Not Important to Me at All. The only other stipulation was there could only be eight cards in their ‘very important to me’ pile. When they finished that – and for most it was not an easy task – they had to take those top eight and rank them from most to least important.

That in itself is an interesting activity. I’ve done it and it’s not easy. As I picked my top 8, I realized how some of mine were very different from a typical high school student simply because I was at a very different stage in time. Our season of life can affect what we value.

That brings me to my question. Are the five values still true for us or has that changed because of our season(s) of life? That query is followed by another one: How would we know?
I asked the high school group the same question. Together we agreed that in order for us to truly value something, there needs to be evidence of it in our lives. It has to be reflected in our behaviour. If I say I value physical fitness yet eat a high-fat, high-salt diet and never exercise, then it’s not a value. If I say I value risk-taking and never take a chance on anything, then it’s not a value. A look at our behaviour will reveal what it is that we value and two really good indicators are how we spend our time and where we spend our money. We spent some time as a group seeing if we could identify people by using the lists of eight values, based on how well we knew their behaviours. That was an interesting activity as well!

As I look at our five values, I’m impressed by two in particular as they relate to us as Christ-followers and as leaders. The first is we can be ‘free from the domination of sin’ through the renewing activity of the Holy Spirit and the faithful adherence to spiritual disciplines. As I connect this value to behaviours, then disciplines such as prayer, fasting, meditation on Scripture and Sabbath rest should be evident in our walk. I don’t know if the original Free Methodists observed Sabbath rest as a spiritual discipline, but God has expressed His opinion on it, as a commandment(Exodus 20: 8-11). Observing a regular time for rest and worship demonstrates how much we value God and allows us to be refreshed in body and spirit. God makes provision for our spiritual and physical health in His word, and also provides protection for us; protection against exhaustion, nasty attitudes, illness or burnout. It’s there for us to put into action in our lives, for in His protection and provision there is freedom for us.

The second value is that we can be free from secret societies so that our loyalty isn’t divided. As I connect that value to behaviour, I see that displayed as openness, honesty and transparency so that it’s evident where our loyalties are. No masks. There is freedom to be who we are created to be in Christ; fear of failure or fear of rejection no longer need to guide our choices or behaviours. We can let down our masks and discover that people will still love us – they might even still like us! One way that we demonstrate that value is by having an accountability partner who will ask the important and perhaps tough questions, encourage us and be willing to hold our feet to the fire as needed. In mutual accountability, we also need to be ready to ask the important questions and if we’re holding someone’s feet to the fire, be prepared to get warm hands! To learn to drop the mask is to learn to value transparency and to experience freedom in being who God created us to be: healthy, whole people designed in His image.

As Christ-followers and leaders we can claim these two ideals to be true values for us by living them out. That answers my second question of ‘how would we know?’ We know because our lives bear the fruit of those values for all to see. As for my first question, whether these values reflect a season of life…I don’t believe they do. I do believe that for healthy churches and healthy leaders, they should be our lifestyle - in or out of season!

Rev. Kim Henderson is Director of Leadership Development for The Free Methodist Church in Canada.

Training leaders in Cambodia

Last November, 33 pastors and Christian leaders attended a two week training module at Tahas Bible Institute (TBI), an interdenominational college led by Canadian FM missionary, Rev. Sok Em. Most of the participants are lay leaders in village churches. They came from five different denominations and travelled from five provinces in Cambodia to Kampong Chnang, where TBI is located.

Although almost 50 people had registered for the module, some leaders were not able to attend for a variety of reasons, the most common being a lack of financial resources. The college only charges the equivalent of $5.00 USD for food and study materials for the two-week program.

This amount, however, is equal to four days of labour for farmers. Plus, students would have to pay $5 to $10 for their travel costs.

If you would like to receive the Ems newsletter please contact them at: tbibleinstitute@gmail.com

Missional Living in Niamey, Niger

The old gentleman was insistent as we walked through the craft market. In fact he followed Dave and Jennifer Wright and myself for quite a while trying to persuade us to purchase his product – in this case a particular kind of ‘spiritual’ medicine. He had a small plastic bag with little black beads in it. Since my language and his language weren’t connecting he tried to demonstrate his product for me. He pulled out a piece of paper with writing on it that I recognized as Arabic -- a bit unusual since Arabic is not an official language in Niger. He proceeded to show me that this was a page from the Quran, the Muslim holy book. He had copied a similar page in ink, then had painstakingly scraped the dried ink off the page and rolled the residue up into tiny little black beads that were to be ingested orally. This was the ‘medicine’ he was offering me. While I hesitated to make my purchase, others around me were definitely interested.

This little episode gives a glimpse into the cultural context of ministry in Niamey, Niger where the Wrights are settling into their church planting assignment. Although most Nigeriens would claim to be Muslims, this kind of ‘folk Islam’ as practiced by my ‘medicine man’ would be more typical of many in Niger. In this setting, where there are very few Christians, the work that David and Jennifer and their boys have to do, is really to just begin developing friendships with their neighbours.

In this city of almost 1 million people, the Wrights have moved into a newly developing neighbourhood near the north edge of the city. In Niamey there are few Christian churches and most have 40-60 people that worship together. There are no gatherings of Christians in the district (quartier) of the city where the Wrights live. During my time with the Wrights in December, we discussed the challenges of ‘starting from scratch’ to develop a gathering of new Jesus-followers.

In a recent posting on their blog [www.niameywrights.blogspot.com], Jennifer wrote: "One of the things that came out of that discussion falls under the acronym BELLS, which stands for Blessing, Eating, Listening, Learning and Sending. This is part of our weekly tasks, so for the "blessing" we are to find a way to bless one person within the church and one that is outside of the church each week; "eating" is similar, we are to eat a meal with a believer and a non-believer. With "listening" we are to spend a solid hour of time each week in listening/meditative prayer where the goal is to hear from God. "Learning" refers to an hour a week where you study God’s word with a small group or in a discipling relationship.

"Sending" isn’t quite what it sounds, but refers to the fact that when God sends us to do His work, He not only prepares us, but He goes before us. So by "sending", we are to spend time journal writing each day in order to record where we have been seeing God at work. All of these become interrelated, so that our blessing, eating and learning are all directed by what we see God doing and what we are hearing him say to us. So you can be praying for us as we start to try to put some of these new disciplines in place in our lives and maybe you could try to put these disciplines in place in your lives and ministries too!"

Living A Missional Life - Be intentional with the help of a Gift Plan

Sometimes I think the word "missional" should be a verb. By that I mean for me the essence of living a missional life means to act. It means taking my thoughts and feelings about how God wants me to live and putting them into action. For instance, I know from scripture that Jesus wants me to help meet the needs of the poor. And I can feel that the elimination of poverty is a worthy cause. But if that is where it ends, then I’ve fallen short. It is in the act of doing that I live a missional life.

It seems in our busy, self-indulgent, debt-ridden society, often our good intentions end up being just that – intentions. Tomorrow becomes the day that we will take action. But tomorrow turns into today…

If we want to be sure to do something, we need to plan for it. A Gift Plan can help us turn our good intentions into acts of generosity. As we start into a new year, I want to encourage you and your family to develop a gift plan. If this is your first time doing this, start out by focusing on what you can do in 2008. An annual gift plan simply outlines what, how and to whom you and your family will give of your time, talents and treasure.

Step One: What?
Sit down with your family and talk through what each of you is passionate about. Consider all the possibilities such as:
• Evangelism • Poverty relief • Missions – local and international
• Youth ministries • Leadership development • Children, women, family issues
• Church planting • Camping ministries • The homeless
• Recovery programs

Listen to your children and hear where their interests lie. This is a great way to get them involved in giving. Pray together about each of the causes that you’ve identified. Ask God to direct you as you seek to determine how best you can make an impact in these areas. Ask God to challenge you as you seek to determine what time, talent and treasure you will commit this year.

Step Two: How?
Now that you’ve identified the needs you would like to address in your 2008 gift plan, it’s time to determine how you can make an impact. Consider each of they ways you can give:
• Time – can I make an impact in this area by giving my time? How much time each week or each month can I give?
• Talent – do I have skills and abilities that I can use to make an impact?
• Treasure – will the gift of money or other financial resources make an impact? How much can we commit to giving this year?
• Any combination of the above

Step Three: Who and Where?
Now it’s time to figure out where to give. One of the wonderful things about the body of Christ is that we can accomplish more together than each of us can on our own. Take some time to identify organizations through which you can give.

Start with your local church. Find out what your church is doing in the areas of need you have identified as a family. Consider your neighbourhood and your community. How can you minister to the people close to you by meeting their needs?

Find out what The Free Methodist Church in Canada is doing in each of these areas. Visit our website at www.fmc-canada.org and check out each of the ministry areas including:

• Global Ministries • Growth Ministries • Leadership Development
• Stewardship Ministries • Student Ministries
Also look at the Giving Streams information under Administration to find out about ways to give to the ongoing work across Canada and around the world.
You will also see a link on our home page to Affiliated Ministries. Take a look here and find out more about ministries such as:
• International Child Care Ministries • Clergy Care Network
• The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada • World Relief

Through our local churches, our national initiatives and our affiliated ministries, The Free Methodist Church in Canada can help your family find the best ways to give. And if God is leading you to meet a need outside of what the FMCIC is doing, there are many wonderful para-church organizations through which you can give.

Make today the day you turn your good intentions into action. Make "missional" a verb as you write the story of your life each day.

Joanne Bell is the Stewardship Development Director for The Free Methodist Church in Canada. To find out more you can visit the website www.generoussteward.org or contact Joanne by email bellj@fmc-canada.org.

Leadership for the Missional Church

This past fall I taught a course at Tyndale Seminary on the role of pastoral leadership in helping their congregations live out their "Faith in the Marketplace." The students were all involved in full-time ministry, most as pastors. They are all in the third year of their MDiv program. Most of these students [experienced pastoral leaders] have had profound periods of dissonance as they have come to understand more fully the missional character of the Church. They have been "disturbed" because a biblical view of the nature and mission of the Church doesn’t match up with their experience of church as found in the congregations they serve.

Richard Lovelace, a church historian, made this comment almost thirty years ago:
"It is still true that the model of congregational life in the minds of most clergy and laity is one in which the minister is the dominant pastoral superstar who specializes in the spiritual concerns of the Christian community, while laity are spectators, critics, and recipients of pastoral care, free to go about their own business because the pastor is taking care of the business of the kingdom." (1979)
This insightful statement captures the struggle of the students in my course. Church is not what it should be. Pastors are not what they should be. The people of God are not what they should be. Something is profoundly wrong.

What is a missional church?
We need to start with the notion that God is on a mission to restore humanity, and the earth we inhabit [missio dei], back to what the Trinity originally intended – human beings in wholistic relationship with the Creator [shalom]. It should follow, then, that the people of God, who are openly committed to belief in Jesus, would recognize that we, too, are on that mission with God.
God placed the substantial fulfillment of missio dei in the hands of his son Jesus, who then passed the assignment on to those people who make up his continuing presence in the world – the Body of Christ, the Church [ekklesia]. So, God’s mission is now our mission. This means that the basic assignment of the church is to take the good news of God’s intention to those who still need to hear of the possibility of restoration and wholeness in Jesus.

People in need of wholeness, meet Jesus – most often through the influence of other Jesus-followers – and are transformed in the encounter. They are incorporated into the fellowship of a local group of Jesus-followers. They are mended, established, and equipped as kingdom people to go back out and introduce more people to Jesus. These are the simple rhythms of the church on a mission. By this definition a "missional" church is just a Christian community that lives its life with these simple rhythms – a church on a mission.

In the current environment there is a lot of "static" about "missional" – that is, "what’s all the hype; and isn’t this going to be just another passing fad?" I would like to suggest that rather than a passing fad, this present emphasis is really a recovery of the vital dynamic of early Christianity – not in forms of church, but in the essential passions. In fact, Wesleyan scholar and missiologist, George Hunter suggests that "the recovery of the truth, life and power of earliest Christianity and the expansion of that kind of Christianity" was the fundamental "cause" that stirred the passion, habits and methods of early Methodists. So, again, what does a missional church look like?

A missional church is organized around its mission, the Missio Dei; the restoration of shalom through the expanding influence of the Kingdom of God on earth. The church exists for the benefit of the world, and has a purpose in the world for the glory of God.

The missional church’s ministry is incarnational, not attractional. The church is the continuing presence of Jesus who was sent to introduce the kingdom of God among the peoples of the earth. There is a greater concern for getting the people of the church out among the people of the world, than there is to get the people of the world in among the people of the church.

But let’s face it – most of our churches are organized around nurturing and establishing Christians – not around the mission. And most of our churches are organized to attract people to our building and our programs, rather than to going out among those who still need to meet Jesus. So what we need are some pastoral leaders who can take local groups of Jesus-followers down a different path.

How does a missional pastor lead?
Missional leaders need to clearly identify the focal point of the church – its missional nature – and organize their ministry around the most important dimension – the outward orientation. A way of leading is required that takes seriously the creation of a covenant community of Jesus-followers as sign and foretaste, as agent and instrument of the reign of God in the earth. All the while, the missional leader is living and modeling face to face relationships with those who still need Jesus in the hustle and bustle of his or her neighbourhood.

Over the past decade, Alan Roxburgh, an experienced Canadian pastor and missiologist, has produced a body of writings that explore the practical issues of providing missional leadership [see titles below]. He gives us three faces of the missional pastor:

The pastor/poet; poets are the articulators of experience and the remember-ers of tradition; the poet listens to the pain and questioning and knows these are cries that long to be connected to a Word that calls them beyond themselves into a place of belonging. "There will be no vision of a missionary people without the poet/pastor living within the congregation’s experience and giving voice to its desire for transformation and renewal." (1997, 59)

The pastor/prophet; the prophetic imagination directs the poetic dialogue of the people toward a vision of God’s purposes for them in the world at this time; addresses the hard side of discipleship where we must face the reality that in God’s kingdom we are not at the centre of the universe. The prophet speaks a Word which engenders hope out of which arises authentic missional engagement. [1997, 60-61]

The pastor/apostle; pastors must lead congregations in places where old maps no longer work. Discipling and equipping require a leadership that demonstrates encounter with the culture in action, not just teaching and sending. In our present mission situation pastors must be in the world not just among the believers. "The pastor/apostle is one who forms congregations into mission groups shaped by encounters with the gospel and culture – structuring the congregations shape into forms that lead people outward into a missionary encounter." [1997, 62-66]

So how would we translate these ideas into the practical realities of everyday pastoral ministry? When we craft our job descriptions we talk about major categories and prioritized responsibilities. What would missional leadership look like if we tried to craft a job description in this manner?

Major Category 1
Telling the Jesus Story – poet
Missional pastors must give their attention to understanding, experiencing and communicating the story of God’s plan for healing and restoring our personal and social environments.
Prioritized Responsibilities
• personal spiritual development – devotional life
• understanding the Jesus story – study
• understanding the people of their community – research and conversation
• utilizing effective communication models for Christ-followers and for the wider community – research, conversation and experimentation

Major Category 2
Forming the Community – prophet
Missional pastors must develop committed communities of faithful, growing Christ- followers who understand their place as of agents of Spirit-guided transformation.
Prioritized Responsibilities
• giving shape to the community’s worship environment
• forming a community of missionally-committed individuals and families
• modeling/apprenticing and multiplying wholistic change-agents (disciples)
• modeling and multiplying; nurturing, and establishing; accountability groups

Major Category 3
Living the Story – apostle
Missional pastors must lead their congregations into authentic encounter with the lives of those who still need to know the Jesus story.
Prioritized Responsibilities
• Modeling authentic personal engagement with their community context
• Apprenticing learners in the context of ministry involvement
• Multiplying ministry involvement through apprenticed leaders
• Giving direction to a team of co-labourers based on emergent missional authority

A job description that looked something like this would describe a pastoral leader who "gets missional" and is working in a gradual, disciplined manner, with a long-term perspective, to lead her congregation to an outward-oriented, incarnational place in their community.

But we have been living with Christendom models of church for so long which are designed to attract unbelievers to what we do as Christians in our "community centres." Jesus, for the most part, is the centre of what we do in our gathering places; that is, we organize ministry so that we can grow to be like Jesus in our values and behaviours and create a community where we care for one another wholistically. It is quite possible, however, that we may have domesticated Jesus to suit our concerns, rather than following him outside our gathering places – to those people who are still needing good news, who will never be attracted by what "we" are offering.

As those leaders with authentic, mission-shaped, authority cultivate missional practices in a congregation, they enable the development of a missional identity among their people. These leaders say with Paul, "live according to the pattern we gave you" [Phil 3:17] and "follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" [1 Cor. 11:1]. The place of leadership is to be at the front of the community, living out the implications and actions of the missional people of God, so all can see what it looks like to be the people of God [1998,186].

Back to my students at Tyndale… Its seems that when we get "disturbed" by what we see around us, we may in fact be most open to change and transformation in our beliefs, values and practices. A number of students have actually left the pastoral assignments they had when they started the MDiv three years ago. They realized they had no hope of bringing about change from a Christendom model, to a missional congregation. Starting from "scratch" somewhere else seemed the most hopeful thing they could do. Others have settled in for the long haul required to turn an inward-oriented congregation to an outward, missional, orientation.

[p.s. I have been working with a number of pastors in the last couple of years to figure out what this might look like in everyday practices. If that sounds attractive to you and/or your leadership team, give me a shout!]

Notes
Most of this article was first posted in Dan’s blog in October 2005
@ http://sheffield.typepad.com/dansheffield/2005/10/index.html
It was reposted in Charles Ware’s NextWave e-zine in November 2005 @
www.the-next-wave-ezine.info/issue83/index.cfm?id=6&ref=ARTICLES%5FMISSIONAL%5F90

Rev. Dan Sheffield is the Director of Intercultural and Global Ministries for The Free Methodist Church in Canada

Rev. Kim Henderson appointed as new FMCIC Director of Personnel

The Board of Administration of The Free Methodist Church in Canada has appointed Rev. Kimberley (Kim) Henderson as Director of Personnel for The Free Methodist Church in Canada effective February 16, 2008.

Kim is an ordained minister of the FMCiC who has served on the pastoral staff of New Horizons FMC in Sarnia for the past seven years. Prior to joining the staff of New Horizons, she was a secondary school teacher for 11 years in the Sarnia, Ontario area, the last four of which she served as Department Head of a staff of 10 science teachers. Kim has a B.Ed (University of Toronto), a M.Ed in Administration (University of Windsor) with additional special training to be a Principal (Brock University) and a MTS (Tyndale Seminary). Kim is 42 years old and single.

Kim’s references describe her as a mature Christian who has an authentic walk with the Lord Jesus. She is passionate about developing healthy, godly, competent leaders. While being very personable, she has also demonstrated strong administrative and leadership capabilities. She understands leadership theory and has applied those understandings well in her leadership responsibilities as an educator and more recently in her role as a pastor.

Kim possesses good interpersonal skills. She is able to interact easily with people, to interject some humour and to put them at ease. She enjoys meeting new people and hearing their stories. As a department head, she learned to listen to and care for people in a way that has helped her in ministry as well. She works at balancing care with challenge while all the time encouraging people to move along and make progress with problems or issues that they are facing.

Bishop Elford says that the Search Committee believes that Kim has been uniquely prepared through her life experiences and training in education, administration and theological studies to further develop the innovations that have been made in the Personnel department of the FMCiC during the last decade and to make a valuable contribution as a member of the National Leadership Team.
He writes, "I am very pleased to introduce Kim to The Free Methodist Church in Canada and I hope that all God’s people will join me in welcoming her to the National Leadership Team and in praying for her as she assumes her new responsibilities."

Local Churches in Transition have a "Window of Opportunity" to evaluate

A visit with Alan Roxburgh
A few months ago the NLT [National Leadership Team] had an opportunity to spend four hours with Alan Roxburgh, author of The Missional Leader. I remember one key comment from him that was stunning in its simplicity: "If the church is going to become what God wants it to be in the world, that change will not come through the pastor." That is my paraphrase, but the important thought was, "change will not come through the pastor."

When I began ministry in the FMCiC it was all about the pastor having a vision from God that he presented to the board and congregation to follow. It was like Moses bringing down the tablets from on high, carved in stone that everyone will buy into and give praise to the pastor for his God-given insight. We still need vision, but it’s not written in stone on two tablets, nor is it announced and unquestioned by the congregation. There is no ownership in pastoral announcements imposed on the congregation. Vision and mission will be owned by the congregation only if the congregation has a voice in what that vision is going to be, in the context of the community where they live.
What I took from Dr. Roxburgh is that the entire process needs to start with the congregation. And sometimes it’s better if the pastor isn’t there so that the congregation won’t behave the way they’ve become accustomed: asking the pastor what he thinks, first.

The pastor is important; she must be a leader and a communicator of vision and mission. He needs to be a builder of leaders to accomplish any God-given vision. She needs to build teams involved in the mission, and have a clear idea of where the congregation is headed. He needs to assure the vision and mission are biblical and attainable with the team God has provided, in the context of their own community.

I am not minimizing the role of the pastor as much as I want us to not minimize the role of congregational "buy in" to the vision that leads to Godly mission in the local church.
Any congregation while in transition can assess for itself how well it is fulfilling God’s call to living together and their witness in the world.

The Ministry Map is a tool that Jared Siebert has developed in his area of responsibility. Jared and I have done the Ministry Map in a half dozen churches throughout the fall of 2007. We partnered our two areas, personnel and church development, to take this assessment tool to churches in transition. The response was positive but there were local official boards that felt it didn’t represent them quite accurately. Regardless of the full accuracy, it did give the board, and on some occasions the congregation, a chance to evaluate their ministry according to Ephesians 2:1-10. You can find the Ministry Map at www.lifecycleproject.org/?q=node/135

It’s not a miracle cure, it’s not a program, nor is it something you try once. It’s just an assessment that can be used in the way the local church sees fit. It can be repeated annually, like a check-up with your doctor.

A test is just a test until you do something with it
I have known for a year now that I am a Type II diabetic. I took a blood test and the results revealed that my glucose reading was too high, in the diabetic range. I could get mad at the doctor for telling me the results. That’s not going to help me. I could argue that the test was wrong and I want another test to verify the findings. However, if the findings are correct I have to make some decisions. Those decisions may require that I make some changes. The glucose blood test is not a program of change. It simply tells me where I’m at and if I want to lower my glucose I need to decide what I want to do about it: What should I start doing? What should I stop doing? What should I keep on doing?

The answer to those questions is the program. Start by eating better "on the road" and exercising in a disciplined way. Stop eating bad carbohydrates and sweets. (At least make smarter choices.) Keep eating a balanced diet and exercise the way you do at home.

In the same way, the Ministry Map is an assessment tool and not a program. The local congregation gets to decide what to do with the results…maybe something…maybe nothing. The program will be the changes the local church makes after answering these questions: What should we start doing? What should we stop doing? What should we keep on doing?

These questions applied to a local church are more difficult. It’s not a single patient in this instance. The congregation is the patient and it needs to have some say in what should or should not change.
If used during a transitional time the Ministry Map allows a congregation to evaluate their mission and vision without the influence of a pastor. It is an opportunity in the life of your local church to get a picture that reflects the biblical passions of your congregation. If the congregation takes this assessment tool seriously it could create a deeper ownership of the mission God is giving to your local church. This is very different from the tablets of stone coming down from on high with the pastor.

Congratulations to Rev. Kim Henderson on her appointment as Director of Personnel. As part of the interview team, as the incumbent director, I sensed that God had put his hand on Kim for this position. I look forward to the time we will work together during this transition to assure that the baton is passed well.

Rev. Alan Retzman
Editor’s note: This is Alan Retzman’s last article as acting Director of Personnel. Alan joined the National Leadership Team in August of 1999. We pray for God’s blessing and thank him for faithfully serving the FMCIC.

The Missional Church

Alan Hirsch, author of "The Forgotten Ways" and contemporary Missional Church thinker, says the current church has itself turned around backwards. The natural flow of the gospel that a proper Christology [understanding of Christ] gives rise to a compelling Missiology [understanding of our mission] which needs a proper Ecclesiology [understanding of the church] to support that Christ inspired mission. According to Hirsch much of the church growth movement starts with Ecclesiology, and finds a Missiology to grow and support the church, in an effort to move closer to Christ. In this model, evangelism and/or "missions" becomes a program of the church and not its reason for existence. Hirsch proposes that church must recover the natural flow of the gospel [Christology->Missiology->Ecclesiology].

Historically, the gospel was flowing in the right direction in the Methodist church. Wesley’s revival began with a series of encounters with Christ that compelled his evangelistic campaigns. From that mission the Methodist church was born to support Methodists as they spread the gospel further and deeper into the world. This trend did not end with the Methodists but was rediscovered in the work of the early Free Methodist movement. An overwhelming majority of our churches were planted to support the success of Free Methodist revival meetings in the end of the 1800s and first part of the 1900s.

In light of the present state of the church, Hirsch and many of his contemporaries are calling for the church to become "Missional". "Missional" is a term and way of thinking developed by Lesslie Newbigin which demands that the church exists for the purpose of its Christ-compelled mission. Not the other way around. While the word "Missional" suffers from buzzword status in much of the broader evangelical world, it should never suffer a similar fate inside the Free Methodist Church. Historically and traditionally speaking, to be truly Free Methodist is to be "Missional".
So how do we recover the natural flow of the gospel in our movement? Here are a few suggestions:
Rediscover Christ

This may sound trite but is absolutely essential. We serve a missionary God. We should become a missionary people. We serve a sent-out Saviour. We should be sent out as well if we’re following in his footsteps.

We must make a long term, concerted, and consistent attempt to reshape our church culture.
As a movement we have not grown significantly for nearly 70 years. We are resting on the laurels of our missionary past. While that is beginning to turn around, our churches are currently dominated by a culture focused on maintenance and care rather than our mission in Canada. To change this we will need to take a fearless look at ourselves! That will mean a consistent and public "taking stock" of where most of our time, energy, and resources are being focused. Is it on ourselves? Is it on our mission to those not in the family of God? We will also need regular congregation wide conversations about how we can start re-aligning our values and hearts around the missionary task our missionary God is leading us into.

Recover and heed the voice of the apostles, prophets and evangelists among us.
The Bible talks about the Holy Spirit giving the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, preachers, and teachers for its on-going vitality and health. The church tends to go into maintenance mode when the preachers and teachers become the dominant leaders. Why? Because their spiritual gift is the care and nurture of the flock. While they are necessary to the on-going health of the flock they do little to advance the church beyond its four walls. God has given us a complete gift-set among us but we are responsible to give them a voice and listen to what they have to say.

A commitment to church planting.
The truth is the Free Methodist revival meetings began to lose their effectiveness somewhere around the 1930s. This led to a slow down in our growth; a fact we have only recently begun to recover from. After the mid 90s restructuring of our movement, and the hiring of Ron Bonar to keep church planting on the forefront of our national agenda, we have begun to see a long-term downward trend begin to reverse. Church plants by their very nature tend to embody the natural flow of the gospel. An encounter with Christ leads many among us to feel a burden for a unreached group of people in our society. That burden leads to compulsion to a "do something about it". When something effective and useful is "done about it" a church is born. If we can maintain a commitment to seeing every church plant a church we will see a new day in The Free Methodist Church in Canada. We will see a resurgence of the best of our traditions and history.

I am convinced that we are currently taking some of the right steps to see our denomination become "missional". However, it’s going to take time and patience. It will take all of our churches taking God’s mission as their own. It will take courage as we face the brutal facts about our attitudes toward the needs of our neighbours and our choice to focus instead on ourselves. It will take action and prayer as we work to live in more Christ-shaped ways. Most importantly, it will take Jesus keeping His long standing promise to build His church.

Rev. Jared Siebert is the Director of Growth Ministries for The Free Methodist Church in Canada. Resources are available at www.lifecycleproject.org

It’s hard to live in two worlds

In early December, after spending some time in prayer, I began to have an uneasy feeling that 2008 was going to be a challenging year for me. I say that I felt uneasy because, like many, I am a creature of comfort and I am not used to being troubled with problems that can’t be solved easily. Your car is older than your neighbour’s car? Buy a new one! Tired of the clothes you are wearing? Go shopping! Don’t feel like cooking tonight? Go out to eat! As Canadians we live in a world of convenience and we have padded ourselves with "stuff" that makes our lives effortless – painless.

And so when I felt impressed by God that he wanted to teach me about "inconvenience," I cringed a little, wondering what I’d have to give up. The answer to that question was, of course, everything.

Matthew 10:38-39 says, "If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me."
[The Message]

I know we’ve all heard this verse before, but when I really began to consider the ramifications of practically applying it to my life, it seemed pretty radical – even harsh. Forget about myself? But for how long? This is where the dichotomy began for me. How much would I have to surrender to Christ’s example of self-sacrifice and servanthood while still maintaining a self-indulgent life?

The simple truth is that in a world and society that tells us our main goal is to buy, collect, and save as much as we can, we, as the body of Christ, must live as alternatives to the world of materialism and model the Kingdom of God by living lives of justice, compassion, mercy, and discipleship.

"Freeing" ourselves to be used of God, instead of the inward focus which the world ascribes to, is the starting point at which a discussion on being "missional" becomes relevant. Without casting off worldly priorities we will never see the need that surrounds us, or feel any responsibility to meet it.

So I begin again [Our gracious God is constantly offering me forgiveness and a second chance] with this new perspective, knowing that with every "inconvenience" that I willingly accept for Jesus’ sake, I take a step closer to the heart of God.

Lisa Howden
Managing Editor

"To be" or "Not to be" Missional is NOT the Question!

There’s a buzz word that has been around long enough for me to think that I’m catching on to a fresh articulation of a great concept, and long enough for the cynics and smart guys to call it a "flavour-of-the-month fad" that is now tired and passé. I’m talking about the more recent emphasis on a term introduced by Lesslie Newbigin, a godly British missionary whom God used in India.

The term is "missional" and, though it was coined by a missionary, it is not limited in scope to the idea of cross-cultural-in-another-language-on-another-continent service for Jesus. It has to do with what increasingly preoccupies any maturing Christian’s mindset when they think deeply about what it means to allow the Holy Spirit to engrain the teachings, character and example of the Lord Jesus into how they think about life and the way they live life.

As I understand it, to be "missional" is to understand and identify with what was in Jesus’ heart when he laid aside His divine glory as the eternal Son of God, emptied Himself and came among us as a joyful servant. It’s to embrace His attitude of not positioning oneself for more occasions to be noticed and doted on by others, but rather to see Jesus in the eyes of others and to serve and to give of what one is, and what one has, in meaningful ways to them. This requires inner transformation and the inward shifts that come with ongoing discipleship. One must also have a willingness to hear and see what the Lord Jesus wants to show him/her about the world and to have the courage to respond in obedience.

To help me in this regard, I’ve been doing some reflection on where Jesus starts in the foundational collection of his teachings in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. It’s called this because at least the first part, known as the Beatitudes (Matt. 5: 1 – 12), was delivered to his disciples on a hillside with a large crowd listening in.

I love what Fred Craddock has to say about this. He writes, "Jesus is addressing his followers. But it seems that the disciples are being instructed in the context of a larger audience. The presence of the multitudes keeps the disciples honest as to who they are and what price is to be paid for their commitments. The crowds serve also to remind the reader that the invitation to join the circle of disciples is always open provided we are willing to submit to the discipline of God’s reign. After all, the church is a community, not a ghetto, and it is always open to and aware of the world."

And what does Jesus want this community of disciples (then and now) to have the capacity to see? Poverty in spirit, deep heartbreak about life’s sadness and suffering, meekness, hunger and thirst for wholesome living. Jesus says that there is blessing when people find themselves in these circumstances which Eugene Peterson describes in The Message as being "at the end of your rope… when you feel you have lost what is most dear to you…." etc.

It’s in circumstances like these, when hope is out of sight, that there is room for God to act and for Jesus, that is a place of blessing. Sometimes He acts in miraculous ways in the here and now; sometimes He plants deep hope that will only be fully realized in eternity. At other times, He acts through disciples who see Him in the eyes of those that He calls "one of the least of these my brothers" and these disciples become channels of hope to broken people and communities that formerly they might not have even noticed.

I’ve been thinking about the promise that "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" will be filled. It occurs to me that this may mean more than wanting to be a better Christian. Was Jesus drawing attention to desperate people who long deeply for the possibility of living in wholesome, healthy freedom and are tempted to just quit? Perhaps "the filling" comes as some Christ follower becomes a channel of grace to them - seeing them, listening to their stories, walking with them, not giving up ……

Jesus’ last four Beatitudes focus on mercy, heart purity, peacemaking, and the courage to endure persecution because of one’s open identification with Jesus in the world. Tod Lindberg in his book The Political Teachings of Jesus suggests that "the Beatitudes are organized according to a scale running from passivity and paralysis in this world, through increasing levels of engagement with it in accordance with what Jesus is teaching, up to a pinnacle of earthly conduct Jesus describes. The categories he delineates describe people we can recognize in our own day, from homeless shelters and nursing homes to the halls of power, at least on those occasions when people rise above their private ambitions and work for the public good".

He also makes an interesting suggestion about how to more deeply grasp what Jesus is saying is important for His disciples.

He writes, "The character of the Beatitudes becomes clearer if we view the categories Jesus calls "blessed" in light of their opposites: the spiritually self-confident in contrast to the p oor in spirit, the persecutors of those who follow Jesus’ teaching in contrast to those persecuted.…. those who offer the lowest of the low only their own sense of superiority; those unmoved by or contemptuous of people suffering from great loss or adversity; those whose response when they encounter the meek and gentle is to lord it over them; those who embrace a doctrine defending their position of privilege at the expense of others; those in a position of power who show no mercy to the powerless; those corruptly seeking advantage over others; those obstructing a just peace or fomenting conflict…."
Let me finish off with what has been perhaps the newest insight for me as I have been thinking about the Beatitudes in light of the mission of Jesus and His disciples in the world. The first set of four Beatitudes describes people in great need - poverty in spirit, deep heartbreak, meekness, hunger and thirst for wholesome living. These are circumstances that exist everywhere in the world. (Co-incidentally, it’s situations like these that often mature and deepen a disciple.)

The second set of four Beatitudes provides the answer to the needs of the first. Mercy needs an object, pure hearts that really see God will also see the pain He sees in the world, peacemakers are only peacemakers when they are helping people in conflict, persecution for Christ’s sake only comes when one is acting or speaking with prophetic saltiness.

I’m not particularly interested in "being missional" for the sake of "being missional". On the other hand, what Jesus was talking about on the hillside as always being of first importance to his disciples (then and now), well, that’s a different matter!!

Rev. Keith Elford is Bishop of The Free Methodist Church in Canada.

Wesley’s Life Remembered in Picton Celebration

SING! A Musical Tribute to Charles Wesley’s 300th

Because 2007 was the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Anglican/Methodist hymn writer, Charles Wesley, we focused our efforts in celebrating the life of this marvelous Christian, by organizing a concert to share Charles Wesley’s musical heritage in a celebration of faith.

At a reception in the Ottawa area, I had met Phyllis Deeks, the Choral director of an outstanding choir in the nation’s capital - the Sanctuary Choir of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church of Ottawa. After speaking with Phyllis about the possibility of her choir coming to Picton for a Wesley 300th concert, she took it under advisement, discussed it with her choir members, and they decided that they would come to Picton to celebrate the Tercentenary of Charles Wesley.

The concert which was a highlight of 2007, was held on Saturday, October 27th, in the beautiful sanctuary of St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in Picton ,with c250 in attendance. With its superb Casavant organ, beautiful grand piano, and exceptional acoustics, the church was the perfect setting for this musical tribute.

It was a moving experience to hear the choir and the soloists, and more than once, one could hear a collective appreciative sigh from the audience. Gloria Jean Nagy’s (pronounced Naage) presentation of Georges Bizet’s “Agneus Dei”(Lamb of God) accompanied by organ, piano and oboe, was so expressive that, when she finished there was a hush, and you could hear several people giving thanks to God.

A choral medley included “Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above”, “Sing With Glad Anticipation”, “Rejoice The Lord Is King”, and “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” .The collection included six Wesley hymn texts chosen for their messages: worship, love, thanksgiving, service, life

The audience was thrilled with Baritone Clive Talbot’s rendering of “The Lord is My Light and My Salvation”, and the applause was extraordinarily enthusiastic. Peggy Wilson-Botting, oboist with the National Capital Concert Band, played Handel’s Oboe Concerto, and it was a truly an outstanding rendition. It should be noted that Handel was a friend of Charles Wesley, and is said to

Jeanette Arsenault, a well known Canadian and Prince Edward County composer and singer, sang two numbers – “Yea, Though I Walk” based on Psalms 23 and 27, and Jeanette’s own composition, “The Lord’s Prayer”.

Phyllis Deeks at the grand piano, and Ross Dixon at the Casavant organ, played a beautiful duet, “Like A River Glorious” and one could almost hear the silence as people enveloped themselves in the music.

For the closing several people from the St. Mary Magdalene choir and others added to the St.Paul’s Choir for the final two selections, “Amazing Grace” and “How Great Thou Art”.

The evening was a tremendous success, and those in attendance were doubly blessed; encouraged by hearing once again, the great hymns of the faith, which are rapidly disappearing from evangelical and Free Methodist churches in the quest to be modern and contemporary; and thrilled with the uplifting nature of the evening.

The Rector of St. Mary Magdalene Church, inwardly reflecting on the Spirit’s presence, gave the closing Benediction and Prayer. He then went home to finish his sermon, expressing gratitude that he had set it aside long enough to join the concert audience.

The Lecture Series, a Christian endeavour in Picton, Ontario began in 2004. That year in January, the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa brought from Israel a display of the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered at Qumran in 1947. The Scrolls (DSS) generated a huge interest and response from the Ottawa public for presentations given at the museum by the leading Canadian expert and scrolls translator, Dr. Peter Flint. While in Ottawa Dr. Flint was staying at the Laurentian Leadership Centre (LLC). Dr. Flint’s host and the Executive Director at the LLC, Dr. Paul Wilson, had grown up in Picton. At our request, Paul asked Dr. Flint if he would give his scrolls presentation in Picton, and he agreed. Our local committee, Deacon Bill Gervais, of St. Gregory’s Church, Rev. David Mitchell, and Robert Wilson, reserved The Regent Theatre, and on February 18, 2004, Dr. Flint gave his Picton presentation to a “sold out” theatre.

This success was followed at the Regent Theatre in:

2005 – A presentation on the 60th Anniversary of the end of the war with an oral presentation followed by the showing of the classic film “The Hiding Place” – the story of Corrie ten Boom

2006 – A lecture by Dr. Brian Stiller, President of Tyndale University,College and Seminary, “Christians in the Public Square”

Robert C. Wilson
Picton, Ontario

If you had been there?

With the Season of Christmas now upon us, many are busy getting ready. There's cleaning, cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, shipping, giving, receiving, many events to attend, and of course the eating.

But before we get lost in all the events and stuff of Christmas, take a few moments and in your thoughts come back with me to that first Christmas.

Remember the “Predictions of Promise” that are recorded in scriptures by men like Isaiah who wrote:
“All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel--`God is with us.'”(Isaiah 7:14, NLT)

And, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”(Isaiah 9:6,
NLT)

There was also Micah who was the one who wrote:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."(Micah 5:2, NIV)

Remarkable words, recorded over 700 years before the event took place.

Come back with me to the night when God's Promise arrived, His Son, Jesus, coming as a baby, was born as it had been previously foretold in Bethlehem, to a virgin and laid in a manger.

His birth heralded by Angels to Shepherds, who upon hearing this news responded with obedience and travelled to Bethlehem to find "The Promised One." And when they did, scripture tells us "they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child" (Luke 2:17b).

The Wisemen, or Magi, travelled a great distance to Bethlehem based solely on the appearance of the star and a prophecy of scripture. When they found Him, we’re told "… they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11, NLT)

Think about how ten kilometres away from Bethlehem, in Jerusalem we find King Herod. Herod was so wrapped up in the fear of losing his position as king that he became obsessed with protecting his throne at all cost. It was that fear which led to mass murder. The Bible states that: “Herod was furious when he learned that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, because the wise men had told him the star first appeared to them about two years earlier.” (Matthew 2:16, NLT)

Then there was the Innkeeper, whose name is not even mentioned in scripture, but we presume there must have been one, as someone had to make the manger available to Mary and Joseph. And so the Innkeeper is cast as an individual that was so busy that he misses both the miracle and his part in it, which took place a short distance away (perhaps only mere feet).

And let us not forget Mary and Joseph. From scripture we learn that they were God followers. Mary was greeted by an angel as one "who was highly favored," and Joseph we're told "was a righteous man." In spite the odds, and the likely negative public opinion they submitted their wills to God. The result - the arrival of Jesus - the greatest Christmas present ever!

Various players took part in this first Christmas, some named, some not. The rich, the poor and those in between. Each had the same opportunity, but had different responses.

Here's the thought I leave you with to ponder. If you had been there, if you were one of the "major" players we often see portrayed in Nativity scenes, "WHO WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN?" And perhaps the bigger question, "WHO DO YOU DESIRE TO BE?"

This Christmas may we seek after the answer to that second question, and in so doing, share the greatest gift of Christmas with others.

May the presence of Christ in your life, enrich this Christmas for you and for others.

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Galatians 4:4-5, NLT).

Rev. Will Keller is Senior Pastor of Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church.

A Great Light has entered the world

Why would God give the gift of His son to me? That is the question I ask myself most at Christmas time. What makes Almighty God decide to come to earth in our form – be born in cold and stark surroundings and live among his creation? Perfect love – that’s what. God’s love for us is intense, passionate, without conditions . . . simply perfect.

Perfect love, it sounds too good to be true – and that is what we tell ourselves, isn’t it? We live in a world filled with conditions that we understand because we see them functioning all around us. However, God operates differently and demonstrates this by freely giving his son to us – no strings attached – no ‘ands’ or ‘buts’ – we are perfectly love – period.

A few year’s ago the song, “How great is your love” was released and sung in many of our churches. The chorus asks, “How high and how wide. How deep and how long. How sweet and how strong is your love. How lavish your grace. How faithful your ways. How great is your love, oh Lord?” I remember singing this song and feeling overwhelmed by God’s incredible love for me.

This is undoubtedly a busy time of the year. With long shopping lists, office parties, family gatherings, decorating and cooking it is easy to become distracted from what is really important.

This is the true meaning of Christmas for me: here, lying in a stable surrounded by animals and straw, is our Promise. All we could ever hope for or imagine, he is. All the wisdom, power and virtue of God contained in this baby. And so now, we are all invited to gather around the manger and witness once again this perfect love that has entered the world to redeem us.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [Isaiah 9:6]

Lisa Howden
Communications Coordinator for
The Free Methodist Church in Canada

My Sri lanka experience — a time of personal discovery

Encounter Sri Lanka 2007 will be marked as an incredible milestone in my Christian walk. I knew this trip was going to be different right from the start. Unlike the Sri Lanka trip I had taken the summer before, Encounter Sri Lanka 2007 was wrought with obstacles, difficulties and sometimes indecision. For starters I found myself severely cash strapped, struggling to recover from my trip expenditures the year before. I weighed the decision whether to go, and decided if God wanted me to be a part of the team carrying out the job before us, he would make a way.

And make a way he did. I miraculously received a $500 cheque return from the purchase of my home 2 years ago the week of the required $500 deposit for the trip. One month before stepping on the plane Onika Brown (another member of the team from Wesley Chapel) and myself set out to plan and deliver a fundraising dinner and auction, all while getting ready to end the school year as professional teachers. Family and friends rallied to help us and at the end of the night we had raised the targeted $2000 and served a fine meal of food that came mostly from the generosity of saints. It was beginning to be clear that God wanted me on the Encounter Sri Lanka team.

The days leading up to the actual departure were fun-filled though not necessarily stress free. We would spend many hours into the night planning and re-planning the many activities and lessons that would make up the children’s camp that the Sri Lankan pastors had requested — as well as the first ever teacher training sessions. I was tired and looking forward to the long flight so I could catch up on my sleep. But God had something else in store.

During the two day cultural sensitivity training at the national ministry centre of the FMCiC I felt God calling me to go deeper; things I had seen and heard before were taking on new shape and meaning. I started seeing and learning things about myself and life that were incredible. God had me reading scripture late at night or writing thoughts in what seemed like never-ending streams, frequently throughout those two preparatory days. This pattern continued during the trip, with periods of self-exploration being triggered by almost anything, from our daily devotions, to the unsuspecting words of a fellow team member.

In the end it became clear that God’s will would be done, whether I wanted to be a willing part of the process or not. We are called to be his instruments but if we are stubborn and refuse he will find another way to achieve HIS goal and we are the ones that will be left without the blessing of the experience. That realization made me think about my life at home. How business had often times kept me from truly enjoying a close relationship with God. How often I had taken matters into my own hands and tried to get things "fixed" instead of seeking HIM first and ended up with more stress on my plate. It is funny, I left my home to meet and share with my Sri Lankan friends this summer, and little did I know how much personal receiving I would be doing along with the planned sessions of teaching.

The school year has started, and though I had a week’s break to get over my jet lag it seems like I stepped right off the plane and into my first parent-teacher interview. But God reminded me through the wisdom of scripture and friends – it’s not about me. I need to seek him first and get ready for the wonderful year of discovery that is ahead.

Sheryl Murray attends Wesley Chapel in Toronto, one of the partner churches for FM ministry in Sri Lanka. Sheryl is a teacher at Crescent School and has served on the Official Board of Wesley Chapel. These are her reflections on her recent ministry trip to Sri Lanka with our Encounter team. [pictured on the far right in the image above]

An Attitude of Sabbath

Without a doubt, this has been the busiest summer of my life...
The first two weeks were filled from morning to night as I taught the Disciples in Training Course at Circle Square Ranch in Arden, Ontario. Then, without a day to recoup, I headed off to Sherbrooke, Quebec for a five day Vacation Bible School [VBS] Missions Trip. After arriving home on Thursday, I managed to squeeze in a counselling session for a couple I was to marry, a birthday supper for my sister, lunch with another youth pastor, Sunday Worship, and I convinced one of my teens to help me with the final details for Mission Rochester, which started on Tuesday. Tuesday came and I packed up four teens and myself and headed to Trulls Road FMC to meet up with the rest of the team who were joining us. Six days later, after an amazing experience of God’s faithfulness, I arrived home to prepare for the wedding I was performing on Saturday and to get ready for my vacation, which started on Sunday. Vacation this year included whipping around in a boat at a friend’s cottage, house swapping with my cousin, four days in New York City with my mom and watching Phantom of the Opera at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

Three days after I came home from vacation I headed off to Echo Lake Camp for a week of teen camp. To finish things off, I took a busload of teens to Canada’s Wonderland to help get them plugged back into the youth program, which was scheduled to start in two weeks.

I’m sure you might be thinking that I might have packed a little too much into my summer … but I have a secret, it’s called "Sabbath". Sabbath is a concept that is repeated throughout the Scriptures: from the very beginning in Genesis 2:2 when God rested from all his labours to Revelation 14:13 when we are told that those who die in the Lord will rest from their labour. We also know, that in Mark 2:27, Jesus taught how the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, it would seem to me, that since the Sabbath concept runs throughout Scripture, it must be important!

I believe that God has given us the concept of Sabbath in order that we would have the strength to do all that He has called us to do in this life. Isaiah 30:15-16 (RSV), says, "For thus says the LORD God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’" The secret to my sanity was keeping God first, and I did this by maintaining an attitude of Sabbath. So, even though I was crazy busy, I made sure to meet with the Lord every day and rest whenever possible. Each morning, time was spent in prayer, re-dedicating my thoughts, words, actions and heart to the Lord and His purposes - every morning. Each day, I read from the Word - each day as the bible says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matt 4:4 NIV)By making Scripture a priority, I managed to read through: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations and Ezekiel. The Lord taught me so much this summer about praise, wisdom, the unbelievable life of His prophets as well as how He speaks to us through pain. Daily devotions were key to making sure that I remained focussed over the last two months. I knew that if I went without praying or reading Scripture - even for one day, I would feel as if I was missing out on something that God wanted to tell me - like I was starving myself spiritually. Not only were prayer and Scripture reading a priority, so was rest. When I talk of rest, I’m not just talking about having a nap - even though that was a very key part. I’m talking about taking a break from the normal schedule of life in order to connect with God and to renew my strength. Psalm 23:2 says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures, and leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." I knew that if I wanted to restore my soul, I needed to be still. So, whenever there was a break from the craziness of ministry I would rest. I would often take time to be alone at Circle Square and Echo Lake Camps instead of hanging out with people all the time. In Sherbrooke, we made a mandatory rest hour each afternoon to refuel ourselves for the evening events. During Mission Rochester, we would stop for half hour each afternoon after VBS for an ice cream break in the Rose Garden so we could collect our thoughts and gain some energy before heading to Hope Initiatives for the afternoon. In New York City, there were also moments when I caught some rest. A bird on the bush beside me reminded me that if God sees this little sparrow, then He sees me too! Even at Canada’s Wonderland, amid all the noise of the rides, I managed to find a green spot, lie down and focus on the Lord - who at that point reminded me that He knows all about the Fall program and He would let me in on it when I was ready.

It wasn’t just Scripture, prayer and brief periods of rest that sustained me. I also made the most of my days off. These days were often spent quietly, focussing on prayer, fasting, meditation, naps, spiritual reading and simply being with the Lord. James 4:8 in the NKJV says, "Draw near to God, He will draw near to you."

This summer, it was confirmed, time and time again, that when I spent time with the Lord, the Lord drew near to me. The Lord restored me, He refreshed me, He renewed me and He reminded me that He saw me, knew what I needed and promised to provide it. As a result, I was more patient and rarely overreacted when things didn’t go my way. I could see the Lord’s hand in several situations that came up and I had a sense of peace, which I knew could only come from the Lord.

By making Scripture, prayer and rest a priority in my life, I was able to carry out the ministry that I felt that God called me to do this summer.

Jennifer Wagar is the Youth Pastor at Verona Free Methodist Church [Ontario].

What's your mentality? Moving from scarcity to abundance

When I worked in the field of fundraising I attended conferences to develop my skills and abilities. At every conference I went to, I remember presenters focused on the fact that there are a limited number of people with a limited number of dollars willing to donate to charities. So as a fundraiser, you have be the best at finding those people with those dollars. You have to be the best at communicating your message to those potential donors so that you would receive those dollars to allow you to do what you want to do.

Steven Covey calls this a scarcity mentality. He contends that people with a scarcity mentality tend to see everything in terms of win-lose. There is only so much; and if someone else has it, that means there will be less for me.

People with a scarcity mentality have difficulty sharing recognition, credit, power, or profit. They also have a tough time being genuinely happy for the success of other people. It’s almost as if something were being taken from them when someone else receives special recognition or success.

People with a scarcity mentality either hoard their money because they are afraid of what will happen to them in the future, or they spend now because if they don’t they might not have another opportunity to make that purchase. They tend to be stingy – with their time, their money and themselves.

A church with a scarcity mentality sees itself as competing with other churches for people and other ministries for money. If there is a budget surplus the first reaction would be to hold onto the money because you just never know if you might need it in the future.

But there is an alternative – abundance mentality. Biblical Stewardship is consistent with an abundance mentality. Our God is a God of abundance. He is the creator, the owner, the provider. Philippians 4:19 says, "My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

People with an abundance mentality celebrate the success of others. They are truly happy when someone else receives recognition. They don’t see themselves in competition with others. They prefer collaboration. tThey understand there is enough… enough for everyone. They rest on the Sabbath because they believe God has provided them with enough time. And people with an abundance mentality are generous.

Churches with an abundance mentality are generous. They are pleased to see other churches growing. They trust that God will direct people to their church and when they arrive, they look after them well. They seek out opportunities to meet needs in their communities and beyond.
So how do we move from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality? First, we need to deepen our understanding of God. We tend to shrink him down and box him in, but as we get to know him, we begin to catch a glimpse of just how big God is.

Secondly – We need to give as God directs. The act of giving in obedience to God sets a number of things in motion – good things. As we give, our faith in God is deepened. Matthew 6:21 comes to life for us: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." We begin to care more about meeting the needs of others rather than fulfilling our own desires.

Thirdly – We need to broaden our worldview. Rather than comparing ourselves and our own situation to others in North America, let’s compare ourselves to the rest of the world.

• If your income is $25,000 Canadian or more you are in the top 10.64% of the richest people in the world

• Only 8% of the people in the world own cars

• Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.
A simple change in focus can be powerfully effective. Canadians in general are a very blessed people. I’m not saying there isn’t economic disparity in Canada – there is. And those of us who have been blessed need to respond to decrease the gap between the rich and the poor – in Canada and around the world.

"What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself."
Luke 12;29-32 The Message

Joanne Bell is the Stewardship Development Director for The Free Methodist Church in Canada. Please contact her at bellj@fmc-canada.org or visit the website:
http://www.generoussteward.org/

Counselling for Pastors

Tiger Woods hires the best coach in the world, Butch Harmon, to ensure that his swing is working well. Why? Because he wants to be the best golfer that he can be.

The largest companies in Canada hire the best consultants in the country to help them do Strategic Planning and to solve their business problems. As proud as executives can be, they still know that it pays to hire professional help because they want to win at the game of business.

The richest families in Canada hire the best Financial Advisors in the country to help them manage their wealth so that it keeps growing. They know that wealth management is a difficult job, so they rely on the experts.

These people and organizations also pay the highest fees to receive the help they need because they understand the benefits of good help.
What about pastors?

Isn’t it interesting then, that pastors, who I believe have the most difficult and demanding job in the world, seldom turn to others for help. In the Free Methodist denomination, Bishop Keith Elford advises me that there is funding available for professional counselling, but it is one of the most underutilized programs in the area of pastoral benefits.

Is a pastor’s job tough?
It sure is. Show me an occupation that has the range of responsibilities and demands that are regularly experienced by a pastor. Pastors not only spend copious hours researching and preparing excellent sermons for preaching on Sunday mornings, but they also lead their staff as head of the team. They are expected to shepherd their congregants, responding on short notice to handle emotional crises, including funerals. They get involved in the preparation and marrying of church members, and they need to encourage in the touchy area of financial giving so that the bills can be paid. They need to be visionaries, understanding the trends in society to ensure that the church remains relevant. They need to plan events, provide good administration of church affairs, be accountable for everything that happens at the church, while smoothly working with difficult people, handling criticism and inspiring those around them.

In addition to all the time consuming work, the pastor has the task of dealing with unrealistic expectations. In business there is a rule that you learn and I learned it the hard way. Never work for two bosses. Experience shows that each boss will expect you to give 100% and as a result neither boss will be happy. Well pastors are in the impossible situation of having more than two bosses. They have expectations coming from the Board, the key families in the congregation, the denomination hierarchy, the public in the community around them, the elderly, the youth, the singles, the staff and this does not even take into account the important expectations of family, including spouse and children. If a pastor has never learned the skill of managing boundaries, then the job can be overwhelming.

Given the reality of a pastor’s life, it is truly remarkable that more pastors are not burning out. Maybe the truth is that more pastors burn out than churches realize and maybe more pastors are burned out and they don’t realize it themselves.

Life at the top
When I worked in the business world (28 years), I noticed an interesting phenomenon. An organization would figure out that their people were in need of learning certain skills or new ways of doing business. Management would then mandate a training program to help their staff to become competent in this new skill or ability. A consultant would be hired to teach and train the group. The staff would go away to a resort or hotel to learn the latest about customer service, teamwork, quality control or whatever the felt need was at the time. Invariably the staff would dutifully attend and there would be good things to learn. The interesting observation is that the person who seldom attended these seminars or training sessions was the boss. It seemed like the boss knew what was good for others, but somehow did not need the training for him/herself. I always wondered what the logic was behind the absence of the senior person. Is the President too busy for this training? Is the executive already knowledgeable in this area and does not need to waste time with such basic material? Would the boss’s attendance signal a deficiency that would somehow diminish the image of the executive? Is the word boss or superior indicative of a "pride" that inhibits the participation of the person in the activity? In other words, are they above it? Or is it the job of the person at the top to tell others what to do and therefore they are excluded because they are the ones giving the orders? I do not know which is the right explanations. Maybe it varied in each situation. But I do know that the people at the top did not attend the training sessions.

The Pastor’s Life At The Top
I am wondering if there is a variation of this syndrome in churches where the pastor is expected to be at the top of the chain of helping others and therefore is above needing help him/herself. In fact, in a church, the culture may have an even stronger influence than in business. If the pastor preaches all the wise words on Sunday, he or she must know all about humility, love, gentleness, kindness, serving and joy. As the spiritual leaders, pastors must be the most saved, transformed, whole, pure and holy of the flock. In most churches, the congregation wants this to be true. Also, it is easy for the pastor to buy into the belief that he/she must provide the example of being a new creation who is experiencing the joy of God’s salvation by smiling and happily helping. Either way, the pressure is there for the pastor to be perfect. While grace can be a wonderful thing, often pastors do not receive grace when they make mistakes. The expectations on a pastor are so high that a pastor may just find it easier to hide personal imperfections instead of dealing with them. What happens if members of the congregation find out that their pastor is not the epitome of love? Will they give less financially? Will they volunteer less? Will running the church be more difficult if people find out that the pastor is not perfect? What church wants a grouchy pastor? Aren’t pastors supposed to lead their flock to the promised land of freedom and ecstatic joy?

This problem doesn’t just exist for pastors. One of the challenges of the church is authenticity. How is it that people at church dress well, smile nicely, greet each other with enthusiasm week after week and tell each other that everything is going well, and yet, behind the scenes there are all kinds of problems. There is a tension between God being the solution, bringing joy and happiness, and the problems of daily life. If church is just a twelve step program where everybody is hanging out all their dirty laundry, where would the attraction be to draw new members? So the question is "How is one to be authentic and honest and still demonstrate the full life that Jesus wants us to experience?"

The Pastor’s Dilemma
If the pastor has a personal problem and the focus of the church shifts to dealing with the pastor’s problem, then everything is turned upside down. The church is then taking care of the pastor instead of the pastor taking care of the church. When a pastor shares personally from his/her life experience, it is therefore more beneficial to provide an example where God has helped the pastor overcome an issue in the past and now life is full and abundant as God has promised. Sharing in this way provides an opportunity to be both authentic and to also prove the benefits of Jesus’ amazing love. The pastor can share that there was a problem in the past, and now the problem is gone so the congregation does not need to concern itself with the pastor being broken. Sharing past issues can be great opportunities for demonstrating God’s love. Sharing current problems can become problematic.

The Confidentiality of Counselling
Guess what? Pastors are human beings just like everybody else. Pastors experience grief when there is a loss, pain when there is a hurt, resentment and anger when they are frustrated and spurned, anxiety when overwhelmed and worry when things are not going well. Pastors are not perfect people. They are people. And like any other person they need help from time to time. The key to pastor help is confidentiality. It is not helpful for the congregation to be regularly focusing on helping the pastor. The congregation really does need the pastor to be the positive, enthusiastic, happy, spiritual leader who demonstrates the benefits of Jesus transforming love. So, pastors need a safe, confidential place to go and deal with their very real human issues. That is one of the benefits of professional counselling. It is totally confidential. Any issue can be discussed and it will not get back to the congregation. Is this being authentic? Maybe not, but it is realistic.

Secrecy
One of the problems that pastors experience is dealing with issues on their own. Pastors learn to be strong. They learn to cope and continue to fight the good fight. The truth is that when a person keeps a problem to his/herself, the problem only gets worse. If a person keeps a secret, Jesus is not invited into that room in the mind and then Satan is able to bring more darkness and help make the problem worse. An example is pornography. Some denominations have research showing that 35% of the pastors are addicted to pornography. My theory is that pastors are under a lot of stress. They are trying to carry a big load on their shoulders. When the problems become too much, one solution is to find a little pleasure or reward to take away some of the pain of life. Pornography is one way of escaping into what is initially believed to be pleasure. Of course, any Christian who looks at pornography is committing the sins of adultery and lustful thinking. Along with pornography comes guilt because the viewing is always done in private and in secrecy. Ted Haggart is an example of how keeping a secret can feed the addiction. Since pastors are supposed to be holy, once pornography has been viewed, Satan helps lure the individual into the guilty pleasure again and again until eventually it is a big hidden secret.

The Benefit of Counselling
One of the main ways of dealing with sin is confession. A Christian counsellor is an ideal person to use as your confession partner because of the confidentiality of the relationship. Once confession has occurred, it is no longer a secret. Confession brings the sin out into the light where Jesus can help. Secrecy and confidentiality are different. Secrecy means that nobody knows. One of my clients held on to a secret for 25 years and when he shared it with me the relief of getting it out was real. A load was lifted. We then went to the Lord in prayer and found out that the words in his head had been a lie and he had been living with the consequences of that lie for 25 years. In trying to deal with the issue in the privacy of his own mind, the man was blinded to truth. He could not think clearly and the actions that flowed from the thinking negatively affected his life and his marriage.

Other Ways of Using A Counsellor
Christian counsellors can fulfill many functions. One way I work with pastors is as a spiritual director. One pastor comes for a regular spiritual checkup. We are able to pray together. Did you know that psychologists are not allowed to pray with their clients? An associate of mine gave up her PHD in psychology, went back to seminary and became a spiritual director. Spiritual directors help their clients to read and meditate on scripture. They encourage the person to listen to the still small voice of God and they pray together. The emphasis is on allowing the Holy Spirit to be involved in the process.

Another way of working with a Christian counsellor is to use the counsellor as a mentor. It is an opportunity for the pastor to ask questions and hear another opinion about issues. In the past, the image of visiting a therapist was a negative thing. A person who needed to see a therapist was seen as "sick" and it was a terribly serious thing to be "sick". Today seeing a counsellor is a normal thing to do. I have one business man who uses me as his Board of Directors. He regularly bounces ideas off me and I mentor him based on my experience.

Another way of using a Christian counsellor is as a coach. A coach is different from a mentor in that a coach is an accountability partner. The coach will help you set goals and then hold you to them. The coach will help you plan, manage your time effectively, help you evaluate the results and then encourage you to reorganize to do it better the next time. A coach never goes on the playing field. The pastor is the one who is in the field and from time to time needs to leave the game and talk with someone who is objectively viewing from the sidelines. One of the dilemmas of being alone in your head is that you can lose objectivity. It can be very helpful to just talk with another person who is not inside your head. The old expressions that more heads are better than one is true. Your coach is there on your side to help you win. His sole function is to help you be better and to help you see options and alternatives that you might never have considered.

As a Certified Marriage and Family Therapist, one of my roles is to help advise about marriages and relationships. Many people come to talk to a counsellor because it is beneficial to work through issues related to the marriage relationship. Did you know that you go through at least six different marriages with your same spouse over a lifetime? Each stage requires change, learning and growth. How you cope with each stage will affect the marriage relationship

Stages of Marriage
1) marriage as a free young couple unencumbered with children
2) marriage coping with no sleep and bringing up young children
3) marriage dealing with teenagers
4) marriage of the empty nest as the children leave
5) marriage when retirement occurs
6) marriage when one partner is ill

If you are stuck at any of these stages, it would be helpful for you to talk to a trained marriage counsellor.

Yet another role that a Christian counsellor can play is that of assisting in what I call Inner Freedom. Whenever a person experiences emotional pain of any sort, it is possible to go back to memories that are the root of the feeling and Jesus can transform the memory. When Jesus brings his truth, whether past memories or current thinking, his truth will set you free. I do a lot of this type of one-on-one work. Pastors need to do this work too, just like everybody else.
Whenever you are frustrated, hurting, overwhelmed, grieving, or just in need of talking to a safe caring friend, think about calling a professional Christian counsellor. They are there waiting to help you and you have every right in the world to receive that help.

Conclusion
There is no obligation for you to be alone in dealing with your life issues. Other people turn to the best professional help and it is OK. We have come a long way from the days when seeing a therapist meant that you were "sick". Today, receiving professional help is not only normal, but wise. Turn to those safe, confidential support people around you to help you be the best you can be as you do your work in the Kingdom for God.

Alfred C.W. Davis (MBA, M.Div) has a Christian counselling practice based in Oakville, Ontario [Agape Healing International Inc.] and is the author of two books Free to Be Me and The Training Manual for Christian Counseling and Christ-Centred Transformation and Inner Healing. He holds a Master of Divinity degree majoring in Counselling [Tyndale Seminary].