A Moment of Truth

2007-04-20T07:59:00.001-07:00

Hello friends! I am in need of your help. Our church is taking a new direction and I am looking for meaningful ways to get our people active in the community and city around us. Here are some questions I would like your input on.

1. What areas in our city / community do you feel we need to get active in?

2. Are there any specific needs either for individuals or organizations (schools, other churches etc.) that you are aware of you could tell us about?

3. Even though you may be part of another church (and have no intention of leaving) would you be open to working in a community of faith to help meet some of these needs in a cooperative way.

Right now these are some basic questions I would like to know your opinions on. Keep in mind, I am not asking you to commit to anything nor will I. So even if you live in another city or state I would like your input. It will help me decide how to best lead the church I pastor into being the church God wants us to be. Thanks in advance.

2007-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

A New Year and a New Beginning

Well, Southwood Baptist Church's tagline used to be "A Place of New Beginnings". It seems almost ironic that now we are experiencing a new beginning of our own. I have been so busy in this process that I haven't posted anything new since August. I guess now is as good a time as any. We are relocating our church and have taken a new name. The name is Mosaic and we are moving to the far west side of Oklahoma City to re-establish in a growing area that truly needs a church. We are currently meeting in Western Heights Middle School cafeteria at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday.

Our mission is simple, to Love God, Love Others and Serve the World. It is based on what Jesus answered when asked what the most important thing was.

If you are reading this blog I would love for you to visit our website and check it out then let me know what you think. As we get further along into this process I will post updates and let everyone know what it is going on. Be praying for us in the meantime. We are needing people in that new area to come along side of us to help establish this new work and we are also in need of some land in that area to eventually build on.

2006-08-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Going Part of Cooperative Work

I have just returned from an eight day mission trip to Dayton, Ohio. This is a picture from the evening vacation Bible school held at an inner city mission named Lawry Chapel. The trip is the third associational trip I have led in the last two years. Two of them to Dayton and one to Moss Bluff, Louisiana. I lead and participate in these trips for a couple of reasons. First is because the Lord commanded us to go into all the world and Ohio is part of that world. Second is because we as Southern Baptists are great at the giving part of cooperative work but tend to be less than eager to get involved in the going part. I want our churches to have an affordable opportunity to get involved in going. However there is an ulterior motive for me in the way I organize and plan these trips. The things that we do are not locationally specific. For example we can help a struggling church with VBS right here in our own association. Or we can help a church get the word out to their community that they are still interested in them by distributing flyers or door hangers in their area. All of the things we do are important and beneficial for the churches we go and partner in ministry and I want the people who go on these trips to see that and realize that not only should we be going 900 miles and doing these things but we should be going right down the street or across town and doing these things.

Right now I am looking and planning for our next opportunity to go. Preferably during Spring break sometime in March 2007 so that youth and families can participate. If you have any suggestions for where we might go, let me know. Since the trips I work with are associational trips I prefer to connect with another association and work with several of their affiliated churches. I look forward to hearing from you.

BTW, Wes Kenney has opened an interesting discussion on his blog about church membership. I have chimed in, you might go over and take a look.

2006-07-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

Affirmation is not Action

Yesterday I attended the Capital Baptist Association Executive Board meeting just as I do most months throughout the year. The meeting was in order and conducted appropriately as usual. There was one matter however that merits discussion here in this space. That matter is one concerning a sister church in our association that is considering making a change to their by-laws. This proposed change has been met with much intense debate and this very blog was even born out of it. One of our respected board members proposed the adoption of a resolution affirming the Southern Baptist tradition and practice of baptism with regard to local church membership. At the end of my comments I will post the resolution in it's unedited entirety. After some discussion the resolution was adopted unanimously by the executive board members that were present. For those who do not know, the executive board consists of the pastor from every church affiliated with the CBA and up to one addittional designated representative from each church according to the CBA by-laws. Of course of the 160 plus churches in the CBA we had probably no more than 50 or 60 in attendance. Never the less, we spoke with one voice.

The purpose of this post is to make clear that this resolution is a matter of affirmation and not action. I have been vocal about affirming baptism and it being appropriate as a pre-requisite for membership however I have also been very vocal about stating that even if HHBC moves forward with this proposal, I don't feel it is necessary to break fellowship with them. This resolution only affirms what baptists have traditionally held. It is in my opinion appropriate for what it says and does. I would hope that no one would characterize this resolution as taking any type of action against HHBC. It doesn't! If it had I would not have voted to support it myself.

Here is the resolution in it's entirety as promised.

Resolution Affirming Scriptural Baptism
As A Prerequisite to the Privileges of Church Membership

Whereas, Capital Baptist Association consist of Baptist churches in the Metropolitan Oklahoma City area which subscribe to the statement of "The Baptist Faith and Message" or similar articles of faith . . .

And whereas, the Baptist Faith and Message adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention, June 14, 2000 states in Article VII.- Baptism and the Lord’s Supper: Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. . . . Being a church ordinance, it is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership, . . .

And whereas, the Baptist Faith and Message adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention, June 14, 2000 states in Article VI - The Church: The New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, . . .

And whereas, Capital Baptist Association’s Constitution and By-laws states in Article III - Membership - item 3: The association reserves the right to determine its own membership and to refuse to seat messengers and/or withdraw fellowship from churches that may have become corrupt in faith or practice . . .

And whereas, Henderson Hills Baptist Church will vote on the proposal of their Elder Council to eliminate baptism as a prerequisite for church membership during their services on the weekend of July 29-30, 2006 . . .

And whereas, the Elder Council of Henderson Hills Baptist Church has publicly announced this proposed bylaw change to eliminate baptism as a prerequisite for church membership.

Be it therefore resolved, that the Executive Board of the Capital Baptist Association meeting on July 17, 2006 affirm the "Baptist Faith and Message" and similar articles of faith which state that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and being a church ordinance, it is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership . . .

And be it further resolve, that we affirm that the New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers . . .

And be it further resolve, that we encourage the members of Henderson Hills Baptist Church to affirm and maintain their current bylaw requirements for church membership . . .

And be it further resolve, that we encourage the churches of Capital Baptist Association to pray for the leaders and members of Henderson Hills Baptist Church as they seek God’s will in this matter.

2006-07-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a great week at Falls Creek with our youth. I look forward to getting back to normal just as soon as I finish my summer travel schedule. I will depart on an Associational mission trip this Saturday and right after that have a trip to young musicians camp with our kids at Falls Creek. Hopefully I can post something thought provoking in the meantime.

2006-07-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

Has Church Membership become the sacred cow?

Recently much debate has and is being had concerning a sister church’s proposal to “unlink” baptism from church membership. After engaging in some discourse with the pastor of that church (both public and private) and reading much of the information the church and it’s elders have made available, I have come to the conclusion so far as I am able to know, that their intentions and motives are genuine. As best I can tell they are proceeding with conviction that what they are doing is the right course of action based on how they interpret scripture. I can agree with them to the extent that the following things are true.

Baptism is to be done by immersion.
Baptism is to be received by a professing believer in Jesus Christ.
Baptism is done in obedience and not as a rite or sacrament.
Baptism is the command of Jesus.
Baptism is the outward act of identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
Baptism is to be done by every believer at such a time as they can understand the significance of what it is they are doing particularly with regard to not confusing it with their salvation.

I am having difficulty however with the idea that it is more important to make sure individuals are welcomed as “members” in said local congregation than to make sure they are of like faith in a matter so fundamental and important as baptism.

I mean what is membership in a local congregation? Is “membership” in a local congregation biblically mandated or even advocated or rather is it fellowship and common service that is biblically mandated?

I know right now someone out there is about to rupture a vain in their forehead. Take a moment and breathe, settle down and let’s take a look at it together.

In Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12 there is much talk of being the “members” of one body of Christ. The word “members” here is not a word for “membership” as we would consider or some would portray. It is literally a word that means member, part, or limb. The greek word melos (melos) is used exclusively in the New Testament in an anatomical sense either literal or symbolic. Symbolically it is used to refer to our relationship, role, and responsibility within the one body of Christ. Of course one need not look far to find the concept of “one body” of Christ. It is central to the Romans 12, I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 texts.

So then to what does the word “membership” refer? Well in a general sense it refers to each individual believer being a part of the one body of Christ. This “membership” is one that no church can grant nor deny. It is an eternal “membership” to which each believer is added by God (Acts 2:47) and by Him alone without the consent of any local church or its bylaws.
The word “membership” in the specific context of today’s church culture is a wholly different creature. Specifically with regard to the church in question above it is a formal act of acceptance of a self professing believer into the legal structure known as a 501c3 non profit religious organization commonly referred to as a church. The addition is done consistent with the governing by laws of said corporation and the new member is afforded all of the rights, benefits and responsibilities that the by laws of the corporation provide for. What is interesting to note is that any God given rights, benefits, or responsibilities that exist were given to the believer at the time he/she was accepted by God into the one body of Christ, and are set out clearly in scripture. Anything else is simply our own creation for our own practical purposes (even though those purposes may have significant value they are not explicitly biblically mandated)

Now to avoid any rush to extremes I will quote what Erickson says concerning the visible and invisible church.

“Having assigned to faith the priority, or given precedence to the invisible over the visible, we must nevertheless not minimize the importance of the visible form of the church. It was apparently the standard procedure for the believer to become part of the fellowship (see, e.g., Acts 2:47). Although we do not know exactly what membership in the apostolic church entailed, it was certainly for the purposes of edification, prayer, service, and, as can be seen particularly in Acts 5, discipline. We should therefore emphasize the importance of every believer’s becoming an integral part of a group of believers, and making a firm commitment to it. Christianity is a corporate matter, and the Christian life can be fully realized only in relationship to others.”

“While acknowledging the distinction between the visible or empirical church and the invisible or spiritual fellowship, we should do whatever we can to make the two identical. Just as no true believer should be outside the fellowship, so also there should be diligence to assure that only true believers are within. The handling on Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5), as well as Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 5:1-5) and Galatians (6:1) regarding the treatment of sinners, argues for a careful monitoring by the group of the spiritual condition and conduct of the members. While perfect purity of the membership is an ideal that cannot be realized within this life (Matt. 13:24-30), open unbelief and sin are not to be tolerated.”

I agree with this statement concerning the nature of the church and its membership. For those who are on the traditional side of this debate, I agree with the pastor in question and his elders in that Baptism is not a requirement for church membership biblically as an initiatory rite. I also feel that placing emphasis on its true significance is the right thing to do.

However for the pastor, elders and members of the church in question I would ask that you consider the broader implications of your decision and consider this possible compromise. Since the “membership” we have the authority to grant or deny is only in the legal sense with regard to the laws governing corporations, perhaps you could limit formal membership in the corporation to those biblically baptized believers (just as you have already committed to limiting leadership and teaching roles) and referring to the non-baptized individuals in the more general use of the term member. (ie. not a voting member in the legal corporate structure) Particularly denoting fellowship, a common faith and service as is available and appropriate for them as seems to be already intended in your current recommendation. Some might consider this to be levels of membership but it seems in my view that will be the outcome of what you are proposing anyway to one degree or another but it will allow you to avoid some potential difficulties if over time a significant number (perhaps majority) of your members are of differing views concerning basic doctrinal issues. I also feel that a compromise of this sort would perhaps either eliminate or significantly deflate a showdown with either the state convention or association.

In closing I want to address a couple of sidebar issues that have arisen in the course of this debate.

Church discipline – This is only effective if the individual is willing to submit themselves to the authority of the Bible through the particular group of believers with which they fellowship. Membership or non-membership will not in and of itself cause anyone to submit. A gathering of believers can withhold fellowship without having a legal instrument with which to do so.
The Lords Supper – The obligation of receiving the Lord’s supper in a worthy manner seems to be placed on the individual receiving as opposed to the ones administering according to I Corinthians 11. Jesus administered the last supper to all of the twelve including Judas according to the account in Luke 22. He did not withhold it from him. Ones spiritual state is their responsibility in receiving the Lord’s supper and the consequences are of their own doing.
After reviewing Church Member’s Handbook , Joe T. Odle, Broadman Press, 1962; These Things We Believe, J. Clyde Turner, Convention Press, 1956; The Evangelistic Church, John F. Havlik, Convention Press, 1976; Know What You Believe, Paul E. Little, Victor Books, 1970; Christian Theology second edition, Millard J. Erickson, Baker Books, 1998, and Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament second edition, F. Wilbur Gingrich, The University of Chicago Press, 1983, I can find no explicit Biblical references to the specific type of membership in question. Every one of the works cited appropriately speak of the more general membership in the body of Christ with biblical references but while most of them speak of or to the type of local church membership in question, none cite any biblical references to support the concept.
Lastly, some have argued that the position I have put forth in this post are a result of not considering the biblical case that others have made with regard to local church membership. I must point out that I haven’t seen any explicit Biblical passages put forth that speak to and support the type of membership in question here.

I welcome any response or discussion you may have on this topic.

In Christ Love
Rich

2006-06-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

You know, it is funny how many times communication can be so tricky. For example, a fellow Pastor recently posted on his blog an interesting analogy. He used a biblical passage for the analogy that many are quite familiar with. In the context of his travels and immediate circumstances the analogy worked quite well and painted a wonderful picture that was easy to see and understand. However where the analogy got tricky is when it was applied to another matter his church is in the middle of wrestling with. I am sure that for those who are on the inside of the particular matter, the analogy was quite comforting and reassuring. However, for those who are on the outside of the issue looking in the analogy was quite disconcerting. I inquired of the Pastors intent and he clarified what it was he was trying to say. I was comforted to know as I read other comments on the post that I was not the only one who had trouble ascertaining the intended meaning of the analogy. Another striking instance came when I was serving as a music minister in East Texas. The Pastor preached a powerful sermon about Peter stepping out of the boat and walking on the water towards Jesus. The church was going through some turmoil at the time and the message I heard was one of encouragement to keep your eyes on Jesus through the midst of the storm. Over the next couple of weeks I noticed a visiting family had stopped coming. My wife and I made a visit to their home to find out that they felt as they had been beat up by the Pastors sermon from that Sunday. As I listened to them I almost couldn't believe that they had been present at the same worship service. We took the time to explain how ourselves and many others had heard the message and they were relieved. In fact about a year later the husband in this family was saved. When we discussed baptism he indicated that he was afraid of being emersed and I simply asked him to be in prayer about it. After about two weeks he came to me and said something to the effect of... "If Jesus could take my punishment on the cross then I think I can bear a couple of seconds under water." He was baptised the following Sunday and became a faithful servant in our Church.

I guess my first point is that communicating what you really intend is vital. Words have meaning and you should say what you mean and mean what you say. People will overlook a careless mispeak only a few times before they become suspicious of your real intent. This principle is even more crucial for those in positions of leadership and authority. Your ability to lead can really only be guaged by your ability to influence others and if they are constantly having to ask "What did he/she mean by that?" then you will have a difficult time leading.

My second point is this. An individuals response to a particular message will be based largely if not entirely on which side of the message they find themselves on. With regard to Baptism, those who are on the outside of a regenerate life will not see the necessity or value in obedience to something so simple as being baptised. However those who are truly saved and recognize the price that was paid for their salvation will respond in obedience and humility to what our Lord has commanded us to do. Of course that obedience will not stop with baptism, it will continue as long as life shall last in every area of life that scripture touches and speaks to. Anything less is to devalue and ultimately not fully appreciate the tremendous sacrifice made on our behalf by Jesus.

For what it's worth, that is the way I see it.

2006-06-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to A Moment of Truth blog. I am starting this blog so I can have an avenue to share my thoughts and get feedback from others who are interested in the same topics I am. I look forward to the dialog that will take place in this vast realm of cyberspace.