Barnabas File

Perhaps it is time for those of us who call ourselves Christians to take a look at the calendar. Although it is 2009, many of us still function as if it were 1955 or even 1980. In American Churches in Crisis , David Olson challenges the American church to engage three significant transitions: 1. Our world used to be Christian, but it is now becoming post-Christian. 2. Our world used to be modern, but now it is becoming postmodern. 3. Our world used to be monoethnic, but it is now becoming multiethnic. On the first item, I would argue that we are not “becoming post-Christian,” we already ARE post-Christian. Christian values and teachings may have once provided the cultural soil that nourished our society (although the fruit was often unrecognizable as Christian), but this is no longer true. Other voices in the culture have a stronger influence. For example, when Michael Jackson died there was much more discussion of his musical accomplishments and artistic impact than his eccentric li...

When I worked with a state judicatory, we made church planting a priority. Unfortunately, our success was limited. Only two of the churches we helped to launch survived and only one of those is growing. Fifty percent failed despite considerable effort and financial investment. Another twenty-five percent did not launch for various—and valid—reasons. (This doesn’t include at least two groups that I “talked out” of trying.) As a result, I know a great deal about what doesn’t work in starting new churches. Despite this track record, I am still a proponent of new church starts. Churches and denominations that are not starting new churches will become increasingly irrelevant in the 21st century. We must continue to call out church planters, help them develop relevant ministry models, and equip them to succeed in this role. There are a number of lists of reasons to start new churches. David T. Olson of the Evangelical Covenant Church provides one in his book The American Church in Crisis ....

My grandson and I were watching Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith last night. About two-thirds through the film, Noah asked, “Why is the Dark Side so much stronger?” As you probably know, in the Star Wars universe, the Force provides powers to its adherents, but there is a “dark side” to the Force that uses these powers for evil rather than good. His comment came about the time that Chancellor Palpatine, a follower of the Dark Side, shot lighting bolts out of his fingertips to attack one of the Jedi Knights! I finally said, “Perhaps it isn’t that the Dark Side is stronger but it only presents itself as stronger.” This is one of the perversions of evil. It presents itself as stronger (and much more fun) than good, but this is the ultimate lie of evil. Circumstances can tip the scales so that evil seems to have the upper hand, this is an illusion, even in the Star Wars universe. Although some see theological themes in Star Wars, I struggle with that approach. In Lucas’ Star War...

As a child of the 50’s and a young adult of the 60’s, the NASA space program was always front and center for me. The men (no women at that point) of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs pushed the limits of human endurance and skill to engage the challenges of space. This week we have observed the 40th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon. Crew members Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were celebrated at gatherings in Washington this week and urged President Obama to pursue the next great adventure—manned exploration of Mars. At this point, the President appears reluctant to undertake this task. Manned flight to the moon and Mars offer significant benefits for our nation and humankind. At this point about one cent for every taxpayer dollar goes into the space program, much less than we put into the military. In the face of other pressing needs such as healthcare, why should we spend money on this venture? First, manned spaceflight offers immediate tech...

As a minister or Sunday school teacher, how many times have you had someone come up to you or speak up in a class and say, “What does this particular scripture passage mean?” I have finally come to the point where I believe the most honest answer I can give is, “Here’s what it means to me, but it may mean something quite different to you.” Does this mean that the teaching of scripture is relative? No, but it does mean that the Bible is more than a guidebook. Rather it is a record of God’s revelation that interacts with the reader to provide meaning. There are two primary views that one can take of the Bible. On one hand, you may see the Bible as a static piece of literature. Once you properly exegete and interpret a passage, its meaning and application are unchangeable. You have the answer in your notebook and are ready to look it up at any time. On the other hand, you may see the Bible as a dynamic book. In this case, you give the text proper attention, but the Spirit of God continues...

A common statement that the lay leaders of a church in crisis often make is, “If we can just get the right pastor, we can pull out of this slump.” In How the Mighty Fall , Jim Collins points out that it is not unusual for an organization that has started on the road to decline to “grasp for a leader as savior.” The organization “responds to threats and setbacks by searching for a charismatic leader and/or outside savior.” Certainly the “right” leader can make a difference, but only if he or she does the “right” things. What can a leader do in a situation where the church or organization is already in decline? First, we need to remember that the basic definition of a leader is “one who has followers.” Key people need to commit to work with the leader to address the situation. If church leadership expects the new pastor to solve all their problems single-handed, they set the pastor up for failure. Those who have a stake in the situation need to make a commitment to make the sacrifices po...

In an article in last Sunday’s Observer, former President Jimmy Carter wrote, “[The] view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. It is widespread. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths.” The remainder of the article calls on the leaders of all religious faiths to reconsider their sacred texts for a fresh word about the role of women in faith and society. These are good words from President Carter on an important subject. Although it is always encouraging to have a person of his stature speak up for needed change, what can the average Baptist Christian do to empower women to discover and use their gifts in ministry? Let me suggest several things. First, support organizations that speak for women. Baptist Women in Ministry has taken a bold step in employing Pam Durso as the organization’s first full-time executive director. BWIM has a solid reputation of connecting, resourcing, and advocating for women in Chri...

A recent study by Leadership Network and the Hartford Institute for Religion Research looked at the demographics of those who attend megachurches (defined as a congregation attended by 2000 or more each week). The study determined that almost half (44 percent) had come from another local church, 28 percent had transplanted from a distant congregation, and 19 percent had not attended church for awhile. Just six percent had never attended a worship service before arriving at their current church. We could talk at length that these figures seem to valid the observation that there is a lot more “member swapping” than true evangelism in churches today, but I was most taken by the last finding that six percent of those reporting had never attended a worship service before joining the church where they now belong. When we talk about the “unchurched,” the assumption is that we are actually talking about those who are “dechurched” or who have walked away for the church for some reason. In reali...

When I was in seminary, field education consisted of meeting every couple of weeks with the pastor of a local church for an hour for dialogue and observing him lead a funeral and worship a couple of times. He was great man and I enjoyed the time with him and my fellow students, but I learned very little about the ministry of the local church. I had more beneficial experiences from my work at a volunteer at my home church in college and the church we attended as lay members during seminary. When I did pastor a small church an hour’s drive from seminary my final year, there was no formal structure to help me process what I was doing (I thank the Lord that the people there were kind and seminary classmates gave me good advice). During the past year, I have had the opportunity to teach two Ministry Praxis classes. In these classes, each student has a ministry placement in a local church and works with a pastoral mentor. Each student develops a learning covenant in conversation with her or ...

Those of us who give serious consideration to the present state of the Christian church can commit the error of thinking only in global terms. We like to talk and think about the big picture, but we often fail to consider how missional strategy plays out in the real world. Many who read this posting are working in the real world of the church. You are pastors, church staff members, and lay persons who have to deal with the practical issues of pastoral care, worship, Christian formation, maintenance, and budgets. In dealing with all of this, one may find it difficult to make the time to consider the bigger picture. I would challenge you not to lose sight of what God is doing and wants to do with your congregation. Take some time each day to consider what small thing might be changed to help your church become more missional, more relevant in your setting. A person who has helped me with this need is Alan Roxburgh. In the 1990s, Roxburgh turned his doctor of ministry project into the...

A book that continues to stimulate my thinking about the 21st century church is The Millennium Matrix by Rex Miller. Not only does Miller provide an interesting conceptual framework to understand, interpret, and reenvision the work of the church in these days, but he comes up with generative ideas for action. For example, he shares this idea about collaboration: We will see convergence of church, community, commerce, and charity. Greater ecclesiastical integration will extend toward more integration with the community and then further into commerce, providing a latticework for grassroots governance. Miller’s idea is especially interesting because he has used his training in communications and theology in working with the real estate industry, community service, and charitable organizations. He has immersed himself in all of the areas he mentions above. He is a believer who has engaged all of these areas. As a result, I think he has a unique perspective from which to offer this suggest...

After my second year as a college student, I volunteered to be a student summer missionary with the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. I was part of a team of four guys that worked with starting and strengthening new churches in northeast Ohio, primarily in the Cleveland area. We spent time with at least 10 of those church “sprouts.” The summer was a transforming experience for me. I met some great people and was impressed by their commitment and calling. They had a great influence on my vocational decision and choice of seminary. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to return to that part of Ohio and had contact with Southern Baptists in the area. I discovered that only a couple of the churches with whom we worked had served after four decades. As I thought back, I recognized several reasons for this, most related to the strategy involved. First, they were primarily “Southern” clubs. At least one pastor told our team that he kept an eye out for cars with licens...

We choose our heroes based on who we are. In so doing, we seek out those individuals who seem to embody our best (and sometime worst) aspirations. We seek icons that seem to have achieved what we hope to become. Steve McNair, former NFL quarterback for the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens, was such a figure. McNair never won a Super Bowl, but it was not because he didn’t try. Many fans and fellow players described him as a “warrior” who week after week, despite innumerable injuries, put his body on the line to compete. In an age when most of us don’t even walk across the room to change a television channel, McNair personified determination and perseverance under pressure, working through the pain. On July 4, McNair was found shot to death in a condominium in Nashville, evidently at the hands of a young woman found dead in the same room. News reports indicate that the couple had been involved in a romantic relationship for several months. In the light of these circumstances, fr...

In his book How the Mighty Fall, Jim Collins identifies Stage Three as “Denial of Risk and Peril.” One of the markers of this stage is externalizing blame. Rather than accept full responsibility for setbacks and failures, leaders point to external factors or other people to affix blame. Baptists have been good at this. For many years, Southern Baptists blamed externals--the mean old media, the secular society, the government, Disneyland, Hollywood. The “conservative resurgence” completed its task to purify the Southern Baptist Convention and the “liberals” were cast out (or made to feel unwelcome), but the denomination continues to decline in membership. Now there is a scramble to find someone else to blame. Most recently, leadership has turned internally to find someone to carry the burden. One SBC agency head commented at the meeting in Louisville that the lack of sufficient funding to support missionaries may not be an economic problem but a problem of “hearts that aren’t aligned w...

One of the greatest blessings that God gave to humankind was the ability to create. The Creator shared some of Godself in placing a spark in each of us that allows us to examine, mold, and fashion our environment. Those things that we create can be things of beauty or infamy. There is not that much difference between a tool to work the earth to cultivate flowers and food and a weapon to kill and destroy life. I often hear critiques of the media, art, and the Internet that blame them for the ills of society. Such criticism is misplaced. These are simply tools—perfected, advanced, digital—but still creations of humanity. The only life they have is the life we give them. Unfortunately, our first tendency is to use them for personal gain and selfish motives rather than for the advancement of a good society. The present case in point is that of the Missouri mother who used a fraudulent MySpace account to emotionally assault and manipulate a 13-year-old girl in such a way that she commit...