Barnabas File

I have lost count of the number of ordination services in which I have participated. Although the ordination of men and women to the Gospel ministry (perhaps I am dating myself in using that term) is meaningful to me, just as important is the opportunity to set aside men and women to the diaconate of the church.  These are people who have shown that they have gifts to both lead and serve. When I place my hands on the head of a new deacon, I whisper these words from 2 Peter 3:18:  “G row in the grace  and knowledge  of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ”  My desire for that person is that she or he will continue on the journey that they have begun so well and will continue to discover what it means to be a fully equipped follower of Christ. In talking to church leaders, however, I have discovered that many have no roadmap for the journey of growth.  Whether they are deacons, Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, or committee chairpersons, t...

In our Companions in Christ study entitled “Feeding on the Word,” participants were introduced to the difference between informational reading and formational reading of scripture.  This idea is presented very effectively in Robert Mulholland’s book, Shaped by the Word . Informational reading of scripture is a left-brain approach.  Mulholland points out that the person who reads scripture this way sees the material as an object, an “it”, something to be analyzed so that he or she can discover “the truth” that is contained there.  If taken to the extreme, scripture is perceived as a problem to be solved.  Baptists are very good at this.  We want to “wrestle” the text to the ground and will it to relinquish its treasures. Formational reading of scripture is a right-brain activity.  As one reads in this way, he or she is allowing the scripture to speak.  Scripture is a subject, a “thou” with the potential for multiple levels of meaning based up...