Barnabas File

In defining purpose, the Gallup Organization explained, “A company’s purpose is a bold affirmation of its reason for being in business.     It conveys what the organization stands for in historical, ethical, emotional and practical terms.     No matter how it’s communicated to employees and customers, a company’s purpose is the driving force that enables a company to define its true brand and create its desired culture.”   As water is to fish, culture is to any organization--including the church.   We are immersed in culture with all of its artifacts, values, and assumptions.  Unless something happens to challenge those givens, we rarely think about the culture we find ourselves in.     For the most part, a church creates culture without thought or intention.  Stephen Blandino writes,    Every organization has a unique culture, but not every organization created their culture on purpose.  Most drif...

Mary was in a difficult situation.   A Christian since her youth, she felt the leadership of God to become a minister, perhaps a hospital chaplain.   She knew that this required further education.   There were many challenges for her to face, however.   First, she was a member of a rather conservative church that did not encourage women to pursue ordained ministry. Second, she was in her mid-forties and already trained and employed as a nurse.   Third, her husband was an established professional himself with a good practice.   While supportive of her call, he did not want to relocate or for them to be separated for long periods of time.   Fourth, her children were becoming young adults, but she still wanted to be involved in their lives. Fifth, there was no program of theological education geographically close to her that could accommodate all of these challenges! Mary sought the counsel of friends in ministry.   She tried commuting to ...

In a recent Faculty Senate meeting at Central Baptist Theological Seminary, President Molly Marshall referred to Matthew 9:17 in her devotional: “ Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved. " (NIV) If we are sensitive enough to perceive it, we will see new wine flowing today.  Our culture provides unique opportunities and challenges.  Men and women perceive the leadership of God’s Spirit to undertake new ministries.  Doors are opening up for ministry across ethnic and national barriers.  The Spirit of God is at work. How sad then to see attempts to force this “new wine” of ministry into old wineskins that attempt to constrain it and will ultimately produce only damage and waste.  What we need are new wineskins for new wine. Many of us grew up with 20 th century organization...

Being a denominational executive at any level has never been an easy job and it certainly has not improved in the early decades of the 21 st century.  In addition to dealing with financial and social issues, individual congregations even in denominations with a hierarchical polity are exerting their individuality. Because of this, one wonders why a competent denominational leader would attempt to identify priorities for churches for the next ten years.  In a recent article in a denominational publication, a well meaning state Baptist leader outlined goals for “bringing people to salvation,” “revitalizing churches,” and “planting new churches” among other things.  These would seem to be things that churches do rather than denominations. On a personal level, I cannot motivate another person to do something unless he or she wants to. In like manner, a church will only become “revitalized” or “bring people to salvation” if its members choose that path.  I...