Barnabas File

Daniel Aleshire, executive director of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) has written an apology (used in the theological meaning as a “defense”) entitled Earthen Vessels: Hopeful Reflections on the Work and Future of Theological Schools . His approach is that of “appreciative inquiry,” describing what the schools do best when they are doing that for which they were designed. One of his most helpful chapters is entitled “The Future of Theological Schools: The Church and Higher Education.” The presentation in this chapter is based on a paradigm articulated by David Tiede, former president of Lutheran Seminary. Tiede argued that theological schools in North America have developed in three phases—abbey, academy, and apostolate. Each is an important part of contemporary theological education. Theological schools were originally founded by denominations as an extension of the church—a place of prayer, study, and preparation for ministry. Over time, ...

The remarks made by Cecil Sherman, former CBF coordinator, at the General Assembly in Memphis have elicited response from two groups. First, there are those who feel that his use of the term Holocaust in referring to the “former unpleasantness” within the Southern Baptist Convention was an overstatement that offends our Jewish friends and diminishes their suffering under the Third Reich. Second, there are those who are tired of hearing about that “former unpleasantness” and want to move on. Whatever I say about Dr. Sherman's remarks will offend someone, but here goes. I agree with my friend and fellow blogger Danny Chisholm that although “no one was injured or killed” in the SBC turmoil, people did suffer. I personally knew (and know) people who were emotionally hurt, psychologically damaged, and economically harmed as a result of this conflict. Because of them, a new generation of leaders can hope for something better. We have to honor and respect the sacrifice of our founde...

In the fall of 2005, Central Baptist Theological Seminary launched its “Teaching Church” initiative. This initiative is described on the seminary’s website in this way: A new vision for making theological education more accessible is becoming a reality. Rather than requiring all learners to come to the historic campus in Kansas City for their ministry preparation, Central began offering classes toward degree and certificate programs at four sites - Omaha, Nebraska; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;, and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Central is using an apostolate model, which means that theological education will be more itinerant and more closely linked to congregational contexts. Three years into this effort, two of those sites are alive and well—Milwaukee and Murfreesboro (and the seminary has relocated to a new site in Shawnee, a suburb of Kansas City). The way that these programs are administered and staffed continues to evolve, but the seminary is remaining true to the vi...

We have just completed the 18th General Assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in Memphis. This assembly was publicized as the first CBF General Assembly held in Tennessee but that does not really tell the whole story. To put things in perspective, let me provide a little excursion into Tennessee history, culture, and economics. When our family first moved to Tennessee in 1970, Winfield Dunn (from Memphis) had just been elected governor. The state had long promoted tourism with the slogan “Welcome to the three states of Tennessee.” It was the message one saw when first driving into the state. One of Dunn’s campaign initiatives (if not a promise) was to do away with the slogan and promote the unity of the state. So, the theme became “Welcome to the GREAT state of Tennessee.” Dunn’s motives may have been pure, but the initiative was doomed to failure. There are three distinct parts of Tennessee; they are usually called “grand divisions.” Moving from west to east, the west portion...

At the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly, Baptist Women in Ministry will officially release its annual State of Women in Baptist Life Report. I have only scanned the report, but the message is clear: moderate Baptists talk a better game regarding women in ministry than we practice. In recent days, I have personally observed one young woman, a recent seminary graduate, turn to a not-for-profit agency rather that work in a Baptist church. Another seasoned woman minister left Baptist life to serve in a church staff position in another denomination. I hear the pain of women seeking to justify their calls to ministry and struggling to overcome old stereotypes. The report may say that things are better, but we still haven't caught the vision that God calls both women and men to serve the church by exercising their God-given gifts. The limitation on this calling are man-made not God-imposed. Certainly, we have a hard time imagining women in certain roles, such as the p...

Isn’t it interesting that one of the key charges that Jesus’ detractors brought was, “This man received sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2)? Table fellowship was a key part of Jesus’ ministry. He enjoyed the give and take of a dinner party, and he opened his table to all who would come. This was a radical statement in his day, and it often still is in ours. As we stand at a point in history where we will see an African-American nominated for President of the United States, how many of us can think back to a time of “colored” water fountains, separate waiting rooms for black and white at the bus or train stations, and so-called “separate but equal” schools? There was a point in the South when blacks and whites would never sit down at a table together for a meal. It was unthinkable. Since table fellowship was so central to the ministry of Jesus, perhaps it is in fellowship around the table in Emmaus that the two disciples who unknowingly been been walking with Jesus finally reco...

About three years ago, I submitted a proposal to the Great Commission Council (missions committee) of First Baptist, Murfreesboro, to undertake a new church start in a growing area on the west side of town. Today the bank account was closed, the website went dark, the insurance was cancelled, and a letter of appreciation was sent to those who were supportive of this effort by their participation and/or prayers. I could spend a lot of time in analysis of why Trinity Baptist Church did not happen (and I have written a final evaluation of the effort). Today I celebrate one of the good things that came out of that effort--the home Bible study fellowship groups that were formed. Three groups were functioning at one time or another. Each were hosted in homes and drew a respectable number of people. As you would expect, those who attended were like those who hosted. Older adults participated in a group hosted by a retired couple; young adults came to the gr...

I have spent this week in Richmond, Virginia, in a training conference sponsored by the Center for Congregational Health. Our teachers and facilitators, Beth Kennett and Chris Gambill, are committed professional church consultants, but they are also ministers who love the church (despite everything). As we have talked this week about conflict, staff development, visioning and other topics, I have been reminded more than once that most issues in the life of a church are ultimately resolved by the Spirit of God. Several years ago, I heard Alan Roxburgh say, “The Spirit of God is among the people of God; therefore, the wisdom to address the challenges of witness and mission in a discontinuous environment exists among the people and needs to be called forth within each and every community.” Most congregations have more resources available to them than they realize. These include gifted people, space, time, finances, and the Spirit of God. The challenge is to take the time to discern th...

I recently read a blog entry by Rami Shapiro, a rabbi who now has a teaching and writing ministry, in which he states, “If I were to get back into the religious community business I would open a coffee house rather than a synagogue.” This brought to mind remarks by Rex Miller in The Millennium Matrix . In discussing new congregational models, Miller says, In the future many emerging congregations will begin to look like extended spiritual families. This kind of ethos will extend into neighborhoods, with Christians favoring the common bond of proximity over church affiliation as a basis for home groups. In some ways we are moving to a modernized parish model. (p. 204) I think that both observers are pointing to a potentially powerful church model that would speak to both young adults and many empty-nester older adults. This decentralized approach or “modernized parish model” would benefit from some of the ethos of a coffee shop as well as the characteristics of the first Christian commu...

At the end of the year, I will finish my work as coordinator of the Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. At that point, I will be into my tenth year in that role. It has been challenging to serve as the first full-time state worker for this group of progressive Tennessee Baptists, but it is time to move on. Some have asked me what I plan to do in “retirement.” Now that some things have fallen into place, I can describe my plans as a four-legged stool, but one that I will probably stand on rather that sit upon. First, I plan to spend added time with family. With four grandchildren here in Murfreesboro--age range 4 to 21--Rita and I have plenty of opportunities for grandparenting right here at home. We also have a grandson in California and a granddaughter and three great-grandchildren in Wisconsin, so we will take our grandparenting on the road from time to time as well. Second, we will continue to be active in our church—First Baptist, Murfreesboro. A fellow church member and I ho...

While in Winston-Salem this week, our group had the opportunity to visit the Divinity School at Wake Forest University and dialogue with Bill Leonard, the dean of the school. The div school at WFU is one of the best of the new theological schools related to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. It combines the advantages of a classical university-related theological curriculum with a commitment to training ministers for the church. Actually, North Carolina is greatly blessed with theological schools! In addition to the one at Wake Forest, there are divinity schools at Campbell University and Gardner-Webb University as well as a Baptist House at Duke Divinity School. I applaud what these schools are doing and the training they are providing not just for North Carolina students, but those from other states as well. These schools also provide a number of full-time and part-time staff members for churches in the state. On the other hand, what about those states that are not so blessed? How c...

Several years ago in another life, I was asked to provide some leadership training sessions for campus ministers in neighboring state. I always enjoyed these opportunities for dialogue with colleagues. One of the topics I addressed on this occasion was the importance of collaboration in ministry. My intention was to discuss the value of working together and learning from other people. I was surprised by the response of at least one of the participants. He said, "Well, yeah! That's just common sense." Maybe it is, but how many of us practice it? We often see Christians violating the collaboration ideal in two ways. First, we want to compete rather than collaborate. Second, we assume that we (or some particular person) is the expert with the final answer. I have often found that much of value is not only offered but discovered in collaboration. When people with different experiences, backgrounds, and gifts gather around an issue or project about which they sincerel...

As I was walking in the local mall today, I noticed that a rather large clothing retailer had closed their store there. As I thought about it, I remembered that the local newspaper had reported that this particular business had relocated to another (newer) shopping area in our community. They are not out of business, but they have moved to attract a different (perhaps larger) clientele. They are adapting to the times. Nothing lasts forever. We talk a great deal about the future of the local church. Some congregations prosper in their present locations, but others relocate to "greener pastures." Some may merge with other congregations, some transition into ministry with a different group of people, some change their style of worship, and seem even choose to close their doors. The congregation that nurtured me as a youngster eventually sold the facilities to an ethnic church and merged with another congregation; the resulting congregation has prospered. I have been reading The ...

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Something of no redeeming social value that you just like to do? Mine is superhero movies. The newest one on the scene is "Iron Man." It is a great "popcorn movie" (although I don't eat at the movies that much). "Iron Man" stars Robert Downey, Jr., an actor whose real-life struggles mesh well with those of his character, brilliant industrialist/inventor Tony Stark who seems to be addicted to the traditional vices--women, gambling, fast cars, and alcohol. In a life-changing experience, Stark (literally) attempts to reinvent himself with the help of a lot of high tech gear (think Thomas Alva Edison mixed with Bill Gates and add steroids). This is a fun movie (with some significant plot holes) but it also gives us some things to consider (which will certainly be addressed in the sequels). First, can a guy this deep into hedonism really turn his life around? It seems that his trusty "girl Friday" and his Air Force c...

As I talked with someone recently about my post on the digital revolution and how this impacts the church, he commented, "Perhaps we are saying that the best person to deal with this is a "renaissance man." If you are not familiar with this concept, the renaissance ideal of the consummate individual was one who was skilled in a number of fields--languages, the sciences, art, music, etc. In that era, the concept was embodied by Leonardo da Vinci and Nicolaus Copernicus. Later examples would be Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson , H. G. Wells, and Albert Schweitzer. I don't believe my friend was saying that one's knowledge has to be as comprehensive as that of one of these unusually gifted individuals in order to be an effective church leader today. (If so, I might as well hang it up right now!) Instead, I believe that he was saying that the effective church leader must a generalist, one who is conversant with oral, print, broadcast, and digital worl...

A friend recently introduced me to this quote from Peter Leyden: “ We are living through an extraordinary moment in human history. Historians will look back on our times, the 40-year span between 1980 and 2020, and classify it among the handful of historical moments when humans reorganized their entire civilization around a new tool, a new idea. These decades mark the transition from the Industrial Age, an era organized around the motor, to the Digital Age, an era defined by the microprocessor … [a] defining moment when society recognized the enormity of the changes taking place and began to reorient itself.” I have been part of an online group of ministers for the last several weeks that has been discussing the implications of the Digital Age for the church—especially a five generation church that includes people with three worldviews (print, broadcast, and digital). Here are a few things that have come to mind for me. First, what does it mean to be a “gatekeeper” in an era when info...

A pastor friend in another state is dealing with a major conflict. The church he pastors has decided to close a Christian school that has been meeting in church facilities for 40 years. This has provoked anger from parents, several church members, and some individuals in the local community. Of course, the media has jumped on this and publicized the dissension. Why did the church make the decision? I am sure that were many factors involved, but one was that the school no longer reflected or furthered the mission of the church. If we have not personally been afflicted with cancer, we know someone who has. The person is diagnosed with the big "C" and is usually offered a regimen of treatment. The treatment is not easy. It is often long, painful, and draining. Given the options, however, the person reluctantly agrees to try the treatment. People who go through this are heroes to me. The church finds itself in the same situation. Many churches need to make decisions about their f...

When we visited Williamsburg recently, one of the guides talked about the dangers of childbirth in the colonial period. Even among the gentry, the birth of a child was a dangerous time. The child might die, the mother might die, or both might die. This, of course, was true well into the early 20th century, but I did not realize how this possibility might come home so soon. Friday morning my wife received a call that the daughter of one of our closest friends was in the delivery room birthing her first child and there were complications. Rita immediately went to the hospital. When I didn't hear anything from her, I went over and walked into a tragic situation. The mother, who was only 25, had "complications" in childbirth. The baby boy survived, but the mother did not. Her pregnancy had been normal, there were no evident problems, yesterday was her due date, but she did not make it. We really don't expect this to happen in 2008. Sometimes infants don't sur...

In The Millennium Matrix, Rex Miller writes, "Although individual churches seem committed to being all things to all people, most businesses learned years ago that such a strategy eventually leads to disaster." (pp. 164-165) Miller notes that smart businesses focus on their "core competencies," the unique and superior skills that define their organization. Someone shared an article with me a couple of years ago on "the Outback Steak-Church." Outback Steakhouse does dinner and does it well. In most locations (Oak Ridge is an exception), they just do dinner. The idea is the same one that Miller articulates--know what you do well and stick to it. One church cannot be all things to all people. Different churches are more gifted in some areas than others, just as believers are gifted in different ways. Miller's idea is that churches need to find ways to work together and complement one another so that the larger mission of God can be actualized i...

After a week visiting Virginia's historic triangle, I have to say that these folks know how to do it right. Colonial Williamsburg, especially, has found a way to make history interesting to people who are not usually involved in the study of history. From the buildings (preserved, restored, or reconstructed) to people (trained and motivated reenactors), the historical events and persons become real to visitors. It is an interesting combination of education and entertainment (some would call it "edutainment") that goes down easily. While I was talking on the shuttle bus with a lady from Maryland, she shared what she considered a high compliment: "It's like a Disney World experience!" Actually, it was better than that and more historically accurate! Those of us who are religious educators could learn from this example. How do we help people feel and experience the truth of gospel? I am not just talking about recreating biblical stories (I am not encouraging a ...