Barnabas File

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...

Since we were children, we have been part of groups on many occasions.  Many have been informal—gathering with friends for meals or recreation, for example—while others have been more structured—classes, work groups, etc.   We have all been part of groups, but how many us of have been part of a team?  How can we tell the difference?  Groups are made up of individuals.  Although they may be working on a common task, they still tend to think of themselves as individuals.  Each person brings his or her gifts and skills to the enterprise, but each person is careful in how these are shared, providing only what is absolutely necessary to “do their part.”  One reason is that rewards in a group are usually given to certain individuals—the designated leader or the high performers.  Interpersonal relationships are guarded and cautious. A team on the other hand not only has a common purpose, but the persons involved often have a role in shapi...

When I visited Conception Abbey recently, I asked for an icon of St. Barnabas.  I was disappointed to learn that neither the book store nor the Printery House at the Abbey had such an item.  Barnabas, one of my favorite characters in the New Testament evidently does not get the respect he deserves! Why do I like Barnabas?  Because he exhibits all of the best characteristics of a Christian coach.  We can learn a lot from Barnabas and how he invested himself in others.  The man we know as Barnabas was originally named Joseph.  He was a Levite from Cyprus who became part of the church in Jerusalem.  Because of his unusual generosity, the apostles called him Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement” or “son of exhortation” (Acts 4:36-37).  When Saul first appeared in Jerusalem after his conversion from persecutor to preacher, the members of the church were afraid of him. Barnabas became Saul’s advocate, bringing him to the apostles and v...

When I visited Conception Abbey recently, I purchased an icon of St. Patrick.  I chose this not as a means to facilitate worship but because of my admiration for the pioneering evangelist.   I often include George Hunter’s book The Celtic Way of Evangelis m on the required reading list of the Missional Church class I teach from time to time.  Hunter explains very clearly how a pagan people were won to the Christian faith, establishing an arm of the church that flourished in a period when other parts of the church were experiencing conflict and decline.  Although the role of St. Patrick in the conversion of the Irish is shrouded in myth and legend, this “patron saint of Ireland” is credited with the rapid conversion of the Irish to Christianity and the establishment of an enduring Christian community there.  Certain principles at the core of this outreach reflect the experiences recounted of the mythical Patrick’s life, but they are significant for u...

Jeff Cockerham is a smart guy.   Not just because he invited me to train coaches in his church, but because of the way that he enlisted church members for that training.     In my work with Pinnacle Leadership Associates, I train clergy and laity to use coaching principles in their congregations with the Disciple Development Coaching© process.   We recently began providing a congregational model for this training and Jeff invited me to lead it at Central Baptist Church, Fountain City (Knoxville), Tennessee, in August. I was impressed by the approach that Jeff took in assembling the group for training.  He sought out people in the congregation who were already invested in empowering their brothers and sisters in Christ.  These were leaders in various areas of church life who are already calling out the best in others.  In reality, they were already coaching other church members. So, if they were already doing this, why did they need tra...

How often have you found yourself in this situation?  You are visiting someone whose spouse, parent, or friend is suffering from dementia due to health issues or medication and your acquaintance says, “I don’t know this person any longer.  They don’t know me.  Where did all the memories, all the good times, go?” Compounding the situation is that those suffering from dementia may become angry or even threatening toward their caregivers.  Children who have loved and been loved for years are now strangers.  Spouses who have been involved in long-term loving relationships are outsiders or even antagonists.  Friends no longer have common bonds built on shared interests. How does a caregiver deal with the sense of alienation and rejection that comes from such situations? First, the caregiver should reach out to partners who can give perspective.  These may be hospice workers, family, friends, or pastors.  These people help the caregiver to ...

For many adults, 60 is the new 40.  As older adults remain healthy and active into their seventies, many seem reluctant to fade into the background.  In fact a number of older adults see their later years as the opportunity to undertake tasks that they had put on the back burner or to accomplish goals deferred due to the raising of a family and pursuit of a career. Chris Farrell of Marketplace Money reported recently, “ Millions of people between the ages of 44 and 70 say they want encore careers that combine personal meaning, continued income, and social impact. ”  Rather than devote themselves totally to recreation, travel, and time with grandchildren (all good things), they want to do more and make a difference in the world. Although I have not found a similar study conducted in the United States, research commissioned by Barclays in the United Kingdom discovered, “Entrepreneurs aged over 50 now account for an estimated 15% of all start-ups in England and W...

During August I spent two weeks in the Kansas City area and northern Missouri related to my work with Central Baptist Theological Seminary.   Seven of those days were at Conception Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, located on a beautiful site in the middle of rolling farmland.   The monks pray in the Abbey Church (minor basilica) five times a day—vigils, lauds, daily Eucharist, vespers and compline.  At the center of their worship is chanting of the psalms.  We regularly joined in at least three of those times of worship daily. For a Baptist, the worship is both alien and familiar.  The style and theological emphasis is definitely different, but the central place of Scripture brought new life to familiar texts.  Underlying the worship, however, is the commitment of the brothers to prayer and service. This was my third time at the Abbey, but I learned a lot more this time about the life of the brothers.  Their monastic life may be immersed ...

Only in recent years have I come to see the Doctrine of the Trinity as essential to a full understanding of community among the faithful and healthy group formation.   The interaction of Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer—Father, Son, and Spirit—in the Godhead provides fresh insight into God’s expectations for any community of believers. In Discovering the Other: Asset-Based Approaches for Building Community Together, Cameron Harder points out that although we have been baptized in the Triune name—“Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”—we fail to acknowledge it, especially in the way that we function in community.  Harder suggests that  “God’s Trinitarian life is, at least in some ways, the source and model for our human community.” (p. 21).    This suggests some principles for building humanity community (pp. 22ff): Community is built out of conversation. Creative conversation is adjustment to the other. Community is a web of relationships. Differe...

Although Paul was not a systemic theologian or a small group facilitator, his writing in   Ephesians 4:11-12 about the way the Spirit works to create a community of believers provides some ideas about what is necessary for a group to grow in spiritual maturity, service, and unity: “ So Christ himself gave   the apostles,   the prophets,   the evangelists,   the pastors and teachers,    to  equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ   may be built up  until  we all reach unity   in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God   and become mature,   attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (NIV) The various leadership roles in the life of the church have one primary purpose:  “to equip his people.”  Those who are leaders of a group invest themselves in others.  They call out the best in the group members and encourage them to stretch their boundarie...

A person does not need a theological degree to pick up the biblical emphasis on community.   In Genesis, we read that God created humanity for fellowship with God and then created the family unit of the man and woman.   God called Abram out of Ur to father a nation of people.   The children of Israel struggled to be a people who supported one another in their devotion to God.   Christ called to himself a group of disciples so that he might share with them and begin forming them as apostles of the faith.   Through the work of the Spirit, the church—a community of the faithful--came into being after Pentecost.   Paul and his team went about the Mediterranean world planting communities of the faithful.   Finally, out of the scriptures, early Christian scholars perceived the doctrine of the Trinity, a mysterious relationship between Creator, Redeemer, and Spirit that has existed through eternity. Therefore, it should come as not surprise that the ...

In a recent blog entitled “Low Wages, Student Debt, and 'The Call:' Financing Seminary Education,” LeAnn Snow Flesher put this entire ongoing discussion in context.  Flesher is not an outsider to theological education but serves as Academic Dean/CAO and Professor of Old Testament at American Baptist Seminary of the West at The Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. I agree with Flesher that at the core of the issue is the changing concept of “church” and what people expect from a faith community.  From my perspective, this has not happened overnight and is the result of several factors. First, since the 1960s traditional forms of authority have been questioned.  Initially, politicians came under fire (often for good cause—think Richard Nixon), then it was corporations, and then religious leaders (plenty of scandals to go around here).  Second, the church growth emphasis helped to build a consumer mentality so that people became more concerned...

When we think of the work of the apostle Paul, we tend to focus on him alone. In reality, Paul was surrounded by a team of gifted individuals that was continually changing. We know the names of some of them—Barnabas, Luke, Timothy, John Mark, even Priscilla and Aquila. At various points, different individuals became part of the apostolic team led by Paul. The composition of the group evolved and changed over the years. Very often members came on board, made their contribution to the work of encouraging churches in an area, and then attached themselves to a particular church or churches to continue their work apart from Paul. Some were already mature and gifted persons when they joined the Pauline team, but others were nurtured by the apostle and the group.   The group experience was vital to the development of disciples and the spread of the Gospel. My own experience is that small groups of believers provide an opportunity for individual growth in a number of ways.  Thi...

Designed specifically for Christian coaches, don't miss this Online Mega Conference, the   IMPACT 2014 eSummit . Enjoy over 30 business and practice building sessions from top-notch experts. We kick off the conference with a pre-summit series on Sept 24th. The full conference runs Sept 29-Oct 3, 2014.  I will be leading a pre-session conference on "Creating a Coaching Culture in the Church." Industry Pioneers & Experts The conference will feature keynote presentations, panel discussions and sessions from pioneers and experts in the Christian Coaching field. For a full lineup of speakers, visit the Speakers page. Here are some names you may know: Jennifer Britton, MCC – an expert in the areas of Group Coaching and Team Development Gary Collins, PhD. – author of the landmark book, Christian Coaching Jane Creswell, MCC – an innovator and leader in internal corporate coaching Ben Koh, MCC – founder of I Am Life Coach, a leading coach academy in Asia ...

“I don’t have enough time.”  I have heard this often in coaching leaders.  In reality, everyone has the same amount of time.  How we chose to use it is up to each one of us but those choices are not always easy.  I have come to realize that when I consider the tasks before me, I have three choices. First, there are those things I need to do.  These are the things that are of primary importance.  One of these is my relationship with God.  Another is my relationship with family. Everything else is negotiable.  Those things that I need to do are usually those things that I am gifted to do.  This does not mean that they are easy to accomplish.  They may take work, but I have the skills to do them or I can acquire those skills.  These are usually the activities that bring me the most sense of fulfillment. For example, I have just finished the manuscript for my first e-book.  Since it is based on my experience, ideas, and ...

In Good to Great, Jim Collins and his team sought out companies that moved from being good at what they were doing to becoming truly great.  They pointed out that “Good is the enemy of the great.”  In other words, people will praise your organization for providing quality but not exceptional products (or programs or services).  People have been abused so long by organizations that they are satisfied with good but not exceptional service.   They don’t expect anything to be “great.”   Why take the risk to move to the next level when you already have acceptable results? I have thought recently about how many good churches there are.  These congregations provide solid preaching, well-planned worship, comprehensive Christian education, competent pastoral care, and helpful ministries, but they are not exceptional.  They are shackled by their own expectations of what church ought to be and limited in their Kingdom vision.  What keeps th...

Unfortunately, this mixed metaphor describes what we often do in church .   Naturally creative people come up with new ideas then those ideas are stifled in the implementation phase.   Why? There are many causes—a desire to control,   fear of the untried, failure to understand, satisfaction with the status quo, or lack of vision. Exactly what is the role of leaders and leadership groups (committees, deacons, elders, etc.) in a congregation?  Are these people gatekeepers or permission givers?  Do they seek to empower or control?  Do they build up the body of Christ or hold it captive? Certainly, there is a need to vet new ideas to make sure that they are moral, financially feasible, and comply with basic legal concerns.  Real leaders, however, find ways to bring creative ideas into compliance so that they can move ahead rather than be stopped in their tracks. One reason that young adults are disenchanted with the church is that they no...