Superintendent Elect, Dr. George O. Wood, spoke in a chapel service at AGTS last Friday. He laid out five enduring core values that will mark his administration and express his vision for the AG.
1. We must passionately proclaim Jesus as Savior, Baptizer in the Spirit, Healer, and soon-coming King.
These have always been our core values. Some say the reason we exist only because of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and initial physical evidence. Historically that is correct, we were kicked out of other churches and that is why we formed an association AG. But theologically and biblically that is not the reason we exist. We exist to proclaim Christ in all his fullness and glory.
We need to passionately proclaim Jesus in both word and in deed. We have learned that people who do not know the Lord are not as interested initially by what we say as they are by what we do. Jesus servant ministry to those in need is a vital part of the Gospel.
We effectively reach people for Jesus when we by word and deed show that we are truly His followers.
We need to passionately proclaim passionately Jesus as Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, but when we proclaim Jesus as Baptizer in the Spirit, it does us little good to simply focus on initial physical evidence over substantial evidence.
One of the problems we are having is this issue of disconnect. We need to proclaim both the initial and the substantial evidence of the Spirit. The work of the Spirit is an ongoing development in our lives.
There is nothing worse than a dead AG church because we have no liturgy to fall back on if the Spirit doesn’t move.
We need to passionately proclaim Jesus as Healer... not only as physical healer but as healer of the generations, healer of the soul, healer of the heart.
We need to passionately proclaim Jesus as soon-coming King. We still have belief in the immanent return of Jesus Christ.
Live three ways: live as if he is coming today, live as if we were going to experience the worst and suffer for Christ, and live as though we will have a normal lifetime.
2. To strategically invest in the next generation.
We are having issues with transitions (jr. high to sr. high, sr. high – college, etc.). We need to give our students an intellectual floor of apologetics, otherwise they have nothing to stand on when they get to college.
We need to address the needs of our nineteen endorsed colleges which have received only token support from the church. Need to look at them the same way we look at US and Foreign missions.
We need to ramp up support for Chi Alpha on secular university campuses
We need to recover the sense of being a youth movement!
I’ve been to a number of district councils recently where the number of ministers receiving their 50 years of service certificates exceeds those being ordained!
Ministry is about relationships and I purpose to have an open administration where there is a “feel-safe” freedom to talk and to engage in dialogue.
That is why I went on FutureAG and wrote a post at 1:30am on the day I was elected in an effort to connect to the younger generation.
3. To vigorously plant new Churches.
MX9 Goal is to plant 1000 churches within the next 2 years. We currently have commitments to start 650 churches within this time period.
World-wide we are exploding in growth.
4. To skillfully resource our Fellowship.
Our AG schools, AG Financial, our churches and GPH.
Our discipleship resources at GPH need some work. I welcome the open conversation. How can we better resource our churches and receive positive feedback without getting defensive about it.
Let’s discuss constructively. It is the nature of the young to want to change the world, and it is the nature of the old to want to change the young.
I want an AG university that can compete with a Notre Dame or a Brigham Young University. Why do the Catholics and the Mormons have better universities?
5. To fervantly pray for God’s favor and blessing as we serve him with pure hearts and noble purpose.
We labor in vein unless the Lord builds the house. Deadness cannot exist in the presence of a living God.
Fervant prayer is essential. Let’s pray for God’s blessing!
You can listen to his message HERE.
Monday, September 17, 2007
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19 comments:
I absolutely agree with this vision!!!!! Let's do it.
I'M IN!
Wow! Vision--it's so compelling! Now--measurable goals and accountability. I'm especially impressed with the need to strengthen our colleges and to address the growing stateside needs in an effort to continue to have a base for global outreach for the future. Districts--catch on and let's get this thing back on track! STEVE SMALLWOOD
Beyond proclamations of openness and dialogue (which are genuinely appreciated and refreshing)—the AG is going to have to deal with the core dysfunctions that have led to the current conditions. Lencioni’s five team dysfunctions provide a good starting point: 1) Absence of trust; 2) Fear of conflict; 3) Lack of commitment; 4) Avoidance of accountability; and, 5) Inattention of results. These are no small items—especially if the AG expects to win back the hearts and loyalties of the younger pastors (and congregants—who are also checking out of the AG in droves). Each of these items represents a shift in the culture of the organization. I believe that fear of conflict and avoidance of accountability are two of the most substantial dysfunctions. Somehow we have the idea that we can’t argue vigorously (over doctrine, polity, size of central and district level governments, etc.). If we don’t argue (heatedly, yet respectfully) then the issues aren’t very important—and many of us have already checked out. Many of us are tired of top-down proclamations and hyper-restrictive rules and extra-Biblical doctrines. It’s time for a real discussion even if it means that we will create a bigger “umbrella” with less doctrinal and polity definition (on non-essential issues).
Bless you Brother Wood. I believe this to be a continuation of the desire of our other Superintendents. You have communicated your desire in such a fashion that will be embraced by all of our A/G adherents.
I trust our movement will give you their trust. I pray we will be about the Father's business. And contrary to what was spoken on the council floor during Thursday's business session., I believe that our General Superintendent IS relevant.
You are in our prayers...
Blessings...
w.g.smith
It's great to see a leader be able to have some open dialogue!
"There is nothing worse than a dead AG church because we have no liturgy to fall back on if the Spirit doesn’t move."
Wow. Excellent point.
For smaller churches like mine, that's all we've got. If the Spirit doesn't move, if he doesn't empower us as witnesses, if we don't see signs, wonders, and miracles; then we will never reach the lost. We will never make an impact. We will die.
I would like to respond to the “Skillfully Resource Our Fellowship.”
First, I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Wood, we must find new tools and more effective ways to truly make disciples. GPH has been a tremendous asset to our churches for many years. (They have just turned the corner with adding new products like Mega Sports Camp & High Point. These are 2 ideas that have come with valid field testing before they were marketed.)
If you read the FutureAG Blog, you know that we must provide more material for new churches and urban churches. In the past, our resourcing has been handicapped by well-meaning writers who no longer used those tools in active ministry. J.T. Wray and Julie Horner (And our GPH R & D Team) have been working diligently to change that and need to be commended. Now, we must find ways to re-capture the hearts of young pastors – get them to once again give GPH a chance to be their partner in ministry.
For GPH to remain effective, they need our pastors (young and old) to share their ministry requirements and also to share their own creativity. I am sure that GPH is soliciting for new ministry tools and would love to hear from you. (Send you ideas to jhorner@ag.org.) Pastors, who will share their original ideas/ministry tools and submit them for potential products, will help GPH return to the cutting edge. If it is working for you … why not share the idea?
We must find more avenues for input from the field of ministry into our pool of resources. This may take research teams who will go into growing churches, record what is taking place and allow GPH R & D to dissect the growth patterns, and evaluate the tools used. And then prepare summaries and envision potential ministry tools to aid in the new growth patterns. Thom Rainer and George Barna watch out!
We are the people of the Spirit. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give us discernment and help us effectively train disciples for today and tomorrow. Like the sons of Issachar, we need men who understand the times and know what we should do. Making disciples must remain our number one priority. I believe Dr. George Wood is leading us in the right direction. Our prayers are with you Dr. Wood.
Still Training Teachers!
Tom Bougher
The Rock FWC – Huntsville, Alabama
Another reason why I'm proud to be a believer in the A/G...
Dr. Wood - your vision-casting reminds me of POTUS rallying cadets and midshipmen at the academies. One can look into the future and learn a lot from speeches given to the leaders and world-shakers of tomorrow. Your words will take life as they coalesce into the persona of our movement.
God bless you as you sprint from the best starting block on the track and launch with all systems GO!
"Why do the Catholics and Mormons have better universities?"
Ok, I'm chuckling. But I do have one question for Dr. Wood.
As a graduate & student of ivy league institutions, I have a passion to serve my denomination. I recognize that taking any such faculty positions at A/G schools would be a dead-end for my academic career, but I hope to serve this fellowship because Christ's presence has been made more sure to me through them. But I have one primary concern.
I have watched passionate, capable, and agile minds called on the carpet for lovingly sharing what the Spirit has laid upon their hearts. I detected no sense of rebellion or resistance to authority in their Spirit-filled discussions (actually, quite the opposite)--merely a passion for seeing the Gospel lived out in this world. Yet past administrations of the A/G were unable to foster healthy and vigorous dialog because of their own unexamined insecurities that were cloaked in a theological rhetoric of submission to authority. If I can be more healthy emotionally and spiritually by teaching at a state school, why teach for the A/G? If I can live out the Gospel with greater clarity elsewhere, why teach for the A/G?
I see Dr. Wood as key in radically altering the ethos of the denomination and Springfield. But I still fear what the next administration of the A/G will bring. Will I take a faculty position at an A/G school and permanently stunt my career only to discover that in 8 to 12 years the ethos has shifted yet again?
So I've found myself praying--praying for George Wood. I have prayed that God's wisdom will miraculously guide him to make permanent changes--changes that are deeply embedded in the very soul of who we are as a denomination.
i share the last concern. the a/g university i graduated from wasnt open to dissent, forums of ideas, or diversity of opinion.
systematic theology was teaching the 16 fundamental truths. seriously!! what a crock!
i know people who were dismissed from their posts for teaching viewpoints the administration didnt like. nothing heretical, just different. plus, the school doesnt offer a tenure track like most other institutions, you can be dismissed for no fitting the "ethos" of the school.
as a youth pastor, i cant, in good faith, encourage my students to attend that school. i'll suggest wheaton or bethel or something else, but not my alma mater.
I knew he would be good for bolstering the vision for better edjumacation in AG schools!
Jesus as savior, healer, baptizer and coming king sounds awefully like the Foursquare church!
Dr.Wood,
How about buying some air time on National Television by way of ad spots and sharing our vision for America? A 2-3 MINUTE SPOT.
That would help so many local churches. This might help change the mind set of many.
We were honored to have Dr. Wood speak. Here's the inside scoop:
I called (as the student prez here at AGTS) and invited him last minute for our student chapel. He confirmed within 10 minutes. Not only that...he chose this 'student' chapel to share his vision.
That's a statement in itself.
You can hear his message here:
http://www.agts.edu/news/news_archives/2007_09wood_george.html
Thank you Dr. Wood!
Sorry, I see the link to the message was already posted!
I like it.
I want to echo what massam82 and the anonymous poster previous to him said about problems surrounding the AG educational system. Actually, I want to Amen it and I pray that Dr. Wood is empowered with wisdom. All of these critiques and whatnot are huge hurdles and most of these things will take years if not decades to complete because of the deeply ingrained ethos of the denomination. These issues are fundamentally why when faced with pursuing my MDiv, I chose to attend Regent College (Vancouver, BC) over AGTS since I was not convinced that I would be educated without a bias (ultimately with a fear).
"I purpose to have an open administration where there is a 'feel-safe' freedom to talk and to engage in dialogue"
AMEN! I don't know how in the world it's going to happen, but AMEN! One of my biggest pains with the AG is that I've only experienced "feel-safe" discourse in the context of healthy Chi Alpha groups or with healthier ministers behind closed doors where they are not afraid of being ejected from the denomination for their musings. Well, also just outside of the AG circles all-together.
I'm happy that I chose to be licensed with the AG this year and have been faithful to them for nearly 10 years, but I'll preach it from the mountain tops that the hard-liner approach has got to be obliterated from the core of its ethos or it will die with it's 16 commandments lying in its cold grip. Sooner or later we will have to figure out that the seal of the Spirit is what matters, not the Fundamental Truths.
On a side note, the comments that insinuate we are "losing" people to other denominations is rather interesting in that it's an attitude that seeks to serve the interests of the AG kingdom, rather than the Kingdom of God, but I understand why: We believe in what God is doing through the AG.
I'm just saying, let's be careful what we are really lamenting. Because, if we're lamenting people moving into denominations where they are better able to serve God, then we are serving the wrong god. And if we are arrogant enough to assume that they will not be able to serve God as fully in another denomination, then dear Jesus, please help us repent!
Great Stuff! I will be praying more passionately and specifically.
I agree with so many of the points but am thrilled and challenged to keep the supremacy of Christ as the first and ultimate concnern.
Four days after speaking at AGTS, Dr. Wood delivered his acceptance speech before the AG Headquarters in its Tuesday chapel service, September 18. His acceptance speech outlined the same five points that he addressed at AGTS, only in more abbreviated form.
You can view the acceptance speech here:
http://ag.org/top/news/20070918_ELT_commissioning_service.cfm
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