FutureAG

The Future of FutureAG

2008-02-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

We created this site prior to General Council this summer with really only one goal in mind, to create a virtual “senior pastor” search committee where AG ministers could openly discuss the characteristics needed in our next generation of leaders.

After the elections we continued the conversation with the hope that we could remove the “culture of fear” which seemed to exist in the AG and especially in Springfield. We especially wanted to give younger ministers a place to express themselves without fear of reprisal.

We were also hoping to generate some “grass roots” energy going in our movement - New ideas, fresh insights, etc. The programs and initiatives coming out of Springfield are fine, but the real change will happen out on the frontlines.

It was our hope that those of us who interacted on this site could begin to figure out our true identity together. Rather than waiting for another “top down” initiative from Springfield we could build consensus from the ground up.   

At the same time, we made a pledge to the leaders of our fellowship and our colleagues in the ministry that we would do everything we could to avoid divisive and negative content.

We wanted to create a place where we could disagree but disagree with love.

This has increasingly become a challenge. All of us are full-time ministers and many of us are also pursuing post-graduate degrees, writing projects, and blogs of our own. We do not have the time to read through all of the comments – much less “monitor” all of them.

So we have decided to close down FutureAG for the time being, with the possibility of opening it up again sometime in the future (possibly prior to the next General Council in 2009).

Our goal was always to make the Assemblies of God a better organization. We feel that the Lord has blessed us with a new generation of leaders, who are open to constructive criticism and new ideas (many of them have blogs of their own). The “culture of fear” has, for the most part, been removed. These men have God’s anointing to lead us into the future and they have our full support!

Thank you all for your interaction, your passion, and your ideas. It has been quite a ride. Let’s continue to work together with love, honesty and respect for one another and the leadership God has put in place to build a better FutureAG.

Signing Off

2008-01-23T14:01:00.001-08:00

Dear FutureAG Readers:

I want to thank Paul, Tory, Brad, Jeff, and Mark for extending to me the invitation to join FutureAG as a blogger. It has been a great pleasure to meet with these men, and I have been honored to post on this blog. They have done a great job with this blog and performed a very valuable service for our fellowship. They have opened discussion on many pertinent issues that our fellowship needs to address if it is to be faithful to Christ's Commission in the 21st Century.

However, the time has come for me to sign off posting for FutureAG. This year, I would like to devote more time to my own blog (AGThinkTank), whose focus is more on pastoral renewal and congregational revival than on denominational reform (although I will take a stab at some of those issues too).

Again, Paul, Tory, Brad, Jeff, and Mark deserve high praise for opening up a forum for discussing the future of our fellowship. And I am thankful that they considered me an ally in the cause.

May God bless you all richly!

George P. Wood

Question for Discussion?

2008-01-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

What should be the role of the General Council--what do you want/need/expect from the GC? Same for the District Council.

Doug Clay Elected General Treasurer

2008-01-18T17:11:00.000-08:00

"The Assemblies of God Executive Presbytery has elected the Rev. Doug Clay to the position of General Treasurer. Clay will take office April 1, fulfilling the unexpired term of the Rev. James K. Bridges, who resigned earlier this month after having served as general treasurer since 1993. " (AG Press Release, January 18, 2008)

Congratulations, Rev. Clay! And you can read Clay's blog here.

Guest Blogger: Paul Grabill

2008-01-11T16:42:00.000-08:00

Paul Grabill serves as the Lead Pastor of State College AG, in State College PA. Paul also functions as the Asst. Superintendent of the Penn-Del District.

Like many credential holders, I have become a loyal reader of FutureAG blog. There's not been anything like it since the short-lived "Agora" magazine back in the 1970's. I have appreciated the openness and candor, and even the possibility for people to post anonymously (an option I have not [yet!] chosen:)).

More recently, I have been most interested in the outcome of the poll on Spirit Baptism. This has been a matter of some degree of theological reflection throughout our history (certainly my history) and one wonders if the issue is again surfacing for open consideration. If so, there are many organizational and spiritual dynamics to consider, not the least of which is ethical.

While I personally come down on the classical pentecostal position regarding Spirit Baptism and glossolalia (simply because I personally have not been able to find a cogent way to theologically parse out alternative perspectives), my purpose in sharing my thoughts is not to defend that position, but rather to examine deeper and more treacherous issues.

The poll results showed that there were many who anonymously indicated that (1) They are a credential holder in the Assemblies of God (and, by definition, have indicated on their annual credential renewal form that they adhere to and proclaim what is stated in our Statement of Fundamental Truths), yet (2) Find themselves at variance with our stated position, with some even going so far as to say that there is no relationship whatsoever between Spirit Baptism and glossolalia.

More to the point of this post, I have read postings and comments dealing with ecclesiastical "fear" and "abuse of power." As both a pastor and a district official, I have read such comments with ambivalence. On the one hand, I, too, want an environment where people can be totally honest. I personally love academic "give and take." On the other hand, in 'real life' that environment must be lubricated with mutual respect and integrity, else any dialogue is doomed to fail.

For those who desire change on our initial evidence stance, personally, I am happy to hear their argument (hey, I'm in a college town--I listen to everything:)), yet there seems to be a Catch-22 in the system. Those advocating change cannot be heard (especially in a formal, governmental setting) if they don't have credentials. Yet, if they are perceived as people who have lied on their credential renewal forms, many, if not most, ears to whatever they would have to say will immediately close. Any raised voices to try to gain an open hearing (charging others with being "closed-minded") will simply be met with "get the beam out of your own eye, brother," whether or not that thought is openly verbalized.

I simply don't know how those advocating change can answer that charge. How can one accuse the A/G with a lack of courage in facing tough issues if the ones advocating change can't muster the courage to resign their credentials when faced with a clear issue of integrity? What personal and/or social forces keep them in the A/G? A choice to focus on the areas with which they agree? Institutional loyalty? Family heritage? Their professional standing? Their income?

None of these reasons will move the hearts of those adhering to a traditional posture, and those in "authority" will wonder if they are doing their jobs to not challenge those who are being less than honest in their credential renewals. Here again is the Catch-22. Those officials actively enforcing integrity will simply reinforce the perceptions of "fear" and "abuse of power" by those who are already afraid of being "found out."

I wish I could propose a solution here (I've been actively praying and thinking about this), but I know that we cannot continue to go down the road of winking at those who say one thing and sign another. How is that any less sinful than a lack of integrity in areas of sexual morality or finances? A tolerance of a lack of theological integrity is exactly what has happened in the mainline denominations. On this and other issues, we cannot continue to go down the same road others have gone and expect to arrive at a different destination.

Some may find this hard to read. Am I advocating a "purge?" Not at all (I'm hoping for a more peaceful and loving solution), but this I know. God cannot bless us personally and corporately if we are not people of integrity. He can bless Baptists, Presbyterians, Wesleyans, EVFreers, Vineyardites, and, yes, even Classical Pentecostals, but not if we are living in personal dishonesty and fear as well as corporate confusion.

Being totally honest, regardless of the consequences, is who Jesus was and who we are called to be. I believe trusting that God will care for us and direct us regardless of what anyone does with our credentials (or even what happens to the Assemblies of God) will please the Lord and bring His favor--on all of us.

And that's my heart's desire.

Who Leads the Church?

2008-01-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

In the comments section of "Leading Change in the AG," one of the topics being discussed centers on the question, "Who leads the church?"

Traditionally, AG churches have been led by strong senior pastors. My church is a good example. According to its Constitution and Bylaws, when the church hires a new senior pastor, the remaining staff from the previous administration turns in their resignations, which the new senior pastor is free to accept or reject. After serving a probationary term of one year, the senior pastor is voted upon. If he or she receives a two-thirds vote, then he or she can serve as long as desired, without having to worry about another vote. (This assumes service in good behavior, and there is a provision by which the Board of Deacons can ask for his/her resignation.) The senior pastor is an ex officio member of every committee and has broad authority to hire and fire, although the Board of Deacons and the congregation have final authority to approve the budget. My guess is that this is a fairly typical arrangement in General Council affiliated churches.

More recently, AG churches have been experimenting with team-based leadership models, whether in terms of a pastoral team concept or an elder leadership model. James River Assembly is a good example of a team-teaching church, although I'm not sure what the governance structure there is.

Here are some questions for discussion. In your responses, please be both frank in your assessments but also civil toward others.

1. Do the Scriptures mandate one model of church leadership? If so, what is it? Please cite specific passages. Alternatively, do the Scriptures give evidence of a variety of leadership models?

2. What are the pros and cons of these models? (My two-cents' worth is that the senior-pastor model provides unity of vision, mission, and values, but can drift toward authoritarianism. Team-leadership models, on the other hand diffuse ownership and empower many, while tending toward disorganization and the disavowal of personal responsibility.)

3. How effective is each model in accomplishing the mission of the church? (Here, I'm assuming that the end determines the means and that form follows function.)

4. How does "culture" (national, ethnic, generational, etc.) shape our understanding of leadership in the church? Is that a good or bad thing?

In the history of the church, the predominant leadership models have been episcopal (pastor-driven), presbyterian (elder-driven), and congregational (member-driven). Interestingly, all three models combine elements of the others. For example, in the Catholic church, the Pope is elected by Cardinals who are never appointed without the consensus fidelium ("consent of the faithful"). In Presbyterian churches, the elders govern, but it is the pastor who has special responsibilities and prerogatives, and the congregation often elects the elders to its session. Finally, in congregational churches, the members elect the pastor and the deacons, and they delegate authority to the pastor and the deacons to accomplish specific tasks. In other words, the traditional models of church governance all are mixed models, but with one of the elements being primus inter pares ("first among equals"). I'm not sure if this information will help the discussion along on this blog, but I've always found the information interesting nonetheless. Do with it what you will.

Abuse of Power?

2008-01-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

In the comment section of my post, "Leading Change in the AG," we have carried on a lively discussion of the merits/demerits of anonymous/pseudonymous posting. The usual rationale for such posting is fear of retribution by leaders. Some time ago, Lane Douglas asked for a specific example of such retribution, which I seconded in one of my comments. BeenThereDoneThat cited the following personal example:

In my case, I posted something (not slanderous or directed at any one individual) on a site with my name attached and was contacted by someone in leadership and told to immediately take it down, or they would use what authority they did have to see to it that my ministry opportunities outside of my own church in the AG would end.

Here are some questions for discussion:

Why is this wrong? Let's build a case, biblically and pragmatically, for why the AG should have fora in which issues can be discussed without fear of this kind of retribution.
What are the minister's constitutional and bylaw right when faced with such strong-arm tactics? Both General and District Council constitution and bylaws contain a right of appeal in cases of formal discipline. Do you think they also contain protections for the minister when informal, strong-arm tactics are applied? If so, what are they?
When might a leader be within his/her rights to request an AG blogger to pull down a named post? Now, the answer might be never. But I can imagine cases in which a leader would be within his/her rights to do so. For example, if I maintained a church blog, and one of my associates posted something critical of a board action on the church blog, I'd be within my rights to ask him/her to take it down. The issue would be a bit murkier if he/she did it on a personal blog, although if the post were egregious enough, I could imagine doing so. But perhaps I'm wrong here. What's your opinion?
How do we communicate in such a way that our leaders view our critical remarks constructively rather than destructively? Perhaps some leaders in the AG can't take criticism at all. That's not been my experience, but my entire ministry has taken place in one district (Southern California) under one superintindent (Ray Rachels), and he's modeled listening leadership. So I'll admit ignorance about other parts of the AG. But in my experience with people, it's often tone that turns them off, not necessarily critical remarks per se. What do you think?

Lee McFarland Interview

2008-01-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

Despite having a fairly well connected Dad, I'm generally clueless about emerging churches in the Assemblies of God. How clueless? I had never heard of Lee McFarland or Radiant Church in Surprise, Arizona, until I met him at the Bloggers Lunch sponsored by AGTS and North Central during the 2007 General Council. My loss. Lee's a great guy, and in this interview with our General Superintindent, he says a lot of important things about a lot of important subjects. Lee taught me two important lessons in this interview: (1) How you lead (especially how you preach) has got to be authentic. (2) You've got to be honest about your struggles if you want to lead the members of your congregation through theirs. How about you? What did you learn?

Single Like Jesus

2008-01-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

It’s confession time. With my wedding coming up in just seventeen days, I’m having a difficult time focusing on the future of the AG. But since the New Year tends to inspire reflection, I thought I’d process some personal thoughts from my journey of being single in ministry.

I can appreciate the discouragement that some single ministers have felt. Just last month I had a conversation with one senior pastor who was recovering from a bad experience with a single associate. As a result, he informed me that he would no longer be hiring anyone who is single.

When I began the process of planting a church as a twenty-one year old bachelor, experienced ministers warned me that I might be making a mistake. While the advice they gave was usually true, it was also occasionally motivated by some false assumptions regarding singleness.

So let’s clear the air. For starters, singleness is not a disease! Neither does it indicate that someone is socially awkward or living in sexual sin. And my personal favorite—being single is not directly linked to homosexuality. Yep, I got that one a couple times!

The question that usually prompted me to think the most was this one. “How will you counsel married couples in your church who are experiencing difficulty?” Fortunately, counseling does not depend on personal experience. If it did we’d have to start encouraging AG pastors to experiment with crack! While it may make some of us more interesting, I doubt it would improve our ability to counsel drug addicts. In place of personal experience, I’ve found it helpful to depend on the Bible and other married couples on my leadership team.

I’ve also found Jesus to be a good person to think of when faced with some of these misperceptions. As a pastor I personally hesitate to establish any hiring restrictions that would eliminate Jesus from qualifying for a job at our church.

Having said that, let me mention what I think deserves the most attention. Singleness can be extremely advantageous. In fact, if you’re single right now and involved in ministry, I’d encourage you to embrace this season and maximize every opportunity that you can.

Here are some suggestions that most married couples will tell you only get more difficult if you're no longer single.

Go on a Mission’s Trip
Save Money
Go Back to College
Start Seminary
Pay Down Debt
Hang With the Guys

And my personal favorite for those of you who are frustrated by limited ministry positions—plant a church or join a church planting team. I guarantee you that 99.9% of church planters do not care that you are single!

Most of all, enjoy the opportunity to pour your life into ministry. The greatest advantage for me during more than six years of singleness has been the freedom to give radical amounts of time and energy to church planting in Metro Detroit. Paul was on to something when he commended singleness in 1 Corinthians 7.

Don’t just sit back waiting for life to start…

Be single like Jesus.

Make His work your priority. Enjoy the saints and sinners around you. Care for the sick and the poor. And seize this season in your life!

Discipling a "Christian Nation"

2008-01-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

On December 6-9, the Gallup organization conducted a poll of 1,027 adult Americans regarding their religious beliefs and practices. It summarizes the major findings of that poll here. Among the conclusions:

About 82% of Americans in 2007 told Gallup interviewers that they identified with a Christian religion. That includes 51% who said they were Protestant, 5% who were "other Christian," 23% Roman Catholic, and 3% who named another Christian faith, including 2% Mormon.

Sixty-two percent of Americans in Gallup's latest poll, conducted in December, say they are members of a "church or synagogue," a question Gallup has been asking since 1937.

Based on the responses to this question, about a third say they attend once a week, with another 12% saying they attend almost every week. This means that about 44% of Americans report what can be called frequent church attendance -- almost every week or every week.

This year, 56% of Americans have said religion is very important. Only 17% say religion is not very important.This year, 56% of Americans have said religion is very important. Only 17% say religion is not very important.

To summarize, more than 8 in 10 Americans identify with a religion and 8 out of 10 say that religion is at least fairly important in their daily lives; more than 8 out of 10 say they attend church at least "seldom"; and again more than 8 out of 10 identify with a Christian religion.

Theologians and other intellectuals often tell us that we are living in a post-Christian nation. But these statistics indicate otherwise. Read the final paragraph above once again. Roughly eighty percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians, attend church occasionally, and consider religion important.

As a pastor, I know that there is a vast gulf between people's beliefs and behaviors. If eighty percent of Santa Barbara (where I live) is Christian, how come I don't see those people in church more often? And why do so many Santa Barbarans engage in behaviors that are manifestly unChristlike? You can ask the same questions in your city too, I'm sure.

In my opinion, statistics such as these illustrate the point made in the most recent issueof Enrichment that we are experiencing a crisis of discipleship, not only in the Assemblies of God, but also in the nation as a whole.

How do we distinguish authentic Christianity from cultural Christianity?
How do we evangelize people who are already nominally Christian?
How do we disciple people who consider themselves Christian but don't attend church or practice the ethical standards of the faith?

What do you think?

Trouble at the Inn*

2007-12-24T08:44:00.000-08:00

Today, in honor of Christ's birth, I'd like to take a break from blogging about AG issues and simply post the second best Christmas story ever told: "Trouble at the Inn" by Dina Donohue. Merry Christmas!

~ George

-----

For years now whenever Christmas pageants are talked about in a certain little town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling. Wally’s performance in one annual production of the Nativity play has slipped into the realm of legend. But the old timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened.

Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind. Still, Wally was well liked by the other children in his class, all of whom were smaller than he, though the boys had trouble hiding their irritation if the uncoordinated Wally asked to play ball with them.

Most often they’d find a way to keep him off the field, but Wally would hang around anyway—not sulking, just hoping. He was always a helpful boy, a willing and smiling one, and the natural protector, paradoxically, of the underdog. Sometimes if the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would always be Wally who’d say, “Can’t they stay? They’re no bother.”

Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd with a flute in the Christmas pageant that year, but the play’s director, Miss Lumbard, assigned him to a more important role. After all, she reasoned, the Innkeeper did not have too many lines, and Wally’s size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more forceful.

And so it happened that the usual large, partisan audience gathered for the town’s Yuletide extravaganza of the staffs and creches, of beards, crowns, halos and a whole stageful of squeaky voices. No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that from time to time Miss Lumbard had to make sure he didn’t wander onstage before his cue.
Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the Innkeeper was there, waiting. “What do you want?” Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.

“We seek lodging.”

“Seek it elsewhere.” Wally looked straight ahead but spoke vigorously. “The inn is filled.”

“Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary.”

“There is no room in this inn for you.” Wally looked properly stern.

“Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest.
Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired.”

Now, for the first time, the Innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.

“No! Begone!” the prompter whispered from the wings.

“No!” Wally repeated automatically. “Begone!”

Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary, and Mary laid her head upon his shoulder, and the two of them started to move away. The Innkeeper did not return inside his inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway, watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.

“Don’t go, Joseph,” Wally called out. “Bring Mary back.” And Wallace Purling’s face grew into a bright smile. “You can have my room.”

Some people in town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet there were others—many others—who considered it the most Christmas of all Christmas pageants they had ever seen.

*This article by Dina Donohue is reprinted from the Baptist Herald (Dec. 15, 1968).

Pentecostalism + The Poor

2007-12-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

Paul Grabill posted a link to video clip of a segment on the NBC Nightly News. The Rev. Eugene Rivers, who pastors Azuza Christian Community, shared his view of how Pentecostalism is such a force among the poor of world.

Paul describes the clip like this: You may not agree with every word, but I've rarely heard a better explanation of Pentecostalism given for non-religious folks.

To view the video click here.

What are your thoughts?

The Squeaky Wheel...

2007-12-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

...gets the oil.

Many of the posts on this blog dealt with the "irrelevance" and "outdatedness" of GPH curricula. Is anyone listening? According to Tom and Jan Bougher, GPH certainly is:

I want you to know that GPH has been interested in your blog and is creating a permanent site to gather input regarding ministries and tools to better resource our churches. I have a temporary site that is being used for that now. If it is appropriate, please share this info with your bloggers - I would love to hear from them. (This info is being collected and passed on to GPH now.)

Here's a link to the site. I think the Boughers want us to respond to the seven questions in this post. Feel free to answer the questions at the Bougher's site, or in the comments section right here. Either way, GPH will take note of your input.

Leading Change in the AG

2007-12-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

Here at FutureAG, we want to promote positive change within the Assemblies of God at all levels of the movement: individual and corporate; congregational, district-level, and national; ecclesial and educational. The important issues are what and how. What constitutes positive change? And how do we implement positive change?

In this post, I’d like to prescind from the what issue and focus on the how issue. Ultimately, of course, these issues must be considered together. We cannot implement a process of positive change without having some idea of what constitutes positive change, after all. Nonetheless, for the time being, I want to focus our attention on the methodology of change.

The outline of my remarks is taken from Leading Change by John P. Kotter. Kotter writes that there are eight steps leaders must take in order to change their organizations.

First, establish a sense of urgency.

“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:14-15)

The reason why the AG needs to implement positive change is because the nearness of God’s kingdom compels people to make a choice for or against him. We who follow Christ are specifically commissioned to place this choice before people (Matt. 28:18-20). Unless we do so, how will they experience the righteousness, peace, and joy which is the kingdom of God (Rom. 10:14-15; cf. 14:17)?

Unfortunately, our sense of urgency about the AG does not always derive from the nearness of the kingdom. Instead, it comes from the decline of our institutions. Our ministerial cohort is graying, our adherence statistics are stagnating, and many young leaders are leaving our fellowship for association with other denominations and parachurch organizations. These institutional losses are problematic, but they are means problems, not ends problems.

If our ministerial cohort is graying, that is a problem only because younger ministers are means of reaching younger generations with the gospel of the kingdom. If our adherence statistics are stagnating, that is a problem only because we are not effectively evangelizing unbelievers and discipling new believers. If young leaders are leaving our fellowship for other associations, that is only a problem because they view those other associations as more effective change agents than our own movement.

If you want to solve these means problem, focus on the ends problem. Focus on the nearness of the kingdom and the decision it compels. That will establish a sense of urgency around which our entire movement can rally. Our evangelistic mission, in other words, must take priority over institutional maintenance. Our institutions must serve the mission.

Second, form a powerful guiding coalition.

Optimally, every congregation, each district, and the entire national headquarters will be institutionally committed to the church’s kingdom-advancing mission. Unfortunately, we all know about the problem of mission drift, of the power of institutions and bureaucracies to pursue their own interests at the expense of their founding purpose. If there is any complaint that the AG blogosphere has about AG institutions, it is that they are maintenance-oriented, rather than missional and ministry-oriented.

The long-term solution to this problem is institutional reform. Our structures—at the congregational, district, and national level—must be repurposed and reformed. We—that is, the ministers who form the governing bodies of the various district councils and General Council—must demand, and in some cases, enforce accountability on the organizational structures of our movement. That requires prayerful and informed participation in the business meetings of our movement. There is no other way to repurpose and reform our governing bodies.

Unfortunately, such repurposing and reform takes time. It took approximately thirty years to change our fellowship’s policy on credentialing divorced and remarried ministers in order to bring it in line with what the Bible teaches. Few people have the patience for that kind of change. Hopefully, the structural changes that need to take place can be done more quickly.

But as we wait for and work toward long-lasting, institutional reform, we can take action right now too. Nothing stops us from forming ad hoc ministerial networks within the existing structures. If you want to band together with other like-minded ministers for resource and support, you do not have to wait until the General Council provides de jure approval for a relational-district resolution. Form a de facto relational district right away (without, I should add, ceasing to support your district as it is current structured). Or, if you don’t like the relational district idea, follow the lead of Mark Batterson and National Community Church and start up an annual conference as a resource for like-minded ministers.

As we organize these ad hoc/de facto structures, the de jure structures will take notice of what works and get on board the band wagon. The most powerful guiding coalition is the one that is out front of the institution, modeling what positive change looks like.

Third, create a vision.

Let me speak personally, for a moment. When I think about what the AG can and should be, I think of the word army, not denomination. Part of this vision for the AG comes from the references to spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20. Our fellowship has enlisted on the Lord’s side in his struggle against principalities and powers.

(Just a side note: when Paul writes that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, he means it. Our spiritual warfare is not against gays, lesbians, liberals, Muslims, abortionists, or whatever. Our spiritual warfare is against the devil on their behalf. They are the contested territory we are fighting over. They are not the enemy we are fighting against. I wish we ministers who preach about this passage would make that point of distinction more clearly.)

The main reason I see the AG as an army is because an army has a unified purpose and a structure organized around that purpose. The purpose of an army is to fight. It is organized to accomplish that purpose. The soldier in the field may do the hand-to-hand combat, but a supply chain keeps him fed and armed, a competent officer corps trains him and strategically deploys him, etc.

In my vision for the AG, our movement has a singularity of purpose (proclaiming the kingdom) and an organization to meet that purpose. The local congregation may be the frontline soldiers in that task of proclamation, but behind them stand district officials who resource and supply them, college professors who teach and coach them, national leaders who unite them, etc.

Fourth, communicate that vision.

Here, I have two questions. (1) Do our leaders consistently communicate to us? The answer, unfortunately, is mixed. Some district leaders proactively communicate with the ministers under the care. Not only do they send them monthly newsletters, but they pick up the phone and call them. And they don’t just call when there’s a crisis, they call simply to build the relationship. But this is not true in every district. Would that it were! (And by the way, would that we pastors would communicate as proactively with our congregations as we wish our district leaders communicated with us!)

(2) What do our leaders communicate? Does it edify and encourage us? Does it train us for the task at hand? Unfortunately, not always. Again, the situation seems to depend on which district you’re in. Sometimes, it seems the only communications we receive from our leaders announces policy changes with which we disagree or asks for more money.

The one thing we ask of our leaders is that before they demand something of us, they build a relationship with us.

Fifth, empower others to act on the vision.

One of the biggest problems facing the AG in accomplishing its kingdom-proclaiming mission is the problem of old wineskins. The culture which gave birth to the AG in 1914 is very different from the culture in which we now live. Indeed, the culture in which my father was raised is very different from the culture in which I was raised. And I minister to young people who were raised in a culture that is totally alien to me. If we are going to reach people with the message of the kingdom, we must be very flexible about methodology. And that means that our leaders, who are typically older and used to a different culture than we younger ministers, must allow us younger ministers to experiment with methodologies that work in our cultural context. Not allow; that’s the wrong word. They must proactively empower. What worked in 1914 is not what worked in 1964 and is not what will work in 2014.

Empowering others to act, to use means and methodologies which are alien to the culture in which one was raised, requires great trust. We younger ministers who clamor for freedom to experiment must earn that trust by showing our fidelity to the gospel of the kingdom. Our leaders, who are older, must trust us to proclaim the kingdom in a language and style that is not their own. This is the essence of empowerment and cooperation.

And aren’t we a voluntary, cooperative fellowship? To cooperate with someone means to work with them toward the accomplishment of a task. Whatever our age, whatever the culture in which we came to Christ, whatever the means and methodologies we use, aren’t we supposed to cooperate with one another? Cooperation doesn’t mean merely that we cooperate (co-work) with our district leaders. It must also mean that they cooperate (co-work) with us. If they do not cooperate with us, then we are working for them, not with them. Forms of leadership that demand obedience and respect without the balance of empowerment and trust betray the essence of voluntary cooperation.

Sixth, plan for and create short-term wins.

We’ve already had a few: (1) this blog, (2) the Bucca di Bepo lunch, (3) meeting with General Superintendent Wood at Springfield, (4) having AG leaders respond to these posts, (5) the expansion of the Executive Presbytery to be representative of younger ministers and women, and (6) the change of tone coming from Springfield, just to name five. We want to see more positive change, but we should celebrate the changes that have already been made.

Seventh, consolidate improvements and keep the momentum for change moving.

This, I think, is where many of us are stuck. We’ve started the ball rolling, but how do we keep it rolling. I would do several things. (1) Keep the tone positive. (2) Get more involved, not less involved, in the current organizational structures. (3) Build local networks and coalitions with like-minded ministers in your section, district, and region. (4) Go to all denominational business meetings. (5) Call your district superintendent and let him know you’re praying for him. (6) Write a few sample resolutions and post them on a blog for our consideration.

Eight, institutionalize the new approaches.

Unfortunately, we haven’t reached the level of institutionalized change yet (other than expanding the EP). What we can institutionalize is transparency and tone. Everyone who contributes to this blog, by way of posts or comments, is being transparent with his/her readers. What we need in our fellowship is more openness, more honesty, more authenticity, not less. But alongside with this transparency is the need for graciousness in tone. No one wants to listen to a chronic grumbler or complainer. But most people will listen to a constructive critic who has the other person’s best interests in mind. That is the kind of people we should be. Positive change requires positive change agents. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. As we work to effect positive change in our fellowship, are our thoughts, feelings, words and actions characterized by righteousness, joy, and peace? If we can change the transparency and tone of the debate about how to change the AG, we will in fact change the AG, and in changing it, help proclaim the kingdom to our generation.

So, my friends, suaviter in modo, fortiter in re. That's Latin for "Sweetly in method, strongly in the matter at hand." Let's be strong for change in the AG, but let's do it with the sweet spirit which only the Spirit can provide.

unChristian

2007-12-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, unChristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity and Why It Matters (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007).

How do people outside the church view those inside it? If you’re talking about Americans between the ages of 16 and 29, the answer is, “Not favorably.” Americans in this age range view Christians as hypocritical, too focused on conversion, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental. Reflecting on these results, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons conclude, “Christianity has an image problem.”

Kinnaman is president of the Barna Group, a research firm that studies trends in American religion. Lyons is founder of Fermi Project, a network of emerging evangelical leaders who are trying to positively impact American culture. Fermi commissioned the Barna Group to study perceptions of Christians among Americans in the older Mosaic (born 1984-2002) and younger Buster (born 1965-1983) age cohorts. The resulting book book, unChristian, summarizes the conclusions of that study and provides suggestions for how Christians can overcome their image problem.

According to Kinnaman and Lyons, the key to changing young adults’ perceptions of Christianity is learning “to respond to people in the way Jesus did.” This does not entail giving up or watering down key convictions about Christian faith and practice. Just because young adults view Christianity as antihomosexual, for example, does not mean that Christians should stop teaching that homosexual acts are sinful or that monogamous heterosexual marriage is God’s will.

What responding to people as Jesus did means is, first of all, having the right perspective on their criticism. “[W]e should consider whether our response to cynics and opponents is motivated to defend God’s fame or our own image.” Second, it involves connecting with people. “[T]he negative image of Christians can be overcome, and this almost always happens in the context of meaningful, trusting relationships.” Third, a Christlike response requires creativity. “We cannot ignore the importance of breaking through the ‘been there, learned that’ perspective young people have about Christianity.” And fourth, we must serve people. Young American adults view the church as irrelevant and uncaring. To respond as Jesus would, “we must cultivate deep concern and sensitivity to outsiders.”

Of course, we ought to do these things because they’re right things to do, not simply because they’ll help improve our image among young adults. And doing these things does not guarantee that young people will become Christians. What it will do is change the perception about who Christians are, what webelieve, and how welive. In a culture for which perception often is reality, changing the way the church is perceived goes a long way to solving humanity’s basic problem: our separation from God, and our need for salvation.

Initiating or Reacting?

2007-12-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

When I grow up, I want to be like Dr. Beth Grant!

Last Friday, I solicited your answers to three questions about the District Councils ("Three Questions about Your District"). Dr. Grant responded tonight with a typically thoughtful, irenic, and spiritually challenging reply. Below, I've re-posted what she originally wrote as a comment on that thread. Her remarks deserve wide circulation and careful reflection by all of us, especially those of us (and I include myself here) who tend toward cynicism about some aspects of our movement.

Thank you Dr. Grant!

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I apologize, but since my husband and I minister in about 15-20 districts a year as missionaries and have many friends who are district leaders, my thoughts are focused more broadly rather than specifically on our home district where we do not live.

What works?

Most district leaders we know want change and would probably be thrilled for some innovative positive restructuring. Some district leaders are working hard to articulate fresh vision, provide resources and initiate more fluid minimal organizational structures to facilitate the accomplishment of God’s mission in their sphere of influence. They are great role models.

What doesn’t work?

We seem to be more prone to react than initiate, more comfortable maintaining the status quo than daring to make needed changes.

How can we fix it?

Change will require a shift in how we think, live and make decisions, both corporately and individually:

1. Stewardship vs.ownership

. . . “my” district, “my” church, “my” department, even “my” ministry. Private ownership is something we are enculturated into from childhood in our society, not a matter of semantics. We probably need a deliverance service to deal with this epidemic!

Stewardship in leadership implies recognizing accountability, responsibility, and investing wisely of all resources on behalf of the One we serve to whom it all belongs. Entitlement and territorialism are incongruous with biblical stewardship.

2. A pilgrim lifestyle

Are we willing to return to an Abrahamic posture of being ready to move as God speaks to us, whatever our calling/role? There was an old song I remember hearing as a child, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passin’ through . . . “ I don’t miss the song, but the posture is biblical!

Some of David’s and my greatest heroes and mentors in missions have been men and women who were always listening for God’s voice and always ready to take new courageous steps of faith in their 60’s and 70’s! Some of them had and are having their most effective exciting and visionary ministry after 60 years of age.

3. Downsizing, prioritizing the missional from all that is not missional.

What can we unload that is not essential to leading people to Jesus, mentoring them as disciples and developing effective ministers for the future?

Last year, I sensed that God was going to do some unexpected unprecedented things in our lives and ministries. I was embarrassed and convicted to realize that if He did, there was actually no time in my schedule or room on my plate for it!

Can we discern the non-essentials we’ve accumulated as a part of all we are doing in order to focus on the most essential missional things God wants to do?

This process would lead us to re-align our resources with our stated (biblical) priorities: more time and financial resources given to lead people to Jesus (evangelism on all fronts), more intentionality on the development of a strategy and time invested to disciple people in following Jesus (“spiritual parenting”, without which bringing people to the “new birth” is irresponsible), and a more intentional investment in ministerial training.

4. Ministerial lifestyles of receiving and extending grace

The level of unhealed hurt that has surfaced here over the months has been saddening and is something with which all of us can identify.

Some days, forgiving is a full-time job, especially as leaders and sadly among colleagues. But if we don’t? Accumulated hurts contaminate and color everything we do and say –especially in times of stress. God help us to release offenses, accept healing and extend forgiveness – even to those who may never ask. Then we are free – free to receive His forgiveness and free to preach forgiveness to others with integrity.

We seem to have a window of opportunity under our national leadership for broad-based constructive dialogue and healthy change. But to go beyond discussion will require bold courageous collaborative steps in which all of us must be willing to change – district leaders, national leaders and individual ministers alike.

Beth Grant

Three Questions about Your District

2007-11-30T13:11:00.000-08:00

As I have read the posts and comments on this blog, I have come to the conclusion that much of the dissatisfaction we feel with our movement is rooted in what is happening at the district level. So, I thought I'd post the following three questions as an exercise in diagnosis and prognosis:

What works in your district?
What does not work in your district?
How do we fix what does not work in your district?

If I were as smart as Paul Stewart, I'd create a poll on this issue (hint, hint). But I'm not, so I'll just post the questions and hope for the best.

I'd like to suggest five ground rules for answering this question:

Please answer all three questions. You may think your district is a veritable abomination of desolation, but no district is totally without merit. Paul almost always opened his letters with a word of a thanksgiving for his congregation, so let's try to start on a positive note.
Please be respectful of your leaders in the way you write about them and the district they lead. The Golden Rule applies here: If you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a blog flog, don't blog flog others.
Please don't identify your district or district leader by name. What I'd like to see is a catalog of the broad types of problems our district faces, not a criticism of Brother So-and-So's administrative shortcomings at Such-and-Such a district council.
In light of (3), and out of respect for those who fear retribution, anonymous postings are welcomed. (I can't believe I'm conceding that, but whatever.)
Since I'm surveying what you feel about your district, please don't comment or criticize others' comments. After all, they're simply sharing their impressions.

New Polls

2007-11-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

I have just posted three new polls in relation to our discussion on the last few posts. Please take some time and let us know how you feel. If you have additional comments on these polls, please post those here.

Tongues In The Practical

2007-11-17T13:03:00.000-08:00

I have read with interest the recent discussion initiated by Paul's post 'Living Room Conversation'. So much of what was said prompted remembrances of my own spiritual journey.

My roots are in the AG. Youth Camps were the place of significant spiritual experiences for me as a young person. It was at a Camp that my first intense pursuit of an 'Acts 2' experience began. My first response to an altar call for the Holy Spirit was one that could be characterized as hyper-emotional and pressurized.

Personally, I did not break through to the release of 'tongues' in my life at that moment. Honestly, I felt ashamed, condemned, and somewhat like a failure. I'm not sure why I felt that? No one verbalized that to me. As best as I can discern now later in life, I was part of the fall-out of the over-emphasis on momentary experience and the under-emphasis on supernatural lifestyle.

It took me about five months of seeking before I finally experienced the miracle of spiritual language. It happened for me in my living room, after a small group, and without a lot of emotion. And that moment started me on a journey of partnership with the Holy Spirit.

Honestly, I often viewed my Holy Spirit baptism as an historical event in my life. It was something I had experienced back in 1980. But the reality of the value of this new dimension in my spiritual life was somehow under-appreciated in my daily experience. For me it has been in the past decade that I have come to understand the tremendous value that speaking in tongues has in my life and in my ministry.

So in my ministry, I try to teach the people I lead to go beyond momentary experience and to press into ongoing practical application of the use of spiritual language in their life. These are some of the values/applications that I enthusiastically share (I know this is not unique to me...I simply share it to add to the discussion of how to present this important experience).

It is a prayer language - the Holy Spirit prays through us according to God's will.

It opens our ears to God's voice - as we speak mysteries with our spirit to God--God will release His mysteries back to us.

It is a self-edificational practice - Paul indicates that as we speak in tongues, we edify our own soul. When discouraged or under attack, this gift is a lift to our burdened heart.

It is practice for function in the other eight manifestation gifts - speaking in spiritual language is a private step of faith. We learn to hear and obey God's voice. As we practice obedience to the prompting of the Spirit in our language, we prepare ourselves to be used in the other gifts.

It gives voice to the deep burdens of our heart - Romans 8 talks about how we can groan out our deep cries to heaven. I appreciate being able to pray through a burden to the place of peace through the use of my spiritual language.

It can be used as a 'sign' miracle (in conjunction with interpretation) - I have heard many stories from around the world of how a bi-lingual person heard and understood both the tongue and the interpretation.

It releases boldness to witness - the Holy Spirit empowers. The more we commune with Him, the greater potential there is for power and fruit to be released in our world.

When I present this experience to people now, I find myself talking less and less about the initial moment and more and more about the ongoing effect. For me this balance helps everything to fall in place and make sense.

Revelation, Argument, Arrogance, and Exclusivity

2007-11-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Dr. Wood posted this comment in response to Paul Stewart's post, "The Living Room Conversation." I felt it deserved a bit more prominence than being the 99th comment on that post. (GPW)

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For my devotions this year, I’ve been slowly moving through Ezekiel with Donald Bloch’s terrific (and technical) commentary; and journaling a verse a day through the Gospel of Mark. My journaling is definitely not exegesis, but iso-gesis. I type in the verse and then “think (i.e., write) out loud” my thoughts onto the computer. At the end I write a brief prayer. I’ve found this daily absorption in the Scripture to be really invigorating.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been plowing through Mark 9 – a very long chapter. Now, I’m almost at the end and suddenly some things fell together as I awakened the other morning. Funny how you can cogitate and meditate on something for a long time and not see how the parts fit – and then all of a sudden, a flash of inspiration comes in a nanosecond and you see everything clearly.

So, here’s how I see where Mark 9 fits into a lot of discussion on the blog. Mark 9 is all about the disciples and their perception of themselves and their place in the kingdom. The chapter follows the disciples through 4 stages, and I suspect we’ve all been there or are in one of them now.

First, revelation. That’s the Transfiguration or Metamorphosis of Jesus. It’s the only time in his early life where his divine nature shown through his humanity. Moses and Elijah are there. Jesus face is shining like the sun and his clothes whiter than any Clorox could get them. What a great moment for the three: Peter, James, and John.

Revelation is the spot where we are overwhelmed in the presence of the majestic Christ. It’s something we Pentecostals covet – being caught up into spiritual revelation and experience beyond what the rational mind can fathom. It’s being lifted into the heavenlies and encountering God in such a way that language cannot hold the experience nor can the emotions be articulated.

Second, argument. When Jesus and the inner 3 come down from the mountain they find the remaining 9 locked in an argument with the teachers of the law. What’s the argument about? The 9 cannot cast the demon out of the boy. They cannot do this even though earlier Jesus had commissioned them to cast out demons and Mark reports that they had done so. But, now they command and nothing happens – so they’re left to argue with the critics.

It seems to me that this is one of the problems we are having now in the Pentecostal movement. When we don’t have power, we argue. The fullness of the Spirit has leaked all the way out. And, our arguments don’t solve the pressing needs of those who are looking to us. I fear a dried up Pentecostal theological scholasticism that has no power. Argument (except for a wholesome apologetic for the faith such as the Apostle Paul’s dialogical evangelism) never produces the fruit of the Spirit, much less the gifts.

But, since the disciples at the foot of the Mount of Transfiguration have no power, they can only fall back on defending themselves with argument. It’s not a pretty picture. Jesus chews them out for not praying, thereby connecting argument with prayerlessness, and authority with prayer.

Wait. It gets worse. Third. Arrogance. After getting chewed out by Jesus for their powerlessness, they then start arguing about who is the greatest. They are doing the very thing that breaks community. Whenever we pit ourselves against others, or take the attitude “I don’t need you” – aren’t we exhibiting the same arrogance? When I was a new district official I visited a pastor who had a large church in our district but never was involved in anything. I wanted to reach out to him and find out what we could do to establish relationship. His response to me was, “I went to Springfield once and the brethren had nothing to add to me.” I wished I had said, “Well, maybe you could have added something to Springfield.” I think that’s what the Antiochians would have done for Jerusalem.

And, let’s face it – “Springfield” can be just as prone to arrogance as “non-Springfield” because arrogance doesn’t have territorial limitations.

So, Jesus talks to his arrogant disciples about being a servant, and he sets a little child in their midst. I think he does that because he’s telling the disciples: “If you really want to be great, then put your arms around the next generation and serve them. Stop being so narcissistic. My way is not self-fulfillment but self-denial. My way is not independence, but interdependence.”

Fortunately, by the time we get to the book of Acts – the disciples have gotten over arrogance and become a model community. It took awhile for them to realize the world would know them by their love for one another, not how smart they were, how cutting edge (or dull) they were, or what their age and cultural preferences were.

Then, the fourth thing happens in Mark 9. From revelation to argument to arrogance to exclusivity.

The disciples, who couldn’t cast out the demon, tell other people who are casting out demons to stop. If it weren’t so serious, it would be funny. They think they’ve got the exclusive franchise on Jesus.We must avoid narrowness of heart and spirit. Jesus tells these disciples of his that they better not lead the “little ones” into sin for if they do, it would be better if a millstone were tied around their neck. What he’s really saying is that the fractiousness of the disciples is going to doom the novices in the kingdom, that exclusiveness is not only silliness but spiritually deadly.

So, in these recent weeks I’ve been drinking deeply from the well of Mark 9 and asking the Lord to help me stay fresh on the revelation side so that I’m inundated with His presence; and spared from the traps of being argumentative, arrogant, or exclusive.

During the charismatic renewal of the 70s (for those of us who were alive then!), we sang a beautiful and haunting chorus. I almost always led it at communion time: “Bind us together, Lord; bind us together . . . with cords that cannot be broken.” That binding is to Christ and to one another. In Mark 9, the disciples are seen at their nadir – but the Lord wasn’t finished with them. By the time he was done working on them – that argumentative, arrogant, and exclusive minded group had become a community (the body of Christ) that changed the world. They got bound together by the work of the Spirit.

And, incredibly, by the grace of the Lord, he’s doing the same thing with us! He works with all our limitations and sees that he can bring gold out of all our dross.

George O. Wood
General Superintendent

The Living Room Conversation

2007-11-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

For me, the highlight of our time with Dr. Wood came at the end of the night during a discussion in his living room. I recounted my experience earlier in the summer when I was in another forum with Brother Trask. Someone asked Trask what he thought was the single biggest issue facing the A/G over the next five years. His response was in my opinion a fifteen-minute diatribe against those who waver on the doctrine of initial physical evidence.

I asked Dr. Wood if had he been asked the same question how he would respond. This led into one of the most thoughtful and encouraging conversations I have ever had with someone in AG leadership about our doctrine of the Holy Spirit. While Dr. Wood believes wholeheartedly in our doctrine, he balances that belief with real-life pastoral experience and the ability to let God be God.

During our conversation it became clear that everyone in the room desired the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and all of the gifts that come along with that. That being said, it was also clear to me that there is some amount of breakdown in our terminology.

Obviously the most distinctive and unique doctrine of Pentecostalism maintains that all believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” We believe that this experience was the normal experience of all in the early Christian church (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5,8) but is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of salvation (Acts 2:4, 14-18; 8:12-17; 19:1-7). We also believe this experience will always be followed by speaking in other tongues.

However, the terminology “baptism in the Holy Spirit,” although taken from the Bible, has been confusing to many inside and outside Pentecostalism and often the nature and purpose of the experience has been confused with other works of the Spirit. For example, many in the Holiness movement have also used the expression "baptism in the Holy Spirit" to refer to sanctification. Teaching, either explicitly or implicitly, that those who have not received the “baptism” are less holy than those who have.

Today, many within the A/G continue to view the experience as a mark of their spiritual maturity or, worse yet, superiority.

Both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, describe experiences with the Spirit in many ways, including use of the expressions "baptized in the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5; 11:16), "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4; 4:8,31; 9:17; 13:9,52), "full of the Spirit" (Acts 6:3,5; 7:55; 11:24), "receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:15,17,19; 10:47; 19:2), "receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38), being "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49), and "[God] giving the Holy Spirit" (Acts 15:8).

Yet in all of these instances the Holy Spirit is not brought in relation to salvation or sanctification but for an empowerment to fulfill God’s mission (missio Dei). This empowerment to be witness-bearers of Christ is essential if the Church is to fulfill its essential purpose (Matthew 28:19,20; Luke 24:45-49).

I believe the Assemblies of God correctly maintains that this experience remains as available to those who seek it today as it was in the Apostolic Age. However, when the purpose of this experience is lost the subsequent power is squandered. Many Pentecostal believers mistakenly place the emphasis on the expressions of the Holy Spirit’s power inside the church rather than the power needed to reach those outside it.

Luke makes it clear that in his view the essential task of the church is mission. He says remarkably little about the inner life of the church and concentrates most of his attention on this aspect of the church’s task. He stresses the place of the Spirit in guiding and empowering the church for its mission. Mission is no mere human achievement. The gifts of the Spirit are given for the purpose of mission.

I realize that many within the A/G would probably agree with what I have written so far -- this was in fact what occurred after the initial outpouring 100 years ago; people filled with the Spirit jumped onto ships to Africa to spread the gospel. The problem is that too often there are other “benefits” that get added onto this gift.

Too often the “baptism in the Spirit” is viewed as the end rather than the beginning. Those who receive the “baptism” (which to me implies a one-time event) are led to feel they have “arrived” and often their spiritual growth subsequently falters. I was encouraged to hear Dr. Wood express his concern for this issue and his call to focus more on the “subsequent evidence” of this gift.

Finally, I told Dr. Wood that I am often discouraged with how the term “initial physical evidence” is lived out at youth camps, evangelistic rallies, and altar calls around our country. We have managed to turn this beautiful, mystical experience with a transcendent and supernatural God into a rudimentary formula. We’ve become so worried about “evidence” (a very modern and non-biblical term) we are missing the true meaning (which could never be measured with “physical evidence” alone).

I know our doctrine needs well-defined parameters and I realize that words will always fall short in describing theological concepts. However, I feel it is time for us as a movement to honestly and humbly look at our doctrinal terminology and prayerfully start discussing change.

What One George Thinks of Another

2007-10-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

Together with Brad, Jeff, Mark, Paul, and Tory, I traveled to Springfield, Missouri, last week to meet with Dr. George O. Wood, otherwise known as "My Dad." Unlike them, I already knew my dad pretty well: his work habits, story-telling ability, leadership style, vision for the movement, etc. Like them, however, I also learned a few new things that I didn't know. Admittedly, my observations are biased in favor of our new general superintendent, but I'll try to be objective.

First, the general superintindency is a very big job. I knew this in a theoretical way, but I experienced it first-hand in my dad's office. The number of people he deals with, together with the range of issues he must handle, makes me tired. While the other guys went on a tour of headquarters, I sat in my dad's office and read. He was constantly on the phone talking with pastors, responding to email, or dealing with his coworkers. And I knew he got into work early that day. Frankly, my dad--who's 66--made me a bit embarrassed about my own work habits. If I worked as hard as he did, I bet my church would be healthier and larger than it is now.

Second, I was very surprised by how pastorally focused my dad is. Remember, my dad's been in denominational office (first district, then general council) for 19 years. Aside from a six-month stint as Central Assembly's interim senior pastor, he has been focused almost exclusively on denominational issues. And trust me, they're huge. AG Financial Services has $2.6 billion in funds under management. The US AG is primus inter pares with over 200 other national AG fellowships. Important decisions must be made about national schools, GPH, and other General Council level ministries. But my dad communicated to us bloggers the importance of the general superintendent pastoring the pastors. As you know, there were huge wildfires in southern California last week, and I heard my dad make calls to several pastors whose homes and congregations had been effected by the fires.

Third, my dad is a team player. He knows that the general superintendency is a spiritual trust, and he is incredibly appreciative of all that his predecessors in office (Brother Trask particularly) have done for the movement. He also values what his co-workers do, whether at the level of the executive leadership team or the guy pushing the broom in the warehouse. Part of that team-player attitude is being open to the constructive criticism of others, being willing to let them lead from their strengths, and being ready to share credit for successes. One of the ways this team-work attitude showed up was in a pretty frank meeting with J.T. Wray and Julie Horner of GPH. Dad encouraged them to be open to our (hopefully) constructive critiques of GPH. I personally thought our hour-and-a-half meeting with them was really successful.

Anyway, for what it's worth, that's what this George Wood thinks of the other George Wood.

My Take On The Trip To Springfield (P1)

2007-10-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

At the conclusion of our day in Springfield, each of us committed to do an entry on our personal reflections of what we experienced there. I guess I will go first...

I was very impressed by Dr. Wood's ability to intelligently interact about some difficult issues without losing objectivity or becoming defensive.
He did an excellent job of creating a safe and comfortable environment for open discussion. He purposefully worked to draw out the hard things to say and hear.
Dr. Wood cast strong vision for his approach to the office as a pastor. He explained that he has a pastoral heart and gift. So while there are some CEO duties that are necessary, his passion will be to be a pastor to this movement.
He is an amazing story teller. He uses story well to communicate vision and values.
He has a HUGE heart for missions. So many of his stories relate to God's supernatural work through missionary heroes.

I felt honored to be invited. I wish that everyone could have experienced the tone and attitude of these meetings. I believe even more now, after this trip, that Dr. George Wood is God's man for the job.

Dr. Woods Thoughts from Tuesday...

2007-10-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

Tory, Brad, Mark, Jeff, Paul, and George!

What a great joy to have a day with you on Tuesday. I so appreciate the time and effort you spent. It was an enriching day for me, and I so appreciate all your wise counsel.

I only wish every young minister in the AG (and every older one too) could have been in the room with us, and maybe with the suggestions you've given me we can make that happen in cyberspace.

I want to repeat what I said to you about one of my favorite sayings. It's from Deng Xiaoping, chairman of China after Mao Zedong died. Deng instituted economic reform in capitalistic ways and incurred the ire of the Maoists. Deng Xiaoping responded by saying, "I don't care if a cat is black or white so long as it catches mice!"

That's how I feel about how we do church. The New Testament itself shows us there are various kinds of churches. I'm not concerned about how we do "church" so long as we are "catching" people for Jesus. Issues of governance, service styles and times, formal or informal dress, types of buildings, days of worship -- are not the important issues. The important issues are: "Is the church seeing people come to Jesus, are they being filled with the Spirit, delivered, healed, restored?" We must, in the Assemblies of God be more concerned about end results than fussing with one another over means.

I appreciate the spiritual energy, creativity, and vitality that young pastors and ministers bring to our Movement, and I trust that in these days to come we can be yoked together in better ways to advance the mission of Jesus in our world!

Blessings!

George O. Wood
General Superintendent

Executive Leadership Team and You

2007-10-18T08:17:00.001-07:00

Brad, Tory, Jeff, Paul, George, and Mark, the creators of this blog, have been invited to speak to the Executive Leadership Team and GPH next Tuesday. We have been looking forward to this day since Dr. George Wood invited us after General Council.

Please pray for us as we do our part in leading positive change in the AG.

I am curious, if you had a meeting with the Executive Lead Team what you would say? What things should they know? How would you as Future AG blog participants like to be represented?

We will keep you updated as much as possible on that day.

Watch New AG Leaders Online

2007-10-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

This past week, the newly elected leadership team of the Assemblies of God spoke in a series of chapels at AG headquarters. The videos of these messages are online. Each of these men has a compelling testimony, and I would encourage you to view or listen to them here.

Relevance vs. Power (Part 3)

2007-10-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

There are five principles that guide my pastoral leadership in the use and application of the 1 Corinthians 12 manifestation gifts.

#1 -DEMONSTRATION - Model the use of the gifts personally. Insist on genuine traceable results. Celebrate miracles publicly.

Since I spent some time on this first principle in the last post, I will let these summary statements speak for themselves.

#2 - INSTRUCTION - Teach the believer what the gifts are, why they are important for daily life and ministry, and how they should be used.

Spiritual Gifts = Divine explosions of Holy Spirit power to meet human need through the life of a yielded believer. These nine manifestations are available to every believer at all times as needs arise. We should live in anticipation of what God will do through us.

Their Use = We should use these gifts very naturally. When in a public worship gathering, we should use them like we would in any other public place. Worship services are practice sessions for real life. So use them like you would use them in the Mall, or the office...with the same tone and approach.

Avoid sounding spooky, speaking in old English, shouting, etc. Offer the gift in humility and in a way that can be best received by others.

#3 - EXPLANATION - I work hard to explain any expressiveness that occurs in our services.

When we raise our hands, I explain why for the benefit of those who are new. I want to act as a cultural interpreter for those who are not familiar with the way we interact with God. Like a language interpreter puts concepts from one language into words of another, so I want to explain what is happening for those who don't understand.

This is especially important in the use of the gifts. I do a little talk before their use and after. I try to make it as safe and normal as possible. I don't apologize for their use. I am passionate about it. I am excited for what God is doing. But I also am aware of how different this entire experience can be for guests. So I try to bring them along slowly in their experience.

Jack Hayford is someone who models this well. He leads people into a full experience and he explains everything along the way.

#4 - INCLUSION - Probably the most radical and yet the most important step that we have taken is a move to an inclusive approach in the use of the gifts. What does that mean?

Classical Pentecostal style is more of an interruptive style. When a person feels prompted to use a gift, they shout it out from their seat and interrupt the moment.

This is probably the most unusual thing for people who are not used to our church-culture. There is no other place in our current Western culture where a person shouts out informally in the middle of a public meeting. There is nothing wrong with this style. In many cases, however, it is culturally foreign to most visitors.

So we use an inclusive style. When a person is prompted to use a gift, they tell one of our pastoral leaders. We then evaluate whether the gift is something to be shared only with the leadership or whether it is to be immediately shared with the church.

When it is shared, I pastor the moment. I tell people what is about to happen. I allow the person to participate in the use of the gift. We bring the person up onto the platform (or I share it on their behalf). We use the microphone. Then I teach people what to do with what they have heard.

This one step has done so much to make people feel safe in bringing their friends to church. It has also opened the doors for the 'shy' in my congregation to feel the courage to be used.

#5 - COMPASSION - the entire purpose of the gifts is to encourage others.

We need the gifts because there are needs present that we cannot meet with Divine explosions of Holy Spirit power. So we eagerly pursue the gifts so the sick people can receive a gift of healing, and discouraged people a gift of faith, and confused people a word of wisdom.

In fact, we try to design prayer moments our services that are focused on individual needs. We tell our people that if they bring a person with a need, we will have the entire church pray for them specifically.

When answers to prayer happen, we celebrate what God is doing in the lives of those from whom we prayed.

These five principles help to guide me in our practice. I hope they are helpful to you.

What practical steps have you taken to create the balance of relevance and power?

What a Win looks like...

2007-10-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

I was so impressed with a new church launch in our state I thought you all needed to hear about it and rejoice with us. I also want to hear what else is going on that we can celebrate over. Is there a great church plant, new extremely successful idea, church turn around story or something that as a fellowship we can say "That was a WIN!"? So comment your wins.

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Doug Vagle- Sartell, Minnesota

Over the past 2 months we have seen God do "Immeasurably more than we could ever hope or imagine!" My wife Peggy and I have been dreaming together about what the infant stages of our new church would look like since God called us on this new journey last December. Our grand opening was exactly 9 months and one day from when the dream was conceived in our hearts and we gave birth to a church on September 9th! In March we started meeting with 4 families from the area that were a part of our core group. God began opening doors for our ministry team to come together. Our core group grew as well as our pastoral ministry team. We were able to start our preview service with my wife and me, a family life pastor, a kids pastor and a worship pastor! I literally still can't believe the amazing team God has brought together. We had 5 preview services leading up to our Grand Opening. We did no advertising at all and things functioned so well. We recruited and trained workers, got the bugs out, and averaged 88 people each Sunday which blew us away for August in MN.

We started our advertising campaign 2 weeks before Grand Opening. Our first mailer went in a local business packet to 7800 homes around Sartell. Our website started to get hundred of hits and my phone started ringing! Our second mailing was a direct mailer that went to 10,000 homes with in 3 miles of the location we were meeting at. Another week of phone calls and our website counter began to climb over the 1500 mark(300 was just from me)! All along we were praying for 300 for our Grand Opening! I decided to get more food and plan for 400 so we wouldn't run out IF it happened. We set up for 300 adults and our kids church was ready for 100. I knew we were in trouble when 5 minutes before service...every parking spot was filled. The facility owner's wife ran out to the road and started parking people on the grass. When that was full the rest of the cars parked in the school lot across the street! We packed people in....literally standing room only. We had conservatively more that 350 adults. Our kids church had 110 registered elementary kids....nursery had 18 babies plus all of the workers! We ended up with conservatively over 500 people! We went through every scrap of 400 pounds of pork and turkey, 650 buns, people ate everything.....but God stretched it so everyone ate! We had 89 LOCAL first time visiting families! 58 families said they came because of the mailing.

We have had 3 regular Sundays since that amazing day! We have averaged a strong 160 that hasn't dipped! People are excited and getting involved in our Life Groups. I could spend an hour telling you of individual stories I have heard. In 4 weeks we have seen 23 people saved and 14 of them have been 1st time commitments to the Lord! Our teams feet haven't touched the ground for a month and we are all so amazed at what God is doing! My wife and I are having the time of our lives! All of the things we dreamed about have actually happened......and we are shocked and amazed! God truly can do exceedingly more than we can think of imagine! That's our story and we're stickin to it!!!!!!!
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What does a win look like for you?

Leadership Voice Monday: Beth Grant

2007-10-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Beth Grant serves as chairperson for the AG Network for Women in Ministry. Today she joins the conversation by sharing her perspective on what AG leadership should look like.

My definition of godly leadership has been most shaped by the model of Jesus, servant leader, and by ministering for 30 years in very different cultures. As I pray about the future of the Assemblies of God and feel a personal sense of responsibility to be the kind of minister-leader we want “AG leadership” to be, I would love to be known for the following:

1) Like Jesus, let’s be a friend of sinners. I pray the Assemblies of God will be known as a church in which people without God are welcome on their spiritual journeys.

Why are we surprised when people without Jesus live like sinners?

We have tried to teach our daughters as they were growing up to genuinely care about teachers and classmates that were broken people and who were far from God. We wanted troubled young people to be welcome in our home around our kitchen table after school. Brokenness and messy lives are the natural outcome of lives without a Savior. Jesus died for those in sin, and our hearts as His people should reflect that love. It means befriending them and weeping over them rather than avoiding them. (It’s hard to lead people to Jesus & disciple them unless we as allow them to be close to us.)

2) Like Jesus, let’s walk in spiritual authority and humility. I pray the Assemblies of God will be characterized by ministers who have spiritual authority, but not spiritual pride.

One of my greatest fears for us as a movement is that we have developed a measure of spiritual pride, personally and corporately. God is pretty straightforward about the outcome of pride and how He views it. The only way we have a future as a denomination is if we as leaders llve on our faces in our hearts before Him. The only thing life-changing we have to offer real people, real cities and a real world is Jesus.

3) Like Jesus, let’s have servant hearts. I pray that when we accept responsibility “to serve” in a particular ministry role in the AG, those words are not a euphemism for ruling “like the Gentiles do.”

When I decided to follow Jesus at 7, I became a servant. I gave up my rights to make conditions on my service. He’s my Master. He can use me as He will. (Being female does not excuse me from obedience or give me the right to define how He can use me) Am I available or not?

Amazingly, one can find servant leaders in hierarchical, authoritarian structures and tyrants in democratic ones. The structure is not our greatest problem. The heart is. If a man or woman genuinely has a heart to “take up the towel”, we can do so in any structure or system. (This doesn’t mean systems shouldn’t be re-evaluted or improved upon. But without heart-change in us as leaders, its window-dressing.)

Images are helpful to me personally in capturing truth and its practical application. In my mind, the higher one is placed in a hierarchy of leadership, the greater lengths one must go to serve (the greater the “stoop” if you will to take up the towel.) It only makes the being-like-Jesus-as-servant-leader factor more critical.

A servant heart is a servant heart all the time in every direction. We not only serve Jesus, we serve those we lead, we serve those we follow and we serve one another as fellow ministers. The true servant heart does not practice selective servanthood. The image of Jesus knowingly washing His betrayer’s feet is unsettleling but compelling.

4) Like Jesus, let’s be engaged in our world on all levels. David and I love our heritage in the Assemblies of God. However, if we have one regret its that our church leaders did not encourage us to be engaged in our world outside the church. Looking back, we feel a generation lost the opportunity to influence our secular world by being overly concerned while sincere about being separate.

Jesus was engaged wherever He went. I believe the Body of Christ is to be engaged in all aspects of our society and world. How can be salt and transformational as the Assemblies of God and individual leaders if we are not?
God led David and me to become involved in ministering to women and child victims of forced prostitution in India and Nepal. It is the worst face of evil we’ve ever been exposed to and perhaps the greatest injustice in our world today. However, we’ve seen that the love and liberating power of Jesus Christ and His truth shine most brightly in the darkest places. God is not intimidated by evil or darkness, and His people must not be!

As the church engages the most challenging issues in our world today in His Name, secular people without faith will see the face of a compassionate relevant Jesus they rarely associate with the church in America today. And they like us will be drawn to the One we love and serve.

Let’s get out of our churches and engaged in our world in the love and power of Jesus Christ!

Beth Grant
Missionary educator, AGWM Eurasia
Chairperson, AG Network for Women in Ministry

Fall Series...

2007-10-04T07:56:00.001-07:00

I am wondering what cool and innovative series you are all doing. We at High Point are starting our series later than we would have liked but I am excited about it and what it will mean for our church. I would have ideally liked to have launched it on our fall high attendance which is the third Sunday in September. That just seems to be a good season for everyone in our community.

We sent 25,000 of these out to the community... We give a free movie ticket out to those who visit the church... (we meet in a movie theatre)
All of us need RESCUING at times…

be it in our personal lives, our family, our career or our world. High Point Church invites you for this original series that will explore what it truly means to be rescued. Through the eyes of our local first responders (Paramedics, Police, Fire, Red Cross) we’ll see how God can rescue us and use us to rescue our world.

October 7 / Rescue Me - Paramedic... Salvation

October 14 / Domestic Disturbance- Police... Family issues

October 21 / Burned Out- Fire Fighter... Life stresses

October 28* / Disaster Relief- Red Cross... World issues

*Red Cross blood drive following service.

What are you doing that is fun and innovative to bring your community to your door or to bring your people to the community?

Relevance vs. Power (part 2)

2007-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

This topic is obviously one that stirs great passion, and with good reason. We should be passionate about the activity of the Holy Spirit in our midst. We believe the statement that Jesus made in John 15...apart from me you can do NOTHING.

We also should rightly be passionate about reaching people who need Jesus. It should be extremely important for us to want to contextualize the message and the function of our ministries into the culture we are trying to reach. It should grieve us when things are done poorly or insensitively in our churches, and lost people are unnecessarily disinterested, confused or turned away.

So how do we see the full release of the gifts of the Spirit and pastor the use of these gifts in such a way that ensures their highest edificational value and impact?

Before I share with my thoughts about this, I need to clarify where I stand on some things personally-so that you can pick up on the context from which I speak.

I believe in the use of the gifts. I attempt to be personally used in them on a regular basis.
At the church that I pastor, we welcome the use of the gifts in our services. I have a deep hunger to see the book of Acts truly lived out in my generation. I long for healings, faith, miracles, prophetic encouragement, discernment, etc. I want the living Jesus to be proved to people as we worship.
Another passion of mine is to think like a missionary in my city. I want to understand my audience. I want to incarnate the message into my culture in such a way that it is easy to relate to and comprehend.
I am willing to lay aside the 'way we have always done it' to find a way to do it better and reach more people.

So how to we practice 1 Corinthians 14 which challenges us to adjust the use of the gifts in a way that brings the greatest degree of edification?

There are five principles that guide my pastoral leadership in this area. Let me humbly suggest them as a basis for dialogue on this subject. By no means do I think that I the expert with all the answers. I simply share my best attempts at elevating edification in the use of the gifts.

Let me start with the easiest (I will save the other four principles for later posts).

#1 - DEMONSTRATION

In my opinion, the hesitancy we often have about the use of the gifts is more about their traditional lack of transformation and also the hyper-emotional style in which they are often shared. I don't want to be offensive in being this transparent, but I have to admit that I have been in many services where a gift has been shared and it has very little transformational impact.

It is true that our churches can at times settle into a 'pentecostal liturgy' where a vocal gift is expected at specific times in really good worship services. But when the Holy Spirit truly is involved in the manifestation of a gift--there should be a traceable result.

I think we all agree that effective use of the gifts is one of the most relevant means of ministry that we have at our disposal. What is more relevant to a sick person than a gift of healing? What is more relevant to a person needing guidance than a word of wisdom? I could go on!

But what about when people or churches cease to effectively use the gifts? Sometimes we form habits in our services that may not truly be a demonstration of God's power.

What's the solution? Let me suggest two applications to this first principle:

First, I need to be active in my own demonstration of the gifts. This is important so that I can learn how to share the gifts in a way that is edifying. It is also important because my ministry should have the mark of the supernatural upon it. When I use the gifts I model how they are to be used to my congregation.
Second, I need to have the courage to insist that the use of the gifts is truly transformational and not just habitual. This requires that we pastor the people who are being used and teach them how improve their function.

When there are testimonies of changed lives due to our use of the gifts there will be an explosion of desire for more. When we hear of someone being saved because of a specific prophetic message, or someone who had cancer who was healed, or a bi-lingual person who was in a service who understood both the tongue and the interpretation--there will be no debate as to the relevance of the gifts.

But if there is a pattern of use with no testimony of power, then we should rightly pause and evaluate not only how we can increase our relevance--but also how we can increase the true manifestation of GOD'S POWER.

Relevance vs. Power (part 1)

2007-09-27T05:48:00.001-07:00

There is a significant tension in the statement found in 1 Corinthians 14:1: Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts...

The church in Corinth was living in the midst of this tension. They were flush with exciting spiritual experiences, flowing in manifestation gifts, and speaking in tongues. Yet they had lost sight, to some degree, of the young believer and/or unbeliever in their services.

Paul attempts in chapter 14 of his letter to the Corinthians to correct their imbalance and the insensitivity. He challenges them to rethink their approach to the use of the gifts and to make sure that everything they did was done to maximize the edficational effect on everyone present in their meetings.

My sense is that many in the AG today may feel that same tension. Is it possible to fully function with the manifestation gifts of the Spirit and also remain relevant to a world that needs Jesus?

Many pastors I talk to feel that it is almost a choice between one or the other. This leads to two potential reactions:

#1 - Avoid Public Use Of Spiritual Gifts

One reaction to this tension is to simply designate gifts to function privately. Churches that seek to be relevant in their ministry often do not know how to make the gifts of the Spirit work in their services. These churches work very hard at streamlining their services and delivering excellence so that they can reach people for Christ.

Often the classical Pentecostal style and method of expressing the gifts doesn't feel like a fit for the culture that we are reaching. So the gifts, while still believed and taught, are delegated to personal practice and/or small group environments.

The by-product of this decision, however, is that it can diminish the desire and opportunity for people to experience the gifts. Remember Paul's instruction is for us to EAGERLY DESIRE the gifts. Due to our discomfort with the style, we end up tolerating rather than eagerly desiring the gifts.

There is a second reaction to this tension.

#2 - Sanctify Style + Reject Relevance

Many see this decision as a choice between powerless relevance and spirit-filled irrelevance. When faced with only those two options, many choose the second.

And in our pentecostal circles that decision is often made with a sense of vindication or superiority. Relevance is often seen as an unspiritual thing. Those that seek to be relevant are at times branded as moving away from our distinctives.

This attitude is unfortunate on many levels. One reason is that it may prevent us from taking a fresh look at the traditional pentecostal sub-culture associated with the use of spiritual gifts. In order to reach people we should always be adjusting our methods of ministry so that what we do has maximum edificational benefit.

This is what Paul was encouraging in 1 Corinthians 14. This chapter could actually be called 'the relevance' chapter. Paul talks about functioning in the gifts in a way that 1) people can understand what is being said; 2) people will not think we are crazy; 3) things are done decently and in order.

The challenge Paul gave the church at Corinth was to make sure that the use of the gifts...FOLLOWED THE WAY OF LOVE. He challenged this church to limit their liberties in the way they functioned in the gifts. He taught them to be mindful of the unbelievers among them. He challenged them to do things decently and in order.

My deep desire is to live in the tension of 1 Corinthians 14:1. I long for the book of Acts to be fully expressed in my generation. As a pastor, I want my people to EAGERLY DESIRE spiritual gifts. Yet, I also want to be as relevant as possible to my city. When people attend my church, I want them to get a clear message presented with excellence. I want them to feel LOVED by my effort to use music, language, and style that they can relate to and understand.

This is a first a series of posts that I will do to share my own journey down this path. I would love to hear if you feel this tension as well and what you are doing to live in the balance.

The Generation Gap: Take Two

2007-09-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

In my last post I wanted to challenge younger pastors. Now let me flip the coin. I hope you hear my heart and the spirit of what I'm about to say. And I think you have to read both posts to really put everything in context.

For what its worth, Job 11:6 is a linchpin in my theology. It says, "True wisdom has two sides." In other words, truth is found in the tension of opposites. Where there is no tension there is no truth!

So here is my advice to older pastors:

1) If you feel threatened by a younger pastor on your staff, ala Saul and David, don't try to spear them! Let's be painfully honest: pastors have lots of insecurity issues! And I honestly think few things are as displeasing to God as those who abuse their authority because of their insecurity! And don't try to mask your insecurity as their immaturity. Here's a litmus test: the more defensive we are the less spiritual we are. David was Saul's greatest asset. But Saul perceived him as his greatest threat. Don't be threatened by your assets!

2) Your staff is your greatest responsibility and greatest legacy as a leader! I think it's easy to "use" our staff in a way that crosses over into misuse or abuse. I certainly have my own issues--like micro management for example! But I am always telling out team that who they are is more important than what they do. And they know I mean it! Does your staff know that? Do you value them as people as much as employees?

3) Who you do ministry with will determmine how much you enjoy ministry so make wise hiring decisions. They will make you or break you! Your staff can make ministry a joy or a burden. That's why the #1 quality I look for in potential staff is a sense of humor. If we can't laugh together we can't work together! Senior pastors, you need the courage to fire people who should get fired. Don't allow cancer to spread. But we also need to take responsibility for our staff culture. We set the tone. We work really hard at National Community Church, but we have a ton of fun doing it! Work hard. Play hard. I believe ministry should be fun. It won't be fun all the time. But on the whole, we should have a blast serving God! Make it fun for your staff. We do staff get-togethers where we just hang out and have fun. And every year we do a play and pray retreat with our entire staff including spouses and kids. I don't want to just do ministry together. I also want to do life together!

4) Give your staff a pentecostal handshake now and then! A $50 gift certificate has very little impact on your budget, but it has huge impact on a staff member and a staff member's spouse! When I see someone on our team go the extra mile I want to pat them on the back. And nothing pats on the back like greenbacks!

5) Create a church planter in residence position. This is one of the best decisions we've ever made. It is so healthy for our church culture. You need to see their potential. They need to know you believe in them. You should be their biggest fan!

6) Quit doing ministry out of memory! There are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet. And it may be your whipper-snapper staff member who has the new idea. Let them succeed. Let them fail. Let them try!

7) When the time comes, don't just release your staff. Give them a double blessing as they go! Don't wait to honor them until they leave! But when they leave make sure you send them off with a blessing as they begin the next chapter in their lives!

Honestly, I feel like I'm just scratching the surface here. I just know that we need to close the generation gap and one way is by dialoging about it.

The Generation Gap

2007-09-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed speaking to about a hundred AG pastors in West Tennessee this week. One of the questions they asked got me thinking about the generation gap. It's a question I've heard a hundred times.

What if I'm a young guy on a staff and the pastor is an old guy and I feel like the pastor "doesn't get me" and "I don't get him." Our philosophies of ministry are in different galaxies. What do I do?

Just thought I'd post some thoughts to help bridge the gap because I feel like we've got a generation of pastors who often feel this way. I want to give some advice to the young guys first. And then I'll follow-up and share some advice with the old guys. Here are ten pieces of advice:

1) Remain loyal. If you prove your loyalty in the toughest of circumstances I'm 100% confident that God will honor that. Loyalty in tough circumstances will come back to bless you. Disloyalty will come back to curse you.

2) Do the best you can with what you have where you are. Or let me say it this way: be the best Babylonian cup bearer that you can possibly be and God will eventually open a door for you to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem!

3) Don't gossip. You've got to resist the temptation to speak negatively behind the back of your senior leader. It's a litmus test. Pass the test and you will earn the respect of the people you lead someday. Fail this test and it will come back to bite you.

4) Don't whine. Don't just point out problems. Offer solutions. And don't throw a pity party. Hey, it could be worse. You could not have a job!

5) Learn everything you can. You've got to learn everything you can from everyone you can and I guarantee that the leader you don't see eye-to-eye with has something to teach you! You'll learn what to do and what not to do when you're the lead pastor!

6) Don't burn bridges. At some point you might need the moral and financial courage to resign. If you can't serve with integrity then you owe it to your employer to resign. But how you exit the situation will reveal your character!

7) You may not like the situation you're in, but it'll keep you grounded later on. And it'll help you appreciate future opportunities. So think of it as a season. Joseph spent some time in prison. And that may be how you feel. But it prepared him to lead!

8) Quit complaining and plant a church. Honestly, its easy to play Monday Morning Pastor and second-guess current leadership. I'm certainly not letting them off the hook. But lead pastors carry a tremendous burden on their shoulders. And that'll make sense when the mantle is on your shoulders someday!

9) Pray for your senior pastor. When I have a problem with someone I pray for them! It's the only way to uproot resentment!

10) Proactively look for situations that would be a better fit. I really believe that ministry should be enjoyable. Yes, it's hard. And we go through seasons where it's no fun at all. But I genuinely believe that God wants us to enjoy our work. So if you aren't happy for a long time, don't spend the next seven years of your life there! You owe it to you. You owe it to your employer. And you owe it to God.

In the words of Frederick Buechner, "The voice we should listen to most as we choose a vocation is the voice we might think we should listen to least, and that is the voice of our own gladness. What can we do that makes us the gladdest? I believe that if it is a thing that makes us truly glad, then it is a good thing, and it is our thing."

George Wood at AGTS

2007-09-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Discipleship Dilemma 4 (of 4)

2007-09-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

In my last post I discussed the Christian-life façade that has infiltrated many of our churches. I think this is especially prevalent among pastors. I think we feel that as church leaders people need to think that we have it all together so we work hard at protecting our image. We build walls around our hearts so that no one will see our faults and imperfections.

The problem is that as pastors isolate themselves from their people, their people begin to isolate themselves from each other and community is destroyed.

Discipleship, however, is never done in isolation.

Jesus never laid out a self-study plan. If we wish to keep moving towards a deeper friendship with God, we must grow in our relationships with others. Our connection with God is lived out in our connection with humans – especially our enemies and those difficult to love (1 John 4:7 – 21).

When Jesus chose the disciples He didn’t work real hard to make sure He put together a group of people who were naturally compatible with each other. The disciples came from a variety of backgrounds, political parties, and socio-economic groups and certainly didn’t always get along.

Part of what was going on was Jesus was teaching them. His little community is not the place where you get to be around people who are all beautiful and healthy and normal. It is where you learn from Jesus how to love people who are as messed up and sinful as I am and you are.

Jesus created this community with messed up people in it, and He believes in them. He prays for them, and He serves them, and He washes their feet. He wanted to be with them. It made Him glad when they were together.

Nobody had ever loved them like that.

After three years of that, they were shaped by that love, because love shapes lives. They found out that there’s nothing better. After His death and resurrection, and after the Spirit came, they said,

“If His Spirit is helping us now, what would happen if we gave that kind of love—that kind of devotion to other people? What if we created little groups that gathered together in just like we did with Jesus?”

They devoted themselves to this and with the help of the Holy Spirit they created the Church.

Of course, the picture of community in the early church is often chaotic, disorganized and confused and that is because true community is messy. The mess happens when people who are not like each other begin to do life together. We soon realize that community requires us to fall at Jesus’ feet and beg him for the love it takes to obey all of the “one another” commands.

We will always tend to avoid this level of community because this is where we realize we have not served and loved others the way Jesus wants us to. It’s where we realize, along with others, that we don’t really have it all together after all.

However, as pastors we are called to help create and sustain and model these “messy” communities. The whole credibility of Jesus’ mission depends on it (John 13:35).

Discipleship is about building authentic community, just as Jesus did with His circle of friends, and then following in His Way together.

How can we do a better job as pastors of modeling this type of community? How can we avoid all of the pretense and façade that often accompany pastor’s gatherings? How can we be real with each other?

Discipleship Dilemma 3 (of 4)

2007-09-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

“You’ve got questions… We’ve got answers”

The influence of consumerism on the church started the notion that we have to “sell” Jesus. And the best way to “sell” Jesus is to make people believe that the product works. If you come and believe like they do, your life will become shiny and happy and perfect.

Of course, everyone knows that when you come to Christ you still have problems and frustrations and embarrassing failures. So the church started trying to protect Jesus. They created a Christian-life façade to advertise Jesus as an irresistible product that will make you into a wonderfully flawless person.

Because of this the church was afraid to allow people to have questions, to explore their faith for themselves and to find out what they truly believe, not just what the church tells them they should believe.

But in order to move from an understanding of faith that belongs only to our parents or our leaders, to an understanding of faith that is our own, we need to allow people to calculate, question, and even doubt that faith.

The 21st century church must find a way to allow people to grow and mature in their faith, even if that means they first must go through a critical stage in which they question everything. The church has often failed in this area and when believers begin to struggle with doubt, they are often labeled as “backsliders” or “rebels.” So, although a person’s faith actually is growing and maturing, he or she often perceives it as diminishing because such growth involves rethinking, and often rejection, of traditional ideas.

Many people are made to feel guilty in this process because they have been taught that our doctrines or set of beliefs are inflexibly absolute, and to deviate from it is wrong.

Of course the church must continue to teach correct doctrine and sound theology but it must find a way to connect this with people’s real lives. Too often the church bombards people with what they should believe without giving them a chance to think through it themselves and ask difficult questions. Their beliefs become whatever the church tells them to believe and they never go deeper into spiritual transformation and practice.

It is important for the church today to recognize those men and women who truly want to believe, to grow in faith, and to find meaning in the great heritage that our movement has given them. However, they can do so only in the context of seeking and finding, for themselves, answers to eternal questions of the ages. Not because of what others say, but as a result of their own explorations along the journey of faith.

Does your church have a place where people can openly and honestly explore their faith? Do your students have the freedom to question their beliefs without being labeled as rebellious?

Discipleship Dilemma 2 (of 4)

2007-09-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

I’ve always admired the spiritual zeal of our forefathers. Their passionate pursuit of God’s empowerment for mission is something we should always remember and strive for. However, in their desire to rid the church of lifeless tradition they unfortunately abandoned many of the classical disciplines of the spiritual life.

I love the disciplines because they give people tangible ways to get in touch with the presence of God in their daily lives.

I don’t remember learning the disciplines in the church I grew up in. I just remember being told to pray and read my bible. Don’t get me wrong, I think those are essential, but the disciplines provide me with the tools I need to accomplish that. They help me become more intentional about my spiritual growth.

I think the apostle Peter probably said it best when he encouraged believers to “grow in grace” (2 Pet 3:18). There is absolutely nothing we can do to “earn” God’s grace, but there are things we need to do to “grow” in that grace.

Dallas Willard explains that to “grow in grace” means to “utilize more and more grace to live by, until everything we do is assisted by grace.” In fact he says that, “the greatest saints are not those who need less grace, but those who consume the most grace”

I think the ability to accept God's unconditional grace and enduring love is all the fuel we need to obey Him in return. But, accepting God's kindness and free love is something the enemy does not want us to do. He will throw distractions, negative thoughts and attitudes such as envy and pride, loneliness, depression, and anything he can think of too block us from receiving God’s grace and love.

The spiritual disciplines, then, become ways to attack the “love blockers” in our lives rather than ways to rack up spiritual “points” or earn God’s favor. They are vehicles that will help transport us into God’s presence, which is where we are transformed.

It is crucial to understand that it is not the spiritual disciplines that transform us, rather they help keep our hearts soft and pliable so that the potter can reshape and reform us into the creation he intends for us to be.

The end is God. The one thing is God. And it is only in the presence of God that we can truly be transformed.

The problem is that other than the altar call, we haven’t provided people with the vehicles they need to get into God’s presence. Our preachers and evangelists yell things like, “You’ve got to get on fire for God!” But what does that mean? What am I supposed to do? You may be able to pump-up your team but without a game plan they aren’t going to win.

What are the disciplines you teach in your church? Apart from the altar call, do your people know how to get into the transformational presence of God?

Discipleship Dilemma 1 (of 4)

2007-09-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

I was reading through the comments this weekend and I began to notice a common theme… the Assemblies of God is not very good at making disciples. There are many explanations for this and this is definitely not just an AG issue, but I definitely think it is something we need to discuss.

I grew up in the Assemblies of God and I appreciate many of the spiritual experiences of my youth. I spent many Sunday nights at the altar praying that God would fill me with His Spirit and use me to spread the Gospel around the world. These were incredibly formative times in my life.

The problem was that I didn’t know what to do next. I understood how to follow Christ on Sundays and during Bible camp and youth conventions, but no one ever prepared me for Monday – Saturday.

The message was always the same… “Get down to this altar and get on fire for God!” But what does that mean? How do I sustain that? What do I do next?

When I got to Bible College I discovered the answer: learn the Sixteen Fundamental Truths (and then get back down to the altar and repent for not staying on fire for God).

In this environment the only absolute requirement for being a Christian (or for that matter being filled with the Spirit) was that one believes the proper things. Salvation became no more than the mental assent to the right set of beliefs. Being a Christian had nothing essentially to do with actually following or being like Jesus.

I think the dilemma begins by defining discipleship as the gathering of spiritual information rather than the process of spiritual transformation. Learning was always meant to have a more profound effect on us (Romans 12:2).

The other problem is that many believers stop once they’ve had the “altar” experience. They receive Christ as their “Lord and Savior” and “get on fire for God” but never move onward. They are content to compartmentalize Christ into one area of their life. They move from one altar experience to the next and then wonder why their work seems so fruitless, their relationships so shallow, and their families so disconnected.

This, however, was never Jesus’ intent. He wants our whole life, everything, not just one part, or one piece of the pie. Spiritual growth, then, is the process of turning everything over to the authority of Christ.

We all know that we are called to be like Christ, but that kind of inner transformation can only be accomplished through ongoing and purposeful interaction with the grace of God. To go from my ways of thinking and acting to God’s requires a major adjustment and people who do not intend to be inwardly transformed, so that obedience to Christ begins to come naturally, will not be.

Spiritual transformation does not just happen at the altar, no matter how badly we want it to. It is a long and arduous process. It can be messy and it can feel bad, because it feels like dying.

As leaders we must recognize the process and help people to implement spiritual disciplines if they are going to be successful.

What were your discipleship experiences like growing up? How well is our current structure preparing children and adults to live like Christ in their world? How many people in your church can be mistaken for Christ at a distance?

Leadership Voice Monday: John Palmer

2007-09-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

John Palmer is the newly elected General Secretary for the Assemblies of God. He has previous experience as a church planter and pastor. Today he joins the conversation with some thoughts on partnership.

It was the third day of Vacation Bible School. The primary class was well underway when a new boy, Davey, showed up. Because he had just one arm, the teacher, the pastor’s wife, was a bit nervous, concerned that one of the other children would comment on his handicap and embarrass him. Since there was no opportunity to caution them, she proceeded.

As the class continued, the teacher began to relax as Davey fit in very well. Then, when it was about time for the class to end, she asked the students to stand and join her in making the church. Showing them how to put the fingers of their two hands together, she said, “Let’s make a church. Here’s the church and here’s the steeple. Open the door and see all the people.”

As this caring teacher saw Davey holding his one hand in the air, the awful truth of her actions struck her. The very thing she had feared the children would do, embarrass Davey, she had just done. She stood speechless, embarrassed by her own unintended insensitivity.

Before the teacher could do anything to right this situation, the little girl next to Davey put her right hand into Davey’s left hand and said, “Davey, let’s you and I make the church together.”

In its simplicity this story speaks loudly our Fellowship, the Assemblies of God, because as many of you have aptly written, we are at a critical and important juncture. We are facing serious challenges. We have unprecedented opportunities. We must join hands.

We join hands with God because “We are laborers together with God” (I Corinthians 3:9). We join hands with God because He is the builder of His church, and He gives us the privilege of partnering with Him to make it what He intends it to be. We join hands with God because we need the Spirit of God to do the work of God.

We join hands with each other because we need each other. I need the understanding and insight about Scripture, human relationships, and current culture that you can give me. Perhaps you could benefit from the love, encouragement and wisdom that I could share with you. For that to happen we need to be in relationship with each other – listening to each other – praying with and for each other – supporting and encouraging each other – battling for (not with) each other.

There are plenty of things I don’t know. But I do know this: We have a mission – to “go and make disciples of all nations. . .” (Matthew 28:19). We dare not let our differences divide us, our styles separate us, or our different ages alienate us from each other.

As one of the recently elected executive officers of the Assemblies of God, I commit the following to the Lord and you: I join hands with God and continue to be a man of the Word, the Spirit, prayer, integrity, and purity of thoughts and actions. I join hands with you by loving you unconditionally, listening to your point of view, coming alongside you as you follow God’s call to fulfill the dream he has put in your heart, and by embracing the beautiful ethnic, gender, and generational diversity of our Church.

While only Christ can build the Church, we can help make and fashion the Church to be the kind of Church God intends it to be. So, in the words of the little girl to Davey, I encourage us, “Let’s make the church together.”

John M. Palmer
jpalmer@ag.org

Renewed Prayer Challenge

2007-09-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

One of the things I really appreciated about this blog-community leading up to GC was the attitude of prayer cultivated about the then upcoming decisions! Brad challenged us to dedicated Thursdays as a day of Fasting + Prayer. (BTW--Brad just got engaged...read about it here).

This morning I was personally challenged again to pray for our leaders. Now that the decisions have been made, the real work begins.

May God give Bro. Trask and our Executive Leaders who are transitioning His abundant, clear, and sustaining grace.
May Bro. Wood and all those taking leadership be filled with wisdom and revelation for all their tasks. May they have the mind of Jesus, understand the times they are in, and have the strength to lead us into the future.
May God unify the hearts and minds of the leaders in Springfield and may He birth in us all a sense of clarity and urgency about the needs of this movement and the opportunities for the harvest that lies ahead.

As we did during early August, feel free to add your prayers so that we can all agree with your heart as well.

Why? And How?

2007-09-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

These are two questions that I ask a lot in my life and ministry. Why didn’t it work? Why are we not retaining a certain age group? Why did this many people visit once and not return? Why aren’t people staying? Why have we seen a 30% growth rate the last two years? And the follow up question… How can we close the back door? How can we do a better job at what we are already doing well? How do we reach the next level?

At High Point we are always assessing ourselves. We can be brutally honest and at times it’s pretty uncomfortable. In the end we have found that it drives us to higher level of success and keeps us grounded in reality.

One of the best ways we’ve found to assess ourselves is to listen to Outsiders. I love the opportunity to talk with someone outside our church who has just come for a visit. I ask them to tell me what we’ve done well and how we can improve and then get my pen and paper and start taking notes.

I think this blog has forced us to ask a lot of these uncomfortable questions and we have done a good job of self-assessing, but maybe its time for us to get some outside assessment.

I am sure that there is a firm we could hire that could assess the AG and help us figure out how to position ourselves as a fellowship for the next several generations.

But I wonder if there is another group of people who could be important for us to hear from.

There are a number of ministers who have spent a large part of their life and ministry in the AG and now are not a part of it. They are experiencing amazing outpourings of God’s presence and are seeing there ministries and flourish. I think of James Grogan, Dinno Rizzo, Greg Surratt, Darren Hughes and others. I am sure that you and I could fill the rest of this blog with names. They are spirit-filled, God-fearing people who could give us a different perspective to the reasons of they left and maybe how things could change to get them back.

I would welcome comments from those who have chosen to go independent or join another fellowship/denomination. What can the AG do to be more attractive to you? How can we help facilitate you? What do you see that needs to change and why?

I have asked a few people to send me some of their thoughts in order for us to get a fair assessment of ourselves from an outside observer. I hope and pray they respond with some constructive things for us to think about and implement

Leadership Voice Monday: Doug Clay

2007-09-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

Doug Clay is the Ohio District Superintendent. Since he's still in his early forties, he's been in a unique position to create change in Ohio while creating relationshps between leaders from various generations. In this post he invites us into that journey.

There has never been a time in our church’s history that we have had so many diverse generations working together.

Each generation has its unique perspective on how to do ministry…which in turn can be challenging. While generational differences can be tension-producing and energy-draining, I have found that diversity of thought can enhance creativity and effectiveness in ministry.

So, how do you do it? How do you bridge the generational gap? When Brad Leach asked me to write on this subject, I thought it might be cool to hear from my predecessor, Bob Crabtree, who is 71 years old and served as the District Superintendent for 21 years. And also, Don McManness, the former Executive Secretary of the Ohio District, who is 80 years old. Brother McManness is currently on our staff as the Stewardship Director.

We are all going to weigh in on this question: How have you successfully bridged the generational divide?

Bob: “Looking back, there are a few principles that helped guide my relationships with younger ministers: I intentionally sought ways to encourage the development of younger leaders; I gave younger ministers room to own their own successes and failures; and I built relationships with younger ministers based on mutual trust and respect.

"When I retired as District Superintendent, I prayed for the successful passing of the baton. Being 67, it was likely that a younger minister would be chosen. The picture I saw, as I prayed, was:

Reaching the transition point, finishing strong, as a good example to the young
Having a firm grip on the baton, ready to pass on something of worth
Releasing the baton at the right moment, with confidence and trust in the person receiving it
Slowing my pace, so as not to run in the way of the receiver; stepping aside and, with great anticipation, watching the next runner take off.

"I am proud and thankful for the great things God is doing through Doug Clay in the Ohio District. We are about 30 years apart in age, and different in many ways, but on target because we desire the same end."

Don: "For me, understanding change is important. Change is necessary…and I need to grasp both the scope and pace of change.

"It is important for me to distinguish between principle and technique. The principle remains constant, but the technique (channels through which the principles are delivered) will change and should change. I have to remind myself that changing techniques does not necessarily violate or compromise the principle.

“Every generation has its unique challenges. I believe that the younger generation (that I now work for) holds to these 'ideals' therefore I’m okay with change. It’s not easy, but I don’t resist it because I see the passion, dedication, and the success that they are having in reaching their generation.”

Doug: "Success in building healthy churches will rest on our willingness to understand, accept, and overcome generational and communication differences. Success will also require us to view these differences as assets not liabilities.

“Gaining trust, getting buy-in, and receiving support from the generation that has handed us the baton requires…

Showing them respect
Seeking to understand their values
Asking for their help
Affirming their accomplishments

A couple of scriptural thoughts…

Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. Psalm 71:18 (NLT)

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers… I Timothy 4:12 (NLT)

Church Planting or Church Revitalization?

2007-08-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

There has been an interesting debate following Alton Garrison’s post on Monday around church growth/revitalization vs. church planting. Which is more effective? Which is more important in expanding the Kingdom of God?

I ran across some fascinating and alarming research from Vince Antonucci who is partnering with Ed Stetzer in an upcoming relaunch of NewChurches.com.

Statistics reveal that less and less Americans are going to church. From 1990 to 2006 the percentage dropped from about 26% to somewhere between 18 and 20%. The number continues to decrease and it’s expected that in 2050 there will be 10% or less of Americans in church.

However, according to Vince, here is the most disturbing part of all of this…

- Question: How many churches grew into the thousands between 1990 and 2006?

- Answer: Tons of them. (For instance, from 2000 to 2005 the number of churches with attendance over 5,000 doubled).

- Question: How many churches were started between 1990 and 2006?

- Answer: Tons of them. (Approximately 21,000)

So riddle me this: If, since 1990, hundreds of churches have blasted into the thousands (some into the tens of thousands), and over 20,000 new churches have been started (many of them growing into the thousands) … how is it possible that there are less people going to church now than in 1990 in every single county in the United States? And how is it possible that there are 8% less people going to church cumulatively? (If you do the math, the number of people in church is down since 1990 by over 8 million).

Here’s what I think: Our churches aren’t reaching lost people… There are lots of things our churches do well, but if we’re being honest, leading lost people to Jesus is not one of them… Sure, some people who were going to church back in 1990 have stopped, and others have died, and some babies have been born since then who aren’t showing up on Sundays, but still … if we were bringing in people who weren’t going to church the numbers couldn’t look like this. Seriously – think about it - there are hundreds of thousands of people now attending churches they weren’t attending sixteen years ago (many in churches that didn’t even exist) and yet 8 million less people are in church. Our churches are almost exclusively reaching people from other churches.

I believe that church growth and revitalization are essential in reaching lost people for Christ. It’s also statistically proven that church plants reach a higher percentage of lost people than existing churches. However, according to the research neither of these strategies alone will be sufficient.

We have to start thinking about how we might be able to turn the tide on this and really start helping people who are far from God find their way to Him.

Sources:

www.vinceantonucci.com
Stanley Presser, in “Data Collection Mode and Social Desirability Bias in Self-Reported Religious Attendance,” American Sociological Review, v. 63 (1998): 137-145 (with L. Stinson).
www.theamericanchurch.org
www.barna.org, May 2004
Dave Olson’s slide show, “Twelve Surprising Facts about the US Church”

Warning

2007-08-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received an anonymous comment containing this article about a similar blog started by some Southern Baptist pastors. It was established about the same time as FutureAG and created to be an independent forum for “honest dialogue and debate” among those within the SBC.

Like FutureAG it quickly became a hotspot for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Unfortunately it seems the “honest dialogue” degenerated fairly quickly and has become a place that shows the world a dark side of church politics.

I visited the site for the first time yesterday and was dismayed by the negativity. The posts were filled with combative language and personal attacks and the comments were even worse.

I want to, along with my fellow contributors, make a pledge to the leaders of our fellowship and our colleagues in the ministry that we will do everything in our power to avoid this kind of deterioration. I believe, along with Superintendent George Wood, that we can disagree but we can disagree with love.

It is our desire to continue to help foster dialogue that emphasizes  “the creative and constructive above the critical and corrective.”

Our goal is to make the Assemblies of God a better organization and I believe we can only do that collectively. This blog provides a great place for that to happen, but what can be used for good can also be used for evil. Let’s continue to work together with love, honesty and respect for one another and the leadership God has put in place to build a better FutureAG.

Where's The Urgency?

2007-08-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

One of the best leadership books that I have ever read is a book by John P. Kotter entitled LEADING CHANGE. Kotter establishes, based on his research, that there are eight steps in leading effective organizational change. (you'll find the eight steps and a link to the book here.)

The very first and maybe in some ways the most important step in leading change is this: ESTABLISHING A SENSE OF URGENCY.

People will not be motivated to change unless they 1) agree that that there is a problem; 2) agree on exactly what that problem is; 3) agree that there is an urgency that the change must happen now.

I think this may be a big part of the challenge that we all sense within the AG. Most would agree that there are problems. But there seems to be some divergence about what the problem(s) is and how urgent it is to see change occur.

As I have been reading the comments on the blog and listening to conversations prior to and at the GC, I have come up with several potential problems people feel:

Protect our doctrine and heritage.
Become more relevant and missionary-minded to the various cultures represented in this nation.
Bridge the gap between the generations.
Adapt our structure to be more relational and missional.
Plant more churches and reach cities.
Provide more effective and cutting edge open source materials.
Raise up more younger ministers and lower the median age of AG pastors. Bless these younger leaders to lead with new methodology.
Affirm and release women in ministry.

There are probably many more potential problems that could be listed here.

So let me launch the discussion by asking this question, 'Which problem do you feel is the most urgent problem for our movement to address?'

A follow-up question might be: If we can agree on the most important challenges facing us, then what can be done to create a greater sense of urgency across our movement?

Leadership Voice Monday: Alton Garrison

2007-08-26T19:12:00.001-07:00

Alton Garrison was recently elected Assistant General Superintendent for the Assemblies of God. We're thankful he agreed to contribute for our second edition of Leadership Voice Monday. Here is his post!

Although I haven’t had the opportunity to meet each of you personally, I feel I am getting acquainted by reading your passionate thoughts and listening to your visionary concerns.

Thank you for engaging and challenging processes while valuing unity over uniformity within our Fellowship.

Lyman Coleman says there are several building blocks necessary to build relationships, but one of the most important is history-giving. So allow me a few lines to share our background.

My dad was an alcoholic when God saved him at age 37, called him to preach and led him to a small church in Sour Lake, Texas, where he was pastor for twenty-two years. My wife, Johanna, was born in Holland. Her father was a survivor of the Holocaust and her mother was born in Indonesia to Chinese-Buddhist parents. After her parent’s conversion, the family immigrated to a small town in Kansas.

Both of us place a high value on divine direction, supernatural empowerment and a strong belief that with God’s help all things are possible. Inclusion and acceptance are very important to us; however, we believe diversity can be achieved without becoming divisive.

While being hopeful, I am aware there are significant challenges if we are going to be effective in reaching this nation for Christ. It reminds me of Numbers 13 when ten spies gave a negative report about how big the giants were and two spies gave a positive report about the size of the grapes. They didn’t deny the existence of the giants, but were quick to show the fruit of the land. It was (and still is) a matter of focus. They chose to be grape-conscious rather than giant-conscious.

Bill Hybels said it well, “There’s nothing like the local church when the local church is working right.”

I believe the local church is the hope of the world and research shows that church planting is the most effective method of evangelism. We need more effective, missional churches. In 1900 there were 28 churches for every 10,000 Americans. Today there are only 11 churches for every 10,000 Americans. The following are stats we just received from our statistician:

· 84% of towns under 5,000 have no Assemblies of God church
· 834 cities between 10,000 and 20,000 have no AG church
· 301 cities between 20,000 and 30,000 have no AG church
· 175 cities between 30,000 and 50,000 have no AG church
· 76 cities between 50,000 and 100,000 have no AG church
· 6 cities between 100,000 and 500,000 have no AG church

We not only need more churches, we need healthier churches.

As the director of Church Ministries and the Commissioner on Discipleship, my goal is to serve as a resource and equipping facilitator, connecting those who have proven methods of church health and growth with those who need mentoring, ideas, and effective models.

If you have thoughts, ideas, testimonies, or methods you would like to share, please contact me at agarrison@ag.org

L. Alton Garrison
Assistant General Superintendent - Elect

Elephant in the room Wednesday

2007-08-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

I received this from Lifechurch.tv Lead Pastor Craig Groeschel (he speaks in tongues but is not AG). I have used a ton of there free sermon videos and message outlines.

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1. LifeChurch.tv Open (http://www.lifechurch.tv/open):
** A new, improved website - "shop" for free but do it more efficiently!
** Elementary-age discipleship and weekend experience curriculum/resources coming soon. Yes, it's free too. Keep checking the Open website!
** Youth messages and associated resources (i.e., small group questions, videos, etc.) added weekly.

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Lifechurch.tv is not the only church making their field tested material available for free or purchase. Many of the largest churches Willow Creek, Ed Young, New Spring and so many more in America are fallowing suite. This seems like a 21st century model for NT apostolic ministry.

This Got me thinking about GPH and how we can make it better. Imagine if GPH did less writing of curriculum more networking of our best churches material. What would GPH be if they were our fellowships answer to OPEN SOURCE. If they gathered our best and brightest videos, graphics, sermons and creative energy. What if it were free?

I wonder how many of you use GPH's material? If you are not using GPH, why not? How do you think GPH could serve us better?

Leadership Voice Monday: George O. Wood

2007-08-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

Paul, Tory and I met over breakfast on Friday morning at General Council to dream about the future of this blog. One of the ideas that surfaced was to invite one leader from within the fellowship to contribute to the blog each week. A few hours later George Wood was elected to be our next General Superintendent. He quickly sent word to Paul that he wanted to meet the bloggers after the business was done. He was affirming and encouraging. And he agreed to kick off our first edition of "Leadership Voice Monday." Here is his post!

Maybe it would be helpful for me to talk with you a little about where I come from and what I’ve learned on my journey.

I had a call to the ministry when I was 10, but was so shy as a teen that when I announced to my dad that I wanted to go to Bible school, he refused and directed me to go to “the new school the Assemblies of God has opened, Evangel College.” His rationale? If I failed in the ministry, I would have a teaching degree to fall back on.

So, after Evangel I went to Fuller Seminary – the first time I had been out of the AG. I was warned that I would lose either my faith or my Pentecostal experience if I went to “cemetery” – but the opposite happened.

The week I graduated from Fuller I asked one of my friends where he was going. He replied that he was going to take a small church. Thinking small was under 50, he surprised me with his answer, “Oh, about 800.”

At the age of 24 I was single, licensed, a seminary graduate with no place to go in the AG. There were no 800 (or 80!) member churches open to me, but I was determined to stay in this church because I loved our core doctrine and values, people and mission.

When the blog came out, I told some of my friends, “Oh, that’s me in the 1970s.” I’ve been where you are and I can relate to your desire to have a voice. Most people by now have forgotten that I was a contributing editor to Agora magazine that sought an open discussion of issues in the AG before the cyberspace age. It was cutting edge at the time. I’ve always felt that our church should provide a welcome atmosphere for discussion; and, as general superintendent, I commit to listen to you, and partner with you so that the Assemblies of God will be stronger and even more effective in the future.

Someone has said: “The young want to change the world and the old want to change the young.” Along with you, I still want to change the world. You can read my article in the forthcoming October Enrichment that puts forth the 5 core values I will pursue in the time given me to be general superintendent, and I welcome your engagement with me on these when the article is published.

In my early years of credentialed ministry, I was more like Elihu who was hot with words (Job 32:18-20). I remember a turning point at one General Council when I was a young pastor.

I had been at the microphone on issue after issue (on the losing end of many!). Near the end of the Council, I was sitting at breakfast with J. Robert Ashcroft, who had been my college president and boss when I was campus pastor – a true braveheart and mentor to me and so many others. He said to me, “George, I have a word from the Lord for you.” He had never said that to me in all the years I had known him, so I was apprehensive. He whipped a 3x5 sheet of paper out of his pocket and in poetic verse wrote these words:

Let your emphasis be on
the creative and constructive
above the critical and corrective.

He said, “George, there’s nothing wrong with being critical and corrective, just don’t put your focus and emphasis there. Give yourself to being creative and constructive.”

So with J. Robert Ashcroft’s words still ringing in my ears decades later, I invite you to journey along with me in a fellowship of joy. Do we need to use critical faculties and corrective judgments? Absolutely . . . so long as we do it with a right spirit and heart. The AG should be a safe place for discussion where we listen to one another with kindness. But let’s put the focus most on being creative and constructive so that the church we love, the Assemblies of God, remains a shining light on the hill for the glory of Christ and His kingdom!

George O. Wood
General Superintendent-Elect

FutureAG 2.0

2007-08-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

We created this site with really only one goal in mind, to create a virtual “senior pastor” search committee where AG ministers could openly discuss the characteristics needed in our next generation of leaders. We wanted to give ministers a place to get to know the top candidates and very thoughtfully and prayerfully cast their votes in Indianapolis.

However, when we launched just a few short weeks ago we never could have imagined the response. FutureAG has had nearly 35,000 hits with over 10,000 unique visitors in only 32 days of its existence. Clearly the site has struck a nerve and provided a much needed forum for discussion. No matter how you feel about the results of this General Council, the AG will never be the same.

Of course in the back of my mind there were a couple of other objectives I had for the site. First and foremost, I wanted to remove the “culture of fear” which seemed to exist in the AG and especially in Springfield. I was tired of all the secrets, the closed-door meetings, and the inability of ministers to express themselves honestly. I especially wanted younger ministers to be able to engage in conversation without fear of reprisal. I don’t believe that there could have ever been progress in that type of atmosphere.

Secondly, I wanted to get some “grass roots” energy going in our movement. The programs and initiatives coming out of Springfield are fine, but the real change will happen on the frontlines. For example the Decade of Harvest was a tremendous idea, but it came from the top down and never really resonated with the majority of our churches.

It was my hope that those of us who interacted on this site could begin to figure out our true identity together. Rather than waiting for another “top down” initiative from Springfield we could build consensus from the ground up.

There is no doubt my mind that with the current level of involvement on this site we have the ability to create that kind of momentum.

Our leaders are listening and we have an unprecedented opportunity to move forward together! I believe that we have the capacity to awaken a new interest in our organization, increase confidence within, and move from concerns for our existence to concerns for achievement and growth.

So where do we go from here?

Well it is clear that as we turn the corner into the fourth generation of the Assemblies of God there are a lot of challenges that lie ahead: Theological questions, methodological debates, generational divisions, and most importantly, people around the world who are dying without ever knowing Christ.

How could a website address all of those challenges?

I think the FutureAG luncheon is a great example. I really don’t think I’ve ever been in a room full of AG pastors with so much energy before. The room was full with pastors, evangelists, professors and missionaries from all over the world. There were old and young, male and female, and a wide-range of experiences and opinions. During the lunch the discussion got pretty intense. We left with thousands of questions swimming through our heads but really only one overwhelming sentiment… hope.

All of the obstacles were still there; they just didn’t seem as insurmountable.

Honestly I’m really tired of hearing messages forecasting our demise. I’m tired of hearing my elders saying things like, “If we don’t get back to altar calls or Sunday night services our movement is dead!” At the same time, I’m tired of hearing my peers say, “If this movement doesn’t change fast it’s dead and I’m leaving.”

These messages destroy confidence and they breed fear rather than hope. Sure we have a lot to figure out, but let’s do it together and let’s do it with optimism.

What if we used this site to openly discuss our questions and our problems? What if we could interact in a positive way and still challenge the status quo? What if we all determined to invest in this organization by sharing our knowledge, our experience, and our innovative ideas? What if we used this site to learn from each other and pool our resources to accomplish the mission of God?

How about you? Where would you like to see the discussion go? How do you think we could best share our knowledge, experience, and opinions with one another?

Bridge For The Generations

2007-08-15T04:23:00.000-07:00

During the discussions on the floor of the GC this year, I was reminded of the message that Bryan Jarrett shared at the GC in Denver in 2005. He spoke on Friday night at what I believe was a combined service of Youth and Adults.

Bryan's message was prophetic for this fellowship! Let me challenge you to watch/listen to it again if you were there. If you have not heard this message, and you are concerned for the future of the AG, you really should invest the 30 minutes or so to hear it.

You can click here for a mini-transcript of what he said. Or you can click here to get to the Denver 2005 page. Just look for the Friday night message (audio or video).

Bryan's main points were this:

1. There is a TITANIC DISTRUST between the older generation and the next generation.

The older generation has a concern that the next generation will not guard the trust they have been given. They do not question the passion or creativity of those younger than them, but they do wonder if they have substance.
Because of that the older generation is reluctant to pass the baton to the next generation.
The younger generation has a reluctance to take the baton being passed to them because they are not sure they want the baggage or the conditions that come with it.
The younger generation has no problem accepting the doctrine. They struggle with the requirement of doing it (methodologically) the way it has always been done before.
They want to know, 'Will you bless me to do ministry in a way that has never been done before so that I can contextualize the message to reach my generation?'

2. There is a TIMELESS CHALLENGE being given to us all.

2 Timothy 1:13 is Paul's challenge to Timothy to 'guard the good deposit entrusted to you with the help of the Holy Spirit.'
This is the challenge given to the next generation: Will you guard the trust? Will you appreciate your inheritance? Do you have solid doctrine?
Great quote: We know you know how it feels, but do you know where its found?

3. Finally, there is a TERRIBLE TRAGEDY that we must avoid.

The next generation is like Esau crying out to Issac in Genesis 27, 'Father will you bless me also?' This generation, maybe more than any other, is crying out for a blessing.
Will the older generation grant an unconditional blessing on the next generation? Will they release the next generation to do ministry through new and creative methods?
Great quote: Will you bless what we do even if we wear shorts and a t-shirt, have church in the back of a Barnes and Noble, lead worship with an acoustic guitar, and don't have church on a Sunday night?

Bryan then concluded his message with some warnings.

First he said that the next generation is perceived as rebellious. They are not. They have a reformative anointing on them. They love to reform what is old and create what is new. They don't want to do it the normal way. We will either make room for them or they will leave this fellowship and start something new.

Second he conveyed a warning from an old Methodist pastor who told him that we are at a critical moment. If we don't fan into flames the fires that stoked this movement in the beginning, we will go the way of other denominations and begin to die out.

I am sure I have done a poor job of representing Bryan's message in just a few bullet points. To do it justice, you really need to listen to it again. It is a NOW word for our fellowship.

So let me conclude this post with two questions for your discussion:

What can the next generation do to earn/guard the trust of those who have gone before them?

What can the 'father' generation do to extend an unconditional blessing to those coming after them?

Resolution 4 and Zollie Smith

2007-08-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

Like many, I left Indianapolis with mixed emotions. At times I felt inspired and hopeful. At other times I felt frustrated and discouraged. Two scenes in particular captured the tension for me.

I felt the most discouraged during the discussion regarding resolution 4. I was shocked that it failed. Since it came from the General Presbytery I assumed that the body would receive it as a call to action from our elected leadership. Instead, the discussion capsulized the generational disconnect in our fellowship. The word that comes to mind is suspicion. Older ministers seemed suspicious of the intentions of the younger. And younger ministers seemed suspicious of the perceptions of the older. And since suspicion is only healed through relationship, I was disappointed that we lost an opportunity to create more of them.

I felt the most inspired during the election of Zollie Smith. I felt pride in our ministers for electing the first African American in AG history to an executive position. I felt pride in the lengthy standing ovation that he received. And I felt energized from the first moment of his acceptance speech.

Assemblies of God, get ready, get ready, get ready!

He went on to challenge the AG to win America's cities back to Jesus. And then he spoke straight into the discussion surrounding resolution 4.

He identified with women ministers and those under 40. I know what it's like to feel that there isn't room at the table for you. Yep, I imagine he does. Then he issued a challenge. Your gift will make room for you. Persevere.

He also challenged those who filled their comments with words like "quota" and "affirmative action." What you call affirmative action might actually be affirmative opportunity. Your giving the Holy Spirit an opportunity to use someone who might be overlooked.

I also feel encouraged. Resolution 3, calling for more diverstiy on the Executive Presbytery, included much more positive discussion and passed easily. I'm excited about our new leadership team. And I'm prayerful that God is going to help them lead us into the future.

When it was all said and done I felt a lot like I do on an average day of church planting. Some hope. Some fear. Some vision. Some discouragement. Some faith. All emotions that prove we're alive. All emotions that prove we care.

George O. Wood said...

2007-08-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

This was a comment that I felt had to be seen by all.

George O. Wood

When I was chosen today as general superintendent-elect, I made a pledge that I would do my very best to serve the whole church. That certainly includes all of you who have so seriously and carefully engaged in dialog on this blog. The Assemblies of God desperately needs everyone of you. I want you to know that I will do my very best to listen and to be a bridge-builder in this wonderful family of believers. Malachi ends by talking about the day when the hearts of fathers would be turned to their children, and vice versa. I want that for our church. I will do everything I can to bring the generations together. But, I am going to need your help!

Will you help me and the other terrific team of leaders chosen today? We need your prayers and your counsel. And, this is a two-way street -- I promise also to pray for you and to do my best to speak into your lives as well.

I also want to say that the most important thing, other than prayer, that we need to do for each other is love one another. I want our Fellowship to be one marked by genuine love and respect for one another. We are all in this together!

As the business was unfolding this afternoon, I felt the Lord put this Scripture in my heart:
"My yoke is easy and my burden is light."
I do not intend to be a weighted-down with burdens servant among you. Doing the Lord's work should bring us joy, spontaneity, and laughter. Oh yes, there will be serious times -- but, with all my heart I want us to share His life abundantly.

The Fellowship has given me an immense responsibility and I covet your prayers and support. Thanks so much for letting me take this moment to share some of my heart with you. Let's encourage one another, build up one another, be honest with one another, and love another!

Blessings to you!

George O. Wood
General Superintendent-Elect

August 10, 2007 10:15 PM

Update on Elections

2007-08-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Assistant General Superintendent: Alton Garrison

General Secretary: John Palmer

Director of US Missions: Zollie Smith

Director of Foreign Missions: John Bueno (re-elected)

Resolution 4: Voted Down

The resolution to add 30 members to the General Presbytery (25% female ministers, 75% ministers under 40) was originally passed and then someone from the floor asked to verify it was passed with a 2/3 vote. At that point we voted electonically. 62.86% voted to approve. 66% was necessary to pass. The motion failed.

Resolution 3: Approved

Many of the General Presbyters and Executive Presbyters spoke out in favor of this resolution and it was passed.

We Have a Winner!

2007-08-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

George Wood was just elected as our next General Superintendent. Brother Wood said that he will accept the position with deep humility and that he approaches this moment with fear and trembling, “This is such a great church, such great people and this is a very emotional moment for me.”

He pledged to do his very best to serve all of our church. We have many churches, but we are one in the Spirit and one in Christ. He said that anyone who serves in this position must serve the entire church.

He ended with a quote: “If you want to walk fast walk alone, but if you want to walk far walk together. Let’s walk together into the future that God has for us.”

Wood was elected on the 6th ballot: 2,996 ballots cast

Wood: 2123
Garrison: 713
Clay: 148

Report from Day One

2007-08-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry this report is so late in coming. It was a long day of voting and things moved quite slowly. We are all a little drained.

The nominating ballot included almost everyone who has been mentioned on this site with the exception of Cargill, Cook, Crank, Griswold, and Ross.

Then the following candidates removed their names from consideration: Ron McManus, James Bridges, Dary Northrup, Mark Rutland, J. Don George, Gordon Anderson, and Tommy Barnett.

Barnett mentioned that he was withdrawing his name because he would not be able to continue pasturing his church. This sparked some initial discussion about the role of the GS and whether he/she could simultaneously pastor a church. The conversation picked up steam when someone moved to amend a resolution on the role of GS and add, “The GS may serve part-time and continue to pastor.” After some interesting discussion the floor voted this down.

At that point John Lindell -- who had just received 543 votes in the previous ballot, asked to remove his name from consideration.

The business ended at 5:20pm without an election. We will vote tomorrow on the top three candidates:

George Wood: 1788
Alton Garrison: 1302
Doug Clay: 192

The winner needs a 2/3 majority. Then we move on to assistant superintendent and general secretary.

Who would you like to see in these positions?

The Moment we've all been waiting for!

2007-08-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

3 of the 4,269 voting members here and ready to vote!
From left to right: Tory Farina, Paul Stewart, Brad Leach

To Be Determined

2007-08-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

With the vote in just a few hours I wanted to post the few responses that I have gotten from the potential candidates. These are not altered and are for the pourpose of informing your vote.
---------------------------------------------------------------

John Lindell

Tory,
You and your team have sparked some great discussion with the blog which has been good for the fellowship. The following are my answers to your questions:

Will you let your name stand? Yes

1. What is the biggest challenge that our fellowship is facing and how should it be handled?
There are several challenges faced by our fellowship which can be summed up in the following: Relevancy, Community, Progress/Results, Doctrinal Identity, & a Continued Passion for God. The opportunity and need has never been greater for a comprehensive focus on leadership development. Such a focus would include educational initiatives for equipping, relational opportunities for mentoring, and a review of potential organizational/structure changes that would enhance leadership development.

2. How should the AG open the door for credentialed women ministers to be elevated to more prominent positions of leadership?
Whether it is women or other valued constituents, diversity in leadership contributes to the strength of an organization. Public recognition of accomplishment, providing ministry opportunities, and cultivating an intentional awareness during those times when positions are vacated, restructured, or created would serve to strengthen the fellowship.

3. How could the A/G better connect with the next generation of pastors?
It will be important for the A/G to foster a culture of encouragement that genuinely values and respects the next generation’s ideas and accomplishments while at the same time connecting with them relationally. Consideration should be given to the restructure of organizational paradigms that minimize communication and inclusion.

4. How do you feel uniquely qualified to lead this fellowship?
I honestly have never aspired to be the General Superintendent and don’t feel as if I am uniquely qualified for such an assignment. At the risk of giving an answer that to some may sound overly spiritual, if God calls me to fill such a role I would simply have to trust He would give me the grace to carry out His plan.

5. What can the A/G offer young leaders (particularly those under 40)?
Encouragement, Opportunity, Resource, Network, Credentials, Heritage, Spiritual Covering/Accountability
Blessings!
John Lindell

George Wood

Responded but did not feel comfortable posting his responses at this point.

Jim Bradford

Tory,
Thanks for your note. No, I do not feel that I am to be a contender for General Superintendent. I do appreciate, however, the website and the concern that we be well prepared for the important decisions at Council.
Blessings,
Jim Bradford

Jim Braddy

Hello Tory,
I have hesitated to reply because I am seeking no position. I do understand the dilemma of trying to chose leadership that many do not truly know. Many in our fellowship will consider this "politicking" to even be engaged in this kind of discussion.

Our fellowship is at a bit of a crossroads. There are tugs an pulls from many directions. We have gone from being a rather homogenous group of the 60's to a multi cultural, multi generational group of the new millennium. Bringing "all parties to the table" is essential but more difficult than ever. Who ever is elected as General Superintendent has a monumental task ahead of them as the pace of change hastens. There are more forces that are tending to pull us apart than there are that would bring us together.

Our fellowship must regain a missional focus that embraces different styles of outreach, worship styles, diversity of cultures and engages this culture at every level. I wish there were a proper forum for this kind of discussion to take place outside of the "hotbed" of a voting season at council. We have and are engaging in this kind of discussion in our district and to be honest, it is ongoing and at times it seems we only create more questions than answers.

While I applaud you and those who have endeavored to raise the discussion, there are those who see this as not the time to do so. I know, if not now when? I do not believe that any of us wish to see this important council reduced to "election phrases" and self promotion and I do not believe that is your intention. Somewhere in this God's will be come through and that is all of our prayer.

God's best to you and to our fellowship.
Jim Braddy
District Supt.

Terry Raburn

I feel anyone nominated should allow their name to stand unless they have a word from the Lord to decline. At this moment I would allow my name to stand.

There are MANY challenges before our Fellowship not just one. Hearing from the Lord on reaching our nation and world for Christ; incorporating ethnics and young men and women into the structure of the AG; addressing the needs of the rising generation and keeping the power and distinction of our doctrine relevant and anointed; among others.

In Pen FL we have a woman Presbyter. I feel women should be involved equally to men in all aspects of ministry.

Doors of opportunity to participate in ministry should be open at every level of our organization. Appointments should be used when young people are consistently overlooked. Youth should be heard aand mentored and guided and included.

My record is public with experiience in Youth Ministry; pastoring; foreign missions in Lebanon; administration on the sectional district and national level. I truly believe the Call of God is the only final qualification for senior leadership. We do not yet know whom the Lord has called.

I think we should offer all groups and age levels real opportunities to participte in our Fellowship.

Again I regret that I only have my Treo with me and can only offer brief answers.

God bless you.

Terry Raburn

Lee McFarland

Well… for myself… I have a thousand reasons why I would say “no”… but I really don’t feel like I’ve heard from God just yet… and if he operates with me like he usually does, I probably won’t know until right before (Wed, Thurs am, J) So, I know for myself, I would have to say “TBD”… I think it’s going to be a tough job… and you’re right… I love Radiant… and have lots more dreams for it… and it’s awesome…

But… if I’ve learned anything... it’s to not get ahead of God… and to not say “no” until I’ve heard a “no” from Him… seriously… most of my mistakes were when I moved out without waiting for the answer.

Just some thoughts…

You think I should still answer the questions, and then write “TBD” on the “decline” question? J

Thanks for putting all this together… what a great service you’ve been to all of us…

-----------------------------------------------------------------
I am Deeply Grateful for those who responded and for the amazing dialogue that has been apart of this whole process. I recognize that this has never been done before but I think that the fact that it has been done now makes for a future of putting all of our knowledge on the table and allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate those things that help us know with certainty and direction what we are to do.

I love that last thought by Lee McFarland To Be Determined. Isn’t that the way all of our lives as Christ followers should be?

I pray that this helps and that Gods next person to lead this great fellowship no matter there age, skin color, outside demeanor or gender will lead us to into Gods picture of the Future AG.

Applying Loyalty

2007-08-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

I thought that Mark Batterson's closing remarks at the GC Lunch were so very appropriate and incredibly important in the present moment.

Let me paraphrase for those who were not there: Right now the GC is at a crossroads. We don't yet know what will become of this great fellowship. It may be something that WAS really amazing. Or it may be something that transitions into something that WILL BE great for future generations. Whatever does happen, will not happen fast. So it is critical that we remain positive, patient, and most of all LOYAL!

Then Mark gave an example of the power of loyalty not just for an organization but in our own lives. He shared the 'rest of the story' with Benaiah. (BTW--if you haven't read Mark's book yet, you really should do so: click here for IN A PIT WITH A LION).

Benaiah's loyalty to David was tested at the end of David's life. Adonijah had himself anointed as the next king without David's blessing. Many of David's top advisors joined in the rebellion. But Benaiah, who was David's bodyguard at the time, stayed loyal to David.

When Solomon became king, God rewarded Benaiah's loyalty with a promotion to General of the Armies of Israel.

This reminds me of the fact that God is watching my responses. He hears my words. He responds to me based on the attitude of my heart. More than desiring change, or improvement, or organizational transformation--we need to long for and seek to maintain God's favor on our lives and ministries.

Loyalty does not imply that we cease discussing the issues. It does not mean that we become disengaged with the process. It simply means that our words and our attitudes remain Jesus-like in their nature.

I was moved by these remarks by Mark. What about you? What do you feel is important as we move from this point?

Future AG Luncheon: Report

2007-08-08T20:44:00.001-07:00

We had a fantastic lunch today. Almost 150 hungry ministers crowded into the basement of Bucca de Beppo for one of the most exciting meetings I have ever had with AG pastors! The excitement in the room was palpable.

As I looked around the room it was hard to believe that only three weeks ago this site was birthed on my laptop and as of today we’ve had 25,538 hits and 8,625 absolute unique visitors.

Thanks again to AGTS and NCU for sponsoring this great event!

We began the discussion with “How were you inspired by the blog?” and the conversation took off from there. Here are some of the responses:

Will this conversation continue or will it become institutionalized and then lock people out.

What is the influence of the GS really? What could be the influence of the GS?

It’s great that we have women in the ministry… but we want to be viewed as called and equal. We need to break down the gender lines in order to have more unity.

What if the AG would launch AG 2.0 a completely new way to fellowship by open sourcing our ministry materials (children’s, youth & small group curriculum)

This site has broken down generational lines. As an older minister I viewed this site with suspicion. But when I saw the positive way with which it was formed I got really excited. I feel like a wall that separated me from the younger generation has been torn down and we can openly communicate together about the future!

How big does this FutureAG group need to be before things actually begin to change? This blog has the potential of bringing the movement to a tipping point!

What’s the biggest challenge as a movement? We cooperative fellowship so the reason we have this organization is to maintain doctrine and missionary movement. The problem is the doctrinal crisis.

If tomorrow we voted to end the AG. How would it affect our churches…. NOT AT ALL! What does that mean? Why are we in this fellowship?

COMMENT – It would affect the World Wide missions.

What if just packaged the AG as simply a missions board? An independent body with no doctrinal unity necessarily.

Older pastors need to establish mentoring relationships that could be built through the leadership into the young adults.

The Pentecostal movement has moved from North America to the third-world. We need to draw resources from other countries and learn from them. It’s time to look at other models from other countries.

We also need to explore new ways to reach our own culture. We’ve gone from a broadcast age to a digital age. We are in a post-Christian culture. How are we going to reach the lost?

We have to realize the importance of younger leadership. The average age of the credential holder going up. What are we going to do to address that?

We deal too much with the externals than the internals. Spiritual Growth. Too much focus on legalism.

National leaders out of pastoral ministry for too long! Should we create term limits?

BIG QUESTION: SO WHAT? Blog was great for people who didn’t know names… but does it make a difference in the future? Will it influence who we are going to vote for? What will change?

Is there is room at the “AG table” if I struggle with 7 & 8?

The current leadership manages a “control” organization. That paradigm went out 30 years ago. Has to turn into a learning organization that brings the consensus up from the grass roots.

By the way, thanks to Earl Creps for moderating the discussion.

Ready or Not Here We Come

2007-08-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

Our family began our road trip from DC to Indianapolis yesterday. Nothing like driving through West Virginia to help you do a little mental processing. Just thought I'd share a few personal reflections.

Got really nostalgic yesterday because my first council was in Indianapolis when I was a teenager. It absolutely blew me away. In fact, I went on vacation the next week and felt called to full-time ministry. I really think council prepared me for that life-changing decision. So I feel like I'm going back to my burning bush.

I like council for lots of reasons. Love hearing the speakers, the free candy at the exhibits, seeing old friends, and controversial resolutions. But I also feel like council is a reminder of why I do what I do. I never want to take my calling for granted. What an unbelievable privilege!

I know council is filled with business and lunches and meetings, but I also hope council is a time of spiritual renewal for one and all.

I also wanted to express thanks to Tom Trask. Can't imagine how tough it must be to serve as GS. No easy task! Gotta give honor where honor is due.

See you in Indy!

PS. Thanks Paul, Tory, Brad and Jeff for creating this blog space. What a God idea. And what a great dialogue.

Young Change Agents

2007-08-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

In the fall of 2006 I attended a young leader's listening forum organized by Brother Trask. We met in Chicago to discuss several issues facing our fellowship, including a growing generational divide. Several people suggested the need for greater representation of young leaders at various levels of leadership in our organization. It's my understanding that Resolutions 3 and 4 are a response to those suggestions.

Resolution 3 would add two members to the Executive Presbytery (one ordained pastor under the age of 40 and one ordained female credential holder). Resolution 4 would add 30 new members to the General Presbytery (25% ordained females and 75% ordained pastors under the age of 40).

I was personally encouraged to see these resolutions submitted. On this blog we've been asking the question, "How does an organization like the AG get younger?" While these resolutions don't fully answer the question, they are a proactive step in the right direction. Most of us understand that the values of an organization have to be modeled at the top. If developing emerging leaders is a value, we've got to put a "younger face" to our primary leadership teams.

The Civil Rights Movement was necessary in our country because racism created a broken system. If the Civil War broke the bone, the Civil Rights Movement (including affirmative action initiatives) set the bone and secured it in a cast. My hope is that in a few generations the bone will have healed and we can remove the cast.

For various reasons, we are struggling in our fellowship to move young leaders through our credentialing process. We've got a broken system. Hopefully resolutions like this can help us set the bone and see healthy new systems emerge.

I think most of us would agree that "young" implies more than age. "Young" references the way we think. To me, young thinking is flexible thinking; thinking that recognizes possibility and embraces innovation. In contrast, "old" thinking cements itself by assuming there's nothing left to learn.

In my opinion we've had some "young" 65 year olds following this blog. If that's you, I'd like to encourage you to identify three or four leaders in their twenties to mentor. If you do you could be looking into the most fruitful season of your ministry.

But we can't forget that "young" primarily refers to age. And we've got to succeed in transferring the vision for the Assemblies of God to young leaders in their twenties and thirties.

If you're young and anything like me, you may doubt that you have the potential to create change in an organization as big as the AG. Maybe your attitude fluctuates between apathy and hopelessness. If so, I'd like to challenge you to care.

Conversations like these can help. Participating in the process can help. But the reality is that if resolution 4 passes most of us won't be in the list of names added to the General Presbytery.

So what can we do?

I've been in several meetings over the past few years where fellowship leaders have asked young leaders to help "Save the AG." I'll be honest. That battlecry doesn't resonate with me. But start talking about Metro Detroit and I'm ready to fight!

Maybe the best thing you can do for our fellowship is to make Jesus famous in your city. Can you imagine what would happen if young AG leaders across the country started leading revival revolutions by filling cities with church plants?

We might inadvertantly ignite a revolution in the Assemblies of God.

How it all Works - Part II

2007-08-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

Elections:

So far we have had much discussion on the role and responsibilities of the General Superintendent. On Thursday we will also be voting on the positions of assistant general superintendent, general secretary, AG World Missions executive director and members of the Executive Presbytery.

It is possible that due to the first two election results, the positions of general treasurer and US Missions executive director may need to be voted on as well.

I thought it would be helpful to post a basic job description for each of these positions:

Assistant General Superintendent - oversees the Division of Church Ministries, which includes all of the adult, youth and children ministries of the church. Also chairs the Commission on Discipleship.

General Secretary - oversees the credentialing of ministers, church chartering and the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

General Treasurer - oversees the Division of the Treasury, which includes departments of Finance, Internal Audit, Accounting and Information Services. This division is responsible for handling all finances sent to Headquarters for the world ministries of the church.

World Missions Director – oversees all foreign missions including over 2,600 missionaries and missionary associates in 212 countries around the world.

US Missions Director – oversees church planting, Chi Alpha, Teen Challenge, Intercultural and Chaplaincy ministries.

Non- Resident Executive Presbytery - Eleven non-resident ordained ministers from various regions of the country join with the four executive officers and two directors listed above to form the EP. These ministers are elected by the General Council and serve as a board of directors for the AG for 2 years.

Each of these positions requires a certain set of talents and giftings. As voters we are selecting a team that will need to include a variety of experiences and perspectives while also being able to work together effectively.

Who do you think would do well in these roles?

Resolutions:

If all goes well with the elections on Thursday, we should be voting on the resolutions by Friday. Be sure to read through and prayerfully consider all thirteen of the resolutions here before voting.

Here are a few of the most interesting resolutions this year…

Resolution 2 & 3: Composition of Executive and General Presbytery – These resolutions would add two members to the EP and 30 members to the GP.

The EP through the mandatory inclusion of one ordained pastor under 40 years of age and one ordained female credential holder voted on by the General Council

The GP through the selection of 30 members by the EP. These 30 new members will be approximately 25 percent ordained females and 75 percent ordained males under the age of 40.

Resolution 6: Relational Districts – A proposal to provide freedom for non-geographic Districts to be formed and function much like the way Ethnic Districts function. These Relational Districts would have to have at least 40 churches and be approved by the Executive Presbytery.

Resolution 8: Divorce/Remarriage – This resolution would allow for a minister to hold credentials in the case of a divorce if the divorce was within the boundaries of the scriptural causes of a former spouse’s marital unfaithfulness (Matthew 19:9, NIV), or the abandonment of the believer by the unbeliever (1 Corinthians 7:10-15, NIV).

6 Questions

2007-08-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

I sent 6 questions to all of the candidates that I was able to track email addresses for. I thought that it was important for us to know and understand what there stance or vision was on these issues. I wanted to post all of the responses at one time but since many of the email addresses are hard to find i thought I would post the questions here so that everyone has a fair chance to be heard. If you're name is on the list and you did not Get an email from me I would love to post your response. You can do so here or you can email me at RSVP@thefutureag.com.

Will you let your name stand?
1. What is the biggest challenge that our fellowship is facing and how should it be handled?

2. How would you open the door for credentialed women ministers to be elevated to more prominent positions of leadership?

3. How could the AG better connect with the next generation of Pastors?

4. How do you feel uniquely qualified to lead this fellowship?

5. What do you see that the A/G has to offer young leaders (particularly those under 40)?
How would you answer these questions? What other Questions would be important to have answers to?

I will post the responses when and or if I get most of there replies. It is short notice and I am sure many of them are busy getting ready for next week. I'll keep you posted with what I find out.

Luncheon spots filled!

2007-08-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

In less than 24 hours, every spot for the Future AG Luncheon was filled! If your RSVP was accepted you have received a confirmation email. Thank you for your overwhelming interest in this event and thanks again to AGTS and NCU for making it possible.

Thursday Prayer Focus

2007-08-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

In one week, we will be involved in all of these decisions at Council. We have committed together to make Thursdays a day of prayer for Council. So let me lead off with some things to agree upon in prayer.

Jesus, you said that we are blessed when we are poor in spirit. So Lord, we begin this process by declaring that without you were are nothing. We take a position of absolute dependence on you. More than the right decision next week, we need YOU.

You also said that we are blessed when we mourn. Lord, we grieve our sin. Forgive us for any words, attitudes, thoughts, motives or actions that have displeased you. We mourn over the condition of our churches and of our movement. Break our hearts with the things that break your heart. Bring us back to you.

Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. Lord, we approach next week's Council in a spirit of meekness. We choose to yield our rights to you. We will not fight for ourselves. We will not demand our own way. We will prefer our brother in love. And in that we believe the promise that you will move all of heaven and earth on our behalf.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied. We choose to long for that which is aligned with your will. We want what you want God! We long for the leader of your choosing. We long for the decisions from your hand. Help us to lose our own agendas and identify the priorities of your heart.

Bless our leaders as they coordinate the Council. May Brother Trask be favored beyond all measure as he leads us. May he reap abundantly for all the good he has sown into this movement over his years.

We declare it: MAY YOUR KINGDOM COME AND YOUR WILL BE DONE! In Jesus Name.

Future AG Luncheon: Wednesday, August 8 @ 12.30 pm

2007-08-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

There has been an overwhelming response to this blog and many of you have asked about the possibility of connecting face-to-face in Indianapolis. Sounded like a good idea! So, here's the 411.

We're going to get together for lunch at Bucca di Beppo on Wednesday, August 8, from 12.30 - 2.00 pm. And now for the really good news...

The first 75 people who respond to this invitation will enjoy great conversation and a free lunch! AGTS and NCU are going to co-sponsor the gathering. That means that the whole experience, including food and books, will be absolutely free! Both schools are passionate about continuing this conversation and have given us the green light to do this first-class. If you're a passionate young leader concerned about the future of the AG and resonate with conversation that is honest, creative and positive, then send your response to rsvp@thefutureag.com.

When this conversation started we hoped that it would inspire passion regarding the future of our fellowship. We really had no idea that the blog would receive over 15,000 visits in two weeks. It's been incredibly energizing to network with so many different people across our fellowship who share a common desire to inspire real change in the Assemblies of God.

Did I mention that Bucca di Beppo rocks! They actually have a Pope room where you can eat around the head of John Paul...Who knows, maybe they'll add a Superintendent's room for us. :)

Resources...

2007-07-31T15:16:00.000-07:00

Since we are having so much fun with this discussion I thought it relevant to allow a place for us to share resources that have relevance to ministry of the future. If you have a book, blog or other resources please let us know.

The Updated List

2007-07-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Last week we posted the names of potential candidates for General Superintendent along with a link to their online bio. We put the list together by simply compiling the names that had been mentioned on the blog up to that point. Many have mentioned that the information was helpful to them. And many began suggesting additional names.

We've also received quite a few comments and emails wondering why the poll was not updated with those additional names. The short answer is that once the poll was posted it was unable to be edited.

Because several names were "nominated" in comments after the original post was written we wanted to identify those names and provide you with their biographical information as well. You can find the updated list below.

Remember that in addition to General Superintendent, we will also be voting on the positions of Assistant Superintendent, General Secretary, and Director of World Missions. It seems to me that we should approach this vote with the understanding that we're electing a team of leaders. Who will work well together in leading our fellowship into the future?

Again, our hope in providing these lists is to encourage you to get to know these leaders before Indianapolis and to prayerfully consider how you'll vote.

Happy surfing!

College Officials:

Don Argue - Chancellor of Northwest University

District Officials:

Don Gifford - Superintendent of the Indiana District

Zollie Smith - Executive Secretary of the New Jersey District and President of the National Black Fellowship of the A/G

National Officials:

John Bueno - A/G World Missions Executive Director

H. Robert Rhoden - Executive Presbyter

Beth Grant - Chairperson for the National A/G Women in Ministry Task Force

Tom Greene - National Director of the Men's Ministries for the A/G

Ron McManus - President of the Center for Church Leadership of the A/G

Pastors:

Charles Arsenault - Senior Pastor of Evangel Temple in Springfield, MO

Ron Johnson - Senior Pastor of Bethel Temple Church in Hampton, Virginia

Joe Fuiten - Senior Pastor of Cedar Park Church in Bothell, WA

Saturnino Gonzalez - Senior Pastor of Iglesia El Calvario in Orlando, Fl

Brad Trask- Senior Pastor of Brighton Assembly of God in Brighton, MI

Bret Allen - Senior Pastor of Bethel Church in San Jose, CA

Matthew Barnett - Senior Pastor of The Dream Center in Los Angeles, CA

Leaders, Founders:

John W. Bosman - Founder/President of SpiritWind International

Jerry Nance - President & CEO of Teen Challenge International South East Region

Hal Donaldson - Founder of Convoy of Hope and Editor-in-Chief of Today's Pentecostal Evangel

Relational District Resolution

2007-07-30T03:11:00.000-07:00

What if Districts could reproduce? What if there was an intentional design to reach new cultures that are not currently being reached well within our present structure? What if there is a way to re-energize younger leaders and get them passionate about their District? What if Districts could be formed around relationship and choice?

These are some of the questions that the Relational District Resolution attempts to address. Most of the discussion on this blog has been about the GS. This post will be about one of the decisions that will be on the floor during Council. I am one of the signers of this Resolution, so I thought I would briefly address it.

What is it? It is a proposal to provide freedom for non-geographic Districts to be formed and function much like the way Ethnic Districts function. These Relational Districts would have to have at least 40 churches and be approved by the Executive Presbytery.

What good would that do?

Unreached cultures could be better reached - this has worked very well in the Ethnic Districts. Many of the Ethnic Districts are aggressively growing as they are able to relate to and reach their particular culture. Cultures are not just defined by language or nationality. There are many varying cultures within this nation, especially among the next generation. Our diversifying nation has a growing number of specific sub-cultures that need to be reached more effectively.

There are so many possibilities? An Emerging Church District? An Inner City District? A Theater Church District? A Dream Center Churches District?

Districts could reproduce - the main reason why I signed my name to this resolution is because of this principle and possibility. What if a District planted a District? Churches can plant churches because you can only reproduce what you are. It is difficult for Districts to model reproduction. At this point they can only encourage it. But what if they intentionally identified a culture they were not reaching well--and then planted a new District to do so?

One of the things I have learned in my ministry is the power of planting. We are in the process of mothering our 7th church. Each time I fear that I will lose people. It is always a faith journey. But as I step out in faith, there is always multiplication. My church grows. The church I plant grows. Growth through giving is a principle of the Kingdom.

I believe this could happen in Districts as well.

The disconnected could be energized - Sometimes pastors feel that they don't connect into the current system simply because of method or style. They agree doctrinally, but when they go to a District Council they see a style/culture to which they do not relate. Style and method are neither right nor wrong. But they do influence and inspire.

There could be Districts organized to connect the next generation pastor. There could be a specialized District created for Purpose-Driven churches to model together how to be PD and fully Pentecostal. What I like about this resolution it the fact that it creates freedom, is based on trust, and designs opportunity.

There are several myths that have grown up around this resolution that I should quickly address.

'The signers of this resolution are going to form their own district together.' This is not the case. I have no personal plan to leave my District (Penn-Del). I am in a great District with much freedom and opportunity. The signers of this resolution simply believe it is a good idea that will help this movement.
'If this resolution does not pass, the signers of the resolution are going to leave the AG.' This resolution is submitted in humility. If the GC rejects it, we will accept the decision and go back to doing ministry as AG ministers. I have no personal stake in this issue. I think I can speak for most of the signers that we very much love and are committed to the Assemblies of God.
'If this resolution passes, it will destroy the Geographic Districts.' My District recently moved to a system allowing for pastors to connect through relationship/choice rather than only through geographic sections. It was a very smooth transition. More pastors are engaged in the process than ever. Most people are not high-change by nature. So most will continue to relate through the current Districts. But opportunity will be created for some to connect into something they feel is aligned with their culture, their mission, their method or style.

I know this resolution is a risk. Anytime you sow into a new plant or new work it takes faith in God and trust in people. When we choose faith and trust we build the foundation for growth. I believe this resolution has the potential to energize many in our fellowship who are longing for relationship. I also believe that as Districts plant Districts there will also be a multiplication effect.

May God give us wisdom and grace as we discuss and decide these matters.

Identity Crisis

2007-07-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

Questions of identity are at the very core of any organization’s existence: “Who are we?” “What connects us to each other?” “What is our common mission?” These questions are foundational to progress.

But there are many in my generation who struggle with our identity. We know why we go to Willow Creek conferences or join church planting networks, but we wonder why anyone would ever go to district council.

Unlike Lutherans or Methodists we can’t find our identity from the writings of our founder. The Pentecostal movement has never had a single charismatic leader, similar to Luther or Wesley. Rather the “identity” of the movement was energized by a common experience of the Holy Spirit.

Because the identity of the early Pentecostals was rooted in these very powerful but personal experiences, their children cannot simply rely on their parents’ experiences to find their identity. Pentecostalism only works for one generation. After that it is Pentecostal in name only… unless there is another revival.

In my lifetime the AG has defined itself primarily as “Evangelical Pentecostalism,” or perhaps more accurately as “Evangelicalism plus tongues.” The more we have been accepted the more we have had to emphasize our distinctiveness - “We are more than evangelicals!”

But does an identity like that really motivate anyone in my generation?

Increasingly the AG identity has been expressed only in terms of a rational doctrine that can too easily confine the supernatural move of the Spirit into a formula. The logic goes something like this: the key to Spirit baptism is tongues, the key to revival is Spirit baptism, the key to church growth is revival. Without tongues there can be no Spirit baptism, no revival, no church growth.

The truth is that the key to the Pentecostal movement was never tongues but a passionate pursuit of God for an empowering work of the Spirit to carry forth the Great Commission of Jesus.

Meanwhile, as we held tightly to our distinctive doctrine, we gave up many of the things that really made early Pentecostalism special. Our distinctive doctrine became all that defined us and the real character, contribution, and impact of the movement was lost.

According to Margaret Poloma’s sociological report on the AG, these accommodative forces have eroded any distinct AG identity that could have developed from a well-articulated Pentecostal theology and sense of identity.

“The experiences of the early Pentecostals that challenged the sexist and racist culture of early 20th century America could have paved the way for later disciples to make significant contributions to changes in women’s roles and civil rights. Its early pacifist stance could have provided a plank for the peace movement. Its suspicion of rigid denominationalism in the face of a democratized baptism of the Spirit could have provided a platform for ecumenical activities. None of this happened, in part due to the isolation of Pentecostals during the first half of the 20th century. Once they moved across the tracks to a more comfortable lifestyle, contemporary followers lost sight of Pentecostalism’s unique identity as a marginalized people upon whom the Spirit released His power and presence in the earliest years of the 20th century. As they made the journey from pilgrims to citizens, AG pastors seemed to take on the political voice of the Fundamentalist-Evangelical church expressed through the Republican Party.” – Margaret Poloma

If the AG is going to continue to grow in the future, we need a paradigm that can better reflect the unique qualities of our past -- qualities that could better fit a post-modern paradigm than a modern one.

In order for this fellowship to succeed we need to be more than “more than evangelicals.”

I believe it will be up to the next generation of leaders, working closely with the next generation of pastors, to help redevelop and redefine our identity. The question is, will they creatively adapt the best insights of Pentecostal spirituality to the time in which they lead?

What do you think? What is it that truly defines us? Why are we in this fellowship with each other?

Welcome Missionaries

2007-07-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ride and Room Share

2007-07-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

This site has definitely proven the high level of interest in the future of the AG, especially from our younger ministers. We have also heard that many of you want to show up and let your voice be heard but are low on the resources needed to make that happen. We want to help you get there.

Here is how it works:

Eligible voting ministers only please
Post what you have or what you need- (need a ride/bed or Have a ride/bed)
Post your location- (City and State you are coming from)
Post your contact information

Our intention is to get as many people to General Council as possible. Think of this as the A/G classified section. You could end up with a great story...or, you could make a new friend. Either way your vote will count!

*We’re encouraging all Districts to do what you can to get your people to this vote. Hire buses, charter planes or raise money for scholarships.

Dear Jesus...

2007-07-26T04:01:00.001-07:00

As promised, we're going to focus our energy today toward prayer and fasting for our fellowship, the upcoming general council, and the historic decisions that will be made there. The internet makes the world so much smaller. We've got an opportunity today to host an international pre-council prayer meeting! To keep things focused we will be limiting comments throughout the day to prayers. Thanks so much for raising your voice.

Father, we confess our limitations in thinking through decisions like this. We realize that you see more, hear more, and know more about the challenges facing our fellowship than we ever will. You also know every opportunity that awaits us over the next twenty years. So we humbly surrender ourselves to you.

We ask you to use us, not only in our local churches and cities, but now on behalf of this larger family.

And we commit the decisions that will be made in Indianapolis to you. May the business sessions be filled with your Presence. May we listen to our heads and our hearts, yet remain absolutely committed to hearing your voice and going with You. And I pray that our unity and cooperation will put a smile on your face and lead to blessing.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Welcome Back!

2007-07-25T13:02:00.001-07:00

Wow! That was an interesting 24 hours:)

We apologize for the technical difficulties. Blogger's security system flagged us as a possible "spam" blog, probably due to the large number of links in the earlier post. Thanks for your patience and for jumping back into the conversation!

We're planning to go ahead tomorrow with the prayer emphasis.

Great Job Guys

2007-07-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

I just read through the list of potential candidates. WOW! What a thorough job. This is a real gift. My hope is that many will visit the site and do some prayerful research. Thank you for all this work and for the attitude with which it was presented.

Round One

2007-07-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

Our first goal for this site was to get people talking about the characteristics, experience, and vision needed in our next generation of leadership... Mission Accomplished! Thank you so much for the overwhelming response. As of today we've had nearly 1700 different visitors from all over the world.

Our next goal was to provide biographic information on all of the potential candidates to the voters BEFORE general council. We've had a terrific list of names come in so far, representing a variety of leaders from all over the country.

I’d like to encourage you to take some time and look through the list and get to know these potential candidates. Each candidate’s name includes a link to their bio on their own personal or church website.

After you’ve taken some time to get to know these candidates you can place your “vote” on the right side of this page. This will help to narrow down the list before we get to GC.

Essentially we are trying to follow the same format as the elections at GC, while also providing voters more time to research and pray over their decision.

If you would like to nominate someone who is not on this list please leave their name and website in the comments section.

COLLEGE PRESIDENTS:

Gordon Anderson – President of North Central University

Byron Klaus – President of Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

Mark Rutland – President of Southeastern University and President and Founder of Global Servants

DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS & OFFICIALS:

Doug Clay  - Superintendent of the Ohio District

Rick Dubose – Superintendent of the North Texas District

William Leach – Superintendent of the Michigan District  

John Palmer  - Executive Presbyter and World Missions Director of the Iowa Ministry Network

Leslie Welk - Superintendent of the Northwest Ministry Network

Terry Raburn  - Superintendent of Peninsular Florida District

James Braddy  - Superintendent of Northern California & Nevada District

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS:

James Bridges  - General Treasurer

Alton Garrison  - Executive Director of US Missions

George Wood – General Secretary

PASTORS:

Jim Bradford  - Senior Pastor of Central Assembly in Springfield, MO

Maury Davis – Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Nashville, TN

J. Don George  - Senior Pastor of Calvary Church in Irving, TX

Bryan Jarrett – Senior Pastor of Sachse Assembly of God in Sachse, TX

John Lindell  - Senior Pastor of James River Assembly

Rod Loy  -Senior Pastor of First Assembly of God, North Little Rock

Dary Northrup – Senior Pastor of Timberline Church in Ft Collins, CO

Rich Wilkerson  - Founder of Peacemakers and Senior Pastor of Trinity Church

Randy Valimont  - Senior Pastor of First Assembly of God in Griffin, GA

Tommy Barnett  - Senior Pastor of Phoenix First Assembly of God

Glen Berteau  - Senior Pastor of Calvary Temple Worship Center in Modesto, CA

Dan Betzer  - Senior Pastor of First Assembly Ministries

Wayne Blackburn  - Pastor of Victory Church in Lakeland, FL

Lee McFarland – Senior Pastor of Radiant Church in Surprise, AZ

SPEAKERS, AUTHORS, LEADERS:

M. Wayne Benson  - President of EMERGE Ministries

Earl Creps  - Professor of Doctoral Studies at AGTS

The Fine Print:

- This is obviously not an official Assemblies of God website and therefore the polls on this site have no bearing whatsoever on the actual election in Indianapolis.

- This site does not and will not endorse any specific candidate. We are simply letting the voters be heard and providing a place for open discussion. All comments will be published unless they include objectionable or offensive language or unsubstantiated accusations about one of the candidates.

- Some will immediately notice the lack of “diversity” on this list. These were names that have been given to us through this website or in other discussions we have had. If you would like to nominate someone else write his or her name in the comments section.

- This is not going to be a scientific process. We were trained as ministers, not pollsters. We will keep doing the best we can with the information we have. We’re just hoping that someone smarter than us will come up with a better system in the future.

Three More Thursdays

2007-07-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Confession time:) I tend to spend more time talking about the future of the AG than praying for it.

We're really excited about the participation so far on this blog. Thanks for commenting. Thanks for staying positive. Our hope is that the conversation will continue to grow.

We're also agreed that Jesus will be most glorified through us in Indie if we spend more time over the next two weeks kneeling than typing.

To help encourage dependence on God we've decided to dedicate the blog the next two Thursdays to prayer and fasting. Then on the third Thursday we'll vote. Our plan for the next two is to post prayers and to limit comments to prayers. Since Jesus has really high-speed internet access we're going to fill the blogosphere with intercession!

We don't want to discourage dialogue.

We do want to promote prayer.

Two themes continue to emerge on this blog regarding our future. We've got both challenges and opportunities ahead. Fortunately Jesus has years of experience in moving mountains and opening doors. Let's continue to engage each other while depending on Him.

Meanwhile, we'd love to hear specifically how you're praying for council.

The Main Voting Event!

2007-07-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

Here is the Main Event...

Superintendent – 2:25 Thursday
Assistant – 3:25 Thursday
Secretary – 4:25 Thursday

We expect World Missions Friday morning and any others that come up due to elections

Everyone must be registered before these times. Spread the information and show up to let your vote be counted.

Fine Arts Voters Information

2007-07-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

This year the General Council has arranged for credentialed ministers who registered with the Fine Arts competitions to have free General Council voting registration.

There was discussion on having more flexible voting locations but we were advised that our bylaws do not allow for this.

In 2005 only 2,500 ministers voted at GC...

2007-07-20T23:17:00.000-07:00

We created this site on Monday afternoon not really knowing if it would go anywhere and in just 4 days we have had 1205 Absolute Unique Visitors from 47 different states and a number of countries from around the world - welcome missionaries!

We will keep working to keep this discussion positive and informative in the days to come.

Please keep passing the word and let’s get a greater representation to show up and vote for our next generation of leaders!

What I'm Looking For

2007-07-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

First of all, serious props for creating a place to have this conversation! I love the posts and I love the tone!

Thought I'd share a few personal reflections.

First of all, I'm deeply grateful for the AG. And I'm deeply loyal. I've been blessed to pastor a church in a district that embraced us, invested in us, and believed in us. They also gave us the latitude to be ourselves and do things a little different. I'm forever grateful to Dr. Bob Rhoden, who was our superintendent when we came into the Potomac district.

When we first started out in ministry, I was tempted to jump off the AG ship. I think part of it was my immaturity--the maverick in each of us that wants to do our own thing. And part of it was frustration at what I perceived to be a lack of openness to change. But I got some wise counsel from some wise leaders. You can't make a difference from the outside! So I'm grateful to be part of this fellowship--warts and all. I'm also encouraged by the seeds of change I see. So many districts are reinventing themselves!

I have a guiding principle: we need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. So I want to affirm the more traditional and older churches and pastors amongst us. Many of them blazed the trail we walk. But I love what Basho said:

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.

If you have studied organizational life cycles and the demographics of the AG, our greatest challenge is our age! We're getting older and older. I get death notices from our district office several times a month! So our greatest challenge and our greatest opportunity is recruiting a new generation of pastors and church planters.

So the $64,000 question to me is this: what kind of leader can help us grow younger?

Here are ten characteristics I'm looking for:

1) Spiritual intensity--a raw heart for God
2) Non-conformist--appreciates our history but also challenges the Status Quo
3) Doesn't just speak in AG cliches--fresh thoughts and fresh methods
4) Imagination--more concerned about creating the future than repeating the past.
5) Contexual Intelligence--keen ability to understand the times ala the Tribe of Isachaar.
6) Proven track record of pastoral leadership--someone who's been there and done that.
7) Humor--someone who can laugh at themselves
8) Neotenic--young at heart regardless of age
9) Innovator--believes that there are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet.
10) Missional--huge heart for missions and church planting.

I'm sure there are glaring defects and absences with that list. But that is my two-cents.

See you at Council.

Job interview…

2007-07-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

This site is designed to be a search committee for the next General Superintendent. So let’s start asking that person some questions. Let’s keep our comments to one question and think about all of the comments written so far.

If the job hire was up to you and you were sitting across from (_________) what question would you ask to discern if this person was the right one for the job?

God's Selection Process

2007-07-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

I always approach any decision moment like this one with a declaration of dependence on God. How does a new leader get selected? How do we know it is truly God's man?

Saul looked like the perfect king. He had the credentials that everyone thought was necessary to lead Israel. If the people could have filled out a job description for 'King' they would have listed Saul's qualities: good looking, tall, leader-like, prophetic, etc.

But Saul wasn't God's man for long.

Then there was little David. He didn't even make his own father's list of potential kings. Jesse didn't even call David in for consideration. But God picked David.

My biggest question in going into this General Council is this...how do we know we have God's man? Is is possible to discern that through an election process? I believe it is. Somehow God can guide these proceedings.

Could it be that there is a David hidden somewhere in the fields that is supposed to lead us forward? If so, how does he surface? Will we recognize him when he is nominated?

This is where we need to pray that God will anoint HIS MAN for this next season. Certainly this is a critical time in the history of this fellowship. We don't just need a good man. We don't just need a young progressive change agent. Somehow, we need God's man.

Lord help us to discern your will.

Raising Warriors

2007-07-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that every leader's legacy is defined by challenges unique to his generation. David fought Philistines. Solomon built a building. During David's leadership Israel didn't need a builder. She needed a fighter. And during Solomon's life Israel didn't need a fighter. She needed a wise builder.

During this conversation we're asking ourselves what kind of a leader our fellowship needs next. But I think we can gain perspective by exploring another question.

What challenge does our fellowship face that will likely define our next leader's legacy?

According to a recent email I received from AGTS, only 8% of the 33,000 + credential holders in the AG are under the age of twenty-nine. And only 24% are under the age of 40. That means that unless we see an increase in young men and women being credentialed, we could be looking in the mirror in a few years at some tired faces.

So what kind of leader do we need? Maybe we need someone who has a proven track record of releasing young men and women for mission? It really doesn't matter to me if he wears jeans or watches Nooma. But can he look a young man in his eyes, speak faith over his future, and bless his dreams to emerge.

I don't care how old he is. The Apostle Paul had his most effective mentoring days at the end of his life. What I do wonder is this.

Can he raise warriors?

And more importantly...

Has he?

Does the GS make a Difference?

2007-07-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

Leaders are never unimportant. The executive leaders determine how our finances are handled and how they will be distributed throughout the fellowship. They also control GPH, and its relevance as a business is also in play and will be affected by the next leader (has anyone ordered anything from GPH in the last five years?).

We may not be immediately affected by a bad leader at the local church level. Sure a bad leader may reflect poorly on our churches or the AG brand, but many of our churches are leaving that brand name anyway.

We are, however, affected positively at the church level by a good leader. A strong rallying force will promote health and life and energy. With 2/3 of our churches under 100 people, I think we need a leader who will inspire us to do whatever it takes to grow and reach this lost and dying world for Christ.

What if our next GS could really make that kind of an impact?

People pay hundreds of dollars and travel around the country to hear leaders like Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, or Andy Stanley speak. What if our next leader was someone like that? Someone who could not only manage things in Springfield, but who could inspire pastors to new levels in their ministry.

What if our GS was someone who was passionate about the local church, cared deeply about raising up future leaders, and could harness our combined resources to make a more significant impact on our world?   Would the office of GS matter then?

Question for you does age matter? If yes, why? If no, what could an older leader do to identify with you as a young leader?

What does a servant leader look like?

2007-07-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about what a servant leader means. How do we know if our next leader is a servant leader? What qualities does a servant leader have?

Also, I talked with someone who asked what do the potential candidates stand for. Most people elected to positions of leadership are elected on a platform. We are electing a person not a platform. Do these people care about the poor? Church planting? Missions? Doctrine? Education? What do we need in our next leader?

My opinion is that we need a strong leader who has a clear desire to create a national strategic church planting policy and a reformation in the quality of our missions movement.

I want to see a leader who is not afraid to take some hits in order to restructure our organization for the next generation.

Thoughts on the Future Leadership

2007-07-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

When considering our future leader, I believe obvious extremes must be avoided. With such a short time frame for discussion and prayer, it would seem simplest to just elect a short-term leader who will maintain the movement until the next election. At the other extreme, we look to a young (just for the sake of appealing to the younger minister), innovative church leader who has little or no knowledge of the systems of leadership established in our movement.

For me, there are a few key things that I am looking for in our next leader.
First, he must be able to renew our focus on Biblical mandates, especially evangelism and discipleship. He must be able to communicate passionately about souls while being willing to have open dialogue concerning the current context of Pentecost. We must be willing to focus on the power of Pentecost as it relates to an ingathering of souls.

The second key for me is to find a leader who is willing to challenge our existing systems of leadership. In a time where resolutions are pushing for increasing the size of our general presbytery, we need a leader willing to look at new structures with true representation from innovative leaders regardless of their age. The people who surround our new leader are just as important as the leader himself.

Finally, I pray that our new leader will lead this journey with a servant’s heart and humble spirit. We are in unique days, and our fellowship must honor its past while embracing a missional approach to ministry. We must be able to reach out to the brokenness of our world with truth and hope without just sounding angry. The Gospel is powerful, so our message must be focused and clear.

I appreciate the opportunity to add to this discussion and look forward to the unfolding of God’s plan for our movement.

Michael Field
Position: Executive Director of Ministries for the North Carolina District; Former Sr. Pastor of United Faith Assembly of God in Charlotte, NC.
mfield@ncag.org

Ready for a Beating

2007-07-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

My partner in crime, Tory Farina, was talking to a well-known pastor today about the upcoming election. He said, “Whoever it is, he will have to be ready to take a beating!”

No matter how you feel about the leadership of the past, the truth is, it’s not an easy job. I’m sure it has its perks, but it certainly is not glamorous. The next leaders will have to be called and prepared to handle many difficult challenges. Theological questions, social troubles, generational divisions and many other important issues are all looming ahead. These leaders won’t be able to just sit back and offer suggestions on a blog or in a classroom. They will have to make very difficult decisions and navigate an entire fellowship through highly uncharted waters.

In reality all of these challenges are things that as ministers we will have to deal with in one-way or another. So the question is, “Are we better equipped to deal with these challenges individually or collectively?”

I honestly believe it will be the next generation of leaders who determine how we answer that question.

Questions/Characteristics

2007-07-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here's my thoughts about the future of the AG in relation to the election of the new executive team:

I'm 36 and am pretty sure that everyone my age wasn't around for the last change of Superintendent. NO ONE IN MY GENERATION IS FAMILIAR WITH THE WHOLE PROCESS! I also know that the choice of leadership will have a huge impact on the future that we walk into. If people don't know the process, will they show up to participate? Voting rights were made available to African Americans and Women in the U.S. but that didn't mean that they showed up to vote. The systemic structures were meant to communicate to the people who USED to vote. That's us. The bylaws now allow the licensed ministers to vote but the allowance may not equal participation. A very large percentage of the below 40 crowd are youth pastors who, if they are attending festivities in Indianapolis, will be working with the National Fine Arts competition. Why does this concern me? I guess its because the people most affected 10-15 years from now may not have a large voice in this decision unless someone, or some people, show up and VOTE.

When people do show up to vote, who do they vote for? What national figure will resonate with the next generation's preferable picture of the future?

I know there are several questions/characteristics I think we should look at:
1) Age: young doesn't mean better but the general consensus when hiring a church pastor is that the person will draw 10 years older and 10 years younger than the pastor's age-what age do we want the AG to draw from now and into the future?

2) Capacity to work with multiple generations while leading the movement to continually reach the young. A maverick will lose the wisdom of the older but a "safe", keep things as they are leader will lose the young.

3) Mission needs to be central in our thinking, rather than legacy. How will we reach America and the world is more important than: How do we keep what we've fought so hard to gain?.

4) Values: We need missional thinking leadership that embraces the paradigms necessary to win souls without dumping our theological values in the process.

5) A personal desire is to find leadership that thinks networking more than control of systems. Our systems will always have to change but our relationships are our strength. We need leadership that releases our ministers to build relationships of support and creativity, while having the guts to eliminate expectations that held our old networks together...

Throw some names out there. Let's not get insecure about the moment. Perhaps God is in your suggestion. He used lot casting in the New Testament, perhaps He'll use your suggestion on a blog.

Nate Ruch-
co-director, The Center for Youth and Leadership
www.youthandleadership.com
www.northcentral.edu

Who should we vote for?

2007-07-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

What Could be?
It is imperative that the young ministers in our fellowship be involved in this next choice as our national leader. Our movement is in need of fresh ideas and insights. We need a leader who can take this 100 year-old fellowship and turn it into a fast paced Web 2.0 concept community.

I think that in order for this to happen this general council needs to see a wave of fresh voters, those who might normally stay home or down at the Fine Arts competitions, show up and make a difference. Youth pastors, church planters, and young leaders have an opportunity to make their voice heard and help steer this ship into the next generation, but only if we show up to vote.

But who should we vote for?

I was talking to a pastor and church planter friend today from Dallas, TX. I was sharing with him the idea behind this blog and he asked me who I thought would be elected. I said there are a few names that seem to always come up and most of them have been in national positions quite a while.

But I said, “I wonder what it would look like if a young leader under 50 got elected? He said… “I don’t even know who could or would be available”… I threw out some young names and he said, “I have heard of them but I don’t know who they are.”

This vote is too important to vote out of ignorance. Our problem is that we are about to make a monumental vote without knowing all of our options. My concern is that we vote out of convenience and simply elect those who are already in Springfield and seem to have paid their dues to win.

What if we looked beyond Springfield at some of our fastest growing churches… young creative leaders… successful and enthusiastic people who could take us to a place we have never dreamed of as a fellowship? Those who care about the Assemblies of God and its tremendous heritage, but who are even more concerned about the mission of Jesus and reaching those who are lost.

I am so encouraged to see people like Scott Hodge from Illinois and Mark Batterson from Washington DC become known nationally as people who are doing exceptional and creative things for God. We need more national hero’s that are doing new and creative things.

I want to know who is out there that is worth bringing into the picture. Who are our young innovative leaders that could take us to new places?

Comment your ideas. Let’s hear some names. Whose bio should we post as a potential candidate?

Tory Farina- Lead Pastor- High Point Church
http://www.myhighpointchurch.com/

My prayers for this GC by Sam Farina

2007-07-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

You want the future of the Assemblies of God to be missional and not just mission sending, who is the leader you have prepared for this moment in the advancement of Your Kingdom?

You see the Assemblies of God’s future, You know what we should look like in ten years, Lead me in my nomination of a leader that can communicate, bring unity, and move us toward Your vision?

What preparation are You calling me to as I prepare for the future?

You have lead the Assemblies of God to great impact in the world through our mission sending AGWM, what spiritual, personal, and leader qualities do I need to see in the names I will nominate this GC?

Sam Farina- Evangalist and Coach
http://mycompasscoaching.com/
http://samfarina.com/

How it all Works

2007-07-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here is how it will work. When we arrive we will be asked to nominate someone for the position of general superintendent followed by the assistant general superintendent, general secretary, AG World Missions executive director and members of the Executive Presbytery. Any ordained minister can be nominated.

In the past this has been done by writing someone’s name down on a piece of paper, however, voting this year will be conducted electronically. This should speed up business considerably. For example, following an election results should be available in 10 minutes rather than the hour or more it has taken in the past.

With these changes, it is important that you register early. Go to www.ag.org and you can register online before August 3rd. If you miss that date make sure to register immediately upon arrival.

Voting will require: Registration, Voter ID Badge, Voter Guidebook

Voting delegates will receive a voting number on the back of their registration cards, which will give them access to the voting machine.

If one nominee receives two-thirds of the ballots cast by the delegates at the general council, a winner will be declared. That is what happened in 2001 and 2005 when Trask was re-elected.

If no one receives the two-thirds majority, the voting is limited to the top 15 vote-getters.

If that doesn't produce a winner, the field is cut to the top three.

Welcome

2007-07-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

As I am sure most of you are aware, Tom Trask announced his resignation last week effective as of the next General Council in just a few short weeks. I feel this is an important moment in the history of our fellowship. We have a rare opportunity to take our unique Pentecostal heritage into the next generation.

Many of us on the frontlines of ministry have been doing this already. Experimenting with new discipleship strategies, meeting venues, church models, and creative outreach to our cities. In order for this fellowship to survive it is vital that the leadership of the next generation recognize these efforts and do everything they can to structure the fellowship to support, encourage, and promote their continuation both in the US and around the world.

In order to ensure that the best leaders are chosen for this task, I think it is important that the emerging generation knows who they are. I grew up in the Assemblies of God and went to an AG bible college, but I’m not a PK or an MK so I am not as well “connected” as others may be. I am limited by my geography and my ability to interact with other ministers and missionaries who all have unique and important perspectives on the future of this movement.

So I have decided to start a blog where AG ministers can discuss some of the characteristics, experiences, and values needed in the next generation of AG leadership. There will be a number of authors who post along with me, but the real “meat” of the site will be in the comments section where any minister, from anywhere in the world, can offer their insight.

I was recently in Springfield and I asked the general secretary George Wood, “Why don’t we have a nomination process, so that people like me can take some time before general council to get to know 10 – 15 candidates?” His answer was that it would make the process to “political” and besides the “system hasn’t let us down yet.” Well, I honestly believe there is some truth in that, however, I visited the general council website today and looked at the preceding leadership conference. I was able to retrieve more information about each of the presenters than I will probably know about many of the top vote-getters in August.

Our churches don’t choose their pastors without extensive background checks, interviews, board meetings, and much prayerful consideration over each of the candidates. I don’t believe the leadership of the general council should be any different.

So I am proposing that as many ministers as possible use this sight as a “senior pastor search committee.” The first posts will be geared towards a general discussion on what the ideal persons would look like. Questions like, “What are the most important issues facing the AG in the next 5 – 10 years?” and “What abilities would the ideal candidate need to possess in order to navigate the AG during that time?”

Hopefully we will have time to narrow it down to some names as general council (very quickly) approaches.

I really do not want this to become a place for people to just vent frustrations or argue back and forth. As Mark McGuire so aptly put it before the congressional committee, “I’m not here to talk about the past, but about the future.”

It is my prayerful hope that this becomes a fruitful dialogue between ministry colleagues as well as a place where young ministers, who are not as familiar with the names and faces of the AG, can learn about some potential candidates and make educated decisions next month.