June 24, 2012

"The soul of man, says Matthew Arnold, is a mirror suspended on a cord, turning in every breeze, always reflecting what is before it but never reflecting more than a small part of the whole. The size of the mirror varies from man to man, but no one is able to comprehend the vast panorama that lies before and around us. The mental giant has a large mirror, to be sure, but even the largest is pathetically small. As long as we know that our view of truth is partial we can preserve that humbleness of mind appropriate to the circumstances; but let us once get the notion that our view is total and we become intellectually intolerant. Let us become convinced that ours is the only sensible view and our ability to learn dies instantly.... Unity among Christians will not, in my opinion, be achieved short of the Second Advent. There are too many factors working against it. But a greater degree of unity might be realized if we all approached the truth with deeper humility. No one knows everything, not saint nor scholar nor theologian."
 ~ "Our Imperfect View of Truth," by A.W. Tozer
 
IN THIS ISSUE
Ministry: The Sanctuary as a Metaphor for Ministry
Reading: Is American Christianity juvenilized?
Quotes: "All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time."
Resources: Summary of state laws about child abuse reporting
THE SANCTUARY AS A METAPHOR FOR MINISTRY
by Landon Schnabel

We Adventists are proud of our distinctive sanctuary doctrine and actively proclaim its theological significance. The sanctuary, in short, is understood as where God works on behalf of and relates with His creatures. We believe that Jesus ministers in the heavenly sanctuary. We also believe the Holy Spirit works in the church, which is God's dwelling place on earth, a "type" of the Kingdom of Heaven anticipating the time when Christ's work in the heavenly sanctuary is complete. The purpose of the Spirit-filled church is to continue Christ's revelation of God's love to an unjust world. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, Paul says that the church, the body of Christ, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, a word that is sometimes translated as sanctuary instead of temple-for example, Young's Literal Translation: "Have ye not known that ye are a sanctuary of God, and the Spirit of God doth dwell in you?"

Other Christians have also used the sanctuary as a metaphor for Christian action. In the early 1980's a Sanctuary Movement sought to provide a safe haven and political asylum for Central American refugees escaping civil conflict. 500 churches and synagogues throughout the United States declared themselves "sanctuaries" for refugees, providing shelter, basic goods and legal services. A New Sanctuary Movement has recently taken root and, according to their Facebook page, they are "called by [their] faith to respond actively and publicly to the suffering of [their] immigrant brothers and sisters residing in the United States."

Not every church is ready for something as controversial as political sanctuary for immigrants. Yet because we Seventh-day Adventists are so intimately connected with the sanctuary, it could be more to us than a theological idea. Faith without works is dead, and so is doctrine without action. A church that does not act as a sanctuary for at least its members is just another building. God has called his people to be a conduit of his love to the world. Our doctrine of the sanctuary could be the impetus for community action. Perhaps our churches could become part- or full-time sanctuaries for:

* victims of IPV (intimate partner violence)
* people without a home
* children in need of positive role models
* busy executives in need of an hour of peace
* lonely and socially outcast people in need of caring social interaction
* addicted people in need of respite and help

While many denominations ignore the Sabbath, God's sanctuary in time, relegating it to an abstract symbol for future peace, we live out our belief in the Sabbath. Maybe we should do the same with our sanctuary doctrine.

Have you thought about how the sanctuary could be something more than a doctrine for your congregation? Is your congregation a sanctuary?
Talk about it on our Facebook page. 

 

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Landon Schnabel is a graduate of Walla Walla University and is currently enrolled in the MDiv program at Andrews University in affiliation with the Upper Columbia Conference.  

 

  SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING

As a pastor's daughter, I was keenly aware of the role that money played in a vibrant Church. It made a worshipful atmosphere possible, enhanced the worship service through use of fine instruments, allowed community interaction, and paid for extras such as a church picnic we all enjoyed. True, money isn't everything. But to a pastor who is faced with the need to build a new church, renovate a church school, pay off old debts or boost a lagging church budget income, money means a great deal. Few pastors ever have the opportunity to learn what works today in fundraising-- the tested and true best practices, and how to mobilize church and community for action in raising funds.  

 

This column is a response to the steadily increasing numbers of Seventh-day Adventist pastors and their teams who understand that "we've always done it that way" is an adage that no longer works and who look for more successful ways to raise money. Much has changed from the simpler times when giving to churches and their programs was taken for granted, as in my father's day, when members could be counted on to give because "God said so," and when there was less competition both for the spiritual as well as material attention of our constituents. So perhaps now our attention has to turn to "we've never done it that way before!"

 

Philanthropic Service for Institutions (PSI) was created to address those changes and help institutions move forward in financially responsible ways that are crucial in today's environment. As the North America Division's (NAD) internal consulting department, PSI is a gateway to services for pastors and churches as well. It provides a free consulting service to its member institutions and leaders. Thanks to an ever-increasing number of pastors and church leaders who want to raise funds in the most successful ways possible, fundraising principles have been adapted to be suitable for churches and schools. In this bi-monthly column we will address issues and problems with positive answers, as well as refer you to additional resources available through PSI. Pastors with successful fundraising experiences will be invited to share their expertise alongside of experts in faith-based fundraising.

 

Please peruse the PSI website, www.philanthropicservice.com, and become acquainted with us and our services. And we look forward to communicating with you through this column and your responses to it, as well as reactions in the form of questions and requests for information. Money isn't everything, but it certainly plays a major role in a well-functioning church and its programs, and we want to help you in as positive and productive way as possible.

Please contact PSI personnel at: 301-680-6133
READING FOR PASTORS
Powerful piece from CT: Is American Christianity juvenilized? Quote: "Beginning in the 1930s and '40s, Christian teenagers and youth leaders staged a quiet revolution in American church life that led to what can properly be called the juvenilization of American Christianity. Juvenilization is the process by which the religious beliefs, practices, and developmental characteristics of adolescents become accepted as appropriate for adults. It began with the praiseworthy goal of adapting the faith to appeal to the young, which in fact revitalized American Christianity. But it has sometimes ended with both youth and adults embracing immature versions of the faith."

Are states cracking down on abuse reporting?
The Jerry Sandusky case is already causing stepped-up enforcement in Pennsylvania - and that includes churches.

Christian writer/pastor John Piper on homosexuality. Quote: "We should never deal with sexual attraction in the abstract. It is always entangled with other facets of our soul, that may, at first glance seem disconnected from our sexual drives." Agree or disagree?



Do you have a big pastoral ego? It can be a stumbling block for effective leadership. Quote: "The combination of false pride and self-doubt created by an overactive ego gives people a distorted image of their own importance. When that happens, people see themselves as the center of the universe and they begin to put their own agenda, safety, status, and gratification ahead of those affected by their thoughts and actions."

I thought these were pretty powerful: four myths attacking the church. Note myth #2: "If you really want to reach people-boomers, GenX'ers, post-moderns-you need a more sophisticated hook than the Word of God." Quote: "These myths, tragically posing as the ministry of Christ, claim the Word is not sufficient nor sophisticated. And tragically, when they fail, people feel the Lord has failed them, when He has not been truly involved at all."


Also, a great giving illustration from Jeff's book Plastic Donuts

From Ed Stetzer's blog, the unfortunate link between cultural castigation and pitiful preaching. Quote: "When the points of a pastor's sermon evoke scorn and mockery of those with which they disagree, they've abandoned core principles of preaching and teaching-- biblical fidelity, grace, forgiveness, and compassion. What's needed? Preaching what the Bible says, not what you are angry about."
.
TO THE POINT: LEADERSHIP
Ours is the care of service - His is the care of success. "The Lord of the harvest "must determine, when, and what, and where the harvest shall be.
~Charles Bridges

Example is not the main thing in influencing others ... it is the only thing.
~
Albert Schweitzer 

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.  

~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
~Dwight D. Eisenhower
   

 

To lead people, walk beside them ... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate ... When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves!
 ~Lao Tzu
 


Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
~Steve Jobs

The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.
~Jim Rohn

All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.
~John Kenneth Galbraith

If a rhinoceros were to enter this restaurant now, there is no denying he would have great power here. But I should be the first to rise and assure him that he had no authority whatever.
~G.K. Chesterton



IDEAS, EVENTS, RESOURCES, ANNOUNCEMENTS

This is the week to play the Shawn Boonstra Evangelism Offering appeal. By now you should have received the DVD in the mail. If not you can click to download the English or Spanish video.  

 

I recommend you go through this with your leadership team or staff: A fairly recent summary of all state laws concerning mandatory reporting by clergy about child abuse and neglect.    

 

Free eGracenotes mobile app - get all the resources from eGracenotes on your phone. 

 

Don't forget the Andrews University Leadership Conference, July 20-23, 2012. Keynote address by Richard Blackaby, followed by a series of pre-conference workshops on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Session keynote speaker, Sunday 7 PM, will be Daniel Goleman, the of Emotional Intelligence, with more than 5 million copies sold in 40 languages. For more information call the Leadership Department at 269-471-6580, or go to www.andrews.edu/grad.

 

Just a reminder that there's been an update at PlusLine: Now you can visit just one site to find the resources and information you need for your ministry. PlusLine has moved under the AdventSource website umbrella, providing you with a true one-stop destination for ministry. The information you are used to finding on PlusLine is now available on AdventSource's website and can accessed at www.plusline.org or by going to www.adventsource.org and clicking on the PlusLine tab. Event registration has also moved to the AdventSource website.  

Best Practices for Adventist Ministry is published by NAD Ministerial. Editor:Loren Seibold . Managing Editor:  Dave Gemmell. Copyright 2012 North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. v(301) 680-6418