Wesley Report

Thursday Headlines and Links

Shane Raynor — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:22:33 -0500

News Headlines:

Designer Babies, No Male Required? - Baptist Press
Homeless Numbers Include More Families - CBN News
Church, Bible Students Fight Discrimination in Indonesia - Christian Post
Groups Unite Nationally Against Hate Crimes Bill - CBN News
U.S. Episcopal Head Opens Triennial Convention with 'Crisis' Talk - Christian Post
Well Known Christian Scientist Tapped to Head NIH - CBN News
British National Party Members Banned from Joining British Methodist Church - Ekklesia
UMNS Annual Conference Coverage: SW Texas, Pacific NW, New Mexico

Best of the Methodist Blogs:

Beyond Anger - Becca Clark
Telling Stories on Missions: Sharing Experiences with Congregations - Gavin Richardson
The Cost of Community - Dan R. Dick
Even Deeper Issues of United Methodist Renewal - David Livingston
Pleased to Meet You. Hope You Guess My Name. - John Meunier
It is Not a Shield, It is a Sword - Ryan Barnett

Other Commentary:

Facing a Calvinist Resurgence - Donald W. Haynes
Why I Stay in the UMC - Brian Vinson
The Roots of Social Justice - Chuck Colson
The 'Missionary' Label - Chris Foster
Knowing What We Don't Know - Robert Jensen
So You Say Your Friend is Gay - Jennifer Ashley
Overcoming Spiritual Boredom - S.J. Hill

How to Get a New Pastor Without Going to the Bishop

Shane Raynor — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:36:40 -0500

This article isn't written for those of you who have a personality conflict with your pastor. Get over it. Ditto with petty grievances like sermon length, leadership style or vestment choices. If those are your big issues, then maybe the person in the mirror needs to make some changes before we discuss changing the person in the pulpit.

With that disclaimer in mind, I'm going to present some practical ways you can help your church get a new pastor. I should probably take this opportunity to clarify that by "new pastor" I don't necessarily mean another individual, although occasionally that needs to happen. When you misuse a calling or an anointing, sometimes God needs to make some personnel changes. Just ask Saul and David. (On the other hand, maybe that isn't such a good idea with them being dead and all.)

Share the Gospel with your pastor. John Wesley experienced conversion after becoming a priest. How do you know if your pastor has a personal relationship with Jesus? First of all, look at the gospel they're preaching. Is it one with a foundation of repentance and faith in Jesus or one that emphasizes good works, political activism, social justice or {insert your own noun here} with no call for inner change? That's your first clue. Maybe your pastor has never experienced a real life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. But unless you've got a supernatural evangelism gift, you've got to build a long-term positive relationship with your pastor in order to earn the right to challenge them with that possibility. In the meantime, examine your own life to make sure you're in the faith, and bring conversations with your pastor back to Jesus whenever possible. Genuine faith is contagious. That "new pastor" you're wanting may be your old pastor after they've experienced a new birth!

Pray for your pastor. And no wimpy prayers, either. If your pastor is preaching a gospel that isn't compatible with orthodox, historical Christian teaching, ask God to change the situation. If you suspect that your pastor isn't a Christian, pray for their salvation. Pray for their health. Pray for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit and equipped with spiritual gifts and power to carry out their ministry. Pray that they'll be able to hear God. Pray for God to send angels to assist them and protect them from spiritual attack. If you feel that there is some kind of spiritual attack going on, confront and rebuke any evil spiritual forces you discern in the situation. Feel free to experiment to see what brings results, but don't go beyond God's leading. Also, make sure you confess and repent of any hidden sins in your own life before you attempt any type of spiritual warfare, and be prepared for some kind of spiritual backlash. It usually means you're doing something right.

Pray for God to raise up someone else. The hard truth is that sometimes people just aren't in the right place. Although God is really good at making lemonade out of lemons, our United Methodist appointment process isn't foolproof, and it needs your prayers as much as anything else in life! A longtime friend and pastor told me for years to "trust that the system will work." I do trust the system to work, but only with a lot of prayer! Without prayer by experienced intercessors, there's a real possibility that the appointment process could screw things up! Everything that happens is not God's will. The fact is, we have plenty of pastors who probably need to find a new line of work. Maybe it's going to take more prayer to help show them the door.

Find alternative ways to feed the flock. So what do you do when your church just got a knucklehead pastor who looks for every opportunity to discredit the Bible and destroy faith? This approach is controversial, but it can be highly effective. Simply find good Christian books, teaching CDs and DVD's, and begin sharing them with others in your church. Start your own prayer and Bible study group. I heard of a United Methodist pastor in Texas who banned Beth Moore (a popular Southern Baptist Bible teacher) in his church but the women of the congregation bought Beth Moore DVD's and had their own Bible study anyway. Don't buck pastoral authority lightly, however. Whether your pastor is right about something or not, God takes their position seriously and you need to as well. But you can't just sit back and and watch people starve spiritually. Methodists supposedly value "open minds", so pass around those books and audio teachings wthout having a guilty conscience. And if you want to remain "brand loyal", there are plenty of good, orthodox United Methodist writers and teachers. What you'll find when you do this is that the church's appetite for God's word will grow, and pressure will mount for your pastor to make some changes.

Church politics and "the system" aren't going away anytime soon. It's how we do things in United Methodism. Every church and denomination has a system for doing things, and most systems are strong in some areas and weaker in others. But we serve a God who is bigger than any system. He can work through systems or around them. In the United Methodist Church, there is a higher authority than the bishop and a higher court than the judicial council- God himself. Make no mistake, placing yourself under someone's pastoral authority is a big deal. Your pastor has a tremendous responsibility, and should be held accountable by you, your congregation, the D.S., the bishop, the church universal, and ultimately, by God. So if you feel that a pastoral change of any kind is necessary, pray and fast first to determine if you should take action... and how to approach the situation if you do. There's more than one way to skin a cat.

Wednesday Headlines and Links

Shane Raynor — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:57:16 -0500

News Headlines:

New Guidelines on Stem Cell Research Released - Christian Post
U.S. Catholic Bishops Blast New Stem Cell Guidelines - EWTN
Vietnam Government Training manual Spreads Suspicion of Protestantism - Christian Today
British Methodist Report: Church Must Repent for Climate Change Sins - Christian Today
British Methodist Church Elects New President and Vice President Designate - The Methodist Church of Great Britain

Best of the Methodist Blogs:

I'm Alive and Here Forever... - David Campton
Trying to Understand 6 Questions - John Meunier
Sexuality Resolution Not at Variance with Discipline, Bishop Rules - Joseph Slife
A Designer God - Aaron Bouwens

Other Commentary:

America's Cult of Celebrity - Ken Connor
How Rising Gas Prices Will Change Society - Newsweek
Evangelicalism's Terminal Generation - Al Mohler
Canada in Need of Very Small Canadians - Matthew Archbold
Calvinism as Heresy - Father Stephen
Does Global Christianity Equal American Christianity? - Mark Noll
Drinking from the Well of Academia - Jeremy Pierce

Tuesday Headlines and Links

Shane Raynor — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:42:01 -0500

News Headlines:

U.K. Anglicans Opt for Biblical Reform Over Split - Christian Post
Christian Groups Press for International Response to Honduras Crisis - Christian Post
Calvin Celebrations Kick Off in Geneva - Christian Today
Irish Rally to Keep Nation Abortion Free - EWTN
UMNS Annual Conference Coverage: Oklahoma Indian Missionary, Wisconsin, East Ohio, Baltimore-Washington

Best of the Methodist Blogs:

Politics and the Intelligence Factor - Allan R. Bevere
Pay Clergy Well, But Pay Fair - Chris Roberts
On Being Mad at God - Becca Clark
Junk Drawer Theology - Dan R. Dick
Obama in Africa - Larry Hollon
Seeing Communion Again for the First Time - Jeremy Smith
A Vacation from Technology? - Ken Carter

Other Commentary:

Roman Holiday for Turkish Converts? - Get Religion
God Isn't Gamey: My New Hot Button - Michael Spencer
On the Premature Judgment of Sarah Palin - Matthew Lee Anderson

Monday Headlines and Links

Shane Raynor — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:09:30 -0500

News Headlines:

United Methodists in Nepal Appeal for Prayer As Christians There Face Intimidation - GBGM
Connectional Table Sets Priorities to 2012 - UM Reporter
Newly Elected UCC President Says 'Big Bleed is Over' - Christian Post
At Meeting, NEA Declines to Remain Neutral on Abortion - Baptist Press
Warren Urges Muslims, Christians to Work Together - CBN News
World's Oldest Bible Published in Full Online - Christian Today
Albanian United Methodists Get First Native Born Pastor and First Hymnal - GBGM
Rocky Mountain Annual Conference Coverage - UMNS

Best of the Methodist Blogs:

Cranky Christians - Dan R. Dick
What We Have Here is a Failure to Indoctrinate - John Meunier
Sealed in the Spirit - Alan Swartz
Africa Land Grab - Larry Hollon
Ministry of the Word - Ryan Barnett
Table Fellowship - David Campton
How About Getting Rid of Some Seminaries? - John Wesley Slider
Sacraments in Cyberspace - Matt Kelley
Sex in the Seminary, or, What is the Point of a Seminary Education? - Wilson Pruitt

Other Commentary:

Why Do the New Calvinists Insist on Complementarianism? - Kevin DeYoung
Your Suffering Does Not Just Belong to You - Tim Challies

Rules for the Society

Shane Raynor — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:12:40 -0500

The return of my brother’s illness obliged me again to hasten to London. In the evening I found him at James Hutton’s, better as to his health than I expected; but strongly averse from what he called “the new faith.” This evening our little society began, which afterwards met in Fetter-Lane. Our fundamental rules were as follow: —
IN obedience to the command of God by St. James, and by the advice of Peter Bohler, it is agreed by us,
1. That we will meet together once a week to “confess our faults one to another, and pray one for another, that we may be healed.”
2. That the persons so meeting be divided into several bands, or little companies, none of them consisting of fewer than five, or more than ten persons.
3. That every one in order speak as freely, plainly, and concisely as he can, the real state of his heart, with his several temptations and deliverances, since the last time of meeting.
4. That all the bands have a conference at eight every Wednesday evening, begun and ended with singing and prayer.
5. That any who desire to be admitted into this society be asked, “What are your reasons for desiring this? Will you be entirely open; using no kind of reserve? Have you any objection to any of our orders?” (which may then be read.)
6. That when any new member is proposed, every one present speak clearly and freely whatever objection he has to him.
7. That those against whom no reasonable objection appears, be, in order for their trial, formed into one or more distinct bands, and some person agreed on to assist them.
8. That after two months’ trial, if no objection then appears, they may be admitted into the society.
9. That every fourth Saturday be observed as a day of general intercession.
10. That on the Sunday seven-night following be a general love-feast, from seven till ten in the evening.
11. That no particular member be allowed to act in any thing contrary to any order of the society: And that if any persons, after being thrice admonished, do not conform thereto, they be not any longer esteemed as members.

John Wesley's Journal Monday May 1, 1738

Sleeping in a Spiritual Grave

Shane Raynor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:13:50 -0500

We frequently keep back from our hearers the very portions that honest Nathan or blunt John the Baptist would have particularly enforced. The taste of many is perverted; they "loathe the manna of the word," not because it is light, but heavy food. They must have "savoury meat, such as their soul loveth;" and we "hunt for venison," we minister to their spiritual luxury, and feast with them on our doctrinal refinements. Hence "many are weak and sickly among us." Some that might be "fat and well-liking, cry out, My leanness! My leanness!" And "many sleep" in a spiritual grave, the easy prey of corruption and sin.

John William Fletcher's Second Check to Antinomianism, Letter 3

John William Fletcher was one of Methodism's first great theologians. He traveled with John Wesley and frequently preached with him. Each Friday I present a short passage from his published works.