A THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL MAY 2014

Turning Sixty, The End of An Era and

A New Opportunity

WHY LEADERSHIP IS IMPORTANT

Bible Study Reinvented

I Am Not Excited

Before You Preach

Five Mistakes That Can Hurt Your

Ministry

What If You Could Own and Operate Your Own Television Station

Paperless Preaching

Do You Need To Stay Abreast With Current Theological Trends

04 Bible Study Reinvented

06 Turning Sixty, The End of An Era and A New Opportunity

08 I Am Not Excited

10 Five Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Ministry

12 Paperless Preaching

14 Before You Preach

16 Do You Need To Stay Abreast With Current Theological Trends

18 What If You Could Own and Operate Your Own Television Station

20 Why Leadership is Important

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Bible StudyReinvented

By Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.

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Like many pastors, I have wrestled with how to keep our mid-week Bible Study attractive and engaging so that the members of the church will remain supportive. I have found over the years that our members would surge with support, but after a few months the numbers would dwindle back to the gathering of the faithful few. It has become apparent to me that our Bible Study needed a major over-haul and literally needed to be “re-invented”.

Most churches usually swing back and forth from being an attempt to create an actual academic experience to being an occasion for a second worship service during the week. I came to the conclusion that our Bible Study needed to be far more interactive than it had been in the past. While I personally enjoyed standing before the class and lecturing for the better part of the hour, I recognized that while what I was giving was informative, it did not necessarily provide the attendee what they need for the rest of the week.

Consequently, I recently made the decision to forgo the traditional approach to Bible Study, which consisted of me lecturing and my class listening, in favor of creating a forum and atmosphere where the students felt free to offer their own perspectives and opinions on the topic that we were discussing. I re-formatted our weekly Bible Study to include a brief 12-15 minute presentation by myself, leaving the rest of the time for the students to answer prepared questions that encouraged them to engage the other students in conversation.

Now comes the twist, in addition to the presentation that I do, we also recently relocated our class to one of our media rooms where we have a large screen TV that is attached to a small computer which allows us to Skype and webinar special guest into the class setting in real time. In the past few weeks we have had appearances from Bishop Joseph Walker, Presiding Bishop Elect of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, Bishop Dennis Golphin,

CEO of the Living in Favor Global Network out of Raleigh, North Carolina, Rev. Ronald Grant, President of the Empire Baptist Missionary Convention and Rev Shannell, Associate Minister of the Second Baptist Church of Catskill, NY.

The participation of “video guests” allows our students to come in contact with individuals who they would perhaps never encounter on their own. From a practical point of view, it also is a great benefit to bring top notch presenters to the groups without having to incur the cost of a plane ticket, hotel and food for guest to come from far away and distant places. Future weeks promises to have a number of additional guests who will discuss topics such as Evangelism, Biblical Scholarship, Church Leadership and so much more.

Churches interested in creating this benefit for the church only requires the acquisition of a large screen television, the size depends upon the size of the room that you will be using. Typically, you would want to have a television set that is at least 46 inches in size. Most current televisions will come with an “HDMI” port, which will be important for your Bible Video Conferencing. Next, you will want to have a desktop or laptop computer available so that you can display what you have on your computer screen to the students in the classroom. You actually can use an iPad, just remember to purchase the special converter that will attach your ipad to an HDMI cable. Most other “android” tablets come equipped with an HDMI port.

With your computer/tablet connected to your large screen TV and the internet you can now Skype to any number of persons from around the country. Better yet, you can use your browser to go to any number of webinar website and invite your presenter to serve as the presenter of the webinar. The combination of interactivity and technology makes for a powerful experience that your students will remember and enjoy.

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TURNING SIXTY, The End of An Era and A New OpportunityBy Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.

invaded America and was horrified when I heard that Malcolm X had been killed less than 30 miles from where I lived.

As a child I remember Dr. Martin Luther King visiting our home and speaking at our church. My early definition of preachers included images of Sandy F. Ray, Caesar Clark and C. L. Franklin. I was what was called back then an “integration baby” having been the first African American child to attend PS #1 Elementary School in Lawrence, NY. At 18, had decided that I would burn my draft card and refuse to go to fight in Viet Nam. I was strongly influenced by the Black Panthers, The Black Muslims and the Black Church. I sang in the choir, ushered at the door, attended Sunday School and BTU but when I graduated from high school I vowed that I would never enter a church again.

I was “re-converted” in college and was proud call myself an educated preacher after seminary. I have watched preachers change titles from “Rev.” to “Doctor”, to “Pastor”

In the year 1954, Abdul Nassar became the president of Egypt, the Geneva Convention which led to the international rules of modern warfare and the country of Algeria sought its independence from France. In 1954, Joseph McCarthy was condemned by the United States Senate for misconduct and the federal case of Brown vs the Board of Education started the process of desegregation. In 1954, Dwight David Eisenhower was the president with Richard Milhouse Nixon serving as his vice president. In 1954, life expectancy was 69.6 years, unemployment was 2.9% and a first class stamp only cost 3 cents.

1954 was the year that I was born and needless to say much has changed over the last 60 years. This month I will be celebrating my 60th birthday and so it is for me an ideal time to reflect upon the many things that have happened over the course of my life. My earliest recollection of music included Chubby Checker, who recently released a gospel song, and the Temptations. I was at an impressionable age when the Beatles

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to now “Bishop”. I have watched church conventions dwindle and church conferences and fellowships rise. I have listened to anthems and hymn only to see the replaced by praise music, gospel rap and liturgical dance. I remember thinking that 50 was old and now I pause to acknowledge that I am 10 years beyond that point.

I am not saying that any of the things that I have listed is good or bad, they simply represent the things that I have been blessed to see over the last half century. While preparing this article I learned that Rev. A. Louis Patterson had passed. I remember looking forward to hearing him at the National Congress of Christian Education of the National Baptist Convention when I was labelled a young preacher. A little later I would join hundred that would pack the sanctuary of Columbus, Ohio churches to hear him during the Annual Simultaneous Revival. With the passing of Rev. Patterson, I recognize that I as witnessing the end of an era. The church that I knew as a child no longer exists and those who insists on trying to hold onto the past are seeing smaller crowds and less enthusiasm and passion in their pews.

In my early years the church swung from being a refuge from the harsh socio-political realities of America to the leading voice of change and call for justice. There was a time when church attendance and support was expected, now I watch as the most ardent supporters of the past consider it the “new norm” to attend church maybe once or twice a month only.

But lest I sound critical and depressed, let me hasten to say that I today as being one of the most exciting times to do ministry in the last 2000 years. Despite what might sound like dread, I want to confirm that the

tools for ministry that we have available to us today could only have been dreamed about in past years.

I get up every morning and check my email and invariably my email box is filled with messages from my members that I am able to respond to much quicker than I would have ever been able to do in the age of the rotary telephone. I next go on my Facebook page and that of my church on Long Island and my church in New York City. From the comments and postings I get a feel for what our people have on their minds which makes my sermon preparation more pointed and relevant to the needs of the actual congregation rather than the need of what I want to preach. I then take my iPad and check out our ministry website which allows me to review video highlights and post my own thoughts of the day or week on a blog-page for members and friends to read at their leisure.

Around mid afternoon, I complete a Bible Study lesson that I can convert to powerpoint and ready for presentation the following Monday or Wednesday or use as the basis for an online webinar that can be shared with people who do not have the means or ability to attend a traditional Bible Study. I round out the day with a few Skype calls around the country and virtual meetings that allows me to share my thoughts and glean thoughts from leading figures in the country who I normally would not have access to.

Yes, on the occasion of my 60th birthday I recognize that so much has changed, but I also recognize that we have the ability to do so much more for the kingdom. I am 60 years old this month and I have never felt better. I am excited about what lies ahead for myself and the ministry that God has blessed me to lead.

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I Am Not EXCITEDBy Pastor Robert Houston

Let's look at it. In order to be a participating member, the average convention will ask for at least $1,000 of annual representation. However, to get to the convention, with airfare ridiculously high and hotels that are making major profits for a room that, if you go to the convention to be active as a delegate you won't spend more than 8 hours in the room. If the room is $200 per night, that means you are paying $25 per hour to stay in that said room (8 hours) - or consider it like this - you are paying the hotelier $8.50 per hour NOT to stay in your room.

Airfares are ridiculously high. All of the national conventions are losing members in the Western United States because of the $500-$800 round trip airfare to fly from Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Orange County, etc. to go to the Midwest and Southern United States where most of our national meetings are held.

Many pastors struggle with asking a congregation to send them to the convention under these uncertain financial times. In this age of technology, is there really a need for a "Board Meeting?" In these times, is it really necessary to conduct business like we're stuck in 1915. Why do we need a board of over 50 people to decide the work of a convention? Why is it that when you come to a convention you'll hear either preachers who are not affiliated with your convention (which means there is a loss of support) or it's the same one or two preachers who preach every year?

I told a joke once about a Board Meeting where a national president was presiding to make out a program. He said, "XYZ, do you want to preach?" the minister responded: "Yes sir, brother president." "ABC, do you want to preach?" the minister

In the history of African-American baptists this is the closest thing to a Super Bowl - the changing of the guard in all four major conventions within a short period of time.

This year, there are contested elections in the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. International. Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. will be electing a new chieftain, apparently without any opposition. And the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America will soon begin their process of elections within the next few months.

I should be giddy; I should be interested and involved; I should be watching with great interest.

So, why aren't I excited?

I've come to the conclusion that the paradigm of our National Conventions are in great need of prayerful examination. Little has changed since the historic NBC/NBCA split of 1915. Basically the same structures are in place: There are women missionary unions (which are dying all over the country in favor of "women ministries" or localized names for ministries for the women); Most churches have some type of men's work, but on a national level, it's dying. Oddly, the largest auxiliaries in most of our churches, music ministry, are largely ignored in most of the conventions.

In most of the conventions, the Presidency is held by, what I believe, are godly men who love the Lord. However, they are shepherding conventions that are not stuck because of the infusion of new leadership, they are stuck because the constituency is just not there.

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responded: "Yes sir, brother president." "DEF, do you want to preach?" the minister responded: "Yes sir, brother president." All right, we have made out our program, the Lord is pleased.

I'm not sure.

What has happened to our conventions? I think we need to look at a few things:

a. Conferences are killing the conventions. Whether it's a preaching conference or a family conference (i.e., MegaFest) - they are now being populated by the same folk that used to go to National Baptist Conventions. I went to the Pastors' Conference sponsored by Bishop T.D. Jakes, and I ran into so many PNBC, NMBCA, NBCA, and NBCUSA pastors, that I've served with for years. The same is to be said of the preaching conferences that EQUIP pastors to do their most vital task - preach the word.

b. Conventions are no longer THE PLACE to hear great, challenging preaching. Before the advent of YouTube, you HAD TO go to the Conventions to hear the best in black preaching. Very few ministers were on or could afford national TV exposure in that day - so if you wanted to hear Caeser A.W. Clark, E.K. Bailey, E. Edward Jones, Stephen Thurston, Melvin Wade, P.S. Wilkerson, John H. Jackson, Gardner Taylor, and others - you had to go to the Conventions. But now, I can hear Freddie Haynes in the privacy of my church office. I can hear Paul Sylvester Morton while I'm flying on an airplane. I can hear Charles Booth via CD or DVD. Our greatest preachers are not being heard when you come to the Convention. Why is that???

c. Conventions are burning out those who support it. I've been in conventions since my pastor, the late Dr. A. Bernard Devers, MADE ME go to the Convention and I went to NBCA meetings in Denver and San Francisco. I've had the privilege of working on the staff of several national presidents and conventions. Even on a conference or two. But you begin to notice something: the workers aren't coming back. When I grew up in NBCA, the Secretaries served for 20, 30, 40 years. The staff rarely, if ever, changed. Younger pastors manned the Secretary tables or were brought along and mentored in areas of the convention that interested them. But now, there is such a change because new presidents supply new staffers - and the old staffers stay home.

d. This is going to be painful - but we don't need all of these Conventions and Congresses. We really don't. We have, as of this writing, four major Black African-American Baptist Conventions, not counting those who are in Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, the Global United Fellowship, Free Will Baptists, etc. We are stretched way too thin. By the time you have a District Association and Congress/Institute, a State Convention and Congress/Institute, a Regional Convention and Congress/Institute, a National Convention and Congress/Institute - you have financially tapped out your resources by giving to EIGHT DIFFERENT GROUPS. Most churches are cutting back or eliminating their participation not because they don't recognize the historical significance of the convention, but literally the toll financially is too high.

e. The Presidential elections are depressing instead of exciting. I was from an era when Presidents rarely changed. It

provided stability. However, there is, in my opinion, a spirit of rebellion that has permeated our elections. If Candidate A wins, Candidate B and all of his people stop supporting. It's like winning a boxing match, but you lose some of your teeth and your eye. You can still function, but not look you could have. The personal attacks on leaders is so out of bounds. Run for the office, not trying to kill the person in office with slander and innuendo. A few years ago, I was holding office in a convention and remarks were made that, frankly, insulted me and were trying to embarrass me. I did as the Bible said, went to the person who said it, and then at the next session, it happened again. I resigned - because my integrity is more important that my position in a convention. This era of suggestion, innuendo . . . The Tea Party could be given a run for it's money by how we conduct elections. Someone once said it takes about $100,000.00 to run for President of a convention. I don't mind an election, as long as we remember that we're brothers and sisters from the same cloth.

So what can be done to engender my enthusiasm or the enthusiasm of those like me? I'm not sure. But in economic times like these, some consolidation should be on the table. The world will not end if a Board Meeting were cancelled. The world would not end if two conventions could reunite (my personal plea for this would be the National Baptist Convention of America and National Missionary Baptist Convention). The world will not end if we pooled our resources for a named objective (i.e., Resurrection of Bishop College). The world will not end if we could look at the dias and see Vice Presidents or Presidents under 60 years old or General Secretaries in their 30s and 40s. The world will not end if we took advantage of the rapidly changing technologies and instead of going to the convention, let the convention come to you.

The world will not end if all of the conventions gave directly to Lott Carey and let that group manage our monies for missions. The world will not end if a Board of Directors were only 7 people strong instead of 100 people weak. The world will not end if the Pastor's Conference went from preaching at me to teaching me techniques of how to preach when I get home. The world not end if we stop the parade of vendors who tell trinkets and bring in vendors who sell resources.

The world will not end if the Conventions went regionals and held group meetings every 2 or 4 years nationally. The world will not end if the Convention elected a Chief Operating Officer or some one well versed in Administration to run the conventions between meetings. The world will not end if a Convention made a bold move and held its annual session or board meeting on a cruise ship . The world would not end if it was completely electronic and we dispensed with the lanyards in favor of wrist bands. The world will not end if the President doesn't speak every year. The world will not end if the Convention reached out to the West Coast and the Northeast Coast, instead of ignoring them. The world will not end if the Convention hired several psychologists and counselors and created a "safe space" for pastors and/or their wives to go for some type of private counseling.

Oh well, I could dream . . .

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Five Mistakes That Can Hurt Your MinistryBy Dr. Tim Spivey

The single most important thing great companies did that good companies didn’t was make superb people decisions.”

That was from Jim Collins at the Catalyst West conference last year. Collins is one of my favorites…OK, my favorite, author on leadership from a business perspective. The research his team has done over the years has changed even the everyday language of leadership for many.

While not everything Collins says from a business perspective should be used in churches, that statement can.

At a strategic level, nothing matters more than using good judgment in people decisions.

So, I’ve compiled a list of five huge staffing mistakes either I or people I know have made. Avoiding these will help your church immensely:

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1. Hiring close friends or family–just because they are friends or family.

Of course it’s good to work with people you love. However, hiring someone on that basis alone is a recipe for problems. Some churches hire people they know and love who simply need a job or who grew up at the church. In addition, they often lack the personal differentiation to hold that friend accountable or to transition them out if the fit isn’t good.

One giveaway that a church is in this cycle is to see how many “rehires” they’ve done. How many people who left the church staff for some reason are rehired later?

If this happens much at all, you have a nepotistic family system at play, not a healthy church hiring process.

Go ahead and hire friends and family if:

1) They are actually the best for the position

2) You are completely committed to doing what’s best for the church as it pertains to them…even if it means their departure.

Don’t use the church’s money to help a brother out. Use it to help the Kingdom advance.

2. “Swifting.”

The reference here is to love life of one Taylor Swift. This track-record of quick break-ups is more

commonly instigated by church Boards than Senior Pastors, in my experience.

You’ve seen “Swifting” in churches where there is a new minister every

eighteen months.

High turnover churches usually

mean one of two things–and

usually both: 1) Poor hiring practices, and 2) Power issues.

If you are looking for a place to serve, be very cautious in considering a church with high record of turnover.

I know of a church that had three Senior Pastors in the same year. They also blamed each of those three for the transition based on “wanting a new direction.” They are right…they need a new direction. They can start by taking responsibility for either poor hiring or a quick trigger finger in personnel matters–or both.

3. The slow trigger.

Here we have the church that cannot hold people accountable or transition them out when they need to. This leads to ministry mediocrity over many years, and having even one of these can seriously impact your church.

How do we know when it’s time to release someone?

If they demonstrate a lack of effort or ability to improve their character, competency, or chemistry on the team–over a six month period.

If they are trying, I might go a year. If they won’t try, I might not even wait six months–provided they knew what the church expected from them and I was coaching them along the way.

Allowing people to languish does no one any favors.

4. Settling.

There might be times when a church should hire someone to fill a spot that really needs attention immediately. I just can’t think of one.

Don’t hire someone who can fill a necessary role quickly, unless they are the best person to fill it permanently. The one exception is interim hiring in which everyone understands it’s interim.

Don’t settle.

5. Handcuffing your ataff.

Don’t hire people if you don’t plan to make virtually every resource you can available to them. Care for them spiritually, and be generous in budgeting for their areas of ministry.

If you’ve hired good people, they won’t waste it. They will multiply its impact.

True story: I have a friend who is a highly capable Youth Minister. He was hired to work with a Youth Ministry of roughly twenty students. The church, which had plenty of money at the time (very important), allowed him only a whopping $200 Youth Ministry budget–total. Just as exciting for him, conference attendance was considered vacation time. It took him all of six months to figure out his hands were tied and he couldn’t deliver what they had asked him to–and he didn’t want to be there long-term. The church rehired the position, and that minister was gone in a year, as well.

If you’re going to spend the money on a staff position–give them the tools. Or, expect a lot less. But, who wants to hire someone will low expectations. If you don’t have enough money to resource the position you are hiring, you can’t afford the position. If you have the money, use it to equip the substantial investment you’ve made in position. It’s a worthwhile investment of God’s resources.

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PAPERLESS PREACHINGBy Bruce Salmon

It's a high wire act, one of which OSHA would not approve — preaching without notes. Only the most extraordinarily gifted speaker can pull it off, or so I used to think. Find out why.

It’s a high wire act, one of which OSHA would not approve—preaching without notes. Only the most extraordinarily gifted speaker can pull it off, or so I used to think.

During his State of the Union Address, President Clinton began his speech reading from the Teleprompter. Suddenly, instead of the current address, the words before his eyes were from the State of the Union speech from the previous year. With remarkable aplomb and rhetorical dexterity, the president kept right on going with his intended speech, ignoring the Teleprompter and speaking extemporaneously until the right words reappeared once again. Most in the audience of millions did not realize that anything had gone wrong.

Most preachers do not have the advantage of Teleprompters, technical glitches notwithstanding. We cannot feign eye contact with our listeners while reading our sermons. Either we must bob our heads up and down between our notes and the congregation, or we must rely on our sometimes untrustworthy memories.

When I began preaching, I wrote out my sermons in full. I retyped them on half sheets of paper for pulpit use, adding spaces between the sentences and underlining key words for emphasis. I knew it was poor form to read the sermon word for word, but I lacked the confidence to “wing it.” I prepared myself by reading the manuscript over and over, just short of memorizing it. My intent was to become so familiar with the sermon that I did not have to read it. Still, I wanted the manuscript there, just in case.

For less formal presentations, I developed an abbreviated form of sermon notes, with key phrases written out. Even with abbreviated notes, I felt tied to that piece of paper. My gestures and manner of delivery were often stilted and uncomfortable.

Several years ago our church began to offer an early service on Sunday mornings, decidedly different from the traditional 11:00 a.m. fare. We designed it to be informal and contemporary, with praise music accompanied by a synthesizer, instead of the usual music of hymns, choir,

and organ. We encouraged worshipers to come in more casual attire. I wore a sweater instead of a suit and tie, and I preached from the floor instead of standing behind the pulpit. Needless to say, for one who had always relied on sermon notes, this new manner of preaching was more than a little intimidating. Nonetheless, I was determined to give it a try.

Since a full manuscript was no longer practical, I reduced my sermon notes to one page, folded in half. I reverted to my abbreviated sermon note form, using key words and phrases instead of whole sentences. Still, this method required that I have something in my hand while preaching, since I wanted to get away from any type of lectern. I tried clipping my sermon notes to my Bible, but that proved cumbersome. I tried folding them into an even less conspicuous form, like a note card. Yet, the real problem was having any notes at all, however unobtrusive.

As long as I had them, I would refer to them. It was not an ideal solution, but I lacked the courage to go au naturel. The idea of standing there without any notes at all and delivering a sermon was about as appealing as preaching in my pajamas. (And what preacher hasn’t had that nightmare, or worse!)

What if I should suffer a memory lapse? What if I should lose my train of thought and blank out completely? There were other hesitations. I try to craft my sermons carefully each week. I do extensive background research in order to understand the biblical text and to interpret it in a contemporary idiom. I work to express my thoughts as clearly as possible, using fresh, colorful, succinct, descriptive language. In short, I still write out my sermons in full, whether or not I take that manuscript with me into the pulpit. Could I reproduce that effort without notes?

I don’t know that I would have ever tried to preach without notes had it not been for a mental lapse of a different kind. One week I simply forgot to reduce my manuscript to its one-page, early service, abbreviated form. I realized shortly before the beginning of the early service that I had not prepared any notes to hold in my hand. The sermon was prepared. I had read it over on Saturday night, as I always do. I had looked it over again early on Sunday morning. I would use my complete sermon notes in the pulpit for the 11:00 a.m. service as usual. But I had forgotten to prepare the early service

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conclusion, or to illustrate certain principles. For other sermons, a story might be a controlling metaphor. (3)

Fourth, I try not to worry if I forget a few details. Probably no one will notice since I am the only one who knows what I intended to say. If I lose my train of thought, I rephrase the last statement and move on from there. Occasionally I will be inspired in the process of preaching to add a pertinent comment which I did not think of previously. Most of my sermon inspiration occurs in my study during the week while writing the sermon, but sometimes I will receive additional inspiration on Sunday morning in the process of delivering it.

Like learning any skill, the best way to improve is to practice. Practice may not make perfect, but it makes better. Once you have a grasp of the fundamentals, just do it. You won’t be totally satisfied, but if you will be patient with yourself, over time you will see improvement. What you sacrifice in precision of expression is more than made up with spontaneity and freedom of expression.

Currently, I still use sermon notes for the more traditional 11:00 a.m. worship service. Since I stand behind a pulpit for that service, it’s not much of a distraction to have notes there. Also, since that service is recorded, I like to be able to deliver the sermon as close as possible to the way it was written. However, over time, as I develop more confidence, I may move to preaching in that service without notes as well.

The jury is still out about whether I should walk around or stand in one place while preaching without notes. Many of the preachers on television move all over the platform and even out into the aisles. One member of my congregation told me that she finds too much movement to be distracting. It may be that for me, limited movement fits my personality. Billy Sunday, a former baseball player, used to animate his sermons by running pell-mell across the stage and dropping down onto one knee, as if he were sliding into home. Since most worship centers are carpeted nowadays, I wouldn’t recommend that particular maneuver.

I don’t claim to be an expert on preaching without notes. I’m still learning as I go. Maybe someday I’ll be so confident about it that I won’t even get nervous on Sunday mornings. But for now those butterflies in my stomach are a source of energy. It’s a risky business, preaching without a net, but the Christian faith is risky too. When I focus less on myself and more on Christ, the risk seems well worth taking. And if I should take a tumble from that high wire act, one of two things will happen. Either I’ll fall flat and God will help me to get up and keep going, or I’ll learn how to fly.

notes. Ready or not, I would have to preach empty-handed.

Preaching scares me because I care about it so much. If I were a natural at it or if it came easily for me, perhaps I wouldn’t care about it as much as I do. But it doesn’t come naturally or without great effort for me. If my sermons are ever any good, it is because I have sweated over them, prayed over them, and wrestled with them until God has granted some blessing from the struggle. I envy preachers who are gifted with eloquence. I am not one of them. But the truth is that few of us are.

There are at least 350,000 churches in the United States, with at least that many preachers. We all can’t be like Billy Graham or some other pulpit luminary. But despite our limitations, God can use us to transmit His Word. In fact, the Bible is full of limited people whom God used to communicate His grace.

Guess what? I preached that first sermon without notes, and didn’t die. I wouldn’t call it an outstanding success, but it wasn’t a miserable failure either. Because I had no crutch to lean on, and because my memory is far from perfect, I had to try to recreate the sermon as I delivered it. It wasn’t impromptu by any means. I had written it out during the week and read it over several times. I had the general structure fixed in my mind. I even had certain key phrases which stayed with me. But far from being a recitation of a memorized script, it was a re-creation of what I had written. Now I preach the sermon for the early service every week without notes. I have learned a few things along the way to make it better, if not easier.

First, I write the sermon with that in mind. In the course of writing, if I see that the sermon is getting too complex to be preached without notes, I simplify. Only occasionally will I use long quotations, and then I write them out and read them, if necessary. If there is a poem or a set of statistics or something else which is worth using but is difficult to remember, I’ll write it down and make no pretenses about reading from it when the time comes. But I do not rely on that piece of paper during the entire sermon.

Second, I try to visualize the sermon in blocks of material. It’s not so much points in an outline as it is “moves” in the sermon, to use David Buttrick’s term. (1) Most sermons contain no more than four or five major movements; some as few as two or three. The idea is to let the sermon flow naturally, from one movement to the next. I try to follow Eugene Lowry’s description of the sermon as a “narrative art form.” (2)

Third, I make major use of stories. Because stories are easy to remember, they are helpful both for the preacher and for the listener. Some sermons are basically a series of stories tied together by a common theme. Other sermons might use stories for an introduction, a

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I'm preaching in my church's main service this upcoming Sunday, so I've been busy preparing what God would have me say to our church family.

Every time I preach/teach, I keep these five questions before me as a sort of grid to keep my content focused in the right places. These aren't my own questions; I think I stole the basic framework from Bob Hyatt (I honestly can't remember), but over the years I've tweaked and shaped them into my own.

Here are five questions I ask myself as I prepare a message: Where in the message do I ...

1. Clearly Point To Jesus?

Whatever the topic or the passage of Scripture that we're

addressing, I strive to preach Jesus every single time.

I tend to lean toward narrative preaching, having been influenced by Eugene Lowry's book, The Homiletical Plot. In the narrative of the sermon, the Gospel message and the person of Jesus tend to be the "climax" of each story, with the whole sermonic narrative leading up to Him.

I strive to share about the Father and Holy Spirit, too, keeping the sermon trinitarian, but the nature of kerygma is to preach Christ and Him crucified.

2. Speak To Christians?

I try to specifically address the Christians listening to the sermon, acknowledging that even if a

BEFORE YOU PREACHBy Joel Maynard

14 | BISHOP MAY 2014

person has been in church and following Jesus for a long time, the gospel is still good news.

Good news never gets old, and Christians need specific and clear reminders of its goodness.

3. Speak To Non-Christians?

I also try to address people who may be investigating spirituality and Christianity who are not yet followers of Christ, usually with a statement preceded by "if you're just checking out church and this whole Jesus thing, then ... "

This is out of a desire to be inclusive and to recognize/acknowledge that not everyone in a church or youth service knows Jesus yet. I don't have a hidden agenda either. I make my agenda quite clear—I hope they come to know Jesus because He's the source of life and love and joy and grace.

4. Speak To The Heart/Attitude?

This is where Jesus went every time.

While outward actions and behaviors are also valuable, they are only a reflection of the inward heart motivations we carry. If I'm just speaking to behaviors, or only giving application points that are behavioral in nature, I'm missing a huge component of spirituality: the heart, the interior, the desires and affections of the human soul.

5. Give People Something To Do Immediately?

In harmony with speaking to the heart, I want to also give a clear and defined action step for people to do.

If a person hears a sermon and can walk out the door thinking, "That was nice ... but I have no clue what to do with any of that," then I haven't communicated clearly enough.

There need to be clear pathways on how to respond, whether that's relationally, emotionally or with a particular action. Pray for someone today. Sign up for this class or mission trip. Forgive someone in your heart. Read a passage of Scripture every day this week. Go invite one of your neighbors to dinner or coffee.

Specific, clear and immediate practical steps need to be taken lest we become only hearers of the Word and not doers.

15 | BISHOP MAY 2014

Several years ago, I noticed a pattern in my life.

First, I'd read or hear about a sketchy theological trend. Maybe it would be a certain high-profile preacher, a new book that's out or a movement that seems to be threatening to creep into Christian thinking. Whenever this happened, I would think, "No need to worry. I don't need to waste my time thinking about this, it doesn't affect me." I figured it would be easily identified by ordinary, mainstream Christians, and we could all move on with our lives.

And then it would inevitably happen.

That same book that I recognized as suspicious is recommended to me by a friend, or a family member even. That pastor that I thought was clearly handling Scripture wrong is being quoted by a mom at the baseball field. Every. Time.

Do you think it is important to learn about the latest theological trends?

What do they have to do with you?

Should your pastor bother to know about the current evangelical climate?

Let's start with that last question. I think that one is an easy "yes."

It's pastoral. Part of shepherding is spotting the threats to the flock. We see all of the apostles constantly warning the congregations and other pastors about false teaching. They even used names. We should also be able to trust that our pastors are faithfully working to preserve the truth of God's Word and the purity of the church.

But what about the regular lay person? There's only so much time in the day, and, frankly, I'd like to invest my reading time in good stuff: God's Word and helpful teaching in God's Word. And whatever time I give to entertainment, I want that to be spent on writing and media that I like. I'm sure my pastor does too. But I have an obligation as a fellow believer as well.

Do You Need To Stay Abreast With Current Theological TrendsBy Aimee Byrd

16 | BISHOP MAY 2014

First of all, it's good for me to open my eyes and see what I'm up against.

I may think that it would be nice to pretend like none of these dangerous ideas and doctrines will affect my house or my church, but that would be horribly naïve. It really doesn't take long at all to infect, even my PCA denomination that has a government set in place to protect the church against false teaching and ungodly behavior. I discover some of the very issues I thought no one would follow finding their way into General Assembly. And it's heated.

Shouldn't I do some investigating of my own to see what all the fuss is about?

But it isn't good enough to only care about myself or my family, my church or even my denomination. The question is, do we love our neighbor?

Do I care if my mother-in-law brings her copy of The Shack to our beach vacation and says it makes some very good points about faith? Should I at this point just adopt the world's reasoning and say that it may be true for her but not for me? Do I care about her soul? And how would I even know about the error in the book unless I have done my research?

Wouldn't it be great to have some premeditated questions I could ask my more charismatic friend when she brings up the "wonderful" message she just heard on the radio? Or what about my fellow Reformed friends who want to share their new, enlightened view of the atonement or have decided to begin journaling God's personal, daily messages to them?

Next question, do we care about the reputation of the church?

Carl has made the important point several times now that the manipulative and self-serving behavior of some high-profile pastors who supposedly represent evangelicalism is a bad reflection on the church as a whole. Unbelievers can identify the hypocrisy right away.

Don't we want to be able to speak out in defense and say, "No, this is not how we are to operate!" Do we care about the witness of the church?

Then we need maintenance. We need some evangelical housecleaning.

The church is subordinate to the Word of God, and so we need to be well-equipped in God's truth. One of the most frustrating things about being a Christian is that God makes us think. How many times have we just wanted God to tell us what to do in a situation, only to get no word from heaven? Sure, we have his revealed, inspired Word in Scripture. And in it we learn much about God. We are told that it is sufficient for everything we need "for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16).

But we don't get specific direction on personal issues such

as which career to pursue, and we don't get to know all of the whys behind God's providence.

God makes us think for ourselves.

And yet, this leads us to depend on him even more. We gather with the church body and sit under the preached Word. We participate in the sacraments that ratify God's promises to his people. We seek advice from our elders and fellow believers. We pray. And through the means of grace that God provides, he nourishes us in his Word, he blesses us in Christ, and we grow in wisdom and holiness.

And we are sent out. God doesn't shelter us, but sends us out to a very dangerous world.

The thing is, the church is not a doormat, it is Christ's beautiful, thinking bride.

We aren't to be passively listening to any person who is in leadership, but nobly examining the Scriptures to see if what they're saying is true (Acts 17:11). God has us think for ourselves in wisdom as his Spirit illuminates us with the Word.

And so the Reformed church is still "being reformed according to the Word of God." God calls us to know him in Christ, and this is both an intellectual and an intimate knowledge. There is no new revelation; however, the Spirit does enlighten us by applying God's Word to our thinking and affections.

Every Christian will persevere, but faith is a fighting grace. J.I. Packer puts it well:

"The way to benefit fully from the Spirit's ministry of illumination is by serious Bible study, serious prayer and serious response in obedience to whatever truths one has been shown already. This corresponds to Luther's dictum that three things make a theologian: oratio (prayer), meditatio (thinking in God's presence about the text) and tentatio (trial, the struggle for biblical fidelity in the face of pressure to disregard what Scripture says)."

Some think it OK to stop short after prayer, "leaving the matter with God." But God wants a thinking bride, not a lazy housewife.

After a day's worth of mess-making in my home, I'd love to just tell my company, "Nothing to see here." Wouldn't it be great if I could just pray for them not to notice it.

But that is not the case. I can't pretend like it isn't there; I need to open my eyes and take a look. Likewise, we must engage in the work of putting things back in their proper place and throwing the trash away. That is called being a good steward of what God has given us and being hospitable to our family and guests.

But rest assured, tomorrow there will be another mess.

17 | BISHOP MAY 2014

Much of what people think of us is shaped and molded by what they see on media outlets. For years, television, radio and newspapers have been in control of our image and have determined how we are viewed by others. Now there is something that can be done about that and the answer is a hybrid technology called “convergence”.

By definition, convergence is the coming together of the computer industry with that of the broadcast industry. About thirty years ago, early 1980’s, the path of the computer was on a different trajectory from that of your television set. Your television only had the capacity to produce 380 lines of resolution while computer screens started out with 640 lines of resolution. Not wanting to be overly technical, let it suffix to say that over the last 30 years both television sets and computer screens share common resolutions.

The combination of increased resolutions, the internet and the capacity of high speed access to the internet has opened up some tremendous opportunities for churches and ministries. The term that I would like to introduce you to is “IPTV” which stands for “internet protocol television”. Basically what this means is that anyone with an universal resource locator (URL) and digitized content can webcast that content to an internet audience of millions.

Very few internet accounts have the bandwidth to accomodate more than 8 to 10 people with programming. However, there are now a number of companies that take your stream and then repeats it to a larger audience with their more powerful video servers.

What that means is that any church or ministry can secure their own URL and webcast programming to the internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Initially, most churches concentrate on webcasting or streaming their Sunday morning worship services. But there is so much more than can be done with this technology. I advise churches not to limit themselves to worship services but to widen their lens and consider all of the wonderful things that they can make available as an internet television station. Take a look below at just a few of the ideas that we have assembled for you.

Worship Services- This is the most obvious it includes capturing the sermon, music ministry and other aspects of your worship experience

Bible Study- This is “talking head” program that features you or some other member of your staff providing a Bible Study from behind a desk or on a sofa or couch

Ministry Interviews- This is an “Oprah Winfrey” type interview

What If You Could Own and Operate Your Own Television StationBy Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.

18 | BISHOP MAY 2014

program that allows you the opportunity to interview the members of your ministerial staff or ministry leaders

Music Videos- This is not the multi-million dollar budget that you see on MTV or BET, but you can produce a quality program that features your choir, praise team and other selected soloists from your ministry

Talk Show- Why should Al Sharpton and Bill O’Reilly have all the fun. Line up a series of local shakers and movers in your community and invite them in to have a meaning dialogue about pressing issues in your neighborhood

Stage Plays- This program idea invites you to encourage members of your church to write a short dramatic production that you then capture and make apart of your program line up. You also could film other local productions in your community as well.

Pastor Cam- Why not take your cell phone camera, iPad or tablet with you on your next pastoral care visit so that you can share that visit with your members but your television audience as well

Sunday School or Small Group- This is very similar to the Bible Study idea except that it features your

Sunday School lesson for the week or some other material that you deem meaningful and important

These are but a few of the ideas that could make for a powerful program line up of your internet television station. Also know that you can curate hundreds of other video programs from resources like “youtube” and “vimeo” to add to your production schedule as well.

While there are many outlets that will permit you to establish an internet television station, let me recommend to you my personal favorite. “gospeltelevision.org” is owned and operated by a group of Christian businesspersons who have a heart for ministry and want to see the message of Christ reach a global audience. For a one time set up fee and a modest monthly subscription of only $98, you can have an unlimited number of programs on your stations and not be limited to the number of people who can watch your television station simultaneously. For those who are starting from scratch, this company also has an equipment package that will convert any area of your church or ministry into a state of the art video production center. For more information, please contact 614 778-6028 and mention that you saw this article for an additional discount.

19 | BISHOP MAY 2014

Why Leadership is Important

By Bishop Andy C. Lewter, D. Min.

One of the items I try to make available in this publication is resource material and information that will have a positive impact upon the body of Christ in genera and my readers in particular. In pursuit of that I cull hundreds of articles each month in hopes of finding the right balance of information and inspiration. I am blessed to have an extraordinary relationship with some of the best minds in the body of Christ and because of that I am anxious to share their thoughts with you in digital written form

The question is, why is leadership important. Do we just take for granted that persons who occupy potions and hold titles are the best equipped for the job. Do our congregations suffer because we are more concerned with making

assignments based upon how long a person has been at the ministry or who their family is rather than finding the person who has the best gift for the position. Have we become so routine and traditional that it does not matter what kind of leadership talents individuals have because in the end, we are going to do it the same way that we have always done it.

If you answered yes to any of those questions then I have a video for you. In this video the question of why leadership is important is fully examined and tackled. I am sure that you are going to find that the material in the video is going to have a positive impact upon your ministry. I am so excited about sharing it with you and do hope that you will email or text me back with your comments. Do check it out and let me know what you think http://vimeo.com/90983615

20 | BISHOP MAY 2014

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