The Connection
WINTER 2019-2020
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EVANGELICAL METHODIST CHURCH
Diagnosing Success
We Have ISSUUS. What do you mean by that? Good question - thanks for asking! First let me tell you what it isn’t:
1. It isn’t the Greek or Hebrew spelling of Jesus. 2. It isn’t a typo.
It’s about “The Connection” magazine. We’re making changes that are both important and exciting and we want you to know about them. What is your connection to The Connection? Maybe you are someone who reads every issue from cover to cover. Maybe you have picked through it from time to time. Maybe this is your first encounter with the magazine in your hands. If you are that avid reader, THANK YOU! This announcement will be especially important to you. But if you are not, and have happened on this article, we’d like to invite you to take a deeper look, and now you can do so from your smart phone, tablet or computer! We have recently begun using an online publishing company called “ISSUU” to make the magazine available to a wider audience much wider than this printed edition could ever hope for. ISSUU has electronically published over 45 million documents, and boasts over 100 million unique online visitors per month. Every day, over 20,000 new documents or publications are digitally uploaded to ISSUU.com. By digitally publishing with ISSUU, The Connection will be at your electronic fingertips. You can read the current issue (or past issues) by simply going to emchurch.org on your device and in the menu line, click on the words, The Connection. This will take you to a new page with the most recent issue right there for you to read immediately, or by clicking on the link below the current issue, you will be taken to the EMC’s archive of past issues of the magazine, and even past issues of the EMC’s monthly Kerusso newsletter. Click on the word Stacks and then you can choose which publication you’d like to read.
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This issue of The Connection will be the very last print edition of the magazine. We know that this comes as a shock, and even a disappointment to some of you. You may not be comfortable with electronic sources of information. We apologize if that is you. It is not our goal to exclude anyone. Our goals are primarily twofold: •We hope to actually increase readership, especially among younger people who are less and less likely to get their information from a printed source. •Additionally, the change to digital publishing will save the EMC tens of thousands of dollars every single year. The Connection will still contain the same high-quality information and inspiration, and by electronically publishing the magazine, we will not be as limited to article length as we have been in the past due to cost issues. Overall, it is our conviction that this decision reflects both good stewardship of God’s resources and a sincere desire to reach more and more people with the vital message of Scriptural holiness. Thank you. Please look for The Connection at the EMC Website from now on.
Contents 2
We Have ISSUUS.
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Banning Success
4
Learning From Each Other...
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Jesus as Pastor
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What is Prayer?
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Avoiding Burnout in the Pastor’s Home
Connection Staff
Rev. Nate Williamson
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General Notes
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Targeting Health Instead of Success
Rev. Max Edwards International General Superintendent
Rev. Nate Williamson
Rev. José Macías Flores
Mrs. Judy Edwards
Mrs. Gina Stinson
Rev. Max Edwards
The Connection The Connection is a publication of the Evangelical Methodist Church.
International offices are located at the Hamblen-Bruner Headquarters Building 6838 South Gray Road Indianapolis, Indiana 46237 Telephone: [317] 780-8017 Fax: [317] 780-8078 www.emchurch.org publications@emchurch.org
MAGAZINE STAFF
Printer: Country Pines, Inc., Shoals, IN
Editor-in-Chief: Rev. Max Edwards Pre-Production Editor: Ms. Deborah Mitchem Graphic Design: Rev. Nathan Williamson Editor: Rev. Elias P. Stinson, Jr. Editor: Mrs. Nancy Utt HQ Executive Secretary: Mrs. Karen Parsons Department of Prayer: Mrs. Judy Edwards Translator: Rev. José Macías Flores, Spanish
SUBMISSIONS Send articles to: Ms. Deborah Mitchem dmitchem@frontier.com
ADVERTISING SALES publications@emchurch.org All quoted Scripture is from the NIV Bible, 1984, unless otherwise noted.
MISSION MISSION Connecting people of all cultures and promoting the work Connecting people of all cultures and promoting the workof ofthe theKingdom Kingdomby bycommunicating communicatingour ourstories storiesof ofchanged changedlives. lives.
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Learning From Each Other... Life At Home: The Greatest Ministry by Rev. Nate Williamson
“For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?”1 Timothy 3:5 is for your people to observe a pastor or leader who In our passion to be successful for Jesus, create puts their spouse first; a father or mother who puts some lasting ministry or outreach in our church, many times the first thing to go is our intentionality down the to do list of accomplishments to get to know their children and spend time with them. in the home. I have been as guilty as anyone. I can God’s will for you is not to give your family remember a time when I was spending 60+ hours your scraps and exhaustion. Putting them first in all a week at church while trying to raise three kids things makes you feel more fulfilled, as you become and multiple foster kids. I wanted to give every last bit of energy I had bringing people to Jesus and a living example to your church. The Bible does not simply record Jesus’ teaching. It exemplifies what making disciples. This only led me to feel burned He did and how He lived His life around those who out, emotionally drained, and still I was a failure in were closest to Him. Jesus shows us the imbalance my own mind. My wife had resentment toward the in our own lives. When we think about the impact church that took all my time and my energy. And of our life and ministry generationally, there can be I was missing out on the greatest early moments of no greater time spent with or investment made than my kids’ lives. in those who are in our most intimate sphere. That Pastors, teachers and lay leaders of the church, time is never wasted. the greatest ministry you have is not your words Awards, achievements, notoriety, and and actions outside of the home, but the time and accomplishment are all lost in the sands of time, energy spent inside the home. There is no clearer but loving community with those closest to us is picture of who you truly are than how you behave invaluable now and, depending on what we do with with those in closest relationship to you. The best it, can last for eternity. discipleship that can occur in your church ministry
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General Notes The Walking Dead “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: ‘I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.’” ~ Revelation 3:1 NLT Jesus doesn’t mince words with this church: “… you are dead.” They might say, “But I thought we had a good thing going; I mean we’re doing okay. Attendance is climbing, and offerings couldn’t be better. We’re making budget, and have even been able to add new staff positions on both the worship team and in the social media department. People in the community look up to us, and pastor is on the mayor’s faithbased community council. We are on target to break ground on the new family life center next year, and lots of other churches are envious of our youth program ...” Apparently, the church in Sardis had several good things going. Jesus even commends those in the church who had not “soiled their clothes with evil” (vs 4). Some were in communion with Christ, but the clear message is that, as a whole, the church had lost its way. To press the analogy, the church had become the walking dead. Indeed, it was moving about in a way that made it appear to others to be alive, but below the surface, death had taken over. Could this be true of churches other than the one at Sardis? I’m afraid so. In fact, I’m certain that the walking dead are all around us. Maybe closer than we think, if you know what I mean. Maybe we have unknowingly joined the half-dead who need to listen heartily to Jesus’ next words … “Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead” (vs 2). Maybe we need to seriously ask ourselves what life really is, and in what ways we have allowed death to creep in. This issue of The Connection hopes to do just that. So, let’s diagnose what real success is … what real life looks like.
Just yesterday, I paid a visit to my family doctor for a wellness visit. It started with me filling out three or four forms, answering lots of questions about everything from my eyesight to my sleep patterns to some less-than-pleasant-to-talk-about bodily functions. Was I a smoker? Had I abused illicit drugs? When was my last surgical procedure? They have a file on me, I thought to myself. I have answered all these questions before. But that was only the beginning of the repetitive assessments. Before the doc came in, the nurse weighed me and measured my height, and then proceeded to gather lots of other data including blood pressure, pulse, temperature and the like. Then my doctor picked up from there, asking a host of questions about all manner of things: “Are you experiencing any pain or discomfort?” (Other than this examination? I wondered.) “What are you eating, and drinking? How often do you indulge in fast food?” “Are you watching your intake of fats … sodium … caffeine?” “Are you exercising?” Then he looked, listened, pressed, and struck my knees with a hammer (a little one, admittedly). You get the picture. It wasn’t pleasant. But I can’t say it was painful. It was probing, but it wasn’t damaging. Honest assessments are helpful, if I desire to remain healthy. Before it is too late, we should take some time to assess the condition of our churches, and of our own hearts. Take some vital signs. Get some labs done. Check for signs of decay. Look below the surface for abnormal growths and probe whether or not we have ignored some warning signs for far too long. Let’s get a check-up, and if we’re unhealthy, “strengthen what little remains.” Jesus’ words, not mine …
Rev. Max Edwards
International General Superintendent
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Targeting Health Instead of Success by Rev. Max Edwards Goals
•“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” ~ Zig Ziglar •“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” ~ Tony Robbins •“All good performance starts with clear goals.” ~ Ken Blanchard •Some say that our goals must be S.M.A.R.T. – specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable, and time-bound. (S.M.A.R.T was first attributed to George T. Doran.) Goals: are they necessary? Yes, I think that setting goals is a great practice. Most of us will benefit from establishing personal targets that we work toward hitting. And I do encourage churches to establish targets as well, but in my experience, we more often tend to set goals regarding those things that are easier to measure, things such as attendance, contributions, buildings and number of programs. What do you think God is interested in measuring when He thinks about your church? What does His Word say about those things He is most looking for? Consider what the Apostle Paul sets forth in his letter to the Ephesians. “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace … Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be
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immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (Ephesians 4:3, 11-15 NLT). Under the inspiration of the Spirit, Paul sets these priorities for the church: Unity, Maturity, Stability, Doctrinal integrity, Truth, Love… in short, Christ-likeness.
Healthy Practices
These are the things that will produce a healthy church, one that is growing in every way more and more like Christ. Nothing is more important. But these are not the kinds of things that make for easy goal-setting sessions. It doesn’t tend to make the white board in the conference room for someone to say things such as, “Let’s increase our stability from 60% to 80% next year.” Or, “I think we should add 100 to our love score.” Let’s face it, it is hard to MEASURE unity. It’s hard to MEASURE maturity. It’s hard to MEASURE devotion to truth. It’s hard to MEASURE love. But these are the very things that we are commanded to target. I am convinced that the modern, Western church has become too fixated on numbers, buildings and budgets. Even in our better intentions, for instance, we tend to make evangelism an equation rather than a consistent life practice. “How many conversions have we produced this year?” we ask ourselves. In the first place, “we” didn’t “produce” any of them. And in
the second place, we should be less concerned with the number and more concerned with the effort, and our integrity in the process. Are we working faithfully just to make converts, or are we truly focused on making disciples that look, walk and talk like Jesus?
Are we speaking truth in love? Are we being faithful in our efforts to involve many hands in the work of the ministry? Are we recognizing that God has given varieties of gifts so that the body can be complete, or are we hoarding power, and thereby demonstrating immaturity and insecurity?
I believe that God’s Word teaches us that if we focus on those things that make for health, then growth will take care of itself. I am convinced this is what is conveyed in the parable that Jesus shared in Mark chapter 4. As He often did, He taught a kingdom principle through a simple story. In that parable, a farmer sowed seed into the field, and then regardless of whether he understood how or not, the seeds grew into a harvestable crop. “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (Mark 4:27 NIV). Truly Amazing! The growth of the crop does not depend upon the intelligence of the farmer. He does his part by casting the seed, but the miracle of growth is in the Lord’s hands. Christian Schwartz, author of “Natural Church Development” and creator of his church assessment tool, calls this the “All by itself ” principle. All by itself, the crop grows.
As a leader in the EMC, I am committing myself to UNITY. I will make it a priority to remain connected and accountable to my brothers and sisters in the faith, trusting them enough to be vulnerable with them. I choose to be collaborative, knowing that I will not have the best answers most of the time, but that we can find them together. I choose to be teachable. And I choose to be cooperative in every way that I can be in those areas that are within my power to be so. As a leader in the EMC, I am committing myself to TRANSPARENCY. I will make it a priority to demonstrate openness in matters of business and ethics. I choose to make it a priority to model clarity and fiscal integrity, leading without private or hidden agendas. And I hope to inspire others to be drawn to the same kind of integrity and transparency. As a leader in the EMC, I am committing myself to AUTHENTICITY. I desire to be the kind of person that is the same in the boardroom as in the pulpit … the same in the checkout line or the mall as in the sanctuary … the same in the home as in the office. I choose to value people as created in the image of God. I want to be a safe person, or to borrow Dr. Jim Halbert’s terminology, I choose to be a “person of refuge.” These things may be hard to measure, but they are good targets nonetheless. I invite you to fire away at them with me.
Healthy vs S.M.A.R.T.
God will take care of the growth of His church.
Does this mean we shouldn’t even count … measure … assess? NO. Assessing is a part of focusing on health. If we are not seeing people come to the Lord on some kind of regular basis in our church fellowships, we can sense that we might need to re-focus ourselves on how welcoming, loving, and unified we are. If we are seeing significant decline in our attendance, we might need to think seriously about what the reasons for that might be.
Healthy Goals
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banning by Rev. Nate Williamson
We banned the word success. It might seem a little excessive, but at Covenant, it seemed a necessary action. The word success, in our North American culture, is so wrapped up in the American Dream and industrialization that it has made it very difficult to use in the local church. Success requires a measuring tool which is often comparison. How do we know that we are successful? We compare ourselves with churches that we admire or aspire to be, and we contrast ourselves with other churches we deem unsuccessful. It is an unhealthy exercise that denies God’s unique design and call for each local church. It doesn’t bring unity to the body of Christ, as chasing an idea of success leads to comparison and comparison leads to competition. That’s when churches get more focused on being the best at something and focus more on transfer growth than truly reaching the lost. Chasing success is a goal-oriented approach to ministry. I am not saying it is wrong to have goals in life. But the truth about goals is that every goal is always a moving target. As soon as you reach a goal, you find it to be devoid of the satisfaction you were seeking, and you immediately set a new goal. This approach to ministry and life leads a pastor and his congregation to unhealthy patterns pursuing unsatisfying goals, that inevitably ends in burnout. Pastors that embrace an idea of success often find themselves more program-oriented, putting on one big event after another, which is a drain on your people and financial resources. Each year, those events need to get bigger and grander in order to keep up or stay on top in ministry. This is why we banned the word success in our local church. Instead, we decided to use maturity as our focus. Maturity does not lead to comparison because it is not about comparison with other people in the Christian
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success faith. Biblical maturity is a greater dependence on and relationship with Jesus. This cannot be rushed and happens at a different pace for different people. As soon as you start to compare your Christian maturity to others, you show evidence of your lack of maturity because comparison kills grace. Maturity is not goal-oriented but peopleoriented. It doesn’t allow you to pursue the most people, the nicest facility, the trendiest worship or the best social media presence because those things are all secondary, and frankly superficial, to the real focus on maturity. You start with who is part of your church already and you lovingly and patiently pour into them, painfully at times, so they can grow in Christ and become full-fledged disciples of Jesus. I had a pastor once tell me (who is on his third congregation), “If I could only get rid of a few of the trouble makers, I could really build this church.” What my fellow pastor failed to see is that the pursuit of the goal of success was causing him to miss the true purpose the church: bringing the people already in the church to maturity. The church is not the structure but the people within. He was acknowledging their immaturity, but not receiving the challenge and calling to bring them closer to Jesus and, in the process, build the church. Maturity takes time and effort. It can’t be easily measured and seems to happen sporadically. And it never ends! There is no point in life when you stop maturing. And yet, Jesus’ desire for us in maturity is to stop at adolescence. He told his disciples that we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless we become like children. What He meant by this was that were not to reach some wellrounded independence. Christian maturity is not independence but greater and willing dependence on God daily, moment by moment. The body of Christ is not made up of individuals expected to be good at everything. No, the body of Christ is made up of people with lots of different talents, abilities and spiritual gifts working together for the cause
of Jesus Christ, all the while, delighting in childlike wonder in the love of our heavenly Father, leaving the cares and worries of this world daily in His hands. That is the direction of spiritual maturity, “not a goal which assumes some sort of finality.” In some ways, chasing success brings more instant gratification so that we can feel good about ourselves and boost our ego. It can be charted, graphed and measured. It is what most people are looking for when they ask you, “How many people attend your church?” Quantity does not always equal quality. Churches pursuing success may look appealing from the outside when those who are the most hurting in our church are either falling through the cracks or floundering. Several years ago, I met a woman at the DMV who recognized me right away as Pastor Nate. I apologized and said that I didn’t recognize her. She told me it was understandable because she had lost so much weight. She had gone through a tough time in her life. She related that some people eat when they are depressed, but she is the opposite and she can’t eat, thus causing her to lose over 30 pounds. I remember leaving the DMV that day realizing that I was missing the mark as a pastor. I did not know this woman or her name. She attended my church enough to realize who I was, but in the midst of her personal pain, I was unable to minister to her because there was no real relationship. I could not help bring her to spiritual maturity because I was so busy building the church that I did not have the time or availability to foster relationships with the people in attendance. When we compared my church to other churches in the area, we looked more successful than most, but inside the people were hurting and we had no idea. Jesus’ approach to building His church was all about maturity and not success. He had lots of opportunities to build a global movement with all of the crowds of people willing to follow Him. But He constantly moved toward a handful of blue collar, country, misfit outsiders. And the person He poured the most into, Simon, was bold and brash but not dependable. Even after Jesus’ death and resurrection, this group of common, ordinary folks seemed incapable of the assignment they were receiving: to
reach the world with the Gospel. But where others saw Simon, son of John, as a good-for-nothing fisherman, Jesus saw Peter, the rock on which He would build his church. Jesus’ goal was not some earthly ideal of success, but spiritual maturity, where a guy like Peter, with all the good intentions in the world, could rise above his weaknesses through a daily walk of dependence with the person of the Holy Spirit. This did not happen over night. This took over 3 years with the Savior of the universe. Making disciples with a goal of spiritual maturity takes time. Why should we expect ourselves to move faster than Jesus in this process? With maturity as the goal, instead of success, it forces us, as pastors and church leaders, to spend more personal, intimate time with Jesus. We cannot give what we do not have. Like most people, we prefer to tell other people what to do rather than work on our own issues. But if spiritual maturity is your goal, you cannot avoid or bypass your own growth process. Jesus exemplified this for us as well. He did not spend all of his time with the masses or even with the 12. He needed his time of secluded prayer. The Garden of Gethsemane shows us how the incarnate Jesus struggled with his human frailty, seeking the Father’s divine strength in His greatest moment of dependence. Let us never forget that Jesus’ goal of His earthly life and ministry was not any earthly institution or ideal of success, but an intimate, personal, life-changing relationship with every individual willing to receive his perfect gift of love. With all that said, may I ask you: Are you goaloriented or people oriented? Do you know who you are by comparison or by Jesus telling you who you are? Is your goal success or is your direction maturity? Answering these questions is the first step to finding true joy and freedom in your life and ministry. Rev. Nate Williamson is the senior pastor of Covenant EMC in Morgantown, WV.
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Jesus as Pastor
by Rev. José Macías Flores
“The Lord is my shepherd, I God’s saving action is presented in the analogy of the shepherd and his flock. Historically, God seeks communion, friendship with those He leads, since His search for Adam and Eve in Eden, asking, “Where are you?”; not behind which tree you are, but where are you in relation to your maker. In the Old Testament, God presents Himself as the pastor who hears the pleas of His people. “And the LORD said: “‘I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows’” Exodus 3:7. He did guide, direct, lead His people from slavery to freedom. “You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation” Exodus 15:13. “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young” Isaiah 40:11. “ But He made His own people go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock” Psalm 78:52. His flock recognizes him as a shepherd. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” Psalm 23:1. “I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture; They shall make a loud noise because of so many people” Micah 2:12. “Know that
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the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” Psalm 100: 3. God, as a pastor, fulfills His pastorate through patriarchs, judges, kings, prophets and pastors, calling them and assigning a specific task according to the needs; Moses being the faithful prototype of the divine pastorate made through a man; how God brought people out of slavery, and Moses led them through the desert until they reached the Promised Land; establishing the laws and commandments of how Israel should conduct itself under the direction of God. And so, that at the death of Moses, Israel would not remain as a flock without a shepherd, God raised Joshua. And God called up the judges who shepherded Israel. He also raised prophets, priests, so as not to leave God’s people helpless. Part of the Divine nature is the love of God, expressed in the mercy, compassion and deep love that led Him to save, rescue and restore those who seek Him. Being a shepherd is part of God’s passion, the Lord´s effort in saving the lost and leading them to their happy destiny. Since this passion is in the heart of God, it is also in the heart of Jesus. “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You” John 17:21. The same desire that burned in the heart of God, and also in Christ, leads Him to say: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” John 10:11.
d, I shall not want” Psalm 23:1 There is much talk of Jesus as the Teacher par excellence. But in reality, what burned in the heart of Jesus was his passion as a pastor. The highest test of Jesus’ pastoral passion was to give his own life for the sheep, mainly sheep that were unprotected, lost, hungry or injured. While living as a pastor, we noticed the following: Individual love. Unlike today, the number of followers he had did not move Jesus, but the personalized attention he gave to those in need; to Nicodemus, answering his doubts in the middle of the night, John 3: 1-2; personal attention to the Samaritan woman, John 4:7; the attention given to Zacchaeus, Luke 19; to the widow of Nain, Luke 7:11; in His parables, the joy expressed when the prodigal son returns home, Luke 15:11; the lost coin, when it is found, Luke 15:8; the lost sheep; here, he emphasizes the 99 safe in the sheepfold and his effort to find a particular sheep, Luke 15. Personal interests set aside. First was the welfare of the sheep before His own. “But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know’” John 4:32. “‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will’” Matthew 26:39. Joy for the salvation of a soul. “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” Luke 15: 7.
“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” John 17:12. Willing to suffer. In the pastorate there are many occasions for suffering. Jesus was not exempt from it. As pastor of his small group, He suffered betrayal, suffered hunger and thirst, suffered death threats; physical fatigue after long walks; fasting, as well as joy to see His effort crowned with victory. He also went through times of depression: “Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me’” Matthew 26:38. At the end of time, he will gather his flock. “‘I will feed my flock, and I will make them lie down,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment’” Ezekiel 34: 15-16. We have the great privilege of belonging to the flock of the Lord, of being healed when we are hurt, of being comforted in difficult times, of being restored when we are fallen. We can say in Christ, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” is currently pastoring unreaching tribal groups in Sonora, Mexico.
Rev. José Macías Flores
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SPRING 2019
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EVANGELICAL METHODIST CHURCH
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What is Prayer? by Mrs. Judy Edwards
Whether a new believer or a mature believer, a
personal prayer life is a critical healthy practice if we want to achieve those hard to measure deep spiritual goals in our personal life and ministry. Here are a few reasons why I believe that is true. Prayer is communication, which builds relationship and intimacy: Communication is critical to relationship and without it the relationship will slowly die. If we are not praying, we are not communicating with the One who truly has the answers. Without prayer, we aren’t building and strengthening our most important relationship. However, while poor communication creates a weak relationship that is dying, a strong prayer life creates a healthy, lively, intimate relationship with our God that grows stronger. Prayer brings clarity to hear the right voice and guidance in all decisions: There are many voices that call for our attention and allegiance. To recognize the lies and discern the Truth, we need to be faithfully communicating with the One who is The Truth through prayer and reading God’s Word. Prayer changes our heart, aligns us with God’s will and helps us overcome sin: Communication with God is where heart change happens. In prayer we allow God to realign our heart to His will and His plan rather than to our flesh, emotions or logic. We are enabled to overcome sin as we continue to submit to the Spirit and His empowerment in prayer, crucifying the desires of the flesh. In his book, “Living a Prayerful Life,” Andrew Murray makes this statement. “Prayerlessness is proof that for the most part our life is still under the power of the flesh.” A prayerful relationship with Him is how we continue to remain
Spirit-filled and enabled to live the victorious life He has for us. Prayer is an act of worship and obedience: Many scriptures call us to pray such as, “Pray continually” I Thessalonians 5:17; “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” Colossians 4:2. When we pray we are being obedient – not a dutiful obedience, but a grateful obedience from a love relationship with our Savior. As an act of worship, in prayer we thank Him for all He has done and praise Him for Who He is as we’re reminded that He is God and we are NOT. Prayer brings an awareness of others and diminishes self-focus: As I pray for others, my awareness of their circumstances and situation increases. Praying for those who don’t know Christ reminds me of the need for evangelism and my responsibility to share the gospel. As I pray for my enemies, I develop a tenderness toward them that my flesh would never allow. In all of these instances, the focus becomes less about me and more about others. Prayer is where spiritual warfare happens: “For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” Ephesians 6:12. There is a battle being waged beyond the circumstances we see, and we must fight that battle in our prayer closets. “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” Ephesians 6:18. Judy Edwards is the Chariman of the Evangelical Methodist Department of Prayer.
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Avoiding Burnout in the Pastor’s Home On a beautiful spring day in May 2019 Pastor
Tad Stinson of Peninsula Community Church in Moses Lake, Washington unexpectedly had a heart attack. He was flown by life-flight to a major medical center in Wenatchee, where a cardiologist performed the emergency surgery that helped save his life. It was a day as his wife, I would never forget. Like so many life-changing medical crises, it totally came out of nowhere. I am so grateful beyond words that God intervened that day, and yet it forced both of us to take a closer look at our lives. Tad is extremely devoted to his calling and to the care of his congregation, but it became clear to us that we were neglecting our own needs, as a couple and individually. The ministry of our Lord is an awesome responsibility that can have devastating effects on those who do not lean heavily on God. Many who have a calling of caring for others, be it in church ministry or more secular vocations, such as nursing or counseling, can easily experience burnout. These types of jobs come with long, unpredictable hours, emotional stress and the exhaustion that may come with deep empathy, be it spiritual, emotional or physical. Changes in sleeping or eating habits, depression or feelings of helplessness, inability to make decisions, lacking patience with others, can all be signs of burnout. Having devoted many years to the ministry of Christ, I have grown to more deeply understand the importance of self-care for those of us who share the Gospel and care for the broken of this world. The majority of those who have been chosen by God to be in ministry have as a quintessential part of their character a genuine love and care for others, especially those who are struggling and hurting. We want to give our all in leading them to salvation and healing, but it is easy at times to lose sight of or own need for rest and spiritual nourishment. There was a time when I was new to ministry and believed self-care was a kind of selfishness. Now I know self-care is not only biblically and psychologically sound, but is vital
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The Connection
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by Mrs. Gina Stinson
in leading a healthy church flock. I am not talking about a selfish kind of me first self care, I am speaking of a kind of care that equally nourishes the entire church body. When we look at 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us that all parts of the body are equally valued, and are to be equally honored and nourished. Christ commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves. I have always found it compelling that Christ did not simply command us to love our neighbor and end it there. He also calls us to love ourselves, which is often much harder. It is so easy to get caught up in helping and fixing of others that we neglect to see our own need for healing and restoration. Sometimes it is just because we get lost in our love of our neighbor, but other times I believe it is a way to ignore what is lacking within ourselves. Self-care for those who are in ministry is essential in helping avoid burnout, and for the overall health of a congregation. I once served in a church where I watched the leadership burn out, due to lack of personal boundaries. Sadly, I saw my co-workers in the church develop almost a sense of contempt for the very people God had given them to serve. When we speak of loving our neighbor, any kind of healthy love comes with boundaries. Having specific times that are set apart for you and your family, being able to turn off your phone at dinnertime, and asking people at the church to take non- emergency calls and initiate prayer with other congregants are just a few things that can make a
difference. If you are serving a congregation that is truly Christ-like, they will understand that you are only human, and that you and your family will have needs, just as they do. A loving mature community will want to help you meet those needs, and they also will understand that if their leadership is well rested and spiritually fed, they will get the best you have to offer them. I feel extremely blessed with the congregation that my husband and I are currently serving. These are salt-of-the-earth, Godly people who really understand the value of family. Their love for one another and us is apparent in everything they do. I don’t believe either of us has ever felt so cared for. When Tad first had his heart attack, the blessed people of the church were overwhelmingly supportive, and even now a day doesn’t go by when someone isn’t calling to ask if we have a need, or stopping by with food from their garden, or coming by to help out. We are truly blessed here. As the wife of an ordained minister, it is also important to help gauge the need for self-care for both her spouse and the family unit. Spouses of ministers are in a position to witness first hand the toll that such an enormous and important calling can have on both their spouses and their families. I perhaps have a clearer understanding than a lot of ministers wives, having served in the ordained clergy for many years myself. When I was new to serving the church, I naively believed that it would be one joy after another: weddings, baptisms, bringing people to Christ. While occasionally those things do happen, the reality is the majority of time is spent dealing with people who are experiencing the worst and the lowest: divorce, poverty, depression, addiction, terminal illness, and the multitude of
sufferings that are part of our fallen world. Any minister who truly cares is going to feel this to his or her very core,and sometimes the grief of it can be overwhelming. It is important as the minister’s partner to recognize this, to encourage him or her to talk about it, and to pray with your beloved about it. God has never promised anyone whom He has called that ministry was going to be easy, nor that the minster’s spouse would not have to sacrifice greatly. Being a minister’s spouse is a great privilege, a valuable and noble thing that God has called us to do. In a sense we get to be the rudder of the ship of which our husband or wife is the captain, and on those days when they are overworked and overwhelmed, through love and care we provide that extra encouragement that keeps him or her going. On those days when the needs of the congregation are coming in at light speed and everything suddenly seems urgent, we can be a fresh set of eyes and ears to help prioritize what really is urgent, and what can wait. Or, sometimes we get to stop the boat altogether for a day or even just ten minutes and say, “Hey, I think it’s really important for us to take some time to regroup.” It’s really amazing how just a ten minute walk in the fresh air with the Lord can alleviate stress and make things look clearer.” Finally, prayer is the most important part of all this. In order to remain healthy we have to remember that it is God who is in charge, and sometimes we have to remind those we serve of this fundamental truth. As ministers we care deeply about the people we serve, and in giving our all to help them, we can sometimes become deeply saddened and discouraged when we don’t believe we see progress. This can be emotionally draining, but we must remember that as ministers of Christ we are merely the intercessors; it is Christ who does the saving and healing, and at the end of the day we must lay all of our burdens, stresses and anxieties at His feet and trust that He will make it right. In the Serenity Prayer, written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, we pray God will give us the courage to change the things we can, but more importantly to have the wisdom to recognize the things we can’t. We must give it up to God and rest easy in His promises that He will make all things according to His will, in His time. Mrs. Gina Stinson and her husband Tad minister in Moses Lake, Washington.
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