Christian Standard | June 2020

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10 Foundation Stones of the Church N o . 2: Authority A

2019 PE W R E SE A RC H C E N T E R S T U DY R E V E A L S that Americans’ attitudes about institutional authority are dropping like a rock. People are losing their trust in government, elected officials, education, journalism, health care, business, law enforcement, science, the military, and yes, religion.

The younger we are, the less trust in institutions we have. This lack of trust bleeds down into its most basic form . . . trust in each other.

Interestingly, most everyone knows this needs to be reversed and believes it can be reversed— they just don’t know how.

The thing is, authority is essential for anything to work properly. Whether it’s an institution, your marriage, family, or your job, decisions need to be made and a direction must be established. The only way around this is to be completely alone, and we know it’s not good for people to be alone.

But let’s face it, we don’t like authority. We don’t like a boss telling us what to do, the government telling us to pay taxes, the policeman who gives us a speeding ticket, the banker who calls about a late payment, the doctor who won’t refill a prescription without an office visit, or the professor who assigns us a research project. But we need the job, the common services, the car, the house, the health care, and the degree. We accept authority because we require such things, but we might have a different reaction when we think we don’t need an authority figure . . . like when it comes to church. Rebellion is in our nature . . . our sinful nature, and the Bible speaks about authority a lot.

In the description of the infant church in Acts 2:42 is a somewhat overlooked word descriptive of the new disciples’ devotion. It wasn’t just doctrine they were devoted to, it was “the

All spiritual authority begins with Jesus. Our Lord said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). It’s interesting that we frequently quote the Great Commission but seldom emphasize the authority Jesus declares over it. Jesus also established the authority structure of the church; see Ephesians 4:11-13 (“He . . . gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers . . .”). Authority is both a privilege and burden, but that burden should not be shouldered alone, which is why a church is designed to have a plurality of elders. Eldership is a role that answers to the authority of Jesus, and that’s why there need to be multiple voices in unity that exhibit a deep commitment to following Jesus.

Spiritual authority flows through the elders, and because of that, there are specific requirements in God’s Word about who can fill that role. Elders oversee the minister or ministry team, who, in turn, oversee the congregation.

One might use the word pastor—meaning “shepherd”—here; a main function of pastors is herding sheep. This shepherding involves leading, offering care, encouragement, and discipline. Two of those functions (offering care and encouragement) are usually received well; the other two (leading and discipline), not so much. But the Bible is clear: “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you” (Hebrews 13:17).

Yes, some people resist being led and disciplined.

They sometimes lash out at discipline in person, on social media, or through rumors. That’s one reason every decision about discipline must be made in unity, pastors and elders in agreement

Being a Christ follower means submitting to spiritual authority. That said, church leaders sometimes exercise their authority poorly or wrongly. We can infer this from James 3:1 (“We who teach will be judged more strictly”). Wherever there are people, there are problems.

However, Christ followers should endeavor to submit to spiritual authority rather than seek out reasons or offer excuses for stepping out from under authority. We see examples of the latter by those who church hop, refuse to commit to a local church body, or choose an online-only option for church rather than regularly engaging with the body of Christ in person—none of these are acceptable to God. Some might stop giving or attending if leadership launches a fundraising campaign; they might question how the money is spent or even become angry over it. The complaining by some never stops.

But under proper church authority, we also witness people who find their identity in Christ.

They drop their burdens at the foot of the cross, and their children learn how much God loves them. Marriages are healed, lives rearranged, victories won, eternities changed, and God is glorified.

The point is . . . it’s worth it! With all of our faults and inconsistencies, all of our hypocrisy and brokenness, God’s way is the best way! It will always be the best way. The structure of authority as it was designed by God is critical to making the church operate the way Jesus Christ intended it.

Jerry Harris is publisher of Christian Standard Media and senior pastor of The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest. @_jerryharris /jerrydharris

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and under the authority of God’s Word. It’s a burden, not a joy, to be criticized by people who have a limited understanding of the circumstances, and that’s why leadership is not for everybody.

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apostles’ doctrine” (King James Version). The birth of the church was accompanied by authority, and the apostles were that authority. The Bible makes clear that believers are to submit to authority, and that applies to both government and culture (see Romans 13:1, 2; 1 Peter 2:13, 14; Titus 2). But God also expects us to submit to authority within the church.

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In Every Issue 2-3 | from the publisher

e 2:EFFECTIVE ELDERS T he Tension Jim Estep

Copyright ©2020

by Christian Standard Media Printed in USA

8-9 |

6-7 | from the Editor

10-11 | POLISHED A Re s t o r a t i o n Move m e nt fo r E ve r yo n e Megan Rawlings

42

48

MY STORY

'WE'VE FOUND OUR TRIBE'

Gonzalo Ve n e g a s

Melissa Wuske

45

60

52 THIS IS WHY WE PLANT CHURCHES Brent Bramer

THE STARFISH EFFECT

MULTIPLYING THROUGH MULTISITES Chris Hankins

57 OUR IMPACT IN THE WIDER EVANGELICAL WORLD

Scott Kenworthy

Matthew Wilson

12-13 | MINISTRYLIFE T h e B oy w i t h t h e O d d - S h ap e d He a d C. Robert Wetzel

14-15 | HORIZONS C hu r ch e s a n d B u s i ne s s e s P a r t n e r t o Re a ch O u t Laura McKillip Wood

16-18 | METRICS

95 | INTERACT

S t a t e o f D i s c iple s h ip Re p o r t Kent E. Fillinger

76-93 | THE LOOKOUT

96 | THE FINAL WORD

f r o m th e edi to r

The Churches of Our Movement Were Made for This I

BELIEVE the Restoration Movement is a strong and vibrant movement with a bright future. Here are four reasons I believe that’s true.

First, our movement is in good hands. Every feature writer this month is under the age of 45, and many are in their 20s and 30s. We sought younger writers to make a point. As one young writer, Josh Ross, put it, “In the kingdom of God, the movement is before us, not behind us.”

While we often look back at the rich history of our movement, it’s time to look to the future. You may notice that several writers are preachers’ kids; others point to their Bible college education or the churches where they grew up. Either way, the next generation of leaders has been mentored and equipped to lead our churches well. They will lead differ-

ently than leaders in the past—and that’s good!

No one generation has all the answers for the best ways of doing ministry, and often the next generation needs to correct the mistakes of the previous ones. Those of us who are older should—must—listen to God speaking to us through younger voices. And, of course, the opposite is also true.

This issue was a multigenerational team effort. Thanks go to Tyler McKenzie, who wrote our lead article in this issue; we met together and discussed the theme, topics, and whom we might ask to write. As a young preacher himself, Tyler was a valuable resource because of his relationships with many other young preachers. I also thank several “older” men, especially David Fincher and Kent Fillinger, who gave me more names of young preachers to contact.

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Though our churches are often described as “independent,” we actually are quite interdependent. While each church is governed autonomously, we know we are better together.

After all, we are a unity movement, and that results in a beautiful synergy.

That being said, our decentralized nature is still one of our biggest strengths. A network of autonomous churches has many advantages over denominational structures. In February 2020 the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece, “Thank God, American Churches Are Dying.” Erica Anderson wrote that while thousands of churches in America, particularly denominational churches (Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, Catholic) are dying, “nondenominational, evangelical churches are growing in number.” Anderson pointed to one big reason for that growth: an emphasis on church multiplication, and she quoted Dave Ferguson, lead pastor at Community Christian Church in Naperville, Illinois, and president of Exponential, about those upward trends. If the current growth (from 4 percent to 7 percent over the last four years) of multiplying churches continues, Ferguson said, “it will change the spiritual landscape.”

Our movement has a distinct opportunity, if we will take it. “Those with denominational affinity will be sad to see a certain kind of church fall away,” said Anderson. “But the success of new models shows significant groups of people looking for ways to live faithfully, albeit in a less structured way.”

The WSJ writer then asked a significant question: “Could this really signify a religious awakening?”

Our movement is attractive to a world in need of hope and real life—a world tired of labels and rules and power structures and all kinds

of add-ons to the original. But we identify ourselves with the original, which we believe is worth restoring.

A major strength of the Restoration Movement is that we are, well . . . a movement. Movement can simply mean “the act or process of moving.” We have two preeminent calls to action from Jesus: “Follow me” and “Go!” We must resist a drift into preservation and passivity; we are a people of action.

I’m writing this in early April, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. And I’m seeing an admirable response from many of our churches across the country. We have no denominational headquarters telling us how to respond, and churches are dealing with the crisis in many different ways. One might think this would lead to chaos, but the opposite is true . . . because the head of the church is Christ and his Spirit is guiding each one. I’ve seen churches helping one another, churches and parachurch ministries talking together, working together, banding together to continue taking the good news to people who desperately need it. I see incredible creativity and innovation in teaching, fellowshipping, sharing, serving, and loving others. God has prepared us for such a time as this. As Tyler McKenzie said at Northeast Christian during the crisis, “We wouldn’t have prayed for this, but we were made for this!”

Indeed, the church Jesus founded, his body, was made for responding to a world in crisis, to a world in need of a cure, to a world in need of a Savior. Yes, I believe we were made for this.

@michaelcmack @michaelcmack @michaelcmack /authormichaelcmack

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This points to another strength in our movement:

e 2 : ef f ecti v e elder s

The Tension Theological Correctness or Cultural Relevance?

BY JIM ESTEP

IN

M I N I S T RY, is it more important to be theologically correct or culturally relevant?

Every congregation and Christian leader is confronted with this dilemma. Every theological tradition also is caught in the controversy. We all live in the tension between faithfulness to Scripture and relevance to the culture in which we minister . . . between being the church and doing the church’s mission.

“Culturally relevant ministry!” is the other option. As Christian leaders, we obviously desire a ministry that is attractive and compelling to those whom the church is endeavoring to reach and disciple. We are seeing the effects of being increasingly irrelevant to the culture with each successive generation in the 20th and 21st centuries. What could be more important than fulfilling the Great Commission in the most effective means possible? When the church is not culturally relevant, it fails to do what it has to do.

Churches that are not aligned with Scripture become indistinguishable from other social organizations; they forget their identity as the church. However, far too often we mistake what’s relevant for contemporary or “fad-driven” methodologies that prove to be illfated for the church’s ministry.

On one side we shout, “Theologically correct ministry!” As Christian leaders, we obviously need to side with being theologically correct and aligned with Scripture. If not, we fail to heed the warning of Anglican churchman William Ralph Inge (1860–1954), who said, “The church that is married to the spirit of this age, becomes a widow in the next.” The church was not meant to be rooted in one generation or the current generation, but in Scripture. Without Jim Estep serves as vice presitheological correctness, we fail to dent of academics with Central be what the church has to be. HowChristian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri, and as event ever, far too often we mistake tradirector with e2: effective elders. dition for Scripture and familiar /e2elders pastoral approaches for biblical @e2elders correctness.

Do these arguments sound familiar? Have you pondered the tension between what is theologically correct and what is culturally relevant? When e2 leaders share at events, speak with participants, or engage in church coaching, the tension is palpable. It is present in leaders’ reactions and questions.

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Let’s focus the matter on a practical subject: sermons. Do we want sermons to align with Scripture or be relevant to the hearer? Honestly, we want sermons to do both. It’s a matter of dual contexts. We study Scripture in its original context to determine the meaning and derive its message. But that’s not a sermon, it’s simply exegeting the passage. Next, we turn our attention to the other context, the hearer. We must also exegete the audience, identify points of application, and ascertain how the message of Scripture will most readily relate to their lives.

A sermon is both exegesis and application; one without the other is virtually worthless.

It’s not a matter of being theologically correct or culturally relevant, it’s a matter of being both/ and.

Church Ministry The same is true of the church’s ministry. We must be concerned and committed to scriptural alignment and cultural relevance; one without the other is incomplete and deters the effectiveness of the church. How do we move forward in the tension between Scripture and culture? Five principles may provide some direction: • Embrace our theological core. As leaders, we need to engage the Scriptures and study them thoroughly for the purpose of articulating our beliefs. This is our identity, which rests on God’s Word. We need to study who we are biblically, theologically, and even historically in terms of our place within the Restoration Movement. However, do not confuse Scripture with church tradition or preferred methodology.

• Explore our context. Just as we need to study the Scriptures, we must also study the context in which we live. Consider purchasing a demographic study for your region, tailored to your congregation’s location, as a first step to learning more about your audi-

ence. Studies provided by agencies like perceptgroup.com are invaluable in “exegeting” your community.

• Apply godly wisdom to the needs and issues of your church and community. Allow the design of ministry to reflect the matters relevant to the generations comprising the church and community in which you minister. Apply the 2,000-plus years of Christian wisdom, based on Scripture, to supply the godly response to the relevant matters.

• Focus on people, relationships, and families . . . “soft” structures. Ministry that helps the church become God’s family, his bride, his people will focus on relations comprising the church. Such a ministry will treat people like people, and work to strengthen and facilitate fellowship, using Scripture to explain the shape of a godly relationship.

• Recognize “worship” cannot do it all. Far too often the tension between Scripture (actually tradition) and culture (usually generational preferences) occurs in the worship service. It shouldn’t. Worship is for the believer, not the nonbeliever. Worship is, by nature, oriented on God and the message of his Word and must be intergenerational. We must remember that ministry is more than the worship service. Worship is not designed to go deep theologically, nor is it to be suitable for only one generation. That’s why we need worship plus small groups, support groups, mentors, Bible studies, community ministries, seminars . . . to provide targeted outreach and cultural engagement as well as the ability for spiritual depth and focus where needed.

Living in the tension between our commitments to Scripture and culture can either destroy us or make us stronger together. While some people value theological correctness and others cultural relevance, let’s strive to facilitate a theologically informed, culturally relevant ministry. 

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The Sermon

Po li sh ed

A Restoration Movement for Everyone

BY MEGAN RAWLINGS

I N 19 62 , while NASA was taking its first fever-

ish steps to land a man on the moon (and bring him home safely) by the end of the decade, President John F. Kennedy visited the NASA Space Center for the first time. While touring the premises, he observed a janitor mopping the floor. Kennedy started a conversation with the janitor by asking what he was doing. Much to the commander-in-chief’s surprise, the custodian replied, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.” Everyone who worked for NASA—astronauts, engineers, mathematicians, janitors—shared the same vision and knew they had a role in accomplishing the mission.

The church’s approach is the same. The preacher, Sunday school teacher, bus driver, widow, and everyone else play significant parts in the kingdom of God. Paul wrote, The body is a unit, though it is comprised of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is

with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink (1 Corinthians 12:12, 13, Berean Study Bible).

Restoration Movement founders knew it was a biblical concept and cast this vision. All people, no matter their capabilities or how insignificant they may feel, are part of God’s plan to win souls for Christ.

Megan Rawlings is the founder and CEO of The Bold Movement.

She is an extrovert, pastor’s wife, and lover of the Scriptures. /tbmministry @tbm_ministry @tbm_ministry @theboldmovement theboldmovement.com

The Restoration Movement Inspires Women From its earliest days in the first half of the 19th century, Restoration Movement women have been involved in church planting. One notable example involved three Marys from Somerset, Pennsylvania. Mary Graft, Mary Morrison, and Mary Ogle all were baptized as adults and quickly made the Bible their only source for knowledge of God and Christianity. They soon began

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ger exercise, which is a helpful way to lead someone to Christ. Each finger represents a different component:

Through their tireless efforts, the three Marys evangelized their entire community and led many to Christ. The Christian Church in Somerset, Pennsylvania, saw membership as high as 500, largely resulting from the devotion of three dedicated women. And just think, they did all of this with very limited technology. Imagine what we can do with the tools we now have at our fingertips.

2. Believe: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:31).

How to Become a Woman of the Restoration Movement

3. Repent: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

So, how do you get started on this journey? Here are four important concepts to keep in mind: In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love. In matters where disagreement is not detrimental to one’s faith, let there be freedom. And always remember, no matter the circumstances, do all things in love. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

Where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where the Bible is silent, we are silent. When promoting the gospel message, it is very important not to add to what Scripture says, especially with regard to the unclear, gray areas. It is best to just say nothing.

“Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent” (Proverbs 17:28, New American Standard Bible).

We are Christians only, but not the only Christians. Others will believe differently, but this does not mean they are not Christians. So, we need to remember the first step in being a woman of the Restoration Movement: In nonessentials, liberty. Heaven will be filled with people who held diverse opinions over nonessential matters.

We are called to evangelize. Walter Scott, a Restoration Movement founder, created the five-fin-

1. Hear: “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ” (Romans 10:17, New Living Translation). The first step to becoming a Christian is by hearing the good news of Jesus.

4. Confess: “If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved” (Romans 10:9, 10, Good News Translation).

5. Be baptized: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4). Baptism helps identify who Christians are. It is the act of being buried with Christ and raised to eternal life through his gospel.

Take the Challenge Knowledge of Scripture is one means through which unity is established in the Restoration Movement. “They know their Bible and they are devoted to it,” said a well-known Restoration preacher by the unlikely name Benjamin Franklin. This movement’s reputation is centered on understanding Scripture.

But that’s not all. We must be willing to step out of our comfort zones to reach those who are searching for answers. It might mean accepting someone with different beliefs or expressing the love of God to someone who is “unlovable.” Being a woman of the Restoration Movement may not always be easy, but with God’s help, we can collectively achieve great things for his kingdom. 

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holding prayer meetings and teaching classes by writing letters and going house to house.

Mi n i stry Li f e

The Boy with the Odd-Shaped Head

BY C. ROBERT WETZEL

c REW

C U T S W E R E P OPU L A R among boys in the late 1940s. What distinguished them from today’s short haircuts was that the closely cropped hair of the crew cut had to stand straight up. This necessitated at least two occasions of special care. It took a bit of thick hair gel to achieve vertical status, and a weekly trip to the barber to ensure the perfect shape.

Hence all through high school, I made my Saturday visit to Charlie’s Barber Shop in Hugoton, Kansas, to nurture this dubious bit of fashion. I think I must have been about 14 when I received an instructive lesson in biblical discussion during one of these haircuts.

One of Charlie’s three barbers, Oscar (not his real name), was

cutting my hair. He knew I was a member of First Christian Church and that I intended to prepare for ministry. Oscar was a lay preacher for a local evangelical church.

He said to me rather confidentially, “Someone told me you people down at the Christian church believe baptism is for the remission of sins. They don’t really believe that, do they?”

After ministries with Milligan College, Springdale College in England, and Emmanuel Christian Seminary, C. Robert Wetzel retired with the honorary title of chancellor. For several years after retirement he taught part-time in the Humanities program at Milligan. He currently serves as an elder at the Downtown Christian Church in Johnson City, Tennessee. He and his wife, Bonnie, continue to enjoy the pleasure of living in the mountains of East Tennessee.

Of course, he knew that was exactly what was taught at the Christian church, but I did not realize I was being led into an effort to straighten me out doctrinally. He evidently wanted my doctrine to be as upright as my hair. Thus I responded naively, “I think that is what we believe.”

He feigned horror, “No, surely you don’t believe a person cannot be saved without baptism.” I

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Jim Keffer had only recently come to First Christian Church. He was a straightforward preacher with that firm sense of conviction that reflected his Johnson Bible College education. When I told Jim what had happened, he suggested a response to Oscar that would have made Socrates proud.

I could not wait until my next haircut, and I made sure I ended up in Oscar’s chair. Following Jim’s strategy, I asked, “Oscar, when Saul of Tarsus saw the vision of Christ on the road to Damascus, was he saved?”

“He most certainly was,” Oscar responded.

“Then,” I continued, “when he arrived in Damascus blind, and he fasted and prayed for three days, was he a Christian and hence were his sins forgiven?”

Oscar said, “Of course his sins had been forgiven. He had been saved.”

“Then surely,” I said, “when Ananias came to Saul and healed him of his blindness, according to your belief, Saul would have had his sins forgiven.”

“Of course,” Oscar affirmed, wondering why I was so dense with these continuing questions.

It was at this moment that I applied the Keffer ax: “Then why,” I asked, “after Ananias healed him, did he say, ‘And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). We used the King James Version in those days.

Oscar was stunned. He thought for a while and finally said, “I will have to check that passage in the Greek.” It was a credit to him that he knew some Greek. But the conversation ended, and I went on my way with the same satisfaction as when our football team had beaten our archrival, Liberal.

A few days later my dad came back from getting a haircut. He said, “What is it with you and Oscar? He told me he hated to cut your hair. He said you had the oddest-shaped head he had ever cut.”

In the future, both for Oscar’s sake and mine, I always waited for another barber. They did not seem to mind cutting the hair of a boy with an odd-shaped head.

Over the years, I have reflected on this experience. As a boy it certainly gave me an appreciation for the teaching I received at First Christian Church. I am grateful I learned early on that what we believe in Christian churches is not as odd as what Oscar wanted me to believe. And my odd-shaped head?

Perhaps that, too, was more of an expression of Oscar’s frustration with a 14-year-old boy who had led him into a doctrinal trap. At least I haven’t worried about it over the years.

But then, just recently I visited a local church.

A woman I had not seen for some time sat down behind me. She said, “I could tell who you were by just looking at the back of your head.” Perhaps Oscar was right on at least one account. 

This article was adapted from “The Boy with the Odd-Shaped Head,” which first appeared in our July 11, 2010, issue. Read the entre article at www.christianstandard.com/2010/07/the-boywith-the-odd-shaped-head.

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left his chair with a good haircut, but greatly puzzled about what I was supposed to believe about baptism. Thus the next day I asked my preacher.

horizons

Churches and Businesses Partner to Reach Out

BY LAURA MCKILLIP WOOD

R E VO ’ S

FA M I LY H A D NO T H I NG when they arrived in the United States. They pinned their hopes on a new life in the West after fleeing dangerous political unrest in Southeast Asia.

After a long and difficult process, they settled in Omaha, Nebraska,. Their apartment had only the bare minimum Revo, his wife, and their children needed for survival. Not only did they have few furnishings, their children had no beds.

An organization named Sleep in Heavenly Peace heard about their situation—and the situation of many of their refugee neighbors—and sprang into action.

Reaching Out Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) is a nonprofit group that provides new twin beds, mattresses, and bedding to children in the community. SHP wasn’t specifically created as a religious organization; it consists of many different chapters started by various groups around the country. Some chapters, like the one in Omaha, were started by churches in an effort to reach out to their communities and show the love of Christ to people in tangible ways.

“SHP is a Good Samaritan situation; we have no agenda other than helping out kids in need,” said Dustin Fulton, who helped start the Omaha chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace when his church, Restore

Community Church, began looking for a way to connect with the community. Restore was moving into a new facility, and people were working on the building together.

“As we were redoing the permanent facility,” Fulton said, “I saw all these guys with power tools who hadn’t been engaged with the life of the church before.” At about the same time, he saw an online video about Sleep in Heavenly Peace. The idea of starting a local chapter was born.

About 2 to 4 percent of the population of any community are kids who don’t have adequate bedding, Fulton said. They sleep on the floor or on couches.

Sometimes they share beds with siblings or parents.

Laura McKillip Wood, former missionary to Ukraine, now lives in Papillion, Nebraska. She serves as an on-call chaplain at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha. She and her husband, Andrew, have three teenagers. /laura.wood2 @woodlaura30

Beds are not essential for survival, of course, and struggling families often cannot purchase them for their children. While a bed may not be essential, having one does something important for a child.

A warm, comfortable bed gives a child a sense of security; a bed provides stability and warmth in a world that may feel cold and harsh.

A bed also relieves a little stress on the parents. The SHP program helps assure recipients that people in the community care about them and their children.

@woodlaura30 lauramckillipwood.com lauramckillipwood@gmail.com

When the people at Restore Community Church heard about the

JUNE 2020

A Crisis and a Need Not long after the Omaha chapter started, a refugee crisis occurred in the city. Five hundred refugees from Myanmar who had recently been settled in the area by the U.S. government saw their apartment buildings condemned. They moved to other homes, which scattered them throughout the city and broke apart their supportive refugee community.

citement spreads to those working with them.

When nonbelievers see the care Christians have for people in the community, they see Christ working. Additionally, volunteering gives them a hands-on experience with people in need.

“One of the greatest things about SHP is how it brings people from different sides of town and different backgrounds together,” Fulton said. “While people can volunteer at a soup kitchen and do some good, they don’t actually go into the home of the person they’re feeding. With SHP we actually get into the homes of people who are refugees and people living in extreme poverty.”

Since they had arrived in the country with few possessions, the refugees did not have furnishings for their apartments. Sleep in Heavenly Peace began building beds for the children. By the end of the year, SHP had built and delivered 133 beds, 100 of which went to refugees.

Working to meet the needs of low-income families helps volunteers see the reality facing many people in the community, he said. It moves issues such as poverty and immigration from the abstract to the concrete. Volunteers can begin to see these issues not as political debates but as issues involving real people with real needs.

The next spring, the Omaha area experienced devastating floods. SHP again got to work, providing beds for 75 flood victims.

“That’s something our country needs a lot more of!” Fulton said.

When a family needs a bed, the process of obtaining one begins with an online application. Families sometimes fill out the applications, but sometimes a social worker, interpreter, or foster care organization submits the application for them.

On selected build days, volunteers from Restore as well as people from businesses or community organizations bring their power tools and meet in a central location where they set up an assembly line to build the beds. The Omaha chapter has built as many as 100 beds in one day, Fulton said.

If they build more beds than they need at that time, they may donate the extras to other chapters nearby.

What about Revo and his family? Sleep in Heavenly Peace delivered beds for his children and others in the refugee community.

“While working with Burmese refugees, we often went into their homes,” Fulton said. “The men would come out in bare feet and help us unload the beds, even though there was snow and ice on the ground, because they didn’t have proper shoes. Even though we were more than willing to carry the beds in, they wanted to have some ownership in it.”

Sleep in Heavenly Peace epitomizes people working together to care for one another. It is evidence of the gospel in action! 

Gifts for the Givers Sleep in Heavenly Peace helps meet the needs of families, but it also serves as an outreach to those who work with the organization. Since Restore partners with other community organizations to build and distribute the beds, their members work alongside nonbelievers. The believers’ ex-

The Omaha chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace recently was part of Mike Rowe’s show Returning the Favor (Season 4, Episode 8, “The Firefighter Providing Furniture”). To watch it, go to www.facebook.com/ReturningTheFavor/videos/256845172147390.

C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D - 15 -

need, they saw an opportunity to do something helpful for families. They started their SHP chapter in 2018 with a goal of providing 40 beds and bedding for children by the end of the first year.

metr i cs

Report: State of Discipleship

BY KENT E. FILLINGER

D I S C I PL E SH I P I S A HO T T OPIC in church

ministries and global missions today. Churches are placing a greater emphasis on disciple-making. And missionaries are more focused on trying to establish disciple-making movements around the world. As I prepared to write this article, I received an evite to attend a webinar about “discipling people online” in response to the COVID-19 lockdown.

YES

NO

MEGA-

83%

17%

E ME RGING MEGA-

84%

16%

L ARGE

75%

25%

MEDIUM

63%

37%

SMAL L

46%

54%

VERY SMAL L

42%

58%

In our annual survey, we asked a series of questions about disciplemaking processes in churches, and we also asked leaders to evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts.

What impact did being a “disciplemaking church” have on church growth rates and baptism ratios?

Would you describe your church today as a “disciple-making church”?

Overall, two-thirds (66 percent) of the churches surveyed said they would describe themselves as a “disciple-making church.” The largest churches were about twice as likely to classify themselves as such than the smallest churches.

Kent E. Fillinger serves as president of 3:STRANDS Consulting, Indianapolis, Indiana, and regional vice president (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan) with Christian Financial Resources.

/3strandsconsulting 3strandsconsulting.com

Churches that said they were a disciple-making church had significantly better growth rates and baptism ratios (the number of people baptized per 100 in attendance) than churches that didn’t identify themselves that way in 2019.

Statistics validated this conclusion in all but the large size category of churches (see the chart on page 17).

JUNE 2020 G ROWTH RATE

BAPTISM RATIO

MEGA-

3%

6.6

-2%

6.7

EMERGING MEGA-

7%

5.9

-7%

6.8

LAR GE

0%

5.4

2%

4.5

MEDIUM

4%

6.2

-2%

5.2

SMALL

8%

6.0

-2%

4.0

V ERY SMALL

2%

5.6

-3%

3.1

OV ER ALL AV ER AGE

4%

6.0

-2%

5.1

The Great Commission gave marching orders for all Christians and churches to “go and make disciples of all nations” and to teach these new disciples to obey everything Jesus has commanded them (Matthew 28:18-20). That said, the priority placed on discipleship by the surveyed churches was mixed.

Less than half of the churches (48 percent) said that disciples making disciples was a “high priority” for their church. Overall, 12 percent of the churches surveyed said “disciples making disciples” was a “low priority” for them.

What level of priority does your church currently place on disciples making disciples?

A 2019 LifeWay research study found that 65 percent of Protestant pastors said they were satisfied with the state of discipleship and spiritual formation in their local church, while 78 percent indicated there was room for improvement.

MEGA-

67%

31%

2%

0%

E ME RGING ME GA-

59%

36%

3%

2%

L ARGE

46%

49%

5%

0%

ME DIUM

44%

44%

12%

0%

SMAL L

36%

39%

25%

0%

VE RY SMAL L

33%

38%

25%

4%

While nearly two-thirds of the pastors in the LifeWay survey were satisfied with their church’s discipleship efforts, 44 percent said they did not regularly evaluate their discipleship progress to inform that opinion. About 8 out of 10 (83 percent) of these churches said they had an intentional plan for discipleship.

By comparison, 77 percent of the churches in our Christian Standard survey rated their church’s disciple-making efforts as either “somewhat effective” or “very effective.” Again, the larger the churches, the more likely they were to rate their disciple-making efforts as effective.

How would you rate the effectiveness of your church's disciple-making efforts?

NOT AT AL L

BAPTISM RATIO

NONE

NOT VE RY

G ROWTH RATE

L OW

NEUTRAL

D ISC IPLE-MAK IN G

N OT D ISC IPLE-MAKING

ME DIUM

S OMEW HAT

With respect to baptism ratios, the gap was not as significant. But overall, the churches selfidentifying as a disciple-making church had a higher baptism ratio in four of six church size categories.

HIGH

VERY

The churches that were not disciple-making churches declined on average 2 percent in 2019 compared to an overall average growth rate of 4 percent for the disciple-making churches.

DISCIP L E -MAKING PRIORITY

MEGA-

15%

85%

0%

0%

0%

E ME RGING MEGA-

16%

77%

3%

3%

0%

L ARGE

4%

75%

16%

5%

0%

ME DIUM

7%

76%

8%

7%

2%

SMAL L

14%

48%

19%

15%

5%

VERY SMAL L

3%

43%

32%

13%

9%

Does your church currently offer any disciplemaking and/or evangelism training programs?

Again, larger churches were more likely to offer disciple-making or evangelism training than smaller churches. However, the net positive

C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D - 17 -

The large churches were the only category where disciple -making churche s didn’t se e ove rall growth last year.

JUNE 2020

81%

6%

13%

EMER GING MEGA-

66%

23%

11%

LAR GE

51%

31%

18%

MEDIUM

48%

31%

21%

SMALL

31%

40%

29%

V ERY SMALL

22%

54%

24%

Overall, the churches that had no discipleship or evangelism training program had slightly better growth rates last year (2.7 percent) than churches that did offer such a program (2.4 percent) or which were in the process of creating one (0.8 percent).

But churches with a disciple-making training program had the highest baptism ratios of these three groups of churches. The churches with such a program baptized 6.2 people per 100 in attendance compared to 5.3 for both the churches with no training program and those working to develop one.

Among these three possibilities, what is the primary method for adult discipleship in your church?

SUN DAY SC H OOL/ AD ULT BIBLE C LASSES

SMALL G ROUPS

CL ASSE S & GROUP S

MEGA-

2%

51%

47%

EMER GING MEGA-

0%

53%

47%

LAR GE

5%

31%

64%

MEDIUM

3%

41%

56%

SMALL

24%

21%

55%

V ERY SMALL

49%

15%

36%

How effective is your church's current process for maturing believers?

NOT AT AL L

MEGA-

NOT VERY

C URRE NTLY CREATI NG ONE

NE UTRAL

NO

SOME WHAT

YES

Based on my past research, I’ve discerned that a church’s primary method of adult discipleship hinges somewhat on its size. Churches larger than 250 seldom offer only adult classes (i.e., Sunday school or adult Bible fellowship classes).

Just over half of the churches surveyed (51 percent) used a combination of adult classes and small group Bible studies to help mature their members. Overall, 35 percent of the churches surveyed used only small group Bible studies.

The larger the church, the more likely they were to use small group Bible studies as the primary method for discipleship.

VE RY

C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D - 18 -

effect of offering some type of disciple-making training program wasn’t always reflected in those church’s growth rates and baptism ratios.

MEGA-

13%

80%

7%

0%

0%

E ME RGING MEGA-

10%

83%

5%

2%

0%

L ARGE

9%

73%

13%

5%

0%

ME DIUM

8%

76%

8%

8%

0%

SMAL L

10%

64%

14%

11%

1%

VERY SMAL L

4%

58%

23%

10%

4%

Larger churches were more likely than smaller churches to rate their efforts to mature believers as either “very effective” or “somewhat effective.”

Looking at the various methods of adult discipleship, and adding together the percentage of churches that ranked these methods as either very effective or somewhat effective, we found the churches that offered a combination of adult classes and small group Bible studies reported a combined level of effectiveness of 84 percent; while churches that offered only small groups were next, 81 percent; and churches that had only adult classes were third, with 62 percent reporting a certain level of effectiveness. 

THE R E S T O R AT I O N MOVEMENT IS AN ACTS 2 UNITY RENEWAL INVITING SELF-IDENTIFYING REPRODUCING MOVEMENT

by Tyler McKenzie

AN ACTS 2 MOVEMENT

restoring the dynamic life of the f irst church

I was born, raised, baptized, and ordained in Restoration Movement churches. I’ve served all my years in ministry in the Restoration Movement. I married a Restoration Movement girl. I got a Restoration Movement degree. I’m Restoration Movement tried and true. But that’s not why I love our movement. I love the Restoration Movement for what it stands for. It is a move-

ment of churches aiming to restore the dynamic life of the first church in Acts. That church is worth restoring.

It’s a movement marked by the pioneering grit of Jesus’ apostles trying to establish Jesus’ church in Jesus’ ways despite the murderous threats of Jesus’ enemies breathing down their necks.

JUNE 2020 C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D - 2 2 -

It’s a movement committed to biblical faithfulness. After all, if anyone knew what Jesus wanted best for his church, it was his friends who spent time with the risen Christ, were commissioned by him, and were validated by the power of the Holy Spirit.

lieve we should pray through Acts as much as any Bible book. When we do, we should ask, “God, what needs restoring today?” because the church described in Acts is worth restoring.

It’s a movement that rejects the magnetic drift toward institutionalized power while simultaneously rejecting the myth of progress. Most Christians can’t pull this off. They institutionalize at the expense of cultural relevancy or modernize at the expense of truth. The myth of progress seems to be the manifesto of every young generation. “We have finally figured out what Scripture actually means! We are finally moving out of the insolence and archaism of our predecessors.” But the Restoration Movement rejects that. New does not necessarily mean good. Jesus’ teachings are 2,000 years old and still the best humanity has to offer.

What Needs Restoring?

As a movement, we acknowledge truth transcends time and place. We push back on progressive distortions of orthodoxy. We push back against institutionalized power that inevitably breeds corruption. However, we simultaneously fend off the rigor mortis that slowly sets in when you institutionalize methodology. Truth transcends culture, but application adapts to it. We are a movement historic in ecclesiology while wise in missiology.

It’s a move me nt whe re e ach autonomous church hangs its hat on passages like Acts 2:4247. These are some of the only snapshots of the church as Jesus intended, seemingly without disfunction. Thriving in Rome. Unstoppable by the corrupted powers. Undeniable in the sight of others. Irresistible to outsiders. Reputable in neighborhoods. Doctrinally sound. Passionately devoted. Relationally committed. Radically generous. Powerful and persistent in prayer.

Growing deeper and wider daily. And, oh yeah, they ate together. A lot. Can you even “Acts 2” without snacks?

I love our movement. I’m sure you do too. As Restoration Movement church leaders, I be-

I think it is clear what needs restoring today.

It can be summed up in one word . . . what I consider to be the forgotten word of Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Devotion. It’s as essential as any word in that foundational verse.

Acts 2:42 teaches that First Christian Church of Jerusalem was founded on practice but fueled by devotion.

As someone who has digested many words from scholars and preachers about this important verse, 99 percent of the focus tends to be on practice rather than devotion. “Apostles’ teaching! Fellowship! Breaking of bread! Prayer!”

Without a doubt, all of these must become pillars of any healthy church. But in my experience, that’s not what tends to be the problem for the American church. We know the practices.

What our people lack is the fiery devotion the first church had.

If we aren’t devoted to the practices, we become apathetic toward them. They start to feel stale and impotent. But the problem isn’t the power in the practices, it’s the passion in the people. They’re half-baked because we’re lukewarm. The Greek verb here for devotion points to the frequency and intensity of their commitment to the practices. The word proskartereōbe points to the intensity of their commitment.

The tense of this verb points to the relentless frequency of their intense commitment. When the devotion of Acts 2:42 meets the practices of Acts 2:42, you get the church of Acts 2:43-47!

But you need both.

JUNE 2020 C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D - 2 3 -

Practice Without Devotion Does the American church have both practice and devotion? I fear if Luke were to write a history of us today, it might read something like this: AMERICANS 2:42-47— 42They studied the apostles’ teachings rarely. When they did, it was alone for 10 minutes or until they got distracted by their phones. They called it “quiet time” and they loved to snap photos of it and post them on Instagram.

Some of the believers came together on Sundays for a Ted Talk, music, and a few transitional prayers to help keep the program smooth.

44 They discussed afterwards what they liked and didn’t like about the music, forgetting entirely that the music wasn’t written, played, or sung for them. 45A deep sense of awe never came over them all, so they noticed no miraculous signs or wonders. They church hopped and shopped. They prayed only when they needed something. They got coffee together occasionally. 46Some of the believers discussed generosity, but most couldn’t practice it because their money was tied up in mortgage debt, automobile debt, student debt, consumer debt, and their excessive budget for travel, streaming services, alcohol, and eating out. Those who could give settled for 10 percent. 47They lived spontaneously for Jesus and so they were irrelevant to their neighbors. Their churches shrank, their paranoia grew, and they ended up placing their hope in a sinner in the White House or whichever sinner ran against him.

43

The interesting thing is that people are capable of devotion in America. We prove that daily.

We’re just devoting ourselves to the wrong things. We must stop focusing on what’s preferential, popular, or political and, instead, focus on the practices of the early church.

We are so devoted to our careers, climbing the ladder, building the resume, living the American dream, that we’ve become a transient people. As a pastor, it feels like you get your folks for at most two or three years and then they move to another town or church. And even for those

HOW DO WE WIN THE HEARTS OF OUR PEOPLE BACK? T H AT ’ S T H E Q U E S T I O N O F T H E TIME. THE DEVOTION OF THE FIRST C H U R C H — L E T ’ S R E S T O R E T H AT. T H I S I S W H AT T H E R E S T O R AT I O N MOVEMENT NEEDS MOST NOW.

JUNE 2020 C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D - 2 4 -

few years they are with you, you see them only about once a month due to work, vacation, special events, exhaustion, or because little Timmy has soccer (“He’s on the travel team!”).

We are so devoted to our screens that our consciousness is chopped up into little bite-sized chunks. Every five minutes there’s another buzz, ring, tweet, vibration, notification, alert, text, call, message, post, or like. And it’s not just our phones, it’s our streaming services. Since when has bingeing ever been a good thing?

“I’m going to binge some alcohol.” Not good.

“I’m going to binge eat.” Not healthy. “I’m going to binge season four.” Sounds fun! And it’s not just our streaming services, it’s the voices discipling us within them. Thanks to big data, every time you lay eyes on a screen you are bombarded with ads about the things you think you need, delivered in words and ways that are most tempting to you.

We are so devoted to horizontal approval, we do everything we can to validate our existence by earning the applause of others. One of the main reasons no one can find healing for their wrongs is because they’re too caught up proving they’re all right. But if you get behind the veneer of success most of us feel so obligated to project, the inside story is different.

We are so devoted to politics, is it even possible for many Americans to separate Jesus’ kingdom from the left or the right? What are we thinking aligning ourselves with party, politician, or platform? Politics make for a bad religion, politicians make for bad saviors, and party platforms make for a bad gospel. We have Jesus to offer! We have a cross-shaped love that leads to resurrection life. Instead, we’re spouting partisan talking points that deceive, dehumanize, and suck all the nuance out of complex issues!

We are so devoted to freedom and self-autonomy there’s no room for wholehearted surrender. We live in an age where our culture is sowing into the minds of our kids, “If you want to

find the true you, you have to do you! Discover your truth! You are who you are! Follow your heart. Do what you feel. Live free. Don’t conform to any external authorities or definitions.

Look within. You do you.” In this day and age, the only unforgiveable sin is not being your authentic self or not allowing someone else to be their authentic self. Here’s the problem with that: Jesus never calls us to follow our heart, he tells us to take up our cross daily and follow our king.

Another Great Awakening How do we win the hearts of our people back?

That’s the question of the time. The devotion of the first church—let’s restore that. This is what the Restoration Movement needs most now.

Not a new strategy for evangelism. Not a multisite explosion. Not skinny jeans, fog machines, and better coffee in the lobby. Not a retreat back to “the good old days.” Not better teaching or truer doctrine. Not a movement to bring the hymns back. Not a secret strategy to reach millennials. Not an angsty attitude toward millennials. Not to make America great again or a conversion to democratic socialism. I think it’s easier than that.

I think we need to do the simple things better.

We know the practices. The great challenge of bringing to boil an American church that is in decline and overwhelmingly lukewarm is figuring out how to cultivate devotion . . . in both frequency and intensity. If we can, we will see the dynamic life of the first church explode in our midst once again. 

Tyler McKenzie serves as lead pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

THE R E S T O R AT I O N MOVEMENT IS A ACTS 2 UNITY RENEWAL INVITING SELF-IDENTIFYING REPRODUCING MOVEMENT

by Josh Ross

R E S T O R AT I O N

. . . not preservation

Family reunions typically carry with them a mixed bag of emotions. There is joy and sadness, excitement, and even anxiety (when we forget a name or can’t place a face).

A small part of family reunions is catching up with everyone. But for the most part, family reunions are about reminiscing about the

past, and this can be delightful and frightening simultaneously. It’s nostalgic to hear stories we haven’t heard in years. It’s frightening when the stories entail embarrassing moments from our lives. We all have stories of breaking windows, running over a mailbox, and getting caught sneaking out of the house.

JUNE 2020

‘Putting Broken Pieces B a c k To g e t h e r ’

In a way, when Rick Atchley (senior minister at The Hills Church in Fort Worth) took me and a group of about a dozen young pastor friends of mine to Bob Russell’s retreat site outside of Louisville about a decade ago, it felt like a family reunion. We had grown up in the churches of Christ, the noninstrumental branch of the Restoration Movement that’s mostly found south of the Mason-Dixon Line. We are typically referred to as the group that “doesn’t have music.” A friend once joked that if the Christian churches had just stuck with an acoustic guitar, all the churches of Christ from Texas and Tennessee would have been on board years ago.

We were all once part of the same group, but in the early 20th century we split and went our separate ways. Throughout the years, God has worked to put us back together.

If we aren’t careful, the church can become more about preserving than restoring. We can diligently work to preserve what came before us, but to the detriment of joining Jesus in his mission to restore the world that is right in front of us. We can easily slip into being more like a preservation movement than a restoration movement.

Growth comes from learning from the past and remembering the past in healthy ways. Growth doesn’t come from setting up residence in the past. In the kingdom of God, the movement is before us, not behind us.

Connecting with leaders from the independent Christian churches launched me on a decadelong journey of forming meaningful relationships with Christian church pastors. Every time I connect with new leaders from the other side of the Restoration Movement heritage— whether it’s at a conference, guest preaching, or crossing paths in other ways—it feels almost like a family reunion.

Almost . . . but it’s different.

Remember, family reunions often focus on the past, but the relationships I have formed with Christian church leaders aren’t about dwelling on the past. Don’t get me wrong, we talk about the past, but only for a few minutes. The majority of our time is about pressing into the future.

We dream together. We talk about the mission of God together. We encourage one another in character, godliness, courage, and adventure.

The past plays a part in connecting us, but it’s the future that inspires and motivates us.

This is why “restoration” language still resonates when leaders from independent Christian churches and churches of Christ fellowship. To restore is to return to life, and this will always be good news. More than good news, it’s a story worth stepping into and living out. We can never outgrow or outlive the Restoration plea. It’s rooted in God’s heart. It has always been at the heart of the church. God delights in putting broken pieces back together. God passionately works to restore beauty from ashes.

Our God diligently works to bring life from death. Restoration isn’t an every-once-in-awhile activity of the Divine; restoration is the heartbeat of the Divine.

Unity with a future . . . that is a movement worth investing in! 

Josh Ross is the lead minister for the Sycamore View Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He is married to Kayci, the proud dad to two energetic, fun boys, the author of three books, and is honored to pastor in the city of Memphis. /joshua.l.ross.3 @joshualouisross @joshualouisross

C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D - 2 7 -

Building Future-Focused Relationships

by Nate Ross

UNITY

when our 'it' is misplaced

In the quarter mile before I arrive at our church’s campus, I pass a Nazarene church, a United Methodist church, a church of Christ (noninstrumental), and then turn into our campus about 500 yards later.

Competition, co-laborers in Christ, or critic are the three most common thoughts that come from my heart when I see another church. (I know, that’s really mature for a pastor.) The lens in which I see another church leads to how I love another

JUNE 2020 C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D - 2 9 -

church. It’s quite easy to quickly judge and criticize neighboring churches that have different biblical interpretations from ours rather than pray for their success and growth. Last time I checked, not everyone in our region is following Jesus yet, so we have some more work to do.

I have a sense this practice of being in competition or a critic is common among pastors, especially when it comes to some core doctrinal beliefs held in the Restoration Movement. It’s impossible to have a movement of restoration when we’re not willing to take a step toward each other.

Within the Restoration Movement, there are differing opinions on several theological issues— music, women in leadership, spiritual gifts, end times interpretations, etc. These issues and our views on them can easily become our focus— our “IT”—if we’re not careful. And every pastor, it seems, can make the Bible support whatever point they want to make. I’ve found we will inevitably disagree on some issues in our movement, but how we disagree might matter more than why we disagree.

I came across this interesting quote that speaks to the history of our movement and the realities we face pursuing unity in the midst of disagreement. In The Origins of the Restoration Movement, Richard M. Tristano wrote, “Barton Warren Stone’s greatest contribution to the Restoration Movement was his recognition that stress on doctrinal differences was the greatest cause of Christian disunity.”

So how do we move forward in unity if we know we’re always going to have disagreements?

Love Jesus More than the Restoration Movement Let’s be great students of God’s Word, have theological positions, be able to defend them, and teach others. Let’s also make being known for the love of God in our lives our greatest goal, rather than being best known for our views. The apostle Paul was calling the church in Ephesus to this way of living when he wrote, As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:1-6).

Unity Begins with Listening My dad has set a good example during his two decades here at Northside Christian Church. Beyond loving our congregation, he gathers area pastors quarterly to share a meal, encourage, and listen to what’s going on in their world. Being a large church like ours can create a negative reputation unless you’re willing to encourage others by listening first. I don’t know if it’s specific to the conferences I’ve attended, but it sometimes seems like the least encouraging pastors can be senior pastors . . . and I’m a senior pastor! When we listen first, we get beyond the “numbers game” and are humble, gentle, kind, patient, and bearing with one another in love. (Does that sound familiar?)

JUNE 2020 C H R I S T I A N S TA N D A R D - 3 0 -

Continued Expansion Unity occurs about as naturally as a 2-year-old who shares. This is why Paul said we need to make a great effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through peace. I’m called to love others first and to celebrate the good that God is doing in them, rather than waiting for them to start where I’m at theologically or even philosophically.

Our church is located in a town that is over 80 percent white. I love our church and our region, and I’m excited about where God is leading us, but I realized I was missing something. I needed a perspective on diversity if our church was going to reach our city and embody the call of being a church that is hungry for all nations and races to know Jesus.

Instead of doing nothing to learn about racial history in the church and nation, and about present concerns, I invited people from a variety of ages and races to help inform me about diversity. We’ve met five times now and the gatherings have been exactly what I needed. We’re experiencing a deeper level of unity built around trust, vulnerability, and a willingness to listen to each other. I’ve also learned that everyone in the group comes from a different denominational background than the Restoration Movement.

W E W I L L I N E V I TA B L Y DISAGREE ON SOME ISSUES IN OUR MOVEMENT, BUT HOW WE DISAGREE M I G H T M AT T E R M O R E THAN WHY WE DISAGREE.

Instead of waiting for others to “come around,” we need to be the ones who “make every effort” to engage others and celebrate the good that God is bringing in his churches, all the while realizing we’re not going to agree on everything. This happens when we first are unified with our God and Father who is over all, through all, and in all Christians. Unity is who God is (three in One), what God is for, and what he brings through the power of the Holy Spirit.

He is the “IT” we are looking for.  Nate Ross serves as lead pastor at Northside Christian Church in New Albany, Indiana. @NaterossNCC

THE R E S T O R AT I O N MOVEMENT IS A ACTS 2 UNITY R E N E WA L INVITING SELF-IDENTIFYING REPRODUCING MOVEMENT

by Austin Gohn

DO IT

In the fall of 2010 on the campus of Lincoln Christian University, my friend Cody began to feel an urgency about prayer. The “prayer rooms” hidden away in the dark corners of our chapel had become little more than a favorite spot for campus couples. Uncertain of what else to do, Cody declared “squatter’s rights” in an unused room at the geographic heart of our campus, despite the amorphous stain on the carpet and a cartoonish illustration of Christ’s ascension.

And we started to pray.

again Just over a year later, a near constant flow of students buzzed through the room. It had been repainted. A chalkboard wall had been added so students could share requests. We hosted collective prayer nights every other Wednesday. Inspired by the Moravians in Herrnhut, we organized 35 hours of prayer for unbelieving friends and family; their names were written on hundreds of note cards we hung around the room.

As students were baptized—and the Lord added to our number monthly those being saved—

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Longing for Renewal That experience left a permanent mark on my life and ministry . . . and I’m not alone. God, it seems, has been working a longing for renewal into the hearts of many pastors—both within our movement and beyond it.

Mark Sayers, a pastor in Australia, recently articulated this longing in Reappearing Church. He defined renewal as “the refreshment, release, and advancement that individuals, groups, churches, and cultures experience when they are realigned with God’s presence.” That’s precisely what we were longing for on our campus in the early 2010s, even if we didn’t know the correct word for it, and I see that same longing in many pastors I know.

Pastors who have come of age in a time when it feels like church has been reduced to scientific formulas for growth are beginning to wonder if there’s more. They’re reading the New Testament and looking at their churches, and thinking, Where is all the stuff I’m reading about?

Sayers writes, We see this dynamic throughout the history of the church, where small groups of individuals find the church of their age fallen into decline and stagnation, infected by the spirit of the era, heresy, or religiosity. This remnant seeks to recap-

ture the original dynamism and purity of the apostles’ faith. Eventually, this fire catches as God acts with power, reshaping individuals, churches, movements, and whole geographic regions.

I found I wasn’t alone in what I was feeling, and now I’m discovering we’re not the first generation of pastors to feel this way.

Reviving Cane Ridge Every student at my college was required to take a class called History of the Restoration Movement. Most of us took it begrudgingly, opting to do the weeklong, intensive version of the course so we could get it out of the way. It was one of the last classes I took, and I showed up with a liter of coffee every morning.

Despite my attitude, God used that class to stir my longing for renewal. It was there that I first heard about the events that unfolded in Cane Ridge, Kentucky, in the late summer of 1801.

That’s when a small group of pastors began preaching in and around the Cane Ridge Meeting House, not anticipating what would happen next.

Within a few days, more than 10,000 people had gathered. Anywhere from 300 to 3,000 people experienced a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Between 500 and 1,000 people were converted. We call it the Cane Ridge Revival, and it was one of the catalysts that set our movement in motion. (For more on this history, see “We Began as an Inviting Movement” on page 39.)

Here’s what I believe: These pastors never would have wanted renewal to end in Cane Ridge. The

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note cards were removed. Many students were instilled with a renewed sense of personal holiness. And, in that room where there once was a painting of the ascension, we experienced something more akin to Pentecost.

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Restoration Movement, at its core, is a renewal movement. We want to do more than read about the Cane Ridge Revival, we want to see Cane Ridge revived in our own time. We’re a movement that requires every generation of pastors to pray, “Do it again, God.”

Preach the gospel. Get back to the basics. Build it into every sermon. Persevere in sharing the simple truths of the gospel over and over again, even if you’re starting to feel like a broken record, “because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

Creating the Conditions

Pray with boldness. Start by looking for people who feel an urgency to pray. Commit to a regular rhythm of prayer with others that includes asking God for renewal. When God poured out his Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the apostles were praying—and I’m certain that we should do the same.

We cannot create renewal. We can’t put it on a calendar of upcoming events at our church.

God alone can bring renewal, but it’s up to us to create the right conditions. At the very least, it means preaching the gospel, praying with boldness, and pursuing holiness.

GOD ALONE CAN BRING R E N E WA L , B U T I T ’ S U P TO U S T O C R E AT E T H E R I G H T CONDITIONS. AT T H E V E R Y L E A S T , I T MEANS PREACHING THE G O S P E L , P R AY I N G W I T H BOLDNESS, AND PURSUING HOLINESS.

Pursue holiness. Invite God to ruthlessly examine your heart for hidden sin. Meet with others frequently to confess sins and encourage holiness. John Wesley and his friends at Oxford had a list of 22 questions they used for self-examination, and it wasn’t long before God used some in that group to inspire the first Great Awakening.

When I shared some of these thoughts with students a few weeks ago at Milligan University, two students, Emma and Alex, came up to me and said, “That’s exactly what we’ve been praying for,” and it filled me with so much hope.

God is still renewing his church. Whether it’s in a field in Kentucky or a damp prayer room at a cornfield Bible college, pressing in for renewal is what the Restoration Movement is all about. 

Austin Gohn serves as lead pastor at Bellevue Christian Church in Pittsburgh. He is the author of A Restless Age: How Saint Augustine Helps You Make Sense of Your Twenties. He has written for The Gospel Coalition, Fathom magazine, and Gospel-Centered Discipleship (gcdiscipleship.com). @austingohn @austingohn austingohn.com

THE R E S T O R AT I O N MOVEMENT IS AN ACTS 2 UNITY RENEWAL INVITING SELF-IDENTIFYING REPRODUCING MOVEMENT

by Jeremy Jernigan

BUILDING

The church landscape in America is different than ever before. Most formal denominational groupings seem to be on the decline. At the same time, the rise of multisite churches creates opportunities for mini denominations. It begs the question: What truly makes a denomination? Said differently, What truly unites us?

Is it a shared history, a shared creed (or set of distinctives), a shared leadership structure, or something else? No matter how we or others

bridges

feel about denominations, many of them started with a pursuit for greater unity.

I’m a second-generation preacher who grew up in the Christian church tradition. It’s been said there are only two types of preacher’s kids; I hope my role as a pastor indicates which type I am. I grew up with amazing parents who loved me and loved the church. I never had to compete with the church for their attention. This

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Searching and Learning

W E M U S T R E A L I Z E T H AT W E H AV E S O M E T H I N G TO OFFER THOSE IN OTHER TRADITIONS, A N D W E H AV E SOMETHING TO GAIN BY LEARNING FROM THEM.

allowed me to grow up and develop my own love for the church as I began to experience Jesus for myself. My parents are still in ministry, they have close relationships with my sister and me, and we both have a favorable view of the church. In today’s world, that is quite an accomplishment, and I’m grateful my experiences growing up in the Christian church produced this result.

As an undergraduate, I began to dive deeper into other Christian traditions. It’s hard to know what is unique to your experience without comparing it to something else. It’s what every married person realizes when they return from the honeymoon and discover their spouse reshelves cups the wrong way (facing up or down, depending on your opinion of “normal”).

And don’t get me started on proper toilet paper installation.

I’ve grown increasingly grateful for the simplicity and freedom that comes from the Christian church tradition. It was easy for me to grow up in my faith and keep the main thing the main thing. But I’ve also learned and applied profound theological truths from other traditions like the Anabaptist movement. This at first seemed very strange to me culturally, but the history of the Anabaptists offers much for today’s post-Christian culture.

What should we do when we see something uniquely different in another tradition? At certain times in history, the answer has been to try to violently erase it by force (this has been especially true of how Anabaptists were treated).

Events like the Thirty Years War in Central Europe in the 1600s—which started as a war between various Catholic and Protestant states— are heartbreaking realities of history for those of us who follow Jesus. He prayed to his Father, “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me” (John 17:23 New Living Translation).

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Four Bridge-Building Te c h n i q u e s In the midst of current cultural and technological shifts, we have an opportunity to incorporate the best we can find in various traditions.

This requires a new talent of bridge building and a willingness to enter into unfamiliar territory. It means we must recognize we have something to offer those in other traditions, and we have something to gain by learning from them.

I recommend at least four techniques for building bridges today.

1. Actively listen to others. Listening is perhaps the most underdeveloped skill in today’s culture. Failure to listen is why we are so polarized and divided. If we listen only to voices that confirm what we already believe, we will stunt our learning and growth. It requires little effort to read books by authors from other Christian traditions or listen to podcasts from voices outside the Christian church. Seeking out the perspective of other churches will offer new insights to explore, but it will also highlight aspects of our tradition that we love.

2. Embrace other traditions. Christians from different traditions are drawn to what the Christian church has to offer. We have the opportunity for building new bridges with denominational church leaders as well as establishing a connection with leaders who may be giving up their current denominational label completely.

Like a Messianic Jew or a Christian Muslim, we should be willing to create new models of how Jesus can be experienced in unique contexts.

Are we comfortable with someone adopting parts of our tradition while keeping parts of their tradition? The history of global mission work indicates we should be.

3. Protect multiple expressions of the church.

The sheer volume of available podcasts and

resources from churches around the world should convince us we can reach more people with more expressions of the church. In Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas wrote, “Good spiritual directors understand that people have different spiritual temperaments, that what feeds one doesn’t feed all. Giving the same spiritual prescription to every struggling Christian is no less irresponsible than a doctor prescribing penicillin to every patient.” Building bridges between denominational traditions allows us to create a near-limitless catalog of prescriptions to offer.

4. Build relationships with people from other traditions. We will never know the beauty of other traditions without seeing them lived out in real people. (Likewise, others will never see or understand the Christian church tradition without interacting with us.) A mentor of mine is from the Anabaptist tradition, and this friendship allowed me to see how much there is to learn. It’s why I invest time with organizations like the Jesus Collective (jesuscollective. com) which is bringing multiple denominations to the conversation to learn from each other.

I could list many others, and I’m sure you’ve seen a few more that work well. Now more than ever, we can offer others the best of our heritage, learn from and adopt parts of other traditions, and together move forward with new expressions of the church for a new season of ministry.  Jeremy Jernigan serves as lead pastor of Abundant Life Church, a multisite church in Oregon and Washington (www.alcpnw.com).

He is the author of two books, most recently Redeeming Pleasure.

Jeremy is married to his high school sweetheart Michelle and they have five kids who all have New York Yankees middle names. /jeremyjerniganwords @jeremy.jernigan @jeremyjernigan tomorrowsreflection.com

by Brian Sevits

WE BEGAN

as an inviting movement

When I stepped onto the campus of Central Christian College of the Bible in the fall of 2005, I could not have told you anything about the roots of the Restoration Movement or its principles. Like many of my peers, I had grown up in a denomination and chose to come to CCCB because of its proximity to home and affordability.

Just two years later, I had been hired at the Restoration Movement church around the cor-

ner. Many of the members and leaders at that church share a similar story—we come from various backgrounds and have been welcomed into this fellowship of people committed to being “Christians only” and who base our faith and practices solely on the Bible.

In some ways, I was welcomed into this movement in a manner that has been ongoing for more than 200 years and which contributed to its rapid expansion.

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A Movement Away from Denominations Although he isn’t considered a primary “father” of our movement, John Wright played an important role in our history. I originally was drawn to him because, like me, Wright was a former Free Will Baptist minister, and he had helped form an association of over a dozen Baptist churches in Indiana in the early 1800s. He decided to simply go back to the Bible and rejected doctrinal statements that were counter to Scripture or which unnecessarily divided Christians into sects. He is but one of the early leaders who invited hundreds of people and congregations to become undenominational churches of Christ.

Around that same time period, others—including James O’Kelly, Elias Smith, and Abner Jones—were leading similar movements of people stepping away from the denominations they had brought to the United States from Europe, abandoning man-made creeds and traditions, and advocating for the restoration of Christianity according to New Testament teachings.

The Cane Ridge Revival in 1801 involved preachers and individuals from several different denominations who worked together and spread out across that landscape to preach and minister to thousands of attendees. The event advanced the notion of Barton Stone and some of the other preachers that they had improperly divided over nonessential matters. Many people consider Cane Ridge to be the official birthplace of our movement; with the writing and signing of the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery there in 1804, many people from various denominations left behind their creeds and confessions for the sake of unity around the essential truths of Scripture.

IT HAS BEEN SAID THEY PREACHED ONE GOSPEL AT C A N E R I D G E ; I T WA S A S I M P L E M E S S AG E T H AT C H R I S T ’ S S A L VAT I O N IS OFFERED TO ALL.

Building Future-Focused Relationships It has been said they preached one gospel at Cane Ridge; it was a simple message that Christ’s salvation is offered to all. In subsequent years, this inviting message helped the movement to spread like a wildfire across the western United States. Tens of thousands of people responded (especially at revivals and camp meetings) to the preaching of the simple gospel message. Dozens of those who had sometimes traveled great distances to these meetings became passionate evangelists, church planters, and promoters of New Testament Christianity.

I spoke with Lloyd Pelfrey, one of my former professors at CCCB, about notable evangelistic individuals in our movement’s history.

“Remember the preaching of Walter Scott!” Pelfrey said. “At that time it was taught that you had to wait on the Lord to give an experience that was an assurance that you were among the elect.” But Scott had studied the book of Acts and disagreed. Scott was similar to the preachers

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Scott developed a systematic plan for sharing the gospel and inviting people to become followers of Jesus. The “five-finger exercise” emphasized faith, repentance, baptism, remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In his first year as an evangelist, Scott presented this message to thousands, and more than 900 people were baptized.

One of these individuals was William Amend, a Presbyterian who had come to a conclusion about the importance of baptism but could find no preacher who agreed with his interpretation of Acts 2:38. Hearing Scott speak from the overflow crowd gathered out in the yard, Amend made his way into the church building and responded to the invitation to be baptized.

Many people still use Scott’s simple evangelistic tool, or a variation of it, as their method of inviting others to become a Christian.

‘Putting Broken Pieces B a c k To g e t h e r ’ As people moved west across the American frontier, the movement’s leaders and preachers encouraged unity. Settlers were urged to strive for unity when starting churches in new communities. The pleas for unity were not always successful, but the invitation was compelling to many, and the movement continued to grow steadily as a result of impactful leadership, widely circulated publications, and churchplanting efforts.

Men such as “Racoon” John Smith and John Rogers traveled across the countryside on horseback baptizing thousands; these men fostered unity among the churches that had up until the early 1830s been in two distinct groups associated either with Barton Stone or Alexander Campbell. At the meeting in Lexington in which the two groups came together, Smith emphasized that the divisions between Christian groups are almost entirely built upon matters of opinion that are treated by men as gospel. He insisted that Christians can come together if those opinions are put aside for the sake of unity.

More than 70 years later, P. H. Welshimer was bringing people together in other ways. Three times he served as president of the North American Christian Convention. He preached a message so compelling that he even won over an Episcopalian minister at the church across the street from his own and baptized him.

Welshimer was not afraid to partner with other churches in Canton, Ohio, where he ministered.

He was very involved in events of the ministerial alliance, but he provided good follow-up to those events in his own way, leading hundreds of people to faith in Christ. As a result of his large revivals, Sunday school recruitment efforts, and door-to-door evangelism in neighborhoods around town, his congregation grew to be the largest church in our brotherhood at that time.

Today, the methods often are radically different, but the message of simple faith and unity amid diversity is very much alive. Let us be creative and energetic as we seek to continue in the footsteps of the pioneers of our movement.  Brian Sevits serves as minister of worship and administration at Timber Lake Christian Church in Moberly, Missouri. He is also an adjunct instructor in the worship arts department at Central Christian College of the Bible.

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at Cane Ridge in that he preached a simple message that salvation was offered to anyone who would believe and obey.

b y G o n z a l o Ve n e g a s

MY STORY

f rom denomination to renewed vision

The Restoration Movement is an inviting movement—that’s something I’ve learned firsthand.

You see, I didn’t start out in the Restoration Movement. For a long time, my faith experience was limited to having served as an altar boy in the Catholic church. Then I spent time in gangs.

(See “My Life Story . . . from Gang Member to Church Planter” from March 2019.)

After coming to faith in Michigan, I was discipled, educated, and ordained by the Reformed Church in America. I developed a seemingly unque nchable de sire to study God’s Word.

I preached many sermons and did a thorough spiritual self-examination. These things brought about changes in my beliefs concerning salvation, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and even ecclesiology.

I asked some fellow pastors in my denomination about these things, but was surprised by their unenlightened responses. I knew God was calling me to do more, specifically to plant an urban, interlingual, intercultural, and intergenerational church. Further, I felt called to Florida.

So, my wife and I labored in prayer asking God to provide the way.

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Planting a Christian Church

That’s when a friend told me about the Restoration Movement. He introduced me to leaders in the movement, and they, in turn, introduced me to more leaders. I met people like Ken Idleman, Mike Mack, Phil Claycomb, Greg Garcia, Greg Marksberry, Mark Kitts, Jim Book, Steve Larson, Alan Ahlgrim, Mark Flood, Susan McPherson, Doug Fultz, Michael Chambers, and Patrick Lightfoot, to mention just a few. From them, I learned more about the Restoration Movement and independent Christian churches and churches of Christ. It was an emotional time of learning how our convictions lined up. I cried as I shared all that I had learned with my wife. We knew it was time to move to Florida.

My wife and I are continuing to be led by the hand and trained. We’re continuing to pray, plan, join together with others, and execute what God is calling us to do. We are now in our greatest and most joyful time in ministry. There is no going back.

I shared my discoveries with the denomination I loved and saw as a family, but was met with rejection. My wife and I left in good standing, but it was clear we were on our own. (One former colleague said I was committing career suicide.) But people of the Restoration Movement took us by the hand and together we talked, prayed, trained, planned, and now are executing what God has called us to do . . . and without man-made barriers.

See, my wife and I were not committing career suicide, and we did not leave alone. We left with God. We left with a renewed vision of what Christ had already instructed his disciples to do and what we witnessed the church doing in Acts.

We know the Restoration Movement is not perfect, but it is free, and it is led by Christ, who is perfect and pure. To me, we’re a movement looking to restore what man derailed. It’s a messy job, but it must be done. In this movement, I see effective ministries, missionaries, churches, networks, conferences, and many more things making huge changes in the world, which are leading to freedom, transformation, and—yes—restoration.

We are now planting Encounter Christian Church on the campus of Johnson University Florida in Kissimmee. We plan to launch September 13, 2020. We have a launch team of Hispanics, Caucasians, African-Americans, Haitians, Jamaicans, Asians, and many others (we hope and pray). We have teachers, candidates for city and county government, employees of Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, civic and community leaders, Johnson University students and staff, business owners, ex-convicts, and others.

The Restoration Movement is an inviting and autonomous tribe of churches, which is something I’ve learned as we work to launch Encounter.

We’ve partnered with and/or received support from Florida churches like Thrive Church in Lake Nona, Journey Christian Church in Apopka, Canoe Creek Christian Church in Saint Cloud, Kissimmee Christian Church, Real Life Christian Church in Hunters Creek, Golf Course Road Church of Christ in Midland, Texas, and organizations such as Nexus Church Partners, Florida Church Partners, Passion 4 Planting, Christian Financial Resources, Johnson University, The Solomon Foundation, Spire Network, and many more.

We’re still raising funds to reach our goal before we launch (and this COVID-19 situation hasn’t helped at all). But in the Restoration Movement, we know there is unity and groups that will continue to help. In the Restoration Movement, we know God is with us. I look forward to expanding the Restoration Movement and raising up new disciples to make a difference in our community.  Gonzalo Venegas serves as lead planter and senior pastor at Encounter Christian Church in Kissimmee, Florida.

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Making the Move

THE R E S T O R AT I O N MOVEMENT IS A ACTS 2 UNITY RENEWAL INVITING SELF-IDENTIFYING REPRODUCING MOVEMENT

by Scott Kenworthy

T H E S TA R F I S H E F F E C T

why our decentralized approach is our strength

A few years ago, I attended the International Conference on Missions with a friend from a different church tradition. As we entered the exhibit hall filled with hundreds of missionaries promoting their various initiatives, I said to my friend, “This is the strength of our movement.”

When we left the same hall a couple hours later, he turned around, took one last look,

and commented, “That is the weakness of your movement.”

Where I saw innovation, entrepreneurship, and bold risk-taking for the sake of the gospel, he saw chaos and the lack of a centralized strategy.

So, which one of us was right?

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Th e S t a r f i s h a n d t h e S p i d e r

Th e E s s e n ce o f M ove m e n t s

The difference in our perspectives is explained in Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom’s book The Starfish and the Spider. The authors note that spiders are centralized organisms. They may look intimidating with their pinchers, segmented body, and eight hairy legs, but they are relatively easy to defeat. If you cut off a spider’s head, it dies.

In an essay titled “The Church as Movement: The Neglected Alternative,” Restoration Movement historian Robert O. Fife outlines three postures a community within the church can take.

The first he calls the “sectarian posture.” Those who choose the sectarian option argue that only the people who subscribe to their particular set of doctrinal beliefs are true Christians.

Starfish, on the other hand, have no head. They function as a decentralized network of cells.

Though not as intimidating as a spider, a starfish proves much more difficult to eliminate. If you cut off an arm, another will grow it its place.

If you cut a starfish in half, you’ll soon have two starfish. In short, starfish are resilient.

The second, a “denominational posture,” is less rigid than sectarianism but still sees some level of separation as necessary even if not ideal. In this approach, the best believers can do in the pursuit of Christian unity is have each denomination effectively function as its own church.

My friend looks at the Restoration Movement and asks, “Where’s the head?” He wants to know “Who’s leading this thing?” and wonders, “How are decisions made?” Since he comes from a church tradition with a more hierarchical, centralized structure, like a spider, his questions make a lot of sense. From inception, however, our movement has more closely resembled a starfish.

MINISTRY WITHIN A MOVEMENT IS OFTEN MESSY. TA K E H E A R T , T H O U G H .

I T H A S B E E N T H I S WAY F R O M THE BEGINNING.

Fife, however, offers a third alternative: a “movement” within the church. The key difference between a movement and a denomination, Fife contends, is that movements don’t set themselves against others, nor separate from what already exists. Instead, movements aim to produce change from within the present structure.

One implication of this is that movements are inherently self-identifying. There’s no application to become part of a movement and there are no dues to pay. Neither does anyone vote on who is in or out (although there will always be some who say certain churches aren’t “one of us” for various reasons). A body of believers becomes part of a movement like ours by embracing the vision, acknowledging the distinctives that fuel the vision, and working to produce change from within.

As Fife explains, “A movement is an intentional community of understanding, concerned to serve the Church in her calling.” In other words, the movement is about the mission of Christ. The movement itself isn’t the mission.

Movements recognize the bigger picture and order themselves toward the end goal rather than making their order the goal.

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None of this suggests that “anything goes” within a movement. The Bible can certainly be made to say what it doesn’t mean. Likewise, churches and mission organizations can, and have, lost their way. The genius of the early catalysts within our movement is that instead of setting the rules, they charted a course. They adopted sayings, such as, We are not the only Christians, but Christians only.

In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love.

Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent.

These ideals still guide today.

Moving the Mission Forward My friend and I may have disagreed about the merits of the Restoration Movement’s decentralized strategy, but he was right about one thing: Ministry within a movement is often messy. Take heart, though. It has been this way from the beginning. The earliest adopters of the Restoration Movement represented a mixture of Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians from places like Ireland, England, Scotland, and the United States. You think that was always clean and easy?

A self-identifying movement ultimately becomes a self-policing movement. In a centralized system, those elected to be in charge do the policing, which inevitably increases the risk of power grabs and backbiting. However, in a decentralized system, the network policies itself.

Any church or organization that elevates itself as the only Christians, refuses to operate in a spirit of loving unity, or stops accepting the Bible as their authoritative guide soon finds they have little to offer or benefit from being part of the movement. They remove themselves or are effectively removed as the movement pushes forward. Just like the starfish, however, when one leg is removed, another comes to take its place.

As we strive to reach a post-Christian world with the gospel, I appreciate that our forebearers opted for the starfish approach. Alexander Campbell, Barton Stone, Thomas Campbell, and Walter Scott wouldn’t have used starfish-spider terminology. Yet by setting aside the baggage they had inherited, choosing influence over power, and embracing others who shared their vision, they set the groundwork for a movement rather than another denomination. In doing so, they also built-in a natural resiliency for which, in many ways, we are just now seeing the full benefit. 

Scott Kenworthy has served as the lead pastor of Owensboro (Kentucky) Christian Church since 2013. search: Scott Kenworthy @scottalankenworthy @scottakenworthy

by Melissa Wuske

‘WE’VE FOUND OUR TRIBE’

churches, leaders leave denominations behind and f ind a Christ-centered identity

An identity crisis is occurring among many denominational churches today. As they wrestle to define themselves amid the competing voices of denominations and modern culture,

the Restoration Movement offers leaders and their churches the freedom, in Christ, to craft an identity that fits who they are as a local body while placing Christ firmly at the center.

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Shifting Identity Is Nothing New Churches leaving their denominations to become independent Christian churches is not a new phenomenon. “Most of the churches that became [part of] the Stone-Campbell Movement were something else first,” said Tim Cole, executive director of Waypoint Church Partners, which plants churches and equips leaders in the mid-Atlantic region. In 1792, he said, a number of Methodist churches became Christian churches, even before the Cane Ridge Revival in 1801.

During his decades in the mid-Atlantic region, Cole has seen a number of churches choose to become part of the Restoration Movement.

“It’s not trite to say it really gets back to the core of our movement—and that’s not for lack of a better term, that’s what we’ve always been,” Cole said. “[We’re] not another denomination, but a movement of churches that are trying to focus on a few things . . . local autonomy, biblical authority, and a focus on the Great Commission.” The churches he’s seen make the shift all have shared at least one of those three values.

“There are local churches out there who would love to be reaching people,” Cole said, “but their denominational church culture just chokes that.”

Cole said he’s often seen “conservative people who aren’t thrilled with where their denomination has gone.” The dissonance causes a crisis of identity, he said, because the church is “who they are . . . it’s their church family, it’s where their parents went. So what are they gonna do?

Occasionally some of those churches actually take some steps to do something about it.”

For some churches, like First Christian Church in Winchester, Virginia, “the denomination is pushing value points that are not consistent with the local congregation,” Cole said. In this particular case, the Disciples of

Christ instructed the church to address—and how to address—gun control. Cole said this church and others he has worked with were forced to deal with the political controversy itself as well as with the fact that someone from outside the area was exerting control. These kinds of issues, he said, highlight the “disconnect between the denomination and the local church” and also the disconnect between denominational stances and the heart of the gospel.

“The common denominator” for First Christian and other churches that Cole has seen make the switch “is they got an independent Christian church preacher.” After deciding to leave the Disciples church, First Christian hired a “Christian church guy” rather than “a Disciples guy.”

Cole has seen a number of churches historically outside the Restoration Movement who have turned to Mid-Atlantic Christian University [formerly called Roanoke Bible College] to fill their pulpits.

While these shifts have significance in the present and future, they also have deep roots in the past, Cole said. First Christian is a 100-year-old church, predating the split between the Disciples and the independent Christian churches. “I told them, ‘You’re just coming back to what you were in the first place,’” Cole said.

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Pastors Find a Sense of Family Steve Poe and Randy Frazee are pastors from backgrounds outside the Restoration Movement who have come to find their “tribe” within the independent Christian churches.

Poe serves as senior pastor with Northview Church in Indiana.

Until 2004, “we were legally a part of the Assemblies of God,” he said, “but it never really identified our church. Most of our congregation didn’t even really know they were Assemblies of God.” Poe found that most people in their white-collar community were leery of visiting a church with a Pentecostal background, and, he said, “most of our growth took place after we dropped out of the Assemblies of God because we were able to shake off a lot of their baggage.”

Frazee serves as lead teaching pastor with Westside Family Church in Kansas. Westside has moved away from its Southern Baptist roots, as have other churches.

A group primarily made up of pastors of large independent Christian churches invited both Poe and Frazee to join them. “They could relate to my problems and struggles,” Poe said.

Frazee added, “It instantaneously became my tribe.”

Both men value the group’s welcoming attitude, especially considering their divergent Christian backgrounds.

“It’s breathed life back into both of us,” Poe said.

Frazee noted the “level of friendship and authenticity among the leaders of the Restoration Movement,” as well as “a genuine sense of humility,” even though everyone he’s connected with is “extremely talented.”

The Restoration Movement has both open arms and a clear, Christ-centered identity. “[The pastors’ group was] intentionally reaching out to people that they felt would really fit the DNA,” Frazee said. “It’s not about exclusivity. It’s really trying to protect the beauty of what is there.”

Frazee particularly appreciates that the Restoration Movement is a growing, biblical movement focused on “what works. . . . [It] values the message as unchanging, but that methods are changing.”

“I want to be a part of a deeply rooted biblical movement, but I also want that biblical movement to grow,” Frazee said. He sees that growth continuing to influence churches both inside and outside the movement.

“It’s a very fluid, dynamic experience. It’s a new day,” Frazee said. “In the past, people never really listened to or played outside their denomination,” but he sees both openness and innovation within the leaders of the Restoration Movement—and he’s excited for his church to play a part. 

“They’ve grafted me in, adopted me,” Frazee said.

“I feel like a part of the family, and I’ve been treated that way,” Poe said.

Both pastors and their wives have found a level of fellowship within the group that they hadn’t found elsewhere.

Melissa Wuske is a freelance editor and writer. She and her husband, Shawn, and their son, Caleb, live and minister in Cincinnati. /melissa.wuske melissaannewuske.com

THE R E S T O R AT I O N MOVEMENT IS A ACTS 2 UNITY RENEWAL INVITING SELF-IDENTIFYING REPRODUCING MOVEMENT

by Bernt Bramer

THIS IS WHY

we plant churches

Mike and Kelly were jolted out of bed by screams and the smell of smoke. They ran to their two kids and hurried out to the street. The backside of the home next door was engulfed in flames and a crowd was gathering. The elderly woman who lived in the home was screaming for her husband who had just run back into the house to search for their dog. She feared he’d been inside for too long, and there was no sign of him. Mike and Kelly, their children, and the

neighbors watched in horror as flames consumed the home.

The days and weeks that followed were confusing, heavy, and hopeless for the young family.

One night, as Mike was putting his youngest daughter to bed, she asked a piercing question he could not answer. “Dad, what happens when you die?” And then she asked, “Dad, what does it mean to pray? How can we pray for the sweet

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San Luis Obispo is a college town full of young professionals and young families, retirees, and start-ups. Like most places in this ever-changing landscape, “SLO” is a city that’s increasingly unchurched and secular. In fact, Barna found that San Luis Obispo and the surrounding regions are the second-most never-churched in the country, and studies show that only 6 to 10 percent of the people in that area attend a local Christian church.

man who died in the fire?” Not having grown up in a church, Mike was lost to explain life, death, and prayer. He felt hopeless.

A few months after the fatal fire, my wife and I met Mike, Kelly, and their kids. We had just moved to San Luis Obispo, California, from Louisville, Kentucky, a week earlier. After serving on the pastoral staff of Southeast Christian Church for over seven years, God moved in the midst of the ordinary and called our family to move 2,500 miles west to a growing city on the central coast of California and into the extraordinary work of church planting.

It’s a city of great beauty and brokenness—a progressive city of great opportunity for the gospel. We felt called to plant a new church for the never churched in SLO because church planting is the most effective way to connect the hope of Jesus to everyday people.

Ed Stetzer wrote, “Among the best ways for us to reach people with the gospel is personal evangelism and church planting. Even with all the changes in culture this remains our best option for reaching unbelievers.” Luke Greer of Orchard Group shared,

We settled into a small home a block from the city park and local school. We signed up our two older boys for soccer, which I would coach, and registered the two girls for gymnastics. On a Tuesday night at Sinsheimer Field, we met Mike and his oldest son. Mike was a professor at the local university and was passionate about entrepreneurship. I introduced myself and my wife to Mike, and as I turned to begin practice, I heard him ask Jenna, “What made you guys move here, all the way from Kentucky?”

Planting churches is . . . important simply because existing churches are closing.

In the United States alone, nearly 4,000 churches close their doors each year. The way the gospel spread throughout the ancient world (as recorded in the New Testament) is that leaders would move to a city, gather believers, share the gospel with nonbelievers, disciple new believers, develop leaders, and appoint them to oversee the new church that had been formed. We believe this model is still the most-effective way of seeing the gospel spread in our day.

It was the first time that question had been asked boldly and answered boldly. We had a dream of starting a new, Jesus-centered church in the city—a church that brought real, tangible hope and met the real, tangible needs of real people.

With these things in mind, we set out to move into the neighborhood and live like Jesus. We hoped to gather people, build relationships, and serve the community. Our prayer was for a church to “start up” from these intentional relationships.

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Planning a Church for the Never Churched

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Building Intentional Relationships Mike, who knew the business start-up world, was floored at the risk involved and the belief required to move a family of six from a place of being known to a place of not being known. He marveled at a faith he didn’t quite understand, and a relationship slowly developed. Our kids became friends and played on the same teams; in the mornings, we’d meet up on the walk to school. Mike, Kelly, and their family would come to parties at our home where they’d meet others; over time, something beautiful began to happen . . . a community started to form and grow.

From time to time, Mike would stop by and inquire on how the new “initiative” was coming along. (We were purposeful about being interruptible!) One afternoon, God opened a door. Mike shared the gut-wrenching reality of the neighbor’s fire that their family had experienced just months before we met them. He said, “Brent, when my daughter asked me what happens when a person dies . . . and if there’s a God and how to pray and if we should pray . . . I had no answers. I felt hopeless because I don’t know.” He asked for help. He noticed a hope that was appealing, and he was hungry for answers.

On December 20, 2017, when we offered a makeshift Christmas service in an HVAC company warehouse, Mike and his family were there. On February 10, 2018, we hosted a vision night at a barbecue joint in town to share the vision and mission of our new (as yet unnamed) church.

Again, Mike and his family were there. On May 12, 2018, we celebrated Mother’s Day by worshipping in the venue that would eventually become our church home—and they were there. On launch Sunday, September 8, 2018—with hundreds of others from SLO gathered to see a new church that said “There’s Hope for Everyone”— Mike and his family were there. On February 2, 2019, we celebrated “Baptism Sunday”—and I stood in awe as Mike and Kelly knelt down by the baptistery, tears in their eyes, as their sixthgrade son put his hope and trust in Jesus.

The following is a partial list of churchplanting organizations associated with Christian churches and churches of Christ. Note that organizations often partner on church plants. This list is not a comprehensive count of church plants from the past five years but is meant to demonstrate who is actively planting churches and where.

For each church-planting organization, we have listed its location, leader, website and contact information, the region where it plants, and total number of churches planted in the past 5 years.

Church Planting Organizations 2|42 Community Church Brighton, Mich.

242community.com

info@242community.com 810.231.0190

Arkansas Church Planting Network

Lynn Cook

Little Rock, Ark.

lynn@acpn.network

acpn.network

501.529.9138

Carolina Movement Raleigh, N.C. carolinamovement.com

Chris Hankins info@carolinamovement.com

Christian Evangelistic Association

George Johnson

Seattle, Wash.

george@theCEA.org

theCEA.org

253.854.8200

Mission Alive

Tod K. Vogt

Dallas, Texas

contact@missionalive.org

missionalive.org

972.855.8379

NewThing Naperville, Ill. newthing.org

Dave Ferguson info@newthing.org

Nexus: Church Planting & Leader Care

Phil Claycomb

Dallas, Texas

info@nexus.us

nexus.us

469.400.7546

Northern Plains Evangelistic Association

Larry Berlin and Craig Fausett

Rapid City, S.D.

office@npea7.com

npea7.com

605.310.2026

Orchard Group

Brent Storms

New York, N.Y.

hi@orchardgroup.org

orchardgroup.org

212.684.0100

Restoration House Ministries

Eric Lee

Manchester, N.H.

office@rhmnewengland.org

rhmnewengland.org

603.668.8808

Stadia Church Planting stadiachurchplanting.org

Greg Nettle info@stadiachurchplanting.org 855.4STADIA

Waypoint Church Partners

Tim Cole

New Hope, Va.

tcole@waypointchurchpartners.com

waypointchurchpartners.com

804.690.7919

Wisconsin Christian Missionary Association Madison, Wis. wcma.net

WCMABoard@gmail.com 608.561.7171

REGION

TOTAL CHURCHES PLANTED PAST 5 YEARS

North America, Haiti, South Africa, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Poland

28

Arkansas and Mid-South

7

North Carolina

11

Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and Alaska

9

North America

6

Globally

2,784

17 states

21

South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, and surrounding areas

3

Cities in the United States and globally

19

New England

3

United States, Caribbean, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, Southern Asia, and Africa

610

Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina

10

Wisconsin and Upper Peninsula of Michigan

1

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Taking Hope to Ever yone I’m reminded of Eugene Peterson’s powerful take on Romans 10:14-17, But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted?

And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?

(The Message).

This is why we go and share the hope we have with our neighbors. It is why we sacrifice and serve and pray. This is why we generously give and go. It’s why we meet people where they are.

This is why we are interruptible and invitational. It is why established churches raise up young leaders and prepare them for the kingdom work ahead. This is why we answer the call and we’re sent to plant churches.

It’s for every Mike, every Kelly, and every sixthgrade boy who’s trying to make sense of the world . . . and every little girl who is desperate for hope. We plant churches because Hope is attractive and Hope is alive—his name is Jesus . . . and there is Hope for everyone.

Currently in our movement, organizations like Orchard Group, Stadia, Restoration House, and others are partnering with planters to reach unbelievers with the hope of the gospel. We see the need, and new churches are being birthed by leaders in new cities. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few—and we’ve got a lot of work to do! May we pray for God to continue to move, may we send equipped leaders, and may they go! 

WE FELT CALLED TO PLANT A NEW CHURCH FOR THE NEVER CHURCHED BECAUSE CHURCH PLANTING I S T H E M O S T E F F E C T I V E WAY TO CONNECT THE HOPE OF J E S U S TO E V E R Y DAY P E O P L E .

SLO City Church is a new church in San Luis Obispo that desires to live the way of Jesus by bringing hope to everyone. SLO City Church is part of the Orchard Group Network.

Learn more at www.SLOCity.Church or on Facebook or Instagram (@slocitychurch).

Brent Bramer is the lead pastor and church planter of SLO City Church in San Luis Obispo, California. /BrentBramer @BrentBramer

by Matthew Wilson

O U R I M PAC T

in the wider evangelical world

As a pastor in an independent Christian church, I’m excited and encouraged that many denominational churches are abandoning traditions and conventions and are migrating toward movements like ours that embrace biblical supremacy. In many ways, I believe we are coming out of a dark ages and entering an era of enlightenment. People no longer follow doctrines and practices just because they are told to; instead, they demand to understand the context for what they believe.

In modern history, many Christians relied on

the authority of their governing bodies, but now we live in an information-driven age where pastors can easily be fact-checked and congregants do Google searches on their smartphones in the middle of sermons.

This has created greater accountability, and I am thankful for it.

Instead of simply giving answers like “because that’s what we believe,” leaders must now explain why. There has to be a supreme authority—Scripture. “What does the Bible say?”

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Immediate Obedience

Local Governance

More churches are including baptism in the conversion experience; people are seeing for themselves that this is how the early church did it.

Christians are awakening to the need for autonomy as denominations split over cultural issues rather than uniting on biblical issues. In my community, I’ve witnessed the fallout of denominational splits as churches fight to stand for biblical truth and suffer the loss of property.

Yet many church leaders and other members of Christ’s body are beginning to realize that the local shepherds in the trenches are better fit to lead the flock; and it is these local shepherds who must deal with the local hurt and struggle that can come from bureaucratic decisions.

For generations, people have sought to make quick converts rather than disciples. God’s Holy Word has always told the truth about baptism, and these days people are wrestling anew with that topic. Specifically, is baptism for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit or not?

Many Christians are walking away from this hierarchy. Pastors are even looking for ways they can minister freely to the needs of their local communities. Previously, denominations were the safest avenue to enter into ministry and to build or plant churches, but now there is a hunger to pioneer.

Frequent Communion With historical accounts more widely available, people are desiring a biblical model bound by biblical accuracy.

Some things—like partaking in the Lord’s Supper—have been sacred to everyone. Still we’ve divided over how often it should or can be done.

Many believed that if the Lord’s Supper were practiced too often, it would diminish the significance or the reverence for the practice. But Christians are starting to recognize the biblical precedent for partaking and seeing the utter need for a reminder of how much God loves us.

The participation in Christ’s body and blood carries more value than many sermons today.

Great messages and worship sets are constantly available via podcast or Facebook Live, but the opportunity to join with other believers in a unifying remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice is central; it gives us value, purpose, and drive.

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I believe this is the ultimate time for our Restoration plea—for our tribe to stand and lead the way. We certainly cannot compromise when people are coming to us. They are leaving where they were for a reason, and we must offer them the truth without fear.

As this shift occurs and denominations start to look more “nondenominational,” we may feel the pressure to compromise . . . to meet them in the middle . . . to fit in with the larger crowds.

But we must do what is godly and right, not what is expedient. We must continue to restore a New Testament model. Let us not enter into denominational confusion but, instead, let’s help light the way to freedom.

I BELIEVE THIS IS T H E U L T I M AT E TIME FOR OUR R E S T O R AT I O N P L E A — FOR OUR TRIBE T O S TA N D A N D L E A D T H E WAY .

While we communicate our Restoration plea to those outside our movement, we can also seek greater unity within our own movement. As a tribe, we need to overcome our own pride and fears. We aren’t perfect—but neither was the early church. They were divided over money, race, and even beliefs; but in many cases the solutions were shown by the Holy Spirit when they sought reconciliation. The Lord blessed them as they led people from traditions and into the way that Christ established. That time is as close as it’s ever been, and we can use the momentum God has given us—as one of the fastest-growing movements in size and in influence—to bring hope and clarity to many.

As a movement that embraces biblical supremacy, we are seeing truth acknowledged and received. We aren’t the only Christians, but as Christians only, we stand united in our essentials. The world is changing, and we are positioned to lead the way!  Matthew Wilson is the planter and lead pastor of Ekklesia, a fiveyear-old church in the Myrtle Beach area. He has a heart for making Christ and his church famous in South Carolina. /pastormattwilson @pastormattwilson

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A Call to Continue

by Chris Hankins

MULTIPLYING THROUGH MULTISITES

how to plant new campuses and reproduce the kingdom

Healthy things reproduce. This reality is true in nature and, I believe, in the church.

The body of Christ is healthiest when it is reproducing at every level. At Point Church, where I serve, I often say that we want to reproduce disciples, leaders, groups, services, campuses, churches, and even church-planting networks.

Therefore, when I was recently asked, “Are we really reproducing churches if multisites remain attached to the mother church?” my immediate answer was, “of course!” Just because a new location of a multisite church remains a

part of a larger local church does not mean it is not reproducing. Would we say our cells are not reproducing because they remain part of our physical body? Of course not.

Are we reproducing small groups if the small groups remain a part of that church? Every pastor I know would say yes. One group reproduces itself into two groups, two groups into four, and so on—at least, that is the hope. The fact that these groups remain connected to something larger does not nullify the reproduction.

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Multisite Can Be Reproducing, B u t N o t A l way s

Mergers Often Fuel Reproduction

A multisite church’s new location can result from either addition or multiplication. Let me explain.

Currently more than one-third of new multisite campuses come about through merger. These mergers often are called “replants.”

Many multisite churches operate on a hub and spoke model. The main campus serves as the hub from which other campuses are planted, and the new campuses become spokes of the main campus. Every few years when the main campus fills up with people, a large group of people is carved off and sent out to plant a new campus. In this model, the main campus is not truly reproducing, it is simply adding satellite locations. While this is a great strategy to grow a church, I would not say it is truly reproducing. Rather, I call it kingdom addition.

At Point Church, 6 of our 13 campuses have come about through a church merger or replant. Of those six, two were older churches that were near closure, one had plateaued, one was a church plant about to close, and the other two were international churches that needed the support of a larger church family.

Other multisite churches—including the one I serve—have what I call a multigenerational multisite model. Point Church currently has 13 campuses. Most of these were not planted out of the original site, however, but from campuses planting campuses that plant campuses.

If there were no merger of a prevailing church with a declining church, oftentimes the declining church would die and close its doors. In fact, almost 4,000 churches in America close their doors every year.

For example, our original site in Raleigh planted a second campus in Apex. (All of these campuses are in North Carolina.) The Apex campus then planted new campuses in Fuquay-Varina and in Holly Spring. Point Church’s original Español (Spanish-language) campus was planted out of our English campus in Cary. The Spanish-language campus in Cary planted a second Spanish campus in Apex, which then planted a Spanish campus in Sanford. As you can see, these multisite campuses are not merely spokes of a main campus; rather, they are truly reproducing.

But how could the merger of two churches be considered reproduction? Many would assert that the merger of two churches results in the net loss of one church. Not exactly.

But when a declining church partners with a multisite church, and then when it is replanted as a new location of that multisite church, the math changes. In his book Better Together, Jim Tomberlin notes that church mergers that create two locations have a higher success rate than those that merge into a single location.

Beyond that, I have personally seen how mergers can also serve as an accelerator for reproduction rather than simply a way to add an additional location. Most church plants and multisite locations start by meeting in a portable location like a school or movie theater. I

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describe a church body in such a situation as people rich but facility poor. However, thousands of declining churches around America are facility rich but people poor.

When a church plant or campus with no permanent facility is combined with a declining church that has a facility, we frequently see the kingdom advance in a powerful way. When a young church plant or campus merges with a declining church that has a permanent facility, the resulting church body can grow more quickly into a mature sending center that can plant other campuses and churches. When this happens, rather than two churches combining into one body (location), the net result of the merger—given time—can be a multiplication of sites and campuses!

POINT CHURCH CURRENTLY HAS 13 CAMPUSES. MOST OF THESE WERE NOT PLANTED OUT OF THE ORIGINAL SITE, BUT FROM CAMPUSES PLANTING CAMPUSES T H AT PLANT CAMPUSES.

Rather than settling for adding sites—as tempting as this might be—a church serves the kingdom of God best when it adopts a mind-set of planting new campuses that will become sending centers for additional campuses. When that happens, multisite can truly become a great way to reproduce the kingdom, especially in one geographic area. And when church mergers are added to the mix, they can serve as an accelerant for kingdom reproduction. We have seen that firsthand here at Point Church. 

Chris Hankins serves as founding/lead pastor of Point Church, which has more than a dozen sites in North Carolina and internationally. His life is devoted to seeing the maximum amount of people know Jesus in his lifetime, and he believes multiplying local churches is the best way to achieve that dream. /chris.hankins.5 chrishankins.com

THE R E S T O R AT I O N MOVEMENT IS AN IDEAL F O U N D AT I O N FOR DISCIPLE-MAKING MOVEMENTS

J E S U S - S T Y L E D I S C I P L E - M A K I N G is the local church’s best future. Renew.org believes the principles of the Restoration Movement provide the ideal foundation for a disciple-making focus and disciple-making movements in North America.

We trace our roots back through Alexander Campbell to Jesus himself and the way he made disciples. We believe in restoring the teachings of the New Testament—and that relying on the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ method of disciple-making is the best way to help people become Christlike and for our churches to function as God intends.

We have devoted many years to the study, understanding, and practice of Jesus-style disciple-making. Here are five of the best principles from the Restoration heritage that support what we have learned.

1

G o d ’ s Wo r d I s O u r Au t h o r i t y Jesus entrusted his teachings to the apostles (John 8:29-32). In his final words, Jesus commissioned the Twelve to make disciples—baptizing and teaching people to obey all of his teachings (Matthew 28:19, 20). This is why the earliest Christians devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42). These teachings became the foundation of the church and were brought together, with the Old Testament Scriptures, to form the canon of Scripture.

These teachings alone are God’s final authority for us. God’s Word provides everything we need for the knowledge of salvation (2 Timothy 3:16–4:5) and a godly life (2 Peter 1:5-9). When people read or hear the Word spoken, it produces faith (Romans 10:17), for his Word is “alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow” (Hebrews 4:12).

Disciple-making movements are empowered by people who get into the Word without human filters, creeds, or ritual. It is simply obedience to the raw Word of God, at root. Scripture has the power to change human beings who study it. God’s Word, itself, creates and empowers faith through the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word creates the power of conviction and life change (1 John 2:20-27).

2

Jesus Is Savior, Lord, and King We have a high view of Jesus. The Restoration Movement has taught people to view Jesus according to the raw teaching of the Bible. Kevin DeYoung reminds us, He is not Republican Jesus.

He is not Democrat Jesus.

He is not Therapist Jesus.

He is not Starbucks Jesus.

He is not Open-minded Jesus.

Jesus is humanity’s Savior, Lord, and King. He deserves all loyalty, devotion, and obedience. Jesus’ kingdom is the most important reality in the world.

His mission is the most important mission in the world.

Disciple-making movements focus on what they refer to as “obedience-based discipleship.” God wants us to be grounded in grace and obey him. The goal of disciple-makers is to help people come to Christ, be conformed to his image, and obey God.

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SPONSORED

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SPONSORED

3

Faith Is Faithfulness Lots of people think of faith as simply mental assent and trust. In other words, if a person believes, he or she does not really need to repent or obey. But even the demons have that kind of faith (James 2:19). In our heritage, we were rightly taught that this understanding of faith is not biblical. The word faith itself, we have learned, moves beyond assent and trust and also includes concepts such as allegiance, faithfulness, and obedience.

At Renew.org, our leaders (like Bobby Harrington, Jim Putman, and Tony Twist) have a specific definition of a disciple: a disciple is a person who follows Jesus, is being changed by Jesus, and is committed to the mission of Jesus (Matthew 4:19). In other words, our forefathers taught us that to have true, biblical faith is to be a true, biblical disciple. We also make it clear: True faith equals true discipleship. In short, faithful faith = being a disciple.

5

4

L o ca l L e a d e r s L e a d One of the geniuses of the Restoration Movement was the decentralization of its leadership. In the Restoration Movement, a local church’s leaders do not passively rely on denominational direction for their leadership vision. Nor do leaders of our local churches have to suffer through the frustration of waiting for denominational permission to make God-ordained moves.

But neither is the Restoration Movement’s model one of directionless anarchy, in which each church impulsively does as it sees fit. Rather, the model is one of Bible-grounded, Spirit-empowered leadership. The gospel is carefully entrusted “to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2, New American Standard Bible).

In the same way, effective disciple-making is always grounded in leadership structures that are decentralized. Methodological innovation is encouraged.

After all, these are movements of God, not merely the objectives of denominational committees. As such, we should value and expect flexibility in our churches, as each local body of believers is led by good shepherds who know their Bibles well and listen closely for the Holy Spirit’s direction.

E ve r y D i s c i p l e I s a M i n i s t e r , P r i e s t , a n d D i s c i p l e - M a ke r In the Restoration Movement, our rejection of passivity goes beyond church leaders. We empower everyday disciples as well. After all, our heritage emphasizes the priesthood of all believers. Martin Luther reminded us of this transformational principle. Sadly, many Protestant groups went on to reinforce stiff clergy-laity distinctions. But as the frontier farmer-preachers and church planters in the Restoration Movement showed us, every Christian is not just a priest, but a minister.

In the same way, disciple-making movements are birthed out of the conviction that Jesus’ Great Commission is not the work of professionals. After all, during the three years of living alongside his disciples, Jesus modeled the kind of relational disciple-making that can once again be the expectation of all believers.

Renew.org helps mentor wise church leaders who coach their people with (1) simple, (2) effective, and (3) reproducible methods for disciple-making. These churches see a large percentage of our members become empowered to make disciples. As we humbly seek to restore New Testament Christianity, we can once again see disciple-making movements that redirect the trajectory of entire civilizations.

I pray through Jesus.

I truly trust and follow Jesus.

I surrender to Jesus.

I affirm Jesus’ general saving role.

I participate in Jesus’ mission.

I maintain a safe distance f rom Jesus.

I get as close to Jesus as I can.

I like Jesus.

I ask Jesus to fulfill my agenda.

S U M M A R Y A N D R E N E W. O R G Our heritage has had weaknesses, to be sure. We can find a legacy of latent legalism/fundamentalism, a simplistic view of Scripture and science, and more. But our movement is overcoming these shortcomings. The role of the Holy Spirit deserves special attention.

We are championing a rediscovery of the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit. Renew.org leaders like Shodankeh Johnson, Tony Twist, and Dave Clayton are leading fasting and prayer movements. Prayer and fasting fuels the power for disciple-making movements; prayer and fasting comprises one of our core values (see renew.org values https://renew. org/about/). We humbly seek God’s power.

Renew.org seeks to live out Dallas Willard’s dictum on a practical level: The Jesus we preach, the gospel we uphold, and the faith we coach determines the disciples we raise up. We are grateful to stand on the shoulders of the men and women in our Restoration Movement history as we lean into a future focused on Jesus-style disciple-making.

I am changed by Jesus.

I am willing to throw myself into Jesus’ mission.

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I believe in Jesus.

DISCIPLE OF JESUS

CULTURAL CHRISTIAN

JUNE 2020

SPONSORED

THE R E S T O R AT I O N MOVEMENT IS . . .

B Y DO U G C R O Z I E R THE REST OF THIS SENTENCE COULD BE A N S W E R E D A T H O U S A N D WAY S . WH Y ?

Because the Restoration Movement is the most dynamic, creative, and growing movement of churches in America today! It is amazing to watch our churches continue to expand and grow across the country.

The Restoration Movement has touched my life in at least six ways:

THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT IS A M OV E M E N T The Restoration Movement started in the United States during the Second Great Awakening (1790–1840). It became a movement to reform the church from within and to follow the teachings of the New Testament, specifically the book of Acts. It is also known as the Stone-Campbell Movement—named for Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell, two Christian pioneers who formed this great movement by reaching agreement on principles in 1832.

The history of this movement is fascinating to me as I continue to learn more about it every day. One great resource I’ve studied is The Stone-Campbell Movement by Leroy Garrett. It is an exceptional read. The Restoration Movement is THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT IS not a denomination, it is a movement . . .

CO L L A B O R AT I V E A N D W E L CO M I N G and it is moving me to be a better man, leader, and follower of Jesus.

I have made many of my best friends while out working with churches from coast to coast. The Restoration Movement today consists of three main groups: the independent Christian churches, the noninstrumental churches of Christ, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Many churches are Restoration and do not know it. Often, we get to know leaders from an independent Christian church who have used the book of Acts as an outline to structure their church, and yet they are not familiar with the Restoration Movement.

Really, the movement is not about the people who started it or even the churches that associate with it; instead, it is about the choices each church is making as their people move closer to Jesus. The men and women in these churches are the salt of the earth, and their hearts are on fire for God. They are chasing after the lost, and I get to partner with them in that pursuit.

THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT'S TENETS SERVE AS PILLARS OF STRENGTH FOR THE CHURCH AND FOR ME PERSONALLY

In my personal walk with the Lord I learned very quickly about the importance of the Restoration Movement’s key doctrinal positions, such as these: • Unity through Jesus, who is the Christ, the Son of God. “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

• Celebrating the Lord’s Supper/Communion every Sunday in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins (see 1 Corinthians 11:23-28).

• Baptism by immersion in water. When someone comes to and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, they are baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38, 41; 22:16); they identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (see Acts 8:26-39; Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27).

• Independent (nondenominational) and self-governing, elder-led churches that are linked by fellowship and doctrine.

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SPONSORED

SPONSORED

Our movement’s key slogans have deep and profound meaning.

They include, • “Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.”

• “We are Christians only, but not the only Christians.”

• “In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things, love.”

• "No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, no law but love, no name but the divine.”

These are so succinct and simple, but so powerful.

THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT IS T H E FA S T E S T - G R OW I N G G R O U P O F C H U R C H E S I N A M E R I C A TO DAY As a leader of a church extension fund, I have had a frontrow seat to the growth of our movement over the last 25 years. In 1995 approximately 20 churches exceeded 1,000 in average weekly attendance. But today—as you saw in last month’s issue of Christian Standard—more than 120 churches average more than 1,000 weekly. In addition, I know of at least 10 churches averaging more than 1,000 weekly that did not report for the magazine’s most recent issue. Many of these rapidly growing churches are less than 10 years old. Each year I attend the meeting of the Denominational Investors & Loan Administrators; at Not only do I consider our churches that gathering, none of the denomi- to be the fastest growing, but I also national or church group represen- believe our churches are the most tatives report anything approaching creative in their growth. For example, several of our churches have estabour growth numbers. lished community centers that are open seven days a week and offer sport and fitness programs—even equine therapy and counseling centers—while also hosting worship services and other church functions. Our churches, young and old, take rundown, abandoned buildings and turn them into attractive worship centers for pennies on the dollar when compared to the cost of new construction.

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THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT IS T H E K E Y TO W H AT W E DO AT T H E S O L O M O N F O U N DAT I O N When we formed our church extension fund, our goal was to exclusively serve Restoration Movement churches. Today, The Solomon Foundation is the only such fund exclusively serving the Restoration Movement. Why only the Restoration Movement? Because that is where our heart is!

Most denominational churches have lending options through their denominational groups. Independent Christian churches do not have that option, and local banks often will not lend to churches. We not only want to create a way for Restoration Movement churches to expand, we also want to give our people the opportunity to invest in church growth. People who have a heart for the church can inTHE RESTORATION MOVEMENT IS vest in its growth through M Y PA S S I O N The Solomon Foundation Through this movement and a small local church in Southern Caliwhile earning an excellent fornia, I came to know Jesus in a personal way. I was baptized, rate of return. took Communion weekly, and called the church leaders “elders.” I studied and became an elder myself and led our building committee through the addition of a school campus and larger sanctuary.

I held small group gatherings in my living room for 20 years. We ate potlucks on Sundays. Our church’s many sermon series walked me through the books of the Bible and the words of God. My girls went to camps, sang in choir, and attended the church’s preschool.

I am passionate about this movement because I am part of it and it is such a big part of my life and family, but I’m also passionate about seeing more people come to know Jesus as their Savior as they learn to walk with him daily. Helping Restoration Movement churches grow through The Solomon Foundation is the best way I know for me to help the most people live out their faith. I am energized and encouraged to press on, and I pray that you are too!

So back to where I started. The Restoration Movement is . . . the most exciting, dynamic, meaningful, creative, and growing movement in America! It is changing lives, it is reaching the lost, and it is honoring God! Doug Crozier serves as chief executive officer of The Solomon Foundation.

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Welcome to The Lookout Bible study.

The psalmist said, “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (Psalm 119:16). We are excited to continue the long and steady tradition of The Lookout Bible study, now in the pages of Christian Standard. We have designed this section to help you delight in God’s Word.

Note to Leaders: You and your group will notice some changes in our approach to the Bible study questions on the Discovery pages. In April, we introduced a model of Bible study that encourages groups and classes to grow spiritually, bear fruit, and multiply.

The study takes your group through a God-honoring and God-exalting process in which people engage with God’s Word; it is a discipleship tool that consistently works with seekers, young Christians, and more mature believers alike.

For a rationale for this type of study, more information on the process and how to lead it, and what you should communicate to your group to make this study most effective, please go to ChristianStandard.com/Discovery.

how to use the lookout

Each week has a lesson aim, lesson text, and supplemental text.

Each week features three sections: Study, Application, and Discovery.

Tabs indicate the week of each lesson.

Use the Discovery questions to study, discuss, and apply the Scripture passages in a group or class.

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BE A COMFORTING F R I E N D R AT H E R T H A N A MISERABLE COMFORTER.

L e s s o n T e x t:

J o b 1 6 : 1 - 5 , 1 5 -2 1 ; 6 : 1 2-1 7

S u p p l e m e n ta l T e x t:

P r o v e r b s 1 7: 1 7; 1 8 : 2 4 J o h n 1 5 : 1 3 -1 5 J a m e s 2 : 8 -1 7

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The Look of True Friendship by mark scott

Karl Ketcherside said, “It’s one thing to have salt rubbed in your wound; it’s another thing to be billed for the salt.” That is especially painful when the bill comes from one of your friends. That was how Job was feeling by the time we reach chapter 16. All three of his original friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) have spoken to Job at least once—Eliphaz has actually made two speeches.

Job responded to his “friends.” In the Bible the word friend is used for an endearing relationship. We find this especially in the Gospel of John (John 15:15). But at times in Scripture the word friend is used as a synonym for buster. We find this especially in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 20:13; 26:50). However well intended they were, Job’s friends fell into that latter category. Job referred to them as miserable comforters (grievous or perverse). But that is not to suggest we cannot learn from even unjustified criticism. In these selected Scriptures we learn some positive truths from some negative people.

True Friends Empathize Job 16:1-5 Job’s friends intended to empathize with him (Job 2:11-13). But when they heard Job attempting to justify himself, these friends became prosecuting attorneys. Job rebuked them by suggesting that they and he switch places. Perhaps then they would not be so quick to condemn. The long-winded speeches were not edifying. Job thought these friends were speaking out of what ailed them (i.e., made them sick).

True Friends Affirm Job 16:15-21 Job admitted that he wore himself out arguing against God. In verses 6-14, Job felt God had worn him out, torn him apart, given him over to the ungodly, and

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In spite of Job feeling he had been mistreated, he maintained his hands had been free of violence and that his prayer was pure. In other words, unlike what his friends had done to him, he would have tried to affirm them if things had been reversed. Job longed for friends who would function as intercessors and who would plead for a friend. Instead, his friends scorned him as his eyes poured out tears to God. Job so needed affirmation.

True Friends Are Kind and Dependable Job 6:12-17 Job did not overestimate his ability to endure such pain. He admitted he did not have strength of stone.

He admitted his skin was not made of bronze. He felt depleted of power and that any sense of success was not in the stars for him. He needed kindness and friends upon whom he could lean. What he received, instead, were friends (called brothers) who were as undependable (treacherous or faithless) as the ancient wadis of Israel. These riverbeds were dry most of the time until a flood came. Then they became white-water rapids. But then, as quickly as they had become full, they would dry up in the heat and vanish from their channels.

God is kind to the “ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:35), and Job longed for that kind of friend. In fact, he said, “Anyone who withholds kindness (chesed, i.e., covenantal love) from a friend actually forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” True friends give away buckets of chesed (loving-kindness).

One way to ensure that we are not miserable comforters is to become more like God. Tucked away in this passage is a very brief glimpse into what Job knew deep in his primal being. It is located in Job 16:19. Job knew his ultimate friend was the witness in heaven.

God himself would be Job’s best advocate (mediator).

Job knew down deep that God would have the last word (Job 19:25, 26), and that is why he could commit to him (Job 13:15).

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Job made a bold assertion. If the tables were turned, he would act nobly. While he might be tempted to make fine speeches and shake his head (Psalm 22:7; Mark 15:20), he would, in fact, encourage (strengthen or make strong) and comfort (i.e., to cease quivering) them. Of course, Job’s argument is a hypothesis contrary to fact (logical fallacy). Since it did not happen, we cannot know what might have happened.

broken him. He admitted he had evidenced the sign of deep mourning (sewn sackcloth over his skin), buried his brow in the dust, and wept until his face was red and his eyes had dark shadows. He cried out for the earth not to cover his blood (Genesis 4:10) and for his cry not to be laid to rest.

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Down in the Dirt with Your Friends

by David Faust

My barber is my best friend. You see, my wife cuts my hair. During our first year of marriage, I was on the receiving end of a particularly bad haircut—a near-scalping experience in a smoke-filled barbershop. Arriving home afterward, I asked Candy, “Could you cut my hair from now on?” She gazed at my freshly shorn cranium and replied, “I can do at least as well as the barber you just visited.” The rest is history.

We’ve done the math. According to www.mistershaver.com (yes, that’s a real website), the average price of a standard men’s haircut in Indiana, where I live, currently stands at $18 plus tips. Prices have risen over the years, so let’s conservatively estimate the average value of my haircuts at $15 each. If Candy has given me an average of one haircut a month for the last 44 years, she has cut my hair approximately 528 times. At $15 per haircut, we have saved $7,920.

Of course, we need to deduct the cost of a few pairs of scissors—and the electric shaver Candy uses to trim my neck, which I later learned she also used on one occasion to groom our dog.

There has been another price to pay. Our home barbershop puts strain on our relationship, especially when the haircuts take place late at night when we’re tired and grumpy. The Bible says not to let the sun go down on your anger, and that principle definitely applies when your wife is armed with sharp instruments. Over the years we have exchanged a few cutting words because she accidentally nicked my ear with the scissors or I dared to criticize her barbering skills. Thankfully, no blood has been shed during most of my haircuts. By God’s grace, Candy and I remain best friends despite enduring a few close scrapes.

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That’s what true friends do. You trust them enough to put your safety in their hands. You help each other even when it’s inconvenient.

You stick together through complicated problems and late-night arguments. You forgive each other, and you laugh together whenever you can.

Job’s friends weren’t at their best when they offered opinions about why he was suffering.

They served him best when “they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was” (Job 2:12, 13).

Job’s friends served him best when they kept their mouths shut and sat on the ground crying with him. For a week they literally got down in the dirt with him—they even sprinkled dust on their heads—silently empathizing with his pain.

After taking a towel and washing his disciples’ dirty feet, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Do you have friends who get down in the dirt with you? Are you willing to be that kind of friend?

Personal Challenge: Think of a friend who is going through a tough time. Prayerfully consider how you can lovingly serve that person by empathizing with them, by “getting down in the dirt” with them. Then sacrificially do what God calls you to do.

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by Leigh Mackenzie Note to Leaders: Before proceeding, please see our explanation of the changes in this section on page 76.

1. In what ways were you like Job this past week, by being thankful and able to praise God through hard times?

2. What difficult or challenging circumstances did you or people around you encounter?

Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the two readers to read Job 16:1-5, 15-21 one after the other (preferably from different Bible versions). Then ask the same two readers to each read Job 6:12-17.

Ask the third person to summarize (not interpret) what these passages are saying as a whole. (Keep it simple; about 60 seconds is all the time that’s needed.)

3. What is the general tone of Job’s responses to his friends?

• Which verses seem the most “negative” in nature?

• Which seem particularly positive?

• Describe how Job “turned the tables” on his friends.

4. What evidence indicates how Job’s friends treated him in his misery?

5. What do these passages teach you about God? 6. What do these passages teach you about humanity?

7. In what specific ways does this passage change how you view and interact with others who are going through difficult times?

8. What do these passages teach you about obedience (or the lack of it)?

10. Based on these sections of Scripture, complete this sentence: This week, I will . . .

11. What will be a challenge for you this week?

For Next Week: Sometime in the next seven days, reflect on Job 38:16-41 as we continue to study the book of Job. You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.

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9. With whom will you share the lessons you have learned through these passages in the upcoming days?

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BOW BEFORE THE FULL VIEW OF GOD’S INTEG RITY AND POWER.

L e s s o n T e x t:

J o b 3 8 : 1 6 - 41

S u p p l e m e n ta l T e x t:

J o b 3 8 : 1 -1 5 ; 4 0 : 1 - 5

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See Him All Around by mark scott

God is not everything—that is pantheism. But God can be seen in everything (Romans 1:19, 20; Colossians 1:16). Job needed to learn that, and in doing so he would find the answer to his suffering. Chapter 38 is a significant marker in the book of Job. God finally shattered his silence—as James Strauss put it in his commentary The Shattering of Silence—and interrogated Job. By this moment in this dramatic wisdom literature, all of Job’s friends have weighed in, and Job has responded to them.

Job’s real friend, Elihu, began his discourse in chapter 32. He rebuked Job’s friends, condemned Job’s attitude, and extolled God’s greatness. Elihu encouraged Job to consider the wondrous works of God (Job 37:14). At this point, God stepped up and addressed Job in a whirlwind. This would not be fun for anyone. God interrogated Job as to his lack of knowledge and challenged him to look around. God’s argument with Job had to do with his being Creator.

In the first part of the chapter (vv. 1-15), God asked Job about the measurement of the earth, the foundation of the earth, the boundaries of the waters, the rhythm of morning, and the handling of the wicked.

It’s obvious God alone can handle those things.

God used 28 questions to interrogate Job in our lesson text. The questions deal with cosmology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy. God used a method of speech known as personification, so we probably should not interpret everything in this text in the purest scientific terms. But that is not to say there are not scientific statements in these verses.

God Is Creator of the Unseen Realms Job 38:16-18

God Is Creator of Light and Darkness Job 38:19-21 Light and darkness were created by God (Genesis 1:3-5). But where do they dwell? From where do they come? Do they have houses in which they reside? Could Job possibly know where to take them? In this section God even chided Job with

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God Is Creator of the Sky Job 38:22-30 The physical heavens came into existence when God separated the waters (Genesis 1:6-8). The sky became a great storehouse for God. It held snow, hail, lightning, wind, rain, and thunderstorms (flashing light). The purpose for this was to water the earth—even in the most barren of places.

Water in its various forms (rain, dew, frost, and ice) is held in the sky. The sky acted as a father in withholding water from the earth or flooding the earth with water.

God Is Creator of Stars and Clouds Job 38:31-38 Even amateur astronomers can identify various constellations of stars. Pleiades is a constellation of seven stars. Orion is another belt of stars. God could bring forth these constellations (12 signs of the zodiac) in their seasons. Some have suggested the Bear was a reference to the Big Dipper. God set these things in place with various laws as he manifested his dominion over the earth.

Clouds are unique in nature and in the Bible.

Clouds become symbols of divine presence and power. They are a significant part of the sky (mentioned earlier). As a human being, could Job possibly raise his voice to them in rebellion against God? Could he do anything to extrapolate water and lightning from them? Could he count the clouds? Could he predict the floods or droughts?

The answers are obvious.

God Is Creator of the Animals Job 38:39-41 On the fifth and sixth days of creation God made the birds of the air, the creatures of the sea, and the animals on the land (Genesis 1:25). Earlier in our text roosters were mentioned (v. 36). Now God mentioned the lioness, the lion, and the raven.

God provided for them both shelter and food.

Maybe Satan asked the key question in this book.

“Does Job fear [or serve] God for nothing?” (Job 1:9). Essentially the answer is yes, because God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

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The springs of the sea and the recesses (unsearchable) of the deep refer to fountains of the oceans (Genesis 7:11). No one has seen these except God. The gates of death and the gates of deepest darkness are known only to God. These hidden places and even the vast expanses (broad places) of the earth are some of God’s secrets.

sarcasm, “Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!”

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The Cross Examination

by David Faust

The prosecuting attorney approached the bench with a confident stride. He had done his homework. Eager for the trial to begin, he came armed with a long list of grievances against the defendant.

“To be frank, Your Honor, these are just a few of the accusations brought against you. As the trial continues, I shall raise many more.”

It was time for opening statements. The prosecutor paused for dramatic effect and then began. “This trial will be an unusual one because, Your Honor, the one on trial today . . . is you!”

Breathlessly the crowd awaited the Judge’s opening statement. How would he defend himself against these charges?

A murmur filled the crowded courtroom. The Judge himself was on trial? Who dared to bring charges against the court’s presiding officer?

Questions for God The prosecutor began to state his case.

“Your Honor, the charges against you are many, and they are not new. Indeed, the complaints I raise today have been voiced by numerous accusers throughout history.

“Why do you allow evil? Why do innocent victims suffer sickness and death? Why don’t you prevent accidents?

If you are good and all-powerful, why do you allow violent crimes and child abuse? What about tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, famines, droughts, and wildfires? Why are babies born to face lifelong deprivation? What about cancer and Alzheimer’s? Why do you bewilder us by saying yes to certain prayers and no to others?

“With all due respect, Your Honor, some of us consider your requirements narrow and demanding.”

Holding up a leather-bound volume, the prosecutor continued, “I enter this Bible into evidence as Exhibit A. Are you aware of all the critics who dispute the contents of this book? Why are your followers often so divided and so disagreeable? Their actions contradict this book’s teachings! And what about the many individuals who have no exposure to this book? Is it fair for you to judge them?

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Questions from God

“Many of your questions are addressed in Exhibit A,” the Judge said solemnly. “But now I will ask a few questions of my own.

“Were you there when I created the universe out of nothing? Can you explain how I did that? If you struggle to explain stars and seas, snow and ice, donkeys and ostriches, how will you comprehend profound mysteries of the soul? You complain about evil, but without me as a reference point, how can you be sure what is good?

“I welcome honest inquirers and earnest seekers,” the Judge continued. “If I shied away from scrutiny, I wouldn’t have sent my Son to earth for 33 years. He confirmed my existence, revealed my grace, and experienced all the temptations common to mankind.

“If you’re serious about your cross examination, have you examined the cross where Jesus died? I haven’t overlooked your suffering; I identified with it. I understand suffering more than you can possibly imagine.

I confronted the problem of evil head-on when nails pierced my Son’s hands and feet, and after the cross, I pierced the darkness with resurrection hope. Have you pondered how Jesus’ death and resurrection can remove your own fear of standing trial in my courtroom?

“I care about your questions. But you won’t find the answers by merely repeating your list of grievances. Look closer. Dig deeper. Examine the cross.”

Personal Challenge: If you could speak with God faceto-face, what would you ask him? Discuss that ques­tion with a trusted Christian friend or with an unbelieving friend who may wonder about the same issue.

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by Leigh Mackenzie

1. What are two things for which you are thankful right now?

2. In the difficult or challenging circumstances you faced this past week, how were you comforted?

• In what ways were you a comfort in the misery of others?

Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the first two to read Job 38:16-41 one after the other (preferably from different Bible versions). (Option: Read Job 38:1-41; 40:1-5.)

Ask the third person to summarize (not interpret) the passage as if sharing it with a middle schooler. (About 60 seconds is all the time you need.)

3. What big-picture observations do you have about this passage? What stands out to you most?

• What if anything amazes you in this passage, or what have you never before considered?

4. Let’s look at some of the details in this passage: • How would you characterize God’s responses to Job in general?

• What different realms of creation do you identify?

5. What does this passage teach you about God? 6. What do you learn about humankind?

7. If God were to ask you a series of questions like he asked of Job, what might he ask?

8. What do you learn about obedience and trusting God from this passage?

10. Based on this section of Scripture and our discussion, complete this sentence: This week, I will . . .

11. What challenge will you be facing this week?

For Next Week: Sometime over the next week, reflect on 1 John 1:5—2:11 as we begin to study the letters from John and “Perfect Love.” You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.

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9. How will you encourage someone with what you’ve learned from this passage as they encounter difficulties in the upcoming days?

Love yo u r b r oth e r a n d live i n th e li g ht

les s o n tex t:

1 J o h n 1: 5 -2:11

s u p ple m e n tal tex t:

P sa l m 89:15 J o h n 3:18 -21

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Perfect Love in Light by mark scott

More than one person has overlaid Paul’s triad of Christian virtues (faith, hope, and love) on the writings of John in the New Testament. If the Gospel of John is about faith and Revelation is about hope, then the Epistles of John are about love. And genuine Christian love always operates in the light of God—never in the darkness.

John has his own triad of virtues for the Christian life. In 1 John they are belief, righteousness, and love. These become tests of life. Flying under the radar of these themes are the upside-down beliefs of the false teachers (2:18-27; 4:1-6, 20, 21). Believing in the right person, doing the right things, and loving all people always undercut falsehood.

Walk in Light 1 John 1:5-10 John loves contrasts—for example, physical water and spiritual water (John 4), physical bread and spiritual bread (John 6), earthly fathers and a heavenly father (John 8). In the lesson text today we see the stark contrasts between light and darkness (each mentioned several times), love and hate, and truth and deception (lies). After affirming the physicality of Jesus in the prologue (1:1-4), which addressed one false teaching of John’s opponents, John made this big, incredible claim: “God is light.” Christianity is not unique in using light as a metaphor in faith, but the Bible uses it in terms of knowledge, understanding, and moral excellence—all of which God is and has.

Claiming to be in fellowship (of a common mind) with God and walking in darkness is living a lie (cf. 1 Corinthians 5) and not “doing” truth. Claiming not to sin is to dupe oneself. Claiming not to have sin makes God out to be a liar (Romans 3:23) and shows that the word is not in us. On the other hand, walking in the light ensures our sins have been “purified” (cleansed) and our fellowship with other believers is effectual. Confessing sin allows us to lean into the forgiveness and cleansing of Christ.

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Walking in forgiveness is not exactly stated in these two verses, but it is implied by virtue of Christ’s salvific act. As much as it breaks God’s heart for us to sin after believing in Jesus, God has provided for our forgiveness. Obeying Scripture guards us from sin; but given the weakness of our flesh and given the conditions all around us in this fallen world, we still might sin. In such times we have an advocate (comforter or one who walks alongside of us and speaks on our behalf like a defense attorney). In the Gospel of John, the advocate is the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). Here the advocate is Jesus himself, who, by virtue of his righteousness, is the atoning sacrifice (i.e., the one who satisfies God’s standards or requirements) for our sins as well as those of the whole world. For the believer, forgiveness is just a confession away.

Walk Like Christ 1 John 2:3-11 Verse 6 offers a nice summary of the Christian life, “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

It does not get more succinct than that. If we walk as Jesus walked, we embrace obedience (3-6). Keeping the commands of God is love, not legalism (John 14:15).

One cannot claim to know God and then disobey his commands. This duplicity makes it impossible to be made complete in Christ.

If we walk as Jesus walked, we embrace love. Much of 1 John is about loving others. The command to love others is as old as the Code of Holiness (Leviticus 19:18), and it is as fresh as Jesus’ example (John 13:34, 35). In light of the incarnation of Jesus, darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. The light of God shines best when God’s people love others.

Once again, the distance between what is claimed and what is lived is the test of life. Claiming light and hating others is really a life lived in darkness (and 1 John says it is equal to sin). Loving others is living in the light and ensures there will be no stumbling. Few things are as attractive to unbelievers as seeing people who love others and live morally excellent lives.

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So it follows if God is light, then those who follow him should live in that light. The verses that follow have an alternating pattern. Verse 6 parallels with verses 8 and 10, and verse 7 parallels verse 9. The negative emphasis precedes the positive emphasis.

Walk in Forgiveness 1 John 2:1, 2

A p p l i c at i o n

This Little Light of Yours

by David Faust

“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5), but for many the world seems like a dark place.

How can you and I brighten things up?

To make a difference, you don’t have to make headlines. Christ often calls his followers to serve humbly behind the scenes, like the woman named Tabitha or Dorcas, who “was always doing good and helping the poor,” making robes and other clothing items for those in need (Acts 9:36-39). I want to tell you about some light-bearers I know. They don’t seek recognition, so I am identifying them with initials rather than their names.

Walk in Light B drives a school bus. He sees the daily interactions with the kids on his route as an opportunity to brighten their day.

D has a gift for evangelism. She started a class to help immigrants learn English, and she has befriended several Muslim women who live in her neighborhood.

J leads a ministry in her church called Grief Share, providing comfort and practical help for the bereaved.

After suffering a broken neck in a car accident last year, D has undergone intensive physical therapy in an effort to use his arms and legs again. He sees his daily interactions with patients and therapists as an opportunity to lift their spirits.

M visits a jail every week and leads one-on-one Bible studies with prisoners. He also leads a weekly chapel service at a homeless shelter and eats lunch with the residents.

N is 13 years old. At the church door every Sunday morning he partners with a woman more than six times his age to greet worshippers and pass out bulletins.

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Now retired from his career in sales, B volunteers with an urban ministry, serving meals and mentoring kids.

N and T are a busy married couple in their twenties; he is a teacher and she is a pharmacist. Last year they started a Bible class and two small groups for young adults, with dozens now involved.

E “adopted” a classroom in a local public school.

She tutors students and finds ways to encourage the teacher.

A is a classical and jazz musician. He leads worship for the residents of an assisted-living facility.

B is a mechanic. Without charge, he repairs cars for families in need.

S organized a group of friends who like to sew, knit, and crochet. Last year they made more than 400 blankets to share with a local pregnancy care center.

Brighten the World Before You Leave It Next to his chair in the retirement home where he lived, D kept a list containing dozens of names and phone numbers. Every day he phoned a few of his friends to encourage them. D died a couple of years ago, but he brightened the world before he left it.

John wrote of Jesus Christ, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4, 5). Christ is the Light of the world with a capital L. He is the sun; we are the moon reflecting his glow. To brighten things up, we don’t have to be in the spotlight. It’s enough to be a candle shining in the darkness.

Personal Challenge: Think of someone you know who currently faces a dark, difficult situation. What will you do this week to brighten that person’s day?

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D i s c ove ry

by Leigh Mackenzie

1. Name one thing for which you are thankful right now.

2. What challenges did you have trusting in God’s absolute power and control over all things this past week?

Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the two readers to read 1 John 1:5–2:11 one after the other (preferably from different Bible versions).

Ask the third person to summarize (not interpret) the passage. (About 60 seconds is all the time needed.)

3. What recurring themes do you notice in this passage?

4. Let’s dig deeper into some specifics in this passage: • What contrasts do you notice?

• Find and discuss each statement that includes the word if. For each one, identify the condition (the if) and then the result or promise.

5. What do you learn about God’s nature and character in this passage?

• What do you learn about God from the if statements?

6. What do you learn about people? (Include both the “dark” and “light” nature.)

• What part are we called to play in the if statements?

7. What commands in this passage are you called to obey?

• In what specific way will you “live as Jesus did” this week?

9. Based on this Scripture passage and our discussion, complete this sentence: This week, I will . . .

10. What challenge will you be facing this week?

For Next Week: Sometime over the next week, read and reflect on 3 John 3-8 and 1 John 2:20–3:1 as we continue to look at “Perfect Love” through the letters of John. You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your own personal study.

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8. With whom will you share the message from this passage this week?

Wo r k to g eth e r fo r th e tr uth a n d d o n ' t b e le d astray les s o n tex t:

3 J o h n 3- 8 1 J o h n 2:20 - 3:1

s u p ple m e n tal tex t:

E ph es ia n s 4:15 1 Pete r 1:22 1 Ti m othy 2:3-7

s t u dy

Perfect Love in Truth by mark scott

Truth and love have enemies, namely lies and selfishness —both inspired by the devil. Lies must be jettisoned, and selfishness must yield to love. The apostle John discussed how truth and love work in concert. A good example shows the balance between the two. An anointing keeps the community from being led astray to falsehood. And a lavish love from above garners confidence when Jesus comes again.

A Good Example 3 John 3-8 The third Epistle of John was written to a man named Gaius. He was a stellar believer and a good example of balancing truth and love. When the truth was going to be compromised by a selfish man named Diotrephes, Gaius was as straight as an arrow in truth (8). When the church gave Demetrius a good testimony, John rejoiced in love (12).

John was confident that Gaius was as strong in his soul as he was physically healthy. Gaius did not have to boast about his love for the truth. Other believers spoke on his behalf. Word had reached John that Gaius was faithful to the truth and continued to walk in the truth. As a sidebar, John said he had no greater joy than to hear that his disciples were walking in the truth like Gaius (cf. 2 John 4).

In the midst of loving others, God would help these believers be discerning. He would equip them with his Holy Spirit (this is the anointing in the text), who helps believers to discern the difference between truth and error (1 John 4:1-6). The Holy Spirit reminded the community of faith of what was true (John 14:16, 17). The Holy Spirit would alert the community of faith of any false doctrine that denied the solidarity between the Father and the Son. The Triune God cannot be compartmentalized even though the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have separate functions. John called the believers to embrace the godly tradition they had been given in Christ. He urged them not to stray from it. The motivation for all of this is quite simple—eternal life.

John made plain he was writing this part of the Epistle because he was concerned some in the church would be led astray. The Holy Spirit reminded the church of Jesus’ teachings. No additional instruction would be necessary than this tradition of apostolic teaching.

A Lavish Love 1 John 2:28–3:1 John wrote of truth that is not cold or indifferent. It is warm and identity giving. John addressed his recipients as dear children and children of God. He gave them something to do, something to know, and something to celebrate.

John’s children (the people in the church) had something to do. They were to continue in him. The phrase highlights abiding or remaining. The abiding would be rewarded at the return of Christ. When he comes, John’s people could stand confident (bold) and unashamed (to not shrink back).

A Holy Anointing 1 John 2:20-27

John’s children were given something to know. That truth was that Christ was righteous. And the accompanying truth to that was for his followers to do what is right. This demonstrated the people’s conversions.

Loving others does not demand that believers kiss their brains goodbye. They still must be discerning in their love for others. And the good news is they have inside information to assist them in this. John had reminded his readers in this first letter that they were not to love the world (2:15-17). He also cautioned them against being duped by

John’s children were given something to celebrate. That celebration was the love of God. This is God’s love for us as his children. He lavished it on us. We bask in that identity, and that helps us when the world gives us a first-class yawn and dismisses us. Be like Gaius. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide. Celebrate the love of God.

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But Gaius balanced his love for truth with tenderness for others. He had received strangers (probably a reference to unbelievers). This involved taking them into his home, feeding them, supporting them, and sending them on their way in the name of the Lord. The pagans (Gentiles or unbelievers) had not helped them, which made Gaius’s generosity stand out all the more. Maybe some of them were the “least of these” (Matthew 25:31-46). Maybe some were angels (Hebrews 13:2). No matter, as Gaius showed them uncommon hospitality.

the antichrists (i.e., people who denied the reality of the incarnation of Jesus—2:18, 19).

A p p l i c at i o n

Truth and LoveIt's Both/And, Not Either/Or

by David Faust

In 1901 a songwriter in Chicago named Carrie JacobsBond published her composition, “I Love You Truly.”

The song sold over a million copies (one of the earliest songs composed by a woman to do so) and became a favorite at weddings. Three American presidents invited Jacobs-Bond to sing at the White House. Her song concludes sweetly, “Gone is the sorrow, gone doubt and fear, for you love me truly, truly dear.” Cole Porter’s “True Love,” released in 1956 and popularized by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, says, “You and I have a guardian angel on high, with nothing to do but to give to you and to give to me love forever true.”

By 2016 those sugary lines gave way to the tart lyrics of another song called “True Love,” performed by the British rock band Coldplay. This time the heartbroken singer instructs his estranged partner, “Just tell me you love me. If you don’t, then lie, Oh, lie to me.”

Love’s sweetness completely disappears by the time we get to “Bad Guy,” this year’s Grammy award winner for Song of the Year, in which 18-year-old Billie Eilish grunts sarcastically, “I’m that bad type. Make your mama sad type. . . . Might seduce your dad type.”

Members of every generation dream about love, but the alarm clock of harsh reality shakes us awake. True love, it seems, is rare.

Don’t Diminish Love A friend of mine reviewed the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Chalcedonian Creed, and discovered not one of these famous belief statements contained the word love. Surprised, he also examined the belief statements posted on the websites of several Bible-believing Christian churches and noticed the same glaring omission. How can Christians attempt to tell the world what we believe and leave out love?

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For Christ’s followers, love is nonnegotiable. According to Jesus, love for God and love for our neighbors top the list of commands. “The greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13), but is love the first word that comes to mind when your unchurched neighbors think of the church?

Don’t Deify Love The Bible says, “God is my Rock” (Psalm 18:2), but it would be idolatrous to say, “This rock is my god.”

Likewise, the Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:16), but we shouldn’t twist the words around and think “love is god.”

Agape love is central to God’s character. He cares, gives, and sacrifices for the well-being of others. But God has other attributes as well, like justice, truthfulness, holiness, and grace. Our definition of love should come from Scripture, not from culture, and we should never misuse love as a lame excuse for immorality. We worship the loving God; we don’t worship love itself.

Don’t Detach Love (from Truth and Action) With love and truth, it’s not either/or, it’s both/and.

Someone said, “Love without truth lies; truth without love kills.” Jesus commanded, “Love one another” (John 13:34), but he also insisted, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Love and truth are inseparable.

God’s blessings “will be with us in truth and love” (2 John 3).

Love is far more than a Christian platitude or a theme for romantic music. Love sounds good as a noun, but Scripture reminds us to treat it as a verb.

Personal Challenge: Do you treat love as a verb?

Each day this week, do a small act of unselfish service for a family member, neighbor, or coworker.

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D i s c ove ry

by Leigh Mackenzie

1. What are you thankful for today?

2. What examples do you have of living as Jesus did this past week?

Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask two people to read 3 John 3-8 one after the other (preferably from different versions). Repeat this process for 1 John 2:20–3:1.

Ask the third person to summarize what both passages are saying as a whole as if sharing it with a 10-year-old.

3. What main themes do you see running through these passages? (Hint: look for repeating words.)

• What evidence do you see for why John wrote this?

4. Let’s dig deeper into some of the specifics in these passages: • What gave John joy?

• Look for verses that encourage people to continue or remain. What do you learn from these verses?

• What do you learn about the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Father?

5. What truths do you learn about God in these passages?

• What do you learn about his nature?

6. What do you learn about the nature of humanity in these passages?

7. What will you do this week to better know, walk in, and obey the truth?

8. What can we do as a group to help one another remain in Christ and not be led astray?

• In what ways can showing hospitality to others help us work together for the truth?

10. Based on these sections of Scripture and our discussion, complete this sentence: This week, I will . . .

11. What challenge will you be facing this week?

For Next Week: Sometime over the next week, read and reflect on 1 John 3:10-23 and 2 John 4-6 as we continue looking at “Perfect Love” through the letters of John. You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections, available in our July issue, as part of your personal study.

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9. What will you do this week to make God’s truth known to those who do not know him?

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Interact Precious Word . . .

Dr. Darel Pruett, Zimbabwe [The April 2020 issue] took a while to download but [it was] absolutely worth it. Christian Standard and The Lookout have been part of my life since childhood on the mission field. We thank you [for] sharing God’s precious Word with his people.

Eye-opening . . .

Heather I absolutely love this part [of “Cleopas: The Journey that Forever Changed Us,” by Glen Elliott, p. 30, April 2020]: “As we walked with Jesus, he taught what Scripture said about the Messiah. Hearing from the Word of God helped open our eyes—it always does. Before that, our disappointment that Jesus was crucified had caused us to put our heads down. We were blinded by grief and confusion, so much so that we couldn’t see Jesus was right there with us, in our very presence.”

Such a blessing to read this and recognize my own focus on the struggle of life rather than on Jesus and the Bible. It is so very true that when you focus on him and his Word that it helps open your eyes. Thank you, Glen, for this article!

Maximizing Social Media . . .

Stacey Lynn Vines Can I just take a second to brag on the amazing talent God has given my friend, soul sister, and preacher’s wife [“How to Use Social Media Well in Your Church,” by Tina Wilson, p. 60, March 2020]? Every single paragraph of this article speaks to the abilities and gifts God has imparted to her for her role in growing his kingdom. #worldchanger

Cory Nathaniel Wow. Great read! Definitely taught me a lot on maximizing social media and inspired me to increase my influence for Jesus again. . . . This post was Jesus-packed!

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For space, length, readability, relevance, and civility, comments sent to Interact may remain unpublished or be edited. We do read them all and prayerfully take them to heart. If we publish your comment, we will try to honestly reproduce your thoughts with those considerations in mind. Where we disagree, let’s continue to keep P.H. Welshimer’s words in mind to “disagree without being disagreeable.”

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