Rich Legacy, Fresh Vision

ISSUE 18 / JULY_AUG 2018

DONNA BARRETT / HAL DONALDSON / CHRIS BEARD

RICH LEGACY FRESH VISION: THE HISPANIC AG AT 100

Fasting for Spiritual Growth Disruptive Compassion: The Case for Evangelism and Benevolence A Diversely United Church

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MAGAZINE

THE SHAPE OF LEADERSHIP

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Publisher: Douglas E. Clay Executive Director, Influence Resources: Chris Railey Executive Editor: George P. Wood Managing Editor: Rick Knoth Assistant Editor: Christina Quick Senior Editor: John Davidson Contributing Editor: Chris Colvin Designers: Steve Lopez, Beyond Creative Advertising Coordinator: Ron Kopczick

CONTRIBUTORS John Alarid, Chris Beard, Stephen Blandino, Ray Castro, Chris Colvin, John Davidson, Hal Donaldson, Jason Exley, Bethzaida Garcia, Monty Hipp, Ken Horn, Christina Quick, Chris Railey, Dennis Rivera, Josue Rubio, Nichole Schreiber, Karl Vaters, Gilberto Vélez, Jesse Wisnewski, George P. Wood

SPECIAL THANKS Douglas E. Clay, Alton Garrison, Donna Barrett, Rick DuBose, Greg Mundis, Malcolm Burleigh

EDITORIAL

Copyright © 2018 by The General Council of the Assemblies of God, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, MO 65802-1894. Permissions required for reprints.

All rights reserved.

All materials published herein including, but not limited to articles, photographs, images, and illustrations are protected by copyright and owned or controlled

by Influence magazine of The General Council of the Assemblies of God.

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CONTENTS COLUMNS

8 If You Ask Me R E F L E C T I O N S O N L E A D E R S H I P

Back to the Basics

10 Get Set

L E A D E R S I M PA C T I N G T H E C H U R C H A N D C U LT U R E

Meet Donna Barrett: Trailblazer and Servant

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12 Like a Leader TOOLS FOR PERSONAL AND CONGREGATIONAL GROWTH

• Live: Fasting for Spiritual Growth

• Think: Stop Hiding Behind the Word ‘Busy’

• Learn: Resources for You and Your Team

22 Playbook S T R AT E G I E S F O R E F F E C T I V E M I N I S T R Y

• Build: Increasing the Effective Capacity for Ministry in a Small Church

• Know: Achieving Victory as the Underdog

• Invest: Unleashing Millennial Generosity

30 Perspectives O N E I S S U E , T W O P E R S P E C T I V E S O N M AT T E R S A F F E C T I N G T O D AY ’ S C H U R C H

Should Pastors Adhere to the Billy Graham Rule When Interacting with Staff Members?

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ISSUE_18/JULY 2018_AUGUST 2018

32 RICH LEGACY, FRESH

VISION: THE HISPANIC AG AT 100

FEATURES

This year marks the centennial of Hispanic ministry in the Assemblies of God. Here is the story of how it began, how far it has come, and how it is honoring a rich legacy and cultivating a fresh vision for the future.

42 DISRUPTIVE COMPASSION: THE CASE FOR EVANGELISM AND BENEVOLENCE

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Believers are awakening to the realization that following Jesus goes far beyond church attendance. The evidence of Christian living includes both words and deeds.

52 EPHESIAN MODEL: A

DIVERSELY UNITED CHURCH

The intensity of God’s mind on the matter of diversity should captivate our hearts. In light of Ephesians 2, how do we apply this model in our context?

60 Multipliers

p42

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LEADERS LEVERAGING THEIR GIFTS FOR GOD’S KINGDOM

· Josue Rubio: Ministering Across Generations · Bethzaida Garcia: Rescuing the Hurting · Raymond Castro: A Passion for Church Planting · Gilberto Vélez: Answering the Ministry Call · John Alarid: From Hopeless Junkie to Lead Pastor

70 Make It Count

AN EIGHT-WEEK STUDY FOR LEADERSHIP TEAMS

The Character of a Leader: 8 Qualities Essential to Who You Are

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80 The Final Note X-Rated America

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HELP YOUR CHUR

Holy M

any people don’t fully understand the Holy Spirit, yet having a healthy relationship with Him is a vital part of Christian living. Show your church what it means to have the Holy Spirit in us, with us, and through us.

Visit MyHealthyChurch.com/WhoIsTheHolySpirit to pre-order today.

CH DISCOVER THE

Spirit

Who is the Holy Spirit? All Church Campaign 4-week series features resources for kids, youth, and adults.

ADULTS

YOUTH

• Teaching DVD with 4 inspiring sermon videos and outlines by Doug Clay

• Teaching DVD with 4 sermon videos and outlines by Josh Wellborn

• Four children’s church lessons with engaging videos

• Easy-to-prep, digital small group session guides

• Easy-to-prep, conversationdriven small group session guides

• Printable leader guide

• Sample Now What?

Baptism in the Holy Spirit • Printable family devotions, coordinator guide, and promotional resources

• Send-home devotions corresponding to each week’s topic

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• Sample Now What? for Kids: Baptism in the Holy Spirit

• Sample Now What? for Youth: Baptism in the Holy Spirit

1.855.642.2011 • MyHealthyChurch.com

IF YOU ASK ME

Reflections on leadership

Back to the Basics n the first year pastoring a new church, I experienced the frustration nearly every pastor feels at some point: Why don’t people give more to the church? I thought the issue was people’s lack of giving. I learned, however, the issue was in my own leadership.

God challenged me to focus not on how to get more money for the church, but on how we could give away more money from the church — that we were to give our way out of our financial problem. I wrote the largest check our church had given at that time, and delivered it to a local organization we supported. It changed my heart as a leader, and it sparked a culture of generosity in our church.

It turns out the Golden Rule found in Matthew 7:12 works well in leadership too: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you … .”

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Chris Railey, D.Min., is executive director of Influence Resources and senior director of leadership and church development ministries for The General Council of the Assemblies of God, U.S.A.

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The Golden Rule is one of the first Bible verses we teach our kids, but we often fail to live it out in our lives and in our leadership.

The Golden Rule serves as a summary statement of sorts in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). It ties together Jesus’ teaching on issues like anger, retaliation, judgment, love, and generosity, and encourages us to put His instruction into action in our relationships with others, whether they deserve it or reciprocate it.

In a complex world with complex issues, maybe it’s time to go back to one of the basics of leadership: Simply treat others the way you want others to treat you. If you find yourself wishing you had a mentor, be a mentor to someone else. If you wish people were more generous in giving to your cause, give to someone else’s cause. If you wish your boss made more time for you, noticed your work more, celebrated you more, or opened doors of opportunity for you, try doing those things for others while you’re waiting. We can’t always control how others treat us, but we can always control how we treat others.

What if ? What if this were our mode of operation in leadership? How would the culture around us, the organization we’re in, and the people we lead look different? In an increasingly diverse and complex world, the Golden Rule might just be the perfect way to expand influence and make an impact.

In this issue of Influence, we look at several issues related to how we organize our lives and interact with others. Our first feature article by Hal Donaldson (founder and CEO of Convoy of Hope) and Ken Horn discusses the Church’s role in compassion ministry. In feature two, Chris Beard applies the Ephesian model to grow diversity and promote unity in the local church. Our cover story by Dennis Rivera is an informative, future-looking article about the growth of the Hispanic Church in our Fellowship, as we celebrate the Hispanic centennial in the Assemblies of God. I pray this issue of Influence will bless and encourage you!

GET SET

Leaders Impacting the Church and Culture

DONNA BARRETT

Trailblazer and Servant CHRISTINA QUICK

“If we neglect to open doors of opportunity, we are stifling the activity of the Holy Spirit.”

Christina Quick is assistant editor of Influence magazine.

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n June 1, Donna Barrett began her term as general secretary of the Assemblies of God, becoming the first woman to serve on the Executive Leadership Team.

The Ohio native’s selection demonstrates that the Fellowship’s egalitarian stance toward women in ministry extends even to the highest levels.

“I have a tremendous amount of admiration and respect for our general superintendent, Doug Clay, and our 21-member Executive Presbytery for making this move toward helping our Church be more relevant from the leadership table,” Barrett says.

While Clay says Barrett’s selection was not based on her gender, he acknowledges that this is a historic occasion in the AG. “I know this moment will be meaningful for many women who feel God’s calling on their lives,” Clay says.

Barrett succeeded James Bradford, who resigned his post to serve as full-time lead pastor of Central Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri.

Barrett’s faith journey began in 1975, when she accepted Christ as Savior and experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit as a teenager at Highway Tabernacle Assembly of God in Youngstown, Ohio.

As a young adult, Barrett spent time working at a law office as a paralegal, while volunteering as a lay leader in her church. When she sensed God calling her to ministry, she pursued credentials through Global University, becoming an Assemblies of God licensed minister in 1988 and ordained in 1999.

Barrett was a youth pastor and an associate pastor before planting Rockside Church

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outside Cleveland in 2002. She also served the Ohio Ministry Network as church planting coordinator, then network executive presbyter, then general presbyter, each for four years.

Barrett is grateful to be part of a denomination that values the leadership contributions of both genders.

“As Pentecostals, we’re awakened through the Scriptures to the reality that the Holy Spirit — poured out on both men and women — gives gifts, including the gift of leadership,” says Barrett, who is single. “If we neglect to open doors of opportunity, we are stifling the activity of the Holy Spirit.”

As a church planter who led a congregation of just over 100, Barrett brings valuable experience and perspective to her post.

“Not only do I identify with 25 percent of our ministers who are women, but I identify with our small-church pastors, which is the larger number of our pastors,” she says.

Barrett hopes her presence on the ELT will encourage other women in the Assemblies of God to consider serving in church leadership positions.

She offers this advice to women stepping out to follow a call to ministry: “Be faithful.

Walk through whatever doors God opens for you, even if it’s scary. Participate actively, serve where invited. Honor your male colleagues and leaders as unto the Lord, and don’t have a chip on your shoulder. Work hard, be a lifelong learner, and take advantage of whatever training opportunities are before you.”

Barrett wants people to know her not just as a trailblazer for women leaders, but as a faithful servant to this diverse Fellowship and the kingdom of God. One of her favorite passages of Scripture is 1 Corinthians 1:3–4, which she paraphrases this way: “With the same grace you’ve received, turn and help others.”

When asked what she would like to be known for, Barrett said, “I want to be a prayerful, humble servant who helps the Church bring glory to God. Our superintendent has vision I look forward to helping carry out.”

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LIVE LIKE A LEADER

Fasting for Spiritual Growth JASON EXLEY

Fasting is less about what I put into my stomach and more about what I put into my soul.

Jason Exley is lead pastor of Life Church (AG) in Midlothian, Texas.

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asting is an idea many of us don’t know what to do with. Where do we start, what do we fast, when do we stop, and how do we measure success?

My first extended fast occurred in Bible college. As a senior, I was facing some huge decisions and wanted to remind God of my total commitment. The problem was, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do when I fasted. So, my 20-day “fast” was more of a hunger strike as I waited for God to give me the green light I wanted. At the end of the 20 days, I was hungry, frustrated and still had no clear direction.

Over the years, I’ve learned that fasting is not a way to manipulate or coerce God into making my agenda happen. Fasting is less about what I put into my stomach and more about what I put into my soul.

I now realize times of fasting must include intimate time with God — reading His Word and listening to His voice. As I say “no” to the physical cravings of my stomach and “yes” to the spiritual cravings of my soul, satisfying spiritual hunger becomes more important than what I can eat when the fast is over.

In Matthew 6:16, Jesus taught fasting as a believer’s duty, saying, “When you fast … .”

Notice He said when you fast, not if you fast. Jesus expected His disciples to fast as a natural result of discipleship — just as He expects us to give to the needy and pray passionately (Matthew 6:2,5,16).

Scripture never says how often or how long to fast, but we clearly should incorporate seasons of fasting into our spiritual life.

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The Early Church was a fasting Church.

In Acts 13:2–3, the Spirit called Barnabas and Saul to their missionary work while the believers were worshiping and fasting.

In Acts 14:23, after Paul and Barnabas established new churches in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch they appointed elders and committed them to the Lord “with prayer and fasting.”

Fasting was an expectation and practice of the Early Church, and it should be for today’s Church as well.

There are many reasons to fast. I have purposefully fasted during defining moments of my life when I’m needing to discern God’s direction. I’ve fasted and prayed desperate prayers for healing. I’ve humbly fasted and allowed God to examine my motives. I’ve fasted when I needed refreshing. I’ve fasted for revival and to see lost friends come to salvation. I’ve fasted during spiritual battles when the church I led needed a victory. I’ve fasted for spiritual intimacy with God because I know how distracted my heart can be.

I’ve also led our church through corporate times of fasting together. Each time, we’ve seen growth for individuals and the congregation as a whole.

Can you embrace fasting joyfully? Are you ready to take the first step and say “yes” to the spiritual hunger arising in your heart? Just start. Pick a day. Decide what to fast. Plan your fast with a purpose, and go all in. And don’t be surprised if God hijacks your fasting plan; He has been waiting to have your undivided ear.

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THINK LIKE A LEADER

Stop Hiding Behind the Word ‘Busy’ MONTY L. HIPP

We convince ourselves that speeding toward the next mile marker is more important than the place, the moment, in which we find ourselves.

Monty L. Hipp is the founder and co-owner of The CompleMentor LLC, a life-action design firm, and The C4 Group, a not-for-profit organization connecting the four key solution providers in community: faith, corporations, government and givers. He lives and works in Seattle.

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h, the barrenness of busyness. It’s funny how the word “busy” has become everything from a pedestal to stand upon to a mask to duck behind.

Nearly everyone reaches for this word when describing their life. It strengthens our sense of significance and validates our ego. It allows us to shrink time into a box of self-identified priorities and write off those things and people who don’t fit.

With that word, we dismiss some individuals — and distribute flimsy badges of honor to those we deem worthy to enter our space and time.

We point to that word to excuse our time management shortcomings. (“I was so busy.”) We use it as a permission slip to leave good things undone and relationships shallow. (“Sorry, I’m busy.”) Our allegiance to this word is such that we offer it our health and well-being, sacrificing them on the altar of unrelenting activity. (“I’m too busy to eat right, sleep enough or take a break.”)

Somehow, we convince ourselves that speeding toward the next mile marker is more important than the place, the moment, in which we find ourselves. Tragically, that means we often rush past people God places in our path.

A few years back, I spoke at a leaders’ conference, and afterward, people lined up to speak with me about what they had experienced. One man approached me and began by

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saying, “I know you are really busy right now, so I will only take a minute of your time.”

As I looked at this individual who seemed to be in a rush, I said, “I don’t feel busy. Are you busy right now?”

He paused and said, “No, I am not, but I just assumed you were.”

That was the day I eliminated that word — “busy” — from my vocabulary. I can say without hesitation that not using it has kept open many doors for meaningful moments and conversations. The change has been truly remarkable.

Is that word, and the dismissive attitude behind it, making you unavailable or detached from people who need your attention and compassion — from strangers to your own family members?

Are you allowing that word to become an excuse for living any way other than as God intended? If so, it’s time to make some changes in the way you think, act and talk.

Here are some of the phrases I have coined to describe my “busy” replacement strategy. These have created so many opportunities to change the dialogue and my own mindset.

Instead of saying “I am busy,” try these: • I am seldom bored.

• Life has my full-time attention, and I like it.

• I’m following where God leads.

• My life and time are God’s.

• I am trusting God to provide everything I need to do what He calls me to do.

• I am allowing all the moments to matter today.

In other words, do yourself and everybody around you a big favor. Give the word “busy” a rest. You will discover a freedom that will allow you to live peacefully, serve joyfully, and receive God’s interruptions obediently.

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LEARN LIKE A LEADER Resources for You and Your Team

Staying on the Leading Edge of Your Professional Growth JOHN DAVIDSON

If we want to avoid the normal experiences of mission drift, fatigue and cultural disconnect, we must strategically recharge our personal batteries and maintain our professional readiness.

John Davidson is director of the Alliance for AG Higher Education.

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hat do physicians, social workers, architects, accountants and cosmetologists have in common? Each must regularly continue their education to maintain their licenses or certifications. Professional ministers, though, typically have no continuing education requirements. Whether churches should require ministers to complete ongoing education is a worthy discussion. An equally important issue, however, is the necessity of ministers taking the initiative to foster their own professional growth and development, absent any mandate.

Few, if any, of us accidentally stay on the leading edge of our profession or calling. If we want to avoid the normal experiences of mission drift, fatigue, and cultural disconnect, we must strategically recharge our personal batteries and maintain our professional readiness.

There are a number of ways to keep growing.

It can be as simple as reading a book, going to a conference or attending a workshop. Setting a

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goal for how many of each to do in the next year could be helpful to kick-start your growth. If you struggle to stay disciplined with reading, for instance, partner with a friend or ministry colleague to read a book together and discuss a chapter a week. You will find that you both grow as you read and make application in community with others. Sometimes these low-cost, low-time-commitment opportunities are just what you need to keep growing.

For the minister in training, or secondcareer individual responding to the call of God to lead in ministry, a good option may be signing up for a course at your district school of ministry. Offering classes in Bible, theology and practical ministries, these schools of ministry are another relatively low-cost entry point to professional growth and ministerial credentials with the Assemblies of God. But sometimes you realize the knowledge, skills and tools that got you to this point in your ministry just aren’t cutting it anymore.

You find you’re using old skills to deal with new problems and not having the success you once experienced. Maybe you’re sensing the need to gain a new level of theological depth or knowledge on a particular subject matter, or you want to expand your leadership capacity. Often, the best way to accomplish these goals is to seek out specific and focused training from a trusted professional or expert in the field.

You can find such experts at any of the 15 endorsed Assemblies of God colleges and universities around the country, including the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri. Continuing your formal education on campus or online would benefit you, whether you want to complete a bachelor’s degree you started years ago but never finished, get a master’s degree for more focused learning, or pursue a doctorate for the ultimate in education immersion. Of course, if you already have the degree or don’t need another one, signing up to audit one course at a time can help you keep the ax sharp with new learning and expose you to life-giving relationships without breaking the bank.

BOOKS

GOD FORGIVE US FOR BEING WOMEN G E O R G E P. W O O D n 1924, Ruth and Elizabeth Weidman — my great-aunt and grandmother, respectively — sailed from the U.S. for China. Like many Pentecostal women, they felt God had called and empowered them to share the gospel as missionaries. Other Pentecostal women felt a similar call and empowerment to minister in the United States.

This call to ministry was part and parcel of their baptism in the Holy Spirit, an empowerment for service promised by Jesus Christ in Acts 1:8 and first realized on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1–11. The apostle Peter interpreted the event of Pentecost as the fulfillment of God’s promise through the prophet Joel, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy … . Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy” (Acts 2:17–18, emphasis added; cf. Joel 2:28–29).

These passages, especially alongside Galatians 3:28, seem to equalize the ministries of men and women.

Yet Pentecostals also read passages from Paul’s letters — 1 Corinthians 14:34 and 1 Timothy 2:11–15, especially — that appear to order hierarchically men’s and women’s ministries. (I would argue that this hierarchy is more apparent than real.)

Thus, even as hundreds of early Pentecostal women pioneered mission fields and planted churches, they often met resistance from men (typically) who felt the need to put them in their place by limiting their authority in the local church. My friend, Joy Qualls, explores this tension — between Pentecostal empowerment and hierarchical resistance,

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especially in the Assemblies of God — in her new book, God Forgive Us for Being Women.

She takes the book’s title from the exasperated complaint of Mae Eleanor Frey, an early Pentecostal evangelist affiliated with the AG. From 1914 to 1935, the Fellowship debated what level of credentials women could hold.

In a 1928 letter to a national executive, Frey wrote: “At this last Council I felt like a criminal as they brought up this foolish woman question again. … One felt like asking God to forgive us for being women. There is nothing in the word of God that forbids a woman from preaching the Gospel or conducting a work.”

Qualls is a lifelong AG adherent and professor of communications at Biola University in La Mirada, California. Her book, a revision of her doctoral dissertation, explores how the Fellowship negotiated the tension between the Pentecostal rhetoric of empowerment and the hierarchical rhetoric of authority.

In 1935, the General Council settled this debate, at least in principle, by affirming that God’s call and empowerment to all levels of ministry are equal for men and women. In

God Forgive Us for Being Women is a well thought out examination on how the Assemblies of God negotiated the tension between the Pentecostal rhetoric of empowerment and the hierarchical rhetoric of authority concerning women in ministry.

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BOOKS BOOK REVIEWED Joy E. A. Qualls, God Forgive Us for Being Women: Rhetoric, Theology, and the Pentecostal Tradition (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2018).

practice, however, as Qualls shows, there remains a gap between what we believe and how we behave. Though women can receive ordination to all ministry levels by the denomination, they often find the doors to leadership in the church locked because of their gender.

God Forgive Us for Being Women occasionally makes for difficult reading. This is partly because of the academic tone of the writing, but mostly because it’s heartbreaking to see

the challenges women have faced in their efforts to pursue God’s call on their lives.

Dr. Jim Bradford, former general secretary of the Assemblies of God, recently preached a sermon that included this exhortation to women in the congregation: “You should never be in a place where men are putting you in your place.” After reading this book, I hope that I never become that kind of man nor the Assemblies of God that kind of Fellowship.

DISRUPTIVE WITNESS

In Disruptive Witness, Noble identifies two such trends: “(1) the practice of continuous engagement in immediately gratifying activities that resist reflection and meditation, and (2) the growth of secularism, defined as a state in which theism [i.e., belief in God] is seen as one of many viable choices for human fullness and satisfaction, and in which the transcendent feels less plausible.”

Together, these trends create what Noble calls “distracted, buffered selves” (emphasis in original). People in the developed world are distracted by technology and buffered from the transcendent by a pervasive secularism that teaches this world is all there is, so make whatever meaning of it you can. In such a culture, religion is possible, as long as it is understood merely as a subject value rather than an objective fact.

After explaining what technology and secularism have done to Christian faith, Noble outlines a strategy for “disruptive witness.”

This strategy centers around reorienting “personal habits,” “church practices,” and “cultural participation” in ways that de-emphasize technology and open people’s hearts and minds to the possibility of the supernatural.

Disruptive Witness is a timely, relevant work of cultural diagnosis, thought-provoking even if you don’t agree with all of Noble’s prescriptions.

G E O R G E P. W O O D

Disruptive Witness is a timely, relevant work of cultural diagnosis that is thought-provoking and well worth the read.

BOOK REVIEWED Alan Noble, Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2018).

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he work of conviction and calling is the Holy Spirit’s,” writes Alan Noble, “but different times and cultures present different barriers to hearing and comprehending the good news.” Some of these barriers are bad ideas, which the Church can overcome through good apologetics. Others are cultural trends that are harder to spot because they shape the warp and woof of daily existence.

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RECOMMENDED READING

By Influence Magazine

HOW TO GET UNSTUCK Matt Perman (Zondervan) We all want to be more effective in life and ministry, but all of us also get stuck at some point or another. In How to Get Unstuck, Matt Perman offers a “God-centered, gospel-driven” perspective on productivity — defined holistically as “a flourishing life, not just doing better at work.” He sketches “successful practices” for getting unstuck, but those practices are built on the foundation of this insight: “operate from a center of sound principles.

Use those principles to set your priorities. And then organize and execute your life around those priorities.” This is a helpful book for Christian leaders both inside and outside the church.

THE GOSPEL AT WORK Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert (Zondervan) By some estimates, Americans spend 90,000 hours on the job over the course of their lifetimes. That’s 45 years of 40-hour workweeks for 50 weeks of the year, minus two weeks of vacation, of course. In The Gospel at Work, Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert offer a Christian understanding of the work that takes up so much of our time on earth. Their “big idea” is this: “You work for the King, and that changes … everything!” Pastors discipling church members for their lives in the workaday world will find this book to be a helpful theological and practical resource.

THE POWER OF MOMENTS Chip Heath and Dan Heath (Simon & Schuster) “We all have defining moments in our lives,” write brothers Chip and Dan Heath. These are “meaningful experiences that stand out in our memory.”

Why? Because they elevate our lives above the daily grind, give us insight into ourselves and our world, cultivate legitimate pride in our achievements, and/or connect us with other people.

“Defining moments shape our lives,” the Heaths write, “but we don’t have to wait for them to happen. We can be the authors of them.” Though written from a secular business perspective, The Power of Moments has obvious implications for ministry and is well worth reading.

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PLAYBOOK BUILD

Increasing the Effective Capacity for Ministry in a Small Church KA R L VAT E R S

Here are biblical principles that will increase your church’s effectiveness — regardless of its size.

astoring a small church is one of the most challenging and undervalued roles in ministry today. But it doesn’t have to be as difficult as we sometimes make it.

I learned this lesson the hard way — through a season of growth that our church couldn’t maintain. Our congregation struggled for more than 15 years to grow from 30 to 200.

Then, in a 24-month span, it grew from 200 to 400. After holding at that level for a little while, it started to go downhill — fast. In less than a year, we went from our high of 400 to under 100. Yet there had been no scandal and no split. So, what happened?

There’s never one factor, of course. But one of the main issues was I wasn’t pastoring the congregation well. Instead of equipping the saints to do ministry, I was doing it for them.

Because of that, the church’s sudden growth didn’t make ministry easier or more joyful. It put an even greater stress on me and our pastoral staff. So, we hired more staff, which put a greater financial strain on the church. The blessings of growth became a curse.

Since then, I’ve learned that the best way to pastor is not to push for numerical growth, but to use biblical principles to increase our capacity for effective ministry — regardless of the church’s size.

P

Pastor Better, Not Harder

There’s a lot of talk lately about pastors needing to pastor less if their church’s capacity for ministry is going to grow. But great churches don’t happen when we pastor less. And,

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thankfully, we don’t need to put in more hours, either. We can pastor better.

Wise pastors are relentless about increasing their church’s capacity for effective ministry. It’s about using our limited resources for greater effectiveness. This happens when we follow two simple biblical principles.

The first principle is reliance on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Since the Day of Pentecost, every born-again believer has direct access to God. We have one advocate with the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are a Kingdom of priests.

Especially as Pentecostals, we understand that every believer, from the new convert to the long-time saint, can hear from the Lord for their lives and for the church.

Unfortunately, we don’t always minister that way. Instead of relying on the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in every believer,

Because of the hands-on nature of small-church ministry, there’s a strong temptation for us to slip into the role of enabler instead of equipper. you’re equipping them to do the work of ministry, you can have a church of 20, 50 or 150 ministers! That’s unlimited ministry capacity.

Instead of overworked pastors and under-performing church members, an equipping ministry leads to building up the body of Christ “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

The Blessing and Challenge of Pastoring a Small Church

we sometimes act like the pastor is the only person in the congregation who is able to receive a word from the Lord or do the work of the church. That attitude is a great hindrance to effective ministry because it requires every idea to come from and through one person.

And it stifles others from expressing what the Lord lays on their hearts.

The second principle is to equip the saints for ministry. Ephesians 4:11–12 contains what I call the Pastoral Prime Mandate. God doesn’t call pastors — or apostles, prophets, evangelists and teachers — to do ministry for the rest of the congregation; He calls us “to equip his people for works of service.”

If you pastor 20, 50 or 150 people and you’re the only minister, you will run out of ministry capacity very quickly.

But if you pastor 20, 50 or 150 people and

Because of the hands-on nature of smallchurch ministry, there’s a strong temptation for us to slip into the role of enabler instead of equipper.

Certainly, in smaller churches the pastor will do more visitations and counseling and have more direct relationships with church members than our big-church counterparts.

For many, including me, that direct pastoral access may be one of the reasons we went into ministry in the first place.

The good news is, we don’t have to give that up to do better ministry; we just need to channel it into equipping the saints.

Trust and Equip

If you’re called to be a pastor, be a pastor. But don’t take all the burden of ministry on your shoulders.

Even if you’re the only person in the church with official credentials, you’re not the only person with a calling to ministry.

Trust the Holy Spirit. Equip the saints.

Together, God can use us to turn our world upside down for Jesus (Acts 17:6).

Karl Vaters is the teaching pastor at Cornerstone Christian Fellowship (AG), a healthy, small church in Fountain Valley, California, where he has ministered for more than 25 years. He is the author of two books about small churches: Small Church Essentials and The Grasshopper Myth.

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PLAYBOOK KNOW

Achieving Victory as the Underdog NICHOLE SCHREIBER

Here are principles to keep in focus as you trust God for victory.

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n 1980, the Soviet Union’s Olympic ice hockey team was a group of professional players labeled as amateurs. Meanwhile, the U.S. Olympic team members were unpaid college kids. They had less experience and a small chance of victory.

I

To everyone’s surprise, the inspired U.S. team trained, worked hard and ended up beating the Soviets 4–3. One of the biggest upsets in sports history, people called it the Miracle on Ice. Two days later, the U.S. team won gold.

This underdog story generated excitement around the world. There’s just something in humanity that wants to root for the one nobody expects to win.

It’s easy to feel like the underdog in ministry. After all, God has a way of calling people to assignments they can’t complete without His help. If that’s where you are, here are three principles to keep in focus as you trust God for victory.

1. God Loves the Underdog

Many heroes of the faith in Scripture were underdogs. God uses their stories and messy lives to make His name great and grow our faith.

Almost two years ago, my home church, Erie First Assembly of God in Pennsylvania, asked me to come on staff as executive pastor.

After serving as a Chi Alpha campus missionary for a little over a decade, I had felt God drawing me to the local church. Shortly after I accepted the new position, the church’s senior pastor of 21 years departed — and I became the interim lead pastor.

2. Criticism Clarifies Calling

I was a young woman, the mother of three small children, with no official experience as a lead pastor. I vividly remember a well-meaning board member reminding me of this.

I quickly realized that when you decide to take giant risks for God, you will encounter people who will do their best to talk you out of it. It may not be intentional, but they often cast paralyzing doubt and insecurity into your life.

When someone tries to dissuade you from following God’s plan, you are in good company. Joseph, Daniel, Elisha, Paul and even Jesus knew this feeling.

Stepping into the uncertainty and unpredictably of chasing God’s purposes doesn’t always make logical sense. Yet every time I forge on through the questions and criticisms, my faith grows stronger and my calling clearer.

Sometimes, resistance confirms you are going in the right direction.

3. Do Your Part, and Let God Do His

As interim lead pastor, I led a staff team and congregation through a challenging transition. The church had financial strain, so my first task was cutting budgets, salaries and benefits. Ministries needed reorganizing and reevaluating. Staff morale was low, and the team had become fragmented. The congregation needed vision, hope and purpose more than ever, and they were looking to me.

When God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses objected that he was not a strong, eloquent leader. God replied, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Exodus 4:11–12).

I had countless similar conversations with God. In the confusion and chaos of transition, there were many days when all I could effectively do was show up. I didn’t know how to make all the right decisions, but I did know how to seek God. The Holy Spirit consistently reminded me that He would help, teach and guide me every step of the way.

My part was obedience, courage and faith.

God’s part was perfectly working out His redemptive plan. God doesn’t need or want us to do His part of the plan. In fact, as hard as we try, we can’t do God’s part. When I clearly differentiate between my role and God’s, the course becomes more defined and the results more fruitful.

I decided to submit my name for consideration as the long-term lead pastor. I felt a specific and significant calling on my life to serve in this role. The church board voted unanimously to put my name forward to the congregation. Even the board member who initially opposed the idea changed his vote.

When the congregation affirmed me with overwhelming support, no one was more surprised than me! God clearly reminded me that this is how He chooses to build His kingdom — through ordinary men and women who submit to His plans.

If you’re facing an intimidating challenge, let God remind you that your insecurities and limitations are far less concerning to Him than they are to you. Let your confidence rest in His faithfulness.

When you feel like the underdog, remember that God himself is rooting for you.

Sometimes, resistance confirms you are going in the right direction.

Nichole Schreiber is lead pastor of First Assembly of God in Erie, Pennsylvania.

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PLAYBOOK INVEST

Unleashing Millennial Generosity JESSE WISNEWSKI

Here are five tips from church leaders around the country that will help unleash the generosity of millennials in your church.

illennials are changing the charitable-giving landscape.

They are the largest working generation in the United States, and by the end of 2018, millennials will have the most spending power of any generation. But it’s not the sheer size of their numbers that is changing things.

It’s their values, expectations and a different way of doing things compared to older generations that are paving a new path.

As with every generation, inspiring millennials to give has its challenges. But there are also significant opportunities to encourage them to become generous givers in Christ.

Here are five tips from church leaders around the country on how to unleash the generosity of millennials in your church.

M

Lead Them to Participate

Millennials are eager to support your church, but not in the same way as their parents or grandparents. They’re less attached to religious institutions than older generations, and

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they don’t just give out of a sense of obligation.

“The why is more important than the what for them,” says Daniel Im, director of church multiplication at LifeWay Christian Resources.

Pete Wilson, president of The A Group and founding and former senior pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee, agrees.

“My observation was that most millennials were not motivated to give out of a sense of obedience like many generations before in the church,” Wilson says. “Instead, millennials are more motivated by making a tangible difference through their giving.”

To capture this passion among millennials, Wilson created a program called The Dollar Club while at Cross Point Church.

This served as a starting place for many people to experience the joy of giving. The church collected $1 from every person in the congregation, and then spent that money on someone in the community who was in need. The church was careful to capture this experience on video to share with the congregation.

When these videos were shared with the

Create ways for millennials to participate in small acts of kindness to give them a taste of the joy of giving.

Jesse Wisnewski is a senior content marketer at Tithe.ly, the leading mobile giving platform for churches and ministries around the world, and exclusive partner with Church Multiplication Network.

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church, Wilson would say something like, “If we impacted a life in that way by just everyone giving $1, imagine the difference we could make in our community if everyone were actually generous with their money.”

In your church, create ways for millennials to participate in small acts of kindness to give them a taste of the joy of giving.

Share Stories

Sharing stories of God’s work in your church is a natural way to inspire people to give.

“Millennials are inspired to give through compelling vision and storytelling,” says Nils Smith, the chief strategist of social media and innovation for Dunham+Company. “Tell the stories of all that God is doing and has done through your church because of the generosity of the congregation.”

Don’t check out at this point if you don’t have an epic story to share. Millennials aren’t looking for entertaining stories in your church. They want to hear how the Christian faith influences your everyday life.

You can create meaningful connections with millennials by sharing stories to which they can easily relate. Mark Tenney, founder of Digital Church Marketing, suggests sharing stories about how real people’s lives are changing because of your church.

As you reflect upon the life of your church, can you talk about how someone recently placed their faith in Jesus? Is there a new baptism you can celebrate? Did God recently restore a marriage in your church?

Has someone overcome crippling anxiety, depression or stress?

Let people know how God is working through your church in the community and around the world.

“Paint a picture and tell them the story that their giving is fueling,” Im says.

Build Relationships

There’s a loneliness epidemic today. And research suggests millennials may struggle the most with isolation. Even though millennials easily connect with people

online, they want to build relationships through face-to-face interaction.

A pitch from the pulpit may not be enough to inspire generosity among the members of this generation.

“Teaching about generosity connected to mission is best done in a personal setting,” says Daniel Irmler, general director of ProChurch.

From one-on-one meetings to small-group settings, have open conversations about personal stewardship and money with the millennials in your church.

Be Transparent

When it comes to giving, millennials want to know how your church handles its finances.

According to David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group, “Millennials live in an era of radical transparency, powered by social and digital tools.”

If you’re not already providing information, plan to talk about your church’s financial well-being. From offering weekly or monthly updates to creating annual reports, let your church members see a clear picture of your financial situation.

Transparency in your finances will go a long way toward capturing the generosity of millennials in your church.

Provide Digital Giving Opportunities

Millennials are digital natives. Unlike their parents and grandparents, this generation grew up in an online age.

Whether connecting with family members and friends on social media, reading the news or banking, millennials are accustomed to using computers and smartphones for daily activities. So, it’s no surprise that many millennials prefer to make donations on their devices.

Make it natural for millennials to give by offering user-friendly online and mobile giving solutions.

Instead of seeing these changes in charitable giving among millennials as challenges, approach them for what they are: new opportunities to disciple the next generation.

PERSPECTIVES

One Issue, Two Perspectives on Matters Affecting Today’s Church

Should Pastors Adhere to the Billy Graham Rule When Interacting with Staff Members?

A

t a critical point in the ministry of the recently deceased Rev. Billy Graham, the evangelist and his team made a conscious decision to avoid interactions or meetings with women who were not their wives. They established what became known as the “Billy Graham Rule” to guard the ministry against even the perception of inappropriate behavior. This rule was supposed

stablishing clear and specific guidelines regarding interaction between men and women protects both ministries and marriages. Scripture commands us to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22, KJV).

Pastors and ministry leaders must be conscious and clear about the potential impropriety that can occur when men and women meet together without the company of their respective spouses or other third parties. A rule stating that leaders should not meet privately with members of the opposite sex establishes safeguards that benefit everyone.

Certainly, men and women will work together in ministry contexts. However, healthy boundaries reduce the likelihood of incidents or allegations that can damage ministry work and personal relationships.

When a meeting is necessary, a third party should also attend. Men and women should avoid riding in cars together, meeting alone (even in public spaces), or engaging in closeddoor meetings of any kind. While this does not prevent pastors and members of their staff of either gender from engaging in work together, it may limit opportunity for senior leaders to train or mentor some staff members. Nevertheless, avoiding the devastation of impropriety, either real or alleged, is worth the tradeoff.

The recent resignations of prominent ministers with highly successful ministries

E

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should serve as a reminder of the importance of exercising wisdom and caution in this area. We can’t afford to risk even the appearance of wrongdoing. The potential cost to individuals and ministries is too great.

Certainly, this constrains how pastors and their staff, church members, and the general public engage in relationship, but it places a priority on the integrity of the leader, the marriages of all involved, and the work of the church.

The specific guidance of the Billy Graham Rule allowed Rev. Graham to live a life above reproach and have one of the most successful ministries of the modern era. Remaining above reproach for the sake of the gospel must be our priority as pastors and leaders, regardless of the potential sacrifices.

YES

ONE ISSUE. TWO PERSPECTIVES. to safeguard team members’ marriages and ensure their ministry lives remained above reproach.

Today’s culture is struggling to maintain healthy relational boundaries. We’ve seen inappropriate conduct destroy careers, marriages, and lives in virtually every segment of society, from the media industry to the business world. There is also a reckoning in the body of Christ as the #MeToo movement has morphed into the #ChurchToo discussion. Recognizing these challenges should call us to attention. The Billy Graham Rule offers possible benefits but also raises questions regarding leadership dynamics and the ways in which we view one another.

Following are two perspectives on the possible value and challenges of adherence to the Billy Graham Rule.

hile the so-called Billy Graham Rule may appear on the surface helpful to pastors and other ministry leaders, its application can be as damaging to the men and women involved as any perceived impropriety their working relationships might generate. Imposing this rule in ministry contexts can create several problems.

First, it severely limits the ability of a senior leader to develop staff members through mentorship. When a man and woman can’t meet together in confidence as a mentor and mentee, it leads to disproportionate staff development and limits advancement opportunities for women.

Male staff members routinely have lunch and coffee meetings, travel together, and engage in other one-on-one interaction their female counterparts rarely experience. The direct and indirect development of staff correlates

W

NO

strongly to advancement within the church and broader ministry contexts.

This puts female staff members at a significant disadvantage in their training and development. As a result, women miss out on recommendations and networking opportunities to develop their ministry calling.

Second, the Billy Graham Rule sets up an awkward dynamic between male and female ministers, creating a perception that women are dangerous or have impure motives if they want to engage in private meetings with men. In addition, it sets up the male leader as one who lacks either proper perspective on relationships with staff members or a lack of self-control to avoid sexually compromising situations.

Both scenarios objectify the people involved, but this especially impacts female leaders who are automatically suspect in their motives for wanting to be alone with a male leader. Rarely are women senior leaders subject to the same scrutiny as their male counterparts, which begs the question of whether the issue is more about power dynamics than sexual temptation.

Proper teaching on Genesis 1–3 and on Jesus’ interaction with women (including His one-on-one meeting with the woman at the well) provides a biblical framework for training pastoral leaders and congregations on healthy relationships between men and women. Such teaching is far more effective than imposing arbitrary rules that have unintended negative consequences.

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RICH LEGACY FRESH VISION: THE HISPANIC AG AT 100 THIS YEAR MARKS THE CENTENNIAL OF HISPANIC MINISTRY IN THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD. HERE IS THE STORY OF HOW IT BEGAN, HOW FAR IT HAS COME, AND HOW IT IS HONORING A RICH LEGACY AND CULTIVATING A FRESH VISION FOR THE FUTURE.

DENNIS RIVERA

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HISPANICS

U.S.

T

he mission of the Assemblies of God, as stated at the second General Council of 1914 in Chicago, is “to do the greatest work of evangelism the world has ever seen.” Hispanics were not present at the earlier organizational General Council held in Hot Springs, Arkansas, but because evangelism was a core value of the newly formed Pentecostal movement, by 1918 the AG had organized ministry and outreach to Hispanics.

Hispanics today make up 23 percent of the U.S. Assemblies of God and nearly half the AG constituency worldwide.

In his book, The Silent Pentecostals, Victor De León wrote regarding the early days of the formation of the AG: “The Assemblies of God did not have plans to develop such a strong work among the Latin Americans in the United States, but by the very fact that the Holy Spirit was leading the movement, it happened.”

The Assemblies of God is the largest multiracial/multiethnic Pentecostal denomination in the U.S., and 2018 marks the Fellowship’s 100-year anniversary of Hispanic ministry.

It is important for leaders and pastors to be aware of what God is doing among Hispanics in the U.S. because statistics tell us Hispanics will play a very significant role in the future of the nation and will continue to be an integral factor in the growth of the Assemblies of God worldwide.

The Hispanic population has grown to 58 million, or 18 percent of the U.S. population. Even though immigration has slowed, this demographic will continue to grow.

That’s because about one-third, or 17.9 million, of all Hispanics are younger than 18, and about a quarter, or 14.6 million, are millennials (ages 18 to 33 in 2014), according to Pew Research Center’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Altogether, nearly 6 in 10 Hispanics are millennials or younger. Pew Research projects that by 2060, the U.S. Hispanic population will be 119 million.

Hispanics no longer populate just the border states but have scattered across every state — including Alaska and Hawaii, where the AG has planted Hispanic churches. They are powering the U.S. economy and represent 70 percent of the growth in our workforce. Hispanics are attending colleges, universities and seminaries in greater numbers.

While Christianity in the U.S. is in serious decline, Hispanics are responding to the gospel, filling existing churches and planting new ones. Some people are asking the question: Is God using Hispanic immigrants from Latin America to revive the church in the U.S.?

PERCENTAGE OF U.S. POPULATION

% BORN IN THE U.S.

% MILLENNIALS OR YOUNGER

%

HISPANICS TODAY MAKE UP 23 PERCENT OF THE U.S. ASSEMBLIES OF GOD AND NEARLY HALF THE AG CONSTITUENCY WORLDWIDE.

Hispanics live in urban and rural settings, often revitalizing communities and schools that were in decline. They are your neighbors. Most importantly, they are people we must reach for Christ!

WHO ARE WE? Who are Hispanics in the Assemblies of God? If you visit a Hispanic AG church, who and what will you find there? There are more than 2,800 churches in the 14 AG Hispanic districts.

In some cities, you will find many first-generation churches that are 50 to 100 years old, like Templo Cristiano in San Antonio (which H.C. Ball formerly pastored), or Healing Waters Ministries Church in Denver (a congregation Demetrio Bazan founded). After experiencing revitalization, many of these churches are ministering in both English and Spanish. Immigrant pastors planted the greatest number of Hispanic churches, beginning in the 1970s.

You might find a growing newly planted church in Iowa, California, Florida, Connecticut, Utah or Georgia, using a rented storefront or church building, with an immigrant pastor from Mexico or Central America. You might find a congregation comprising predominantly one nationality,

such as Mexicans, Guatemalans or Dominicans, or a church reaching an international community.

You may also find a megachurch — like Templo Calvario in Santa Ana, California, or Calvario City Church in Orlando, Florida — conducting bilingual services that reach Hispanic Americans as well as first-generation immigrants. (The lead pastors of these congregations are Dan De León and Nino Gonzalez, respectively.)

If you are ever in the Chicago area, visit New Life Covenant. Wilfredo “Choco” De Jesús leads this congregation, which is the largest AG church in the U.S. Part of the Midwest Latin American District, it is reaching all ethnicities.

Hispanics are not a homogenous population. Many congregations include multiple international cultures, but the common factor is the Spanish language, or, in some cases, the English language. Many Hispanics are immigrants or children of immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to Pew Research, the population of foreign-born Hispanics in 1960 was less than 1 million. By 2015, it had increased to 19.4 million. You cannot ignore a movement of so many people who crossed the border, documented or undocumented, and responded to the gospel of Christ.

FOREIGN-BORN IN THE U.S.

LESS THAN 1 MILLION

19.4 MILLION

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Many of our congregations include undocumented immigrants who found Christ in a Spanish-speaking Assemblies of God church. No one asks about or considers immigration status when people walk through the doors of our churches.

I would strongly encourage churches that are not currently reaching Hispanics to connect with one of our AG Hispanic churches and learn more about the stories of immigrant families. Immigration issues become more personal when you get to know individuals they affect.

These people are our brothers and sisters in Christ. In many cases, they are parents of U.S.-born children, and they live with fear and uncertainty every day. Their local AG church has become their greatest source of strength and comfort, as well as a place for them to belong and to use their ministry gifts to serve their communities and advance the kingdom of God. Many immigrants, including the Dreamers, hope the greater AG family will keep them in prayer and advocate for sensible immigration reform. If the Dreamers receive legal status, many who are already Christians could become future AG pastors and missionaries.

Not all Hispanics are immigrants. U.S.-born Hispanics are 65.6 percent of the Hispanic population, as of 2015. Some are the children of immigrants. Others are Puerto Ricans, who have always been U.S. citizens. Many Hispanics from Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and California are descendants of the Spanish colonization in the 1600s and, therefore, never crossed a border; rather, the border crossed them. Some in this group call themselves Spanish Americans, Latinos or Chicanos.

You will even find non-Hispanics who have found a home in a Hispanic district church. Not all Hispanics speak Spanish, and even the children of immigrants are becoming predominant English speakers. Hispanics have truly brought color and culture to the Assemblies of God. Josue and Mayra Rubio, pastors of Centro Cristiano Vida Nueva in Edwards, Colorado, came to the U.S. from Chihuahua, Mexico, in February 1999. They came to plant a Spanish-speaking church among the immigrants from Mexico and Central America working jobs in Colorado’s recreation industry. Today, they also minister to the U.S.-born children of immigrants at an English-language congregation in nearby Gypsum, Colorado.

In the coming years, many first-generation Hispanic churches will likewise have to offer English-speaking services if they hope to retain their children and grandchildren. This represents a paradigm shift in the Hispanic

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H.C. BALL

THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD ORGANIZES MINISTRY AND OUTREACH TO U.S. HISPANICS

church. As Pentecostals, we have a God-given vision to reach beyond our culture and language. For most people, that is an uncomfortable direction, because when you open your church to people unlike yourself, you lose your previous identity to become what God is now creating you to be.

HOW DID WE GET HERE? Hispanic ministry in the AG officially launched 100 years ago as a missionary endeavor of the Texas/New Mexico District. That’s when Henry “H.C.” Ball, a 22-year-old pastor of a Hispanic church in Kingsville, Texas, received a commission to organize Spanish-speaking churches throughout the U.S. In January 1918, seven ministers representing six churches gathered in Kingsville to initiate a Latin convention, which later became the U.S. Latin American District Council (LADC). Hispanic ministries have

THE GROWTH OF THE HISPANIC CHURCH FOR THE PAST 100 YEARS HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT HISPANIC CHURCHES ARE STILL LARGELY PENTECOSTAL. JUAN LUGO

JOSE GIRON

Foundational Leaders

LA LUZ APOSTOLICA, PUBLISHED 1916-1971

thrived in the Assemblies of God for 100 years because of the spiritual visionary leadership of key foundational leaders, and because of the Fellowship’s missional strategy of the indigenous church. Our foundational leaders were deeply spiritual men and women of faith who followed the lead of the Holy Spirit. These true Pentecostals, who reflected the influence of the Azusa Street Revival, passed on to us a rich legacy of Spirit dependency.

The growth of the Hispanic church for the past 100 years has everything to do with the fact that Hispanic churches are still largely Pentecostal. The Assemblies of God leadership early on established a governance model that created a large tent with curtains we could stretch and cords we could lengthen (Isaiah 54:2). Hispanic churches formed their own identity, allowing them to self-organize, selfgovern and self-propagate. This principle set the stage for the growth and multiplication of Hispanic churches and districts under the leadership of Hispanics.

God raised up a dream team of apostolic leaders who laid the foundation for the growth of Hispanic churches. I use the term apostolic, because they were first-generation ministers who did the work of missionaries, crossing borders, cultures and languages, building foundations and developing successors.

H.C. Ball is the iconic leader that Hispanics in the AG recognize for his strategic apostolic leadership role in organizing the Pentecostal pastors and missions who were reaching Mexican immigrants. At age 14, while living in Ricardo, Texas, he surrendered his life to Christ.

Ten days later at a Methodist missions’ service in Kingsville, Ball felt a missionary call to reach Mexicans. By Sunday of the same week, he was planting a Spanishlanguage church.

Ball spoke no Spanish, but he went door to door greeting his neighbors, having memorized enough words in Spanish to invite them to the public school nearby. On Sunday, armed only with a few Spanish language Sunday School lessons, a Spanish New Testament and a copy of a few songs from a hymnal, he rang the school bell twice, and two people showed up. God gave him converts, and Ball began learning the Spanish language as he pastored this small Hispanic Methodist church.

At age 18, while still in high school, Ball received the baptism in the Holy Spirit at an AG tent revival. The Methodist leadership removed him as pastor because of his refusal to recant his newly espoused Pentecostal beliefs. On Jan. 10, 1915, Ball, then 19 years of age, became ordained with the Assemblies of God. He started a new congregation in Ricardo, and a breakthrough came on July 4, 1915,

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GENERAL PRESBYTERS MEETING OF THE LATIN AMERICAN DISTRICT COUNCIL AT TEMPLO BETANIA IN ALBUQUERQUE.

when nine people received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

That day ushered in a new season of revival and growth that marked Ball’s influence on the Hispanic AG. Beginning at age 22, Ball led the Latin Convention and the Latin American District from 1918-39. His leadership was visionary; at a young age he recognized the need to print Spanish-language Pentecostal literature. Bruce Rosdahl wrote in Heritage Magazine, “Ball’s method in the beginning was simple: he saw a need and he took action.”

In 1916, Ball published the first edition of La Luz Apostolica (The Apostolic Light), which became the official magazine of the Latin American District Council, published monthly until 1971. After discovering there were no Pentecostal hymnals in Spanish, Ball published 1,000 copies of Himnos de Gloria in 1916. He and his wife, Sunshine, compiled the collection, which was mostly hymns translated from English to Spanish. To date, over one million copies have sold. In 1929, Ball opened Casa Evangelica de Publicaciones (Gospel Publishing House — Spanish) in San Antonio.

Alice Luce, the daughter of an Episcopalian minister from England, was serving in India as a missionary when

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she received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Sensing God calling her to Mexico, she traveled to Texas where she met H.C. and Sunshine Ball. She became an ordained Assemblies of God minister in 1915.

Luce and Dr. Florence Murcutt, a Jewish convert to Pentecostalism, traveled to Los Angeles and opened a mission in the Placita (Olvera Street) area, reaching Mexicans.

Both Luce and Ball saw the need to train ministers and missionaries. They founded Latin American Bible Institute in San Antonio and San Diego, almost simultaneously in 1926.

Juan Lugo, originally from Puerto Rico, moved to Hawaii along with his mother to work in the sugar cane fields. In 1913, missionaries from Azusa Street visiting Oahu led Lugo’s mother to Christ. Because of her influence and the amazing transformation of a co-worker, Lugo became convinced and accepted Christ.

One week later, immediately following his water baptism at Waikiki Beach, Lugo attended an all-night prayer meeting. During the meeting, he saw a vision of Jesus calling him. A few days later, he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

In 1956, the LADC founded the Spanish Eastern District. Bazan also began to promote General Council missions and encourage Latinos to consider going to the mission field. This was the beginning of a new life cycle of growth. In 1935, the LADC reported 80 churches and 4,500 members. By 1956, it comprised more than 300 churches with nearly 19,490 members. Bazan’s leadership paved the way for the third and last superintendent of the LADC.

Third Generation: A Vision for Restructuring

Lugo went to San Francisco, where George and Carrie Judd Montgomery discipled him in Pentecostal doctrine.

He also learned about divine healing attending services with Maria Woodworth-Etter.

Lugo received AG credentials in 1916, and, sensing the Spirit’s prompting, returned to Puerto Rico. God used Lugo to start the AG work in Puerto Rico, and later in New York City.

Second-Generation Leadership Demetrio Bazan, who was Ball’s Timothy, became the second superintendent of the LADC, serving from 1939-59.

This was a momentous change in leadership, as a Hispanic led the Latin American District for the first time.

Bazan was man of prayer, a good preacher, an excellent administrator and a hard-working leader. In 1932, he planted a thriving church in Denver, and under his leadership, many more churches launched in Colorado and New Mexico. His passion for evangelism was instrumental at a time when thousands of Mexican laborers were again crossing the border through the Bracero Program during World War II.

Jose Giron served as the LADC superintendent from 1960-71.

Born and raised in Del Norte, a small town in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado, Giron grew up Presbyterian and was a sought-after Presbyterian minister — until he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit in 1932.

After receiving AG credentials in June 1932, Giron planted and pastored eight churches in Colorado and New Mexico. Giron’s leadership laid a foundation for the growth the Hispanic districts have experienced over the past 46 years. Giron believed the LADC needed more formal organization.

At the 1960 District Council, Giron required each conference to create and adopt its own constitution and bylaws. This helped create stronger ties between the Latin American District and the General Council, which began translating more books, literature and Sunday School material into Spanish. Under Giron, the LADC grew to 403 churches, 827 ministers and 25,000 members.

In 1970, at the 46th District Council in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Giron surprised everyone by resigning as superintendent. He gave three reasons: The LADC was not satisfying the needs of the people, and the district had too many ministers and churches for good supervision; it was time for a spiritual awakening in the nation, and that was where he wanted to focus his attention; and after a night of much prayer, he felt this was God’s will.

Giron’s resignation and courageous obedience to God forced the LADC to restructure. On Jan. 1, 1972, four new districts with newly elected superintendents began to function, with all privileges and rights according to the AG constitution and bylaws. They were the Gulf Latin American District, led by Josue Sanchez; the Central Latin American District, led by Nestor Bazan; the Midwest Latin American District, led by Zeferino Cabello; and the Pacific Latin American District, led by Giron.

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HISPANICS ARE NOW AT THE TABLE IN AG GOVERNANCE, MISSION AND VISION. TOGETHER, WE ARE HELPING SHAPE THE FUTURE OF THE MOVEMENT. Giron prophetically completed the life cycle of the Hispanic church Ball had started and Bazan had nurtured.

Giron’s leadership gave rise to a new life cycle that began in 1972 and continues to the present day.

The Hispanic Assemblies of God saw exponential growth after 1972. In 1977, the six Hispanic districts reported 1,621 ministers, 757 churches and 78,790 members. In 2017, 14 Hispanic districts reported 3,858 ministers, 2,184 churches, 293,864 members and 373,380 adherents.

God sent a new spiritual awakening to the nation in the 1970s, preparing the Assemblies of God to evangelize millions of immigrants who were coming from Latin America in waves. Now nearly all AG districts (Hispanic and geographic) are opening Spanish-language churches and ministries. If our current rate of growth continues into the next decade, there could be 1 million Hispanics in the U.S. Assemblies of God.

and cooperation at every level of ministry development. We are no longer the mission field, but we are the missionaries. We are no longer the scattered church (Acts 8:1) but the sent church (Acts 13:3). Hispanics are now at the table in AG governance, mission and vision.

Together, we are helping shape the future of the movement. Jesse Miranda defines our narrative as both/and — both bilingual and bicultural.

The AG Fellowship is stronger today because it has made room at the table for ethnics. Under the leadership of newly elected General Superintendent Doug Clay, the national office and ministry departments are continually looking for new ways to produce more resources for the AG Spanish-speaking constituency.

WHERE ARE WE GOING? For the first 53 years (1918-71), Hispanic ministry operated parallel to the General Council — largely at a distance, unintegrated and unrepresented in governance.

As a young man, Jesse Miranda asked Bazan, “Why are we Latinos with Springfield, being that they speak English and we speak Spanish?”

Bazan replied, “We are close enough to learn from them, but far enough to do our own thing.”

This all began to change after 1972 and accelerated in 1995 when Miranda became a member of the Executive Presbytery, a position he held until 2017. Around the year 2000, the gap began to close even more as a new generation of Hispanic district executive officers began attending General Presbytery meetings.

Showing up has been a vital step in the integration of Hispanics into the mainstream of AG organizational life and ministry. In 2006, General Superintendent Thomas Trask opened the Office of Hispanic Relations, appointing Efraim Espinosa to lead it. Espinosa, my predecessor, served in this office for 10 years before retiring in 2016.

The future of the AG Hispanic church is integration

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The AG website is now live in Spanish — another indicator that Hispanics are becoming fully integrated into the organizational life and ministry of the Assemblies of God. Hispanics are showing up in large numbers at General Councils, Church Multiplication Network (CMN) conferences, Kidmin conferences, Fine Arts/National Youth conventions, and Acts 2 Journey training. They are accessing all of the AG resources they can get their hands on.

A new Hispanic church planting task force is now in place as a part of CMN, providing training for church planters. The Hispanic districts set a corporate goal of planting 100 new churches in 2018, as part of the vision of planting 10,000 new churches in the Assemblies of God. Hispanic churches are more involved in AG missions than ever. Hispanic districts now have 31 AG World Missions missionaries, 33 district foreign missionaries, and 10 U.S. missionaries. God is calling Hispanic missionaries to go to difficult places throughout the world.

PARTNERSHIP AT EVERY LEVEL What can your church do to reach out to Hispanics? Here are a few suggestions:

• Get to know the Hispanic AG pastors in your area.

• Partner with Hispanic districts and churches to reach Hispanic immigrants in your commuities. Consider planting a Hispanic church together.

• Recognize that language and culture are factors in reaching Hispanic immigrants, and that translation alone is usually not enough. Consider adding and mentoring a Hispanic immigrant staff member.

• Respect the work each Hispanic church or district is doing in your city. We are not in competition; it’s no longer them and us. We are us!

• Pray for the Hispanic church to fulfill its prophetic purpose in the Great Commission.

We are committed to the challenge of praying for, reaching and retaining the next generation of Hispanic youth, who are bilingual and increasingly college educated. We believe a spiritual awakening is upon our nation, and that Hispanics, and especially millennials, will be catalytic leaders, igniting revival with a renewed Holy Spirit emphasis in the Church!

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THE CASE FOR EVANGELISM AND BENEVOLENCE The radical division between the spiritual and physical demands of the gospel is entirely a human invention.

HAL DONALDSON and KEN HORN 43

T

wenty years ago, a minister started circulating a petition critical of Convoy of Hope’s outreach to the poor and suffering. “The church should focus on evangelism and leave compassion to the government and humanitarian organizations,” he said.

Fortunately, the petition was short-lived because the author discovered that thousands were coming to Jesus and connecting to local churches through Convoy’s community outreaches.

The author was not alone. Historically, similar criticism has arisen when compassion ministry revives within the Church.

The concern is certainly not without grounds. In the early 20th century, Walter Rauschenbusch, a Baptist minister, reacted to the perceived lack of commitment to the poor and suffering among evangelicals. He focused his efforts on meeting human need and became known as the father of the Social Gospel in America. Many evangelical churches felt Rauschenbusch had minimized evangelism.

And, as a reaction to the Social Gospel, they abstained from humanitarian efforts to focus on the spiritual aspects of their mission.

But the radical division between the spiritual and physical demands of the gospel is entirely a human invention.

The Scriptures indicate that Jesus came to Earth to glorify His Father, to seek and to save the lost, to make disciples and to serve the poor and suffering. Jesus clearly described His mission in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

In John 9, Jesus demonstrates His love for the whole person when He heals a blind man and leads him to salvation. Following his encounter with Jesus, the man departs to wash in the Pool of Siloam. Sometime later, Jesus goes searching for the man. And when He finds him, He asks, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” That day, the man receives the gift of salvation. It wasn’t enough for Jesus to meet the blind man’s physical need; He also wanted to put an end to his spiritual blindness.

Jesus wasn’t satisfied with being humanity’s Healer or humanitarian of the year — He came to be our Savior.

The Great Protester

Jesus is the greatest Protester the world has ever known.

He came to Earth to redeem, but also to protest the status quo. He denounced sin, poverty, oppression, racism,

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legalism and more. He didn’t employ petitions, boycotts, marches or rallies. Instead, He used disruptive compassion to deliver His message. Through word and deed, He peacefully and profoundly said, “Enough is enough — this is unacceptable.”

Jesus did not abdicate compassion to those outside the Church. But neither did He intend the local church to be merely a benevolence agency. It is a place where people also come to find hope and spiritual guidance. Like Jesus, believers are concerned about the whole person. We

Some suggest humanitarian groups and government agencies have the capacity to meet the world’s basic human needs.

“Let the world feed them — and we’ll save them,” they say. But that is a tragic miscalculation.

don’t want to see people suffer now or for eternity. Jesus called us to minister to both spiritual and physical needs.

(See Luke 10:25–37; 14:13–14.)

Some suggest humanitarian groups and government agencies have the capacity to meet the world’s basic human needs. “Let the world feed them — and we’ll save them,” they say. But that is a tragic miscalculation. Without the Church’s response, children will die from malnutrition, young girls will be sold into slavery, and disease will ravage the elderly. And many will

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No one would suggest that when Jesus took time to heal the sick and feed the hungry He shortchanged the gospel.

never have an opportunity to receive Jesus.

Jesus never said, “Meeting human need isn’t your concern — let someone else do it.” Instead, He actively recruited His followers to serve the poor and suffering by providing them with food, clothing and shelter. He even compared ministry to the poor to ministry to himself: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35–36,40).

The Book of James speaks clearly to this: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress

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and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).

Spiritual depth will not cause us to ignore the world, but rather to “go into it” and influence it. “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”

(James 2:15–16).

Throughout Scripture, the Spirit of God urges believers to stand against injustice and raise their voices in defense of the weak. “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (Proverbs 29:7).

Is the Church prepared to join Jesus in His protest of sin, oppression, racism, poverty, disease and more? We should be. Jesus said, “I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:27). The Church is the body of Christ, His representative on Earth, and as such is responsible to serve.

Some say, “Social action dilutes the gospel — it takes time we could spend more profitably in direct evangelization.” But no one would suggest that when Jesus took time to heal the sick and feed the hungry He shortchanged the gospel. No — His ministry was complete.

During periods of revival, when many come to salvation, pastors often face a tipping point. They must decide whether to give more focus to the discipleship of new converts for a season or risk losing them. In like manner, church leaders have a responsibility to find an appropriate balance between addressing spiritual and physical needs.

A Time for Holy Anger

As social problems mount, communities and nations are increasingly looking to churches for solutions. To retain their good standing in the community, congregations must move beyond pity and disgust and take action. In other words, a holy anger needs to rise among believers, which leads to acts of kindness and disruptive compassion.

In Mark 1:40–42, Jesus expressed compassion through anger and action: “A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand

and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’

Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.”

Most Bible versions translate Jesus’ feelings as “compassion” or “pity.” The NIV renders it “indignant” because some early reliable manuscripts contain a phrase that means “filled with anger.” Jesus was not angry at the leper.

He was angry at how the enemy had victimized the man’s life. This holy indignation compelled Jesus to do something about it. Today, it is easy to become tolerant of poverty, disease, racism and abuse. But these are weapons the enemy is using to destroy lives. Silence is not an option. In the name of Jesus, may we, too, raise our voices and offer a helping hand to lost, hurting and needy people.

God did not create men, women and children just so they could die of hunger and malnutrition. He didn’t create them to be drug addicts, gang members and prostitutes. They are God’s unique and special creations, and through our words and deeds, Jesus is asking us to place value on people the enemy has devalued.

Where is our moral indignation when 16,000 children die each day from hunger and water-related causes?

Where is our outrage when 1 billion people live in poverty, without access to medicine and clean drinking water?

Where are our tears when millions pass into eternity

Ways to Engage with Your Community

without access to the Word of God and an understanding that Jesus died for them?

The world claims it has not witnessed enough outrage from believers when it comes to issues such as drug abuse, gang warfare, teen suicide, human trafficking and more. That perspective may be unfair and uninformed, but many contend believers are so focused on spiritual issues that we neglect the millions fighting for physical survival. In the future, may the world acknowledge our concern — both for how people live today and where they will spend eternity.

Compassion and Revival

Disruptive compassion has also characterized every genuine spiritual awakening. Jesus-inspired protests of the status quo resulted in salvations and social action. In the wake of revival, Christians established schools, hospitals, feeding initiatives, jobs training programs, alcohol treatment centers and more.

America’s second Great Awakening (in the first half of the 19th century) spawned the “Great Eight” benevolent societies — organizations that reached the down and out, mobilizing believers to minister to the nation’s impoverished.

1. Conduct a needs-based audit of the community.

2. Research poverty, education, the percentage of single-parent households, the elderly population, crime, drug abuse, etc., in your community. Then invite the Holy Spirit to guide your response.

3. Investigate what ministries and social services already exist in your community that your church can support.

4. Get acquainted with the mayor, police chief, city council members and others who are working to improve the community.

5. Support various community efforts (e.g., blood drives, food collections, cleanups, etc.).

6. Appoint a “civic representative” for the church who attends city council and school board meetings and reports back to the congregation.

7. Ask God to inspire churchgoers to start ministries that will meet physical and spiritual needs. Invest in helping them learn best practices.

8. Conduct outreaches (e.g., adopt-a-block, food distribution, etc.). Ask other churches to participate. Invite the news media and community leaders to attend.

9. Encourage congregants to pray for the poor and suffering by highlighting requests in church services.

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Evangelist Charles G. Finney, who spearheaded the second phase of that revival, believed that a righteous life followed a reborn spirit and that true righteousness must impact the world, not just the Church. He believed that people Christ transforms should always transform society.

Finney was first an evangelist, a seeker after souls. But he was also an activist for social change. A British citizen named George Williams came to Christ through reading Finney’s works. Later, because of the influence of

Fervent, Spirit-led leadership is the key to keeping any type of ministry balanced and effective.

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Finney’s social reforms — which Finney considered part and parcel of revival — Williams founded the YMCA. Intentional social activism has accompanied many great moves of God. William and Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army, were first and foremost fervent revivalists. Their early motto was “soap, soup and salvation” — good works and the gospel together. They maintained that starving people won’t (or can’t) listen to the sermons of those who care nothing of their physical plight.

The Prayer Meeting or Layman’s Revival of 1857–58 started in the U.S. and reached the British Isles in 1859.

In his 1908 book, Mighty Days of Revival, George E. Morgan observed: “The visitation of the Spirit first taught afresh the lesson of the New Birth; then, living faith was translated into good works, multiplying on every hand and producing world-wide results. A host of zealous converts carried the message of Divine love and practical sympathy into the darkest abodes of human woe.” The revival, Morgan wrote, “reached out to body and soul.”

Converts refurbished communities, founded hospitals, exposed the plight of sweat shop workers, improved the lot of prisoners, and established scores of philanthropic organizations.

Evangelist D.L. Moody, himself touched by the Prayer Meeting Revival, was responsible for multitudes of benevolent causes that came to life following his crusades in the United States and Great Britain.

Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross in the United States, referred to the words of Jesus in the Golden Rule in her call for social action: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).

For more than a century, Pentecostals have also served the poor and suffering. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, for example, pastor-evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson fed thousands each week at her church in Los Angeles.

From the early days of the Assemblies of God, its missionaries served the needs of the poor and suffering, even during times when the Fellowship strongly rejected the Social Gospel. Missionaries such as Lillian Trasher, Mark and Huldah Buntain, and John and Lois Bueno engaged in compassionate outreach, and they were not alone. The Spirit moved on hundreds of AG missionaries and pastors to minister to the needs of the poor and suffering — often from their personal resources. Due to Social Gospel concerns, their efforts were not widely reported in AG publications.

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Recognizing the Spirit-led nature of compassion ministry and its biblical foundation, leaders updated the mission statement of AG World Missions in 1982. They included serving the poor and suffering as one of the four components of the mission, along with evangelism, church planting and the training of national believers.

Though the proclamation of the gospel diminished as some organizations gave their primary focus to addressing human need, this does not justify separating spiritual ministry from compassion ministry. Even denominations founded solely for spiritual purposes historically face the

Positive Compassion Ministry Trends Churches once isolated from human need are responding with new and dynamic ministries.

Community leaders are looking to churches for solutions to social needs.

Churches of different faiths are coming together to touch their communities.

Many parishioners select the church they attend based on the outreach opportunities.

Churches are hiring full-time, trained compassion ministry leaders.

People with checkered pasts are being transformed by the love of Jesus and leading compassion outreach within local churches.

same sort of drift and decline. Fervent, Spirit-led leadership is the key to keeping any type of ministry balanced and effective.

Spirit-Empowered Stephen

Following Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Early Church grew rapidly. The disciples appointed Stephen to oversee the distribution of food to the widows. Acts 6:5 says Stephen was “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” He was “a man full of God’s grace and power,” who “performed great wonders and signs among the people” (verse 8).

The world is crying out for modern-day Stephens who speak in tongues, but who are also willing to feed hungry mouths. Like Jesus, may they alleviate human suffering and lead many to salvation.

Believers are awakening to the realization that following Jesus goes far beyond church attendance. The evidence of Christian living includes both words and deeds. The salvation of souls is our mission, but it is not our only mission.

Compassion ministry — hands-on service to people in need — will not lead God’s people away from the gospel.

It will only heighten our awareness of the importance of every soul and inspire us to emulate Jesus by meeting physical and spiritual needs.

The overwhelming evidence in the Word of God and in the history of the Church leads to this conclusion: Being involved in compassion ministry is being obedient to God. That’s why local churches and ministries like Convoy of Hope will continue, unapologetically, to reach out to the poor and suffering in the name of Jesus.

Hal Donaldson is president of Convoy of Hope in Springfield, Missouri.

Funding for compassion ministries is coming from new sources — including government agencies, foundations, unbelievers and businesses.

Churches are designing new buildings to accommodate compassion ministries (e.g., warehouses, soup kitchens, health clinics, etc.).

Churches are returning to neighborhoods where the need is greatest.

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Dr. Ken Horn is the former editor of the Pentecostal Evangel and currently the senior pastor of Grace Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri.

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The intensity of God’s mind on the matter of diversity should captivate our hearts. In light of Ephesians 2, how do we apply this model in our context?

CHRIS BEARD

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W

e sat silently at a downtown coffee shop, swirling the Rwandan brew in our cups, the Cincinnati skyscape towering over our sidewalk table — two Ohio Assemblies of God pastors sharing hearts and vision.

He asked, “How would you counsel me to lead my (midsize, suburban) congregation into a multiethnic future? I feel a profound burden to do this. We can’t stay where we are. Our city needs this. Our church needs this.

But I don’t know what I don’t know.”

This wasn’t the first time I’ve heard this. It seems God is burdening many hearts these days for church reflecting heaven on earth.

Our own story as Peoples Church Cincinnati involves a 20-year transition from a 98 percent homogeneous white commuter church to a 50 percent nonwhite congregation comprising 30-plus nations. And despite the racially charged times in which we live, we are 25 percent African-American. The Lord has done this.

As I contemplated my friend’s earnest question, I felt stirred to reply, “Start with theology. Whatever you do, root it in Scripture. Hell will fight you on this, and when it does, you want this vision anchored in God’s Word.”

I shared from Ephesians 2 and 3 about a biblical model of a multiethnic church. The intensity of God’s mind on this matter captivates my heart and astounds me.

The Ephesian Model

New Testament Ephesus compares to today’s American society. With a mix of Gentile God-fearers, conservative zealots, marketplace liberals, idol worshipers, indigenous people, and internationals, the city was ethnically, economically, religiously diverse. This port population center on the western edge of what is now Turkey flourished as a cosmopolitan melting pot, the Roman Empire’s third most influential city.

The Ephesian church was also a collective — united in Christ, Spirit-filled and gospel-rooted. This diverse congregation was making known the “manifold wisdom of God” — in the city and “in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 3:10). Did you catch that? Not only was the church influencing society and spreading the gospel, but its Christ-centered existence in diverse unity was capturing attention in the spiritual realm.

Paul calls this diverse unity of formerly disparate and hostile Jews, Greeks and Romans the “mystery of Christ,” which the Holy Spirit revealed (Ephesians 3:4–6). As this church came together, the mystery of Christ, hidden

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for ages, became apparent. Let that sink in.

Our fractious United States could benefit from the same prophetic, reconciling Kingdom congregations.

Such a movement would shake the gates of hell.

In Ephesians 2, Paul provides a compelling vision and model for diversely united churches in our day. After unpacking the gospel, he links it to the idea of a diversely united local church. This message is applicable to your church setting — whether rural, suburban or urban.

The Gospel

Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1–2, “you were [all] dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you [all] used to live ... .” Before Christ, we were unable to follow God’s perfect plan; we were spiritually dead. “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. … For it is by grace you [all] have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (verses 4–5,8).

So far, we have what we understand as the essence of the gospel. In verse 10, Paul transitions to the purpose of this salvation, showing the impact of redeemed people united in Christ from diverse backgrounds. “For we are [all] God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works … .” So, God saves us to do things. Good things.

Society-affecting good things through God’s creative handiwork in and through each of us, by Jesus.

Most of my life, I read Ephesians 2:1–10 as only to me, an individual. Of course, it does apply to me personally, but there’s another level of import when we also read it as a model for the collective local church. Every “you” in Ephesians 2:1–10 is plural. Paul is addressing the ethnically and culturally diverse Ephesian congregation.

The next portion of Ephesians 2 demonstrates this.

Without skipping a beat, Paul moves from our traditional understanding of the gospel — once we were dead in sin and now we are alive — to the reminder that we are God’s handiwork, which He designed to do good

We must think like missionaries among unreached peoples, prayerfully considering how to plant and water gospel seed, faithfully, contextually, relevantly and effectively.

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works. He wants us to do and experience amazing things together as His redeemed, blood-bought, diversely united local church.

The Gospel and the Church

Before Christ came, there was ethnic and cultural separation (Ephesians 2:11–12). “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). The gospel brought Jews and Greeks — groups that previously hated each other — near to Christ, near to the promise and near to each other.

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. ... His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (verses 14–16).

Remember, Chapter 2 starts with a restatement of the gospel. On the heels of it, Paul declares the power of a diversely united congregation.

If you believe your community has no diversity, are you thinking only ethnically? What about diversity in political, income or age demographics?

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Some reading this may raise a couple of objections: 1. “This is specific to the church at Ephesus. We don’t have both Jews and Gentiles in our community.” OK, but it’s also about ethnic and cultural differences, religious differences and worldview differences. Are there no such divides in your community?

2. “This refers to the Church universal. What does it have to do with the local church?” Paul didn’t say “Church” (ekklesia); he said one body (soma). He’s writing to a local congregation: the church at Ephesus, a local fellowship he personally pastored (Acts 20:31). Yes, Paul’s words apply to the Church universal, but not at the expense of the local Ephesian congregation.

Of course, God would never require local church inclusion of diverse people who are not available to us, but what about those who are? If your community is not ethnically diverse, what about other kinds of diversity — such as socioeconomic diversity.

Paul always writes to a specific situation, even as he writes to the Church universal through the ages. I believe the Spirit of Christ through Paul envisions congregations of diversely united redeemed people wherever the Church goes.

Paul concludes this section of Chapter 2 with these soaring ideals for the Ephesian church. In verse 19 he says, “Consequently, you [Gentiles in Christ] are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people [the Jews in Christ] and also members of his household … .”

They are no longer foreigners or strangers to Him, nor to each other. Imagine the influence of churches like that in racially, ethnically and politically fractured communities across America!

Watch where the model goes next: “In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too [all indeed] are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit” (verses 21–22). Talk about a fully Pentecostal church. One Spirit-filled body emerged from formerly divided groups.

Have we perhaps missed this crucial New Testament emphasis? This revelation of a diversely united, one-congregation vision is what Paul calls the “mystery of Christ.”

It’s like the Holy Spirit through Paul is saying, “This is the secret recipe of my Kingdom!”

Paul adds in Ephesians 3:10, “His intent was that now, through the [diversely united] church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.” In other words, God

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expresses His variegated wisdom through a diversely united Church — and not only on earth, but in the spiritual realm. If only we realized the stage on which we stand.

The rest of Ephesians 4–6 explains how to walk out this mystery together. Reading the entire epistle through the 2:15 lens adds contextual richness and reveals a foundational model for a church reflecting heaven (Revelation 7:9). I believe this is the strategic plan of God for every local church.

Paul, in his farewell meeting with the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:27, says, “I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.” In other words, Paul gave the Ephesians something special. Only with them did Paul spend three years teaching with tears night and day, to nourish and protect the blood-bought diversely united body, keeping watch over the flock (Acts 20:28,31). The Book of Ephesians details this whole purpose and sheds a spotlight on the church model.

Diagnostic Questions

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se the following diagnostic questions for reflection, prayerfully considering how your church can better apply the Ephesians 2 model.

• How do the demographics of the church I serve compare with the demographics of my community (economically, ethnically, politically, generationally, educationally, etc.)?

• Does our church leadership reflect the demographics of our community?

• Does my social media inadvertently offend or scare off any part of my community with cultural or partisan preferences? Do people feel they have to agree with me on nonessentials before they can attend my church and experience the gospel?

• Am I crying out to God for a harvest among all people within our 10-mile reach?

• What do I know about the different people groups of my community?

• Have I studied the social challenges and spiritual history of my context and how we might address those from a Kingdom view?

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In light of this understanding of Ephesians 2, how do you apply this model in your context, especially if your community is not diverse? (See Diagnostic Questions.)

Your Local Church and the Gospel

Every church and pastor should study carefully the surrounding community to understand what really is there — demographically, ethnically, historically, economically, spiritually, generationally, socially, etc.

We must think like missionaries among unreached peoples, prayerfully considering how to plant and water gospel seed, faithfully, contextually, relevantly and effectively.

Jesus purchased with His blood persons from every background, tribe and nation to become one household (Ephesians 2:15; Revelation 5:9). While it’s important to ask how many people came to church on Sunday, what if we also considered the diversity of those in attendance?

If you believe your community has no diversity, are you thinking only ethnically? What about diversity in political, income or age demographics? What about reaching addicts and their family members? What about refugees, migrant workers or foster families? What about ______ (you fill in the blank)?

How can we possibly do this? Preach Jesus and His kingdom among everyone. Make sure it’s His kingdom that you and your people are proclaiming through words and actions, and not another gospel (such as a politicized gospel, watered-down gospel, nationalistic gospel or religious gospel). Jesus said it like this: “let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Paul likely wrote 2 Corinthians shortly after leaving Ephesus, from where he’d written 1 Corinthians. Perhaps with the Ephesian model freshly influencing his thinking, Paul penned 2 Corinthians 5, the great reconciliation chapter of the Bible. In verse 17, he wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Right before this, in verse 16, Paul said, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.” This is for us as leaders, too. If we struggle to walk free from our old-nature prejudices, we will struggle to reach all people with the gospel. Our cultural preferences, prejudices and politics cannot define our ministry. Otherwise, we will attract only people just like us, and not the Church Jesus paid for on the cross.

We must no longer serve our local communities

through a worldly point of view, but from a gospel-powered, Christ-centered, Kingdom view. Once we were dead in our transgressions and sins, but now we are alive with Christ. Those who were far away and those who were near have become “members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6).

Lost people in America today are yearning for churches reflecting this reality. The Ephesians 2 church model is exactly what our society needs.

Conclusion

My pastor friend later emailed me with a thoughtful plan.

This fall, he will launch a sermon series, “Vision:ONE,” based on John 17:20–23 and Ephesians 4.

He is also developing a three-year strategy of laying a biblical foundation, introducing careful changes of diverse inclusion, and sharing stories of reconciliation, highlighting the heroic efforts of lay leaders. He has initiated intentional friendships with the few diverse

members he already has, with an open heart to learn from them and get their input and help for the next steps.

I smile as I think about the rewarding work ahead of him. I also pray more often for him now. After all, when we lead from the biblical vision of the Ephesian church model, hell fights back. Why? Because our communities will experience the healing impact of the diversely united Church, and Jesus will get more of what He paid for (Revelation 5:9–10). The enemy hates both these outcomes.

Chris Beard is lead pastor of Peoples Church (AG) in Cincinnati.

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MULTIPLIERS Leaders Leveraging Their Gifts for God’s Kingdom

FINDING OUR WAY IN

C Chris Colvin is a contributing editor to Influence magazine and specializes in sermon research for pastors and churches. He lives in Springfield, Missouri, with his wife and two children.

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rossing cultural boundaries can be challenging but rewarding. Great leaders lean in to difficulties and find ways to continue multiplying despite the hurdles. Whether it’s pioneering a work in a new environment or shaking off the stigma of past circumstances, these Hispanic multipliers have found a way to use the Holy Spirit’s empowering to move forward in ministry.

Josue Rubio found himself in a strange land, the United States. Having been born and raised in Mexico, he answered the call to plant a church in Colorado. Now his congregation is shifting once again to meet the changing culture within his own church, starting a bilingual campus to meet the needs of young believers.

Bethzaida Garcia found herself in dangerous circumstances. But after overcoming domestic abuse through the power of Jesus, she is now a rescuer of lives. What might have

NEW PLACES

been unsurmountable has launched her into a new destiny.

Raymond Castro found a place in his heart for church planting. It has always been at the forefront of his ministry, whether pastoring in the States or overseas as a missionary.

Now, as he leads a task force to plant more churches, he’s seeing that passion multiply again and again.

Dr. Gilberto Vélez never thought he would find himself in ministry. Getting through med school and into his own practice was a dream come true. But after answering the call to fulltime ministry, he now pastors a megachurch.

John Alarid found himself behind bars more often than he ever thought he would.

But leaving behind a life of drugs and gangs led him to become a pastor to people on the fringes. Now, through recovery and prison ministries, he ministers to people in the same place he was in — and helps them find deliverance through Christ.

Ministering Across Generations A C O N V E R SAT I O N W I T H J OS UE R UB I O nsuring long life for your church requires a strong commitment to the contributions of the past and potential from future generations. An environment where people value both is essential.

Among Hispanic churches, generational differences tend to be more drastic. The offspring of immigrants in the U.S. live in two worlds. They love their heritage but also enjoy brand-new experiences in America.

Josue Rubio, lead pastor of Centro Cristiano Vida Nueva, a thriving Hispanic church in central Colorado near Vail, is trying to cultivate this environment.

“Our children grew up in a Spanish-speaking environment,” Rubio says. “But they grew up! We need to present them with another option other than leaving our church.”

In 2014, Rubio launched a second campus catering to English-speaking members of his congregation.

“Mexican-Americans who have been here for four or five generations still feel comfortable in a Hispanic church,” Rubio says.

However, a bilingual service meets the needs of those growing up in an Englishspeaking environment.

Every Tuesday, younger churchgoers receive discipleship in an English environment and parents attend English-language courses. On Sundays, both congregations meet separately and worship in their own ways. But every other week, they have a combined service to keep connections strong.

“It’s important that our English-only-speaking members feel accepted and appreciated, and vice versa,” Rubio says. “Our Spanishspeaking church must also feel loved.”

Rubio understands the dynamics of living in two different worlds. Born in Chihuahua,

E

Mexico, the son of an Assemblies of God pastor, he felt the call to ministry at an early age.

He met his wife, Mayra, at Bible college in Juárez, Mexico. After pastoring in the mountains of Chihuahua for two years, they moved to the U.S. (Mayra is an American citizen and returned home to retain her status.)

“I called my district superintendent to explain that I would soon need to move to the U.S.,” Rubio says. “That same day Dan Matney from the Rocky Mountain District visited his office. He was looking for a Hispanic pastor to plant a congregation in Colorado.”

Feeling that it was more than a coincidence, the Rubios started Centro Cristiano Vida Nueva.

“The move was hard,” Rubio says. “I had never lived anywhere else but Mexico. In the first three months, I experienced culture shock. But God was telling us He had great plans for the Vail valley, and we were part of it.

“People from Central and South America feel out of place, so they find people from back home to spend time with.”

That can be a great comfort, but it can also keep them isolated from American culture.

Meanwhile, the children of immigrants learn and embrace new aspects of a culture their parents never did. Keeping these cultural and generational differences from becoming distractions is sometimes a challenge.

“Anglo churches in the U.S. have great structures, but Latinos have a lot of passion,” Rubio says. “We can learn from each other.”

Finding balance between old and new ways of doing ministry is a great way to ensure positive growth into the future.

“Anglo churches in the U.S. have great structures, but Latinos have a lot of passion. We can learn from each other.”

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MULTIPLIERS

Rescuing the Hurting A C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H B E T H Z A I D A G A R C I A

The first step toward becoming a place of refuge and healing is to talk about it rather than hiding it.

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or Bethzaida Garcia, her story takes a backseat to her message.

“When I speak at churches, pastors want me to share my story,” Garcia says.

“But it’s more important to prepare leaders.”

Her ministry, Life in Your Hands, offers support to victims of domestic abuse and awareness to church leaders all over Florida Her story is, unfortunately, not a rare one.

Married at a young age, Garcia found herself in an abusive relationship. She had no choice but to flee her native Puerto Rico and relocate to Florida. Now, Garcia’s experiences drive her passion to make churches a place of safety and recovery for victims.

“My personal goal is to see a domestic violence awareness ministry in every church,” Garcia says. “We need to spread the word and let people know there is help out there.”

Although domestic violence can affect anyone, regardless of culture, Garcia has seen firsthand how certain aspects of Hispanic

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culture perpetuate it.

“There is a term, machismo, that means the husband is the king of the house,” she says.

“This word is used in many Latino homes as an excuse to treat wives badly. It’s a twisting of the biblical principle of submission.”

Education alone isn’t enough to address this complex issue, Garcia says.

“In the United States, we have the education and we have access to news, but we still have domestic violence,” she says.

Churchgoing families are not immune to these problems. In her role as a victims’ advocate, Garcia has spoken to church members and even pastors’ wives who have suffered the horrors of domestic violence.

Yet Garcia believes the Church can provide the solution. She says the first step toward becoming a place of refuge and healing is to talk about it rather than hiding it.

“It’s a topic we can miss,” Garcia says.

“We talk about drugs and alcoholism. But domestic violence is affecting our homes and children.”

Domestic violence affects every church, whether we realize it or not, and each congregation needs a strategy for dealing with this issue, she says. The danger is that the victim and abuser often share the same faith family.

“The first thing we have to do is ensure the safety of the victim,” Garcia says. “No one should ever be told to stay in an abusive relationship, a dangerous situation.”

Once protected, the victim can then seek recovery. That may look very different in each situation, but the result is always the same: The victim must receive reassurance of the Father’s love.

Garcia has seen how domestic violence awareness can strengthen churches. Her life verse is Proverbs 24:11–12: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?”

“It is our spiritual responsibility as ministers to take action,” Garcia says.

And when churches do step up, God blesses their efforts in remarkable ways.

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MULTIPLIERS

A Passion for Church Planting A Q & A W I T H R AY M O N D C A S T R O

“It’s just normal in our culture to multiply one congregation into several other bodies.”

As senior pastor of Iglesia La Mision Assembly of God in Nyack, New York, Raymond Castro has a lot of passion and plenty of experience in church planting. He leads the Hispanic Church Planting Task Force for the Spanish Eastern District, and his own congregation has answered the challenge as well.

INFLUENCE: You’ve seen some great multi-

plication among Hispanic churches on the East Coast. Tell us about that.

CASTRO: The Spanish Eastern District covers 17 states from New York in the north to North Carolina in the south. We have a wealth of backgrounds represented as well. Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban and more make up our demographic.

I’ve been pastoring for 12 years but have also spearheaded the church planting task force since 2009. During that time, we’ve planted 20 churches a year, on average, in our district.

We’ve mostly followed the parent affiliated church model, where a church plants a church that then plants another church or more. But the goal is for each church to become nationally affiliated as soon as it can.

What are some specific challenges and advantages you see as a Hispanic church planter?

Church planting is at the heart of ministry for Hispanic leaders. Before becoming a pastor, I was a missionary to Ecuador, where we planted several churches. It’s just normal in our culture to multiply one congregation into several other bodies. The family structure is so strong among Hispanics, and it translates into the church life well. I can invite one person to an event, but I know that they may show up with their wife and kids and uncle and aunt and cousins!

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However, it can be a challenge as well. It can be difficult to find locations and raise finances for Hispanic church planters. We try to send out teams of ministers to plant a new congregation, but not all pastors have the ability to replace key staff members. But we start with whomever we can and whatever resources we have. In fact, our second church started in an auto garage. Today, it has a thriving ministry in its own facility and has planted two other daughter churches on its own.

How are you encouraging your church planters to be multipliers?

We meet every 15 days to go over planning and discipleship. Once a year, we have a rally to bring leaders together to share and encourage each other. We talk about it constantly among our church teams. It becomes a natural part of who we are.

What can Anglo churches do to help Hispanic church planters?

One easy step is to just open their facilities for us. There is a huge opportunity to partner with Hispanic churches. We may work differently, but the results are the same. We’re building the same Kingdom.

We have so much to learn from Anglo churches when it comes to systems and planning. But we have a lot to offer as well.

We have a spirit of church planting, a real passion that is part of our culture. We need both of those things working together to make this work.

MULTIPLIERS

Answering the Ministry Call A Q&A W I TH GI LB E RTO V É LEZ

“Once we gained the trust of the community, they saw us as not just a religious institution but a place of healing through the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Dr. Gilberto Vélez is pastor of Iglesia Cristiana Misericordia, a Hispanic congregation of more than 3,000 in Laredo, Texas. He also oversees several campuses on both sides of the border, along with a medical mission in Guadalajara, Mexico.

INFLUENCE: How has your profession as a

physician prepared you for ministry?

VÉLEZ: I am in the ministry because of a calling. But I spent years trying to avoid that reality. Once I made a decision to enter full-time ministry and plant our church, the disciplines I learned in studying and practicing medicine prepared me for the great responsibility of pastoring.

One of the most important traits of a pastor is commitment. We must be committed to the Lord, to prayer and study, and to our church. Being a physician helps me do that.

Of course, I have another tool in my bag: the Holy Spirit, who empowers and encourages me along the way.

As pastor of the largest Hispanic church in the AG, what has been the key to your sustained multiplication?

I believe in the community. We live in a border town in Texas that has a wide range of backgrounds, ethnicities and nationalities.

Each of those cultures has given something to make us who we are. We have learned to embrace our multicultural surrounding.

As a Puerto Rican, I’m not in the majority in our church. But the apostle Paul said, “I have become all things to all people.” I am proud of my Puerto Rican heritage, and I don’t deny my own culture. But that has not kept me from embracing the Mexican culture around me. It is silly for any minister to come to a new area expecting the congregation to change to meet

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the pastor’s culture rather than the pastor adapting to his or her new ministry context.

In what pragmatic ways do you engage with your community and culture?

One thing I discovered early on in my ministry here was that people in our community have been hurt in many ways. Although the crime rate in Laredo is very low, instances of domestic violence and troubled homes are still too high.

We surveyed 100 homes around our church, asking people what they specifically needed from us. What we discovered was that they wanted help with their families. So we responded by providing for the children, for youth and even offering family counseling.

Once we gained the trust of the community, they saw us as not just a religious institution but a place of healing through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What are some harmful misconceptions about Hispanic churches you wish you could change?

Just because we come from a different country or speak a different language doesn’t mean we can’t be part of a growing church. The Bible is for people — not a specific people, but all people. I’m afraid that too many of our Hispanic and Latino churches have bought into the stereotypes and feel defeated. But if pastors put passion behind their vision, they can escape that mentality and build what God has called them to build.

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MULTIPLIERS

From Hopeless Junkie to Lead Pastor A Q&A W I TH J OHN ALARI D

“I have found that I share a natural affinity with inmates when I go to speak in prisons, especially among Hispanic gang members.”

INFLUENCE: You come from a strong Hispanic background. How did that shape your early years?

ALARID: My father grew up in Monterrey, Mexico. His family is from the New Mexico area, the offspring of Spanish immigrants and Native Americans. My mother is originally from San Diego, and we came back to the United States so my parents could raise money for their work in Latin America. I have a rich Hispanic history, and it is dear to my heart.

Your problems with drugs and alcohol began at a relatively young age.

I remember coming home drunk at 16 and my friends had to carry me to the door. I would use a fake ID to buy alcohol for me and my friends. My parents decided to send me to New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico, my junior year, hoping the discipline would wake me up. But it did the opposite. It was there that I began to use and even deal drugs heavily.

After graduation, I attended the University of New Mexico, but it got even worse. I went from a 4.0 student to a hopeless junkie in a very short time. I began to use more and more drugs. I smoked pot daily and dropped LSD. I bought pounds of pot and supplied them to other college students. When I saw there was money in it, I started dealing in cocaine as well.

What was the breaking point for you?

I never expected to live to the age of 30. All around me, friends were dying while I was still alive. I lost 16 friends to the streets.

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Most were overdoses to heroin, but three were shootings.

In 2007, I was arrested and sent to prison to serve eight years in the New Mexico State Penitentiary. During my stay, I was sent to solitary confinement because I was bringing narcotics into the prison. It was there that I started to feel the presence of God in an incredible way.

I had followed Jesus when I was young, but was now far away from Him. I spent five months in solitary, just my Bible and me. I got down on my knees and cried out to God, “Lord Jesus, if You are still there, I need You!” That’s the moment God radically changed my life.

You’ve gone on to get a seminary degree and now serve as a lead pastor. How has your Hispanic background helped you in your ministry?

Speaking Spanish is always a benefit. I have found that I share a natural affinity with inmates when I go to speak in prisons, especially among Hispanic gang members. It’s part of my identity, who I am culturally. God allows me to use my past mistakes in ways I never dreamed possible. I can speak to inmates on their level, but also show them how to rise above it.

John Alarid is lead pastor of CR Church (AG) and director of addiction recovery for Hope Homes in Springfield, Missouri. He is also area manager for Prison Fellowship

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MAKE IT COUNT An Eight-Week Study for Leadership Teams

The Character of a Leader: 8 Qualities Essential to Who You Are STEPHEN BLANDINO

WHAT IS MAKE IT COUNT?

Week after week, you invest time and energy into making every Sunday count. But you also have to think about staff meetings, board meetings, and meetings with key volunteers and other church leaders.

Juggling so many meetings can seem overwhelming, especially as you think about developing the leaders around you. Effective leaders are continually looking for great leadership content they can use to develop and mentor other leaders. Make It Count is a powerful, little tool to help you accomplish just that.

Each Make It Count lesson is easily adaptable for individual or group discussion, allowing for personal application and reflection among your ministry leaders and lead volunteers. The lessons are useful as devotionals in board and staff meetings and in departmental meetings with your lead volunteers. Studying and growing together is key to building strong and healthy relationships with

your team members, and it is a necessary component to building growing, flourishing churches. These lessons can help you make each moment count as you lead and develop the leaders around you.

The following eight, easyto-use lessons on character qualities of a leader are written

by Stephen Blandino, lead pastor of 7 City Church (AG) in Fort Worth, Texas (7citychurch. com). He planted 7 City Church in 2012 in a thriving cultural Blandino arts district near downtown Fort Worth. Stephen blogs regularly at stephenblandino.com and is the author of several books, including Do Good Works, Creating Your Church’s Culture, and GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution.

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haracter is of utmost importance in leadership. Without it, everything we lead will rest on a foundation that cannot endure.

Getting this right early in our leadership journey is essential. Ruth Barton once said, “We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before they consider the kind of person they should be.”

Character is a non-negotiable.

In this edition of Make It Count, we focus on the character of a leader by exploring eight essential character qualities. The truth is, these eight qualities are important regardless of whether you’re a leader. But leadership is influence; therefore, a failure to embrace these character qualities will always create more collateral damage for leaders.

This is not a comprehensive list.

There are dozens (perhaps hundreds) of other character qualities we should

C

cultivate, but these eight have a significant effect on the life of a leader and those he or she leads. These are the eight character qualities we’ll study: • Integrity • Humility • Self-discipline • Faithfulness • Selflessness • Peace • Love • Courage Cultivating these qualities will not only make you a better person, but they’ll add weight to your influence as a leader. After all, the primary way spiritual leaders exert influence is through the weight of their character (not the weight of their position).

As you read and discuss each lesson, allow the Holy Spirit to form in you the character necessary to sustain the weight of the leadership responsibility you carry.

HOW TO USE MAKE IT COUNT

We are pleased to make available the Make It Count Discussion Guide in a downloadable PDF, available through the “Downloads” button on Influencemagazine.com.

Each lesson in the PDF Make It Count Discussion Guide is divided into a Leader’s page and Team Member’s page. The Leader’s page corresponds directly to the material in this print issue of the magazine.

We encourage you to print multiple copies of the PDF Discussion Guide from Influencemagazine.com for all your ministry leaders and the team members they lead in your church or organization.

You will notice that key words and concepts are underlined in each lesson on the Leader’s page. These underlined words and concepts correspond to the blank spaces

found on the team member lesson pages. Team members can fill in the blanks as you progress through each lesson.

We trust these lessons will help you make each moment count as you lead and develop the leaders around you.

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MAKE IT COUNT Study

1

The Character of a Leader: 8 Qualities Essential to Who You Are

Integrity Assess: How do integrity gaps undermine the life and influence of a leader?

Insights and Ideas

ne of the most important character qualities in the life of a leader is integrity. Integrity is the purity of character that influences every part of a person’s life to the degree that what you see in public is what God sees in private.

Having integrity implies being whole and complete. You can’t switch it on and off like a light and expect to build enduring influence. You must avoid duplicity. James said a person who is double-minded is “unstable in all they do” (James 1:8). When we lack integrity, double-mindedness takes the driver’s seat of our lives. In time, people will see us for who we truly are. As philanthropist Andrew Carnegie once said, “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”

Psalm 78:72 anchors leadership to this essential character quality: “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” To assess where your integrity needs help, take the following integrity test: 1. In what areas of my life do my words and actions not match?

2. What temptation do I struggle with that has the greatest likelihood of undermining my life and leadership?

3. In what areas of my life do I have a tendency to become most defensive? What does this reveal about my vulnerabilities?

4. What safeguards have I established to protect my integrity?

5. To whom am I regularly accountable?

Your answers to these questions will reveal any cracks in your integrity. Have the courage to address them. Your answers are also a reminder of what’s at stake if your integrity waivers.

Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “In order to be a leader, a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence, the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably integrity.”

When facing a temptation to compromise integrity, a person may fantasize about meeting a physical or emotional need in an unhealthy or unholy way. The next time you experience such a temptation, think instead about the potential consequences of your sin. Mentally fast-forward your life, and ask yourself these questions: What would the fallout look like if I gave in to this temptation? Who, besides me, would my wrong choices hurt? What price will I ultimately pay if I walk down this path?

This eye-opening exercise will help you see beyond the temptation and into the future you ultimately want to avoid.

O

Reflect and Discuss

1. What are the benefits of integrity in life and leadership?

2. Which question in the integrity test most challenges you? Why? 3. What would the fallout be if you compromised your integrity? Consider the consequences.

Apply

Take some time to think deeply about the questions in the integrity test. Identify the places where you have the greatest vulnerability to sin. Consider the potential consequences of leaving this sin unchecked in your life. Finally, develop a plan to build appropriate safeguards and accountability to protect you.

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MAKE IT COUNT Study

2

The Character of a Leader: 8 Qualities Essential to Who You Are

Humility Team Review: As you reflected on the five questions in the integrity test, what most challenged you? What changes have you determined to make to strengthen your integrity?

Assess: What makes humility so attractive in a leader’s life?

Insights and Ideas

umility is the quality we hate to develop in ourselves; yet we are quick to point out a lack of humility in others. Though we detest arrogance and egos in others, we are quite comfortable announcing our own accomplishments to the world.

Author C.J. Mahaney defines humility as “honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.” When we honestly assess ourselves from the perspective of God’s holiness and our sinfulness, we quickly realize how small we actually are, and how crucial the quality of humility really is. Without humility, we put ourselves on the same level as God. R.C. Sproul said, “The grand difference between a human being and a supreme being is precisely this: Apart from God, I cannot exist. Apart from me, God does exist. God does not need me in order for Him to be; I do need God in order for me to be.”

The Bible is clear about God’s attitude toward pride. Peter wrote, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:5–6). Pride is a human path to pursuing favor; humility is God’s path to giving it to you.

Humility begins by dethroning our addiction to self and recognizing our true humanity.

Without humility, we live with a false sense that we are at the center of the universe. We detach ourselves from our humanity, and we set ourselves up as something we are not.

Humility is a daily struggle. The world continually tells us to build our platform, promote ourselves and get ahead at any cost. But pride is not the path God calls us to travel. The truth is, pride builds monuments, but humility builds ministry. If you want to improve your humility quotient, consider three steps: 1. Listen more. The more you talk, the more others will perceive you as an arrogant knowit-all. Lean in with a posture of listening rather than dominating the conversation.

2. Admit your faults. Leaders who can quickly and easily admit their faults are always more respected than those who try to assume an image of success or perfection.

3. Be teachable. People who cannot receive coaching or correction haven’t embraced the humility that’s necessary to become lifelong learners.

H

Reflect and Discuss

1. Why is pride so dangerous in leadership?

2. What does false humility look like in a leader?

3. Which of the three keys to cultivating humility is your greatest struggle? Why?

Apply

Do a “pride audit” on your life. In what areas are you inclined to project arrogance? Share your audit with a trusted friend, and ask him or her to pray with you and for you. Commit to follow up after a couple of weeks to maintain accountability.

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The Character of a Leader: 8 Qualities Essential to Who You Are

Self-Discipline Team Review: What did your “pride audit” reveal to you? What steps are you taking to replace pride with humility?

Assess: In what areas of your life are you most, and least, disciplined?

Insights and Ideas

iscipline is among our least favorite topics. We all want the product discipline delivers without having to pay the price of discipline to get it. A body in shape (the product of discipline) happens when we exercise regularly (the price of discipline). Intimacy with God (the product of discipline) occurs when we pray and study regularly (the price of discipline).

Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” You must consider now what kind of harvest you want later.

When a leader lives a life of discipline, it tends to ripple into other areas of his or her life. Conversely, when a leader lacks discipline, it usually perpetuates problems. Just how important is discipline? Consider these self-discipline truths: 1. Discipline is the great conqueror. President Harry S. Truman said, “In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves. Self-discipline with all of them came first.” The hardest person you will ever lead will be yourself. If you can’t conquer you, you’ll never fulfill the vision God has called you to pursue.

2. Discipline brings focus to talent. Author H. Jackson Brown Jr. said, “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards or sideways.” Some of the most talented people in the world never realized their full potential because their talent never married discipline.

3. Discipline is the pain that repels regret. It has often been said that there are two types of pain in life — discipline and regret. You can avoid one, but you can’t avoid both.

Self-discipline isn’t easy, but its fruit is well worth it. If you find yourself undisciplined, don’t become discouraged. Rather than trying to improve everything at once, pick one area on which you can focus. Again, self-discipline has a way of multiplying.

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Reflect and Discuss

1. Who is the most self-disciplined person you know? What “harvest” has this discipline produced in his or her life?

2. Which self-discipline truth challenged you the most? Why? 3. What would it look like for you to become more disciplined in one of the following areas: relationship with God, family, work, health or personal growth?

Apply

Read Hebrews 12:11 again: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Write down the kind of harvest you want to see in your life. Next, list the areas of discipline that harvest will require from you. Finally, pick one discipline you need to improve, develop a growth plan, and assimilate it into your schedule.

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The Character of a Leader: 8 Qualities Essential to Who You Are

Faithfulness Team Review: In which area did you choose to become more self-disciplined? What steps have you taken to cultivate that discipline?

Assess: What does faithfulness mean to you?

Insights and Ideas

hen you hear the word “faithfulness,” your mind may gravitate to a variety of ideas.

You might think about your spouse and your commitment to remain faithful in the good times and the tough times. You might interpret faithfulness through the lens of the church and a determination to attend frequently and serve faithfully. But how do you define faithfulness?

In Matthew 25:14–30, we read the Parable of the Bags of Gold. In the story, a master gives three servants a sum of money. To one, he gives five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag. Then the master leaves on a trip for an extended period of time. While he is gone, the servant with five bags puts his money to work and doubles it, as does the servant with two bags. But the servant with one bag digs a hole in the ground and buries his master’s money.

When the master returns, he settles accounts (Matthew 25:19). The master commends the servants who started with five bags and two bags, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21,23). But the master isn’t pleased with the third servant. He uses words like, “wicked, lazy and worthless” to describe him.

In this context, we see that faithfulness involves much more than showing up on time to church or work. True faithfulness is stewardship. The servants didn’t own the property or the bags of gold; they were simply stewards of what their master entrusted to them. A steward is a manager of someone else’s possessions, handling those possessions according to the owner’s desires.

You will be faithful only when you steward your God-given resources (money, talent, time, opportunities and influence) in a manner that is consistent with the desires of your Heavenly Father. To gauge your own faithfulness, consider these questions: • Am I growing (or just maintaining) my abilities and skills?

• Am I stewarding the resources of the ministry I lead in a way that honors God? • Am I managing my influence and opportunities for good?

• If God were to settle accounts with me today, what would He say?

Faithful leaders don’t compare themselves to others; they compare themselves against their God-given potential. They carefully examine what God has entrusted to them, and then evaluate whether they are managing those resources in such a way that their Father would say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

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Reflect and Discuss

1. If you were to entrust a valuable resource or important job to somebody else, what would cause you to consider that person “faithful”?

2. How does the concept that “faithfulness is stewardship” most challenge you?

3. What part of your potential are you not fully maximizing? What would it look like to steward that area in a way that pleases the Lord?

Apply

On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the best), how faithful are you in the following four areas: time, talent, money and influence? What can you do to improve your lowest score?

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The Character of a Leader: 8 Qualities Essential to Who You Are

Selflessness Team Review: In what area of your life do you feel most faithful (understanding faithfulness as stewardship)? In what area do you plan to elevate your faithfulness?

Assess: Who is the most selfless person you know?

Insights and Ideas

he leadership that Jesus modeled was characterized by a spirit of selflessness. We see this over and over again in His ministry, and it’s a continual theme throughout the pages of Scripture.

Selflessness says a lot about the character of a leader. In fact, some of the previous character qualities we’ve discussed (such as humility and faithfulness) are bolstered by selflessness. For leaders, selflessness is especially important in three areas: 1. Motives. The apostle Paul said, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3–4). Selfless action never follows selfish ambition. The driving motive of a leader’s heart will always pollute or purify the fruit of his or her labor.

2. Influence. Jesus made it clear that leaders have influence, but the purpose of that influence is quite different from the self-centered focus our world often touts. No passage captures this better than when Jesus called His disciples together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25–28). History has taught us this lesson repeatedly: When a leader uses influence to serve personal interests, the people always pay a price.

3. Resources. Leaders are entrusted with two types of resources — personal and organizational. Personal resources include time, talent and treasure. Organizational resources include vision, people and money. If a leader does not steward these resources from a posture of selflessness, the fallout will stretch far beyond his or her personal life. When the third servant in the Parable of the Bags of Gold failed to steward his resources wisely, the master said, “So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:28–30).

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Reflect and Discuss

1. How have you seen impure motives negatively impact the character of a leader?

2. How can you (and our team) better steward our influence to serve the people entrusted to our care?

3. What specific resources have been entrusted to you? What would the selfless use of those resources look like personally and organizationally?

Apply

Take a few minutes to evaluate your “selflessness” in the three areas discussed above — motives, influence and resources. In which area do you need to grow the most? What are two things you can do this week to be more selfless in that area?

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The Character of a Leader: 8 Qualities Essential to Who You Are

Peace Team Review: What is one thing you did this past week to be more selfless as a leader in your motives, influence and resources?

Assess: What does peace look like in the life of a leader?

Insights and Ideas

eadership is a deeply emotional endeavor. Leaders carry not only the normal personal weight that everybody experiences, but also the weight of the people, department, ministry or organization they lead. If a leader doesn’t cultivate the emotional health to stand up under the pressure, their vision will diminish in size.

Author Sam Chand observed, “When you interpret your pain as bigger — more important, more threatening, more comprehensive — than your vision, you’ll redefine your vision down to the threshold of your pain.”

Managing the threshold of your leadership pain is difficult. The larger your ministry grows, the larger you have to grow as a leader. If you don’t learn to find peace in the midst of the pain, your character will likely take the hit.

It’s not uncommon for leaders to become angry and irritable as leadership pain increases.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 warns us, “Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.” It’s easy to act foolishly when anger slips in. To cultivate greater peace — and, as a result, greater emotional health — embrace these four strategies: 1. Cultivate spiritual habits. We all know that time alone with God is essential, and yet it’s the easiest to dismiss from our busy schedules. Let the words of the apostle Paul challenge you: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16). To withstand the external pressures of leadership, you need Spirit-infused strength in your “inner being.”

2. Protect your family time. Family is also a common casualty in the landscape of leadership. You will find renewal, encouragement and peace when you keep your time with family frequent and alive.

3. Identify healthy distractions. Leaders need activities to get their minds detached from the constant demands pulling at them. Healthy distractions — like hobbies, time with friends, family vacations and a regular day off — will deepen your emotional reserves.

4. Seek leadership coaching. Regardless of the size of your church or ministry, you need a leadership coach. Having somebody with whom you can share your struggles, and from whom you can glean wisdom, will serve as a pressure release valve to help you stay sane as you navigate your toughest leadership challenges.

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Reflect and Discuss

1. What are some of the most common emotions you feel as a leader?

2. Which of the four strategies have you found most helfpul in cultivating a greater sense of peace in your life?

3. Which of the four strategies do you need to employ to improve your emotional health?

Apply

There are so many pressing needs that can keep our emotional reserves depleted. Carefully evaluate the condition of your emotional health. Where do you need help? What steps do you need to take so that peace can return to your mind, emotions and soul? Do you need to talk to a coach or counselor to get into a healthy zone? Define, and then take, your next step.

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The Character of a Leader: 8 Qualities Essential to Who You Are

Love Team Review: What are you doing to cultivate a greater sense of peace and to increase your emotional reserves?

Assess: What difference does love make in leadership?

Insights and Ideas

eople often view love and leadership as being on opposite sides of the spectrum. Love usually appears soft and gentle, while leadership seems rigid and firm. Love is compassionate, while leadership is confronting. Love is heartfelt, while leadership can be heartless.

Interestingly, Scripture paints a different picture.

The “love chapter” in 1 Corinthians describes an amazing picture of love. Paul writes, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4–8).

What we often forget is that this chapter appears in the midst of Paul’s instructions on spiritual gifts. In fact, the four verses immediately preceding this chapter say, “And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:28–31).

Many of the gifts to the Church are expressions of leadership — apostle, prophet, teacher.

Without love, these gifts are like a “clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). Said another way, leadership without love languishes in the basement of insignificance.

In leadership circles, we often think of strength, power or influence, but George Washington Carver provides a different perspective. He said, “Be kind to others. How far you go in life depends upon your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in your life, you will have been all of these.”

These words provide great perspective. You may be a strong leader today, but one day you will be weak in body. You may be a hard-charging, goal-oriented, activist leader today, but one day you, too, will be in need of compassion and sympathy. Be the kind of person (and the kind of leader) you will one day need someone to be to you.

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Reflect and Discusss

1. When was a time in your life that a leader showed you unconditional love?

2. What would it look like to be a 1 Corinthians 13 leader in our present day?

3. What are some practical ways you can show love to the people you lead?

Apply

Love is personal. Author Eric Hoffer once said, “It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one’s neighbor.” If you want to be a loving leader, you have to make it a personal matter.

Take a few minutes to read and reflect on 1 Corinthians 13. Which description of love sounds least like you? How can you infuse that quality into your life so that you are a more loving leader?

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The Character of a Leader: 8 Qualities Essential to Who You Are

Courage Team Review: Which description of love from 1 Corinthians 13 did you discover you need to infuse into your leadership?

Assess: When are you most courageous as a leader?

Insights and Ideas

ach of the qualities we’ve discussed so far are like layers to character. The more layers you have, the greater the depth of your character. But there is one quality that leads the way in a unique dimension when it comes to the development of our character — courage. Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is the first of all human qualities because it is the one which guarantees all the others.”

The truth is, it requires courage to be a person of integrity when everybody else is cutting corners. It takes courage to be faithful when everyone else is slacking off. It takes courage to be selfless when it would be far easier to do what would personally benefit you the most. Developing character is hard work, but courage opens the door to let the other character qualities into your life.

In Joshua 1:9, God said to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” This verse offers three insights into courage.

1. Courage is a command. God didn’t suggest to Joshua that he be courageous. Why? Because too much was at stake. The people were on the edge of the Promised Land, and they had already missed once. Joshua’s need for courage was more than a personal issue; it affected millions of people. When we lack the character quality of courage, disobedience usually follows.

2. Don’t give authority to fear. God said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Too often we let fear have unnecessary authority in our lives. When that happens, fear dictates our response to the voice and leadership of the Holy Spirit.

3. God is with you. The reason we can be courageous isn’t because of who we are, but because of who God is. God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. His knowledge, presence and power are vast. We can be courageous because God, in all of His greatness, is with us. We are not alone.

As leaders, we cannot run to the path of least resistance. The most significant things you will ever accomplish will require the greatest courage. Like Joshua, be strong and courageous, and let that courage expand the other dimensions of your character, too.

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Reflect and Discuss

1. How have you seen courage deepen other areas of your character?

2. What other part of your character would grow the most if you chose to be courageous?

3. How does Joshua’s story inspire you to be courageous?

Apply

Ask yourself three questions to help you apply today’s lesson to your life: • What is my greatest fear at this moment in my life?

• What is at stake if I do not move past this fear?

• What’s the first step I need to take to overcome this fear?

Take a few minutes to pray and commit to the Lord your decision to move forward in the face of fear. Thank Him for His presence as you take this step.

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THE FINAL NOTE

X-Rated America CHRISTINA QUICK record 43 percent of U.S. adults say pornography is morally acceptable, according to a recent Gallup poll. This represents a 7 percentage point increase from last year’s figure and the highest share since Gallup started conducting annual polling on the question in 2011. In fact, acceptance of pornography has increased more than any of the 16 other moral issues Gallup has tracked over the past seven years, from gay relations and sex outside of marriage to gambling and abortion.

Half of unmarried adults now call pornography morally acceptable, compared to 35 percent in 2017. There was also a 14 percentage point increase in pornography acceptance among males aged 18 to 49 — from 53 percent in 2017 to 67 percent today.

Among all respondents aged 18 to 34, pornography acceptance increased from 48 percent in 2017 to 59 percent in 2018.

While those who say religion is very important are the least likely to find pornography morally acceptable, even that demographic migrated 6 percentage points — with 22 percent now accepting pornography, compared to 16 percent one year ago.

This sobering news should be a call to action for the Church. We have a responsibility to address this issue, warning people of the dangers of pornography and offering help for those who are struggling with porn addictions. Like Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount, we must clearly articulate the gravity of this sin (Matthew 5:27–29).

In an age of increasing depravity, may we follow the Spirit and share the truth in love.

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AMERICANS WHO FIND PORNOGRAPHY MORALLY ACCEPTABLE

Religion is very important: 22%

Percentage of Americans

Among all respondents aged 18 to 34, pornography acceptance increased from 48 percent in 2017 to 59 percent in 2018.

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U.S. adults:

43%

40

35

Unmarried adults:

50%

Religion is fairly important: 50%

Religion is not very important: 74%

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2018

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30