Asher Tobias is 2

Today is Asher's Birthday. We thank God for the gift of this boy. He is a blessing indeed. He is a good big brother and a good little brother. He is Asher.

Not Everything is Black and McWhite - pt. 1

A few weeks ago my good friend Bryan McWhite (New Hope Church) began a discussion on church membership. As he and I began to talk about practical implications of church membership we had the idea to post practical questions surrounding membership in the local church. The questions we have settled on to discuss are as follows:

1. What is the current process at your church for membership?
2. What do you think the best process for membership would be?
3. Do you have a membership covenant to be signed?
4. What do you require of your members?
5. What should be required of members?
6. What should be done if someone ‘applies’ for membership at your church who is currently a member at another church?
7. What should be done if someone who is a member at your church decides to start attending another church in the same town?
8. How should a church handle someone who refuses in principle to becoming a member?
9. Should there be some be privileges of being a member (voting, ability to lead a small group, etc.)?
10. Do you grandfather in the grown children of parents who have become members? Or do you encourage them to be members when they become 18?
11. What are the minimum requirements for church membership?
12. In what situations would you not allow someone to be a member who has applied?

So, there’s where we’re going if you’re interested. Generally speaking, one of us will ask the question, the other will respond, then the other will respond to that response, and the other can respond to the response to the response if he so chooses. Got that?

And with that, Fire one:
Vince, what is the current process at your church for membership? (Trinity Church)

I will start by saying we strongly encourage membership. In fact, a year ago we decided to come up with four means to our mission statement. One of the means to our mission statement is that every regular attender would become a member. It is an important part of the family of Trinity Church. That is stated in our ‘Welcome Packet.’ If you were a first-time visitor of our church you would be handed a packet of information about our church. One of the first things you would see is a document stating the four means to our mission. We do not hide the fact that membership is important.

We don’t have a process as some would define ‘process.’ We don’t have a baseball diamond image to show the progress of our process. The unwritten process for someone who is a regular attender would be to attend our ‘Discovery Class.’ It is a six hour class that walks the attendees through a brief church history, denomination history, the four means to our mission (the importance of membership is stressed), conflict resolution, involvement in ministry and the responsibilities of membership. At the end of this class every person in attendance is given two items. 1.) A free copy of Stop Dating the Church by Joshua Harris and 2.) a membership application. Within a month of the class each participant is contacted and encouraged to fill out the application and schedule a membership interview. We have a running chart with every regular attender listed. Each person has four columns by their name with, you guessed it, the four means to our mission next to their name. We keep a running list of those who are members and those who are not. Those who are members are held accountable to the other three means. Those who are not yet members are contacted often to discuss the reasons they have decided not to follow our desires as a church.

After the class participant has filled out the application for membership, copies are made for each of the elders to read. At least one Sunday before the applicants are affirmed as members we announce to the congregation that they have applied for membership. We ask the congregation to approach the applicant and/or the elders with any concerns they may have about their desire for membership. The applicant is then interviewed by no fewer than 3 elders and one staff pastor. The interview is very brief – only lasting 30 minutes. During the interview we ask them to share their perspective of how God has drawn them to faith in Christ. We want to know that they have a good understanding of salvation. We also ask them about ways in which they are currently experiencing the grace of God and ways in which they are using their gifts.

After the interview the elders discuss anything that we see as a red flag about their perspective of salvation. Our deepest concern is that they are truly believers in Jesus as Lord and Savior and that they have at least an elementary understanding of salvation be a work of God and not man.

If the elders agree that this person meets the above criteria we bring them before the congregation to recommend them as members and affirm their desire to be a member of Trinity Church. During the worship service we ask the applicant three or four questions about their commitment to the body. We then ask the congregation to commit to pray for them and to hold them accountable to godly living.

We are a church of about 200 in regular attendance and we currently have about 70 members. I would like to see this number increased and we are working toward that goal. There are other things I would like to implement into this process and hope to do that over the next few years. I won’t tell you what those are because it may come up in the next few days in further discussion on this blog. I want to keep you guessing and curious enough to keep reading.

For a copy of our membership application click here!

If you read Bryan's blog he is posting the same content. Be looking for his response here or there.

1.8.08 = 8 years

Today marks 8 years of wedded bliss with my beautiful bedheaded wife. This morning she gave me the fantastic card shown in the picture. She allowed me to post this picture on this blog and also on the Whiskerino page (Whiskerino is an international beard-growing event). My wife is the greatest woman. God knew exactly what I needed when he brought Kirsten Erica into my life. We have had a blast for the last 8 years and my prayer is that we would have 68 more (I would be 100 years young at that point). Today I give thanks for my hot wife.

Incidentally the date today is 1.8.08 and it is our 8 year anniversary. I hope I am not abducted by aliens today.

Postponed

The rally that was scheduled to happen in Kenya today has been rescheduled for Tuesday - the very day we are scheduled to fly into the country. Our trip has been postponed.

The title to the previous post says it all.

His Sovereignty!

Some of you may know that I have been planning a trip to Sudan with three others from our church. Over the past year we have been establishing a partnership with the Evangelical Free Church of Sudan. Our plans were to leave Monday (1/7). We were to fly into Nairobi and then into Sudan. Because of the recent political unrest in Kenya our plans may be changing.

This has reminded me that God is sovereign over all things and his timing and plans are perfect. We are praying that he would grant us patience and wisdom as we wait on his perfect will. Please join us in this prayer.

Environmentally Friendly Greeting

It's that time of year again...the time to send out our earth-friendly Christmas card via the World Wide Web. Enjoy!

*note: the video is about 9 minutes long so... although it may be earth-friendly it may not be time-friendly...depending on your relation to the family.

Whiskerino 2007

Whiskerino is a beard event that began on November 1st and ends on February 29th. I joined about 400 other testosterone laden men for one hairy adventure. Kirsten is very patient with my sometimes odd lifestyle.

The image on the left if what I looked like on November 1st. The image on the right is the bearded me.

Click on the image above to visit the site. Please understand that I am not endorsing all of the content (images or language) on the site.

If you want to see my bearded progress click HERE! My moniker is "blackbeard."

Enjoy and may the growth be with you (beard growth that is).

Success!

We have been working with our eldest on using the toilet for some of the unmentionable bodily functions. We have finally seen some success this week. The video below reveals some of the excitement.

To see the video in Windows Media from our FOB web site - click here and then click on "success."

Film-Based Curriculum

It's that time again...Click the images below to WIN!

Modern Parables is "an original Bible study curriculum designed for people who like movies. It is the first in a planned series of film-driven studies on the parables. The films are uniquely designed to parallel the original parable and thereby drive the viewer back toward the Biblical text. The 12-lesson study (with 6 additional lessons on cinema and theology) uses short dramatic films that explain Jesus' parables using the particular strength of the cinematic medium. In other words, just watching the films helps teach the historical, grammatical, contextual and interpretive elements in the parables." They are ideal for Bible studies, youth groups, homeschool curriculum, church libraries, and so on.

Does that sound interesting? You could win one of the following prizes

First prize: Modern Parables box set which includes all the DVDs, a member book and a leader book, six movie posters (one for each parable...posters measure 11"x17") and ten student books (a value of over $250!).

Second prize: Modern Parables box set and six movie posters.

Third Prize: Modern Parables box set.

Simply click any of the images above to enter your name to WIN!

In the news

The headlines and one-liners of the local newspaper make me smile. Below are a few excerpts from the sports pages.

M-L-S defense locks down Ray
The M**** High School gym could have just as well been a penitentiary Tuesday.

Honkers pressure halts Maroons
Pressure, pressure and more pressure.

Coyotes get the worm
M**** High School held its annual Early Bird Wrestling Tournament Saturday...

"Ask" and "think" and yellow fever

This morning I read through the letter to the saints in Ephesus. I did quite a bit of underlining and note-taking but two words stood out to me this morning that haven't normally caught my eye. In Ephesians 3 Paul says -

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (3:20-21)

He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask. I understand this because I don't ask God for much because I expect too little of him. He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we think. I can think of quite a bit. At times my mind runs wild. He is able to do far more abundantly than anything I can think. I was convicted of two things this morning. First, I don't expect much from God so I don't ask. Secondly, and to my shame, I don't think much of God. He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think - according to the power at work within us - so to HIM be the GLORY! Forever! Amen.

Today I am taking my family to the capital city! It will be a fun outing. I will get a Yellow Fever vaccination. If that doesn't say "Happy Thanksgiving!" I don't know what does.

Close your eyes...we're praying!

I have been reading D.A. Carson's book The Cross and Christian Ministry: Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians. If you are or have been involved in ministry in a church, this is a must-read.
In the section on 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Carson asks, "What then does it mean today to resolve "to know nothing...except Jesus Christ and him crucified"? How do we apply this in our churches. He gives a few examples but the one below caused me to think about our own church.

We have become so performance-oriented that it is hard to see how compromised we are. Consider one small example. In many of our churches, prayers in morning services now function, large measure, as the time to change the set in the sanctuary. The people of the congregation bow their heads and close their eyes and when they look up a minute later, why, the singers are in place or the drama group is ready to perform. It is all so smooth. It is also profane. Nominally we are in prayer together addressing the King of heaven, the sovereign Lord. In reality, some of us are doing that while others are rushing on tiptoes around the "stage" and others, with their eyes closed, are busy wondering what new and happy configuration will confront them when it is time to take a peek.

Has the smoothness of the performance become more important to us than the fear of the Lord?...Have professional competence and smooth showmanship become more valuable than sober reckoning over what it means to focus on Christ crucified?

Does this resonate with you and your theatre church?

Another Challies Giveaway

I posted information about this last month and if I did not believe in the sovereignty of God I would say I was lucky because - I won! Well, it's a new month and that means a new giveaway.


So here are the prizes...

First prize: One copy of The ESV Listener's Bible on CD (as read by Max McLean) and one copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection. The retail value of this prize is over $150.
Second prize: One copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection.
Third Prize: One copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection.

Those are great prizes! Would you like to win? Simply CLICK HERE! When you enter please submit the referral number listed below

30163

Please enter the draw. Help me out. My kids need to eat tonight and they need new shoes and I ran out of gas and I...you get the point.

The winnngs

When we returned from our mt. vacation a large box was waiting for me in my office. I opened the box and was pleasantly surprised to see the loot from the Challies give-away. I handed out several at church yesterday and plan to give out many more. I believe I will keep the Phillips book. After I read it I may loan it out. I have many books to give away and I am checking the list to see who has been naughty and who has been nice.

Many thanks to Tim Challies for having the draw and for Ligonier Ministries for supplying the books.

Whiskerino

Whiskerino began on November 1st, 2007. What is Whiskerino? That's a good question. It is a beard contest in which the participants must start with a clean slate. Images are uploaded each day to show the progress of the beard. At the end of each day points are tallied and a "king" is chosen. The event ends on February 28th. If you would like to visit the site click here. If you would like to add points to my total click on the 3 crowns below my picture. There are over 300 entries. My name for the contest is "blackbeard." To go directly to my page click here. Enjoy. May the beard growing begin!...or continue.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4