Recently, one of our supporting churches in the United States sent me a list of questions aimed at understanding our ministry in Wales more fully. After reflecting on my answers, I thought that others might be interested to read some of them and so I plan to post those here (slightly edited for a more general audience) over the next couple of weeks. This is the third installment of the series: click here to read Part 1 or Part 2.

What place does preaching play in the gathering of God’s people?

By “preaching” I assume you are referring to a particular style of communicating God’s Word that might also be described using some or all of the following words: monologue, exposition, sermon, from a pulpit, or from the front. In this style, a particular Scripture passage or biblical theme would be carefully studied and explained in detail by a (preferably) seminary-trained and ordained man who meets the biblical qualifications of an elder.

When I first moved to Wales, I believed that “preaching” could only be defined by the above framework and that faithful, passionate, biblical exposition would always result in healthy, fully-alive, reproducing congregations of God’s people. We began attending the Reformed evangelical congregations scattered across the tiny nation of Wales and I was immediately struck with the amazing quality of such preaching in nearly every single church.

But I was appalled to see that the average congregation numbered twenty-three persons and that many of these churches could be described as cold, lifeless, and unmotivated concerning their own spiritual vitality or the evangelization of their immediate communities. Nearly all of these churches were established as part of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ legacy: in the second half of the twentieth century he issued a call for true believers to come out of the dead mainline denominations and establish independent evangelical chapels throughout Wales. In those chapels today, the “expositor” model continues each week with fewer and fewer people sitting in the pew. Read more

Jim had been awake for thirty minutes, but his eyes remained closed as he dreaded the grueling schedule of the day ahead. Another form lay motionless beside him in the early light. "She doesn't have to get up for another three hours," he thought. "God, why can't I be so lucky? What did I do to deserve a day like today?"

Quietly he slipped out of the cool sheets and made his way downstairs to put on a pot of coffee. "Better make a full pot this morning," a voice echoed inside his head. "Yeah, right! I'm gonna need it!" He grimaced at the aches and pains that had caught up with him over the years, but it didn't slow him down too much. Not yet, anyway.

A little sad-eyed spaniel greeted him in the kitchen. Rocky was just two years old, so to be safe they kept him out of mischief each night with a small airline kennel: he loved his little plastic igloo, but he couldn't wait to go outside. "Hurry up, Rock!" Jim whispered in the pre-dawn stillness as he turned the key in the door's lock, "I've got to go just as bad as you do!" Read more

A father left his son, Charlie, in charge of the family business—a huge strawberry farm—because he was getting older and wanted to travel abroad while his health still permitted. The farm was handed down to him by his father forty years earlier and since then he had invested all of his time, energy and resources into raising the best strawberries in a five-state area. Charlie had never seen anyone work so hard and everyone in the family agreed that his father and mother really deserved some time away.

Raising strawberries is not rocket science but even if it was, the son had been well trained. When the day finally arrived, just as the last berries of the season were being shipped, the older couple set off on their journey, but not without the father’s friendly reminder that the family’s entire future rested on whether Charlie would follow his time-tested but simple strategies of raising strawberries. He knew what was at stake, so he determined to Read more

Here’s a hearty recommendation to check out Alan Knox’s series on “elders” in the church. In his introductory article, he points out an interesting observation that the subject of “church leadership” is virtually absent in the early creeds and confessions; and that it was not until the Reformation that such statements began to be included in confessional documents. That speaks volumes, don’t you think? We’ve living in an era where “the pastor” or “the elders” or “the leadership team” receive top billing and detailed explanations in our organizational resources (websites, doctrinal statements, position papers, church covenants, membership classes, etc). Things have changed a bit, I think.

Mr. Knox rightly demonstrates in Part 2 that what we often refer to as “biblical qualifications” for an elder (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1) should never be viewed as a higher standard than expected of “ordinary Christians,” nor should they be set forth as bullet points in a job description. He sees these New Testament guidelines as indicative of the way all Christians should live, especially elders since they are called to be an example to the flock; therefore Paul’s intention is “to help believers recognize those who are already living the life that God has called all believers to live. In other words, whoever is actually living the way that God wants them to live should be recognized as an elder—that is, as an example to other believers,” according to Mr. Knox. He goes on to make a very important point about the importance of the ekklesia’s ability to recognize such men:

Furthermore, if believers are to recognize elders as those who best demonstrate these characteristics, then they must know the elders intimately. These characteristics are not found on a resume or during a weekend visit; they are observed during the rough times in a person’s life. In order to tell if a person is gentle, we must see that person react to someone else who is being harsh. In order to tell if a person is self-controlled, we must see that person react to a situation that is tempting. In order to examine a person’s hospitality, we must see how that person treats strangers. In other words, if we are going to recognize someone as an elder, we must first live with that person long enough to know whether or not that person regularly demonstrates those characteristics, and whether or not that person is a person who is growing in maturity toward Christ-likeness.

If only there was a way to implement this one paragraph immediately in churches around the world! We seem to prefer a more business-like, yet shallow, approach to finding leaders for our assemblies: collect a bunch of resumes, listen to a few audio sermons, bring the candidate for a weekend visit (or even two or three), and then call for the vote of the congregation. “Brother, when can you move your family to our community?”

And in Part 3, Mr. Knox discusses the subject of “leadership” as it relates to the role of elders: just what kind of leaders should our elders be? How do they serve the body? How do they lead? In a nutshell, we are to look around us and ask the question, “Right now, who among us excels in serving others?” When we settle the answer to that question, we have found our most qualified elders because they have become more like Jesus than anyone else within the body; therefore their example and leadership, demonstrated through service, deserves to be followed.

But what about the all-important and seemingly transcendent question: “What about the prospective elder’s preaching and teaching gifts?” According to Knox, “Teaching and preaching are important, but they are not primary. Those who lead should be known more for their service than their words.” Whoa! Better watch out, Alan Knox, because statements like that can get the “thought police” really riled up and headed in your direction!

One last quote and then I hope you will jump over to The Assembling of the Church to read these three, and hopefully other, installments.

There are no instructions for elders to make decisions for other people. There are no instructions for elders to cast a vision or set the direction for a group of believers. Decision making, vision, and direction are the responsibility of each believer through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, service is the responsibility of each believer through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks, brother! We really need this kind of encouragement in the body of Christ!

Someone raised a point in a recent comment that touched an ancient chord of deep resentment that I once cherished as a "professional minister" and the pastor of several different churches over the years. My new internet friend and brother in Christ was simply trying to point out an inherent danger of small groups: the ease of false teaching being introduced into the church.

Unexpectedly he voiced what I now consider to be an unsubstantiated—but credible-sounding and serious—warning that the dynamics of Sunday School classes, cell groups, or house churches might create nothing more than a "pooling of ignorance." It's a very powerful argument that's been circulating longer than I can remember; and one that I quickly Read more

Do you ever read a book that is way outside your “comfort zone” (whether it’s a book on The Zen Approach to Expository Preaching or something written by an author who takes a completely different view on some aspect of the Christian life)? I recently chose such a book by Jack Deere, formerly an Old Testament professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, entitled Surprised by the Voice of God. It has been my traveling companion on my journey to Ireland and I have already shared a quote in a previous post.

With an endorsement by Wayne Grudem and published by Zondervan, the back cover asks the question, “Are prophecies, dreams, and visions for today?” We argued a lot of things between seminary classes, but I’m absolutely sure THAT question never came up. The blurb continues, “Jack Deere could have given you all the reasons why such things disappeared once the Bible was complete. That is, until Jack searched the Bible deeply enough for it to search him. What he found revolutionized his Christian walk—and it can transform yours as well.” [insert a couple of deep breaths here] Read more