The 3/12/120 Principle

I did some reading during a power outage last week which was followed by an internet outage. 

The reading and reflecting helped me identify a principle I have been operating by that is affirmed in the book and found in scripture. So I wrote it out and share it now as this week’s blog posting.

Here’s the link: http://wp.me/P3etrg-dS

Considering Church Discipline

At the Classis (regional gathering of representative officeholders of churches) last week, a time was set aside for a discussion of what we call Discipline in the church. It was abundantly clear that many churches struggle with this. The church plants, or newer churches, do so in a different way than established, more unicultural churches, but all struggle. Closely tied to this struggle is the struggle with what membership is today. I talked to one church planter who said they get people coming to their church who are fed up with membership requirements in other churches they’ve attended, and they just want to get to know God better in a community and serve their community through the church’s ministries, forget about membership papers and all that.

So, it was clear this is a struggle.

My blog page this week shares some brief thoughts I have about the subject of Church Discipline.

Church Discipline

Power needs to be accountable

It was a year ago this week that I first arrived in Nobleford. I did not start work until a few weeks later, but time sure has flown by. Much has begun to be done, by God’s grace, and much remains to be done. We are on an interesting journey.

I continue to trust the process we are following, and am convinced that God is at work in and through it.

This week my thoughts turned to how some people regularly refuse to take leadership positions yet do their best to wield power anyway, often with a poor effect. Here is the post: http://wp.me/P3etrg-dz

Interesting church growth reading

For those interested, I’m going to do more frequent sharing of interesting reading I come across in the course of my week. This is one I’m not finished with myself, but what I’ve seen interests me greatly. This is an interview by a pastor (It might even be the pastor from the youth group’s SERVE trip if I have my details right) interviewing a lady who did a study of what was helping established Reformed Church of America (RCA) and Christian Reformed Churches grow: http://yalt.crcna.org/crc-rca-how-does-your-garden-grow/

A Christian example of Openness and Honesty

A Christian example of Openness and Honesty

Click on the link above to be brought to a CRC Network post that is worth the reading. I personally believe in such transparency, and have consistently found hiding ‘dirty laundry’ facilitates further and bigger problems in time. In some healing work they even have a slogan “Its the secrets that kill you” and scripture clearly calls us to bring dark things out into the light.

Evaluativeness and Anxiety

Many good things came up at the last Transition Team meeting, but one question asked stood out for me. I had explained how the Elders choose to share a sermon evaluation tool with the entire congregation, partly to prevent what we have been calling an “evaluative” attitude in the congregation. The legitimate question was asked “Why give out an evaluation tool when you are trying to limit evaluativeness. The post this week explains that and relates it to anxiety: http://wp.me/P3etrg-db