Missional Initiative Fellowship

Last week I got an offer I couldn’t refuse. A group of men wanted to take me and 4 others under their wing and mentor and coach us for a year - for free. They will work to develop analyze and develop our leadership skills, help us develop personal and professional plans and goals, do consulting in our churches and provide resources (possibly) for personal and professional development. In addition, we will be spending June 11-13 at Fuller Seminary with Alan Roxburgh on their nickel (the guys, not Fuller). We all will also meet together and read 4 books and learn together. Kind of a small cohort.

I’ve talked with a couple of folks about this and now want to begin further talks with the blogosphere. My thought is to create a Missional Fellowship that meets 3 times per year in various cities (large cities or cities with easy access). In those cities, we identify churches and church leaders that are missional in what they are doing and ask if they will meet with us for a day. For instance, maybe we could get Nelson Searcy from the Journey Church in NYC meet with us for a day, or we split it up and try to get Nelson in the morning and Tim Keller in the afternoon. Then we spend the next day meeting together and talking, learning and sharing with each other about how we can be missional in our own context. Maybe, we work together on projects or missions opportunities or share resources. In addition, we try to identify one or two potential missional leaders and invest and mentor them. Finally, I would like to develop a repository of missional articles and blog posts that range from the theological to the practical on one site.

The fellowship should not have a leader. We need to be starfish, not spiders. It should be a true fellowship.

If you are interested, click on the “Contact Me” link above and shoot me an email or post a comment below.

My Ministry Passion

Have you ever put down on paper what really drives your ministry? What has God so passionately placed in your heart that you must do? I put this on paper recently. It goes something like this:

I believe that the responsibility of a pastor and church staff is to equip the church to do the work of ministry. Therefore, I am passionate about leading the church to become Christ followers, to be leaders, to invest themselves in others and how to utilize their spiritual gifts to the fullest. I am a mentor and a teacher who sees his role as someone to enable people to live out the vision God has given them. I also believe in removing barriers that keep unchurched people from initiating or rebuilding their relationship with Christ. With this in mind, I believe the church should try to create many third spaces, such as coffee shops, that offer locations where Christians and the unchurched can connect.

I am an entrepreneur. Most of my ministry and work experience have been in startups, be it churches or businesses. While I am not a church planter in the traditional sense, I am a pastor who has a passion to start churches of all kinds and in all parts of the world. In addition, I have a passion to see people made whole, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially. Ministry for me does not begin and end when a person walks through the doors of a building. It involves finding ways to help people reach wholeness in all areas of their lives and to be a fruitful Christ follower within the domains they live and move.

Ministry for me also includes social ministry. This includes rebuilding homes, teaching life skills, job skills and parenting skills. It means developing transition homes where those recovering from destructive behaviors can transition into healthy relationships, sustainable employment, and emotional and fiscal wholeness.

Ministry also means community and nation building. Part of ministry for me is to provide opportunities for sustainable living both in the local community and across the world. If there is an opportunity to send money overseas for ministry, that means starting a business overseas that provides jobs, homes, and education for people in that community. When that happens, subsequent industries as well as goods and services are attracted and the community now offers a sustainable lifestyle. While this can and should be done overseas, it also can be done in USAmerica.

In church doctrine, I am conservative. I consider my views as humble orthodoxy, meaning that while I am theologically conservative, I’m not angry about it. I do not look at where we differ – unless it is on the essentials – but where we are in agreement. I am willing to work with those who agree on the essentials of our faith.

Some may say, “Well that’s great David, but what are you doing now, huh?” I put that on paper as well.

Mission Fellowship is a small church with a big vision. Our vision is to plant 30 churches over the next 15-20 years from the northern tip of Delaware to the southern tip. We are currently planting an active adult church in Middletown and will be the sponsor of a church plant in Smyrna, 20 minutes south of Middletown. We have also just launched an outreach Bible Study for active adult women in an active adult community.

We are trying to acquire resources to develop a transitional home for those recovering from destructive behavior. We are also trying to find resources to start a third space, in this case a coffee house, that creates opportunities for Christians to interact with the unchurched in a non-threatening location. The coffee house would have family friendly bands on the weekend, local art, poetry readings and book clubs.

In the past almost three years, we have baptized 10, started Celebrate Recovery, Financial Peace University, and are financially supporting both a church plant in Times Square, NY and a ministry to the Port of New Orleans. We will be taking our kids to Centri-Kid for the second year in a row and sending students to World Changers for the third consecutive year. We are also going on our first mission trip, taking six to New Orleans to do ministry there. Also, our children’s ministry revolves around high energy music and high creativity and is effective in preparing children to do ministry now.

All of this is being conceived and carried out by a church of 50+.

Here’s what is going on through the end of June:

• Our church is taking going on a mission trip next month to New Orleans.
• 13 of our students & adults are going to an area of NC to do construction in June. This is their 3rd year to do so.
• We’ve got a group from Mississippi coming in June to help us do ministry (I’ve been begging people for 3 years now to come help us).
• We’ve starting an outreach Bible Study for older ladies - it is being hosted by our admin assistant and she’s not a member of our church.
• We’re planting an active adult church (55+). The potential planter will be going for his assessment in a couple of weeks. Pray for him.
• We’ve got a guy from a church north of us who lives in our town doing outreach Bible studies in his sub-division and he will send those people to our church - and I’ve never met the guy! (Though I’m trying to get in touch with him).
• We’ve got 4 non-Christians who don’t go to our church judging an “Iron Chef” competition this month for our church.
• We’re still trying to find a spot to start a coffee shop, and the director of Middletown Mainstreet is working with us to find some space.
• 12 of us will be meeting to discuss the book “Glocalization” and will have the opportunity to have the author on the phone with us.
• We are hoping to have church planter on the field for another church plant 20 minutes south of us.
• We are trying to start a couples outreach Bible Study geared toward a more active adult age.

If you have a similar ministry passion, I would love to connect with you.  Please use the link above to contact me.

What Difference does the Trinity Make?

I was posed this question by John Franke of Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, PA a couple of weeks ago. I was posing to him a question about whether a person who doesn’t believe Jesus is God (and even has an apologetic against it) can be a Christian. He then posed the question to me, “What difference does the trinity make in your every day life?” I am still working on an answer. What would you say? It made me realize that many of us are orthodox in that area, but in our orthopraxy, we’re not even concerned about it.

It’s Good to Be Alive

Many moons ago, I was an avid listener of Geoff Moore & the Distance. I loved their music. Every now and again I think of that song and it just reminds me of the gift of life and the opportunity to inject Christ into a hurting world. I was sharing the lyrics with my classmates and thought I’d just post the lyrics here. I’ve been able to find it on iTunes, so it’s been a joy listening to it again!

It’s Good to Be Alive

Wasn’t it yesterday, I was eight years old
I had a pocket full of rocks that I knew were made of solid gold
There were girls to be hated trees to be climbed,
forts to be built, there was so much time;
It’s good to be alive
good to be alive

There’s nothing in the world like being fifteen:
Your pockets are empty, but your head is full of dreams
of girls to be loved, of places to see
it’s the best and the worst, just my friends and me
and we’re anything we want to be

And it’s good to be alive feel the wind in my face,
see the blue in the sky; It’s days like this I realize what a gift it is,
it’s good to be alive

Well, I wonder what this day will see.
Will I find my dreams or stare in the face of tragedy;
Whatever may come, whatever may be
of this I am sure, I’m forgiven and free;
And I will live like I believe. It’s good to be alive

And it’s good to be alive feel the wind in my face,
see the blue in the sky; It’s days like this I realize what a gift it is,
it’s good to be alive

Former professor sues SWBTS over departure

According to the Dallas Morning News,

a former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor has filed suit against the school and its president, Paige Patterson, claiming she lost her tenure-track position because of her gender.

The suit by Dr. Sheri Klouda, filed late Thursday in federal court, accuses the Fort Worth seminary and Dr. Patterson of breach of contract, fraud and defamation. The suit asks unspecified damages.

Neither Dr. Klouda nor seminary officials would comment on the litigation.

It’s a sad day in our convention. I have no idea how this will work out, though I am guessing that religious liberty will be the defense. The question will be determined by the courts.

What concerns me is that this potentially could drag the SBC as a whole into the situation. The sole ownership issue could potential make the SBC as a whole liabel as well. This was one of the issues Chuck Kelley argued against taking NOBTS into the Sole Ownership direction.

Another issue that will must be looked at is this: If this has happened at SWBTS, are there others like Klouda who will now come out and with confidence file similar suits? Could we see a host of women come forward?

It grieves me that this has entered the court system. I truly hope that whatever is done is done in a manner of integrity, love, and Christian character.

Though I disagree with the seminary and what it did to Dr. Klouda, I do not wish ill on Dr. Patterson or SWBTS. He served our convention well and a deeply important person in our convention. At the same time, with this, comes the question of whether, for the sake of the convention and/or SWBTS, if Dr. Patterson needs to step down.

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