An Invitation in a PC(USA) Church?

The past two weeks I have introduced a new portion of our service of worship, which I have called the “Invitation to Discipleship and Membership.” Judging by the fact that several folks have mentioned it to me after worship each Sunday, this new addition has not gone unnoticed. Because you all are so polite and because I am so new to this congregation, the only people who have mentioned it to me are the people who like it. I would imagine, however, that there are some who are at least a little uncomfortable with it. I can imagine that some think I am hammering away at the “repent and believe” motif a little hard. Some may have even asked, “Did we hire ourselves a Presbyterian or a Baptist?” Just in case there are folks who are uneasy about this, I want to make sure that everyone is clear about what I am doing with the “Invitation to Discipleship and Membership.”

Firstly, it needs to be noted that I am preaching what are called “expository” sermons right now from Mark. “Why is our new pastor harping away about repenting, believing, and following Jesus? We get it already!” The reason I’m doing that is because that is what Jesus is doing in the first chapter of Mark. I’m letting the text guide me instead of my own ideas about what I want to preach. Whenever Mark’s gospel gets into other areas of theology, so will my preaching. I might add, however, that just because you’ve got it already, doesn’t mean that everyone in the pews that particular morning has it. Secondly, I believe that faithful Christian worship should always be invitational and that it is helpful when the invitation is clearly stated. Perhaps someone is interested in Jesus but doesn’t realize that a mere fascination with him is not what he calls us to. Also, why would people join if they’ve never been invited to do so?

A couple of years ago I was at a lunch with Philip Lotspeich, the director of Church Growth for the PC(USA). Among other topics, he spoke about how the PC(USA) is dealing with the consequences of not clearly inviting people into discipleship, and once they are disciples not being intentional about their growing in their discipleship. He talked about how many of our churches seem to be about anything and everything other than actually being a disciple of Jesus Christ. I could relate to what he said, and I vowed that when I returned to being the head pastor of a congregation I was going to preach invitationally (in a Reformed way) and that I will be clear about inviting people to become disciples of Jesus and to join with the community of faith. This is, after all, a very biblical thing to do. Not only did Jesus call people to enter the Kingdom of God by following him throughout his ministry, but after his resurrection he was very clear with his disciples about what their purpose, as the church, was to be: “Go out into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Similarly, the Apostle Paul’s message can be distilled as “we implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

You will notice that each week I begin the invitation by saying, “If you feel drawn to become a disciple of Jesus…” As a Presbyterian, that word “drawn” is particularly important to me. As Presbyterians we believe that the initiative toward discipleship comes initially from God. Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). As Presbyterian seminary professor and author Dr. Sherron Kay George writes, “Evangelism is invitational. Jesus came into the world as a gift of God's grace. Some people "did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God" (John 1:11-12). God offers gifts, but never forces people to accept them. God invites a response. When we share our faith and invite others to accept Christ, pray, read literature, or attend a Bible study or church service, we must allow them to accept or reject God's loving grace.” She goes on to write, “Presbyterians understand evangelism as a process that calls people to conversion, discipleship, incorporation into Christian communities, and participation in God's mission… While not all will accept our invitations, we will find that people are more spiritually hungry and open to receive them than we are to extend them.” Presbyterian evangelism cannot include manipulation, false emotion, or hellfire and brimstone fear mongering, but it must include invitation.

It might be surprising to some but our PC(USA) Book of Order is filled with talk of evangelism. One of the Six Great Ends of the Church is “the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind.” We also read, “The Church is Christ’s faithful evangelist… God sends the church in the power of the Holy Spirit to announce the good news that in Christ Jesus the world is reconciled to God, and to tell all nations and peoples of Christ’s call to repentance, faith, and obedience.” Also, more specifically the Book of Order says that after the sermon “the response to the proclamation of the Word is expressed in an affirmation of faith and commitment,” which we do corporately through the Apostle’s Creed. It goes on to say, however, that “an opportunity for personal response may also be provided during this time.” Did you know that there is even a “Service for Evangelism” given as an option within our Book of Order?

So don’t worry. You didn’t hire a Baptist. You most definitely called a Presbyterian. I even read John Calvin with my coffee and breakfast each morning and have a Reformed Creeds and Confessions app on my iphone! The moral of the story for me is that just because many PC(USA) congregations have not been clearly inviting people to make a commitment of discipleship to Jesus Christ and to unite with the congregation in membership if they feel that God is calling them to do so that doesn’t mean that we don’t believe in it. It simply means we’ve been neglecting it. After all, just because I haven’t been running and exercising doesn’t mean I’m morally opposed to it; it just means I haven’t been doing what I’m supposed to be doing. At first, like exercising after neglect, an emphasis on invitation may seem awkward and maybe even a little painful. But once those muscles get stretched out, we’ll be in better health and on the move.

So with all that being said, I, as a Presbyterian, can’t help but invite anyone reading this blog who feels drawn to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, to make a profession of faith in him as Lord and Savior, to be baptized if you never have been, or if you are already a disciple of Jesus Christ and want to formally unite with this congregation in membership, to please get in contact with me so we can pray and talk together. Sorry, I just couldn't help it. It is GOOD news, after all.

A New Set of Eyes

I’m really bad about not being able to find something that is right in front of me. I have torn apart a room looking for my keys, spending twenty minutes searching. Then Danielle walks in the room and immediately points to where they are and says, "You've got to be kidding me, right?" I needed a new set of eyes to show me what was right there all along. The same thing happens when I write a letter. I'll read it ten times to make sure everything is correct. Then I'll hand it to someone else to proofread and they'll immediately pick out a misspelling or incorrect word. I needed a new set of eyes to show me what was right there all along.

A church member said to me just this morning, "We've seen the negative for so long it's hard to see anything else." That could happen to any group of people that has been through the instability that our church has experienced in the past several years. So I see myself as a new set of eyes to show our church what has been right here all along: faith, passion, energy, openness, and even numbers of people. As I researched congregations during my search for a new call I came across a lot of congregations that did not seem to have all the possibilities that this congregation has.

As a new set of eyes I see lots of little kids who need to be excited and engaged by Sunday school, middle schoolers who want to be confirmed but haven't had the opportunity, and a high school senior who is willing to dedicate his final semester to building a foundation for a high school youth group but just needed some pastoral support and guidance. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." I take that seriously. I'm not one to wait around when I see young people who actually want to grow in their faith. I just figure out what needs to be done to roll out the red carpet for them.

There are a lot of things brewing at FPC that I thought everyone might want to know about. The Sunday school curriculum for Kindergarten through 5th grade is getting a total overhaul, moving to a rotational curriculum that is highly activity based. The optimistic start date for that change is February 5. The kids will spend four weeks on the same passage of Scripture but learn it in four different ways. For instance, the first passage the kids will study is the 23rd Psalm. On one week they will do a cooking project about it, the next have a craft, then a game, and then drama. By the end of the month they’ll know the 23rd Psalm better than you and I do. Then they’ll move on to something else for the next four weeks. We need leaders and helpers so please contact me if you are willing. If you don’t call me there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be calling you.

The optimistic start date for a communicants/confirmation class for any youth 12 years old during the Sunday school hour is also on February 5 in “The Center” downstairs. The plan is for me to lead this class. It will last through May. So far I know of three kids who have shown interest in participating.

On January 22 from 7:00-8:30 pm we will have high school youth group at the church for the first time in years. I’ve sent out postcards to 10 high schoolers who are a part of this church and Jesse Penwell is personally inviting them, as well as others.

Our attendance the past three Sundays has been 113, 137, and 129. That's good, but it won't last without addressing issues of Christian Education. Everybody is excited right now and checking out the new pastor. But we won't stay this excited forever, especially if families find that there are no other opportunities for their kids. So I hope I won't be pushy in utilizing my "new set of eyes" but I will be aggressive in addressing the major issues that stand between us and greater vitality. I'm serious when I say everything we need is right here in front of us. It's just that it is easy to look at something you think you've lost for so long that you cannot see that you never lost it in the first place. It's right here in front of us! You may not be able to see it yet, but you will. I promise, you will.

Why have a pastor's blog?

It might seem pretty self-important for a pastor to have a blog, and maybe it is. There is always that risk for us pastors. If I didn't like 100 or 200 people sitting and listening to what I have to say then I wouldn't have become a pastor. But the reason I have decided to start this blog is that I don't get to see most of our congregation members and friends in between Sundays. In addition to that, when I do get to see everyone on Sundays I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make sure Sunday school is running smoothly, that we are ready to go for worship, and then afterwards trying to learn 150 names and answer almost that many questions. Also, quite often I have to cut quite a bit of material out of a sermon so it can all fit within the context of our worship service. But sometimes what I have to cut could help in the understanding of the Scriptures if I just had a way to share it too. Well, now I do!

I hope that this blog will not end up being an outlet for my random musings about pop culture or politics, but that it will be one more tool in my pastor's toolbox to help the people whom I serve to grow closer to God in Jesus Christ. I might share a story or something I've read or maybe a particular movie I have seen that has a faith element to it. My plan is that either on Tuesday or Wednesday of each week I will post. You should be notified through the Facebook page and you'll also be able to access it through www.fpcwcho.org. It is also my hope that you will feel free to post relevant comments to join in on the conversation.

Also, if I occasionally write something of worth, use this blog as a way to invite your friends and neighbors to learn more about our congregation. "Hey, my pastor happened to blog about something I know you're interested in. You should check it out. Just go to www.fpcwcho.org and you can click on the blog on the front page." It's as easy as that!

I'm so glad to be here at FPC in Washington Court House! We have a lot of adventures in store for us in our future together.