Picking a New Church in a New City (part 5)

During the last several weeks, we've written about the journey that eventually led Teresa and I to join Covenant Fellowship church. This will be the final post in this series. Our desire has been to share how God has impacted us as we sought a new church in a new city. Our desire has not been to glorify our church or to paint a picture of a perfect church. The church, its leadership, and all its members are made up of sinful people (including us!). But, by God's grace, God changes us in such a way that we now have the power to love Him and other people.

God brought us to Philadelphia so we could attend seminary. We've learned a lot in seminary through books, lectures, and assignments. Being in seminary has felt like drinking out of a firehouse and getting flooded with lots of great theology. But, no one learns to do ministry by only sitting in a classroom. You don't learn to play golf by watching videos, reading books, or hearing lectures. You learn by getting your feet on the ground and taking swings.

If you've been reading our posts on picking a new church in a new city, you may see that Teresa and I have been challenged and grown from our church, just as we have grown through seminary. This last post will focus on the culture of humility that the pastors have developed, which includes working together as a team.

HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: PARKING TEAM?

During a membership classes, one of the teachers shared about an early experience he had with the church many years ago. He was fresh out of college and had served as a leader in campus ministry. He came to one of the pastors and offered to serve in a teaching or preaching role. The pastor said that the church needed people to serve on the parking team or in childern's ministry.

But he replied, “I don't think you understand. I have gifts and experience in preaching and teaching. You could use a guy like me.” The pastor calmly repeated what he had said earlier. Somewhat discouraged, the teacher shared about his hesitation to join the parking team. He was expecting to be up-front in a high-profile speaking role. Instead, he was in the church parking lot directing traffic!

Yet, the teacher told us that what he learned on the parking team completely changed his perspective on what it means to serve. He saw that service was about meeting the needs of others in a posture of humility, rather than advancing his own agenda. He learned the reality of Mark 10:42-45:

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many

HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: PICKING A NEW SENIOR PASTOR

Another place where we've seen God work out humility in the lives of the leadership is in the area of ambition. We were encouraged by how our church chose their new senior pastor a few years ago when their previous senior pastor (Dave Harvey) changed his role from serving as the senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship church to serving other pastors at other churches in Sovereign Grace Ministries. Our current senior pastor Jared is in his early 30's, which is unusual; typically in churches, whoever has been around for the longest gets promoted to that role. However, during that transition, several of the pastors who had been around for 20+ years went to the senior pastor and said, "I think Jared (who had only gone to the pastor's college a few years earlier) is the one who has been gifted the best by God to lead our church as senior pastor." They recognized that the church would be best served if that role was filled by someone other than themselves, and were willing to give up their rights and ambitions so that the church would be built up.

HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: RAISING UP THE NEXT GENERATION

Another example we were encouraged with was how the more-experienced pastors mentor the less-experienced pastors. The ones with more experience are willing to give the younger ones their best sermon illustrations so that the younger men may be raised up in the church and thought well of, so that the church would benefit and grow in maturity. Even though no one would know that the illustration really came from the mentor pastor, they were willing to invest in the mentee pastor because they knew it would benefit the church. In our own lives, we recently wrote a script for a play for children's ministry, and our mentor Marty was more than willing to give us tips and feedback that really made the skit better, though no one would know about it.

Alex (who has only finished one year of seminary) has also been encouraged by how Marty (20+ years of experience as pastor) asks him for feedback on his childern's sermons. Wherever the Lord leads us to do serve, we want to have the humility to seek feedback and grow from all people at all levels of maturity in the body of Christ.

TEAMWORK MENTALITY

Another major thing we've really been amazed at is the idea of the body of Christ working together as a team for the good of the church. We've been encouraged at how this type of culture is seen not only in the pastoral team, but also in children's ministry, where we are currently serving. For every child that is enrolled in children's ministry, it is expected that one of their parents will serve in children's ministry. As a result, each Sunday, a whole army of parents and other volunteers comes together and shares the load of the ministry.

There are multiple rotations of multiple teams who cover a variety of different functions. There are coordinators for the different ages who make sure the lessons are carried out consistently from team to team. The coordinators also rotate every other week. That way, no one gets burned out and people get to be a part of ministry with their kids. Not one person does the lion's share of the work, and every person is dependent on the other team members in order to succeed. No matter what your experience level, there is a place where you can serve and be a vital part of the ministry, because every person is vital.

Alex and I were challenged at how that would translate into how we live our own lives. Are we willing to help another classmate with something they were struggling in so that they get a better grade? Can we realize that others' gifts and talents are a great fit for a coveted internship instead of our own? Do we recognize how God has created us all differently with strengths and weaknesses, and be content in that and not in fulfilling our own desires and aspirations of glory? On our own, we are helpless, but with God's help and the Spirit's work in our lives, I pray that He would continue to work in our lives more and more in this area.

RESOURCES

Finally, we've learned a lot from others who have thought long and hard about what the Bible teaches about the local church.

One book we highly recommend is “9 Marks of a Healthy Church” by Mark Dever. If you're curious about the content, my friend Geoff Prewett has written a very good summary and review of it here. This isn't a comprehensive list of 9 things that your church must have. According to Dever, it is a list of traits (taken from scripture) that have grown rare in the American church.

Teresa helped revamp the membership class at Austin Chinese Church when she was working as an administrative assistant. The course now uses a book called “What is a Healthy Church Member?” by Thabiti Anyabwile.

Alex also read a book called "The Shepherd Leader" by Tim Witmer, a professor at Westminster. It is an excellent scriptural and historical look at how God calls pastors to be shepherds (and not managers) and will hold them accountable for this. Witmer describes for pastors and elders what this shepherding responsibility looks like in the trenches of the local church.

Picking a New Church in a New City (part 4b)

In this series of posts, Teresa and I have tried to capture the process which God led us to become members of Covenant Fellowship church. Past topics included the preaching and worship at Covenant. The previous post introduced the topic of church membership: what are the responsibilities and privileges of joining a church. I ended with a description of the “Explore” class, which gave us lots of insight into the church.

Church membership, though, is much more than a class. There has to be some way for the pastors to know who is part of the church and who isn't. The purpose isn't to exclude people, but to have clarity on who is included. The leaders have to know who is part of the church if they are to be responsible for them on the Day of Judgment:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account” (Heb. 13:14).

SPIRITUAL CARE OF MEMBERS

Spiritual care and oversight looks different at different churches, and there isn't a one-size-fits-all. At Covenant Fellowship, each person who wants to be a member has to join a Community Group. This includes those in other Bible studies (i.e. campus ministry). A typical Community Group is 15-25 people and meets twice a month. It is a time of fellowship, encouragement, accountability, and prayer.

The community group also provides a way for the pastors to track attendance. This way, when someone begins to wander off, the leader or pastor can provide spiritual care. All too often, someone who is disillusioned with their church stops attending, but nobody notices until its too late. By then, they have either joined a different church, or worse, hardened their heart or turned their back on God. In America, countless people jump from one church to another or have completely left the church. What a sobering thought that many careless shepherds did little or nothing to care for wandering sheep and will be held accountable by God one day.

MEMBERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

Being part of a community group is the primary avenue for the members of Covenant Fellowship to love one another and show genuine love for our Lord (John 13:34-35). In addition, through the preaching and discipleship ministries, church members are urged to serve the body, serve those outside the church, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are two aspects of church membership that were new and somewhat surprising, though in a good way.

LAWSUITS AMONG BELIEVERS

The first was a commitment that no member of the church would ever sue another member. This is based on 1 Corinthians 6:

“When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to the law before the unrighteous instead of he saints?....So, if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I saw this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? (1 Cor. 6:1-6)

Paul rebuked the Corinthian church because Christians were suing other Christians and tarnishing their witness for Christ. I've read this passage before, but I never thought that members of a church could make a commitment to one another not to sue but agree to an alternative ahead of time.

CHURCH DISCIPLINE

The other expectation was an agreement to submit to church discipline. This runs completely counter to our culture, which tells us to “Question authority.” Why would anyone submit themselves to yet another form of authority? Aren't bosses and the government intrusive enough?

But, if we dig a little deeper into scripture, church discipline is both necessary and good. A loving father doesn't let his children do whatever they want. My pastor at home has said, “Love does not mean let.” Just as fathers discipline their children, our Heavenly Father disciplines His children, that they might share in His holiness and be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. In the same way, when a church member falls into sin, the most loving thing a pastor can do is to bring him to repentance and faith. Not doing anything would be very unloving.

In most cases, church discipline is done positively, through the preaching of God's word, as the implanting of the word is able to save our souls (James 1:21). And fellow brothers and sisters have the responsibility to sharpen one another, as iron sharpens iron. But, in certain cases a pastor may need to confront someone who is living in sin (e.g. adultery). And in extreme cases where a church member continues in sin, he would need to be removed from church membership. Someone who openly lives in rebellion against God but still calls himself a “Christian” brings disgrace upon Christ and the church. Yet, discipline is for the good of the sinning church member, the purity of the church, and ultimately the glory of God.

PS -

Covenant Fellowship is part of a family of churches called “Sovereign Grace Ministries” (SGM). It's not a denomination, but there are similarities. The past few weeks have brought news of accusations of pride and poor leadership among the leaders of SGM (see here). The news is a sobering reminder that churches are imperfect as they are made up of imperfect people.

My goal in these posts is not to glorify Covenant Fellowship or SGM but to highlight what we have found encouraging and Biblical. The news reminds me that I myself am a sinner constantly and daily in need of the grace of God. The church is not for perfect people or good people, but for sick and sinful people. Our sickness reveals the glory of our Savior, who died so that sinful people could be forgiven and made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).

Picking a New Church in a New City (part 4a)

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).

In his final meeting with the pastors of Ephesus, Paul reminds them that the Holy Spirit has set them apart to care for the church of God, which God obtained with His own blood. We were ransomed from sin and eternal punishment not with perishable things such as silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:18-19), something of infinite value!

Pastors are entrusted with something of infinite value in God's eyes. Not surprisingly, the writer of Hebrews encourages all believers to obey their leaders because leaders are accountable to God:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account” (Heb. 13:14).

What does this mean for the local church? What are the implications for church leaders?

We cannot think about spiritual care and responsibility apart from church membership. Church membership is often viewed as outdated. People move every few years and don't like being tied down to a particular place or employer.

It's not unusual to hear that someone goes to the worship service of one church but goes to a small group at another church. Or, someone may go to one church because of its fellowship, worship, etc... but go to another church (or a para-church ministry) for outreach or Bible study.

There's certainly nothing wrong with supplementing our knowledge or building relationships beyond the walls of the church. But, complications arise because those involved in multiple places have multiple spiritual leaders. How does a pastor provide spiritual care for people when it is unclear who is the spiritual authority? Which pastor or staff worker is responsible for their souls? Are leaders restricted to their spheres of influence (e.g. worship, small group, Bible study, etc...)?

The confusion for leaders extends to the church body. Who is allowed to vote or make decisions? Who is allowed to teach Sunday School or serve on the worship team? Basically, who will represent Christ within the church and outside its walls?

In this post and the next one, I'll walk through the process for how the pastors at our church bring in new members in order to provide spiritual care and oversight for them. This will include commitments and responsibilities for new members as well.

MEMBERSHIP CLASS

When Teresa and I were looking for a new church in a new city, we were planning to attend a membership class to learn about the church's beliefs and leaders.

Before we joined Covenant Fellowship, we attended a 10-week class called “Explore.” It was a class for us to explore whether we would commit ourselves to the church. A pastor taught for the first 30 minutes, and the second 30-minutes was a small-group discussion led by a pastor.

Initially, 10 weeks seemed like a big commitment. Who has time for that? We liked the free food (coffee, yogurt, bagels, donuts, fruit, and more!). We also liked the approach. The pastors weren't trying to build their empire by increasing numbers. Their primary concern was that we would join a Bible-believing church where God's word is preached and practiced. They even offered to recommend other good churches in the area.

We started going to “Explore” to get our feet wet. As the class progressed, we learned a lot. We understood Covenant Fellowship's view of

• SCRIPTURE - Is scripture one voice among many or do all other voices take a back seat to it?
• THE GOSPEL- Is the gospel primarily about making the world a better place or reconciling sinners to a holy God?
• SPIRITUAL GIFTS – Which gifts are practiced today?
• CHURCH LEADERSHIP – Who are the leaders, what are their qualifications, is there accountability, etc...
• CHURCH GOVERNMENT – Are decisions made by all members or only the pastors?
• CHURCH MEMBERSHIP – What are the responsibilities for church members?

There were other topics, but these are some highlights. The 10-week class served everyone well. There was plenty of time to understand the church and for the pastors to learn about the people wanting to join.

Any disagreements between a potential new member and the pastors could be discussed openly. Some topics are non-negotiable (e.g. the gospel of Jesus Christ). A person wouldn't be allowed to join if they had incorrect understanding of the gospel. So, church membership is also the way to make sure all incoming members are actually Christians who know and embrace the gospel, not just those who are religious or spiritual.

The class showed us that Covenant Fellowship takes church membership seriously- the pastors invest significant amount of time and energy into “Explore” (and so do all the participants!).

Church membership, though is more than attending a class. In the next post, I'll go through the responsibilities of membership. Rather than scare us away with requirements not expected at most other churches, it was encouraging to see scripture's teaching on the church taken very seriously.