ON CHURCH GOVERNANCE, UNITY AND FUTURE

This week I read an interesting article in the Adventist review, outlining how church leaders are elected.  In a few weeks we are going to drive to General Conference session, which happens every five years.  For me it is a spiritual journey, bringing my kids to see the Big picture of the  church’s mission and values on a global scale. My kids see the GC session as an event much greater than any concert, or other public event.  Some 80,000 Adventists are anticipated to come and visit there.  And there will be 2,410 delegates from all 13 regional divisions of our world-wide church, who  were selected to represent some 20+ million members, and who will participate in the voting marathon, including the election of top church leadership.

 While all 2,410 delegates vote on session agenda items, only a select number actually nominate church officers.  So here, how things are done.  During their first day in Atlanta, delegates from each of the church’s 13 regions will meet and appoint a prescribed number of their members—typically around 235 total—to the Nominating Committee.  Those selected as Nominating Committee members then convene to recommend candidates for various offices and departments at the world church headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.  Any candidate the Nominating Committee chooses is immediately presented to the full body of delegates, where a majority vote determines if the nominee is elected. If he or she isn’t, the Nominating Committee reconvenes to recommend someone else.

The church highest positions—those of world church president, secretary, and treasurer—are the first nominations. Presidents of the church’s world regions are nominated next.  While the process is less straightforward than, say, national political elections, church leaders said it’s designed to discourage campaigning in the run-up to session by narrowing the time between nominations and voting.

While it’s impossible to eliminate what he calls the “human element” of the nomination and voting process, we trust in God’s guidance through elected delegates, representatives who take the final vote.

Some Conferences have announced their delegates already.  For example, the Bahamian Conference listed their three delegates for all members to know, and express their wishes, and to pray for them:

This weekend Ontario churches are celebrating together the united efforts in Mississauga, at a one-day-campmeeting.  Hopefully some of our members will also trek there too.  All pastors are there for the day with families.  Our Conference delegates to GC session will be also announced soon.  As members of our united sisterhood of churches, a conference in Ontario your prayers are wanted.  Pray for your representatives, call them up if you have questions, suggestions, or concerns.  Pray for the local Conference, and for the upcoming General Conference Session, for God to release the workers into the harvest.

WHEN WE PRAY

How do you pray?  How do you worship?

Simple questions.  These are gateways to our Communion with God, and a lot depends on “how to.”

As I observe and participate in communal life of the church there are four evident misconceptions about Prayer and Worship.

1.      Classroom – where worship is learning, and we evaluate what goes on by how much knowledge we gain.  Even from prayers, which often sound as lectures.  You’ve heard those prayers, that sound more as doctrinal sermons.  Worship and Prayer becomes God’s homework.  Knowing is important, it is a prelude to worship and prayer.  But listing all we know and think is neither worship nor prayer.

2.      Evangelistic tent – proclamation through prayer and worship that puts sinners on a guilt trip and invites or suggests them to repent, convert, change.  Evangelism itself is vital, but it should be result of prayer and worship.  When we meet God in prayer and worship and He inspires and empowers us to invite others into the Joy of Communion, then we evangelise.

3.      Psychological couch – expecting God to meet our emotional and psychological needs.  The worship sermon is seen as a kind of mass counselling, and the personal prayer is either do-it-yourself therapy or another counselling session.   It is true that faith heals people emotionally. 

4.      Spectator’s theatre – where people in the audience watch “pros” perform.  We evaluate the best “prayers” and best “worshippers.  We cheer those who do well, and criticize those who do poorly, unprepared.  How many have never prayed in public worship?  How many only listen watch and wish?

We need to return to Biblical paradigm of Worship and Prayer which is all-participatory and stems from our “prostration” (not frustration) before the King of the Universe.  Worship and Prayer can be used interchangeably as terms, meaning bowing face down, desperate to encounter the One we Seek after. 

Have you ever prostrated yourself before someone?  It breaks the pride inside.  I am not suggesting we do it in this room together – there is no place for it.  Kneeling is sufficient in the public place.  But try it at home – praying prostrate before God, maintain that bodily position to let the mind begin to grasp what it is saying about Who God is.

As we admit our unworthiness and celebrate God’s grace to us in prayer, we receive blessings as a fruit of such worship.   Today I invite you to give a fresh start to your life of Prayer as Worship.

TELL A CHILD, TELL THE WORLD

This week as I was preparing the schedule and calendar plans for the last trimester of 2010, I checked the Prayer Week readings at the General Conference website, and in the process stumbled on our Children Ministry page. What impressed me was the special emphasis on ministering to our children.  The motto was expressed in the song by Kimberly Houliston “Children First”

Jesus said “suffer the children to come unto me and forbid them not”
So we have a duty to tell all children of Jesus love
Let’s not hold back on what we are to do
Jesus has a place for our children too.
Read them the Bible and teach them to pray
And make Jesus their best friend today

Chorus
We’ll put our children first and help them to grow

Put our children first and make sure they know

Jesus loves them so, wants to be their friend too

Put our children first at church at home and school
Put our children first in everything we do

We’ll put our children first ‘cause Jesus loves them too

There’ll be children teaching and children preaching of Jesus love

Using their gifts to share with the world the dreams of their hearts

While our children are the leaders of tomorrow

They can make a difference today

Empower this generation to tell all the nations

Jesus is coming back one day

Dear church family, are we doing so?  Are we putting our children first? Our Evangelism initiatives are guided by the motto “Tell the World” and we do it by telling our communities in which we live.  Today I invite you to think of children in our families.  Are we telling them our faith?  Do we have regular family worships?  Are we placing our children’s spiritual growth as a top priority on our budget, our schedule, our space?

As I visit with people in community, especially with those who used to fellowship with us in the 80s and 90s and then left, I see that the reason kids left because adults were occupied with other things, work, their own relationships, and spiritual edification of children was not prioritized right.  Let’s change things, and let’s make our children first.  Tell a child, and you will tell the world!

WILL YOUR CHILDREN GROW UP TO BE ADVENTIST?

Have you ever asked yourself this question?  Just look at our church family over the last 25 years, and ask yourself: how many of our youth stayed and are active in ministry, as compared to those who are not walking with Christ?

Many don’t want to face the grim reality that about 80%, that’s 4 out of 5 kids born and raised in our church do walk away.  Some will even get upright tight and upset with my blog “again, for the nth time the pastor is being negative.” And I will keep raising this question.  Why?  What went wrong?  Do we have the truth, or are we just wasting our time playing the game of religion, as a hobby for seniors?

Roger Dudley, an Adventist researched at Andrews University had published his 30 years long study answering a simple question “why do teenagers leave the church?”  The book has been around for almost a decade, yet, not many are taking it seriously to make changes needed. 

I visited with many youth in our city over the past 5 years and heard all kind of versions and answers.  Many reasons are valid, and the youth want to see the sincerity in adults.  There is nothing more convincing and persuasive than a sincere committed life.  The youth want to see unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness.  And I say we are building such an environment in our church family, non-judgmental all-embracing care.

Out of many suggestions one is dominant, loud and is still lacking.  It is TIME!  Investing time in our kids, our youth, mentoring them, teaching them, being with them as they are growing up.  As a father I have a special appreciation of efforts by Mario Carcamo Jr. Who stepped up to teach teens Sabbath School class, and then offered his time to take kids on bike rides, to school sport games cheering for friends, who’s mentoring music development for some.  That kind of mentoring time investment was lacking in most of our youth growing up.  Sure, the Pathfinders Club is supposed to take care of it.   Really? With gaps of five years, and inconsistent follow ups?  Maybe the Sabbath School crafts will do?  Partial contribution, yes, but not enough!  What about the annual VBS, week long?  What about occasional AY?

Some youth who had been through a few years of Pathfindering, got married to a non-believer, and do not attend currently, openly admit that they have never read the Bible, they do not know basic stories, as the family worship was often lacking, and “family time” was watching a movie together, at best.

One trend that has been observed across the North America, that is not coincidental, is decline of enrolment in Adventist Schools during the same 30 years.  As the living cost increased, and both parents went to work, children are given up to be raised by the State.  Having the Education and oversight provided no one is asking about values and morals that are being instilled in the youth.  The reason we had started an Adventist Academy 3 years ago was to resurrect value building, to transfer the Biblical truth, and to give hope to the next generation.  It is tough going effort, as parents would rather invest $2,500 into new furniture or entertainment set, than in their child’s faith development. Have you noticed Muslim schools going up and are increasing in enrolment? And we cannot compete with government funded Catholic schools.  They care.  And we also will not give up the hope and faith we have of carrying the Three Angels Message into the next generation.  The Church School is the ingredient that has been missed, ignored and neglected in raising our youth.  And more evidence is pointing out that it is the fundamental component, together with Sabbath School, with Adventurers and Pathfinders, with youth Vespers & AYs.  Because it communicates to our kids that we care for them most!