the church we'd love to serve, part 1

I have been in full-time ministry, on and off, since 1984. I am currently pursuing the next stop on the journey on which God has us. I would enjoy working with a multi-staff church as part of a team effort. Through study and experience, God has molded in our hearts the kind of church we would love to serve. Here are the basic principles:

1. Dedicated to the basic principles of the Restoration Movement. I grew up going to a church of Christ, but I don't believe now like I did then. I still believe in baptism for the forgiveness of sins, although I also believe that God is a big God and can save who He wants (Romans 9:14-18). I believe in observing the Lord's Supper each week to keep us centered on Jesus individually and collectively, although Acts 20:7 isn't enough, in my opinion, to be dogmatic about a Sunday-only observance. I also believe that each Christian should read and study the Bible for themselves. I grew up hearing the sermons on Acts 17:11 and how the Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians, in that they received Paul's message with great eagerness and searched the Scriptures daily to see if the things Paul said were true. It is humorous to me to hear our brethren lament from time to time about the "wolves in sheep's clothing" in the pulpits of churches that aren't like the church of my youth. I personally believe that most of the people leading churches like that followed the leading of Acts 17:11 and ended up in a different place than some of my brethren would have liked. After all, the goal of Christian maturity is not to espouse the party line of the church of Christ, but to be consumed with Jesus Christ. My family is seeking to serve the Lord with a fellowship like that.



2. Worship like Hillsongs. Carol Ann and I have sung on Praise Teams in churches of Christ since 1996. We've seen people leave because there were women on stage. We've been accused of being entertainers. We've sung "Praise You With The Dance", while everyone stood still (it's kind of like singing "He Leadeth Me" but not believing that God still leads us today). But we have seen the mentality of worship services shift from "doing it right" to coming into the throneroom of God. Carol Ann has often said to me that worship is more caught than taught. We have been to many Christian concerts and worship experiences and wondered how we could transfer that spirit to our worship services. You know, kind of like our teenagers when they go to summer camp. They have mountaintop experiences with the Lord and come home to the same hymns their great-grandparents sang. Go to youtube and watch a Hillsongs video. Notice the passion, the heartfelt worship, the freedom to lift hands in praise, to dance, to clap, and to just overflow with joy. It's hard to overflow with joy while everyone is sitting quietly and staring into a hymnal. I'm sure it can be done, but it adds a degree of difficulty. I sometimes describe the worship at our church as "Hillsongs acappella". We have just as much biblical justification for a praise team as for a song leader (or a church building, for that matter).

welcome!

Welcome to my blog. The name of this blog, "Shoulder To Shoulder," comes from Zephaniah 3:9, where the Lord says, "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder." When the Lord does His purifying work in our lives, it is not just for us alone, but also for us together.

There is a place on this blog for my resume and for various papers I have composed. These will share what the Lord has put on my heart for His kingdom. Thanks for taking the time to stop by. Maybe we'll chat soon. Blessings.