[ continued inside ] Have you noticed how we use the word holiness? We talk of our holiness doctrine, our holiness lifestyle, our holiness litera- ture, and our holiness preachers. We boldly proclaim that we are a holiness church. We love to use this noun as an adjective. But I am not aware of any place in the Bible where holiness is used in this manner. Have we trivialized holiness? Have we sanitized it and made it manageable? Am I making noise about a non-issue or is this significant? Is it simply a matter of grammatical preference or does it have seri- ous theological implications? I have come to believe the latter. The significance of this dawned on me when I realized that I am not the least bit bothered when someone refers to me as a “holiness preacher.” I am speechless when I am called a “holy preacher.” Calling me a “holiness preacher” doesn’t really con- front me with the need to BE holy. Calling me a “holy preacher” drives me to my knees and calls me to BE who God has named me to be. Calling the church where I pastor a holiness church is not particularly convicting but calling us a holy church makes me deeply aware of our need for God’s grace. Forgive me if this sounds harsh but I am a bit weary of holi- ness preachers. I long to see men and women who are holy preachers. I long to see servants who are the incarnation of God’s character. Please don’t misunderstand my point. I dearly love the message of holiness. I hunger to see a revival where churches desire holiness more than they desire anything else. But I fear we have unintentionally emptied the very word we cherish of its Biblical meaning. We have trivialized holiness. Holiness is not an attribute of God but rather is the very es- sence of who He is. God is not an adjective. Neither is His character. He is not a religious accessory to be added to our programs. He is the Holy One who demands that we treat His Name and His character with reverence and awe. What would happen if we began our 2nd centennial with a renewed passion to be God’s holy servants? What would hap- pen if holiness became our passion and not just our doctrine? What if we began using the “R word” again? I know it is not popular or “seeker sensitive” or “post-modern” but the message HOLINESS PREACHERS or Holy Preachers by Mark Goodwin inside Wednesday Night Kids Leave A Mark Ministries Books for Improving Church Health 2006 April
Transcript
[ continued inside ]
Have you noticed how we use the word holiness? We talk of our holiness doctrine, our holiness lifestyle, our holiness litera-ture, and our holiness preachers. We boldly proclaim that we are a holiness church. We love to use this noun as an adjective. But I am not aware of any place in the Bible where holiness is
used in this manner. Have we trivialized holiness? Have we sanitized it and made it manageable?
Am I making noise about a non-issue or is this significant? Is it simply a matter of grammatical preference or does it have seri-ous theological implications? I have come to believe the latter.
The significance of this dawned on me when I realized that I am not the least bit bothered when someone refers to me as a “holiness preacher.” I am speechless when I am called a “holy preacher.” Calling me a “holiness preacher” doesn’t really con-front me with the need to BE holy. Calling me a “holy preacher” drives me to my knees and calls me to BE who God has named me to be. Calling the church where I pastor a holiness church is not particularly convicting but calling us a holy church makes me deeply aware of our need for God’s grace.
Forgive me if this sounds harsh but I am a bit weary of holi-ness preachers. I long to see men and women who are holy preachers. I long to see servants who are the incarnation of God’s character. Please don’t misunderstand my point. I dearly love the message of holiness. I hunger to see a revival where churches desire holiness more than they desire anything else. But I fear we have unintentionally emptied the very word we cherish of its Biblical meaning. We have trivialized holiness. Holiness is not an attribute of God but rather is the very es-sence of who He is. God is not an adjective. Neither is His character. He is not a religious accessory to be added to our programs. He is the Holy One who demands that we treat His Name and His character with reverence and awe.
What would happen if we began our 2nd centennial with a renewed passion to be God’s holy servants? What would hap-pen if holiness became our passion and not just our doctrine? What if we began using the “R word” again? I know it is not popular or “seeker sensitive” or “post-modern” but the message
HOLINESS PREACHERS or Holy Preachersby Mark Goodwin
inside
Wednesday Night
Kids
Leave A Mark Ministries
Books for Improving Church Health
2006 April
of Jesus from beginning to end was “Repent.” Peter’s plea to the thou-sands on the day of Pentecost was “Repent.” Somehow we need to rediscover that the message of holiness is always accompanied by the message of repentance. Holy people cherish repentance. Holiness people are paranoid about using that word, especially when it comes to addressing the church or one of its members. Holy people are not ashamed to call sin by its name and embrace the forgiveness offered by the Savior.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s dare to become the generation that is unafraid to call the church to repentance in order that we can become the church God has called us to be. Let us become holy preachers. Let us proclaim holiness as a noun and not an adjective.
HOLINESS PREACHERS . . . [continued]
ANGUS CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
CAPITAN, NEW MEXICO
RICK HUTCHISON, SENIOR PASTOR
Wednesday night has become one of the most exciting nights of the week at Angus Church. On any given Wednesday evening we can have well over 100 people involved in some kind of ministry. We have the typical prayer and praise meeting, a community study on the book of Revelation, and a ministry team developed for the support and encouragement of families as they learn to deal with issues they’re facing. We also have a children’s program that uses puppets to teach children how they can minister to others. But the most outstanding thing that takes place on Wednesday evening is our youth program. Angus Church is located in a rural area in Lincoln County in the mountains of southern New Mexico. Each Wednesday, we have about 50-70 teenagers, many who are bussed in, attend our youth service. We bring them in, feed them a free meal, and then have a praise and worship time led by our teens and our youth pastor, Phil Jones. The teens are chal-lenged through the Word of God on topics such as; how they can face the battle against the enemy, how to be a servant in their schools, the importance of learning the Word of God and how to make it real in their lives. Through tools provided by Barefoot Ministries and God’s Word, teens are being saved—many of whom come from homes where parents are addicted to drugs and the teens have been made to feel they are not worth much.
God is showing the young people of Lincoln County, through a youth pastor and a loving church, that He has a plan for them, and that they are invaluable to Him! This move of God in the lives of our youth is no coincidence and I give Him all the glory for what He is doing in the hearts of the youth who enter our doors.
Resources for youth groups . . .
Sacred Space: Meditations for Common Places
COZZ083-415-0093 $9.99
www.barefootministries.com
For more insight on holiness . . .
Holiness 101: Exploring This Transforming Journey
COZZ083-412-0402 $11.99
— Mark Goodwin, Senior Pastor Portland First Church of the Nazarene
STAT
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According to George Barna’s annual giving survey . . . the typi-cal Christian gives approximately
3%of gross income to charitable causes. It is estimated that a
1% increase in giving in American churches would
result in approximately
$20 billionper year in additional funding for
Christian causes. Excerpted from The Foster Letter-Religious Market
update, (12/25/05). For more visit http://www.garydfoster.com
The Macdonald Center for the study of Islam and Christian-
Islam Relations of Hartford Seminary has just launched a
completely redesigned site. This site has greatly increased their
resources about Islam. The Islam FAQ section is very helpful.
www.macdonald.hartsem.edu
“If , when you’re finished preaching, you’re not finished, spent, wiped out—if you have not died a little—you haven’t
really preached.”—Len Sweet,
on the art of E.P.I.C. preaching (Rev Magazine, Nov/Dec 2005)
M7 or Mission 2007 is the Mid-Quadrennial Conference on
Missions and Evangelism for the Church of the Nazarene. This
conference will be held in Kansas City, MO, February 19-21, 2007.
The event is open to all church leaders and future leaders. For continued information on this
A Way with Words. . . “Why, then, did God give [us] free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. . .The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and woman on this earth is mere milk and water. And for that they must be free.” —C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Corny Pastor JokeQ. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation. Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?A. Pharaoh’s daughter. She went down to the bank and drew out a little prophet.
Church Health
GROVE CITY CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
GROVE CITY, OHIO
STEVE COMBS, ASSOCIATE PASTOR OF SMALL GROUPS/
DISCIPLESHIP AND LEAVE A MARK MINISTRIES
WHAT: Leave A Mark Ministries
WHY: It was a Sunday night in October, when my family and I heard a voice shout to us as a car drove past. “Dream On!” they exclaimed as we all stood with our noses pressed against the window of the Harley dealership, closed for the night. For years we had been dreaming that one day we would own a Harley Davidson motorcycle. A few months later God made our dream a reality. Now, “The Dream” is much bigger than having a key to an H-D; it is the dream of rescuing people who are far from God.
HOW: Our dream became Leave A Mark Ministries, a ministry made up of motorcycle enthusiasts from the Grove City Church of the Nazarene. Our church set aside one Sunday in 1998 to minister to the biker community. That first Biker Sunday, which drew 64 bikes, has grown into a two-day weekend celebration. Our 8th Annual Biker Weekend in 2005 had over 2,000 motorcycles and nearly 8,000 people in attendance.
Our ministry team is comprised of four officers and myself who organize about 25 rides and events each year. These activities are specifically designed to draw bikers to church. For some, these events are the only times they ever come near a church.
RESULTS: A direct result of Leave A Mark Ministries was the birth of Saturday Night Church in February 2003. SNC is a casual service where bikers and non-bikers can attend and feel comfortable and loved—never out of place. SNC now has a weekly attendance of 800 and has seen over 700 people come to Christ.
Since that first Biker Sunday in 1998, we have seen hundreds of souls come to know Christ. Leave A Mark Ministries has also helped other churches around the country start their own biker ministries. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) “Dream On!”
(For more information on Leave A Mark Ministries contact Steve Combs at www.grovecitynazarene.org, www.leaveamark.org, 614-
The Pastor’s Guide to Growing a Christlike ChurchCOZZ083-412-1042$17.99, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 2004Featured in Rev! Magazine (September/Octo-ber 2005) as one of the top ten books to read as a follow up to Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Features writers such as Ron Blake, Stan Toler, Kennon Callahan, George Hunter III, and others. A great resource for turning your church into a growing, outreach-ori-ented fellowship of believers.
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Some of the books and articles featured in Communicator have not been reviewed for theological content and are not endorsed by Nazarene Publishing House or the Church of the Nazarene. They may have significant value, but readers should exercise theological discretion.
TREN
DS
Nazarene Missions“The Church of the Nazarene is #3 among all denominations and mission agencies in the sending of short term missionaries around the world. Last year around 11,000 Nazarenes put in over 375 years of short-term missionary labor in one year. The COTN is #3 among all denominations with a missions presence and is in 151 countries. There is no wall, no ‘ism’ that can keep the Holy Spirit from revealing Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let’s continue as never before to go and make disciples of all nations.” Dr. Nina Gunter – General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene
Tailored ReligionIncreasingly, Christian youth find themselves seeking churches that are tailored to fit their particular needs. A survey by the National Study of Youth and religion found that 16% of religious youth participate in multiple congregations. Among Protestant youth this trend will continue to grow as this group makes up the bulk of the multiple church crowd. New York Times, December 23, 2005
Split-Channel Anthem DVD’sLillenas Music will continue to offer top quality choral and ensemble music, but with a growing selection of split-channel DVD anthems. The most recent release Reach the World can be viewed online at www.lillenas.com along with other new releases. These visual choral and vocal ensemble pieces are making an impact in both traditional and contemporary worship settings.
Small churches can be found in every denomination and among every ethnic group. Some of these churches have unhealthy characteristics that keep them from functioning in ways God intends. In The Healthy Small Church Dennis Bickers, a 20-year bivocational pastor in rural Indiana, diagnoses unhealthy issues in small churches and prescribes remedies for health, life, and vitality so that small churches can move from being afflicted to effective.
The Healthy Small ChurchDiagnosis and Treatment for the Big Issues
Dennis Bickers
COZZ083-412-2405
$13.99, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 2006
In the Shadow of the SteepleThe Vital Role of the Smaller Church in a Megachurch WorldGene WilliamsCOZZ083-412-1808$11.99, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 2005“This book REALLY affirms the smaller church pastor while also affirming the validity of megachurches. It merits national praise and should be required reading for both small church and megachurch pas-tors.” John Vaughan, Founder and President, Church Growth Today. A great tool to help you and your church reclaim your purpose and vision for ministry.
The Future That Has Come New Possibilities for Reaching and Growing the GrassrootsKennon L. CallahanCOZZ078-794-9817$23.95, Jossey-Bass, 2002This book focuses on church health and how to think in terms of what you can do to imple-ment church health strategies in a biblical and practical way. It is a terrific resource for those of you looking for aids to help you think about your current ministry paradigm and the shift you may need to take.
The Pastor’s Guide to Growing a Christlike ChurchCOZZ083-412-1042$17.99, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 2004Featured in Rev! Magazine (September/Octo-ber 2005) as one of the top ten books to read as a follow up to Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Features writers such as Ron Blake, Stan Toler, Kennon Callahan, George Hunter III, and others. A great resource for turning your church into a growing, outreach-ori-ented fellowship of believers.
COZZMB-939 All the Best Songs of Praise and Worship 2 $19.99 $15.99
COZZ083-412-212X The Complete Spiritual Gifts Kit* $89.99 $71.99 COZZ078-794-9817 The Future That Has Come $23.95 N/A
COZZ083-412-2405 The Healthy Small Church* $13.99 $11.19
COZZ083-412-0402 Holiness 101* $11.99 $9.59
COZZ083-412-1808 In the Shadow of the Steeple* $11.99 $9.59
COZZ083-412-1042 The Pastor’s Guide to Growing a Christlike Church* $17.99 $14.39
COZZ083-415-0093 Sacred Space* $9.99 $7.99
COZZCD-3206 So . . . You Want to Follow Jesus?* $4.99 $4.99
“Kids.” I have three terrific kids who love Jesus and want to follow Him. As a daddy and a pastor it has always been vitally important to me that my children, and the children of the church, come to an early and full understanding of God’s love for them. Sometimes this has meant long days at church camp. Sometimes this has meant helping and encouraging children’s church workers by offering them my time or giving them the resources they need.
I want to encourage you, pastor, as you think about your children’s ministry for the summer months ahead, to continue to be aware of all you and your children’s ministry team can do to reach and love boys and girls for Jesus. Here are two ideas to help you do this—visit www.vbs2006.com and view this year’s The First Action Heroes VBS Kit or visit www.lillenaskids.com and view the new Kids Worship praise music. Grace and strength to you as you and your team reach out to children in the days to come.
— Matthew S. Zimmer, Editor, Church Resources Manager Nazarene Publishing House
www.osseochurch.org – Osseo, MN, Church of the NazareneThis site includes loads of pictures which really help to convey their en-ergy and enthusiasm! It’s a great example of a seeker friendly website.
www.fvcn.org – Eagleville, PA, Fairview Heights Church of the Nazarene Fun, colorful, and great attention to detail. This site is designed for people “shopping around”. This is what you want in a church web page.
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/ - The official blog page for Christianity Today magazine. A great resource for interesting articles and insight into Christianity today.
