Free to Serve

Wears Valley Ranch Needs Additional Staff

In 1991 Jim Wood, the former pastor of the church I now serve, founded a home and school to help children in crisis. It's called the Wears Valley Ranch and it is situated in Sevierville, Tennessee (not far from Pigeon Forge). They serve a maximum of 32 students, all with a troubled background.  

Jim and his wife, Susan, have a real desire to invest in the lives of these kids. As you can imagine, finding godly, qualified, and committed staff is always an issue. Many of the positions (like house parents or mentors) are usually short-term opportunities (1-2 years). 

If you know of someone who would be willing to serve in this way, contact Wears Valley Ranch and let them know. Please pray they would find men and women who know how to apply the gospel to the lives of these kids each and every day.

 

What is the Mission of the Church?

I'm reading Greg Gilbert's and Kevin DeYoung's book, What is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission.

In part I'm reading it because I know Greg. He has a first-class mind, a love for Christ, and desire to see the Scriptures clearly explained. I'm also reading the book because, as a pastor, it can be easy to lose sight of the what the church is about. There are so many projects that vie for a church's time, finances, and attention. Most of them are good, even wonderful. So how does a church focus on the main thing?

Early on in the book, they set out this mission for the church:

The mission of the church is to go into the world and make disciples by declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit and gathering these disciples into churches, that they might worship the Lord and obey his commands now and in eternity to the glory of God the Father.

I don't want to lose a heart for or a commitment to this mission. It is a glorious mission. Our lives and our churches are to be devoted to making disciples. We do this by declaring the gospel. But we can't do it alone, we need the Spirit. He will gather the disciples together into our churches and lead them to worship and obey. And through it all, God will be glorified.

Why Southern Baptist?

I recently met with a new friend who asked me why I was Southern Baptist? Good question, especially since I hail from the Northwest. Being Southern Baptist is not the most important thing about Mount Vernon--not by a longshot. But that doesn't make it unimportant. 

Here are four reasons why I am a Southern Baptist:

(1) Doctrinal conviction. The Southern Baptist Convention has done what not other major denomination has done: after falling off the cliff of theological liberalism, the SBC turned around. That's amazing.

(2) Great Commission. Churches that cooperate can do more than churches acting individually. This simple statement is being challenged by the mega church/multi-site movement, but it is still true. SBC churches are able to pool resources so that missionaries do not need to spend their time raising support. That's a good thing.

(3) Theological education. I have two degrees from an SBC school. There I learned from some of the finest evangelical scholars around. That education helped to prepare me for pastoral ministry. I value pooling our resources to support training those who work in pastoral ministry. 

(4) Disaster relief. If you haven't read this article, you should. The New York Times highlighted Southern Baptists as the third largest disaster relief agency in America behind only the Red Cross and Salvation Army. Sure, bigger isn't always better. But I like the way this massive organization is able to bring resources to bear on such horrific tragedies.

9 Marks eJournal on the Parachurch

A parachurch ministry is a Christian ministry that is designed to come alongside the church. The prefix "para" means, "with" -- so the idea is that a parachurch ministry is supposed to work with a local church ministry. The question of parachurch ministries in the twenty-first century is a very interesting one. 

With the advent of the megachurch, many local churches are actually able to do many things that parachurches do. They can send their own missionaries, they can establish their own social service programs, and so on. Many churches traditionally devoted to the ministry of the Word and prayer have expanded their ministries, folding into the body some ministries which typically came under the umbrella of parachurch ministries. 

The growth of churches and parachurch ministries raises a number of questions. For example, what is the purpose of the local church? Should churches devote more of their resources to activities we think belong to the parachurch ministries? How should churches (and Christians) think about supporting parachurch ministries?

These are the kinds of questions addressed in the latest eJournal from 9Marks ministry. Included is an article I wrote. At Mount Vernon we support parachurch ministries. We have members who have founded parachurch ministries. These issues should be of interest to us. Let me know what you think.

Responding to Health Care

By Faith the online magazine of the PCA recently published an article about health care, "Thinking Christianly About Health Care." It's a good article. As Christians we are to have a concern about others and that will often lead to a concern about their physical well-being. 

Our own Bill Warren, of the Good Samaritan Health Center here in Atlanta, was interviewed for the article that described the work of the Center which provides health care to the needy in the Atlanta community. It is a great ministry that provides opportunities for Christians to serve. If you are in the Atlanta area, volunteer!

Russ Moore, the vice-president of Southern Seminary, also wrote a brief article related the recently passed bill. His main point: as Christians, we don't need to be afraid, regardless of what our government does or does not do. Politics is serious and important--but it is not ultimate.

As Christians we have a responsibility of being the best citizens. That means participating in the political process, letting our opinions be known, and respecting and praying for those leaders who have been placed over us. 

We also have a responsibility to do good to all men and that means we should be thankful for ministries like the Good Samaritan Health Center which put Christians in the heart of the community, meeting needs for the glory of God. We should be thankful for ministries like Wears Valley Ranch, founded by MVBC's former pastor, Jim Wood, which serves kids in desperate need of care. These ministries refuse to separate spiritual from physical needs, and Christians would be wise to help ministries like this prosper.

As a church, we also have a responsibility to faithfully preach the gospel. It is the gospel that brings life and it is the gospel that fuels godly citizenship and philanthropy. History is full of examples of Christians who made a difference in the world because of their commitment to Christ, not in spite of it. Whether we are talking about the Christians who picked up abandoned infants in ancient Rome, the Christians in England who fought to end the slave trade, and the Christians who fought for abolition and civil rights. The Christian record on social issues is not a perfect one, but the fault does not lie at the feet of the Cross, but at the feet of Christians who have failed to live up to the faith they professed.