A Belated Introduction

I was writing my previous post when I realized that there is a significant amount of missing information that someone to whom I am fairly unfamiliar may find relatively helpful to understanding many of the thoughts, feelings, opinions, and other various statements I make in my posts. So here’s a brief – albeit belated – introduction to…me.

I was raised in Ripon, CA, a small rural community in central California, self-proclaimed as the “Almond Capital of the World.” Although my dad is an elementary school teacher, my family is truly a farming family deeply invested in – what else – almonds. Many of my vacations were spent working on the family farm.

I am a fourth generation “Dutch-American” (I find that term incredibly ridiculous as I prefer to simply identify myself as “Dutch”), and fourth generation CRC. My great-grandmother was raised in the exact same congregation I was raised in, as were my grandfather, and father.

Being both Californian and country-minded, I am very laid back, patient, and strongly opinionated about virtually everything. Mixed with my Dutch stubborness, forget about ever winning an argument easily, if you can even provoke me into one.

I cite June, 1997 as the date in which I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior – despite what many in my church might say, I do not consider myself saved before that time. Shortly after, I felt a strong sense of God’s calling me into the ministry to serve Him.

After several years of “spiritual back-sliding,” I finally yielded to His call on my life. That time period of intense spiritual struggle and doubt has done nothing except strengthen my faith and confidence in my calling. I sort of view that period as my refining time in which God was preparing me and cleansing me – in a sense – for my future vocation.

In the fall of 2000, I moved to Eugene, OR to complete my B.A. in Biblical Studies. Just coming off a disturbingly disastrous relationship, I was ready to swear off dating forever. Within two days after arriving in Eugene, I met my wife. I remember sitting on the steps of the U of O administration building one swearing to her that I would never get married, then three-hours later, looking her straight in the eye and proclaiming confidently, “I’m going to marry you.” Why she didn’t run away as fast as she could I have no idea. But one thing’s for sure: I’m really glad she didn’t!

We got married in July, 2003 and fall, 2004 I enrolled at Western Seminary pursuing a M.Div. in preparation for ministry in the CBA (by this point I had swore off the CRC and went Baptist – a long story in and of itself).

This past spring, after months of prayer and consideration, we decided to change plans and minister in the CRC. I resigned from my post as youth pastor at a local CBA church and we began attending a local CRC congregation. We will be moving to Michigan in 2007 to finish my program at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids.

My journey has been a long one, but not one that I regret. The people I have met over the years have shaped me in ways I could never have imagined. I entered college about as anti-evangelism as they come. I have since grown in my understanding of the job Christ has commissioned the church to do. The men I have mentored under and the experiences I have had taught me skills I will always carry with me.

I see myself as a new kind of minister – one that looks to bridge the traditional with the contemporary (I call it neo-traditional). I love the old creeds, confessions, hymns, and liturgy just as much as love the innovative new techniques being used to reach out to the community at large. As a minister of the Word, I desire to blend the two, helping people appreciate the old, but tangibly experience God in new ways – ways that force people out of their tradition-laced mindset and lifestyle.

Major themes in my life and ministry are: 1.) suffering for the Gospel, 2.) unconditionally submitting to God’s will first, 3.) consistency between faith and practice, 4.) the true nature of the Body of Christ, 5.) biblical expectations of believers – both within the community and alone, 6.) putting God first.

The name “Jason” means “healer.” I have become convinced that I did not end up with this name by accident. I have a strong desire to serve “struggling” churches (by “struggling” I mean stuck in tradition, without life, fervor, or desire to do anything other than simply maintain) and help them regroup and revitalize.

I’m sure these themes will be evident throughout many of the posts on this site. When I question something, I write about it. And so it’s also important to keep in mind that I am still young, I’m still learning and growing. And I’m using this blog for what it really is: a web-log, a journal. Anyone is welcome to respond as often as you want to any post you want. All I ask is that you keep this one in the forefront of your mind as you respond. I’m still learning, and therefore, am subject to mistakes and error…

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Multi-Site Churches: Friend or Foe?

At the risk of sounding rather critical of all things “new,” I want to offer a few thoughts on the growing popularity of multi-site churches.

My most recent church post was with a church that was – and still is – attempting to become a multi-site congregation. Ultimately, I have no problems with any structure form a congregation may choose for itself. However, I do think that the specific way a church may pursue creating that structure or how they envision their structure to ultimately look can be full of holes. But first a few introductory thoughts…

What is a “Multi-Site Church?”

A frequently used term in multi-site church planting to describe what they are is “one church, many locations.” I suppose this is intended to help clarify what is meant, but for me, all it does is make things even more complicated. The basic gist, though, is that you would have a single congregation offering worship services is a variety of locations, not just at their traditional meeting place.

The “Why” of Multi-Site Churches…

The “why” behind what these churches are doing is little easier to understand and flesh out – and that’s good (if a good answer cannot be given as to why a church is doing something, they probably shouldn’t be wasting their time and energy doing it).

Local congregations – new church plants and long-established congregation – usually opt for pursuing a multi-church structure as an attempt to better reach their community with the Gospel message. In my personal experience, the church I was serving was located in a small community that was itself divided up into very distinct neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has its own personality, values, emphases, styles, and interests. For that reason the elder board determined that it would be easier for them to reach out to the community using a multi-site church structure than the traditional methods of outreach and evangelism. This allowed them to develop church meetings that were highly customized to their specific neighborhood.

As most anyone who knows me has heard me say, “I’m a fan of any evangelistic tool that brings people into a saving relationship with Christ” (I must give props to Rick Warren who instilled that idea in my mind).

The “How” of Multi-Site Churches…

This is where things begin to really fall apart for me. Whatever the reasons a particular congregation may have for being “multi-site,” I firmly believe that most try to make to make the process much more complicated than it needs to be. Here’s what I mean…

My former senior pastor spent a tremendous amount of time and energy researching, understanding, and attempting to perfect the multi-site theory as it pertained to their specific context – I applaud him for that. But because he was not the first to come up with and attempt this idea with his congregation, he was also very concerned with remaining true to the principles that his predecessors had developed. What’s more, he was seemingly fascinated with clear, concise communication. Nothing came out of his mouth that was not intentionally planned and thought through. And so I have to assume that when he spoke to the congregation and the pastoral staff, he communicating not just his passions and desires for our church, but also the foundational principles of multi-site churches as followed by nearly every congregation attempting such a feat.

The biggest problem, as I saw it, with what they were trying to do is that they were treating not like an extension of the “original” ministry, but as if it were another church plant. When I study the words “multi-site church,” the impression I am left with is that there is no hint of church planting anywhere in the plan. I would think that if a church desires to be multi-site, then the only thing is to find a meeting place and begin holding services. Treat it as if it really were nothing more than adding another service.

When a church adds a service to its schedule as the result of growth, or some other reason, often the only fanfare is an announcement several weeks in advance and some encouragement to members to consider and embrace the new addition.

Many multi-site churches seem to make it a much bigger deal. That talk about, they hold meetings, they advertise, they discuss, they vote, budget, they organize, and on it goes. This is all the sort of work a congregation would do is they were planting a church.

I like to think of myself as a ministry minimalist. I don’t like hyping things up till kingdom come – I don’t see a need for it…most of the time. I also don’t understand why church governance must be so complicated. I’m always looking for the common denominator. If all you’re doing is offering a regular worship service at a location other than the one traditionally used, then do exactly that. I’d almost think it would be better to hold the “alternate location” service at a different time than the original so that way the same pastor can preach at all locations. As the church grows and adds more locations, then options such as hiring more staff can be discussed. Start small…don’t expect greatness right away…

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What’s Wrong With the Old Testament?

I’m slowly reading The Bible Jesus Read by Phillip Yancy. When I say slowly, I mean slowly – I began it last August, and I’m still only about half-way through. In the Introduction, Yancy makes the comment: “I find the Old Testament to be, above all, realistic…The Old Testament portrays the world as it really is, no holds barred.” This statement has stuck with me ever since the night I first read these words.

So often, we as evangelical Christians place all our energy into understanding the New Testament. Even when we do look at the OT, we do so with the attitude of figuring out how it compliments an NT event. We have so much difficulty seperating the OT from the NT that it’s almost blasphemous to mention the very thought.

The problem is that the NT came first. Even our Lord’s own theological training and education use the NT as its only textbook. Dare I say it, all biblical quotations that come form the mouth of Christ are found in the OT. I say this not to be offensive, but because all too often we forget about this reality. We don’t deny the inportance of the OT, we just don’t use it.

Yancy suggests that the key reason for this is that modern western readers – such as ourselves – simply do not understand the Jewish/Hebrew logic and structure the writers use when writing.
In any case, an important fact remains: Compared to the idealized picture of the life of faith presented by Paul and his companions in the NT, the OT is a breath of fresh air because of its unique connection to real life. In the OT we see man in the depths of dispair through the Psalms and Job; great rejoicing in the Psalms and within the stories of the Exodus and David; strained relationships in Genesis; man wrestling with God (spiritually and physically); the horrors of war; the excstacy of victory; and the intoxicating power of sex, greed, and power. These are all issues that each of us deals with on a regular basis. The NT mentions these things – sometimes at great length – but sildom does it seem to show understanding or sympathy of their realities within the lives of God’s people.

The NT provides us hope for our coming glory, the OT provides us with assurance that nothing we do can separate us “from the love of Christ.” The OT holds the key to really understanding the NT; the OT is the key to a well rounded relationship with God…

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Carrying Our Cross

Over the past few months of studying, preaching, ministering, and learning at Parklane CRC, I’ve really been struck by the frequency with which the Scriptures emphasize the importance of living a life consistent with your faith. That’s not to say that I never knew that to be a key biblical teaching (it’s hard to ignore the message of James 2:26), it’s just that I’ve never really taken the fact to heart until recently. Two passages of late have had a particular impact on my thinking and attitude toward the people around me.

The first passage is James 3:1, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” Although this passage may not have the same affect over you as it does myself, it is a passage that has greatly influenced the respect – the seriousness – with which I now approach my calling to serve God as a teacher. Anyone who teaches Sunday school, leads a small group, or mentors is held to this same standard.

The second passage that has recently challenged me in unusual ways is Luke 14:26. Here Jesus is being followed by a great crowd when he turns around and begins to speak, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Our Lord had a remarkable talent for turning even the most mundane game of follow-the-leader into a cherished teaching moment.

There were many who were following him on that day who had been following him for weeks, perhaps even months, simply for the opportunity to see him perform another great miracle. It’s hard to say exactly how many in the crowd really believed he was the promised Messiah and how many simply wanted to see another “magic trick.” Undoubtedly, that single sentence had the power to cause inner conflict even within the most devout disciples – I’m sure many of us can even attest to the struggle we ourselves experience in trying to live up to this standard.

We battle daily with our sinful nature and struggle to resist the temptation to cut corners – and when we do cut corners – we quickly justify our actions by pushing blame on our sinful nature followed by a pat on the back in encouragement because God’s grace can cover a multitude of sins. Too often we use God’s grace and mercy as our crutch – our scapegoat for the punishment of sin.

Sinning is easy. It’s easier to cover up our spending when we know our spouse would not approve. It’s easier to join in with the office gossip than speak out in defense of those who are not present. It’s easier to act ignorant than admit that knew what you were doing was wrong but did it anyway. It’s easy to sin.

But just as much the words of James 2:26 are true, so are the words of Luke 14:26. In one sentence he answers two questions: 1) What is required to follow Him? 2) How can we tell if truly is a follower of Christ? It’s not enough to merely talk the talk; we must walk the walk. Faith without deeds is dead; for it is through our deeds that our faith becomes real to ourselves, and to the hundreds of people we interact with daily.

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Calvin Grads Dominate 2006 Pastor’s Draft

This is an article off of larknews.com; a favorite website of pastors, but a good laugh for anyone. Enjoy!

COLORADO SPRINGS — Big names and big surprises converged before a nationwide audience at the 2006 Pastors Draft on April 27.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” said Alvin DeWalt, 26, of Fuller Seminary, pacing his apartment in Pasadena and watching the draft on the Daystar network. His wife had made guacamole, and thirty friends were on hand to see which church picked DeWalt, one of this year’s top ranked prospects.
In the first round, Geoff Parsons and Rick Benson, of Westminster and Calvin seminaries respectively, went first, as scouts had predicted they would. Parsons heads to a struggling mid-sized Methodist church in Memphis, Tenn., which had the top pick this year. Benson was drafted by a mega-church in Casper, Wyo., which had traded two mid-career pastors for a higher pick. Both draftees say they are ready to “help their teams.”
Calvin Seminary overall showed surprising strength, placing two dozen graduates at leading churches around the country, plus sending many more to minor league ministries. Of the Big 10 schools, last year’s leaders, Dallas and Asbury, showed less strength. Both call this a “building year” and say their classes of 2007 will be much stronger. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Westminster say they were “pleased” with how many grads they placed in respectable positions.
The mammoth North Shore Christian Church of Reston, Va., selected wildcard rookie Pat Jameson, who has struggled with morality issues, but is still considered a major league talent. Jameson, speaking at a press conference wearing a North Shore polo shirt and cap, told reporters he was “ready to make a clean start.”
Church on the Rock (Houston, Texas), known for scooping up mid- and late-career pastors at low salaries and getting impressive results, traded a first-round pick for two associate pastors with “executive pastor potential” according to a widely respected scouting report.
A number of pastors near retirement entered the free agent market, having been traded for early-career pastors.
“They’ll miss my experience in the pulpit,” says one elderly pastor who was traded for two rookies and a youth pastor.
One highly watched rookie, David Humphreys of Luther Seminary, went lower than expected, due to what many consider unreasonable demands including an outsized automobile budget and eight weeks of “sabbatical” per year.
DeWalt of Fuller Seminary was picked even higher than he expected by a Florida church which is “transitioning to a purpose-driven model” after years of stagnation. He slumped on the couch, smiling as friends congratulated him.
“I’m just happy it’s over,” he said. •

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