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A Month of Ministry

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

I love the community I which I live. I love the community in which our church has been planted. I believe with all of my heart that the best years are before us and that we are going to make a difference in our Jerusalem. God is giving us at Port Royal Baptist Church some new and creative opportunities to minister to the people of Port Royal. For this, I am thankful. Two such opportunities come our way in the month of October: the Festival of the Sea community festival in Port Royal and our annual Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat.

October 16th brought the Festival of the Sea in Port Royal. The purpose of this festival was to highlight and bring attention to the businesses located in the old village section of Port Royal. There was food, music, a car show, and local business vendors lining Paris Avenue. We had the opportunity to set up a booth and introduce our church to the people who stopped by. We gave away cold water and popcorn, along with information about our church and its ministries. Face painting and balloon animals were a big hit with the children. I am proud of the 27 volunteers from PRBC who gave their time during the five hours we were there. I want to also thank Larry Leming, Missions Ministries Director from the Savannah River Baptist Association, for spending the day ministering with us. It was a great day of meeting people, building relationships with people and businesses, and sharing the gospel as allowed. Below are a few pictures from the day.

   

   

  

   

October 31st brought our annual Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat. Halloween brings with it the carnival-type atmosphere of fall festivals and similar events. We wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to provide a safe alternative to trick-or-treating. With food, games, prizes, fellowship, and conversation, we were able to bridge the gap between entertainment and outreach. It was a real privilege to spend some time with the people of Port Royal. We had approximately 150 people on campus Sunday night. I want to thank all who made this year’s fall festival a success. You are appreciated and you labor was not in vain. Below are a few pictures from the night’s activities.

  

  

  

  

  

  

   

   

Book Review : The Grace of God

/ Steven Ruff / 1 Comment

 In his latest book, “The Grace of God”, Andy Stanley writes about a subject that many people today, including Christians, want to understand better. God’s grace. In his usual engaging, witty, and thought-provoking manner, Stanley aids the reader in better understanding the gift of God’s grace.

 Grace is a topic that has been written about extensively. Stanley admits this from the outset of the book. I liked many things about this book. One, I like how Stanley takes the reader back to the beginning at the Garden of Eden and tracks God’s grace through the New Testament. He shows grace touched the lives of Abraham, Joseph, David, Rahab, Jonah, the Samaritan woman, the thief on the cross, and Paul. I found Stanley’s treatment of the life of Judah especially powerful. I also liked how Stanley used personal experiences from family and church life to help the reader bridge the gap as to how grace looks in everyday life. In every chapter, there was a major theme the story and chapter rested upon. Stanley drew the reader to that point which helped to better understand how grace was demonstrated. Andy Stanley is a gifted communicator. His style was an asset to a subject that at times is difficult to get your arms around.

“The Grace of God” is not a theological workbook on grace. I think that is what makes it a success and worthy of your time. The truths that Stanley share show the reality that grace is something that humans could have never conceived. He writes, “Grace is the offer of exactly what we do not deserve. Thus, it cannot be recognized or received until we are aware of precisely how undeserving we really are.”

Book Review : The Beauty of the Small Church

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I recently finished Les Puryear’s new book, The Beauty of the Small Church; Essays to Encourage and Equip Small Church Leaders. Les is the pastor of Lewisville Baptist Church in Lewisville, NC and a tireless small church advocate. Les has made significant contributions to the importance and presence of the small church across our Southern Baptist Convention. The Beauty of the Small Church is written from the author-given standpoint “I’m not anti-large church; it’s just that I am pro-small church”. Les gives us the accepted definition of a small church as being one with fewer than 200 in Sunday morning worship attendance. I was drawn to this book for two reasons. First, by definition I pastor a small church (175 average on Sunday morning). I felt this book would describe the church that I pastor and the effect a church our size can have in this world. I was right. Second, I have been reading Les’ blog for better than two years. I have seen his consistent and heart-felt commitment to the small church by sharing his own experiences and challenges. Les has also put together the first Small Church Conference across the SBC which specifically focuses on the needs, struggles, and challenges facing the small church today.

Les has written a great book. It is an easy read, yet challenging and comforting at the same time. As I read this book, I found myself saying “I’ve seen that before” and “I know just what you’re saying.” He writes from the standpoint that the small church is not broken and that “small” does not describe the passion, love, and desire when it comes to reaching the lost with the gospel. Les pulls back the façade that only large churches can be blessed by God. Although this book challenges the small church pastor to persevere, it is honest and transparent.

 All small church leaders would benefit from reading The Beauty of the Small Church if for no other reason than to be reminded that God has not abandoned the small church. It also serves as a reminder that we as pastors and leaders of small churches should judge “success” by eternal contribution and not temporary accolades. Great book Les.

Book Review : Seeds of Turmoil

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 It is very unusual these days to watch the evening news and not see a news item related to the conflict in the Middle East. Many ask themselves, “Why can’t they get along?” or “What is all the fighting about?” We heat names like Jerusalem, Israel, Palestine, West Bank, the Golan Heights and wonder what’s the difference. It is no secret that religion is at the center of this emotional and long-running conflict. How do we come to the place where three of the world’s major religions are in constant conflict over the land that all claim to have had its’ beginning?

In his most recent book, Seeds of Turmoil, The Biblical Roots of the Inevitable Crisis in the Middle East, Dr. Bryant Wright takes on this crisis head-on and sets out to help the reader understand the genesis of this conflict. I was looking forward to reading this book. Not just because the author (Dr. Wright is the current president of our Southern Baptist Convention), the title and content was intriguing. Like a great many people, I did not fully understand all the ins and outs and intricacies of the Middle East conflict. I hoped this book would clear some of this up for me. I was not disappointed.

Wright goes to the beginning. He begins with the promise that God made to Abraham to provide a son of whom a great nation would be built. However, Abraham’s lack of faith in God led to the birth of his son Ishmael b Sara’s servant Hagar. Wright traces the lineage and paths of both Isaac, the son of promise and Ishmael, the son of disobedience. So it began there, Isaac the father of the nation of Israel and Ishmael, the father of the Arab nation. The thrust of this book is wrapped around the claims of both sons of Abraham in terms of land and blessing. Dr. Wright did a great job blending all three perspectives (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim) to give a balanced, fair, and comprehensive analysis of the situation.

Dr. Wright has written a wonderful book. It is informative and written from a biblical perspective. He handled difficult and often confusing terms and storylines without coming across as a teacher or professor. Seeds of Turmoil is an easy read and not cumbersome. The beauty of the book is the chapter study guides that have been made available in the book and lend themselves to small group discussion.  This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand how the conflict in the Middle East come to be. This book left me wanting more and challenged me to further individual study of this conflict in which the world is closely watching.

Katrina : It Does Not Seem Like Five Years

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Five years ago today, Hurricane Katrina slammed the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, with the most severe damage occurring in the city of New Orleans. This storm literally drowned a city. The effects of this hurricane were, and still are, monumental. Katrina displaced thousands and thousands of people from what they knew as home. Families lost loved ones, billions of dollars in property damages were suffered, the sense of peace and security that everyone enjoyed was stripped away, and tragically a sense of trust in our government was lost by many. Katrina is believed to believed to be the most destructive and costly natural disaster to have ever taken place on US soil. In just a few hours, the lives of millions of people were permanently changed forever. I was living in Perry, Florida during this time. Being a Florida native, hurricanes were nothing new. However, I as well as many more had never seen anything like Katrina. I can remember being glued to FOX News watching these events unfold. Most Americans were hanging on every news update. I was amazed, saddened, and angry all at the same time. I remember asking “How does an entire city find itself underwater?” I can remember asking “How will the residents of New Orleans and the other states that were affected even begin the clean-up process? I remember asking “Can enough relief aid reach these victims?” I remember asking “How long until the sense of normalcy returns?”

There is still much work to do along the Gulf Coast. As God’s people, we need to continue to pray  for both the residents of this region as they continue to put their lives back together, and the relief workers who are still giving their time in the rebuild effort. In August 2005, Casting Crowns released a song that was, and is, a reminder of the sovereignty of God. That song was Praise You in the Storm. It is a reminder that even when I don’t understand it or can’t see it, the will and purposes of God go forward. We are reminded that as we rest in the fact that God’s guiding hand is upon the events of life, I am to praise Him. Praise Him in the good, and the bad. Praise Him in the positive, and the negative. Praise Him in sickness, and in health. Praise Him in victory, and in defeat. It is true that music has a way of taking you back to a place in time. It has a way confirming the truths that God wants to teach us. It has the capacity to touch our hearts like no written word can. I believe this song will be forever linked to this tragedy. Below is a video of the scenes of five years ago, set to the words of this gripping song. Take time and listen to the words as you pray for, remember, and reflect upon those who were touched by this tragedy. May we all pray that God would spare us from any such future tragedy.

 

The Baptist Association : Part #3: Future

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Over the past two posts, I have attempted to make the purpose of the Baptist association a little more clear. I also wanted to show that the association has some challenges facing it that will keep it from accomplishing its’ intended purpose. When you mix together the purpose of and the challenges facing the association, you are left with one question, “What is the future of the association?” “Does the association even have a future?” Depending upon whom you ask, the answer to this question is both varied and consistent, positive and negative, hopeful and hopeless. For example, Monty Hale, Director of Association and Pastoral Ministries for the South Carolina Baptist Convention said, “The association will be the face of Southern Baptists in the future. Most church leaders relate to the association to accomplish their God-given task of reaching the world for Christ.” Dr. Jimmy Draper, former president of Lifeway Christian Resources made the following statement, “In our obsession with what is new in world of church growth, let us not forget that all traditions are not bad and all of the past cannot be jettisoned. It is our tradition that builds our communities. The bedrock of that tradition in Baptist life is the local association.” Pastor Kyle Waddell of Pine Level Baptist Church in Early Branch, South Carolina says, “If I could sum my view up in one word it would be bleak. I personally have served in churches from three different associations in our state and have never seen the total effects come from any association in the capacity it was created to produce. I believe as do many in leadership in the SBC convention that the local association has outlived its usefulness in its present state and that if it were to close its doors many of our churches would never know.”  Dr. Jerry Nash, Director of Missions for the Harmony Baptist Association in Trenton, Florida writes, “With cooperative Southern Baptist pastors and effective leadership, the future of the Association is very bright.  It ultimately is at the local level that working relationships are built and trustworthiness is established.  As the SBC and state convention leaders and entities acknowledge and affirm the local Association we will be stronger as Southern Baptists.  It is just my opinion, but I believe to ignore or bypass the local Association will ultimately lead to the decline of Southern Baptists.”

I want to begin by saying that I believe the local Baptist association can have a future. I hold out hope that it is a bright future. I don’t believe it is automatic. It is my belief that the association’s future will look different than it does in the present. It appears to me that a great majority of associations still operate, at least in some manner, to the way they did fifty to sixty years ago. In the 1950’s and 1960’s the Baptist association served as a conduit for denominational programs from the SBC (Nashville) to the local church. For the most part the association still has the same programs (Brotherhood, WMU, Youth, Sunday School, Discipleship Training, Evangelism, Music, etc.) The strain comes when local churches either no longer utilize established programs or develop new ministries while the association continues with the traditional ministry structure. I believe relevancy is the Achilles heel of the Baptist association. Bobby Gilstrap, Director of Missions for the Huron and Southeastern Associations in Michigan wrote, “In the past, the associations and its leadership had predominately focused on two things: (1) How to get more churches involved in associational ministries and meetings, and (2) How to increase the giving of the churches to the association. As a result, there was a clear problem of relevance to our churches. The pastor’s frustration was they found no relevance in the association and our ability to provide for them as they struggled to fulfill their mission and calling. This brought me to a reality check. Our associations could not be the same as in the past or even the present. Our organization had to reinvent itself to be relevant and effective. We first realized that the association is not a church. That seems obvious, but many associations have been trying to do things that the church should be doing. That means, that the Associational Director of Missions is not the pastor and the association is not the church. The association should be a resourcing organization. In other words, the role of the association is to assist and resource the God-given vision of the churches.”

There are some who say that the association should not do ministry for the church. Others will say that this is not a problem. I believe it is in this discussion that the relevancy issue comes to light. Again, Dr. Nash writes, “As with the local church, there is a strong correlation between the strength of the ministry and missions program and the vision and leadership of the leader.  There is disagreement about whether it should be churches or Associations who do missions and ministry.  I challenge those who say Associations shouldn’t start churches or have ministries.  In the world in which I live, I do not have a single church which would be able to fund our Pregnancy Center. But together we have a vibrant ministry.” These are the issues that will shape the future of the Baptist association.

The future of the association is going to be shaped, at least in some part, by the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force recommendations that were approved by SBC messengers this past June. Mike Day, Direcctor of Missions for the Mid-South Baptist Asssociation in Memphis, Tennessee has an interesting opinion as to how these recommendations will shape the future of the association. He wrote, “Most associations I know of, large or small, struggle with “activity overload.” Our efforts to be all things to all churches often result in us becoming less than what we are supposed to be. We design programs, events, and ministries that often position us as a substitute for the church. As we affirm the GCR Recommendations, particularly the core values set forth in Recommendation #2, we are affirming the centrality and primacy of the local church and its Great Commission assignment for penetrating lostness and taking the gospel to the nations. An association’s acceptance of this principle puts us in position to affirm that the Great Commission was given to the church and not to a denomination. It provides us opportunity to focus on the “organism” that is the church rather than the organizations of a denomination. Our association will be strengthened as we sharpen our focus and concentrate upon what we can do to help the churches accomplish the Great Commission, rather than what the churches can do to help us accomplish our objectives.”

For the Baptist association to have a viable and fruitful future, the local church will have to be the focal point. The future of the Baptist association will depend upon the success of the local churches. As I see it, the church does not exist for the benefit of the Baptist association. If there were no association, the church would still exist. The association exists for the benefit of the local church. If there were no church, there would be no association. I believe that Dr. John McInnis, former Sunday School Consultant for the Florida Baptist Convention, said it right, “The association will be viable and effective to the extent that it understands and operates its mission to help churches accomplish their individual missions – one church at a time.”

Ordination Sunday

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This past Sunday, we ordained three men as deacons at Port Royal Baptist Church. Josh Riley, Steve Michalski, and Danny Mallard were elected by the church to serve in this servant ministry. This is an important office in the New Testament church. Deacons are servants. Their office is not one of ruler, overseer, or financial manager. Instead it is a position of service and support. They are also to be examples to those around them. Their character and integrity is to be at the level that others may see Christ in their lives. Deacons are to be leaders as well. In the same way that pastors lead the congregation is spiritual development, deacons lead the congregation is physical development. I reminded our deacons that their model of leadership has been given to them by Jesus Christ, that model is to Love God and Love People. I am confident in these three men that they will serve the Lord and our church well. I am proud to be serving with them. Below are a few pictures of the service from Sunday. 

  

  

The SBC in Orlando

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Messengers from SBC churches will be headed south to Orlando for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention on June 15th-16th. I have been able to attend several of these meetings and really enjoy them. However, I have missed the last three (San Antonio, Indianapolis, and Louisville). One highlight of the trip is the Pastors Conference on the front end of the meeting. This conference is a great opportunity to sit, relax, and decompress while listening to some of the nation’s greatest preaching and teaching. Pastors rarely have the opportunity to sit and be “preached to”. This conference allows for a recharging and re-energizing. The theme for this year’s conference is “Greater Things”. You can view the schedule of speakers here. In my opinion, this is the best line-up of speakers in recent memory.

The annual meeting itself is a mixture of business, music, and preaching. The business sessions include the election of officers, offering of resolutions, agency and entity reports, and miscellaneous business items. There is really no way to know what the messengers will be voting on. Motions can be offered on most anything, and usually are. This year, there is one item of business the messengers know they will be voting on. The recommendations from the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force will be presented for approval.

This year is an election year. Messengers will electing a new president. As of today, there are four candidates in the race. Recently all four candidates were asked a series of questions about their candidacy covering subjects such as SBC vision, future challenges, the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force, and the Cooperative Program. Here is a brief description of the four.

1. Dr. Bryant Wright:  Dr. Wright is the Senior Pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in  Marietta, GA. You can read his interview here.

2. Dr. Jimmy Jackson: Dr. Jackson is the Senior Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL and the president of the Alabama Baptist State Convention. You can read his interview here.

3. Dr. Ted Traylor: Traylor is the Senior Pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL and is a former president of the Florida Baptist Convention. You can read his interview here.

4. Dr. Leo Endel:  Endel is the Executive Director of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention and a former president of the Baptist Convention of Iowa. You can read his interview here.  

As of today, I am planning to vote for Ted Traylor. I was a Florida Baptist for eleven years. Dr. Traylor gave solid leadership to the state convention and I believe he will lead well at the SBC level.  This year’s meeting  will be eventful and meaningful. It is also a meeting that will set the course of our convention for years to come.

Worth Repeating

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“If prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn about prayer. Most of my struggles in the Christian life circle around the same two themes: why God doesn’t act the way we want God to and why I don’t act the way God wants me to. Prayer is the precise point where those two themes converge.”

Philip Yancey

Book Review : Change Your Church For Good

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 Across America today, churches are dying and they shouldn’t be. In some cases it is the fault of the congregation. In some cases it is the fault of the leader. Regardless of who is at fault, churches should be alive and thriving. Brad Powell has written a great work called Change Your Church For Good. Powell is the senior pastor of NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, MI. He writes from his experience in churches that have not always thrived. Powell has real credibility in that he has led his church from decline to a place of thriving success. Change Your Church For Good is the story of the “how” NorthRidge made the turn, along with practical concepts for every church leader. Powell constantly reminds the reader that churches can be changed with compromising the truth.

Powell reveals what keeps the church on the path toward death. Things like no clear vision, the leaders lack of courage to lead, traditions, irrelevant ministry, and poor location keep the church from becoming true change agents. Once identifying the problems facing the church, Powell gives ten solid principles for, as he says, “turning the ship’s wheel of the church”. Change Your Church For Good is not a how-to, do-this-and-all-will-be-perfect book on church growth. Instead, he gives the principles that have worked on the field of ministry through trial and error.

Parts of this book challenged me. I found the sections on communication especially helpful. Other parts were good reminders. I believe this book will benefit pastors and other leadership staff. It is an easy read as Powell has made a very serious topic engaging and more easily understood, and offers hope.