“10 Commandments From a Hollywood Producer”

When Calls the Heart

Do you know Janette Oke’s “When Calls the Heart” series on the Hallmark Channel? Last week I met the show’s creator and executive producer, Brian Bird. We were at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.  

I had supper at his table one night. God has called this humble man to serve as a Christian writer and producer in Hollywood.

In his keynote address, Brian Bird shared his "thou shalt" list for those who write, speak, and teach for Jesus.

I summarized his remarks below.

“What’s Your Foundation?”

This week we'll take a break from my words and rest on God's eternal Word. I'm thankful for the firm foundation God's Word provides in all circumstances.

Many thanks to Edie Melson for her permission to post this image.

David

“The Fire Chief and the Angry Resident”

Where Are You in This Story?

The fire chief was the only paid employee of the Anytown Fire Department. All the other fire fighters were well-trained and committed volunteers.

One evening a resident built a fire in his backyard pit. He overestimated the wood needed. As flames devoured his tower of logs, the heat called to mind the fiery furnace in Daniel chapter 3 (#Shadrach#Meshach#Abednego).

Sweat dripped off his nose. The resident feared flames from the roaring pit would escape. What if they ignited his parched brush pile nearby—or his roof? He didn’t have a garden hose, and it would take too long to go inside and hunt for a bucket.

He thought, “My taxes pay the fire chief. I’ll call downtown, then wait to be served.”

“Attractional vs. Incarnational: Which Ministry Will Survive?”

Last week my friend Kim posted an insightful comment on my blog site. Those who subscribe by email or follow by Facebook may not have seen our exchange. I will summarize it here.

Kim responded to why I prefer disciple over volunteer. She alluded to a story she shared with me a few weeks ago at a writer’s conference. In one church Kim offered her willingness to serve, but the leadership turned her away. Gatekeepers in charge of “the ministry” there didn’t want her help.

A lack of service doesn't mean disciples are apathetic; they could have been rejected. I appreciate my friend adding her perspective to flesh out the larger picture.

---

Q: What other thoughts come to mind about ministry?

A: Aging churches are struggling now with an attractional “come to us” mindset. Father Time keeps taking away members faster than new attendees can replace them. As deaths and shut-ins shrink a church further, it will be that much harder to convince younger families with children and youth, "Come join us."

Over the next 20 years, I suspect a number of churches will close or merge. Many others will cut back from full-time to part-time pastoral leadership.

All is not lost, however. Churches that embrace an incarnational “go to them” model will not only survive, but thrive. God will surely bless any church that intentionally seeks to do ministry the way Jesus did.  

Q: Say more about this.

A: The training I received during and after seminary mirrored the culture I grew up in. The goal is to attract as many people as possible to your programs and worship services. Success is a full parking lot; members have gathered inside.   

But Jesus took disciples into the world to be salt and light in their community, even if those they served never came to their temple. Success is an empty parking lot during the week; baptized ministers are deployed outside the walls.

Q: Shouldn’t we want more souls to worship God and learn about Jesus?

A: Absolutely. Yet when “come to us” defines the mission, success is measured by nickels and noses rather than the visible fruit of changed lives.

"Come to us" members feel good if much time and money is spent supporting their worship and programs…even if the impact on their community is minimal.

Jesus focused not on temple head counts and meeting the budget, but on touching lives wherever people were.

Q: Didn't Jesus worship at the temple and teach in the synagogue?

A: Yes. Worship and Christian education are important. But Jesus spent most of His time outside the institution.

The woman at the well, the Sermon on the Mount, the feeding of the 5,000, the paralyzed man by the pool--these encounters happened because Jesus was outside. He didn’t spend the bulk of His time indoors leading Torah studies and meeting with the Pharisees and Sadducees to plan their annual bazaar.

Jesus primarily poured Himself into 12 men. Jesus invested in some women as well, a very radical idea in a patriarchal society. He took the disciples into the community to the last, the least, and the lost: those not currently reached by the religious institution.

Q: Information minus Application equals Frustration. Give a practical example of how a church can "go to them."

A: This summer, instead of having VBS in their fellowship hall, what if a church held VBS in a park or some other public place where children naturally gather? What a positive message that would send the community. Plus they'd reach kids who otherwise wouldn't come to them.

This doable step could open doors for other opportunities to minister like Jesus.

What ideas can you add? 

David

“Did I Leave the Ministry?”

On December 3, 1991, God called me to attend seminary. Many people say that was the day God called me into the ministry.

On June 20, 2012, I left the pulpit for health reasons. I quit being the pastor of a church congregation.

But did I leave the ministry?

I will interview myself to explore this question. 

---

Q: The ministry has been on your mind a lot lately. Tell us about that.

A: Recently I met a man at church who asked, “Weren't you in the ministry?” It wasn’t an accusation or a judgment. He’d heard I used to be a preacher. He was verifying my background. When we meet someone, one of the first questions we ask is, “What do you do?”

That brief conversation bothered me because of my response: “I used to be.” The man then asked what I do now. “I’m a writer and speaker.”

I regret saying, “I used to be in the ministry.” I don’t like equating the ministry with the specific roles of pastor, chaplain, and missionary.

Q: But that’s how most people define the ministry. Why does it bother you?

A: The can be seen as “most important.” It implies the best service to God and others is performed by a select few specially trained folks like missionaries, chaplains, and pastors.

It implies being salt and light for Jesus in one's home, school, workplace, and community is inferior to the “real” service provided by church employees, usually in a church building.

This viewpoint downplays the vital role of godly parenting in the home. Two hours of Sunday school and worship won't instantly offset a lukewarm or pagan example set by Mom and Dad the other 166 hours a week. Christian values are "caught" far more than they are taught.

Q: Yet there is a difference in function between "clergy" and "laity."

A: There is a difference in function, but not in responsibility. Every Christian is called to serve in the kingdom of God.

In seminary I met a man who said, “I don’t work for the preacher. The preacher works for me.” Sadly, this mindset remains entrenched in many parishioners.

There is no “lay-clergy” distinction in the New Testament. Believers in the early church never said, “We pay Paul and Peter to run around serving on our behalf.” That’s why on the back of my bulletins, I always listed the staff like this:

Ministers: The congregation
Pastor: David Brannock

Q: So the Bible’s view of the ministry focuses on baptism, not ordination?

A: Absolutely. Baptism is every Christian’s official commissioning into ministry. If you are baptized and have made a public profession of faith, Jesus has called you into the ministry of all believers.

Ordination means “set apart” and not “set above.” Missionaries, chaplains, and pastors are called to a special role in the body. But whether your paychecks come from a church, a business, or the government, if you claim the name of Christian, you're expected to be on duty for Christ 24/7/365. 

Q: Are you saying we should be at church every time the doors are open?

A: Of course not. Actually, that’s part of the church’s problem. We spend so much time huddling up inside our little religious silos that we neglect to venture out into the world to be salt and light. No wonder the world largely ignores the church these days.

Christians are never off-duty from living out their faith. Of course we may rest, play, and travel. But those we encounter during the week shouldn’t be shocked that we claim to let Jesus run our life. They shouldn’t raise their eyebrows when they hear we worship God.

Q: Is that why you wish congregants would quit using the word volunteers?

A: Yes! I’m sick of the whiny excuse, “I’m just a volunteer.”

Too often it means, “I want to set the bar of expectation ankle high. I want you to accept whatever I give, whenever I give it, no matter how lousy my efforts may be. And since I don’t get paid like the staff, don’t even think about asking me to step outside my comfort zone.”

Q: What term should baptized Christians use instead?

A: Disciples. Jesus never used the term "volunteer." He called His followers disciples. And if it's good enough for Jesus...

Q: I have a hunch you have a lot more to say about the ministry.

A: Yes. I invite you to come back next week to continue the conversation.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to add your thoughtful ideas to the mix, please do so. The body of Christ needs one another because nobody has it all figured out. 

David

“The Gospel Truth in 20 Seconds”

Shrinking Attention Spans

That night I read 20 verses. But they acted as if I’d read 20 chapters.

It was our church’s preschool Christmas program. Some of the families did not attend a church, so I used the evangelistic opportunity to read Luke 2:1-20. The crowd wasn't opposed to the content, but they sure struggled with the length.

A third of the way into the passage, the audience began to cough and fidget. Two-thirds of the way through, the squirming increased a couple more levels. By the time the shepherds returned from the manger glorifying and praising God, I nearly had to shout into the microphone to be heard over the collective restlessness in the sanctuary.

Luke 2:1-20 can’t be read reverently in less than 20 seconds.

The richness of Luke’s Christmas story can’t be reduced to an Instagram pic, a sound bite, or a Twitter post.

Because of information overload, we scan headlines and glean the top stories. There isn’t time to absorb everything in the news.

So I will try to help you out.