CAIRO — For Sabri,* the daily lurch between excitement and fear has settled into queasy uncertainty about Egypt’s future — and what it holds for followers of Christ. Sabri, a white-collar worker who lives with his family in Cairo, is an evangelical Christian. When massive demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and other cities sparked national demands for freedom in January, he joined many other Egyptians in hoping positive change might be coming after decades of stagnation and dictatorship.

As a member of Egypt’s embattled Christian minority, he also wondered how Islamic extremists would react to the situation.

Hope and concern, however, took a temporary back seat to terror as chaos spread. Longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak first tried to hang on to power, then lost his grip amid bloody clashes on the streets — and behind-the-scenes maneuvering among contending government factions and the military.

“There were no police on the street,” Sabri recalls of the worst moments leading up to Mubarak’s exit. “It was very scary. We had to guard our homes. We would stay up all night in the street with whatever we could carry — a bat or a piece of metal — just to defend ourselves. There were criminals and guns firing all the night.

Everything was moving very fast and we didn’t know what would happen tomorrow. We didn’t know what was right or wrong (politically), so our prayer was: ‘God, whatever You think is right, we are asking for Your will to be applied.’” Mubarak stepped down Feb. 11, unleashing a wave of euphoria among millions of young Egyptians calling for freedom. Political tensions have eased in the months since, or at least moved to other stages, as the military runs the government while the nation prepares for elections in September. World news coverage has shifted to more violent locales — such as Libya, Syria and Yemen — as movements for change continue to shake the Arab world.

Police have returned to the streets of Egypt’s cities, but crime is on the rise. “Business is not yet back to normal,” Sabri reports. “The police are scared of taking action because they are afraid the people will attack them.”

Everyone is “holding their breath” and waiting for what happens next, adds a recent visitor, as the young reformists, the old power structure, the military, secularists and Islamists jockey for position. Despite the disillusionment of recent days, a deep sense of pride in the change that has been accomplished remains from the early, heady days of the demonstrations.

“They are proud of what they have done, and there seems to be a sense of hope about the future that we haven’t really seen in the past,” says the visitor, who lived in Egypt for many years. “There’s also a great deal of caution, like they’re trying not to get too excited. One man said, ‘It’s going to be five years before we see the results.’”

What about prospects for minority Christians, who continue to suffer attacks by Muslim extremists?

The worst such incident in recent weeks occurred May 7, when a radical Muslim group, the Salafis, assaulted a Coptic Christian area of Cairo. The attack resulted in 12 deaths, at least 200 injuries and the burning of two churches. Enraged, Copts took to the streets to fight back. The Salafi movement, Coptic leaders charge, is trying to foment sectarian civil war between the Muslim majority and Coptic Christians, who comprise about 10 percent of Egypt’s 83 million people.

The conflict illustrates divisions that could sabotage change throughout the Arab world, according to Anthony Shadid and David D. Kirkpatrick of The New York Times.

“The revolutions and revolts in the Arab world, playing out over just a few months across two continents, have proved so inspirational to so many because they offer a new sense of national identity built on the idea of citizenship,” they wrote in a May 21 article examining the fissures confronting reform movements.

“But in the past weeks, the specter of divisions — religion in Egypt, fundamentalism in Tunisia, sect in Syria and Bahrain, clan in Libya — has threatened uprisings that once seemed to promise to resolve questions that have vexed the Arab world since the colonialism era. … (T)he question of identity may help determine whether the Arab Spring flowers or withers. Can the revolts forge alternative ways to cope with the Arab world’s variety of clans, sects, ethnicities and religions?”

The situation is “supremely complicated,” says Sabri, who urges outsiders not to jump to conclusions about where Egypt is headed. “For Mubarak to step down, that’s a miracle. For unity between average Egyptian people in the street — Christians and Muslims together — that’s a miracle that’s still happening now. There are miracles happening from a spiritual point of view.”

The many young, educated people who demonstrated for democracy in Tahrir Square support religious liberty for all Egyptians, he believes. Other forces do not — including the influential Muslim Brotherhood, banned under Mubarak but now allowed to participate in politics.

“I would be very concerned if the Muslim Brotherhood or the extremists get power over the parliament,” Sabri warns. “If they write the new constitution, it will be more tight on us as Christians. They’re not going to do it through violence. They’ll try to do it very smoothly so they don’t lose international support.”

Some Christians don’t intend to stick around to find out which scenario plays out. They’re leaving the country, or considering it. Sabri, however, isn’t going anywhere. He’s using this historic moment to share the hope of Christ with other Egyptians. “Muslims are asking a lot of direct questions — questions we’re not used to being asked” without years of relationship building, he says. “Now you can meet somebody in the subway and he or she wants to know the truth.”

*Name changed.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Bridges is IMB global correspondent. Visit “WorldView Conversation,” the blog related to this column. Listen to an audio version.)

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Yellow has never been my favorite color. I prefer blue myself. Yet, I am beginning to love the retinally challenging color of yellow more and more. It is the color of disaster relief shirts and symbols, so often seen recently in Alabama.

As I traveled across the vast areas of our state so adversely impacted by the historic outbreak of tornadoes, I saw numerous state conventions working in various places. The yellow shirt army from 12 state conventions, including Alabama, was hard at work, doing what these people do best. They were helping hurting people work their way out of the rubble and ruin of their tornado-ravaged lives.

As an Alabama Baptist, I wanted to pause from the rigors of disaster relief response and offer a public word of gratitude to all of the volunteers who – as of May 23 – together served for a total of 11,016 work days in disaster relief during this time of need. I tried to say thank you to those I saw in the areas where I traveled, but of course I couldn't speak to all of them individually.

Let me name the state conventions called out to assist us here in Alabama during this difficult time. Arkansas Baptists, served so ably by Emil Turner, the executive director, were sent to our state, even though they had been hit by the tornado outbreak, too. Emil and I have conversed regularly during these emotion-packed weeks following April 27.

John Sullivan, executive director for Florida Baptists, sent his disaster relief coordinator, Fritz Wilson, to help us in the incident command center. Additionally, other Florida Baptists came to Alabama to do disaster relief work among us. Their experience in this ministry was invaluable.

Georgia was hit pretty hard by the tornado outbreak too, but they came here to help us with our massive challenges. George Baptist Convention Executive Director Bob White is a native Alabaman, and he loves our state. He has pledged support in other ways as well.

Despite the fact that Bill Mackey is retiring as executive director for Kentucky Baptists, he was on the phone praying with me very soon after the tornadoes did their gruesome work. Kentucky Baptists came as disaster relief volunteers too, and they were sorely needed.

Louisiana is no stranger to the ministry of disaster relief. Their executive director, David Hankins, was quick to respond to the need. His yellow shirt regiment made a difference in our beloved state. He and his executive board responded generously to our pressing needs in other ways, as well.

Our partnership state convention, Michigan, had teams on the ground in north Alabama as soon as possible. These fine people were trained by our disaster relief workers. One of the volunteers was Bobby Gilstrap, executive director for Michigan Baptists. Their labors of love are so warmly appreciated by Alabama Baptists.

Our nearest neighbor to the west, Mississippi, was present and accounted for in our state during the critical response time. As you know, Mississippi was hammered by the same storm front as we, yet across the state lines the yellow shirts came to help us with our needs. Jim Futral, executive director for Mississippi Baptists, was so kind to call and offer assistance.

Oklahoma has long been known as tornado alley. They have vast experience with this kind of weather-related disaster response. Anthony Jordan, executive director for Oklahoma Baptists, contacted me expressing concern and support. Their yellow shirts were working hard among us as we sought to respond to those in need.

South Carolina Baptists added to the ranks of the yellow shirt army. Their executive director, Jim Austin, called and pledged prayer support during this most difficult time. South Carolinians know something about hurricanes, too. Their work was gladly received by those of us seeking to deploy trained workers across the massive geographic regions of our state hit by the 38 tornadoes.

The Southern Baptists of Texas were out in force during the past weeks. I enjoyed meeting some of them while they worked in the Tuscaloosa area. Jim Richards, the executive director of the SBTC, kept in touch with me via social network, and for that I am grateful.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas is without an executive director currently, but that did not stop their flow of yellow shirts coming into Alabama to work alongside the other 11 state conventions. I met some of them in the southern part of Tuscaloosa as I made visits in the area. They were all smiles while they did their work in our state.

Disaster relief volunteers from 11 state conventions, plus Alabama Baptists, made for a perfect number of 12. We’re not the 12 tribes of Israel, but, I believe we were and we are the people of God at work in a time of heartbreaking need. This is just one example of how state conventions work together to make a difference for Christ by seeking to meet the needs of others.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Rick Lance is a state missionary and executive director with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. This article originally appeared on his blog, www.RickLance.com.)

Let me preface this entire piece by telling you that I have not always felt the way I do now about what you are getting ready to read.

It has been through the grace of God, prayer and maturing that I have come to this point.

What I read about the infighting in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) disturbs me. I am the son of a Southern Baptist pastor, and I am a Southern Baptist pastor, so I have been around the SBC as long as I can remember.

What bothers me is that we, the SBC, are beginning to allow frivolous, insignificant and childish things to hinder us. Let me explain …

I am not a Calvinist. Anyone who knows me well can tell you I am a long way from being “reformed.”

Does that mean that I can’t work with other pastors who are reformed? I would hope not. How ridiculous is the thought that I can’t work with someone because they are a Calvinist? By the way, I have never found anyone who believes exactly like I do! Are we going to see eye to eye on everything? Certainly not! Does that mean I can’t ever talk to them or associate with them? Certainly not!

I wear a suit and tie Sunday morning, Sunday night, and 99 percent of Wednesday nights. Does that mean that I am against pastors who don’t? No! But how childish is it that I can’t work with someone because they wear jeans and a T-shirt?

Does that mean I am an old traditionalist? No! I like to wear a suit and tie. Does that mean that I can’t reach students and young adults? No! Since when did what you wear have anything to do with your commitment to Christ? I don’t care if you wear jeans, but don’t dislike me because I don’t.

I like hymns and praise songs. I like the old and new. I like any song that uplifts and glorifies God. Is one way right and the other wrong? No! Can you reach young adults singing hymns? Yes! Can you reach senior adults singing praise songs? Yes! Can I work with those on both ends of the spectrum? Yes!

The heart of what I am saying is, how much of the infighting within the SBC has anything to do with the gospel? I have never met a Calvinist who didn’t believe Jesus was the only way to heaven.   Last time I checked, what you wear has nothing to do with people dying and going to hell. People die and go to hell who wear suits and jeans. Are only the traditionalists going to heaven because they sing hymns? No! Or are the contemporaries going to Heaven because they sing praise songs? No!

All of the things we are disputing have no eternal ramifications. I like a debate as much as anyone, but when it comes to preferences we have to draw the line. If they believe the gospel then they are my brothers in Christ.

As I stated in the introduction, I have not always been this way.

When I was younger — I am 28 now — I was ready to fight at the drop of a hat. I wanted to give you my opinion and you better not dare question it.

I loved to argue about things that didn’t matter at all. But I am learning that I don’t have the time or energy to argue about dumb things. There are essentials and non-essentials. My father told me in church life that not every hill is worth dying on.

Let’s stand united for the Bible, the gospel, the Great Commission and the Great Commandment and let God do what only He can do! As Southern Baptists let’s work together to accomplish the task set before us. Let’s spend more time on personal holiness than we do personal preference.  

Let’s spend more time sharing the gospel than sharing our opinions. The world around us is going to hell, and it seems as though we could care less about them. Forget who you know, and worry about if those around you know Jesus. May God revive our Convention and churches for His glory and praise!

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Hensley is pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Gastonia, and a member of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s Board of Directors.) 

(SPECIAL NOTE — Thank you for your continued support of the Biblical Recorder site. During this interim period while we are searching for a new Editor/President the comments section will be temporarily discontinued. Thank you for your understanding and patience in this. If you do have comments or issues with items we run, please contact dianna@biblicalrecorder.org or call 919-847-2127.)

When the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention convened in Orlando in 2010, they adopted the Final Report of the Great Commission Task Force.

In Component Three: Encouraging Cooperative Program Giving and other Great Commission Giving, the report calls upon Southern Baptists “…to recommit to the Cooperative Program as the central and preferred conduit of Great Commission funding,…”

Here in North Carolina such a renewed commitment may well be unfolding.

During the first quarter of 2011, North Carolina Baptists increased their giving to the Cooperative Program by 3.06 percent, when compared to the first quarter of 2010.

That 3.06 percent equals an additional $224,610.82 for Christ-honoring, gospel-sharing ministries across our state, nation and world.

It means additional funding for sharing Christ across North America and around the world through the ministries of our International and North American mission boards.

It means more money for the educating of future pastors, church planters and missionaries who attend one of our six Southern Baptist seminaries, and it means additional funding for biblical ministries right here in North Carolina.

In 2010, because of the Kingdom investment of Southern Baptists across our state, we in North Carolina were able to celebrate such gospel-focused ministries as …

• the planting of 125 new churches, 96 of which were ethnic church plants
• witnessing 7,278 teens attend Summer Youth Week with 521 embracing Christ as Lord
• equipping more than 3,000 small group Bible study leaders in the teaching of God’s Word
• training 260 local church leaders in the Intentional Evangelistic Church Strategy
• launching mission partnerships with New York City and the country of Moldova
• providing theological education to hundreds of students through Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute
• training more than 4,000 ethnic church leaders in Great Commission ministries
• caring for hundreds of children through the ministry of the Baptist Children’s Homes
• launching Find It Here: Embracing Christ, focused on life-transformational discipleship
• celebrating, through the ministries of N.C. Baptist churches, 23,359 baptisms

Yes, North Carolina Baptists, your sacrificial support of the Cooperative Program is making an eternal difference in the lives of people all across the globe and here in our own state. Thank you for heeding the call and giving to the Cooperative Program. Together, we are making significant progress in fulfilling the Great Commission!

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Register is executive leader of the Baptist State Convention’s church planting and missions development.)

(SPECIAL NOTE — Thank you for your continued support of the Biblical Recorder site. During this interim period while we are searching for a new Editor/President the comments section will be temporarily discontinued. Thank you for your understanding and patience in this. If you do have comments or issues with items we run, please contact dianna@biblicalrecorder.org or call 919-847-2127.)

BARRE, Vt. — “But I don’t want to be bivocational.” That was the declaration of a young man whom I recently talked to. He was nearing graduation from seminary and felt led to do ministry in a lesser-reached area of the nation.

Vermont, which is the least churched state in America, definitely fits the bill for being lesser reached. As the Vermont director for the efforts of my denomination, I have plenty of openings in which he could fulfill his calling to a lesser reached area. But when he found out that most evangelical churches in Vermont have less than 100 people in worship on a typical Sunday morning and that few could sustain a fully funded pastor, he was discouraged.

I can certainly understand his frustration. After all, he had invested a significant amount of time and money in seven years of schooling in order to gain his master of divinity degree from an accredited seminary. In any other field, such an investment of time and money likely would produce a lucrative career. But if a person feels a calling to ministry, and wants to do that ministry outside the Bible belt, the likelihood of finding a fully funded position drops significantly.

For those who may not be familiar with the term “bivocational,” it simply means that the minister must work a second job in addition to serving a church. It does not mean that the minister is “part-time.” It simply means his ministry position is not fully funded and therefore he must find additional income from some other source.

The reasons that people want to avoid this situation are numerous, but the most obvious is that it is a lot of hard work. Balancing two jobs and a family is a challenge. Pastoral burn-out among bivocational pastors is notoriously high. Unfortunately, bivocational ministry is a reality that is not going away anytime soon. Both the current economic situation in the nation, as well as the giving trends of younger generations, indicate that churches will continue to struggle to fully fund pastoral positions for some time.

However, just because there are challenges to bivocational ministry does not mean that such situations should be viewed in a negative light. There are actually a number of advantages that bivocational pastors have over their fully funded counterparts. Before dismissing bivocational ministry, pastors should consider these advantages:

• Bivocational pastors are not as dependent on the church for their financial support as fully funded pastors. This relieves them of the stress of what might happen to their families if they were dismissed from the churches they serve. In some situations, bivocational pastors actually have more personal resources than fully funded pastors because they have two sources of income.
• Bivocational pastors often find more opportunities to witness to the lost than fully funded pastors because they spend more time with non-Christians through their secular employment.
• Bivocational pastors seldom live in a “bubble” where only church people inhabit. Their secular employment requires them to interact with and understand better the needs of non-Christians. Therefore, they frequently feel they relate to the people in their congregations better than fully funded pastors because they “work” just like the laypeople do. These frequent interactions and the increased sense of relating to laypeople often help bivocational pastors have more realistic sermon illustrations and greater credibility in the pulpit.
• Bivocational pastors have the ability to serve a larger number of churches because they can serve churches that cannot fully fund pastors. They also get to experience the joy of allowing churches to fund other needed ministries instead of so much of the churches’ funding going to support their own salaries.
• Bivocational pastors feel they are better able to encourage the churches they serve to create a culture whereby the laity use their gifts and the devote more time for ministry, since there were no fully funded pastors “paid” to “do everything” for congregations. Most bivocational pastors feel this creates healthy churches over the long term, though it sometimes creates more stress in the short term.
• Bivocational pastors often feel it is easier to teach about financial stewardship and/or to solicit contributions from church members. This is because so little of the churches’ funds are spent on the pastors’ salaries; the pastor asking for money is not perceived as being “self-serving.”
• Bivocational pastors frequently express that they feel more dependent on the Holy Spirit in their sermon preparation and less dependent on their formal theological training or on their elocution or research skills. This greater sense of dependence on the Spirit is perceived as a positive thing by most bivocational pastors. It is interesting to note that the bivocational pastors who express this the most strongly often have previously served larger churches in which they had been fully funded.
• Bivocational pastors sometimes say that being bivocational gives them valid excuses not to attend denominational meetings that they perceived as irrelevant, uninteresting, and/or promoting things that are not helpful to their own ministry. This does not mean they never attend meetings, but that their bivocational status makes them feel more comfortable attending only the meetings that they perceive as being helpful and as being more applicable to their situation.

While bivocational ministry has many challenges, it also has many advantages. Learning what the advantages are can help bivocational pastors, or those considering bivocational ministry, feel better about their ministry. When bivocational pastors feel more confident about their roles, they tend to be more effective in their ministries. Churches and denominational leaders need to look for ways to help bivocational pastors celebrate the advantages of bivocational ministry, a growing reality in North American church life.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Dorsett is director of the Green Mountain Baptist Association. For information, visit VermontBaptist.org. Visit his blog at TerryDorsett.com.)

(SPECIAL NOTE — Thank you for your continued support of the Biblical Recorder site. During this interim period while we are searching for a new Editor/President the comments section will be temporarily discontinued. Thank you for your understanding and patience in this. If you do have comments or issues with items we run, please contact dianna@biblicalrecorder.org or call 919-847-2127.)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In the aftermath of catastrophic events such as the recent tornadoes and floods, it is normal and appropriate to grieve over terrible loss and at the same time rejoice in God’s marvelous grace.

After the bombing of the Parliament building during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill cautioned the planners and decision makers who were planning its reconstruction: “We shape our buildings, and afterward our buildings shape us.” This truth certainly applies to church facilities. The way a church builds its buildings will be a major influence on the way it worships, grows disciples, fellowships or does any kind of ministry in the future.

There are crucial steps a church can take to develop a positive response in the midst of a crisis:

— Address the critical needs of the congregation first. If homes were destroyed and households are in crisis, the members are in no position to address either the corporate needs of the congregation or the community at large. As available, assist them in getting the help they need from the church or from outside crisis-assistance organizations.

— Next, seek to address the needs of the community. The crisis can open doors that were previously closed. There may be a new openness to the church from the community where doors have (literally and figuratively) been ripped open and walls of resistance have come tumbling down if the church is there to respond in a time of need.

— When dealing with the church facilities, it is important that the church leadership effectively assess damage to the facilities while allowing a time for the congregation to grieve the loss of “place” where precious memories were formed and important life events occurred. While insurance funds may be labeled as replacement costs of the existing buildings, those buildings built in the past may not best address future church ministry needs and objectives. Lead the church to understand that the past can be honored and respected as the church looks forward to a bright and healthy future with improved, effective facilities. Arrange for an alternate meeting place, if required, which will maintain a semblance of normalcy and at the same time reinforce a sense of embarkation upon a new chapter in church life and history. Consider the interim situation carefully, because the restoration process often takes longer than originally expected.

— Wise church leaders will assemble a support team to provide assistance and guidance in assessing replacement value, negotiating an insurance settlement, and developing a facilities design and construction strategy with a long-range perspective in mind. The team might include an independent insurance adjustor, an architect with expertise in assessing replacement value and in church planning and design, and a contractor with knowledge of the local post-catastrophe construction cost environment. Denominational agencies and other groups might offer helpful resources. LifeWay Architecture offers free seminars, heavily discounted consultation and interest-free deferred payment options to assist churches in recovery efforts.

— Negotiating a fair and favorable insurance settlement requires patience, thoroughness and expertise. Be aware that insurance settlements should include provisions for upgrading existing conditions that are non-compliant with current codes and require remediation for permitting and construction. This can include handicapped accessibility and toilet fixture counts. Wind loading and seismic force structural requirements have changed in recent years and should be considered as well. Include architectural and engineering fees in your replacement costs, as they will likely be required. Make sure to include items from your previous building, such as thickset tile, copper flashing, solid hardwood flooring, paneling, trim or wainscot in your replacement costs even if they are not included in the proposed new construction. Contents coverage and temporary facilities costs can be part of the settlement and are typically additional to the policy’s defined replacement value. Email is an effective and efficient tool to assist in thorough documentation critical to your settlement. Beware of accepting the first offer from the church’s insurer and work to leave the settlement as open ended as possible for unforeseen costs which may arise.

— As soon as a general idea of insurance proceeds can be projected, begin to formulate a plan to allocate them in a way that can best serve the future ministry needs and goals. Avoid the temptation and immediate emotional response to “put everything back the way it was” if that is not in the best interest of the church. Try to approach the trauma as an awakening to possibilities previously unavailable and to opportunities previously unimaginable. Consider augmenting the insurance proceeds with funds from savings, a capital campaign, outside contributions or even responsible borrowing.

— With the assistance of the support team, develop a strategy for rebuilding the church facilities in the manner that is most advantageous to the church. “Building Momentum,” a book by Gary Nicholson, can be a valuable resource guide for church leaders and building team members. Develop a new master plan for the restoration and for future facilities and clarify the church’s vision for ministry in the community.  Again borrowing a phrase from Churchill, let this process be the church’s “finest hour.” Cherish the memories and celebrate the positives, the victories and the milestones along the way, positioning the church for a healthy and hopeful outlook, preparing the way for future generations.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Newton is an architectural consultant with more than 20 years of church facility planning and design experience at LifeWay Architecture, which has architects registered in many states across the country where natural disasters have occurred. Contact him at steve.newton@lifeway.com.)

(SPECIAL NOTE — Thank you for your continued support of the Biblical Recorder site. During this interim period while we are searching for a new Editor/President the comments section will be temporarily discontinued. Thank you for your understanding and patience in this. If you do have comments or issues with items we run, please contact dianna@biblicalrecorder.org or call 919-847-2127.)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Prior to my present place of ministry, I spent more than 20 years consulting with churches across America. I have also had the wonderful opportunity to research churches primarily in the United States. Over time I began to notice certain patterns or signs that would indicate a congregation might be headed for trouble.

After reviewing my consultation notes and research, I found 10 warning signs for churches. If a church had four or more of these signs present, I would let the leadership know that remedial efforts were in order. If six or more signs were present, I was concerned that the congregation was in immediate trouble.

The warning signs below are not listed in any particular order. Nor are they the result of a scientifically accurate study. Though the information is both experiential and anecdotal, I found it immensely helpful in diagnosing the health of a church.

Church leaders should be concerned ...

• If the pastor does not have adequate time to be in the Word or if he chooses not to do so.
• If the members are spending time arguing about how money should be spent.
• If none or only a few of the key leaders are actively sharing their faith.
• If there is no clear process of discipleship in place, just a plethora of programs and activities.
• If corporate prayer is not a major emphasis in the church.
• If church members are arguing about worship style or worship times.
• If church members expect the paid staff to do most of the ministry, instead of the staff equipping the members to do the work of ministry (“Why didn’t he visit me in the hospital?”)
• If there are ongoing disagreements about matters of the church facilities.
• If the church has more meetings than new disciples.
• If the leadership of the church does not have a coherent plan for what is taught in small groups and Sunday School classes.

There is a common pattern for most of the warning signs. Church members are more concerned about their preferences and desires. They are inwardly focused. They ask what the church can do for them, instead of asking how God can use them sacrificially and radically through the ministries of the local church.

True Christianity is a faith that always seeks to put others first. Sadly, in many of the churches across our land, members are more concerned about getting their own personal needs and preferences met.

I would love to hear from you about any of these signs in your church. I particularly would like to hear from some people how their churches address these matters positively and proactively.

Do some of the items on the warning list take place in your church? Are there others not on the list?

What is your story?

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Rainer is president of LifeWay Christian Resources. This column first appeared at his website, ThomRainer.com. Visit http://www.thomrainer.com/2011/04/ten-warning-signs-for-churches.php to interact with this column.)

(SPECIAL NOTE — Thank you for your continued support of the Biblical Recorder site. During this interim period while we are searching for a new Editor/President the comments section will be temporarily discontinued. Thank you for your understanding and patience in this. If you do have comments or issues with items we run, please contact dianna@biblicalrecorder.org or call 919-847-2127.)

On April 15-16, the North Carolina Baptist Men (NCBM) trained almost 400 disaster recovery volunteers at Oaklawn Baptist Church in Winston-Salem.

These volunteers departed Winston-Salem having been trained and certified in various disaster recovery disciplines, including administration, assessing, chain sawing, feeding, childcare, laundry & shower, and chaplaincy. 

They were sent home Saturday afternoon to await “call-out,” should a disaster occur, and should their skills be needed. As everyone knows by now, a disaster occurred that same Saturday afternoon, and the skills of many disaster recovery workers were desperately needed. 

More specifically, workers skilled in administration, assessing, chain sawing, feeding, childcare, laundry & shower, and chaplaincy were needed.

Do those skills sound familiar?

Ironically, and thanks to cell phone and wireless email access, some freshly trained volunteers were “called-out” before they arrived home from training.

In just hours, NCBM assessors on the ground discovered the need for 12 disaster recovery sites in 10 counties. By the first of the week, 12 command posts were in various stages of set-up, and more “call-outs” were issued.

Late Wednesday evening, a team from my church was “called-out” for debris removal and clean-up in Sanford. An 11-member team departed Greensboro at 6:30 a.m. on Good Friday.

Command posts are directed by a “white hat,” while a “blue hat” supervises individual disciplines. Administration personnel verified our registration, medical histories, emergency numbers, and turned us over to a genial and welcoming “white hat.” 

Soon we were queued up for the “blue hat,” who had a daunting fistful of prioritized work requests from Sanford area tornado victims.

Short the hoopla of the NFL draft, our team ‘drafted’ four unassigned men with chain saw skills, a young man who had driven down from Kernersville, and a young female Sanford native/graduate student from Campbell University.     

Even though our minister of music, a Boonville pastor, and assorted choir members were on our team, our four chain saws never found complete four-part harmony.

The chain saws did confirm that in addition to — the larger the tree, the harder they fall — the larger the tree, the harder they are to saw through and move to the street, too.  

Upon reflection, it may also be a tornado truism that only large and larger trees come down during tornados. At least, we weren’t assigned a single small tree.

It was a hard day’s work, but no one complained. Even as a gifted complainer, it was impossible for me to complain when victims were sobbing and hugging us with appreciation. 

On the contrary, plans were made to return for more work on Easter Monday.

No need to dwell on the tornado devastation around Sanford and other N.C. locales — everyone knows it was total and tragic.  Everyone also knows the devastation incurred by our state was minor compared to that resulting from numerous tornados which roared across the Southeast in a 24-hour-period (the latter part of April).

As for lessons learned, there is no safe haven from tornados. You can trust your bathtub if you wish, but several solo tubs were scattered around Sanford. Given, some locations are definitely safer than others — locate those now and inform your family.

Keep abreast of threatening weather conditions.

Do not do as I do — play weather radio Russian roulette by turning it off because it keeps waking me up with severe weather warnings.

Just as tornados and hurricanes are part of our lives as North Carolinians, disaster recovery should be among our skill sets. These are acquired skills and available from a number of reputable agencies. My wife and I had our first “call-out” experience with the NCBM for Hurricane Hugo recovery. Subsequent “call-outs” have included Hurricanes Floyd, Charlie, Katrina, and Rita. 

We are confident that disaster recovery efforts and financial contributions to the North Carolina Baptist Men are directed 100 percent to those ends. Learn more at ncmissions.org.

(EDITOR — Thetford is a member at Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro.)

(SPECIAL NOTE — Thank you for your continued support of the Biblical Recorder site. During this interim period while we are searching for a new Editor/President the comments section will be temporarily discontinued. Thank you for your understanding and patience in this. If you do have comments or issues with items we run, please contact dianna@biblicalrecorder.org or call 919-847-2127.)

In 1965 Dr. Howard Clinebell published a book entitled The Mental Health Ministry of the Local Church. The three main themes of this work are: “(a) Mental Health is a central and inescapable concern of any local church that is a healing-redemptive fellowship, (b) A local church today has an unprecedented opportunity to multiply its contributions to both the preventive and therapeutic dimensions of mental health and (c) A church can seize this opportunity most effectively by allowing mental health to become a leavening concern, permeating all areas of its life.”

These themes have been embraced since the 1970’s when the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) partnered with the ministry of pastoral counseling at North Carolina Baptist Hospital in the hopes to spread this mission of Christian compassion experienced by patients while at the hospital upon their discharge to communities across the state. Today, the Department of Pastoral Counseling/CareNet, Inc. employs 70 professionals, in 21 locations covering 80 counties, providing 35,000 hours of professional faith-integrated counseling of which approximately 50 percent are to N.C. Baptists. This marriage of the Christian faith to mental health care is crucial in responding to the growing demand for counseling at CareNet centers across our state.

The ministry of healing and wholeness has been the focus of the church since its inception. Just as we have a physical health and spiritual health, we also have a mental health that demands our attention. These three are inextricably related and can impact the vitality or decline of the other. Usually, when we think of mental health we associate this with mental illness. And it is true that one in four Americans suffer from a diagnosable and treatable emotional problem and mental illness. It is also true that there is a positive relationship between faith and those who struggle with various emotional problems and mental illnesses.

Harold G. Koenig, M.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center, has provided research that substantiates the claim that regular involvement in a faith community is good for all dimensions of our health. Congregations are the largest delivery system of mental health services every week in the United States. Yet, there are times that specialized care is needed beyond the teaching and proclamation of the church.

Thanks to the ongoing support of the Baptist State Convention our network of CareNet Counseling Centers can offer faith-sensitive, compassionate, pastoral counseling and assessment services to all who seek our care. We are a referral only ministry which means you must call for an appointment.

CareNet has the capacity to serve a wide range of emotional and spiritual problems having 58 licensed counselors and psychologists to serve children through adults. In 2010 our ministry provided $422,000 of free care to hurting persons. For the nearest CareNet center to you please Google www.wakehealth.edu/carenet/ and click on centers and locations.

Our newest CareNet location opened May 10 in Whiteville as a satellite of our Lumberton center. Willard McPherson, pastor of Piney Forest Baptist Church in Chadbourn, has spearheaded the effort along with David Crenshaw, director of the Lumberton center. “We really appreciate the ministry of CareNet and wanted to bring a center to our county,” McPherson said. “I’ve referred many people to CareNet with great results. Their faith-centered approach to counseling is essential and extremely helpful.”

Since 1949 the month of May has been observed in America as Mental Health month. The purpose is to draw attention to the importance of mental health as well as awareness for the 25 percent of Americans who suffer from mental illness. CareNet had the good fortune of being awarded a three-year Duke Endowment grant in 2008 whose focus was clergy and congregational health.

One of our projects within the grant has been to develop a “Congregational Mental Health Guide” that can be used by pastors, Christian educators, and laypersons who desire to preach, teach, and reflect on how the church can raise the awareness of mental health as a ministry of the local church. The guides can be purchased at cost ($6) by contacting Bryan Hatcher at bhatcher@wfubmc.edu. This guide is the beginning of a larger project we plan to launch with congregations on enhancing the mental health of an entire congregation. The ministry of Jesus invites the world to face those things that kept us separated from God, others, and ourselves. Spiritual and emotional health is inseparable. It can be through the darkest episodes of our life that our spiritual sensitivities pave the way to hope and healing. (In these instances,) the way to God is not up but down. When the way we try to live our lives fails, the invitation is to look down and within before looking up and out.

The ministry of CareNet Counseling Centers of North Carolina is to “improve the health of the mind, body, spirit, and community, through faith-integrated counseling, psychotherapy, research, and education.” Our goal is to bring biblical and psychological principles alive in relationships with troubled persons and families who seek healing and wholeness from their brokenness. Thank you N.C. Baptists for this partnership in ministry.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scoggin is president of CareNet, Inc., a subsidiary of Wake Forest Baptist Health.) 

(SPECIAL NOTE — Thank you for your continued support of the Biblical Recorder site. During this interim period while we are searching for a new Editor/President the comments section will be temporarily discontinued. Thank you for your understanding and patience in this. If you do have comments or issues with items we run, please contact dianna@biblicalrecorder.org or call 919-847-2127.)

An October 2010 article in the Biblical Recorder stated that the work of M.O. Owens Jr. is barely remembered. While his efforts may no longer make headlines, his pioneering work in calling the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to return to an unwavering confidence in God’s word should not be forgotten. It clearly will not at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

In the article by Norman Jameson, “M.O. Owens started ‘conservative resurgence’” (online headline), Jameson summarizes Owens’ enduring contributions to the Conservative Resurgence of the SBC, meanwhile lamenting that his work now goes almost unnoticed. However, the Conservative Resurgence and Owens’ pivotal role in it is a legacy worth preserving.

Of all the SBC agencies influenced by Owens’ Christ-centered convictions, none serves as a better example than Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where I am honored to serve as president.

It is because of people like Owens — people who refused to support a school whose professors doubted the truthfulness and inerrancy of the scripture — that Southeastern was literally saved from what she could have become.

In 1992, Southeastern had fewer than 600 students. Today, God has given us the privilege of preparing 2,700 men and women who will depart to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission.

One way we encourage future generations of gospel-ready champions for King Jesus is by challenging them to learn from examples like that of M.O. Owens Jr.

This is a good and godly exercise.

The author of Hebrews, after calling our attention to the “large cloud of witnesses surrounding us,” urges us to “lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us.” The cloud of witnesses is the men and women who were approved of God by faith.

We find strength for following Christ by considering the faithfulness of saints who come before us — saints such as M.O. Owens.

He is one of my personal heroes, and his humility and his perseverance are models I endeavor to follow. Students in every generation can learn much from his fidelity to Christ. He has shown us as believers how to remain faithful and humble, even when faithfulness demands taking an unpopular stand and refusing to blindly accept the status quo. As Southern Baptists, the fruit of Owens’ life is all around us.

We see his impact at Southeastern, in our SBC agencies, in thriving churches committed to Christ and His word, and in new generations of students graduating and departing to serve Christ in their own generation.

Many are planting New Testament churches in challenging places such as Boston, Washington, D.C., Denver, New York City, Southeast Asia and North Africa/Middle East, just to name a few.

Owens’ contributions are too important and his impact is too enduring for us to forget him. At Southeastern, we are not content to let his legacy slowly fade into the recesses of history. To preserve his story and encourage future generations of pastors, teachers and missionaries, we are working tirelessly to endow the Dr. M.O. Owens Jr. Chair of New Testament Studies.

This endowed chair will help us instill within students the importance of sound biblical interpretation and its impact on fulfilling the Great Commission.

When students, like Owens, think rightly about God’s word and God’s Son, their living, serving and preaching will exalt the Savior rather than themselves.

The principal required to fund and maintain an endowed chair is $1 million.

The income from the fund will be used to grow the principal gradually as a hedge against inflation and to provide support for a professor of New Testament studies. Approximately one-third of the funds required to endow the chair have been given.

We are eager to finish the chair and honor Owens. He is currently 97 and still preaching and playing golf each week! What a joy it would be to honor Owens while he is physically able to join in the celebration.

As soon as funds are secured to endow the Dr. M.O. Owens Jr. Chair, a professor of New Testament will be named in a special service in Southeastern’s Binkley Chapel.

This professor will teach hundreds of students each year, reminding them of who Owens is and why he matters. He will challenge them to emulate his faithfulness to King Jesus.

Even if just one student makes an impact as Owens has, it will have been an investment that impacts multitudes and endures forever.

If God is possibly leading you to join the effort to honor Owens, we would enjoy the privilege of talking with you. Owens will not be “barely remembered” in eternity. With your help, his legacy here on earth will go on until Jesus comes again.

For more information on tax-wise ways to support the Dr. M.O. Owens Jr. Chair of New Testament Studies, please contact us at (919) 761-2352, dpalmer@sebts.edu, or Southeastern Seminary, Owens Chair of New Testament Studies, P.O. Box 1889, Wake Forest, NC 27588-1889. This is an investment that promises abundant returns for years to come.

(SPECIAL NOTE — Thank you for your continued support of the Biblical Recorder site. During this interim period while we are searching for a new Editor/President the comments section will be temporarily discontinued. Thank you for your understanding and patience in this. If you do have comments or issues with items we run, please contact dianna@biblicalrecorder.org or call 919-847-2127.)