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A REFLECTION – Firestorm: Preventing and Overcoming Church Conflicts

This book should be required reading for every ministerial candidate. I have read dozens of good books on conflict resolution in the church, but none better than Firestorm. The narrative style makes the principles of conflict resolution accessible to all readers. Ron Susek’s story of Pastor Steven Gates and Central Baptist Church is the narrative in which Susek weaves much pastoral wisdom. The presentation is so straightforward that a pastor, or church leader, could easily use this material for sermons or training church leadership.

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Remembering 9/11/2001

On Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, I was sitting in class at Pentecostal Theological Seminary. During a break, someone told me that a jet had flown into one of the World Trade Center towers. At that point I thought, “What a terrible accident.” Later, back in class, someone interrupted the class to announce that the Pentagon had been attacked. We were still in the dark, but we knew a horrible tragedy was occurring. Classes were dismissed and the entire student body gathered in the chapel to pray. Later, someone brought a television to the student center and we all gathered to watch the events. It was there that I saw the towers fall.

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Of Caesar and Mammon

The story of the kings of Israel offers to us a powerful reminder of the corruption of politics. After a period of rule by heroic judges and prophets, the people of Israel cried out, “Give us a king!” (1 Samuel 8:6). The desire for a king was nothing less than a subtle form of idolatry. “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘…they have rejected Me from being king over them…’” (1 Samuel 8:7f). Beginning at Mt. Sinai, the people of Israel often flirted with the pseudo-gods of Egypt and Canaan. Their desire for a king was a rejection of the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Following the words of the Lord, Samuel warned the people that a royal dynasty would be oppressive and corrupt and then he anointed Saul as king over Israel.

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Chick-fil-A, Sex, and Pastoral Care

Too often our PASSION about righteousness turns to ANGER and our anger gives way to HATE. May God help us to be passionate about LOVE so that we may be PATIENT, KIND, and GENTLE.

I posted the above quote on Facebook this week in response to the myriad of posts regarding the Chick-fil-A controversy. I support the free speech of Dan Cathy and of the hundreds of thousands who offered a peaceful protest by eating at Chick-fil-A. I also support the free speech of those who are opposed to my view. After all, free speech is reciprocal. If we are going to have a serious civic conversation, then we must be willing to allow all sides to be engaged in the discussion.

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The Pentecostal Bishop

The title of bishop is used to designate a person who is charged with oversight of a local congregation (pastor) and/or multiple congregations. The term “bishop” (episkopos) is used in the New Testament only six times. Five of these occurrences are Pauline and speak to oversight of the church (Acts 20:28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1ff; and Titus 1:7).  The fourth occurrence is Petrine and speaks to the ministry of Christ as he who is “Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25).  In his farewell address to the church elders at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul exhorted, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 2:28). Here Paul offers a paradigm for understanding the ministry of bishop in the apostolic church.

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