April 4, 2012 by C.J. Mahaney
Categories: Conferences | Interviews
Another speaker you’re going to get to meet this year if you join us at Next 2012 is Jared Mellinger, a pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania.
Like Kevin, Matt, and Ian, Jared is part of a young generation of pastors that gives me a lot of joy as I think about the future. I won’t get to see all of that future myself, but I can see when I look at these young men that the future is going to be well led, and that the transfer of the gospel between generations is being accomplished. Jared in particular is wise beyond his years (an overused expression, but it’s true) and a gifted expositor of the Word. So enjoy his answers to the questions below, and if you want to hear more of what he has to say about Church Membership, join us in Orlando over Memorial Day weekend at the Next conference.
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When did the local church become important to you and why?
I grew up in the church and my parents faithfully modeled the importance of the local church for me. But when I entered the teen years, I became bored with church. The reason the church was boring to me was that God himself was boring to me, and I was blind to his grace in Christ.
It wasn’t until I was entering college as a young Christian that I was forced to think through the role of the church in the life of a believer for myself. I saw that some of the most committed Christians on campus were not remotely committed to the local church, and that struck me as strange. When I was 18 years old, I attended a conference in Baltimore called New Attitude. I heard preaching on the importance of the church, and that set me on a course of loving the church that has continued to this day.
Share just one Scripture passage that has impacted your understanding of the church.
Revelation 1:9-20 (and all of Rev. 1-3) has taught me that Jesus Christ is the Lord of the church, and that he cares greatly about the health of local churches. It is a beautiful picture: The One who loved the church and obtained the church with his precious blood is now risen from the dead and walking among the lampstands, which are the local churches. Jesus fixes his loving attention upon the health and holiness of individual congregations. This is his passion.
I believe our Savior still walks among the lampstands today. And that picture is more than enough to get me fired up about the church.
You're speaking at Next 2012 on "The Church and Membership." Why should this matter to us?
Ultimately, the reason we care about church membership is because God cares about church membership. The Bible teaches that bad things happen when the boundary line between the church and the surrounding world becomes fuzzy, and that glorious things happen when that line becomes clear. Membership is about drawing a clear line around the people of God. Also, I am concerned that too many Christians in our generation are unacquainted with the privileges and protection of church membership.
How would you counsel someone who is looking for a church to join—what should they be looking for?
Don’t care too much about image, the personality of leaders, technological savvy, creativity, the size of the church, and musical style. Those are all overrated. Instead, find a church that treasures the gospel of Jesus Christ, trembles at the word of God, emphasizes preaching and sound theology, seeks the power and presence of the Spirit, abounds in love, faithfully practices the sacraments and church discipline, and is committed to biblical evangelism and missions.
What would you say is the average church member's job description?
The categories in Acts 2:42-47 come to mind. In no particular order: Praise God in all of life, value teaching and doctrine, be devoted to prayer, attend the meetings of the church, practice fellowship and mutual care, use your gifts, walk in unity, give generously, and witness in word and deed.
At Covenant Fellowship Church, we call every member to treasure, proclaim, and grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are a family of brothers and sisters in Christ that is marked by each member pursuing gospel-astonishment, gospel-advancement, and gospel-application.
Why don't we just say that everyone is a member of every church, that we're all part of the "universal church?"
While it’s true that all believers are a part of the universal church, God intends for our commitment to the church to find concrete expression in a particular congregation. Church membership is really the only way for us to be truly submitted to pastoral authority (Exactly who is responsible to keep watch over my soul and give an account of me?) and the only way to be subject to the discipline of the church (Exactly who has the right to apply the instructions for church discipline to me or remove me from the church if needed?). In other words, there are clear instructions to Christian leaders and instructions to all Christians that cannot be carried out apart from the idea of membership in a specific, visible local church.
April 3, 2012 by C.J. Mahaney
Categories: Conferences | Interviews
Today I want to introduce you to another Next speaker, Ian McConnell. Ian is a pastor at Grace Bible Church in northeast Philadelphia, and really the best way for you to get to know him is to hear him tell his story in his own words. So below is a video of Ian sharing the story of replanting Grace Bible Church, followed by his answers to some questions related to his conference message topic. From all of that, I’m confident you’ll be able to see why I’m excited to have him teaching this year.
By the way, we’re extending the discount on registration for Next until April 22. So if you want to register at the lowest rate possible, there’s still time. I hope you’ll come!
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When did the local church become important to you and why?
I didn’t grow up on “planet Christian” hanging out with followers of Jesus and going to church my whole life, so the very first time I went to a gospel-believing local church was when it became important to me even though I couldn’t have told you why back then. I was an obnoxious teenager who wasn’t very lovable—seriously—I made loving your neighbor really hard. But even though I wasn’t very lovable I immediately experienced unconditional love within the walls of that church. I met followers of Jesus, young and old, who loved as they had been loved. It really was amazing! I think I first started to get God’s love for me through the giving of his Son by the love those people showed me. The local church is where I met Jesus and saw how the Savior’s love radically changes people. I’ve been crazy about the local church ever since.
Share a Scripture passage that has impacted your understanding of the church.
Ephesians 2:22: “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” I am amazed that when we gather as a local church it’s not just us getting together with people—it’s us gathering together in the very presence of God. God comes to church with us—I love that about the local church!
Why should someone skip a Sunday at their church to come to this conference?
I think attending a conference like NEXT for 1 Sunday out of the year will provide some significant equipping to help you go home and love and serve your local church for the other 51 Sundays out of the year and then some!
What do you hope people walk away with from your message?
I hope people walk away in jaw-dropping wonder that because of the gospel, someday Sundays will be forever! If you want to know what I mean by that then you’ll just have to come to NEXT!
What would you say to the person who thinks they can worship God just as well at home or outdoors as they can with the church on Sunday?
I would say that they can’t. Personal access to God’s presence to worship the One who made me and saved me is an undeniable privilege! It’s a soul-satisfying life-transforming experience to go after God privately. However, it’s only part of what we have been made and saved for. The sweeping message of the Bible is that God is calling out a people to make His name great through Jesus. In the garden, God commands Adam to be fruitful and multiply a people. Outside the garden, God graciously promises Abraham that He will make him the father of many people. All of this points us to God’s ultimate plan to call out a people by the gospel for his glory from every people, tribe, tongue and nation who will worship him forever and ever. Even the picture God gives us of what forever is going to be like in the book of Revelation makes it clear that for all eternity we will worship God together in his presence because of Jesus. Gathering in God’s presence with God’s people in our local churches is not only one of our greatest privileges as individual followers of Jesus, it’s also part of submitting to God’s plan for the ages.
What would you say to the person who thinks "You haven't been to my Sunday meeting?"
There are no perfect Sunday meetings! In fact there is only one place you can go to experience the perfect church gathering—it’s called heaven! Be thankful for God’s sovereign plan in having you right where you are, pray for your church, serve with your gifts, and take Charles Spurgeon’s advice,
If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.
What relationship do Sunday meetings have to heaven?
Many of the promises of the gospel are held out to us in what really smart people call an “already not yet” tension. Meaning that there are privileges that have been secured for us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that we get some of now (already) and the rest of it later when we meet God face to face in heaven (not yet).
Because of Jesus, right now we have the amazing privilege as local churches to gather together in the presence of God to talk to God in prayer; to sing to God with praise and gratitude; to give to God our offerings; to serve our God by building up His people; to reach out to God’s world with the gospel; and to listen to God speak through his Word. These privileges are ours right now. However, the best is yet to come! One day because of Jesus we will be together, not just with our individual local churches, but with the whole CHURCH—all of God’s people from all time! We will talk to God face to face and we will hear from God face to face. We will sing God’s praise so loud and glorious that it will sound like the waves crashing on the beach. And here is what I think will be the best thing of all…wait a minute, I think I am giving away too much of my sermon. I think you get the point. Gathering with God and God’s people on earth, as wonderful as it is, is but a foretaste of how incredible it will be to gather with God and God’s people in heaven! That’s the relationship—the Sunday gathering is a foretaste of the heavenly gathering.
March 30, 2012 by C.J. Mahaney
Categories: Conferences
If you're planning to come, register by tomorrow night to take advantage of the early bird registration discount. I hope you'll join us!
March 29, 2012 by C.J. Mahaney
Categories: Conferences | Interviews
In an earlier post I introduced you to Matt Chandler, who is speaking at Next 2012 on “The Church and Culture.” (Tomorrow is the last day to get a discounted registration, by the way.) Today I want to share with you a similar interview I did with Kevin DeYoung. Kevin is a close friend, a fine pastor, and one of my favorite authors. He is also one of the brightest and most discerning guys I know. He happens to be a Michigan State fan, and although I think the Big 10 is overrated we both hate Duke basketball and that only strengthens our friendship.
Kevin is also no stranger to the Next conference—he has spoken there every year since 2009. Each of his messages have been exceptional and I expect this year’s (on “The Church and Relationships” and “The Church and Holiness”) will be no different. Below are some questions I asked Kevin that relate to the theme of the church, and his two topics at Next 2012 in particular. And if you want to get to know Kevin even better, you can listen to his previous conference messages.
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When did the local church become important to you and why?
I can’t think of a time when the local church wasn’t important in my life. I was baptized as an infant and have been at church almost every Sunday of my life, usually two times on Sunday. I don’t say this to boast, but to show that I grew up in a family where the importance of church was a given. Church is where we sang, worshiped, heard sermons, prayed, and made friends. It’s always been at the center of my life. I hope I can pass on the same legacy to my children.
Share just one Scripture passage that has impacted your understanding of the church.
In Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul says the church is “the fullness of him who fills all in all.” Think about that. God fills all in all, and yet the church is the fullest fullness of our all-filling God. That means the church must be incredibly special and important to God.
You're talking about "The Church and Relationships: How not to be a stupid friend." What's a stupid friend?
A stupid friend is a fool as Proverbs understands a fool. If you want to find out if you are a stupid friend, come to the conference.
What are some of the more common misconceptions people have about relationships in the church?
I can think of two very common misconceptions. One is to think that relationships are as easy as joining a small group and being in love with the idea of community. Wrong and wrong. Relationships are painful and always disappointing. The other misconception is really a missed opportunity. Churches talk a lot about marriage and parenting. There are classes on both and seminars and conferences and retreats and books aplenty. But we don’t offer much on friendship. We need to do a better job helping Christians with all of their relationships.
You're also speaking on "The Church and Holiness." You have a book on the topic coming out in the fall. Why is this an important topic to you?
It is important because I want to grow in holiness and because I fear that some “gospel-centered” Christians could stand to be “godliness-centered” as well.
How should we understand the world "holiness?"
Most simply, holiness is God-likeness. We are to be holy because he is holy.
March 28, 2012 by C.J. Mahaney
Categories: Conferences | Interviews
In anticipation of Next 2012 I’ve asked some of our guest speakers to share a bit about their perspective on the local church. Matt Chandler was the first one to get back to me, so today I’m posting the questions I sent him and his answers.
For those of you who don’t know him, Matt is part of a younger generation of pastors building gospel-centered and doctrinally-sound churches that have a heart for evangelism and church planting. As I age, guys like Matt bring me great joy. And I can say that in particular about Matt because I’ve had the opportunity to get to know him personally and to enjoy a memorable meal in his home with his family. I’ve also spent time with the other leaders of The Village Church and these are impressive men who each have a great sense of humor. We laughed a lot together. So although Matt has a world-class public gift, I am most impressed by the man I have gotten to know in private and the church God has used him to help build. That’s why I’m very excited that he’ll be speaking at Next and grateful he was willing to answer some questions here so you could get to know him.
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When did the local church become important to you and why?
The local church has always played a significant role in my life although I did have a season in which I questioned whether or not church as I understood it could effectively engage with the lost and seeking and disciple them to maturity. The Spirit and the scriptures provided clarity during a tumultuous year in my early 20s and I have been grateful for God’s call on my life to serve and lead His bride ever since.
Share a Scripture passage that has impacted your understanding of the church.
Ephesians 3:8-13. I know that’s not just one scripture but that’s the text! That the church is “revealing the manifold wisdom of God” gives me a great deal of vitality in that it reminds me that even on the difficult days the Spirit is using our prayers, meetings and organization to reveal His wisdom. We get to reflect his glory and perfection in our community and that thought is compelling to me.
You're speaking at Next 2012 on "The Church and Culture." How do you define culture?
Edward Tylor called culture "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man (or woman) as a member of society." I think that’s a robust and accurate definition.
The subtitle of your message is "Reaching out Without Selling Out." What are some ways churches might be tempted to sell out as they seek to affect their communities?
Historically what has happened is we’ve tried to give the God of the Bible a make-over like he’s out of date and no longer “cool” enough to draw people to himself, so we lower standards and try to make God more palatable to the prevailing culture.
What do you think are some of the more pressing issues in our culture today that the church should be addressing?
I think personhood issues like sexual identity, manhood and womanhood, etc., and the formation of deep, real community are the two most pressing.
Do you see distinctions between an individual Christian affecting culture and the local church affecting culture?
I think it naturally plays itself out that way. At The Village there are people who are engaging culture within the domain of society that they work or play in. It’s not a program of the church or a project that gets announced from the stage it’s those men and woman being faithful to God’s call on their lives. Meanwhile, the church as an organization has certain partners that we serve and walk with in the hope of engaging and impacting the culture around us with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The resurgence of Calvinism in the evangelical world in recent years has, I think, reflected an increasing concern among many Christians for purity of doctrine. But as Francis Schaeffer says in the quote below, pure doctrine by itself isn’t enough to constitute a thriving church—real community matters too. From The Church Before the Watching World:
One cannot explain the explosive dynamite, the dunamis, of the early church apart from the fact that they practiced two things simultaneously: orthodoxy of doctrine and orthodoxy of community in the midst of the visible church, a community which the world can see. By the grace of God, therefore, the church must be known simultaneously for its purity of doctrine and the reality of its community.
This became a conviction of mine many years ago, and I wish now that I could identify who it was that influenced me in that direction. When I was converted, the Jesus Movement and all of its attending festivals and conferences were, at first glance, where it seemed God was primarily at work. Speaking at those events, as well as the Tuesday-night teaching ministry I was involved with back then (TAG), had the feel of something significant. And God did use those contexts in wonderful ways.
But it wasn’t long before the limitations of these venues began to appear—and near the top of the list was a lack of real community. Moving from festival to conference to teaching nights didn’t afford anyone the opportunity to practice the many “one anothers” of Scripture. And the more I studied Acts and Ephesians and became amazed at the goodness of God’s plan for community in the local church, the more that dynamic became dissatisfying.
Humanly speaking, that dynamic is what ultimately let to the end of TAG and the beginning of Covenant Life Church. To many, that was a dumb move—we changed from teaching 2,000 people to teaching 20. But community was being built, and whereas TAG, festivals, and conferences would have inevitably declined and ended, Covenant Life Church continues to build. So it’s a dumb move I would do over again in a heartbeat. Schaeffer was right: real community matters.
At the Next conference in May, we’re going to spend a few days getting teaching on the doctrine of the church. I’m praying that those who join us will walk away amazed by the goodness of God’s plan for the local church and motivated to sink down their roots in the real community that only the church can offer as the fruit and effect of the gospel.
March 6, 2012 by C.J. Mahaney
Categories: Conferences
The theme of this year’s Next conference is the role of the church, and what it means for each member to play his or her part. And we do all have a part to play. Ephesians 4:7 affirms this loud and clear: The ascended Christ has specifically given a gift of grace to each of those who have been reconciled to God and regenerated by God. John Stott makes a helpful distinction here between “saving grace” (referred to in Ephesians 2:1-9) and “service grace.” Each one regenerated by grace has also been uniquely gifted by and with grace.
And these gifts are not given to us simply as duties, but privileges. Here is how Stott put it in Cross of Christ: “If the church was worth his blood, is it not worth our labour? The privilege of serving it is established by the preciousness of the price paid for its purchase.”
This point is central to one’s understanding of service in the church and I hope is impressed even more on our souls at the Next conference in May. Service in and to the local church is a privilege because we are serving the object of Christ’s perfect sacrifice on the cross. Our motivation for service is rooted in the cross. Indeed I don’t think anyone can truly persevere in service without being informed primarily by the Savior’s death.
Without this theologically informed motivation we are vulnerable to substitute motivations for service. I’ve spoken to many people over the years who, for example, found themselves serving and participating in the church almost as a tradition. A routine. Something they kept doing because, if they ceased to do it, they would feel guilty. But that’s not gospel-motivated service. And over time such substitute motivations have a slow and almost imperceptible wearying effect on the Christian’s soul. Service is no longer a joy. Participation in church is no longer filled with expectation of encountering God. And the significance of the mission of the church slowly fades out of view. I know because I have experienced this myself.
We are all susceptible to this slow drift if we don’t keep the gospel in view when we think of the local church. Acts 20:28 describes the church as “the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” (And what’s true of the whole is true of the part: in Romans 14:15 Paul describes one’s fellow believer as “the one for whom Christ died.”)
That is why it is a privilege to serve the local church—because it is the church that our Savior “obtained with his own blood.” So this year at the Next conference we’re going to be exhorting each other to labor for the church. We are all gifted by Christ to do so. And because of his great sacrifice, we are motivated as well.
February 28, 2012 by C.J. Mahaney
Categories: Conferences
This coming Memorial Day weekend Sovereign Grace Ministries is going to host the final Next conference (formerly New Attitude). Over the last decade or so Joshua Harris, Eric Simmons, and Grant Layman have all taken turns planning this event—and each has done an exceptional job. This year I have the privilege of leading Next along with my friend Bob Kauflin. We are two old guys who used to lead Celebration conferences together, so it’s a pure joy that we get to reunite for the purpose of serving the next generation. This year’s theme is the role of the church, and what it means for each member to play his or her part in the church. This is a most appropriate theme for our last Next conference and I’m very grateful for the lineup of teachers who have agreed to come address us on this topic.
Below are the speakers and the topics I’ve asked each one to cover. Later on I hope to talk more here about why I invited these men to cover these subjects.
Kevin DeYoung
"The Church and Friendship"
"The Church and Holiness"
Kevin DeYoung pastors University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, and is the co-author of What is the Mission of the Church?
Jeff Purswell
"The Church and the Purpose of God"
Jeff Purswell is the dean of the Sovereign Grace Ministries Pastors College and the editor of Bible Doctrine.
Matt Chandler is a lead pastor of The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, and is the author of The Explicit Gospel.
Ian McConnell leads Grace Bible Church in northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jared Mellinger is the senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania.
C.J. Mahaney
"The Church and Disappointment"
C.J. Mahaney leads Sovereign Grace Ministries in their mission to establish and support local churches.
These are some of my favorite teachers and their speaking alone would be more than enough to make me eagerly anticipate this conference. But there is another reason that getting to see this conference come together is a unique joy to me. When we began Covenant Life Church and then Sovereign Grace Ministries three decades ago, it was because we wanted to build something we could pass on to the next generation. A love for the local church and desire to see it grow was where it all began for me in pastoral ministry. As we proceeded to labor in the church, I was sowing toward a future I wasn’t sure I would see. But lo and behold, after all these years I am still alive, and through this conference I get to see something come to fruition in my late 50s that I began praying for in my early 20s: that we could pass on a love for the local church to the next generation. I’m grateful to God for this expression of his kindness to me.
Speaking of the local church many years ago, John Stott said, “How dare we push to the circumference what God has placed at the centre.” At Next, we hope to put the church at the center of our lives, where it belongs. I hope you’ll join us.
Many of you have kindly inquired about my leave of absence and how I will be spending my time during this season. Before I give you an update, I want to take this moment to thank each of you who have expressed your encouragement and your support in prayer.
Some of you have asked where I will be attending church during my leave. That’s a good question, as it’s not uncommon for pastors to take a leave in a church that is away from their home congregations, and this seems wise. During my leave of absence I will be attending Capitol Hill Baptist Church where Mark Dever is the senior pastor. After seeking counsel about this decision, I’ve concluded that this is the best place for Carolyn and me to receive care and counsel, to examine my life and leadership, and to consider my future during this season of reflection. I want to learn all I can during this season, and I pray that this time will benefit not only me but Sovereign Grace as well.
Mark and I have a rich history of friendship. I met Mark thirteen years ago and since then we have become very close friends. Mark has been not only a unique friend but also a mentor to me. I want to continue to take advantage of our friendship and his mentoring as much as possible during this time, benefiting from Mark’s unique pastoral wisdom and his gift of leadership. I am deeply grateful for his kindness and this opportunity. Actually, other than my wife Carolyn and those with whom I have served closely in Sovereign Grace Ministries, no one has had more influence on my life in the last ten years than Mark.
This leave of absence from my role as president of SGM will allow me the time necessary to process the valuable feedback I have received (and continue to receive), and to devote time to consider how I can best serve Sovereign Grace Ministries in the future. I’m seeking and benefiting from the advice of the SGM board and a number of leaders in the broader church—men I admire and who have become my friends over the years. I am approaching this task without making any assumptions or presuming upon any particular outcome. By God’s grace and the kindness of these men I am not lacking wise counsel as I seek to discern the will of God about how I might most effectively serve when this leave of absence concludes.
So for those who have kindly asked, I hope this information is helpful. I deeply appreciate the encouragement and support of so many at this time. I simply do not know how to adequately express this, but I trust you feel my deep gratefulness for your support. And I would appreciate your prayers, given the importance of the decisions before me and their impact on Sovereign Grace Ministries, the pastors I respect the most and the people of our churches for whom I have the deepest affection.
Finally, many of you know that this spring Dave Harvey, Jeff Purswell, and I were invited to speak at a pastors conference in the Dominican Republic. We are currently in Santo Domingo and the conference (Por Su Causa 2011) begins tomorrow morning. Please pray for us and for this very strategic conference. Earlier, during this same trip Jeff and I, along with Al Pino, visited the pastors that Sovereign Grace Ministries are honored to serve in Cuba. I was deeply humbled by the men and women I met, all of whom display remarkable joy and trust in God. I believe we will be sharing more about this trip on the Plant & Build blog later. In the meantime, please pray for our friends in Cuba and the Dominican Republic and for our friend Al Pino, who represents Sovereign Grace in our work with these remarkable saints. Please pray that Christ would be glorified in their midst and the gospel would go forth in these countries.
With gratefulness,
C.J.
June 22, 2011 by C.J. Mahaney
Categories: Conferences | Sermons
I appreciated and benefitted from all the messages at the Next 2011 conference in Orlando. I would encourage you to set aside some time to listen to all of the messages (you’ll find the main sessions here and the breakout sessions here). But if listening to all these messages is not possible, I would particularly commend Kevin DeYoung’s message, “Who Am I? Humanity in the Eyes of the World and the Christian.”
Kevin structured his message to answer five important questions about ourselves:
- Are we here by chance or by design?
- Are we free to create ourselves or to reflect God's image?
- Are we basically good or fundamentally flawed?
- Are we ethically excusable or morally culpable?
- Are we destined for a happy heaven or a blessed extinction, or are we on the way to heaven or hell?
Kevin summarized his conclusions to these questions like this:
Here are two views of the human person:
According to the world we are here by chance, free to create our own self, basically good, ethically excusable, and destined for a happy heaven or a blessed extinction.
According to God we are here by design, created to reflect God’s image, fundamentally flawed, morally culpable, and destined to worship God in heaven or face his wrath in hell.
You can listen to the whole message here.
Over the next couple of days on the blog I plan to post a few choice excerpts from Kevin’s message.