Above my desk is a small sign that reads, “Have I made a difference in the local church today?” That is what drives me, and frankly is what enables me to serve in the ministry of superintendent.
I love the local church. I love serving in the local church, and am honoured to serve the people who compose it – in good times and in not-so-good times. I can handle serving as superintendent if I am being an, “encouragement and resource” to the local church and its leaders.
As our district has grown, so has our need to serve. Our district is now composed of 36 churches, 2 church plants, and services in 7 different languages. We have 9 district missionaries, leading church plants and various creative ministries.
To this end, I am so thankful for our district board – a gifted group of men and women who serve you and your church as an “encouragement and resource” in the Name of Our Lord – to the end that we will be a, “growing family of churches that reflect Jesus Christ.”
LPD Board members are, Randy Lemke (Allana) – Chair, Patrick Chan (Sarah) – Property and Finance, Ben Crumback (Anna) – Island Liaison, Charles Labun (Carolyn) – Church Board Liaison, Rob Stewart (Karen) – D.S., Tim Stewart (Emily) – Innovative Ministries, Sang Hyun (Sam) Cho (Eun Young) – Korean Church Liaison; Phil Yung (Grace) – Church Planting, Philip Leung (Karen) – Chinese Church Liaison and Josephine Papp, LPD Office Administrator – Recording Secretary.
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So… how are you doing?
I am not asking about your church, your attendance or your budget – I am asking about you…
These days of COVID can be unsettling – to our lives; to our families; to our schedules; to our measures of church and ministry. Perhaps the photo below posted on Facebook sums up how many in ministry are feeling:
Pastors report to me that they are busier than ever in producing online services as well as reaching out to their congregations. They also lack the normal “feedback” from their congregations that comes through being together on Sundays. While 221 people may have “viewed” the service online, who are these people, and how do we connect with them?
In ministry, we can use various measures for life and ministry health. You only need to ask a pastor how things are going, and you are more likely to get a report on the church than on oneself.
Here are a couple of things to encourage you in your life and ministry in this season of pandemic.
1. Focus on the One We Serve, not on Service Itself:
I was blessed at the reminder of this by Oswald Chambers in my reading last Friday.
Jesus did not say to make converts to your way of thinking, but He said to look after His sheep, to see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Him. We consider what we do in the way of Christian work as service, yet Jesus Christ calls service to be what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Discipleship is based solely on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on following after a particular belief or doctrine. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate…, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). In this verse, there is no argument and no pressure from Jesus to follow Him; He is simply saying, in effect, “If you want to be My disciple, you must be devoted solely to Me.” A person touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says, “Now I see who Jesus is!”— that is the source of devotion.
Today we have substituted doctrinal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many people are devoted to causes and so few are devoted to Jesus Christ. People do not really want to be devoted to Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is deeply offensive to the educated minds of today, to those who only want Him to be their Friend, and who are unwilling to accept Him in any other way. Our Lord’s primary obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of people— the saving of people was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father. If I am devoted solely to the cause of humanity, I will soon be exhausted and come to the point where my love will waver and stumble. But if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity, even though people may treat me like a “doormat.” The secret of a disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of that life is its seeming insignificance and its meekness. Yet it is like a grain of wheat that “falls into the ground and dies”— it will spring up and change the entire landscape (John 12:24).
When one preaches a sermon live, it is delivered and we move on… When one preaches online via YouTube or other means, it can be viewed, reviewed and critiqued as often as one wants. For you who have recorded sermons these days, do you ever do a “retake?” Do you wish that you could?
We can become our own worst critics. Though others may be blessed through our ministry, we who preach may focus on what we could have worded better, on the point that we missed or even the coffee stain we hadn’t noticed on our shirt…
Ben Mandrell , in his article, “STOP PEDDLING MINISTRY PERFECTION,” writes,
“Authenticity is the apologetic of our day.” That phrase has stayed with me ever since… The longer I live and serve in ministry, the more that phrase rings true. The way to get people’s attention today is to be honest about our own failures and not try to peddle perfection. The gospel is where Christ’s grace meets our need.
Here is the link: stop-peddling-ministry-perfection
As we journey through COVID, and week by week, “figure things our,” there is opportunity to learn, to laugh at ourselves and to celebrate our humanness – our congregations – and especially our spouses know this anyway…
As we are authentic and vulnerable, those we serve can relate to us, and know that we identify with them in their challenges. As is said of our High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ, having lived as perfect Lord and man, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15,16).
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Coach’s Corner – with Steve Sharpe, LPD Missionary of Church Planting and Development (srsharpe@shaw.ca). Steve shares coaching insights for pastors, church leaders and church planters. This week, he writes on, “DISCIPLE MAKING: Prodigal Homecoming.” Here is the link: PRODIGAL_HOMECOMING_26Jun2020.pdf
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Please remember all of our LPD Missionaries (and all missionaries) at this time.
Here is the link to their information and how to support them:
https://www.lpd-efcc.ca/donations/
LPD Missionaries
Dan and Sharon Williams (Osoyoos Project)
Steve and Gillian Sharpe (Missionary of Church Planting Development)
Jonathan and Harmony Ng (Inner City Ministry)
Noel and Lynda Macasaet (New Living Assembly)
Jorge and Emily Lin (Church of All Nations/”new”New West EFC)
Joshua and Nicole Fast (Priceless Youth Ministry)
Allen and Hannah Chang (Steveston Project)
Daniel and Joyce Wong (Steveston Project)why-bring-jesus-to-people?
Nathan and Amber Kinsey (Winsome Games) – beginning Sept. 1
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HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR CHURCHES REGARDING COVID-19
We in the LPD are here to serve you and your church through this time. Josephine has been continually updating our information, so has the most current information available on resources available to you and your church in this time. Please email Josephine.
Please contact us for:
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Please pray for:
