Already this week at CMS Summer School we’ve heard of explicit invitations to the Australian evangelical community from Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tanzania (to cite but three examples) to send gospel workers. Moreover, according to Lindsay Brown (former International Director of IFES), Sydney evangelicals are particularly placed to meet some of the pressing current gospel needs around the globe. We have open doors for ministry—but will we pray and work to send people through?

A particular opportunity for Sydney evangelicals

As part of his list of the top 10 challenges facing the global evangelical church (for the full list, see below) Lindsay Brown highlighted the great need for training and teaching in many parts of the world.

Setting the scene, Lindsay outlined the incredible growth in God’s global church in the last twenty years. The evangelical church in Nepal, as one example, grew from 30,000 in 1989 to 900,000 by 2009.

The challenge presented by this amazing growth is to disciple large numbers of new believers and establish them in the Christian faith. Such discipleship is essential if we are to fulfil the Lord Jesus’ commission in Matthew 28 to ‘teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you’. Only solid Biblical discipleship will avoid a Christian faith that fails to progress beyond the superficial or nominal.

Lindsay’s point was that this is where evangelicals in Sydney are particularly equipped to serve the wider global church. Having been blessed with high levels of Biblical teaching and training in our churches, we are beautifully placed to bless our brothers and sisters in less resourced places where God’s church is rapidly expanding.

Is this a door through which we are prepared to walk? Will we pray, as a community of resource-rich Sydney evangelicals, for the Lord to raise up significant numbers of workers to meet this substantial need? Will we actively seek to encourage and send appropriately humble, mature, servant-hearted people to serve in the global harvest?

Too small a vision?

Sometimes I hear the objection that there is a lot of work to do here in Sydney and that we need to look after our own patch. This is undoubtedly true. But I wonder if we are too focused on our own needs, instead of also looking to the needs of our sisters and brothers overseas.

Of course we support global mission. But tithing our church budgets, or even our theological college graduates, towards the global church frankly seems a bit stingey. Especially given our relative richness in resources, and the fact that many in our churches preach that for the resource rich tithing hardly meets the NT standard of generosity.

The substantial need for teaching and training overseas is not merely a question for us as individuals. As churches and a community of richly blessed evangelicals in Sydney, are we owning the needs that exist outside of our own patch? In fact, maybe that question betrays part of the problem. The issues overseas (or outside our own suburb) are not ‘our’ problem. But the picture in the NT is of global inter-dependence amongst God’s people (2 Corinthians 8-9). Maybe when those who are closest to the global situation say that we in Sydney have a particular opportunity to serve the wider church, we need to prayerfully consider our generosity.

Hearing the explicit requests to send gospel workers reminded me of the apostle Paul’s vision of the man from Macedonia who begged him to “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” (Acts 16.9-10). Given the explicit invitations that have been extended to us, for what are we waiting? Are we waiting for our own individual ‘Macedonian’ vision? Might not these invitations be our ‘Macedonian’ moment?

Top Ten Challenges for the evangelical church today (Lindsay Brown, evangelist and former International Director of IFES)

1. Pluralism. “We must be clear, bold and fearless in proclaiming the uniqueness of Christ”.
2. Unreached people groups. There are 630 unreached people groups around the globe today. That’s 600 million people without an indigenous church.
3. Provision of Scriptures. There are 4000 languages in the world today without any translated portion of the Bible.
4. Aural learners & slow readers. Many cultures are not oriented around the written word—increasingly this is the case in Western cultures as well. How do we effectively communicate the gospel preserved for us in written Scriptures without compromising?
5. Contribution of the diaspora. The gospel of Jesus Christ transcends racial barriers. How do we express the trans-cultural nature of the Christian community in our multi-cultural society? More, how do we benefit from the strengths that come in a multi-ethnic Christian community?
6. Growth of mega-cities. In 1900 there were only 11 ‘mega-cities’; in 2000 there were more than 500. How are we proclaiming and living the gospel of Jesus in these places with their distinctive problems and challenges?
7. Training and teaching. Rapid growth in the Christian church in the last twenty years means that there is a desperate need for discipleship, teaching and training.
8. Concern for every aspect of society. Instead of retreating in the face of secularism, will we as evangelicals engage in the life and debates of the wider community to demonstrate and proclaim the life in Christ that really is life?
9. Use of technology. The emergence of new technologies is unlikely to abate. Are we committed to exploring the real gospel opportunities that new technologies present?
10. Partnership. There are needs all over the globe. As evangelicals we need to forge gospel partnerships across boundaries in order to meet the needs of the kingdom for God’s glory.

Bible-honouring Christians can feel boxed in. If I embrace science and its findings I’m sometimes made to feel I’m betraying Christian belief in creation and respect for God’s Word. On another front if I suggest that there is intrinsic value in the arts, science, culture or work I run the risk of being told I’ve inappropriately elevated the merely temporal—the only thing of real value is evangelism and ministry.

Underlying both issues is our doctrine of creation. That’s why the Bible studies on Genesis 1-11 at this year’s CMS Summer School have been so refreshing and liberating.

In his exposition of these foundation chapters Peter Jensen has shown how ‘Genesis v Science’ should never have been an issue. Genesis provides a framework in which scientific enquiry finds its ultimate validation. The challenge to understand and harness the creation in which God has placed us is part and parcel of our mandate from God to tend and care for his world.

Moreover, careful attention to the detail and nature of these chapters shows that we are not obliged to adopt a literal ‘six days’ or ‘young earth’ position in order to be faithful to Scripture. As Peter Jensen observed these opening chapters contain hints within them that suggest God is revealing truths selectively and sometimes symbolically. We’re not told everything that is going on everywhere: the old question of from where did Cain find a wife? Maybe there were other humans around—the text does not preclude it. Sometimes it seems the truth is being communicated to us in ‘parable-like’ form: was the LORD really ‘walking’ through the garden? Maybe the communication of truth in these chapters is like Jesus’ parables or the prophet Nathan’s parable to King David: it’s true, it concerns real events, but maybe they did not occur precisely as they are described to us.

In conversations with Christian university science students over the last six years, I’ve been struck by how un-integrated almost all of them have been on the issue of science and their Christian faith. Very few can articulate how their growing scientific understanding fits within the Genesis accounts. In fact, I think Christians are less able to articulate a meaningful integration than in generations past. I find this very disturbing. I suspect that at some point, whether it be now or years hence, the tension from an un-integrated set of beliefs will become too much. Something will be jettisoned—and for many it will not be the science.

What Peter has helpfully done is show how there is space within the (ultimately authoritative) Scriptures themselves for the integration of science and God’s revealed truth. We do not have to sacrifice one to validly give thanks for the insights of the other.

The liberation flowing from this doctrine of creation extends to more than just science. The arts, work and ‘culture’ more generally are all part of God’s mandate to humanity to tend, care for and develop his creation. So we rightly rejoice in wonder at the created creative capacities with which God has endowed us his creatures.

Yet, as Peter noted, whether it be in capitalism or communism there are still great wrongs because human sin distorts human culture. We can exercise our cultural mandate by dominating and beating into submission. Or we can exercise it in Godly ways, resist the temptation to turn cultural ‘work’ into an idol and give thanks to him for the privilege.

1.  God is at the centre.

The God who reveals himself in the Christian Scriptures stands alone at the centre of his creation: ‘In the beginning, God …’. Genesis 1 intentionally challenges every belief system, every competing worldview. Who do you believe is at the centre? Who do you believe is in control? Do you believe that what he has created is good?

Reflecting on this I find it disturbingly easy to give mental assent to these basic Christian truths, but not let their power shape my attitudes and actions. How is it reflected in my prayer life? Or in the way I relate to others? Or in the way I think about this life I’ve been given and the way I hope to use it? As Peter Jensen commented in his first talk the temptation is always to put ourselves at the centre and God at the periphery as our servant. Hardly the picture that Genesis 1 presents!

2.  Unmasking the lies of secularism

‘When God rules, humanity flourishes.’ So Peter Jensen summarised Genesis 2. Noting the false promises of ‘freedom’ trumpeted by contemporary secularism Peter commented, ‘Secular ideology is an attack on humanity and our flourishing. We must out-think, out-love and out-live our secular contemporaries.’

For me this was one of those beautiful reminders for which I come to Summer School each year. That the gospel of Jesus Christ really is ‘good news’ for every creature under heaven, not just in the age to come, but here and now. Only under God’s loving rule, seen in obedience to his Word, will any of us flourish—my unbelieving friends included.

 3.  Faith-filled living

For me the power of embracing the above truths was evident when I went to a session where several missos were speaking of the challenge of taking your family into a cross-cultural situation. In all the hurdles that this entails, what truths enable you to continue? God is in control. He is at the centre. When he rules it is good, very good and only under his rule do we truly flourish.

I was inspired by the genuinely wise and faith-filled parenting of my Christian brothers and sisters. And it made me wonder: have we turned our children’s Aussie lifestyle (education, comfort, ‘opportunities’) into an ‘I can have this and God too’ idol? Do we really trust that God will look after our children, even as we do bold things for the Lord Jesus? Is our living full of faith, or do we doubt that God will deliver on the things that are most important for our kids?

The EU Staff team I lead at Sydney Uni is full of Godly, gifted, interesting, committed, fun, thoughtful people: I love working with them every day.

My general approach (which was modelled to me on different ministry staffs) is to give a free reign to the senior members of the team. And because they are excellent ministers, they do a good job. Even better, because the freedom is appreciated, I’m a popular boss.

But that’s the problem. What’s attractively dressed up as ‘freedom’ can be  ugly ‘conflict avoidance’ and ‘craving approval’ underneath. Sometimes giving enormous ‘freedom’ is the default because there seems no time to do anything else. Or maybe I never realised how giving greater feedback, direction & goal-setting is a way I can serve key members of the team and help the ministry at large.

I’m not about to go all ‘KPI’, but I will be working more collaboratively & regularly with each of our staff this year to set specific directions & plans in place.

Five lives - a joyful (& weighty) responsibility

Being ‘Dad’ to our five great kids is the most constantly stretching thing I’ve ever done.

It’s also, in all likelihood, the most significant thing I’ll ever do.

Yet it’s disturbingly easy to ‘be the dad that’s convenient (for me)‘ rather than ‘be the dad they need‘.

The father-load

Let’s call this what it is: self-centredness. Actually, let’s be more clear: it’s sin. It’s resisting Jesus’ call to ‘lay down our lives’ in love. It’s using excuses (‘I’m tired; it’s been a full-on day; I’ve got all this other stuff to worry about’) on those who are the least powerful to change the situation—a co-worker might confront your selfishness; a friend or spouse hopefully would name it; but when your kids complain it’s easy to ignore because (we think) the consequences are minimal.

The real proof of any person’s Christian discipleship is what they are like at home: with their spouse, kids, parents and on their own.

So one of my intentions for 2012: be more of the dad they need (relationally, Spirit-ually, physically). For their sake, and so they know the love of the Father through me.

Fatherhood is not for the soft, or the mediocre. It’s an adventure, and a cause, and a battle. It will take all the strength, courage, resourcefulness, hard work and honesty that you can throw at it—not just for a week or a month, but for years of your life.

Tony Payne, Fatherhood. What It Is and What It’s For. (Matthias Media, 2004)

C.H.Spurgeon, Individuality, and its Opposite in An All Round Ministry

But with the new year dawning and lots of thoughts charging round my brain (a standard experience for me when ‘on holidays’) it seemed a good opportunity.

And even though blogging is ‘so 2009′, I’m bored silly with facebook and twitter’s enforced brevity is a bit limiting!

So with a new look and a bit of resolve, we’ll see how we go. Let’s get this convo cracking.

Bishop Robinson

I once had the privilege of hearing Don Robbie, former Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and ex-EU’er from the 1940′s, speak about the significance of the EU’s ministry. “It’s all about muzzle velocity” was his assessment, referring to the heavy guns they saw used in WWII. A shell’s final landing place is entirely determined by it’s velocity (i.e. speed and direction) at the point at which it leaves the muzzle. The significance of the EU’s ministry lies in its formative role in setting Christians’ speed and direction as they head into the rest of life.

It’s a great analogy … and a great challenge. To set people up for a lifetime of Christian service. So here’s my third suggested value for the EU GradsFund ministry:

We believe that God gifts all his people that they might serve one another and build the body of Christ and that university ministry ought to equip Christians for a lifetime of Christian service through training and opportunities to serve.

But here are my questions:

• Have churches picked up the training baton such that the training and ministry opportunities uni-aged Christians are offered on campus are no longer unique? Is this value really a distinguishing feature of EU’s ministry?
• What’s your experience? How formative and effective has EU training been in equipping people in your church to serve?

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE – that is precisely the WRONG QUESTION.

Values are about what ARE, not what you think OUGHT  be.

from Flickr by xxxrmt

Most strategic plans of Christian groups/churches I’ve been in are inspiring triumphs of day-dreaming with no foundation in reality. Are we really committed to evangelism? Or is it just lip-service that ticks the right box? Where time, money, energy and prayers are spent will reveal the true values soon enough. A realistic strategic plan needs to arise naturally out of the reality of who we are, not built on mistaken beliefs and wishful thinking.

So what’s the next value of the EU and EU GradsFund?  Here’s my suggestion:

We believe that God speaks through the Scriptures and that university students ought to gain a rich understanding of the Christian faith so that they might know and love him more.

The emphases is on ‘rich understanding’ and not just of the Scriptures, but of the Christian faith. Is that true to your knowledge and experience of what the EU does at Sydney Uni?

From Flickr by emily osborne

What are your values? It’s an important question – our values define us, shape us, drive us forward. But articulating your values isn’t so easy! They are hard to pin down and identify. Like trying to look at your sunnies when usually you look through them.

I’ve been trying to write down some of our values for the EU Grads Fund ministry at Syd Uni with the EU. It’s part of a process of developing a five year strategic plan. Here’s the first one:

We believe the lost need to be saved and that university is a key time to present people with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My guess is that evangelical Christians will not disagree with the value (it’s very ‘apple pie’!), but is it right to be first? Would you have it as the first ‘value’ for your church? Or only in a uni ministry context? Does it mesh with your own EU experience?