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A Graduation and a Doctor’s Degree

By Yancey Arrington | May 19, 2013

This weekend I had the privilege of being presented with a Doctor of Ministry from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis.

The graduation itself was a special time (even more so with my wife being able to accompany me). From the playing of bagpipes in the opening to the benediction in song by one of the professors, it was a service full to the brim of emotion and significance. While ceremonious, the commencement had a very warm, personal feel. Laughing, embracing, and shouting for joy were evidenced all throughout the graduation. The doctoral graduates formed the final procession of those receiving their degrees. It was special not only to hear my name but the title of my dissertation announced to the crowd as well. Wearing my three-stripes doctoral robe, I was subsequently “hooded” with my doctoral regalia marked by Covenant’s blue and green tartan which hearkens back to its Scottish Presbyterian forebears. I received my diploma from the school’s president then sat down, grateful for it all.

One of the most moving moments for me was receiving a standing ovation, led by the Master of Divinity graduates, for all the doctoral grads. They leapt to their feet almost immediately after applause started to break out for my fellow doctors. Frankly, it was hard to keep my composure in the face of such sweet tokens of appreciation. It was deeply moving and something I likely will never forget.

This has concluded a wonderful journey that began in 2010. After graduating college I thought I would get a doctorate before I was 30. However, as I moved toward my three decades of life, it never felt like the right time. Now that I’m on the backside of receiving my doctorate I am convinced I began the doctoral program when I needed to. It has been a wonderful time of learning, friendship, and pushing myself both personally and ministerially. I am profoundly grateful for the men and women who comprise CTS and pray the Lord blesses them richly!

Now on to new adventures…

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Four Reasons I Love The Acts 29 Network

By Yancey Arrington | May 10, 2013

In 2009 Clear Creek Community Church became a member of the Acts 29 Network. Acts 29 is a group committed to planting churches that plant churches. While no organization is perfect, I can say in the 20 year history of our church plant turned church that plants churches, there hasn’t been a more strategic partnership we have than with the leaders who make up this network. Indeed, if you’re considering planting a church, or in the middle of planting a church, or in an established church that wants to plant churches, I want to give you four reasons why you should consider joining Acts 29.

Brotherhood. Leading a church is like climbing Everest. Very few can thrive in the thin air of constant critique, wayward staff and problems too numerous to count. Right or wrong, the result is an overwhelming sense of loneliness. That’s why it’s so important to find other like-minded pastor-climbers. They ‘get you,’ understand your struggles and can laugh heartily at your gallows humor, finishing with the punchlines of their own broken story. They also rejoice with you in the victories of church planting – your gathering of a core group, your inaugural service, your first baptism, and so on. Acts 29, this cohort of climbers, has been a band of brothers for me unlike I’ve ever encountered in ministry.
Theology. What we believe is, and always will be, important. Frankly, I struggle to respect ministers who’ve left their doctrine on the top shelf in ministry in lieu of the easy reach of pragmatism. A pastor who ‘isn’t really into theology’ (something one local pastor actually told me) is akin to a doctor informing you he really isn’t into medicine. However, the truth is, theology always (and I mean always) impacts ministry. Acts 29 not only understands this maxim but is rooted in it. Far from being doctrinaire prigs who talk a good game about planting churches while getting stuck in debates of theological minutiae, the network is one of the leading edge organizations in actually planting churches while remaining steadfastly committed to biblical fidelity and doctrinal soundness. It’s a community where doctrinal distinctives are rightfully seen as a strength not weakness. For that I’m very grateful.
Fellowship. If brotherhood is a connection of heart, fellowship is a connection of sharing. Acts 29 is a place where I can hear from others, bounce ideas off friends, be encouraged by prayer, deepen relationships with old friends and lay the foundation with new friends. Like Howard Schultz’ hope for Starbucks, the network has become a ministerial ‘third place’ for me that stretches between home and church. It’s an avenue where I can speak/pray/counsel with fellow husband/father/pastor/leaders. And not only for me, but for my wife as well. In Acts 29, my spouse has found fellow sisters-in-arms who know the ups and downs of being a church planter’s wife.
Network. Acts 29 is a network in the truest sense of the word in that I’m able to dialogue, run ideas by, and get ministry resources from my fellow pastor-sojourners. Everyone is committed to helping everyone else “move the ball down the field” in establishing for themselves a gospel-centered, missional, church planting church. I get to hear from some of the best practitioners in a variety of ministry settings: mega and small; urban and suburban; attraction and incarnational; etc. Furthermore, I’m intentionally placed within a local network where I can lock arm-in-arm with planters in my area. These are men I cross paths with in gatherings throughout the year and am amazed at their brilliance, passion, and leadership as they shepherd their individual congregations. We preach for each other, pray for each other, bear each other’s burdens, as we work together in the hopes of reaching the city of Houston for the gospel. What more does a planter need than this? It’s priceless.

Are there other church planting networks? Absolutely! If one matches the “who, what, how, and why” for you better than Acts 29, join them! But if you desire to plant a gospel-centered, missional, church-planting church, I want you to strongly consider partnering with the Acts 29 Network. I have and can tell you it has been the single, greatest strategic relationship Clear Creek Community Church has ever made for the mission of planting churches!

Consider finding an Acts 29 Boot Camp near you. Houston’s Boot Camp is May 22-23

*Some points adapted from an earlier post.

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Discipleship as Network

By Yancey Arrington | May 5, 2013

I think for most of my life as a Christian there has been a strong chorus of voices championing one-on-one discipleship. The idea is that an individual (Person A) helps another individual (Person B) grow in the faith for a certain period of time. Once Person B has matured to a certain degree, he or she is expected find a Person C to disciple. Often the supporting rubric for this kind of relationship is tied to Paul’s relationship to Timothy.* Indeed, over the years I’ve been asked, “Yancey, who’s your Timothy?” In other words, who is the one individual I’m pouring into in order they mature enough spiritually to disciple others? This is a very popular philosophy of discipleship that has birthed programs, books, and parachurch ministries promoting the virtues of spiritual formation via discipler to disciple.

Let me very clear, I think one-on-one discipleship is a legitimate, beneficial avenue of discipleship. I’ve done it and will do it in some fashion in the future. However, I would argue that more than merely one-on-one ratios, most discipleship is found in a network of relationships.

To walk through the New Testament is to see believers exposed to the ministries of not a solitary disciplemaker but a series of gifted men and women who, in totum, contribute to the discipleship of individuals. In other words, it seems Person A is taught by teachers, preached to by preachers, exhorted by prophets, not to mention the “regular” ministry of those in the church community who bear burdens, use their gifts, intercede in prayer, and do “life on life” with Person A. Now, which of these individual’s is Person A‘s discipler? Which person is helping Person A become a fully devoted follower of Jesus?

It begs the question: Who is my discipler?

Is it the pastor who taught from the Gospel of John last Sunday?
Is it the music leader who introduced “In Christ Alone” for the congregation this week?
Is it the community group leader who lovingly pulled me aside last Monday to ask me how I was doing with my struggles and how he could pray for me?
Is it the people in that group who encouraged me to be on mission and held me accountable to make sure I’m finding my identity in Christ and not idolatries?

Yes!

The entire church, when using their gifts for the building up of the Body of Christ, is a network of relationships that produces disciples. Far from needing to discover everyone’s Person A for their all-in-all for spiritual formation, the church is to be a veritable village of discipleship where different individuals bring different strengths, passions, and gifts helping move everyone toward Christlikeness. To look at Eph. 4:11-19 (among other passages) is to see that not only do all believers need to be under teaching, in community, and serving the Body, but that this is a team effort! Put another way, Persons A, B, C are to use their unique contributions within the local church to grow Persons A, B, and C. Some will do that through teachings, others through serving, others through community, etc. While the contributions come in various and sundry ways, everyone disciples. Everyone.

A “village” approach (a.k.a., local church approach) frees up people to serve more toward their giftedness/passion without the guilty feeling they are out of the spiritual formation pipeline simply because they’re not “Paul’s” or even small group leaders for that matter. That’s okay, there’s room at the discipleship table for the Barnabas’s, Mary’s, Martha’s, Priscilla & Aquila’s, Apollos’s, Lydia’s…as well.

Discipleship is found in a network of relationships.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
- Ephesians 4:11-16

*Paul wouldn’t be Timothy’s only discipler. Timothy was initially a product of his mother and grandmother’s discipling (2 Tim. 1:5) and it appears possibly others over time, including Paul (2 Tim. 3:14; “whom” is plural). Additionally, one could argue that 1 and 2 Timothy are primarily words not from discipler to disciple but from senior church leader (apostle/church planter) to young church leader (pastor/elder). Indeed, 2 Timothy 2:2, the textus classicus often used to promote one-on-one discipleship, seems contextually to actually be a call to leadership reproduction (elders?) than disciplemaking. Nevertheless, even if Paul is giving Timothy a general prescription to discipleship, it’s worth noting “entrust to faithful men” likely speaks of something other than a one-on-one approach.

Posted in church, Discipleship | 4 Comments

Five Reasons Why Pastors Should Read Worship Books

By Yancey Arrington | April 21, 2013

The reading lists of church staffs often fall into stereotypical lines where books are chosen according to how well they help one “do” the ministry he or she oversees. Hence, teachers have a great affinity for theological books, administrators gravitate to leadership works, age-graded staff gobble up offerings which deal with things like family, students, or cultural issues they face, and so on and so forth. Based on this idea, the worship pastor (or whatever you call the person who oversees the Sunday service) is essentially the only person given to reading books on worship. If true, that would be a sad case. Indeed, as a pulpit pastor, I’ve probably read a dozen or so books devoted specifically to corporate worship and wanted to give you five reasons why, as the lead/pulpit/senior pastor, you should read a few as well.

It will improve your communication about what corporate worship is to your congregants. Free your congregants from the ubiquitous error abounding in churches each Sunday that says worship equals music. Maybe the reason your church will be different is because a good book on worship finally helped you see that other elements such as the sermon, the offering, and the prayers are worship as well. It might lead you to stop calling your music leader the “worship pastor” or move you to continually help connect non-musical elements to the heart of corporate worship. It might lead you to do a lot of things you’re not currently doing or vice versa.
It will give you deeper appreciation for the weekly task before your worship pastor. This assumes the worship pastor and his team are primarily responsible for putting together the weekend service. Indeed, after reading a good book or two on worship, you may realize you aren’t involved enough in the process of putting services together. Nevertheless, no matter the extent of your involvement, growing in the understanding worship should mature and deepen your respect for the task those teams face each week.
It will drive you to better evaluation and accountability of those responsible for putting the worship service together. Reading books on worship help pastors develop and refine their own philosophies of worship. In other words, when we have a better idea of the “why” of worship, the “what” of worship follows. We get better clarity on what we want to see happen in the Sunday corporate experience. That means better questions, better metrics, better “Monday conversations” about yesterday’s worship service. It also will allow you and worship leader to finally speak from a common dictionary instead of continually trying to understand from where each other is coming from where battles of “Well, I think…” vs. “Well, I think…” is the woeful norm.
It will tell your worship leader that worship isn’t only important to him or her, but to you too. It’s a small but weighty token to have your worship teams see that you are interested in what they are interested in. And why shouldn’t you be? It’s worship we’re talking about. Reading worship books is one small way to communicate that you both want the same thing – to honor God and lead people in such a way that they have the best opportunity to honor him via corporate worship each week. So, as the one who oversees the element of “Worship via Preaching,” you also want to hone your ideas about worship for the sake of the church.
It will remind you, once again, that everything is ultimately about God and the worship of his glorious name. Reading a good book on worship is like hitting a reset button for your heart. It reminds us that God is great and everything we do should glorify him. This is always true. No exceptions. No limitations. This may be a needed reminder in a world where leading the church can clutter our view with meetings, strategies, programs, and the like. We exist for God. Period.

The truth is, I know many pastors who read books on all kinds of topics – theology, preaching, leadership…and worship. However, if you’re not one of them, let me encourage you to add a book or two on worship to your reading list this year. Consider reading it with your worship leaders and music teams. Better yet, add your elders and staff as well. I believe in doing so will bear more fruit than merely the five benefits I’ve highlighted.

Books to consider:

Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin – We use this book for our music team training. You can read my review here and see why it’s still my favorite over the years. Kauflin drips wisdom that’s been hammered out over the years with a keen eye to theological/biblical clarity to boot. Such a great read. Get it. Read it.
Rhythms of Grace by Mike Cosper – I just read this last week and am deeply grateful for Cosper’s contribution. The intentionality behind Sojourn Church’s worship services is clear (I’ve been before) and now they have a book to match. Mike can write as well as think – a great combo that hopefully will bless the Church for years to come. Anything you see Sojourn do (Daniel Montgomery, Mike Cosper, et al), pick it up.
Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell – Chapell’s book on preaching is my favorite for young preachers trying to find out a rubric for gospel-centered preaching. His book on worship, in my opinion, is am historical, theological detailing of what Cosper does in a more general, accessible way. For someone from a relatively Free Church background, Chapell’s book caused me to pause and ask, “Why do I do what I do in the order of service?”
Worship By The Book edited by D.A. Carson – Get it for both Kent Hughes and Timothy Keller’s contributions alone.
With One Voice by Reggie Kidd – History, theology, song. A great trip through the Scriptures on what worship is.
Worship Seeking Understanding by John Witvliet – Broadminded. Rooted in Scripture. Witvliet is a wonderful thinker.
Engaging with God by David Peterson – Want a theology of worship? Read Peterson.

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How to Hold Ministry Back

By Yancey Arrington | April 17, 2013

It’s easy to spiritualize what the local church does in such a way that preaching, small groups, and the visible signs of ministry get the most attention while other things, administration for example, often gets relegated to the “just do something with it” pile. However, I would counter that how you structure your ministry can have just as big an impact for the Kingdom as that killer sermon series you just finished preaching last week. For example, giving serious attention to things like:

the process of how people get into small groups
the process of how you develop sermon series
the process of how you follow up with visitors
the process of how you help the needy

All of these are systems within a church. The big question is do the sizes of your systems adequately represent the size of your church? For example, does a 1000-member church have a 100-member system for taking care of those in dire need? Someone goes to the hospital because of an emergency but the ball gets dropped, people get upset, and resentment abounds simply because the senior pastor, who is the only person expected to get that call, happened to be out of town. That is a system problem. I wonder how many ministries are held back not because there is a lack of attention, skill, or heart to minister on the staff’s behalf, but merely because their system doesn’t fit their ministry. The result is growing frustration in both congregation and staff not to mention the ‘straightjacketing’ of ministry.

In Matthew 25:14-29, Jesus gives the parable of the talents in which a man gives his resources to his servants before leaving on a journey. Matthew 25:15 says, “To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, each according to his own ability.” Many know the story. It ends with the man returning to bless those who used their resources well and condemn the slothfulness of the one servant who wasted his opportunity. Now, I understand this story ultimately about how Christ’s disciples should be prepared for his return but I think it worth noting that the master is not only pleased with the good, productive stewardship of the servants were respectively given but that he sought to bless their stewardship for the future.

I wonder if many church leaders are experience stress, frustration, and ineffectiveness simply because they have a five-talent ministry stuffed in a two-talent, or even worse, a one-talent system? It’s poor stewardship and likely holding back greater impact for the Kingdom. You may also find yourself unnecessarily worn-out, depressed, or even angry with yourself, the staff, the congregants, or even God himself. But remember, these issues aren’t centered around an attitude problem or a lack of desire to honor God. It’s a process problem and begs the question: Do you have a five-talent ministry in a one-talent system? Like Moses being overwhelmed in Numbers 11 at the amount of responses by the people, only to have God give him a better system (i.e., seventy elders) to deal with it, we too need to reassess our ministry systems and ask if there are more efficient and effective ways of doing what we know needs to be done. Is there a better system?

This will demand asking questions like:

What has God called us to do? What “talents” has he given to us?
What ministries are experiencing frustration, ineffectiveness, apathy?
What are those ministries’ current systems? Do we have the right “who” for those systems and are they doing the right “what” in those systems?
Where have our ministries grown but our systems have remained the same? Do we have a system too big for our current ministry?

Stop holding your ministries back! This is a very spiritual endeavor because it seeks to honor God in all that he has given to us. So make sure the size of your system fits the size of your ministries.

***For those who’ve asked why I haven’t blogged lately. Again, here’s why.

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