Jerusalem Bible Conference Report #1

Greetings from Jerusalem where I have the privilege of being a part of the Third International Bible Conference hosted by the General Conference of our worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church family. The conference is organized by the Biblical Research Institute, which is our main theological thinktank, and the theme for this year is anthropology. For the non-theologian the term “anthropology” describes the relationship of human beings to God. This is manifested not only in our relationship to God, but is similarly express in our relationship with ourselves, with other human beings, and with nature. As Adventists, our biblical understanding of anthropology is a strength that we have as a church that we can draw from and discover rich and fruitful insights that we can be proud of and share with the world. 

I wasn’t sure what to expect since I have never been to a denominational Bible Conference, although for my dissertation I wrote on the first major Bible Conference: the 1919 Bible Conference. Since then this is the sixth major Bible Conference our denomination has held in the last century. And I have noticed some obvious similarities: the meetings are interspersed with travel to see significant historic sites, there are devotionals each morning and evening by church leaders, the composition of the conference is made up primarily of educators, editors, and administrators (the 1919 meeting had about 65 delegates, this one has a little over 300 delegates), and the worship services on Sabbath were highlights for delegates both back then and now. We even had a “round table” discussion with the General Conference president yesterday afternoon, which similarly hearkened back to 1919 when the world church leader discussed issues that were on his heart and answered questions (including one from me) by delegates.

I knew I was going to be at a historic gathering when I arrived in Frankfurt for my connecting flight to Tel Aviv. As soon as I arrived I had people walk up to me who recognized me, and who I similarly recognized as delegates. I made friends with one young professor–and happily discovered that I was at least the second youngest delegate–and since then we’ve become close friends. I’ve discovered at the meeting that there is a young cadre of Adventist scholars who are taking up the mantle of Adventist scholarship who are here at this meeting. I think that part of the richness of having a Bible Conference is getting to know others and networking to forge friendships that will last a lifetime. I know that is already the case for me.

Once I arrived in Tel Aviv I saw my good friend, Jud Lake, as we exited customs. We found others who joined us on a bus ride to northern Israel where we spent the first four days beside the Sea of Galillee. I will never forget the opening night of the Bible Conference as I had to pinch myself to realize that we were standing on the very shore where Jesus stood two thousand years ago! In reality, the Bible Conference is focused on the primacy of Scripture and by extension I hear in the devotionals calls to remember the life of Jesus while He was here on this earth. I brought with me a copy of “Desire of Ages” by Ellen White and tears came to my eyes as I read about his life here on this earth. Although Ellen White never travelled to Holy Land she describes in that book in vivid detail the life of Christ while he was here on this earth. I could hardly believe how she describes in graphic detail the life of Christ that has suddenly enriched my understanding of the gospel. These images will enrich my preaching and teaching for the rest of my life. I can hardly wait to discover what will happen next as the Bible Conference progresses.

Adventism in Africa, part 1

After a long trek I finally made it this past Thursday, at 1:30 am, to land in Arusha, Tanzania. It was a trip well worth making! The new sights, smells, and the opportunity to learn about new cultures was tantalizing. I was so happy to finally be there here after 15,000 miles of flying.

I arrived in Africa as part of a group of professors, both from abroad and from Africa, for a Bible Conference sponsored by the Adventist Theological Society at our Seventh-day Adventist tertiary institution, the University of Arusha. It is a school with its primary focus to train pastors and teachers in northern Tanzania at the base of Mount Meru. The location is breathtaking.

I had to land on the ground with my feet running, so to speak, because after three hours of sleep  I gave three presentations on my first day, and yesterday (Friday) I gave two more. I am doing a series on how to understand Ellen White in light of issues that the church faces in Africa. Not surprisingly, many of the people faces similar issues that I have seen and experienced back in North America.

As I have listened so far I am discovering several very interesting things:

(1) The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Africa by the year 2030 will make up 60% of the membership of the worldwide church. It is absolutely imperative that we do as much as possible to invest in training our leaders, and especially pastors, so that they have the resources they need to nurture and educate our members.

(2) There has been so much church growth that leaders tell me it is actually unhealthy. We see where the only difference between our church members and the general population is that they attend church on Saturday. Many members are shocked to discover that we as a church believe in Ellen G. White as a prophet, or, in the sanctuary doctrine.

(3) We have created a significant challenge for the Adventist Church in Africa by doing so many short term mission trips, and especially, evangelistic meetings. We baptize them but don’t really change their lives. As a result, in some parts of Africa female mutilation is encouraged by Adventists and the governments go to our church leaders and ask them what our church is going to do to stop such practices? This is part of the problem with the Rwandan genocide because tribal allegiances were greater than their commitment to the church, and some Adventist pastors led out in the atrocities. This is most unfortunate.

(4) I have a whole new perspective on women’s ordination. With cultures that degrade the status of women it is difficult to allow for women to take leadership positions in church–forget the ordination of women as pastors, the whole idea of ordaining women as local church elders is rejected. One local pastor invited a woman to speak in church. His elders were so upset that they beat the pastor in front of the church to get their point across. In light of this I better understand why it is that we need to be very cautious with proceeding forward in North America with women’s ordination so that we do not hurt the work of the church in areas of the world where women are unfortunately repressed.

(5) Adventists here have all of the same problems with Ellen White that they do in North America, more or less at least. Those who are familiar with Ellen White were taught well by missionaries who passed on faulty hermeneutics, at least in some cases. So, there is a strong “herbalist” movement here in eastern Africa where people reject modern medicine, supposedly on the basis of a cursory reading of Ellen White when nothing could be farther from the truth as we see Ellen White as someone who rejected harmful medications in the 1860s, but by the end of her life fought for our church to organize a medical school of the highest order at Loma Linda and embraced modern practices including vaccinations and had X-Rays taken after an accident.

(6) Some times the things that we think help others in different cultures don’t actually accomplish the good we think. As an example, pastors here have shared with me that they think meat substitutes are not good for our members here in eastern Africa. Most members are already vegetarian by default–they can’t afford meat! When they start eating things that resemble meat, they shared with me it leads to meat eating. So it would just be better to let them eat their rice and vegetables (and concentrate on making sure everyone here had enough to eat!).

I am struck with the fact that we have a much greater work to help our brothers and sisters here in Africa here in the future than we have had in the past. What we have begun through short-term mission trips needs to be followed up with spiritual nurturing and training. Perhaps our greatest work lies ahead of us as we do our best to spread the gospel as we await the second coming of Christ.

Traveling here as made me proud to be a Seventh-day Adventist for two reasons:

(1) I’m staying at the nearby ADRA compound and I see the humanitarian work that our church is doing to impact the lives of people. Several pastors have shared with me how difficult it is to share the gospel with people who don’t have enough food to eat, and who show up at church as a place of refuge. What they want more than anything else is a safe place so they sleep. It is hard to preach the gospel to people who are sleeping. So, the work of ADRA makes me proud to be a Seventh-day Adventist!

(2) I’m impressed by the commitment of our church to invest in pastors now. The new seminary in Nairobi (the University of Africa) is going to have an absolutely critical role in the future of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I am proud of the fact that our church, realizing the need to equip our pastors, has invested in training them through this Seminary. And I think that whatever our church does that such an investment is of paramount of importance for the future of our church’s work until Jesus comes.

What is the “mission” of Adventist education?

We are now nearing the completion of our education summit. I’ve sat in meetings now for two days. Lots of information. I’m grateful for the investment of time by so many people, but I’m worried that in having such a meeting whether we are doing anything more than diagnosing what we already know. And what do we know?

Basically that only 25-30% of Adventists enroll their children in Adventist schools. I am told we should take comfort in the fact that this percentage is significantly higher than other parochial school systems, yet it does not comfort me. And the bottom line is that while our churches have grown in North America over the last 60 years enrollment in Adventist schools has remained stagnant. The bottom line: as churches grow the percentage of Adventist families who value Adventist education has declined.

So what is the solution?

In our keynote address we were told by Dr. David Smith that millennials learn differently so we need to teach differently. I agree.

Then we were told by Bob Kyte, president of Adventist Risk Management, that we need to use basic business practices summarized from a number of classics in business management about our need for mission, building a team and collaboration, etc. Sounds great, and kudos to him for turning around Pacific Press last decade. The one point he did make that I thought was significant was that we need a clear mission.
The problem is that now after two days of meetings I’ve heard so many different “mission” ideas for Adventist education that I don’t believe that we have made any real progress to figuring out what the “mission” of Adventist education should be. In fact, I’m now sitting in another presentation and the presenter  is reminding us that we need to follow the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy to discover our “mission.” BUT, WHAT IS IT? The implication is that if we only followed the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy more faithfully we wouldn’t have the problem that we are in. But I’ve studied the Spirit of Prophecy and as I listen I am not hearing anything new that we aren’t doing already.

One school of thought is that the mission of Adventist education is to introduce our young people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. But, how is this different from any other Christian school? I agree, our schools should do that, but is there something more?

Another school of thought is that our schools are evangelistic outposts. The reason they exist is to do evangelism. OK. If that is the case then we are in serious trouble because we need to really get serious about education if we are going to finish the gospel commission and try to have the biggest schools that we possibly can. I think this is actually a bit of a trap because as Adventist parents have stopped sending their kids to our schools collectively that we have tried to keep our schools floating by filling them with other children. After all, aren’t they important, too?

But is this really the reason why we have an Adventist educational system? I hope not or we may never see the eschaton.

Then there is the school of thought that if we could only “fix” our schools: whether that is the pastor, teacher, school board, better facilities, or improved curriculum then our schools would be fixed. Adventist schools exist for academic excellence. The problem is that there will always be other schools who can do better.

I would suggest that the real challenge is that the reason our schools are in decline is that we have forgotten our Adventist past. It all boils down to identity. Why are we Seventh-day Adventists? If we truly understand that question then I think we can “fix” the problem of Adventist education. We have not had a single presentation that really explores our Adventist identity, or, for that matter, tries to identify our Adventist past, and specifically how we have gotten to where we are at today.

Our earliest pioneers were actually opposed to Adventist education. After all, if we believe that Jesus is coming again soon, then why take the time to education youth? There are public schools if you have to do that.

But, with time, Ellen White in 1872 cast a broad vision for what Adventist education could be: a comprehensive and holistic approach to learning that encompass the entire person. You see, it is all about a worldview. It is preparing people to think for themselves. And for that matter, it is not only introducing that young person to a relationship with Jesus Christ, but preparing them to be ready to meet Him and tell others about His soon return.

If that is indeed the case then Adventist education is very radical. It is not about the academics–as important as they are. It isn’t just about having a Bible class or chapel. It is an entire way of thinking and approach to life that is all encompassing.
The challenge is that some of the earliest failures in Adventist history related to Adventist education came about when people tried to take the latest trends in education and applied them to Adventism. That is why some of our earliest Adventist educators really struggled. They took the classical curriculum and just added a Bible course.
Later, when Ellen White went to Australia and then also was instrumental in relocating Battle Creek College to the newly purchased property in Berrien Springs, Michigan, to become Emmanuel Missionary College, both of these schools were radical because they were more than just a school with curriculum with added Bible courses. They were an all-encompassing curriculum that prepared both the heart and mind to be prepared to know Jesus Christ. Then young people would be effectively trained to go out and tell others of the Adventist apocalyptic vision (i.e. the second coming).

So, as we near the conclusion of this MAUC Education Summit, I’m grateful for all of the diagnostic information, but at the end of the day, what really counts is that we figure out what is the real “mission” and purpose of Adventist education. When we can agree on that then I think we can begin to figure out why Adventist education as a whole has been and continues to be on a gradual slope of decline.

Drums, Coke, Jewelry, and the Search for Balance

A little over a year ago I had the privilege of joining a team to hold conduct two Bible conferences for pastors overseas. I won’t say where, but it isn’t too difficult to guess. In each of the regions where we were at we had a large portion of Adventist clergy for each region.

At the time I pastored a small, rural congregation that would proudly consider themselves traditional. We sang from the hymnal every Sabbath, and once, when we sang a praise song, the worship committee was chided for becoming too “liberal” and “lowering the standards.”

While I was traveling in a remote region in the jungle through jungle huts in a place where people would come up to me to touch me–they had only seen a “white person” on the television and some had thought that such people weren’t even real! In one such jungle hut I sat in awe as I listened to incredible praise music. In that part of the world there were no pianos or guitars, only drums. And it was some of the most sacred music to this day that I have ever heard. The only problem was the drums–some as tall as me–that had some of my church members back in the United States seen would have caused several heart attacks.

That is not to say that I’m a huge fan of drums either. But what I learned was that it isn’t so much about the instrument, but about how that instrument is played.

The next morning we ate with the conference president and his family as their guests. I asked them what problems the Seventh-day Adventist Church faced in that part of the world. He proceeded to share with me that what the church struggled with was tolerance over the issue of drinking tea. That particular part of the world produces more tea than anywhere else (now you can get a little closer to figuring out where I was!). And Adventist missionaries taught their converts that drinking tea was bad for their health. And with time it had become not just a lifestyle issue, but a rite of passage. An Adventist, I was told, who was caught drinking tea could face censure, or even worse, being disfellowshipped that same day if he/she was caught.

With that in mind I went to our meetings. Later in the day I had the opportunity to stop by the ABC (which I’m not sure if they knew with the translation what that stood for, but basically amounted to a small store front on the edge of the jungle compound). As I shopped for some souvenirs to bring back home for my family, I incredulously discovered that the ABC sold Coke on the top shelf.

I couldn’t believe my eyes! Here you could be disfellowshipped for drinking tea, but you could buy a caffeinated soda in the ABC!!

When I approached the conference president later that day I asked him if he knew that the ABC sold coke. He looked me straight in the face as he said: “No one has ever really proven that coke has caffeine.”

To his credit in that part of the world there aren’t any ingredients (at least not usually) listed on bottles. But, apparently, ignorance is bliss.

The real problem was that when Adventist missionaries first came to that part of the world they were certain to share with them that tea was bad, but they apparently didn’t do as effective of a job at communicating the reason why. This enumerates the importance of differentiating a principle and its application.

I run into this problem on a regular basis with the writings of Ellen G. White: discerning the principle at stake is absolutely essential.

Of course some of the most obvious cases do not seem very difficult: Ellen White wrote that every girl should know how to harness a horse. Most people can quickly discern that every girl today should probably know how to change a flat tire in our modern world. Then Ellen White writes about the “bicycle craze,” but the problem was a localized one that reflected an infatuation with a trend–not what is today an economical form of transportation.

The biggest challenge when it comes to Adventist lifestyle is that of common sense. And closely related to that is giving other people the freedom of choice. That is not to say that we encourage people to drink caffeinated beverages or to have drums in church: but rather if we can teach them the principles behind a particular application we have a much better chance of growing healthy disciples in our churches.

Occasionally I run into people who think the pastor is the lifestyle police officer in the congregation to mandate how people should eat, dress, and depending on where you are at, just about any aspect of a person’s lifestyle. And lifestyle is important when it is done for the right reason. But I choose to err on the side of letting the Holy Spirit do the work of convicting the heart!

The best example of this was once when I had a church member in tears come to me that they were so disturbed that some of the teenage girls came to church wearing jewelry. They just couldn’t stand it any more. It was my God appointed duty to rebuke these wayward youth. After carefully listening to them I finally told them that I could do not such thing.

Instead I committed it to the Lord as a matter of prayer, and asked that the Lord convict these young girls–if for no other reason that by God’s grace these teenagers would not be driven out of the church. A few weeks later one of the girls came up to me. “Pastor,” she said, “God has really been convicting me that I should be wearing less jewelry.” I was stunned.

Apparently, if we will just get out of the way of the Holy Spirit, then God can do His work. And if we will just give other people a little room to grow, you might just be amazed at what God can do without your help!

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges that each of us face is the search for balance in our own lives (along with exercising more common sense). And what I’ve discovered as a pastor is that those who are the least balanced tend to try to find balance in their out-of-control lives by trying to control others. Instead, each of us needs to study principles and apply them to our own lives. And the next time someone asks you about a lifestyle issue, instead of telling them how they should live their life, perhaps try teaching them the principle and let the Holy Spirit convict their heart. In doing so you will model what it means to live a balanced life and the Holy Spirit will be able to do His work without your help!

Did Jesus Have the Truth?

I once met a Seventh-day Adventist who was meaner than the devil. In fact, I have even met a vegetarian who was meaner than the devil. And I have even met a vegan who was meaner than the devil. That is not to say that I don’t belong to all three of these categories myself personally, but some times as vegetarian Christians we get our priorities mixed up.

As a young pastor I met a vitriolic vegan who went around telling other people of their shortcomings. This particular individual was brazen: when the spouse of my head elder discovered that she had breast cancer he was there to make sure that she knew that the reason she had cancer was because she had imbibed of dairy products. This person was completely devoid of all human compassion.

One day I felt a sense of righteous indignation to the point that I decided to be the devil’s advocate for just a moment. I asked this individual: so what do you do with the fact that Jesus ate fish?

Without missing a beat, and in all seriousness, the person replied: “Jesus didn’t have all the truth. He did not have the Spirit of Prophecy.”—a reference to the prophetic writings of Ellen G. White.

I wondered if this person realized what they were saying.

And I thought that perhaps my experience was an isolated one until recently I had a prominent church leader visit in our home and share with me an almost verbatim experience. And now after having pastored I’ve run into several additional ministry colleagues who have met spiritual cousins to this person who I met early on in my ministry.

Please do not misunderstand me: I am not saying that I do not believe in the health message. I am committed to the fact that God wants us to live healthier lives that are an expression of the wholeness that He intends for us. But he also wants us to become “more loving and lovable Christians” as the same prophetic messenger warned our church. When we truly have “the truth as it is in Jesus” then we will not just know the truth, but the truth should change our lives. And this begins with how we treat one another.

The danger is when we put our lifestyle ahead of the Life Giver.

 

Ellen White and Church Conflict

Ellen White as Model Evangelist

Introduction

The place was a train stop. It was a Sunday afternoon in 1884 where Ellen White along with a group of companions found themselves at a small train station in the Mojave Desert. The group had recently attended the then-recent General Conference session. Together they chartered two railroad cars to transport attendees back to Oakland, California, the headquarters at that time for denominational work on the west coast of the United States. Since the layover was going to last for several hours the group devised a plan to hold an evangelistic meeting while they waited. The plan was simple. They would disperse across town in a media blitzkrieg. Station employees came. The editor of the town paper came. Various people showed up from across town to hear this woman, Ellen White, speak. What did she speak about to this eclectic group of people? She based her remarks on Matthew 6:25-34 about the counsel of Jesus not to worry.[i]

    This hastily arranged meeting was not unusual for Ellen White. Throughout her lifetime she spoke to people about Jesus in a variety of unusual circumstances. Although Mrs. White is perhaps best remembered for her prophetic and even public ministry, her passion for evangelism is foundational to everything else she did. It is one of her most enduring qualities that began during her conversion and lasted throughout her lifetime.

Ellen White’s Conversion

    A school classmate threw a rock that hit young Ellen and precipitated an existential crisis. She was literally knocked unconscious. After she regained consciousness she became convinced that she was dying. “I desired to be a Christian, and prayed for the forgiveness of my sins as well as I could.”[ii] This early deathbed surrender to Christ was simple. According to Merlin Burt this event was not “complicated by questions of how to live for Jesus and deal with life. When she discovered she was not going to die she was led to the next step in her conversion process.”[iii] Later, Ellen had two dreams, which caused her to question again her religious experience.[iv] It was after this second dream that she confided her angst to her mother who brought Levi Stockman, a young Methodist minister, to visit her daughter. “During the few minutes” she spent with him she had “obtained more knowledge on the subject of God’s love and pitying tenderness than from all the sermons and exhortations to which I had ever listened.”[v]

    Afterward Ellen White became a passionate evangelist. She felt the “assurance of an indwelling Saviour” that allowed her to even “praise God for the misfortune” that had so traumatized her.[vi] By nature a timid person she dared to pray in public for the first time. Ellen, in an experience shared by other contemporary Americans during the Second Great Awakening, publicly testified of her experience and desired to share her faith with others. She began to arrange meetings with her friends and prayed with them until “everyone was converted to God.”[vii]

A Personal Evangelist

    Although Ellen White was certainly one of the most visible evangelists during her lifetime in the Seventh-day Adventist Church she never lost sight of the importance of sharing Jesus with people one-on-one. The Whites traveled through the wilderness of Michigan in the summer of 1853. The carriage driver supposedly knew the road well but became lost. It was a hot day—Mrs. White fainted twice en route. They traveled over rough “logs and fallen trees.” Ellen White was so thirsty that she envisioned herself as a perishing desert traveler. “Cool streams of water,” she later wrote, “seemed to lie directly before me; but as we passed on they proved to be only an illusion.” What was supposed to be a 15-mile morning jaunt stretched into day event. When they finally reached a clearing they found a frontier cabin. The occupant greeted them, gave them refreshments, and they quickly became friends. Ellen White shared with the woman about her religious convictions including the Sabbath and the soon return of Jesus along with complimentary copies of religious material including the Review. Twenty-two years later Ellen White met this same woman again at the Michigan camp meeting: “She inquired if I remembered calling at a log house in the woods[?] . . . She stated that she [Mrs. White] had lent that little book [Experience and Views] to her neighbors, as new families had settled around her, until there was very little left of it. . . . She said that when I called upon her I talked to her of Jesus and the beauties of heaven, and that the words were spoken with such fervor that she was charmed, and had never forgotten them.” Reflecting back on this Ellen White remarked that for all those years their journey “seemed indeed mysterious to us, but here we met quite a company who are now believers in the truth.”[viii]

An Evangelist to Her Own Family

One might think that Ellen White always succeeded in her evangelistic efforts. Some of the most difficult people whom she tried to reach included her own relatives. During the summer of 1872 James and Ellen White visited the mountains of Colorado. With them were several relatives, including her niece, Mary, who was the daughter of Ellen’s older sister. Ellen White described in her diary relaxing nature walks. On one such walk the group grabbed blankets and sat under some “fragrant evergreens” as Aunt Ellen read some of her manuscript from Spiritual Gifts. Mrs. White recorded how Mary was “deeply interested” in spiritual things. At the end of their time together they had a season of prayer during which Mary prayed. Mrs. White was so concerned about the spiritual welfare of her niece that she not only allowed her to stay with them, but she even employed her as a literary assistant (secretary) to help her with her writing. Five years after the experience she wrote Mary a letter asking her to give her heart to Christ: “I have no wish to control you,” wrote Aunt Ellen, “no wish to urge our faith upon you, or force you to believe. No man or woman will have eternal life unless they choose it. . . . I hope you will not as your mother said to me in regard to breaking the Sabbath, she ‘would risk it.’ . . . I still have faith that she will accept the truth if you do not hedge up her way. I have written in love and have written because I dare not do otherwise.” Unfortunately we do not know how Mary responded to her aunt’s letter, and there is no evidence to suggest that she ever accepted the Sabbath.[ix]

Conclusion

Ellen White deserves to be recognized with some of the most influential evangelists in Seventh-day Adventist history. While it is certainly true that her prophetic ministry was significant and continues to exert a considerable influence within Adventism, her ministry was firmly rooted in her own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. She passionately wanted to share Jesus Christ with people. At first she resisted attempts to speak in public, but her desire to share Jesus overcame her initial hesitancy. Whether in public or private Ellen White was an effective evangelist because she shared Jesus Christ with those around her.

---

[i]This incident is recorded in James R. Nix, Advent Preaching (Silver Spring, MD: NAD Office of Education, 1989). The text of her message is recorded in the Review and Herald, Feb. 24, 1885.

[ii]Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts (Battle Creek, MI: James White, 1860), vol. 2, 9.

[iii]Merlin D. Burt, Lecture handout, GSEM534, May 12, 1998), 3; idem, “Ellen G. Harmon’s Three-Step Conversion Between 1836 and 1843, and the Harmon Family Methodist Experience.” Research paper, Andrews University, March 1998.

[iv]1T 23-29.

[v]1T 30.

[vi]LS 39.

[vii]CET 33.

[viii]Evangelism, 448-449. The story is cited by Arthur L. White in Ellen G. White: The Human Interest Story (Washington: Review & Herald, 1972), 69-71.

[ix]Ellen White, Diary, July 27, 1872; Letter 6, 1877. Cited by Arthur White, Ellen White: The Human Interest Story, 68-69.

Utilizing Technology in Multichurch Districts

This last Sabbath I tried something new: we used a web came while I was preaching in my one church of about 250 members to broadcast the sermon, live, to my much smaller congregation of about 15 members 60 miles away. Since I am a pastor in western Colorado my larger church is in Montrose, at the base of the Rocky Mountains, but my smaller congregation is a small college town actually in the mountains. During the winter time (December through March) the roads can be treacherous. Typically I go up once-a-month and can find retired pastors and other individuals to lead out in worship, but during these winter months it is extremely difficult to find speakers and the congregation tires of watching DVDs and other programs through Hope Channel and other means of satellite television.

So we decided to try something different. It isn’t perfect and there are still some refinements, but last Sabbath was our first time to broadcast my sermon, utilizing the internet, and to literally preach to both of my churches simultaneously!

At least initially the feedback has been positive because as the pastor I can include both of my congregations in my message. Although I can not be present at both locations, the message preached is far more personal and the smaller congregation at least gets a sermon, which they might forego altogether otherwise.

I think the application has a lot of potential for several reasons. Recently I attended pastor’s meetings in our conference. One of our Seminary graduates, as his first district, is taking on 8 churches in Wyoming. Wow! My hat is off to him. His church members will only get to see him once every two months at best. Imagine if he could be in all 8 of his churches every Sabbath although he could still continue to rotate in person to different congregations? The internet now makes it possible for that to happen. And thanks to streaming video using free services such as Skype the cost is minimal. I think conferences ought to be interested in this because the cost of the internet will be far cheaper than the mileage it costs. And, like my district, many congregations already have internet anyway.

So, as you start your new year, and if you happen to be a pastor or a member of a church in a multichurch district consider utilizing technology, specifically the Internet, to personalize and increase the quality of sermons in your local church by doing something like this.

Appreciating Pastoral Spouses

            When I first asked me wife on a date in college she politely told me she didn’t want to date a theology major. I could tell she wanted to blow me off. So I told her that I played the piano and that she didn’t have to. She laughed and went on a date with me anyway. Fortunately for me she continued to spend time with me as we fell in love. I knew she was someone who passionately loved Jesus, but at the same time she knew even better than I did because she came from a family of pastors and church employees how difficult ministry could be.

            I have had many people ask me how long I plan to stay in my pastoral district. I’ve always said that the decision would not be up to me. What surprises me is that most church members think of my spouse as simply the “pastor’s wife” not realizing that she has her own career, educational, and other life goals apart from my ministerial identity. So I’ve always said that we will know it is time to move on when my wife says it is time to go.

            With that being said, in the past two years I’ve been surprised with some of the very nice gestures, as well as some of the rude things, that my spouse has had to put up with. I’d like to highlight both. When I asked my wife what was the way she could feel best supported, she quickly replied, “be nice.” Whether it is people calling in the middle of the night because they discovered an Ellen White quote that just couldn’t wait until the morning, or yelling at her for the way her husband voted at a board meeting, she doesn’t need to be the verbal punching bag. On the other hand we’ve had a church member who has regularly called my wife to take our two-year old daughter on play dates, which has given her a much-needed break. So, with some guidance from my wife and other pastoral spouses, here is a top-ten list:

(1) Don’t offer parenting advice.

(2) Don’t share with them every bad thing you’ve heard about the pastor

(3) Offer to help the pastor’s spouse when they are trying to watch their kids

(4) Of course the idea of a fantasy vacation would be something nice, but nothing is better than just being nice all the time.

(5) Don’t drop by the pastor’s house uninvited and expect to be entertained (at least call ahead!)

(6) Don’t call at unearthly hours unless it truly is an emergency

(7) Encourage the pastor to take at least a day off once a week to spend time with their family

(8) If your pastoral family has young children, offer to babysit, or form a network of support so that your pastor and his spouse can go out on a romantic date

(9) Every pastoral spouse has a different “love language” so discover how your pastoral spouse best feels affirmed, and whether that is a gift or quality time, do something nice once in a while so they know that they are appreciated, too. Notice some of the things that he or she does and affirm them.

(10)               Be nice to the pastor. Few people better understand just how hard the pastor works than the pastoral spouse who sees the long and late hours. The pastor’s wife is involved in ministry, even if not involved in title, by helping to actively support and make it possible for the pastor to do his or her job.

My first pet funeral

This past week I performed my first pet funeral. I was surprised when I received the call from the mother. Their family was traumatized that their cat was going to have to be put down. So we planned to have a special service when they buried their special pet. I incidentally posted on Facebook that I was going to be doing a “pet funeral” that afternoon, which sparked some debate about whether our pets here on earth would be in heaven. I am afraid I don’t know the answer to that question.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to remember the life of our dear pet,” I began.

I then shared with them a short homily based on Psalm 84:11 that God does not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly, and some reflections from Isaiah about some of the animals that will be in heaven. We then went around the small circle of family members and a few friends to reflect on our memories of this special feline.

I’ve had some people who tell me they liked this idea; others have told me that it is beneath the dignity of a minister of the gospel to take the time to do a pet funeral. But for me, the two teenage boys who are a part of this family were grieving and I felt it was essential that I be there so that I could minister to them. I don’t know if their special pet will be in heaven or not, but I am thankful that their family felt comfortable enough to ask me to be there for an event that was certainly traumatic for them.

So, what do you think? Are pets going to be in heaven? Should a minister be available if a family needs to bury a special family pet?