04 Mar Rejoicing at Baptism

During the morning service at the church I attended today, a baptismal service was part of the day’s worship. It reminded me that I hadn’t seen a baptism since I left Mainstreet in August 2005. A congregation ought to be seeing people baptized on a fairly regular basis. There is nothing more wonderful than to hear the testimonies of those being baptized. It renews our confidence in the power of the Gospel to change lives. I didn’t know any of the individuals being baptized this morning, but I must admit I had moist eyes as I witnessed them make a public profession of their new faith. I especially appreciated the fact that it was incorporated into the morning worship service. A very moving time.

I have believed for a long time that we United Brethren ought to promote believer baptism a whole lot more than we do. It is great to see someone converted and come to faith. Often that is done in a small group, in a Sunday school class, or in a home or office where there are not a lot of people to witness it. But it is in the act of baptism that the individual is able to make such a testimony public. Now, I don’t subscribe to baptismal regeneration, but I think it is far more important than many of us make it in our churches. The number of baptisms reported ought to be closer to the number of those who have been converted. Baptism is an important step in the discipleship process.

It was a wonderful morning!

05 Feb Covenant Questions

In light of the process every church is going through currently in signing the National Conference Covenant, some questions are being asked for clarification. The National Conference Covenant consists of eight statements which churches must agree to; the senior pastor and board chairperson sign it for the congregation, and the bishop signs it on behalf of the denomination. We thought it would be good to give answers to the most frequently asked questions about the covenant.

1. Do we have to sign it to remain a United Brethren Church?
Yes. In 2005, we chose to move toward being a proactive church that is held together by a common commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission and our common adherence to the Confession of Faith. We also moved from being purely hierarchical to more of an association of churches. The covenant is our way of making a mutual, on-going commitment to each other.

2. What is the 3.5% fee?
A part of the covenant is the agreement to contribute 3.5% of all non-missions, non-building fund monies as a partnership fee. This fee enables us to provide help to each local church through support services, coaching, resourcing, and leadership training. It is a small investment in each other.

3. What does it mean to partner with like-minded churches (point 5)?
The concept of partnering with like-minded churches involves working with other churches that share our passions. They may be UB or non-UB. The idea is that you work in cooperation with others to accomplish the greater good. Some churches may be passionate about the work in Sierra Leone or Honduras. It may be that two churches, though not located geographically close to each other, may partner to build a church or housing unit, or to support starting some new ministry in one of those countries. There could be many variations to the theme of partnering together. A cluster may decide to jointly plant a church and the constituent churches contribute prayer, people, or money to see it happen.

4. What does it mean to support the ministries of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA (point 8)?
This is considered by some to be more of a programmatic issue than a covenant issue. Support may be as little as praying for those ministries, or as much as funding them at a high level. That is up to the goals and desires of the local church and its mission. There is nothing mandatory in this provision.

5. What happens if our church doesn’t sign the covenant?
By choosing not to sign the covenant, your church is choosing to withdraw from the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA. If you don’t return the covenant at least 90 days prior to the National Conference, a process outlined in the Discipline, paragraph 602.2, kicks in. It starts with the cluster leader (or other elder appointed by the Bishop) arranging a congregational meeting (at least 60 days prior to the National Conference) to determine if it is, indeed, the desire of your church to withdraw. If a majority of the church’s members at that meeting determine not to sign the covenant, the church shall be considered to have withdrawn from the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA.

6. What are the ramifications of withdrawing?
Here are some of the key ramifications.

• You will lose your tax-exempt status if you are functioning under the umbrella of the denomination’s 501c(3) charitable exemption, which enables the gifts of congregation members to be tax-exempt and for the minister to qualify for clergy housing allowance. Those advantages will be gone until you either attach yourself to another non-profit group or establish your own 501c(3) status. This may also affect the tax-exempt status of any church property, depending on local or state laws.
• Members who are attending Huntington University may lose grants that go to UB members and UB churches.
• In the future, you will be on your own when it comes to securing a new pastor.
• Some current retirement benefits could be lost or affected.
• Pastor and any staff members of churches that withdraw will lose their credentials or license. Therefore the local church or another group would have to provide licensing or ordination for them. This could affect their performance of certain duties depending on local or state law until the alternative licensing is secured.

7. Is it possible that the bishop would choose not to sign our covenant?
Yes, that is possible, but it would likely happen rarely.

If you have any other questions, please give the Bishop a call.

02 Feb Wir Sind Bruder!

The account in our church history of Otterbein attending a “Great Meeting” at Isaac Long’s barn and meeting Martin Boehm has remained a favorite story ever since I first read it while a student in UB Church History. Early this morning I was awakened, and not being able to get back to sleep, for some reason this story came to my mind. I came to the office early, pulled down a copy of Drury’s Life of Otterbein, and read again of the encounter of the two founders of our denomination.

For those not familiar with United Brethren history, the event occurred on Pentecost Sunday, 1767. On that day Otterbein attended this “Great Meeting” and for the first time heard Boehm preach. Drury records it this way:

Mr. Otterbein listened as Boehm unfolded the truths of the gospel; as he uttered with exulting freedom and resistless force truths that his own mind and soul, through deep pangs and struggles, had apprehended. As Boehm concluded his sermon, and before he could sit down, Mr. Otterbein, moved by an overpowering conviction of newfound fellowship in the truth, clasped Boehm in his arms and exclaimed, “We are brethren!” (pp 116-117).

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27 Jan Let’s Do Our Job

Our good friend and mentor Bruce Dreisbach has a new book out entitled Out of the Belly of the Whale. You can get a copy of it along with his other resources at LifestyleWitnessing.com. Bruce’s premise is this: “The greatest underlying reason for the lack of evangelistic fruitfulness on the part of the American church is a fundamental misunderstanding about how God reaches lost people.” I can’t agree more.

In one chapter, Bruce speaks about “God’s job and our job.” It is a clear and simple understanding of what the Holy Spirit does in our lives and what we are responsible to do. For example, we have need of money. God’s job is to provide what we need. Our job is to be a good steward of what He provides for us, do our work as unto the Lord, and share with others who are in need and come across our path. Our job is to hunger and thirst after righteousness, and study to show ourselves approved. His job is to fill us by guiding us into all truth. To do our ministry we need healthy bodies. Our job is to eat right, exercise, and be good stewards of the bodies He has given us. His job is to be with us and care for us when those health challenges come.

There are so many other examples. I suggest you get Bruce’s book to explore how we can get back on track to truly be following God’s plan for reaching lost people. It is interesting that the issue today is not that God is failing to do His job. As James MacDonald observed on a recent podcast (Walk in the Word), we fail to do our part and then when things don’t seem to work, we blame God.

So, how’s it going? How well are we doing our part? We are committed to doing all we can to help us all answer this question.

18 Jan Views from the Deer Stand

Ron Ramsey, Bishop
I spent a few days last week in Texas at the deer ranch, hunting. Yes, I had a great time and yes I was successful in my hunt. But hunting isn’t really what I want to talk about.

At the ranch this time was an interesting, older gentleman. By the way, I am finding out that there are fewer and fewer times when you can talk about someone older…anyway, in the course of our initial conversation, after we had spun all our hunting stories, he asks me, “Say, what do you do?” I told him I was a pastor. His response was classic. “Really,” he said, “I believe in God and Jesus. I even read the Bible. But I don’t go to church.” We chatted a little more about this and he tells me how he was treated poorly in a church, so he believes but just not in the church. We talked about a personal relationship with Jesus and he assured me that he had that. He believed he was a Christian. Well, I don’t know about you, but I have had that conversation with many others.

So, sitting in the deer stand early one morning I began to ponder the conversation I had with him. I began to think theologically about Christ and The Church. Christ is the Head, the Church is His Body. So how could someone say I really believe in The Head but I don’t want anything to do with The Body? There is really a disconnect in that.
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18 Jan Book Recommendation

Just finished 7 Practices of Effective Ministy by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner and Lane Jones. It is published by Multnomah and copywrited 2004 so it isn’t brand new, just off the press. But it is an excellent book. It is not a program book but a book to help you sharpen your strategic thinking by asking the right questions. If you and your church are having problems with how to be outward focused, then Practice #5, “Listen to Outsiders”, is a section that you owe it to yourself to read.

If you have trouble locating a copy let me know.

02 Jan Three Mailings and a Happy New Year

I always know that shortly after the first of the year I received that intimating piece of mail from the IRS…my tax forms. Then the ones from the state arrive. I have even received them a time or two before the first of the year. Some things I look forward to, like the first seed catalog of the year. I don’t do much gardening, but I sign up for free catalogs from the seed “places” because it makes me feel so good when I get that first one in the mail…a reminder that spring is just around the corner.

Well, some of you will soon receive mailings from this office. Some might have already received one. Actually, there will be three mailings coming:

1. The report packet for 2006. This includes the pastor’s report, church report, plus a variety of other reports that provide valuable information. Oh yes, there is just one Pastor Report in the packet. For those churches which have staff who are licensed in the United Brethren church, you can just make a copy for them. Also, I remind all of you that the report is on the UB website and can be filled out and sent via email. I received the first report today from Kent Haines, on staff at the UB church in Cochranton, Pa. He will receive a new book for his promptness. Thanks, Kent.
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22 Dec This & That

A notice to those of you from the UB Church…if you sent me an e-mail during the last week and have not received an answer, you might want to resend it. We installed a new email server, and in switching over some of the messages may have been lost in “tech-no-space.”

Just finished the book, Healing The Heart of Your Church. I recommended it earlier and I would echo that earlier recommendation. Much in this book relates to our churches. I hope to place some emphasis on corporate repentance at the National Conference. You might like to get a copy and read it before then. If you have trouble finding it, let me know. You can order it from our bookstore by calling 1-888-622-3019.

One of the books that I started this week is Christian Coaching, by Gary Collins. So far it is a good book on the topic. I am reading it because, for some time since being in this office, I have felt the need for a coach to help me keep and stay focused, among other things. I recently entered into a coaching arrangement with a gentleman whom I respect greatly. I was a basketball player in my younger years and have dealt with coaches in that area of my life. I was blessed to have several men mentor me in my early Christian walk. I have been encouraged by many people in my life, but I’ve never really had anyone to coach me since I left sports. So, we’ll see if you can teach and old dog new tricks.

Have a great Christmas and New Year. I hope your team wins its bowl game! Go Buckeyes!

22 Dec Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I have been struggling since Monday evening with Vertigo and all that is associated with it. If you don’t know what that is I’ll spare you but is has something to do with meeting up close and personal a porcelain object kept in a small room in the house. Anyway, I did it to myself. I had purchased a new de-humidifier for the basement and of course that was some assembly required as I wanted it to drain to the sump. Hooking up the drain hose I had to bend over and look in an opening to attach the hose. Bending over and looking up at the drain attachment “thing-a-ma-jiggly” I gave myself a good case of vertigo. I’ve had this ability (I’m not so sure it is an ability as it is a curse) to make myself sick by bending over and looking up at something. Sometimes just laying on my back and looking up will do it. But it is an experience I can definitely live without.

As soon as I bend over and cocked my head to look under the de-humidifier I realized I had made a serious mistake. The room began to spin and I immediately got sick and it is hard to run to the bathroom when the whole place is spinning like a top. Anyway, to make a long story shorter, after a trip to the doctor and getting 3 prescriptions I am doing better today. I can walk reasonably straight and the world is staying in place instead of spinning.
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20 Dec Accountability and Goals

As I have had the privilege of sharing the Strategic Plan for the future of the UB Church, I have heard a call from key leaders: make accountability real. We have spoken about setting goals for reaching the lost so that we are working strategically. It makes sense that if you don’t intentionally seek to reach five people for Christ, you won’t reach one. Setting goals in no way removes the Lord from the work. Nothing can happen apart from Him. The goals are simply our faith in action in an intentional, strategic manner.

The question is this: Am I willing to be held accountable? Or would true accountability bring to light my failure to work in a systematic way that frees the church to reach lost people? Would it show that I am simply taking care of keeping already saved people happy while not making them or others true disciples of Jesus Christ?

Many want to settle for fellowship as a standard of good meetings. We support each other and pray for each other. But fellowship without accountability will not help us mature and grow in ministry.

This question must be answered by us all. It is key to the future of our ministries.