Notes From The SBC 2012

History was made yesterday in the city that was once home to the largest slave market in North America. The Southern Baptist Convention elected its first African American President. This is huge when you think that one of the factors that helped form the Convention in the 19th Century was the slavery issue. Just as the rest of the country was so deeply divided in those days, Baptists in the south split from fellowship with their Baptist brethren in the north, over the issue. Now, a man who is most likely the descendant of black slaves, has been chosen to be the leader of the largest protestant denomination in the world.

About one sixteenth of the SBC's 16 Million members are black. The SBC Annual Meeting has long been a sea of mostly white faces. This week the complexion has changed visibly. It is a beginning (long overdue) but a beginning none the less. The election of a former street preacher from the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans to be the leader of the Southern Baptist Convention is a major step toward racial reconciliation, and toward pounding the final nails in the coffin of an ugly chapter in our history.

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One of the things I love about attending the SBC Annual Meeting, is the opportunity to see so many friends and colleagues from all over the country. We have had opportunity to see many of our friends from back home in Kentucky and West Virginia, and that is always a blessing. It is also sweet to renew old acquaintances with friends from all over the country. The fellowship is fleeting, but so sweet, whether it be spending a few minutes together in the Exhibit Hall, stopping to talk briefly in the concourse, or sitting down to have a cup of coffee or to break bread together in one of the crowded restaurants.

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It is also a tremendous blessing to sit under the preaching of a number of Godly men, young and old, in the Pastor's Conference which precedes the two day business sessions. It is not often one can hear the likes of Tony Evans, David Jeremiah, Johnny Hunt, and David Platt in one venue. The speakers vary in age and style, and come from various types of ministries, but each one's message will compliment the others. In the Monday afternoon session alone, Dennis Swanberg made us laugh, David Platt made us cry, and Herb Reavis made us shout. Fred Luter brought the house down on Monday evening!

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Despite the euphoria surrounding Fred Luter's election, there is still some controversy here as we Baptists gather in the Big Easy. There is the Calvinism debate. Some are saying that now is the time for this "conversation to begin". Friends, this conversation has been going on for several centuries in Baptist life. The debate is an old one, and it is not going to be settled today. There are some things that we just need to leave up to God, determine that we are going to love one another despite some of our differences, and get on with fulfilling the Great Commission given to us by our Lord. We have the Word of God to guide us, and the Baptist Faith and Message as our consensus statement of faith, now let's get on with the task!

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I never cease to be amazed that in spite of our differences, in spite of controversies, large and small, God continues to bless this work. It is a tribute to His power and glory alone!

I have enjoyed being here this week. I even got to have dinner with two of my precious grandsons last night! We'll wrap things up here today, and I look forward to getting home and back to work in the place of service where God has placed me.

The Power Of A Personal Testimony

It's 12:30 AM and I am crying like a baby. The tears are tears of joy and thanksgiving to our Father in Heaven, and believe it or not, it is from something I've just seen on The Tonight Show!

As I sometimes do in the evenings, by 10:00 or so, I had fallen asleep in my recliner. Linda has learned that when I do such things it is futile to try to wake me. She knows I will eventually regain consciousness and make the climb up the stairs to my comfortable bed. So, she makes sure the doors are locked and all the lights are out, and leaves me in la la land with the flickering light of the television on until I snap back to reality.

Well, I did... and the Tonight Show was in its last few minutes. The beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones was sitting to Jay Leno's far right, and a little bent man with a red baseball cap, and blue jacket was in the chair next to Leno's desk. He appeared to be in his 90's, and was in the process of recounting his World War II prisoner of war experience. With him being a member of my Dad's "Greatest Generation" I immediately took note of what he was saying.

His name was Louis Zamperini. He was a native of Torrance, California, where he was a juvenile delinquent in his younger years. However, he had been given a wonderful gift of athletic ability which led him to world fame as a track star. He had even competed for the USA in the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin. After World War II broke out, Zamperini joined the Army Air Corps and became a bombardier on a B-29.

As I roused from my slumber Zamperini was telling about the events that followed the crashing of his plane in the Pacific Ocean on May 27. 1943. He told about how he and the badly injured pilot and one other crew member were the sole survivors of the eleven man crew. The story that followed was absolutely fascinating. He told of how the three or them survived for 47 days on the raft, badly injured and surrounded by sharks. The one plane they saw during the ordeal, turned out to be an enemy aircraft. It made two passes at them firing machine guns at the three airmen. Miraculously, no one was hit, and he allowed that as they "played dead", the enemy pilot must have been low on fuel and returned to their base or aircraft carrier.

As the story went, Zamperini and the other survivors eventually washed ashore in the Japanese controlled Marshall Islands. When captured, Zamperini weighed only 67 pounds (he had lost 100 pounds during the 47 days as a castaway). The three Americans were taken as prisoners of war, where Zamperini was tortured for more than two years. Much of that time was at the hand of a cruel Japanese prison camp guard, known to the prisoners as "The Bird". The guard made Zamperini his personal project, but in over a year of his torturous treatment, the young American refused to break. The story is told in a book by Laura Hildenbrand, entitled "Unbroken". I'll be ordering that book from Amazon in the morning!

As riveting as Zamperini's story was, I wasn't prepared for what came next, and that was what brought the tears to my eyes.

Leno mentioned, "I understand that you have gone back to Japan, and that you have forgiven your captors, including "The Bird" who had nearly killed you with his torture".

The old man smiled as he told the rest of the story. "They didn't know what it was called back then, but we know now it is called post traumatic stress disorder" he recounted. He told about the nightmares he suffered for years after his freedom. He drank heavily, tortured by the demons of his memory. Each night in his dreams he dreamed of strangling the life out of "The Bird". Eventually, he said, he "met the girl of his dreams and married her". After his marriage he began to cut back on the drinking but the nightmares continued to haunt him. His wife urged him to seek help, but he maintained he could handle it on his own.

One night, while choking "The Bird" in his dreams, Zamperini awoke to realize he had his wife by the throat, choking the life out of her. Terrified and injured, she told him she had come to the end of her rope and that she would file for divorce. Needless to say, he was devastated.

Then, he said, Billy Graham came to town. Zamperini's wife had gone to the Crusade one night and had given her life to Christ. She came home that evening a new woman, telling her husband that she was not going through with the divorce, but was committing her life to Christ and trusting Him to take care of the situation. She encouraged Zamperini to attend the Crusade, which he did, but he "left the meeting angry and terribly under conviction". However, he went back the next night, and after hearing Graham say, "When you get to the end of your rope, and you have no where else to go, turn to God", he knew what he had to do.

Zamperini's mind went back to his 47 day ordeal at sea, and the two and a half years in captivity, and to how he had promised God that if He would spare his life, that he would live for Him and serve him faithfully. "I realized that night, that God had kept his promises to me, but I had not kept mine to Him. The next thing I knew" he said, "I had come forward, and was in the prayer room, committing my life to Christ. I told Him I was sorry and I asked Him to come into my heart and I would live for Him."

Zamperini said, from that moment on he had never had another drink of alcohol, and that the nightmares ended forever. He was able to forgive those who had treated him so horribly, and had opportunity to visit Japan and meet some of his captors, showing them the love of Christ.

The audience erupted in applause, and Zeta-Jones was noticeably moved. Jay Leno stood and shook his hand and simply said, "God bless you".

Obviously God already has done just that!

Now that is far from what one would normally see and hear on late night television, but what a blessing to hear that little bent man, a war hero from another generation, tell that young studio audience (as well as the millions watching on television) about the saving, life changing power of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was powerful, and terribly effective. I was reminded of the words from John Newton's immortal song, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see." People can argue about churches, denominations, and doctrinal differences, but no one can argue with the reality of a changed life!

There is nothing stronger than the power of a personal testimony of what Christ has done in an individual's life. May we be as quick as Louis Zamperini to share the Good News at every opportunity.

The Blessing Of Sports Ministry

On Monday evening 80 children and their families gathered in the sanctuary of Westmoreland Baptist Church to celebrate the completion of our Upward Soccer season.

The 8 week season had just wrapped up the previous Saturday and by all accounts it was a great experience for the children, parents, grandparents, coaches and other volunteers. Our Soccer Commissioner, Kim McFann once again had done a wonderful job in overseeing this annual ministry. In the Award Celebration, each child received a new Upward soccer ball, and a gospel DVD entitled, "The Big Story", for their families to have and to view at their leisure.

Upward is a sports ministry more than 25 years old, founded by Caz McCazlin at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, SC. It has grown in its scope and now Upward Basketball, Cheer leading, Soccer, Flag Football, and Sports Camps can be found, sponsored by evangelical churches around the world! It has been a wonderful asset to our Children's Ministry here at WBC. Some of the children who participate are from families that are actively involved in other churches, and that is fine. However, many of the kids come from families that have no church affiliation, and little spiritual influence in their lives. Upward is not nearly as intensively competitive as other youth sports league - and that is by design. In our busy world, time is at a premium, and families are often short changed in quality time together. Upward has one hour of practice per week, and one game per week on Saturday. Every child learns a Bible verse per week. Each practice has a devotional Bible lesson, as does half time on game day. When children have completed a season of Upward, they have been coached and taught by Christian volunteers, and they have been presented with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No other youth sports program can say that!

Some say that Upward is not competitive. Well, tell that to the kids who participate! The beauty of Upward is the three fold purpose that says "Every Child Plays... Every Child Learns... Every Child Wins". Parents who are looking for a hard nosed, win at all cost youth sports program will not be impressed with Upward. There will be plenty of opportunities in the lives of these children to compete in games and in life. Upward is not a youths sports league, Upward is a ministry, and we make no bones about it.

As part of the Award Celebration program, we ask for parent/guardian feedback. We ask them to rate their Upward experience on a 1 to 4 scale, with the four choices being "Great", "Good", "Satisfactory", and "Less than Satisfactory". Only two forms rated the experience as low as "Satisfactory", 87% rated it "Great" with the rest falling under the category "Good". There were no forms that listed an "unsatisfactory" rating. We also gave the parents an opportunity to give us verbal feedback as well. The two that rated it "Satisfactory" gave us constructive remarks that we will use next season to try to enhance the ministry.

Here are some representative comments from the feedback form:

"Aidan had a great season!'

"We had a lot of fun this year. I hope to have my son in the program again next year."

"The coaches were great... they were knowledgeable about soccer fundamentals. They were fun, caring, and all around super people."

"This was our first year of Upward and it will not be our last! These coaches taught my children so much. Thanks to all the coaches and staff of Upward."

"This was my son's second year. He loved it and we look forward to next season."

"As a grandparent, it was a wonderful experience. We love it than everyone gets equal playing time."

"This was exactly what my 9 year old daughter needed. Thank you!"

Upward is a lot of work, from pre registration activities, to registration, evaluations, team selection, recruiting volunteers, scheduling practice times and games, and the time involved to practice and coach the games. One might ask, "Is it worth it?" Well, on Sunday morning we will be baptizing two children who have both participated in Upward Sports this year. I think we can agree it is worth every minute of time and effort.

We'll take a short break, and then begin preparations for Upward Basketball and Cheer leading to fire up this fall!

To Sign Or Not To Sign?

The familiar "ding" from my BlackBerry alerted me that I had received a message or an email. I picked up the device to check it out and found the five word text message from a pastor friend in another state. "Have you signed yet, Brother?"


Signed what? I really had no doubt about to what my colleague was referring.


Recently there has been a firestorm in the Southern Baptist blogosphere regarding a new document that has surfaced. The title of the article is,"A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God's Plan of Salvation". An introduction to the document was published on May 30th on the SBC Today website. The introduction is written by Dr. Eric Hankins, a Mississippi pastor who will be nominated for the position of Second Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention when it meets in New Orleans later this month.


If you haven't read the document, you may see it in its entirety by clicking here. http://sbctoday.com/2012/05/30/an-introduction-to-%e2%80%9ca-statement-of-the-traditional-southern-baptist-understanding-of-god%e2%80%99s-plan-of-salvation%e2%80%9d/


Hankins writes that the document was "Compiled by a number of pastors, professors, and leaders in response to the growing debate over Calvinism in Southern Baptist life, it begins with a rationale for such a statement at this time, followed by ten articles of affirmation and denial. The goal was to create a statement that would accurately reflect the beliefs of the majority of Southern Baptists, who are not Calvinists. "


As of this writing, the document has been endorsed and signed by a number of Southern Baptists, including several former Convention Presidents, as well as a couple of SBC Seminary Presidents and some of their faculty members, several State Convention officers, and some pastors, evangelists, and laypersons from around the country. It appears to be a reaction to and a growing fear of the increasing number of adherents of Reformed Theology in SBC life. The "Calvinist/Non Calvinist" debate has been growing for several years now, and appears to be coming to a head, even though these differences have coexisted in SBC life since its inception.


Having won the "Battle for the Bible" during the Conservative Resurgence in the SBC, it appears that we can now no longer stand the prosperity. Now, with all of us standing firmly on the inerrancy of the Scriptures we are now de-volving into arguments about interpretation differences, while denominational leaders seek to gin up a "Great Commission Resurgence". That type of resurgence can't be planned and programmed, it can only come from God. However, does anyone believe that such a resurgence is likely to come from God while we are fighting among ourselves?


One prominent pastor has commented that "we are headed for a Civil War" in the SBC. All that is holding it back is waiting to see who fires the first shot on Fort Sumpter". I fear that this this document may be that first shot.


We all believe that Salvation comes by Grace through Faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8,9). We all believe that our marching orders are found in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8. Yet how will we accomplish the mission with an "us against them" mentality inside the ranks of the Army of God? That mentality exists, and can be found everywhere from the Calvinist/Non Calvinist debate at the SBC level, all the way down to the State Conventions and local associations where distrust, arguments over methodology, and partisanship have deeply divided the brethren.


I have many friends on both sides of the Calvinism/Non Calvinism issue. Men whom I love and respect. Men who have various gifts and diverse platforms in ministry. We have such potential, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to change the world! Yet it seems as though there is a growing trend in our ranks to sign this statement, or sign that statement - drawing lines in the sand and daring our co-laborers to cross them.


Enough already!


Our Seminaries are the academic venues where these ideas can be studied, discussed, and debated. Each one of us must come to our own conclusions regarding these differing viewpoints, but we must not continue demonizing one side or denigrating the intelligence of the other. As a Convention, we have a statement of faith that has been hammered out, revised, and updated since 1925. "The Baptist Faith and Message" contains the Convention's messenger approved articles of faith that unite us as Southern Baptists. That should be sufficient to say who we are, what we believe, and upon what our beliefs are based. I fear that these other statements that are coming out on both sides of the Calvinist issue only serve to further divide us and hamper the effectiveness of our efforts to complete the mission our Lord has given us.


Perhaps our Dr. Frank Page, President of the SBC Executive Committee, may appoint some type of "peace committee" when we meet in New Orleans to try to hammer out some type of peaceful co-existance. But certainly we need to pray for God to intervene and bring unity to the work - before it's too late.


As for this pastor - I'm finished with signing statements. I'll affirm the Word of God, and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and that's it. That's my opinion, and that's where I'll stand - "For What It's Worth"

Remembering Mamaw Bowling On Decoration Day

In the hills and coal fields of southern West Virginia (where I spent many of my younger years) "Decoration Day" was more than just a day for remembering our war dead. We certainly did take time to honor those who had fought and died for the cause of freedom. Small flags were placed at the gravestones of our honored dead, and we paused to remember the terrible cost of freedom.


However, in our culture it was also a time set aside to honor the memory of all of our loved ones who had passed on. I have written before about how our Memorial Days were spent, driving the 69 crooked miles down State Rt. 10 to Logan, WV. There, joining up with other relatives from the Adkins and Stidham clans, the day was spent visiting cemeteries ranging from the overgrown hillside at Foley (near Ethel), to the better preserved family plot on the hillside at Chauncey (on Island Creek) to the neatly manicured grounds of Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens (at Peck's Mill). The old graveyards at Foley and Chauncey would need their annual brush cutting. After the hard work was done, there was always a picnic presided over by Papaw Stidham. Those Memorial Days spent with my parents, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents are some of the most precious memories I have in all my 61 years.



Visiting the graves of my father's grandparents and other relatives would come a little later. On the second Sunday in June, the Adkins clan would gather in force at the "old home place" near the Sulphur Spring on 14 Mile Creek in Lincoln County. There, a huge meal would be prepared for everyone, then most of the men and kids (and some of the ladies) would make the difficult trek up the hill to decorate the graves on the hill top Adkins/Lucas graveyard. We drank cold water from a well on the front porch of the house, and we had a great time chasing the geese around the barnyard, and catching crawdads in the creek with paper cups.


Then on the second Sunday in August we would travel to Wayne County and make the exciting drive up the old dirt road to the scenic ridge top Press Friley Cemetery, were my Mamaw Adkins' Pack clan were all laid to rest. Again, there would be a huge spread of food, and the Old Regular Baptist preachers, took turns preaching in the makeshift amphitheater overlooking an old, rough wooden platform that had been built on the side of the hill in the distant past.


This year, as he has done for several years now, my brother, Bruce, took Mom and Dad to Logan for "Decoration". In their 80's now, they only visit Forest Lawn. That is where both sets of their parents are now interred, as well as a couple of their brothers. I would love to have made the trip with them again, but busy schedules just wouldn't allow it. I miss those "Decoration Days" so many years ago.


Linda and I made the alternate trip down to Pike County Kentucky to take flowers to the graves of her mother, Orpha Bowling, and her older brother, Burgess Ray. He was known to the family as "Buddy Ray", but to most of his friends as "Sarge". He had done 14 years in the United States Marine Corps, but opted to forego a full career in the Corps to come back to the mountains to go back to school, work in the coal mines, and raise his family where he had grown up. Tragically he was killed in a mining accident in 1991. He was a great brother in law to me, and after all these years I still miss him.


Mamaw Bowling, on the other hand, was with us until we lost her to a stroke early in the morning of Christmas Eve, 2003. It's hard to believe she has been gone nearly nine years. Time has shown she was the glue that helped hold her family together. Was she perfect? Of course not. No one is. But Mamaw was a mother who loved and cared for her children, grandchildren, and the few great grandchildren she had the privilege of knowing. As a son in law, I can testify that she loved and treated each of us "in laws" as her own children. She was a good neighbor, one that was respected by all who knew her. She followed the "golden rule" treating others as she would want to have been treated, and modeled that type of behavior to her children. She was a good cook, and there was never a visitor to her home that was not offered a meal - whatever time of day or night it may have been. She and my father in law had 61 years together. He worked hard to earn the paycheck, and Mamaw took care of all the details. Naturally, he has felt lost since that sad Christmas Eve nearly nine years ago.


She had a temper, but it was almost always under control. The one way I know she could be riled up was if someone had done something to take advantage of a member of her family. I can only imagine how heartbroken and angry she would be if she knew what has been done to Burgess in the past year. We can take comfort in knowing that God knows, and He will make all things right in his time.


Mamaw, we love you and we miss you. This "Decoration Day" we take comfort in knowing that you are not in that grave in that beautiful setting at Ransom, but that you are with our Heavenly Father, who loved you, and adopted you to be His own. In your lifetime here you traveled many dusty rough country roads. It won't be long till we see you again - on streets of gold!

The Anonymous Letter

I received an anonymous letter in the mail at church last week. It came in a plain white envelope with no return address. It was addressed, simply, to the Pastor. Inside was a neatly typed, well written unsigned half page communication. From what had been written, I could only gather that it was from a church member, presumably a lady.

Over the last four decades, I have received several unsigned letters. Having served on my local Board of Education, the city Board of Zoning Adjustment, a Seminary Board of Trustees, a Little League Board of Directors, a State Baptist Convention officer, and with four decades of pastoral ministry, sometimes anonymous letters just go with the territory. Generally these letters have been angry in tone, accusatory, and down right mean. Some were unsigned because the writers "feared for their jobs" (perhaps a valid concern in some cases). Others were unsigned, simply because the poison pen authors were simply too cowardly to sign their names. A former School Board colleague once told me, "If they won't do me the courtesy of identifying themselves, I won't waste my time reading their letter. It goes straight into the trash."

I've read every anonymous letter I have ever received. Some raised valid concerns, but most were quite deserving of the "round file" that sits in the floor beside my desk.

This letter was different.

It made me sad.

The person who wrote it, was either a member of our church or someone who at least has attended for a while. From the content of the letter, one could assume the author was a woman, based on what seems to be her perspective in the writing. However, a reading of the letter also indicated that she may have been more peripheral in her church relationship, and not very familiar with church polity, or past practice.

This dear lady apparently had an idea that she had shared with someone else before the service last Sunday morning. She thought her suggestion might be benefit the work of the church. As she shared her idea, with another person she was told, "The men will never allow it!" As she explained what she saw as the merit of her idea, she got the same response, "The men will never allow it."

Now, I don't know the identity of either party in the conversation, but I can tell you this. The one who kept repeating "The men will never allow it" either spoke out of ignorance of the facts, or with the intent to upset the lady who had made the suggestion. If their intention was the latter, they certainly succeeded. This lady was hurt, and it came through in her writing. It caused her to wonder "why her opinion meant nothing, and her voice could not be heard". She further wondered if she "had been attending the wrong church for all these years".

This letter was heartbreaking. Here was a person who is at least attached to our congregation, and may even be a member. Yet she seems to be unaware of how the church operates. We operate under the model of congregational church polity. There is no select group (Elders, Deacons, etc) that makes policy or sets direction for the church. As a congregation of believers and followers of Christ, we have adopted a church constitution that sets out who we are, why we are here, and how we are organized for ministry and mission. Furthermore, we have a policy and procedure manual that has been compiled and revised over the years, by action of the church body. These policies and procedures are to provide clarity as to how we operate as an "organization". A copy of the manual is kept in the church office and is available to any person who would like to peruse it.

Our congregation holds regular quarterly business meetings, to hear reports, ask questions, set policies, and consider all important business that is necessary for our church to handle. Every member of the church (age sixteen and above) has a vote on every issue considered in each meeting. Every one's opinion means something, and every voice has the right to be heard.

Sadly, this dear lady does not seem to understand this. But even more sad is the fact that she was given bad information by someone else - and just took it for the truth. I don't know the identity nor the motives of the person who dispensed the bad information to this lady, but whether it be due to ignorance of the facts, or out of some type of malice, it was harmful. Harmful to the feelings of the letter writer, and in a larger sense, harmful to the unity and harmony of our church.

The letter writer seems to have access to a computer, since it appears to have been typed in some type of word program. I pray that she may read this blog post. If she is reading this, I urge her to contact me. Give me a call, drop me an email, or preferably, come by the office and let's talk about your suggestion. Your voice is important, and open communication can answer many questions, and head off many potential problems.

You close your letter by saying, "I am not signing this letter because I do not want to be identified as a trouble maker...". Believe me when I tell you that I have read a number of anonymous letters over the years - and your letter was not that of a trouble maker. Every member is important to this body, and it breaks my heart to think that someone may think that they are not! I hope to hear from you, and I will keep your identity in confidence.

Today's prayer: Lord help us to be understanding of others. May your Spirit bear the fruit in our lives of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. May our communications and actions reflect those qualities. May you rebuke the Enemy, who would use his wiles to cause us to focus on the things that take our eyes off the mission! Thank you for loving us. Thank you for your Church and for the people who make up your body. Amen

The Cool Shepherd?

I hear it from fellow pastors all the time.

"Why do we lose so many of our young people, once they 'graduate' from the youth group?"

It seems to be a widespread problem among evangelical churches. Most of us put a good bit of time and effort into our children's and student ministries in the church. Yet we often lose many of our youth once they "age out". Why is that?

Do they no longer need discipleship training?

Are they no longer interested in connecting with friends?

Are spiritual matters no longer an issue with them?

Is it because the church is no longer relevant?

The answer to all of the above is, "Of course not!"

So, why do they seem to disappear in droves?

Perhaps the answers can be found by studying those who DO NOT leave the church, after their youth group years are over.

I read a very interesting article by Jon Nielson on my BlackBerry recently, while sitting in a hospital waiting room. The post is entitled, "Three Common Traits Of Youth Who Do Not Leave The Church". The entire article can be found here...
http://www.churchleaders.com/youth/youth-leaders-articles/159175-3-common-traits-of-youth-who-don-t-leave-the-church.html?p=3

Nielson writes that there are three common traits that can be found in the young people who stay involved in the church. Interestingly, his findings have nothing to do with music, worship styles, dress standards, or the "cool factor" of the pastor or the congregation. According to Nielson, the three common traits of youth who do not leave the church are these:

1. They are Converted
2. They have been Equipped - not Entertained
3. Their parents have "Preached the Gospel to them"

Does that make sense? If these factors are valid, and I believe they are, It should be a wake up call to all of us, and a reason to re-evaluate our respective youth ministries.

The first and foremost things our kids need is Jesus! Not just a head knowledge about who Jesus was, where He went, what He did, or even what He said. Students, like adults, need to KNOW Jesus. To know Him as their Savior and Lord. They need a personal relationship with Him. The message of John 3:16 and John 14:6 is just as important to young people as it is to 30, 40, and 50 something folks. Our youth activities need to be built around Evangelism!

Secondly, as young disciples, students need to be equipped - not entertained. Many churches and youth workers seem to feel that we "have to keep them entertained or we'll lose them". Now, I understand that there does need to be activities that add fun and fellowship to our student ministry activities. But entertainment is not what its all about. It is very possible to plan enough entertainment and activities to keep kids coming out, but without conversion and a focus on building up and discipling these young folks, they will be gone as soon as the fun is over.

Just as important is the need for parents to model their faith before their kids. No youth pastor, no matter how talented, gifted, or imaginative they may be, can take the place of the parent in laying the foundation of the Gospel in the lives of their children. Parents must take on their God given responsibilities. Don't just send the kids to youth group. Don't just expect the "youth guy" to accomplish in a few hours a month, what you can and must do in the home.

At Westmoreland Baptist Church, these are the things we are going to focus on in our "Beneath the Surface" student ministry. Will Youth Pastor, Bub Amis, and his helpers have some fun activities planned for the kids? Sure. But we make a commitment to you as parents that in all of our activities, our goal will be to win these kids to Christ. It won't be all about activities and fun and games. We will seek to build them up as strong disciplined followers of Christ - to be young people who will not only have a rock solid faith in Christ, but will be growing in Him, and will be a witness to their friend as fellow students as well.

We ask the parents to back us in this, and above all to do your part. Teach them in your home. Model your faith in your life, so your kids will realize that their greatest role models are genuine in their beliefs and practices.

Kids need a shepherd the same as adults do.

We are going to commit that our efforts will be to model the Good Shepherd, rather than focus on being the Cool Shepherd. I'm convinced it will be of eternal value to the kids!