A N I N D E P E N D E N T C H U R C H J O U R N A L • M A R C H | A P R I L 2 0 1 3

VOICE

Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dr.LesLofquistDesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JimConnellyStudio

Volume92Number2

Direct all correspondence to Voice Magazine P.O. Box 810, Grandville, MI 49468-0810 616/531-1840,FAX:616/531-1814

Voice, an Independent Church Journal (PSPS662-140) is published bi-monthly by IFCAInternational.

SubscriptionRates:$12.00—1year;$20.00—2years;$28.00—3years.Bundlesofmultiplecopiestooneaddress$9.00percopyperyear.Any local church may subscribe for 100% ofthefamiliesrepresentedinitsactivemember-ship at $10.50 per copy per year (domestic).Foreign subscriptions are $37.00 per year.PleasemakeyourpaymentinUScurrencyoracheckdrawnonaU.S.bank.

AddressChange:Sendyournewaddresswiththe old at least 30 days before the date ofissuewithwhich it is to takeeffect. Ifpossi-ble,enclosetheaddresslabel.ThePostOfficewill not forward copies unless you provideextrapostage.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Voice,an Independent Church Journal, P.O. Box810,Grandville,MI49468-0810.Secondclasspostage paid at Grandville, MI 49468-0810,andatadditionalmailingoffices.

Copyright: All material in Voice belongs toIFCAInternational.Duplicationisprohibitedpriortoapproval.ContacttheEditorialOfficeat 616-531-1840 for permission. Articlesand advertisements in Voice are the expressposition of the author and advertiser; pub-licationofeitherdoesnotconstituteofficialendorsement.

©2013IFCAInternational

www.ifca.org

VOICEA N I N D E P E N D E N T C H U R C H J O U R N A L • M A R C H | A P R I L 2 0 1 3

ContentsFEATURE ARTICLES

7 People Skills & The Pastor |LesLofquist

11 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 & People Skills | AlexMontoya

14 Learning People Skills | EarlBrubaker

17 Graciously Dealing with People| ChrisBauer

19 African People Skills | PaulSeger

30 Methodologies in Evangelizing Catholics | LarryE.Miller

33 Indispensable Truths for When Tragedy Strikes | ParkerReardon

IN EVERY ISSUE

27 Discipling Children

36 Fellowship News

38 Community Care Today

39 Chaplain’s Diary

40 Vision World

41 New Members

March|April 2013 7

Les Lofquist EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR

People Skills & The Pastor

The pastor needs the ability

to interact with people

in a friendly way and

with courtesy, compassion,

and empathy.

I was talking to a young pastor recently, and after our lengthy conversation I commented on his wisdom and warmth. I told him many

pastors fail in regards to dealing with people (something we often refer to as people skills). When I said this, the young pastor was surprised and asked me to elaborate further. So I provided him some specific sad examples of ungracious pastors and their interpersonal blunders. At the close of our conversation, he said something quite profound: “That’s so strange. Why would you become a pastor if you don’t love people?”

That young pastor asked a great question which summarizes the basis of pastoral interper-sonal skills…love. Love is the bottom-line way to define people skills. And the pastor’s life must be characterized by love in the same way that Jesus’ life was characterized by love.

The pastor needs the ability to interact with people in a friendly way and with courtesy, com-passion, and empathy. He needs to be “others oriented” as opposed to being self-absorbed or task driven. He needs to notice people (without looking past them) and look them in the eye and smile. He needs to be able to call the people of his congregation by name like Jesus said a good shepherd does ( John 10:3). The pastor must interact with people and ask sincere questions demonstrating concern, communicating both verbally and non-verbally in ways that demon-strate courtesy and love. The pastor needs to be able to listen effectively, handle difficult con-versations, discipline his anger, and help resolve conflict. And if he fails at much of the above his ministry is hindered and he may even be fired from his church!

This is serious, because people expect per-sonal interactions with their pastor to be loving and kind. And for good reason, because Christ was the living embodiment of love and grace. He exemplified courtesy and concern for others. He

valued people, welcomed them, conversed with them, ate with them. So is it wrong for people to expect their pastors to ref lect Christlikeness in such basic ways as kindness and personal care? If that’s not a wrong expectation, then I would like to ask: what do Christlike interpersonal relation-ship skills look like?

The Bible’s Answer The Bible clearly addresses the question of

interpersonal relations. Note just a few passages. “You shall not bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18). “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs  15:1). The New Testament commands us to “be kind to one another” (Ephesians  4:32). Paul commanded Titus to “to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men” (Titus 3:2).

The pastor is to ref lect Christ’s love in his personal interactions, and love is described in 1 Corinthians  13:4-7. “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Scripture teaches that the natural works of the f lesh lead to terrible human relationships filled with hatred, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions (Galatians  5:20). But when we walk in the Spirit, the fruit dem-onstrated in our lives will be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If a pastor loves Christ and walks in the Spirit, his people skills will grow! That’s why our con-gregations expect pastors to deal with people in

8 VOICE

love and wisdom… and that is not an unreasonable expectation.

The simple truth is that pastors and their wives want to be loved by their congregations. But I say to pastors and pastors wives: if you want to be loved by your f lock, then you must first love them. Know them. Serve them. Respect them. Laugh with them. Cry with them. If you want to be loved, you have to love others first.

Pastors need to understand the power of building relationships among the people of their church, skillfully developing and utilizing the process of inter-relationships. Connecting with people, in person-to-person relation-ships, is the way of the wise pastor. Because the pastor’s effectiveness in ministry is determined by his relation-ships with people, an hour of personal time with someone in your congrega-tion can have more impact than a dozen sermons. And one hour of personal time most definitely will have an impact on that person’s attention the next Sunday when the pastor is preaching.

Ministry takes place in the context

LES LOFQUIST’S ITINERARY

March 2013

3 SullivanCommunityChurch,Ravenna,MI

4 PublicationsCommittee,Grandville,MI

10 Pierson(MI)BibleChurch

14 TheMaster’sSeminarychapel,SunValley,CA

17 a.m.CalvaryCommunityChurch,Albany,OR

p.m.CalvaryBibleChurch,Manzanita,OR

18-20 PacificNWRegional,Keizer(OR)CommunityChurch

29 CombinedGoodFriday,ChesterGospelChurch,Charlotte,MI

April 2013

7 PinesBibleChurch,MichiganCity,IN

16–19 BMWBoardMeeting,Cordoba,Argentina

20-23 VisitIFCAmissionaryJerryGlassinMontevideo,Uruguay

of relationships. We do not minister to pews and bricks and books. We minister to people who desperately need to be changed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. And what changes people is the truth of God’s Word in the con-text of relationship.

The World’s Answer The leaders of the world know the

value of interpersonal skills. The book How to Win Friends and Influence People was written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936. Tens of millions of copies have been sold world-wide and the book’s title has become a familiar catch-word. Carnegie’s premise was that if you want to influence people, then you must win friends.

Although the pastor may chafe at taking advice from Dale Carnegie (“what does that man have to say to me?!”), I think many pastors could learn a few things from what Carnegie taught. I am com-mitted to the sufficiency of Scripture to counsel pastors in their interpersonal skills. And I know Carnegie was not inspired nor did he attempt to teach from

the Bible and I agree that he was just a man, sharing practical tips from his own experience and at times he seemed to advocate techniques that may seem manipulative. But from what I have experienced and observed in churches, parsonages, seminaries and Bible colleg-es, many pastors could use a little advice from Carnegie if they filter his advice through their own Scriptural worldview.

Below are the four main components of How to Win Friends and Inf luence People, with the sub-sections listed. Look these over and consider your inter-personal skills.

FundamentalTechniquesinHandlingPeople1. Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.3. Arouse in the other person an eager

want.

SixWaystoMakePeopleLikeYou1. Become genuinely interested in

other people.2. Smile.3. Remember that a person’s name is,

to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interest.

6. Make the other person feel impor-tant – and do it sincerely.

TwelveWaystoWinPeopletoYourWayofThinking1. The only way to get the best of an

argument is to avoid it.2. Show respect for the other person’s

opinions. Never say “You’re Wrong.”3. If you’re wrong, admit it quickly and

emphatically.4. Begin in a friendly way.5. Start with questions to which the

other person will answer yes.6. Let the other person do a great deal

of the talking.7. Let the other person feel the idea is

his or hers.8. Try honestly to see things from the

other person’s point of view.9. Be sympathetic with the other per-

son’s ideas and desires.10. Appeal to the nobler motives.11. Dramatize your ideas.12. Throw down a challenge.

March|April 2013 9

BeaLeader:HowtoChangePeopleWithoutGivingOffenseorArousingResentment1. Begin with praise and honest appre-

ciation.2. Call attention to people’s mistakes

indirectly.3. Talk about your own mistakes before

criticizing the other person.4. Ask questions instead of giving

direct orders.5. Let the other person save face.6. Praise every improvement.7. Give the other person a fine reputa-

tion to live up to.8. Use encouragement. Make the fault

seem easy to correct.9. Make the other person happy about

doing what you suggest.

ConclusionI challenge you to re-read the Bible

passages above and consider your own people skills, or lack thereof. Ask your wife to read this article and then tell you the points you need to work on. And since so many of the pastor’s interper-sonal problems come from his wife’s own relationships at church, after carefully listening to your wife’s input regarding this article… graciously offer to your wife the points she can work on. See if there is anything both of you can learn from the revealed Word of God and the uninspired advice from Dale Carnegie.

The pastor needs the ability to interact with people in a friendly way and with courtesy, compassion, and empathy. He needs to be “others oriented” as opposed to being self-absorbed or task driven. The pastor must interact with people and ask sincere questions demonstrating concern, communicating both verbally and non-verbally in ways that demonstrate courtesy and love. If he fails at much of the above his ministry is hindered and he may even be fired from his church!

No pastor wants that. This is serious.

March|April 2013 11

More ministers, missionar ies and Christian leaders lose their ministries over their inability to get along with

people than they do for their inability to preach or carry out their ministerial duties. The average tenure for a pastor in a local church is three years; by then the people have discovered who he and his wife really are and they don’t want them any longer. What we fail to realize in the ministry is that ministry is about getting along with people. If we do not develop the proper people skills (that is, the ability to get along with people of all stripes and colors), we will not have a lasting ministry.

What is remarkable in the Biblical qualifica-tions for the ministry is that the Scriptures focus more on who the minister is than what he is able to do. The list of requirements for pastoral leadership in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 have more to do with how we interact with others, than on how well we preach or how well we perform our duties. Each list only has one item having to do with ministry; the rest have to do with character. This is not to minimize the importance of the ministerial duties, but simply to stress a major factor in the area of pastoral ministry. People skills matter greatly.

Before considering the relationship of the qualif ications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 as they relate to people skills, it would be good to remind ourselves what we mean by “people skills.” People skills refer basically to the abil-ity to get along with people. As leaders, people skills relates to the ability to mobilize a group of people to accomplish a common goal.

We should also note that good people skills are the application of the Great Commandment to daily life. Our Lord stated that all the Law and the Prophets are summed up in two commandments: that we love God and that we love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40). The command to love our neighbors as ourselves is the sum of the Decalogue, which in short commands us to do no harm to our neighbors (Romans 13:8-10). It is treating others as we would want others to treat

ourselves (Matthew 7:12), and involves a consis-tency in the application of love to every person we meet (James 2:8). For the believer, the fulfillment of the command is done when we walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh (Galatians 5:13-15; 6:2). In summary, people skills are the ability to express God’s love through us to others.

What we fail to realize in the

ministry is that ministry is about getting along

with people.

When we view the qualifications given in the Pastoral Epistles concerning church leaders it is the application of the commandment toward the people in their lives. The Apostle Paul speaks of three distinct groups which make up the chorus that affirms a man’s qualifications for the office: his family, the members of the Christian com-munity, and the unbelievers (1 Timothy 3:7). That he be “above reproach” means each of these groups affirm that the man lives in accordance to the expression of the commandment in a posi-tive manner. They do not affirm perfection; they affirm constancy, sincerity, and maturity.

The Christian leader must have good people skills when it comes to his own family. The pas-tor must be “the husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2). He must be a husband who displays loving and loyal affection toward his wife. The husband and wife must “get along,” in the same man-ner that Christ “gets along” with His Church (Ephesians 5:25-27). The minister must be one “who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity” (1 Timothy 3:4). He must display great people skills in leading his own household, in controlling his children, in gaining the respect of his family to follow his leadership.

Alex Montoya

Pastor Alex Montoya is a member of the IFCA

International Board of Directors. He also is

Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministries at

The Master’s Seminary and pastors First

Fundamental Bible Church in Monterey

Park, CA.

1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 & People Skills

12 VOICE

The List of QualitiesIn the lists of qualif ications given

in 1 Timothy and Titus it is clear that they are addressing his ability to deal lovingly and in a godly manner with the Christian community. They would be the ones to affirm his qualification to fill the office of overseer. They tes-tify to his ability to get along with other believers, to model the Christian char-acter which should be ref lected in every believer. In the average believer, these qualities are expected. In the pastor they are required. When viewed from the perspective of people skills, these lists take on a new dimension.

He is to be “temperate,” possessing soberness towards the serious issues of life, never making light of serious mat-ters and thus offending others. In that he is to be “prudent” implies the special discernment to approach every situation in a tactful fashion. He would study how to answer and how to act in diff icult circumstances. He would not needlessly offend either in private or in the pulpit. Every word is carefully chosen.

The pastor is to be “respectable,” a word implying orderliness and organiza-tion. We can insult and abuse people’s time by being unprepared or late in our engagements. “Respectable” in short means to respect other peoples’ time and space. To that Paul adds “hospitable,” which is literally, “a lover of strang-ers.” This is more than just providing donuts and coffee to guests, or enter-taining friends. It means that special love for people we do not know and that we are not intimately acquainted with. People skills mean the ability to befriend a stranger and making him or her feel loved by God. Christians get “turned off ” by ministers and their wives who only cater to a select group within the church. If too many get turned off, they will eventually turn you out.

The list in 1 Timothy combines a series of traits that point to the leader’s self- control. He is “not to be addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peace-able” (3:3). In Titus, Paul adds that he is “not pugnacious” and that he is “self- controlled” (Titus 1:7, 8). Here is a man who does not lose it with people. God makes it clear that “a brother offended is harder to be won that a strong city” (Proverbs 18:19). We must be careful

that in contending “earnestly for the faith” that we do so “with gentleness correcting those who are in opposi-tion” (Jude 3 and 2 Timothy 2:25). As Biblical fundamentalists we may pride ourselves in our defense of the truth and our stance for correct theology and prac-tice, but if our defense ref lects a loss of self-control in our defense of the faith, we have failed. We must always display a winsome personality in our endeavor to win the argument, or win the soul to Christ. Good people skills strive for a win-win situation.

Anyone working with others, and especially

with boards and committees, must learn to find common ground, to seek a solution

based on information gathered from all, and end up with consensus.

Next the Apostle requires that a pas-tor be “free from the love of money” and “not fond of sordid gain” (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7). These traits point to an hon-est and generous heart. Dishonesty is taking advantage of another’s generos-ity or trust. Covetousness is overlooking the need for benevolence towards others. People despise a crooked and cruel per-son. There is little patience for ministers who are in it “only for the money.” For that reason, those with good people skills are always endeavoring “to do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:10). Titus adds the qualities of “ just” and “devout” to point to a person with a deep sense of justice and a reverence towards God (Titus 1:8). People expect their leaders to be fair in the treatment of others, and not to show partiality.

The list of requirements for pas-tors prevents a novice from the office since such a person has a great temp-tation to let the office go to his head. Hence there is the need for leaders to be humble, not one whose head is swollen with pride (1 Timothy 3:6). To this we add the warning not to be “self-willed,” one who always needs to get his own

way. Anyone working with others, and especially with boards and committees, must learn to f ind common ground, to seek a solution based on informa-tion gathered from all, and end up with consensus. There is a great difference between manipulating people for one’s own interest and motivating people to seek God’s will and f ind common ground. Leaders are at their best when they choose the latter.

The third group of people that Christian leaders must win over is the unbelievers, the non-Christians (1 Timothy 3:7). It seems strange that the Apostle would add these to the list before whom the pastor must be above reproach in his activity. Yet it is because this is the audi-ence before whom the leader displays the glory of God as well as being the audi-ence whom he wishes to draw into the church through the Gospel. This group is often despised by the Christian, sometimes displaying a demeaning and unchristian behavior towards them. We feel as though we do not need their approval. The oppo-site is true. How we treat our neighbors, our local merchants, our public school teach-ers, our local residents will have a deep impact upon the progress of the Gospel in the local church. We will either gain their hearing, or become despicable in their sight. As Christian leaders we have no right to treat the unbeliever like dirt; they have a say in our right to be pastors in the local Christian church.

Often pastors blame the slow prog-ress of the Gospel and our lack of church growth upon the hardness of people’s hearts. We can also blame our lack of success in the ministry as the “inability of people to endure sound doctrine and straight preaching.” The truth may lie in our interaction with people. We may have failed miserably in our ability to get along with people, whether they are believers or unbeliev-ers. This applies not only to the pastor but also to his wife and children. A caustic wife may be the undoing of the precious labors of a godly pastor. Some wives have been the main cause for their husband’s dismissal from the ministry. We urge caution here.

ConclusionYou may be tempted to minimize the

importance of people skills in the min-

March|April 2013 13

istry, and may look upon this emphasis as somewhat of a stretch. But in my forty plus years of pastoral ministry it has been proved over and over again that more men lose their ministries or are ineffective in them because of their inability to get along with people. It is not by and large their inability to preach or to carry on their pastoral duties.

If you lack people skills, you are doomed to failure. Yet, the improvement of our people skills is among the easiest of tasks if we only set our hearts to truly love others as we love ourselves. We only need to reread the list of qualifications given to us in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 to understand that they are based upon our interaction with others.

Earl Brubaker

Earl Brubaker is a veteran church planting

missionary in the NW United States. He was

General Director of Northwest Independent

Church Extension located in Tacoma, WA

and now is president of IFCA Board of

Directors.

14 VOICE

During the af ternoon of an IFCA Regional Conference, several Regional leaders interviewed two young men who

were preparing for ordination. Since I knew the young men and had recently been through that same process, I asked Dick how the interview went. Dick Schwab was a man twenty-five years my senior, a long-time IFCA member, and a member of the founding board of Northwest Independent Church Extension (NICE) with which I served. He loved details and ardently, but graciously, defended the faith. He chose his words carefully.

“I have observed,” he began in answer to my question, “That many more men fail in ministry for lack of people skills than for lack of theologi-cal training.”

I have long since forgotten the remainder of Dick’s comments in that conversation, but I often recall his assessment of the importance of people skills. Over a period of years I observed Dick defending his convictions about such often debated issues as cessationism, eschatology, and Dispensationalism. I appreciated his scholarship as well as his commitment to the truth. It was his defense of those views without alienating those who disagreed, however, for which I most remember him.

My BackgroundI grew up with four brothers. We loved to

argue. Our father was a skeptical, suspicious, often bitter man who did not join our arguments but whose attitudes fueled them. Since people skills did not come naturally, I have sought to learn them by observing and emulating people like Dick. I have also watched and sought to avoid the ways of those whose caustic, abrasive words offend others. Dick is with the Lord now, as are each of the people who are mentioned by name in this account.

My course in people skills began in earnest when, just out of Bible College, I served as a Pastor in Training in a Northern California

sawmill town of about 250. A troubled church, it closed two years later when the sawmill burned down and many people moved away.

Bessie, an author, pianist, song writer, Bible teacher, church treasurer, and retired school teacher, was the church matriarch. Her talent was rare; her commitment admirable. It was easy, however, for even a novice such as I to see the control she exerted in the church. I also learned that she had a reputation for being caus-tic, unbending, and using her writing skills to author what some described as “poison pen” letters. Almost inevitably, it was not long until something I did earned her ire.

Winning disputes, especially with caustic words and

attitudes, alienates people and destroys ministry.

One afternoon on the way home from a neighboring town, I made a quick stop as I often did at Frank and Bessie’s home. On this day, my reception was icy. Without inviting me to be seated, Bessie assailed me for being dishonest, lying, two-faced, uncaring, and therefore unfit for pastoral ministry. Any response I attempted was drowned in a continued torrent of words. Stunned, I beat a hasty retreat. The point of con-tention was my appointment of a Sunday School teacher for two pre-school age girls, the only children in the church. When Bessie objected to my choice, I agreed to present the matter to the next church business meeting. When not even one person showed up for the meeting, I assumed they just did not care. So I proceeded with the appointment without further input or consultation.

Driving home from the encounter, I began to prepare my defense. I knew that people rarely won a showdown with Bessie, but my motives were right, I reasoned, and teaching two lit-

Learning People Skills

March|April 2013 15

tle girls who had no Bible background was important. Besides, Bessie had hurt too many people already. I told myself I would win this, not for me but for the health and reputation of the church.

Slowly, however, the spotlight of conviction turned to my own heart. I had said I would present the matter at the business meeting. However justified I felt my actions to be (because nobody cared enough to come to the meeting), I had violated that commitment. Did I genuinely care for people or was I merely concerned to use this training time to validate my ministry? Would it be right to be as ruthless as my attacker in order to win a battle? Was there any response that would restore our relationship and strengthen the church at the same time?

With Paul’s words to Timothy run-ning through my mind (“But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient” 2 Tim 2:23-24) I returned to Bessie and asked her for-giveness for reneging on my word. I did the same at a church business meeting, and then together we worked through the issue. The church conf irmed my appointment, but more importantly, Bessie became our friend and contin-ued to serve faithfully in the church. Winning disputes, especially with caus-tic words and attitudes, alienates people and destroys ministry. The principle that Paul taught Timothy so many years ago is still important.

A Second LessonOn another occasion, Henry’s wis-

dom and Omar’s insight taught me to wait for God to change hearts and atti-tudes rather than to rely on my own position or persuasiveness. Henry was a hard driving, demanding, young busi-nessman who later became a much loved pastor and the first Director of NICE. Omar Glass, a former pastor, was chair-man of the church board

Columbia View Bible Church was a small congregation in the heart of an established residential neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. After several of years of decline, we were experiencing growth once again. One of the problems the church leaders identified was that previous pastors had not lived in the

community in which the church was located because rentals were few and expensive. When they extended a call to us to serve there they stipulated that we live in the community. The high cost of renting made purchase of a home very attractive, and such a move would ensure the pastor’s continued presence in the community. After months of infor-mal discussion, I proposed to the church board that we purchase a home to serve as a parsonage or facilitate such a pur-chase by the pastor.

On another occasion, in what could have been a

major church crisis, Ray and Goff taught me to respond with compassion and understanding

to the negative reactions we sometimes face.

Three of the four board mem-bers immediately objected. Though the church had begun to grow and this proposal addressed a problem they had identified, they were unwilling to con-sider anything that would tap their quite comfortable cash reserves. The silence of Omar, the most inf luential man in the church, was most troubling. During the months of informal discussion he agreed with the need to make the purchase. I was certain that he and I together could have answered the objections. He did not object, but without his support the proposal died. I was crushed. How long could I serve a church that said they wanted to reach their community but were unwilling to do what they all agreed was needed to make that a reality?

Pastor Henry Boyd, having retired from his responsibility of Director of NICE, was serving an interim position in a small town nearby. I went to visit him to talk about what had happened and how it surprised and discouraged me. Henry had two bits of counsel for me: drop the matter of purchasing prop-erty for a while and teach Scriptural principles that would help people grow in their trust that God is at work.

Henry assured me that if the need to purchase a home was genuine and

the proposal sound, it was very likely to resurface later as somebody else’s idea. He urged me not to be miffed when that happened, but to rejoice that God was at work. He also warned me that Scriptural principles needed to be taught for the purpose of changing lives, not for the purpose of changing votes. If the board members perceived that the aim of my teaching was to make them change their minds it would galvanize their opposition.

The proposal of property purchase vanished from the radar screen. We mobilized a group of eager college stu-dents to initiate an outreach ministry for children in our community. I taught principles of faith to help us persist with this ministry when it began slowly but became fruitful through perseverance. Several months passed. Then one night at a church board meeting Omar quietly said, “When are we going to go ahead and purchase that property we need?”

Almost without discussion, the other board members agreed. Very shortly thereafter we purchased a home near the church. The home had an oversized, detached garage nearly as large as the house. The garage became a meeting place for the children’s ministry we had launched.

A Third LessonOn another occasion, in what could

have been a major church crisis, Ray and Goff taught me to respond with compassion and understanding to the negative reactions we sometimes face. Ray, one of the church trustees, taught in our Christian Day School. Goff, the church treasurer, was a retired Los Angeles County fireman.

I sat in my study that Monday morn-ing with a heavy heart ref lecting on a Sunday evening congregational meet-ing that turned ugly. No violence, no overt threats, just ugly. Midway through a building expansion, we discovered that an additional piece of property was available. Most folks saw it as a great opportunity to complete the block of property already owned by the church. Others thought adding that final corner to our property was a merely cosmetic, large, unnecessary expense. The discus-sion got heated, voices raised. Charges of waste, deceit, and trying to control the church through private negotiations

16 VOICE

were all aired in the tense exchange. In the end, calm prevailed and the con-gregation voted by a large majority to complete the purchase.

As I reviewed these events and con-templated the impact they might have on our building project, Goff, who was among those opposing the purchase, entered my study. Sitting down, he took a deep breath, and got directly to the point.

“Pastor, I am not exactly proud of what I just did,” he began, “But I don’t know any other way to make my point about how serious this is.”

A pause before responding to an accusation indicates

humility of spirit. A pause gives you time to

weigh your words carefully. Sometimes a pause is

needed just to think of a meaningful response.

He went on to tell me that he had just written himself a sizeable check from the church building fund to pay off a loan he had made to the church for the expansion project. We both knew that the effect of this was to put a stop-work order on the project. Words like obstinacy, dishonesty, theft, and fraud leapt to my mind. I won-dered how this man who was a strong supporter of our Christian Day School could so callously stop progress on the facilities the school desperately needed. Remembering my first lesson in pasto-ral people skills, I held my tongue as he rambled on about how terrible the previ-ous night’s decision had been.

Late in the evening of that same day I related these events to a hastily called meeting of church Elders and Trustees. Ray broke the stunned silence when he said, “I know Goff well. He is an honest man, and I think there must be some-thing more behind this. May I have your permission to go and talk to him and see how we might solve this?” We readily agreed, and after a time of prayer went our separate ways.

Goff had not cashed the check. The loan he had made to the church, Ray learned, was from his retirement

fund. With health issues looming, Goff feared he might not have enough to meet his own needs. The church set up an accelerated payment schedule, and Goff voided the check. This was soon followed by adoption of new financial policies to ensure that such an incident would not recur. Goff resigned as trea-surer, but remained a faithful participant in the church and volunteered hundreds of man hours working on the project he almost derailed. It was Ray’s willingness to take the time to understand Goff ’s concern that deterred this faithful man from completing an action that he would have regretted. Ray’s quiet response also kept the church leaders from tak-ing quick, decisive action that may have threatened the progress of the church.

One Final LessonArnold Wall, another faithful IFCA

pastor and NICE Board member, taught me one of the most simple and most effective people skills that I use often.

“Pause,” he told me. He went on to explain that a pause before answering a question says the question was impor-

tant. A pause before responding to an accusation indicates humility of spirit. A pause gives you time to weigh your words carefully. Sometimes a pause is needed just to think of a meaningful response.

I am still learning. I do not always speak wisely and carefully. Even wise, careful words and actions do not guar-antee that the results will always be positive as the incidents I have related. My list of such encounters, both posi-tive and negative, could be lengthy. But I have learned that people skills are the practical application of godly charac-ter clothed with humility, faith, and patience. That should occupy my atten-tion until the day God calls me home. Many more men fail in ministry for lack of people skills than for lack of theologi-cal training.

March|April 2013 17

I remember the television appearance of Rodney King in Los Angeles many years ago when he was interviewed after a video

appeared of his brutal mistreatment by the LAPD. Terrible riots followed and he admon-ished those listening, “Can’t we all just get along?” Good advice for all of us, and it finds its basis in God’s created design for humanity.

The Lord has designed us for community. In the creation account, the first time God says it isn’t good He noted that Adam was alone, having no companion (Genesis 2:18). This was followed by His creation of Eve for Adam (Genesis 2:22). If the Lord has created us to be in relationship with others, then it follows that He wants us to get along harmoniously.

This concept is certainly taught in the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament King David wrote “Behold how good and pleas-ant it is when brothers dwell in unity” (Psalm 133:1). I think of some words from the pen of the Apostle Paul. He wrote, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). In Ephesians he similarly recorded that we should be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). The idea of community and its essential ingredient of living peaceably with all is the foundation of the premise of this article, treating others graciously.

There should be no community that demon-strates the concept of living peaceably better than the church of Jesus Christ. His church is described as a household, in other words a family (Galatians 6:10). Something that should characterize every healthy family is harmonious living. The church is also identified as a body of which Christ is the head (Ephesians 1:22, 23). He is described as the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), so it naturally fol-lows that He desires harmony in this organism of believers referred to as His Body. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount He taught that the “peacemakers” are the blessed ones (Matthew 5:9). Once again we see the priority of peace and harmony in the

mind of Christ. Each member of Christ’s spiritual kingdom should endeavor to be a peacemaker, a promoter of harmony. I believe an important con-tributor to this harmonious environment is the mutual gracious treatment of its members.

Four Directives for the ChurchUnfortunately the Lord Jesus’ church hasn’t

always been the best example of the peaceful community He intended it to be. So how might we go about changing that? Let me suggest four directives. Let peace be your goal, patience your attitude, pleasing words your means, and procure a perspective that is divine.

If the Lord has created us to be in relationship with others,

then it follows that He wants us to get along harmoniously.

As you interact with fellow Christians remember that the Lord Jesus has created us for community and desires harmony in the relation-ships that exist between you and them. As stated before, we must heed Paul’s admonition to be at peace with all men. He exhorted us to make every effort to do this. Make this a priority and work very hard at it. It doesn’t come naturally. Our natural tendency is toward dissension and division (Galatians 5:19). Furthermore, the Devil is actively seeking to divide Christ’s Church. His very name literally suggests that he is a divider by nature.

Secondly, be patient with people. As a rule of thumb I always remember how trying I am to the Lord and to others. I remind myself how very imperfect I am: how dare I lose my patience with someone else. The Scriptures promote the virtue of patience. In 1 Corinthians 13:4 Paul wrote that “love is patient.” Later on in that same passage, he wrote that love “bears” and “endures” all things. Humanly speaking this is quite challenging to say the least. But the believer should remember the

Chris Bauer

Chris Bauer is Senior Pastor of Santa Rosa

(CA) Bible Church. He has served as Northern

CA Regional President, served on the IFCA

International Board of Directors and currently

serves as President of the Board for Biblical

Ministries Worldwide.

Graciously Dealing with People

18 VOICE

Holy Spirit indwells you. We are remind-ed in Galatians 5:22 that “patience” is a fruit of the Spirit. Call upon Him daily to produce this virtue in your relation-ships with other people.

A third directive is to use pleasing words in your interactions with oth-ers. Our lack of skill in this area often gets many of us into a great deal of trouble. Check out the Apostle Peter in the Gospels (Luke 9:33). His motto seemed to be “Open mouth insert foot.” James tells us the tongue is the wild-est of beasts to tame (James 3:8). He noted that with our tongue we some-times praise the Lord but at other times we use it to curse those made in His image ( James 3:9). That may be why he also says we should be quick to hear and slow to speak ( James 1:19). Abraham Lincoln once quipped, “It is better to keep your mouth shut and to be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt.”

Paul exhorted the Ephesians to watch what they say (Ephesians 4:29). He commanded them to avoid the cor-rupt talk that f lows naturally out of the mouth. The word chosen to translate the Greek word for “corrupt” literally means rotten. It was a word used to refer to rotting f ish or meat. He obviously used a strong word to make a powerful

point: avoid words that destroy and hurt! He continued by instructing his readers regarding what kind of words would be appropriate. He admonished them to use words that build-up and give grace to those to whom they were speaking. In another place the Apostle says we are to let our words be gracious, seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6). Our words are to build up and encourage, help and heal. They are to contribute to the growth process of others. They are to be words that will benefit and profit our broth-ers and sisters in Christ. As the wisdom writer records, “how good is a timely word” (Proverbs 15:23).

Our words are to build up and encourage,

help and heal. They are to contribute to the growth process of others. They are

to be words that will benefit and profit our brothers and

sisters in Christ.

The fourth directive is to main-tain perspective on those with whom we are interacting. As we engage in community with other people it would significantly help us to remember that those with whom we are interacting are just like us. Just like us they are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26, 27); they ref lect the Creator as much in personality and moral being as we do. Just like us they are members of Adam’s race (Genesis 3:20); we are all members of the same human fam-ily! It doesn’t matter what our ethnic or cultural backgrounds are. Just like us they are fallen in Adam (Romans 5:12); we are all sinners desperately in need of a Savior. Just like us Christ’s redemptive work is suff icient to save their souls as well ( John 3:16; Acts 2:21); they became members of Christ’s church and God’s family the same way we did, making us brothers and sis-ters in Christ. According to Paul we are to treat older men and women as fathers and mothers and younger men and women as brothers and sisters as if we are a family (1 Timothy 5:1-2).

ConclusionIf we follow the above four direc-

tives, each of us would be more gracious in our treatment of our brothers and sisters in Christ. And these truths are especially relevant for those of us pastors who are the Lord Jesus’ under shepherds for His f lock, the church. We should endeavor, by His grace, to model this kind of gracious treatment in our deal-ing with His people. The Apostle Paul challenged his readers in Corinth to fol-low his example as he followed Christ’s (1 Corinthians 11:1). I believe we need to challenge those we lead similarly and back it up with our own example of gra-cious treatment (1 Peter 5:3).

John Maxwell tells the following story from when he was pastoring in San Diego. One day he was talking to some people from the congregation in the hallway. At the same time, one of the Associate Pastors came in and rapidly walked by without acknowledging them. Maxwell excused himself from the con-versation and followed the young man to his office. Entering the man’s office he asked him where he was going in such a hurry. The young pastor replied, “To the ministry.” Maxwell gently but firmly responded, “You just passed the ministry in the hallway.” His point was evident: ministry is people, real people, with real needs and real feelings. May God help us to remember we shepherd men and women who are precious souls in the sight of the Lord Jesus. May we graciously treat them the same way the Good Shepherd would.

As we lead graciously and as the church lives graciously, may the Lord Jesus’ Church become a brilliant light to all observers regarding how to treat others. It just may make us a bit more relevant to this fallen world.

March|April 2013 19

Paul Seger

Paul Seger is General Director of Biblical

Ministries Worldwide of Atlanta. He is

a member of IFCA International Board of

Directors and the IFCA International

Ministries Committee.

Most greetings are mundane and mean-ingless. “How are you” is the standard icebreaker in the U.S. That inquiry is

normally answered by an equally empty: “fine.” The greeter normally doesn’t really care how you are doing and the responder normally isn’t all that “fine.” But this perfunctory greeting moves us to further conversation. So we continue to do it.

Greetings in Africa are totally different. The normal Zulu greeting is “sawubona.” It literally means “I see you.” It is a kind and gracious way to acknowledge the worth of an individual. It acknowl-edges their presence and importance of the other person. It means my life stops to focus on yours.

African greetings can be long. It is not unusual to engage in an extended line of ques-tions about the condition of your home, children, wife, goats, farm, garden and work. Greetings can go on for several minutes.

As a Westerner, it seems like a waste of time to spend f ive minutes saying hello. But in a relational culture, there is serious interest in the other person as an individual. Relationships are important in an African culture. So greetings take a while. It just isn’t polite to launch into a conversation without an appropriate greeting.

SawubonaI just returned from South Africa where they

still have gas station attendants who pump gas. The American tendency is to roll down the win-dow and say “fill it up.” But in that culture, that would be rude. Good people skills in South Africa include “sawubona” and a few other pleas-antries before requesting a full tank.

Sawubona is indicative of a gracious people skill. Western culture tends to value produc-tivity and time schedules. Villagers in Gadaka where I grew up on the edge of the Sahara des-ert were more concerned about relationships. No one owned a watch. There were no time sheets or clocks to punch. Projects could be done tomorrow. As a result, people skills were taught very early in life. Children honored their

elders and spoke with respect using appropriate titles. There were specific ways to address all age groups, positions and stature in society.

Even in a primitive culture there were those who knew how to connect with others and those who didn’t. Those with people skills became natural leaders.

But even in this village, not everyone had the same level of people skills. It was obvious. Some were coarse. Others were smooth. Some knew how to relate to others exceptionally well. Others remained aloof and recluse. Even in a primitive culture there were those who knew how to con-nect with others and those who didn’t. Those with people skills became natural leaders.

Interpersonal skills are simply the ability to interact with other people well. It is the aptitude to immediately bring a comfort level to a rela-tionship. It is the skill of putting a damper on the tension in the room. It is the capacity to be liked by the majority of people. It is the ability to relieve pressure in a situation. It is the ability to make friends.

Here is some of what the Bible says about the topic of people skills.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

With all humility and gentleness, with patience bearing with one another in love, eager to main-tain the unity of the Sprit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3)

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

African People Skills

20 VOICE

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Put on then, as God ’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kind-ness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3:12-13)

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. (Leviticus 19:18)

In a Western culture where we value education there is a tendency to elevate IQ and knowledge over people skills. Western education applauds the amount of knowledge acquired. Graduation is based on the fact that you passed enough exams. The degree is grant-ed because you read enough books and regurgitated the information.

The reality is that you can f in-ish higher education with a 4.0 grade point average and fail in your career. Knowledge is indispensable but it is not the goal. Ultimately, unless a person can relate to others, it is not possible to succeed in leadership. There are some jobs available to people with poor peo-ple skills but they are not leadership roles. Leadership has to do with people so there must be the ability to connect with others in a wholesome fashion.

This is not complicated. Would you rather receive help from an obnoxious person or a gracious person? Would you rather spend time with an encourag-er or a discourager? Would you rather be around a pessimist or an optimist? Would you like to have dinner with a sarcastic, caustic critical person or a gra-cious thoughtful individual?

I live in the world of theology and ministry. There are brilliant theologians who lack people skills. They are just as happy to be in a cave lined with books and never interact with people. They understand the academic side of theol-ogy and write research papers. They can answer any question and debate any issue. They write books. We need these peo-ple. They are critical to the strength of the Church. But they cannot lead others because of their hermit-like tendencies.

A man may graduate at the top of his class but fail in the pastorate. Ultimately, a pastor must be able to connect with individuals in the con-gregation. Some pastors live in their pulpits and their office without much contact with church members. They may deliver great sermons, but they are not leaders. Leadership is not just about having the right answer; the delivery system for good advice is people. But if the person with the advice lacks people skills, the answers will not be accepted. There is a familiar statement that is sometimes credited to Theodore Roosevelt: “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Here is a little test. Grade yourself on a scale of 1-5 (1 = weak and 5 = strong).

• I give my full attention when talk-ing to another person without looking around or letting my thoughts wander

• Imaintaineyecontact80%ofthetimewhen talking with someone

• I sense that people are immediatelycomfortable around me

• Iamconsideredakindperson• I find people regularly talking tome

about personal issues in their life• Iamgentlewithothers• Iwithholdcriticalcommentsuntilthe

context is conducive to discretely say something

• Iregularlyframedifficultsituationsina positive way

• I openup (rather than close) commu-nication channels

• Iamcarefulaboutgivingharshcriticalresponses to others

• Iamahumbleperson• I am genuinely interested in “them”

more than “me”… hearing their story instead of telling mine.

• Iamconsideredagraciousindividual• I find people drawn tome andwant

my friendship• Ivaluetheopinionsofothers• Iamnotdefensive

• Iamself-deprecating

How did you do? If you are on the low end of the scale, this is great oppor-tunity to improve. If your score is high, there is still room for improvement. None of us are always at the top of our game.

The question that needs to be answered then is: how do you learn peo-ple skills? There are some who seem to be born with a natural ability to relate to people. Their personality is such that they effortlessly walk into a crowd and take over. But what about the rest of us who were not born with that gene?

A college level course cannot in itself teach people skills. A classroom can identify some facts about people skills, but there is a big chasm between knowing and doing. A skill is the ability to do something… not that you know something. So this is not primarily an academic issue.

A really good approach for learning a skill is to have a coach. I am a self-taught golfer and my score regularly demon-strates that. It would have been to my advantage many years ago to have golf lessons. A coach would have immediately corrected some bad habits and established some good patterns to my golf swing.

The same is true of people skills. Someone else can identify what is wrong in your social skills “swing.” Assume that you do not see yourself as you real-ly are. The Bible says that the heart is deceitful ( Jeremiah 17:9). Don’t trust yourself. Our default position should be self-doubt. Most of us are oblivious to the idiosyncrasies of our personality.

If you push back on that previous statement, you are proving the statement true. Really. We do not truly under-stands how others perceive us. None of us canwith 100% certainty evaluateall our strengths and weaknesses. That is why we need a people skills coach. We need someone who can watch our “swing” and evaluate it with objectiv-ity. This needs to be a person who will be straightforward in his criticisms. Someone from whom you will receive those criticisms without being defensive.

I challenge you to ask a trusted friend to tell you what they think about your people skills. You might be sur-prised. Be assured, they “see you” as you really are.

Sawubona.

March|April 2013 27

W hich part of a tree impresses you the least: branches, trunk, leaves, roots, or fruit? For most people, “roots”

wind up on the bottom. Yet without healthy roots, no tree can survive.

As I see it, the 21st century Church is ignor-ing a “root” issue that dramatically affects families and children’s ministry: we have lost our identity. We are experiencing significant breakdowns at the basic level of defining who we are and why we exist. To get the tree to produce healthy acorns (children) that can grow into a flourishing forest, we must first address and solve our identity crisis. It all boils down to three basic definitions.

ChurchThe universal Church is a worldwide,

dynamic, assembly of true believers whom Christ called out from the world to become dis-ciples and to make disciples. Local churches are composed of members who agree to submit to Christ’s headship and to abide by a governing covenant, all to the glory of God. •Churches are “in”butnot “of ” theworld.Ourlifestyles and worldviews must both differ from and be relevant to our culture (John 17:16-18).

•Local churches are living organisms.Christ’sbody is alive and adaptable (Colossians 1:18).

•Churchmembers are co-dependent.We growto maturity when body members use their gifts cooperatively (Ephesians 4:11-12).

•Churches have one commission and purpose.Christ calls us to make disciples everywhere (Matthew 28:19).

Family The Christian family is a dynamic house-

hold of people who provide primary nurture and support. In multi-generational families, parents prepare children to embrace and perpetuate their faith, to the glory of God.

•God assigns hierarchywithin the family unit.The husband is head. Parents direct the chil-dren (Ephesians 5:23).

•Parents (especially fathers) are responsibleto teach children to fear and obey the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:1-2).

•Children, God’s blessing and gift (Psalm127:3-5), are to honor and obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1-2).

Discipleship Discipleship is a dynamic training process

whereby two or more Christians enter a relation-ship of mutual accountability to accomplish the goal of sanctification—to the glory of God.

•Discipleshipisrelational.Christspentthreeyearsbuilding into the lives of twelve men (Acts 4:13).

•Discipleship is transferable. After receivingtruths from others, disciples pass them along to those who are faithful (2 Timothy 2:2).

•Discipleship is progressive.Believers grow inknowledge, character, and obedience to Christ’s commands (Matthew 28:19-20).

Did you notice that the discipleship process is central to the growth of the church and to the welfare of the family? Discipleship solves “root” issues facing both of these divinely conceived institutions. When local churches neglect dis-cipleship, they get sidetracked. They lose sight of Christ’s one assignment, the Great Commission. When Christian families neglect discipleship, they disintegrate. The next generation misses out on essential Bible training.

Disciplemaking is the most pivotal ministry that churches can provide - period! It is time for churches to encourage and equip parents to carry out their responsibility. Churches must plan intentional ministries to disciple parents and children. The destiny of the Church, and indeed all humanity, hinges upon how successfully Christians disciple this generation of children.

Mark Steiner

Mark Steiner is Founder & President of

DiscipleLand in Fort Collins, Colorado. Visit www.discipleland.com where IFCA members

are entitled to discounts. Or call 800.284.0158.

Identify Your ‘Roots’

DISCIPLING CHILDREN

30 VOICE

Larry E. Miller

Larry Miller is an IFCA International

member and has ministered in South Louisiana for over 35 years, 30 years

as Pastor of Berean Bible Church in New

Orleans. He is currently Director of Equippers

Ministry International. You may reach him at

equippersministry@cox.net

If we are to evangelize lost Roman Catholics effectively we need to better understand their mindset. Paul declared this principle in 1

Corinthians 9:20-23. And in a previous arti-cle in VOICE,1 I emphasized the importance of this truth. Understanding how they think and how they are negatively impacted by the Roman Catholic Church structure, authority, the church’s role in the individual’s salvation, and their official soteriology will be crucial to the effective evangelism process.

Also, if we are to evangelize lost Roman Catholics effectively we need to know better how to contribute to their understanding of the biblical grace gospel message. In the parable of the soil, sower, and seed (Matthew 13:3-13) the condition of the soil, or the understanding of the individual lost person, appears to be determina-tive in the results of the seed sowing process. So we need to pursue evangelizing lost souls with Jesus Christ’s kind of compassion (Matthew 9:36), certainly far more compassion than I have. We need to evangelize in obedience to the Great Commission. And we absolutely need to minis-ter remembering and depending on our power source, God the Holy Spirit, who alone illumi-nates toward adequate understanding, convicts and regenerates.

But also, based on thirty years of experience as pastor in New Orleans and supported by the Apostle Paul ’s declarations in 1 Corinthians 9:20-23, I am convinced that certain meth-odologies are more effective than others in evangelizing lost Roman Catholics. This the-sis was conf irmed by a scientif ic research project I did in 1993, surveying four hundred former Roman Catholics, while pastoring in New Orleans.2

The material I present in this article may appear to be too diff icult, or too “involved,” or too slow compared to more normal “tem-plate” evangelism. However, I am convinced that methodology does make a difference if we wish to lovingly and effectively evangelize approxi-

mately 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide and approximately 100 million in the United States, most of whom are lost.

In this article I present a brief overview of the key components of effective methodology in Roman Catholic evangelism.

I am convinced

that certain methodologies are more effective than

others in evangelizing lost Roman Catholics.

Cultivating the Soil of the Lost Catholic’s Heart The parable in Matthew 13 indicates that

cultivating the soil must be important. Note “rocky places” and “good soil.” Think in terms of an agricultural mindset rather than a super-market mindset. Think in terms of Paul on Mars Hill in Acts 17 rather than Peter on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

Our experience and research indicate that the witness needs a seed sowing mentality rather than just a harvest mentality. And suc-cessful sowing depends on good soil preparation through cultivating the soil of the lost Roman Catholic person’s heart.

CultivatingtheSoilThroughRelationshipBased on my South Louisiana survey of four

hundred former Roman Catholics, the majority of the effective methodologies identified involved relationships in some manner. Answers in my sur-vey included “a friend trusted Christ and shared with me;” “a family member trusted Christ and shared with me;” “a friend showed interest in time of need;” “someone invited me to church.”

My experience supported this. We conduct-ed numbers of neighborhood Evangelistic Bible Studies or Discovery Groups. We were able to do so because someone in our church had unsaved

Methodologies in Evangelizing Catholics

March|April 2013 31

neighbors along with friends they could (and would) invite. Numbers of guests would be brought to larger evangelistic events such as Thanksgiving Banquets, Friendship Week-Ends, and musical canta-tas. They needed someone they knew and trusted and who they perceived loved them to become God’s bridge into their lives.

A premature confrontation often creates seed sowing barriers. One respondent in our survey wrote, “you born agains came across as though you have it all right. We Catholics at least had it partly right.”

In my own case, a major challenge to relationship development was the time required to invest in someone.

CultivatingtheSoilThroughAffirmationoftheChristianMessage

The witness of life is undeniable and powerful. Often our lives speak more loudly than our words. Ultimately we do need to actually verbalize the gospel. For example, the ambassador for Christ in 2 Corinthians 5 has a message or a word about reconciliation. But do not under-estimate the importance and power of affirming the message through lifestyle.

One lady attended one of our Ladies’ Bible Studies for the first time. They were studying the book of Romans. Later, after her conversion, this lady gave her testimony and indicated how much that Bible Study meant to her. I thought she must have been ini-tially impressed with some content in Romans. However, what she said that really impressed her were the lifestyles of the women in attendance.

Also the credibility of the church’s corporate reputation in the community is important. In our earlier years this was a challenge because we were the first Bible Church in the city of New Orleans. Some of the residents thought we might be some sort of cult. Over time this barrier was broken down, pri-marily through the different (in a good sense) lives of our people. I could present example after example.

Generally Ineffective MethodologiesThrough my survey and my own

pastora l exper ience, I have iden-t i f ied some genera l ly inef fect ive methodologies in evangelizing lost Roman Catholics.

Confrontationordecision-orientedapproachQuestions asked like, “Have you been

born again?” are ineffective because the person may not understand what you mean or has a different understanding. As an example, many Roman Catholics will verbally respond with yes to this question. But they are thinking, “I was born again when I was baptized as an infant.”

Always pressing for a decision may produce merely an emotional response rather than a genuine conversion,

or help erect barriers.

Another question the evangelizing one often asks is, “Have you received Christ?” Again the Roman Catholic may say yes but really mean, “Yes I receive Christ every time I partake of the Eucharist or communion.”

Always pressing for a decision may produce merely an emotional response rather than a genuine conversion, or help erect barriers.

“BlasttheCatholics”MethodThe approach where you aggres-

sively criticize Roman Catholicism can erect barriers in the lost Roman Catholic which will require years to overcome. During a seminar conducted in the country of Moldova one man quick ly recognized this is what he had done as a new believer when he attempted to see his wife converted. It has taken almost fifteen years to over-come this serious error.

Sometimes such an approach can drive a Catholic person to increased loyalty to his church. We had a former Roman Catholic priest come to minis-ter in our church in New Orleans. We advertised it as an evangelistic outreach. One young lady brought her unsaved Roman Catholic mother. The ex-priest was very angry at the Roman Catholic Church and berated people if they were still Roman Catholic. Our friend’s Mom left in tears and subsequently became even more devoted to the Roman Catholic Church.

Ministries exposing the errors of Roman Catholicism can be of consider-

able service to the evangelical church. But caution must be used when utilizing them in evangelism.

Generally Effective MethodologiesThrough my survey and my own

pastoral experience, I have identif ied some generally effective methodologies in evangelizing lost Roman Catholics.

InformationalevangelismMost Roman Catholics need to move

to adequate understanding of the gospel. Most do not understand. The strategy during seed sowing is to plant truth in the mind to overcome ignorance and error. The gospel will often need to be clarified slowly over a period of time.

With each unsaved person, remem-ber there is an unseen battle with Satan for his soul. The method I advocate assumes that truth (which shines as light into this darkness), accompanied by prayer that moves the power of God, will effectively counteract Satan’s efforts to keep the person in bondage.

Bible-centeredevangelismThe Bible is respected by many

Roman Catholics but they typically know little about it. There must be a common source of authority. And of course this is the Bible.

The Word of God is “ living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). The Holy Spirit uses it to light the mind of the unsaved Roman Catholic. Get them into the Bible.

Seed Sowing in the Lost Catholic’s HeartAs I wrote above, ultimately we need

to actually verbalize the gospel. And good seed results in good harvest. At this point the Bible becomes the focus.

EstablishtheAuthorityoftheBibleDo not overlook the importance of

establishing the authority of the Bible. It would be helpful to note that the typi-cal Roman Catholic person might more likely be impressed with what Jesus Christ has to say. So you should start there. Roman Catholics lean heavily on Tradition. Moving them to accept the Bible as their source of authority for sal-vation truth is very important.

Begin with what Jesus Christ taught about authority, using passages such as

32 VOICE

Matthew 5:18, Luke 24:44, John 5:45-47 and 12:44-50.

Include what the apostles taught about authority. Several important pas-sages you could use are Acts 2:24-36; 7:2-53; 13:16-41; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 3:1-2, 15-17, 2 Tim. 3:14-17; Galatians 1:1-2; 2 John 10-11; 2 Thessalonians 3:14

For many (perhaps most) Roman Catholics, crucial to the conversion pro-cess is their acceptance of the Bible as final authority.

FocusontheSufficiencyoftheCrossFor most Roman Catholics, the suf-

ficiency of the work of Christ on the Cross is a missing element. This is a major deficiency in their thinking. In my previous article referred to above,3 I recounted my interaction with a lady in an evangelistic Bible study I was leading. In response to my question, “How does one get to heaven?” she replied: “Jesus died to open the doors of the kingdom that I might get there by faith plus good works - perhaps by way of Purgatory.” On a lay level, she correctly understood and explained Roman Catholic soteriol-ogy (which is not biblical).

CleargospelpresentationDo not underestimate the impor-

tance of the clear gospel presentation. It has surprised me throughout my ministry to learn how often the most important message to and for mankind is not treated with enough care and clar-ity. It seems to me that every spiritual leader ought to train as many people as

possible under his watch to communi-cate clearly the message of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. In the words of one respected evangelist, “be clear, be clear, be clear.”

For many (perhaps most) Roman Catholics, crucial to the conversion process is their acceptance of the Bible as final authority.

KeytermstoclarifyWhen I have presented seminars on

the subject of Roman Catholic evan-gelism, the participants have always mentioned the issue of the meaning of terms to be among the three most helpful portions of the seminar. This is because several important terms mean something different to most Roman Catholics than they mean to most evan-gelicals. As an example, we usually understand grace to mean “undeserved favor” but they most likely understand it to mean “merited favor.” And the idea of forgiveness of sins likely means to most Roman Catholics that which I receive after all penance is paid and Purgatory experienced.

Be patient, but labor hard at clarify-ing important terms. We have identified eighteen such terms and I would be happy to send them to you.4 We found that once a person began to interact with the Bible, it would take from three

months to three years to adequately understand and respond with saving faith to Jesus Christ. So patience and persistence are indeed virtues here.

ConclusionAs I mentioned earlier in this article,

some may consider the above method-ology to be too slow or complicated in its application. We have found other-wise. By practicing these principles we were often privileged to baptize between twenty and forty new adult believ-ers each year from a Roman Catholic background. Eventually, approximately two-thirds of the people in our church were former Roman Catholics. God loves them deeply and they desperately need our loving and effective evangelis-tic attention.

ENDNOTES

1. Larry E. Miller, “Evangelization of Lost Roman Catholics,” VOICE September/October, 2011 (Volume 90, Number 5), pp. 32-35.

2. I surveyed 400 former Roman Catholics involved in evangelical churches in South Louisiana to determine which methods were most helpful toward them understanding and responding in a saving way to the biblical gos-pel of grace.

3. “Evangelization of Lost Roman Catholics,” VOICE September/October,2011 (Volume 90, Number 5), pp. 32-35.

4. Additional information is available by con-tact ing me at equippersminist r y@cox.net. Such information includes: 1.) A table comparing how certain terms are different-ly understood by evangelicals and Roman Catholics. 2.) A succinct clarifying definition of several important terms such as the: char-acter of God, sin, works, fear and freedom, grace, faith, salvation, saving work of Christ, Holy Spirit’s work in salvation, born again, receive Christ, deity of Christ, forgiveness of sin, justif ication, death, resurrection of the dead, is destiny sealed at death and what about purgatory, hell, baptism, repentance. 3.) Help in making transitions between different phases of the longer term evangelistic process. 4.) Mini-decisions made during the cultiva-tion and seed sowing phases.

March|April 2013 33

Parker Reardon

Parker Reardon is one of the Pastor/Teachers

at Newtown (CT) Bible Church. He has been

an IFCA International member for years. You

may reach him at parkerreardon@gmail.com

EDITOR’S NOTE AllofAmericawasoverwhelmedbyshockandgriefaftertheSandyHookElementarySchoolshootingsinNewtown,CT.OneofthepastorsatNewtownBibleChurchisIFCAmemberParkerReardon.Hereflectsontheologicaltruthsrelatedtolife’stragedies.

The Apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, commands believ-ers to be in a constant state of readiness:

“always being ready to make a defense to every-one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15 NASB). Never is this command more practical or potent than when religious leaders are involved in a tragedy, especially one which hits national and world news. Even in my wildest imagination I never would have antici-pated being involved in a scenario like what the Lord sovereignly brought to pass through the Sandy Hook tragedy.

All of a sudden, the world ’s eyes were focused on our small, rural town. People were clamoring for an answer as to how such a dev-astating and horrible event could occur. The church phone rang with media asking for interviews, and emails f looded our in-boxes. While the world was trying to understand such tragedy, loss, and evil, many Christians also recognized this as an opportunity for the pro-motion of the Gospel of hope.

Many religious leaders who spoke up about social ills made such unbiblical and audacious claims. One person who was offended by my television expression of God’s sovereign and gra-cious hand in taking these little ones to Himself, sent an email stating, “My God doesn’t take.”

It seems like at every turn people want to give the impression that God was sleeping at the wheel or caught off guard by the events in Newtown, Connecticut of December 14, 2012. That is not the God of the Bible, Who does indeed exist. He Himself establishes: “I am the LORD, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these” (Isaiah 45:6-7). The Church

must be a faithful ambassador to introduce the one true God and what His mind is on the subject and events at hand.

While the world was trying to understand

such tragedy, loss, and evil, many Christians also recognized

this as an opportunity for the promotion of the

Gospel of hope.

If you don’t know the biblical answer, then please step aside for God’s answers to difficult situations. He has not been silent and neither must we. Tragedies happen regularly in our fall-en world, but God’s Word has provided much wisdom for navigating the issues of life. Below are a few of the many passages of Scripture that provide a sufficient word from God on how to handle a difficult event in life. Hopefully these verses will not only edify your own soul but will also provide an arsenal of rich, biblical truths for when the Lord provides a platform for you to bolster the confidence of others in our sovereign and gracious God.

These shorthand thoughts from Scripture are a kind of quick reference guide for when the Lord brings such a Gospel opportunity to you.

Death has been around since shortly after the creation (Cain and Abel–Genesis 4). The villain was Cain’s heart, not his club. If you take away a killer’s gun, knife, or club, he can still strangle you with his bare hands.

Killing is a spiritual act. Satan is a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). Man is not just

Indispensable Truths for When Tragedy Strikes

34 VOICE

body but is soul as well; therefore, both need to be dealt with. He’s empowered by the wicked one to wreak havoc.

Keep it simple and assure people of the priesthood of Christ and the provi-dence of God; He’s still a Savior and is sovereign.

What man or Satan meant for evil, God will use for good (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28-29).

Though we don’t know what God has in mind, His plans and purposes are great and are designed to bring Him glory. God never answered Job’s question of why but did answer who, offering Himself to be worshipped (Job 19:25-26). Job was never clued into the heavenly challenge/purposes.

What man or Satan meant for evil, God will use for good

(Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28-29).

In regards to the death of little ones, God gathers them to Himself. We know this, not just wish it, as Scripture affirms it. Young children haven’t yet reached a condition of accountability, where their hearts are hardened in sin; they are graciously covered by the aton-ing death of Christ.

The multiple deaths were tragic, yes…but in God’s sovereignty, this was

each individual’s appointed time to die (Hebrews 9:27).

Job 37:24 declares “therefore men fear Him.” God does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit but desires that man might tremble and trust in Him. One of God’s purposes in pain is to humble sinners so that they will turn to Him in repentant faith.

How about the hypocrisy of national slaughter through abortion? People are outraged about safety issues in school,

yet our nation massacres millions. The womb should be the safest zone.

Why is there evil in the world? We live in a post-Genesis 3, fallen world.

As in Jesus’ teaching in Luke 13:1-5, don’t let the deaths of the Sandy Hook victims be in vain. Repent and turn to Jesus before you perish as well. Just as Jesus took these children to heav-en instantly, you can join them there through saving faith. God is not inter-ested in mere sentimentality but in true repentance and change.

The cross is the only real answer to evil and Christ is our only hope. If you ignore it, you will grieve without hope.

March|April 2013 35

There is a vast difference between the way in which a believer and an unbe-liever grieves (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Pain helps lessen our clutch on the world, as we look forward to the Millennial reign of Christ when the curse is lifted and all wrongs are right-ed. Injustice, pain, tears and mourning will continue until the Prince of Peace returns and reigns (Revelation 21:4). We are looking forward to the new heavens and earth. This is, in a l l likelihood, not the last tragedy and possibly not even the worst.

We empathize with those who are hurting and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

When dealing with such a tragedy, I wonder who is adequate (2 Corinthians 2:16). Our confidence is through Christ (2 Corinthians 3:4), not ourselves (v.5). Our adequacy is from God (v.6), Who made us adequate as servants of the New Covenant.

We empathize with those who are hurting and weep with those who weep

(Romans 12:15).

We must embrace every opportunity to present the Gospel, always being ready to make a bee-line for the cross. Just as R.C. Sproul said, “When the Gospel is as stake, everything is at stake.”

We present a living hope (1 Peter 1:3-12).

Hope is found only in a life of sav-ing faith. You’re under a delusion if you think you are in control. You’re only one heartbeat away from eternity. God is the creator and sustainer of life.

The Church is sa lt and l ight (Matthew 5). Do what is consistent with your identity in Christ: shine as a bright light of Gospel hope. Don’t be drawn off track. The focus is the Gospel, Gospel, Gospel! Sin and Salvation!

We are to be an island of sanity, on Gospel clarity, against the sea of false gospels (Galatians 1:1-10). While others look at social stigmas or moral modifi-cations, it’s the Gospel that deals with sin and delivers us from the present evil age that matters.

Tragedy is a picture of man’s deprav-ity, not of any inherent goodness in man. All have sinned, there is none righteous, and none seek God (Romans 3). “From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it” (Isaiah 1:6).

The Sandy Hook school tragedy will not be the last painful and wicked event to occur and possibly not even the worst. Such events will not end until the Prince of Peace comes. So let’s use every oppor-tunity that our sovereign, good God

gives us to make Him more famous, proclaiming the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)!

36 VOICE

IFCAmemberMattLloydhasbeenservingas IFCAWashingtonLiaison forthe last eight years. For twelve years he was Communications DirectorforCongressmanMikePence(Indiana6thDistrict),butback inNovemberMikePencewaselectedGovernorof Indiana.MattnowisChiefofStaff forCongressmanMarlinStutzman(Indiana3rdDistrict).PrayforMatt’sministry.

The Ozark Regional met recently atBethel Baptist Church of Lakeview,Arkansas with host Pastor Patr ickNorris and speakers Bob Nickel andSergeiKolinkovskyfromUkraine.

HeartofAmericaRegionalpastorsandwivesgatheredatSherwood(MO)BibleChurch fortheirannualChristmasBanquet.

Biblical Ministries Worldwide is cel-ebrating its 25th Anniversary of themergerbetweenUMFandWEFto formthe new mission. Pictured here arefiveofthekeyleadersfromBMW’shis-tory(L toR):RichardGregory,RobertJeffcott,HenryHeijermans,PaulSeger,JerrySmith.

Fellowship News

March|April 2013 37

IFCA member mission Source of Light Ministries International has announced a new General Director. SLM Board of Directors appointed Ron Barnes to succeed Dr. Bill Shade, effective on January 1, 2013. Bill will continue on with SLM, directing the Advanced Studies Program working with Bible Schools in many countries to help train national pastors.

Ron Barnes worked as a mission-ary church planter with ABWE in both Hungary and the Czech Republic. Ron is also a grandson of former SLM General Director Dr. Glenn Dix.

SLM of Madison, Georgia (south of Atlanta about 60 miles) is a publishing house, a sending agency, a supportive resource for national ministries and a partner providing tools to train national leaders all over the world. They print and distribute millions of pieces of lit-erature every year.

Pr ay for t he work of SL M International and their new General Director.

New General Director At Source Of Light

The new SLM General Director Ron Barnes, addressing theVision2012Conferenceinhisnewlyannouncedposition.

RonandBrendaBarnesandfamily

Former SLM GeneralD irec tors Dr. Bil lShade (L) and Dr.GlennDix(R)

38 VOICE

I have a very simple reminder for you today: God loves to take our meager efforts offered in faith and by adding His power to them

accomplish great things that last for eternity. I remembered that this morning as I glanced

at the little stack of Easter invitations on the coun-ter next to yesterday’s mail. I need to hand these out to some neighbors in the next day or two.

My mind quickly said, “You’ve handed out many such things before with no apparent results. Can something this little really do anything significant?”

I suddenly had a f lashback from eight years ago. I was standing at the doorstep of a house only a few blocks from the church, handing an Easter invitation to a lady I just met. For the eighteenth time that day, I introduced

myself on a doorstep and invited the lady who answered the door to join us for a worship ser-vice on Easter Sunday. She politely said thank you and took the invitation but didn’t say much more. Our visit lasted for all of three minutes.

However, when Resurrection Sunday came she showed up. Now, eight years later, I have had the privilege of leading her to faith in Christ and baptizing not only her, but several members of her family. Praise the Lord!

One could ask what made the critical dif-ference in that encounter. Was my invitation uniquely compelling that time? Had I employed that sure-fire strategy I learned in Seven Keys to Effective Door-To-Door Witnessing? Was it the plate of cookies? Of course not. The God of the universe added His power to my tiny offering and the result was glorious.

I wonder sometimes why God chooses to do it this way. Why doesn’t he just do the whole job himself? John chapter 15 provides two sig-nificant reasons. First, God gets great glory by accomplishing His work through totally depen-dent servants like us. After all, producing fruit from something that without him would be a dead stick is pretty impressive.

A second reason is that our heavenly Father wants his children to have joy, and few things are more joyful than helping God build His eternal kingdom.

The God of the universe added His power to my

tiny offering and the result was glorious.

I picture a toddler working with his dad, loading lumber into the truck. He has on his gloves and Oshkosh overalls because he’s help-ing Dad with the work. But Junior isn’t strong enough to lift a board. He can’t even reach the bed of the truck. Nevertheless, Dad told him to put the wood in the truck so there he is, fur-rowed brow, gritting his teeth and grunting as he struggles to budge it. Then Dad puts his hands over his son’s and suddenly the plank begins to rise. The little guy tries even harder because he can see that now we’re getting somewhere. As the plank slides into place he exclaims, “We did it, Dad, we did it!”

Yes they did. Dad supplied absolutely every-thing: the lumber, the truck, the power...even the son. But they did it together and both of them loved it.

With fresh faith and expectation of joy I took the stack of Easter invitations and prayed, “Dear Father, please help me. Use me and use these invitations today for your glory. And Lord, please do it again!”

What Can a Simple Invitation Do?

IFC A COMMUNIT Y C ARE TODAY

Toby Beck

Toby Beck is pastor of Evergreen Bible Church

of Vancouver, WA. He has served at this church since he was a Bible College student,

first as Youth Pastor and then becoming the Senior

Pastor in 1997.

March|April 2013 39

CHAPL AIN’S DIARY

Dan Zulli is an IFCA Chaplain ser v-ing in the Air Force. He is stationedat Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where he ispictured with one of the many iguanalizardstobefoundonthisbase.

IFCA Chapl ain Dan Zulli ser ves atGuantanamo Bay. Pray for his ministryinthishighlystressfulenvironment,thatChristwouldbeseeninhislifebyallwithwhomhecomesincontact.

IFCAInternationalDirectorofChaplainsRobMeyerandIFCAExecutiveDirectorLesLofquistwererecentlyatThePentagonhostedbyIFCAArmyChaplainMichaelCoffey.Michaelisnowthe#3Chaplainamongallthe1700chaplains(fromalldenomina-tions)whoservewiththeU.S.Army.IFCAChaplainStevePeckjoinedtheminThePentagon.SteveservesaschaplainwiththeSpecialOpsForces.LtoR:Lofquist,Meyer,Peck,Coffey

DanHornokjustreturnedfromactivedutyasanIFCAChaplaininAntarctica.HeispicturedhereattheSouthPole.DanistheSeniorPastorofGraceCommunityBibleChurchinSandy,Utah.He is also a Chaplain, Lt Col in the Utah Air National Guard.After25yearsofservice,hewillretireonMarch3,2013.

40 VOICE

VISION WORLD

Osborne Buchanan, Jr.

Osborne Buchanan, Jr. has retired from

service as the Assistant to the General

Director of Fellowship International Mission.

Dr. Buchanan is a member of the

IFCA International Ministries Committee and serves as secretary

for the Eastern Pennsylvania Regional.

When was the last time that you were in a church service, possibly during a missions conference or missions

weekend, that you heard the pastor give a direct invitation to people to give their lives for mis-sionary service for Jesus Christ? William Borden, an heir to the Borden family fortune and gradu-ate of Yale University who responded to the call of Christ to leave all to serve Him as a mission-ary, expressed it as being “No reserve; no retreat; no regrets.” His commitment was total. He was sold out to God.

The era of the eight-day missionary confer-ence, which was characteristic of many IFCA churches a few decades ago, has been replaced by a missions weekend or an occasional missions Sunday. People today lead busy and full lives and spending a number of nights at the local church is not on their agenda.

Is missions viewed as one of the many min-istries of a local church or is it at the heart of the ministry of the local church? Some churches understand missions as just one ministry, along with another ministry of a camp and another at a retirement home. Some churches lump many activities into the missions budget, not sensing the need to see missions as being unique and vital.

One reason for the lack of a strong missions focus, at least on the part of some pastors, is that when attending Bible school or seminary, they took no missions courses or took a required (and sometimes dryly taught) history of missions course. Unless a chapel speaker or key faculty member conveyed a genuine burden for the lost nations, the student pastor may not himself have felt a burden. One Bible college received a call early the day of a chapel service that the antici-pated guest speaker was unable to be present, probably because of unexpected illness. The cha-pel leader called the office of a nearby mission agency and asked for a speaker for that morning. I remember asking the man who took the assign-ment upon his return how the chapel service went. He replied that the response was typical. When the campus “grapevine” conveyed that

the chapel speaker would be a missionary, many students elected to take that hour as one of their allotted chapel cuts. As a result, few other than missions majors were in attendance.

Another reason is that when a missionary fills a pulpit, some pastors feel such a Sunday is a good time to travel elsewhere or take a Sunday off. Without the strong leadership and support of the pastor, members of the congre-gation tend to minimize the importance of missions and may also absent themselves from the regular services.

Some churches lump many activities

into the missions budget, not sensing the need to see missions as being unique

and vital.

The Great Commission remains as the com-mission that Christ gave to His Church. It is not the great idea or the grand suggestion. It is a marching order for His followers!

The Commission, as set forth in Matthew’s Gospel, reads: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” [italics mine] This is the wording in the King James Version for Matthew 28:18-20. Other versions have the words as being “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [ESV, italics mine].

Missions is Intended to be Central

March|April 2013 41

Spiros Zodhiates noted in The Complete Word Study Dictionary that the task of the Christian missionary evan-gelist is “to instruct… with the purpose of making a disciple.” Our commis-sion as believers and as assemblies of the people of the Lord is to “make dis-ciples,” involving not only leading the unsaved to the Savior but also helping new believers to become well established as true followers or disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a challenge that needs to be recognized by every pastor and church.

The Great Commission remains as the commission

that Christ gave to His Church.

Though all believers and especially pastors should have a burden for those outside of Christ, not all may be called to be “missionaries,” as that term is typically applied. Pastors and churches,

however, are not excused from having missions as a central part of ministry. Has your church decided to become a Vision World Church in the IFCA family of churches? If your church has not taken the step of becoming a Vision World Church, you are not only invited but encouraged to take that step. Visit the IFCA International website at www.ifca.org for additional information about what this step means and how your church can become such a church.

What do you view in your heart, life, and ministry, as your part in the fulfill-ment of His Great Commission?