Re-Thinking Mission with Kevin DeYoung

At the 2010 Sovereign Grace Ministries conference, Kevin DeYoung, a pastor in East Lansing, MI, gave an address on the mission of the church. It is over an hour in length and worth listening to in full. DeYoung calls us to think about the mission of the church in terms of the Great Commission in response to popular notions today of expanding the mission to include humanitarian aid or social justice work.

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Kevin-DeYoung-Rethinking-the-Mission-of-the-Church.aspx

Some intial thoughts.

1. Changing the "oughts" to "cans" is brilliant. There are all sorts of ways the church can spread the Gospel in their communities. We don't need to argue that Jesus' ministry included equal emphasis on spiritual salvation and meeting physical needs in order to help people. Jesus did meet needs while he proclaimed the Gospel because of his compassion for the people. We can meet needs as we fulfill the mission of making disciples.

2. The church should purpose to do what only the church can do. DeYoung's survey of Acts clearly demonstrates the priority the early church placed on proclaiming the Gospel and establishing the local church. Acts does contain plenty of giving, sharing, and caring for the poor (e.g. Acts 2, 5, 6), but these examples demonstrate how the church functions internally, not how it reached the Gentile world.

3. As a missions pastor of a very large church, one of my tasks is to keep the many missions passions of my congregation tied to the anchor of the biblical mission of the church. So as my church considers a missions endeavor, it is a good idea to ask the question, "How is this endeavor going to create disciples who passionately follow Jesus in the context of the body of Christ?"

Meeting a Baseball Hero: One Year Later

For those who remember my brief but tragic saga from a year ago, this year is the year! For those of you who don't, last year I was given the gift of speaking after Tom Brookens, third baseman for the Detroit Tigers in the late 70s and 80s. He is the current first base coach for the Tigers. I grew up rooting for Tom Brookens. When I was six, they won the World Series. Tom was a household favorite, and I was asked to speak after him at the Wild Game feast last year.

And then it hit.

The great storm of 2010. Now, in Michigan this was just your average snowstorm. But here in PA, people lost their brains. Mothers were raiding Walmart for canned goods like the first horseman of the apocalypse had just been spotted. So the event was canceled, and along with it my shot at meeting a baseball hero from my childhood.

But the Lord has remembered his servant Kyle (He probably has way bigger plans than just me, but this is how I like to see it.) The 2011 Wild Game Feast is happening January 29th at King Street Church in the Baker Center. Exhibits are open at 5pm with dinner to begin at 6pm. Tickets are available at the KSC office, and if you come they are asking people to bring a hot and a cold dish to serve 8 people.

So if you're local, come on out and meet Tom Brookens and listen to him tell cool baseball stories. I'm hoping for some insider info on the 1984 World Series win over the Padres. And when he's finished regaling us with cool stuff, you'll get to hear from one really excited little boy.

Kick Off with Tim Keller

Hope you had a good holiday season. Rachel and I spent some time away and I took the month off from blogging. But now I'm back and hope to share some small insights with you in 2011.

Here's an intriguing speech from Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. Much of my thinking and research lately has been on the mission of the church, particularly as it relates to its local context. In this speech, Keller makes his case for the city and the grace that is found there. Since King Street Church is a large congregation in a downtown environment, I found a lot of food for thought here, particularly the discussion of Jeremiah 29 and the call to seek the peace (shalom) of the city as a part of the church's mission.

http://qideas.org/video/grace-and-the-city.aspx