nuance

A couple weeks ago, with the best of intentions, I began writing about Kalen and my trip to NYC for the Dwell Conference. Then work, and laundry, and a blog renovation happened, and there seemed to be no time to post. Even today, a more-than-mellow, dreary, mud-season day manning the sports center on the mountain, did not yield any time for a recounting of the blessed events of two and a half weeks ago.

Until now

Day 2: The Conference, Tuesday AM Sessions
After a decent night’s sleep we arrived at what seemed to be the conference site promptly at 8am. Confusingly, it was a Unitarian Universalist church. Everyone knows that a double-uni is not a good thing. We and a smattering of conference goers squinted our eyes at the sign to make sure were reading it right and then gave shy glances at one another to see if anyone knew what they were doing. No one did.

But alas, this otherwise godless church is one of several meeting sites for Redeemer Presbyterian Church, our hosts for the conference. I was unaware of this at the time, but one of Redeemer’s defining characteristics is that it does not own a building but rather rents sites throughout the city in which to gather. (I believe this may be changing as the size and needs of the church are changing.)

The next hour or so was spent acclimating ourselves to the ornate, beautiful interior and the conference setup and getting to know the folks at our table. From the very start it was evident that there was an intense atmosphere and energy in that place as everyone began to gather. It was strange to see how young the conference goers were; this was not a youth conference or a college conference or a conference about pastoring youth and college kids; yet at this conference about planting churches - real churches - in our cities, there were predominantly (not exclusively) young men and women excited to answer the call.

The folks at our table were awesome, encouraging. We were blessed to be at a table with the not-as-young types, and from them we got a sense of hope. “They” were a couple from London, longtime pastors of a smallish (but faithful) church, on sabbatical in the US; a group of men from New Jersey, elders in a new church plant that loves John Piper’s teaching and wants to reach 20-40somethings; and two guys who just cold-planted a church in Virginia and are “having a lot of fun.” These folks kindly asked me if I was a pastor or church-planter; and when I replied that I was part of a new small group, and I was at the conference to see if planting a church might be the right thing for us to do, I was met with tons of encouragement. Never was I asked what my qualifications were; never was I interrogated. I only got the sense that God had worked through these average folks at my table, and there was the feeling that he could do the same through our little nu.crew.

Before I get to the speakers, I will sum it up this way: a palpable sense of something new, something special, something God-wrought filled that room from the very start. The worship, led by Tim Smith from Mars Hill Seattle, only heightened that sense as we headed into the first session.

Session 1: CJ Mahaney
CJ Mahaney of Sovereign Grace Ministries was up to speak first. His topic was “Pastoral Priorities” and his text was a single verse: “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:16). It was fitting that a conference for church planters and pastors began with the ultimate priority of such a person - to be faithful in his own life and doctrine. As CJ said, proficiency in public ministry is no substitute for piety in personal life.

Humbly, CJ admitted the tendency of pastors to apply themselves to the text rather than applying the text to their lives; to hear and study but not do the Word. He reminded us that the war against the flesh does not end; it requires constant heart-work. He encouraged us to turn to community in this endeavor, to enlist the insight of wives and trusted friends in finding the areas of our own spiritual blindness. Ask them: What do you see?

In addition, he exhorted us to confess sin consistently and specifically; don’t give the edited version, include details, times, places, etc. He probed: Is there secret sin in your life? Are you teachable, easy to correct, or defensive and stubborn?

The last part of the verse hints at dire consequences: Watch your life and doctrine and you will save yourself and those who hear you. Both the pastor’s character and his presentation of the gospel (never lose sight of Calvary!) are essential to preservation and perseverance.

Great points from the table talk afterwards:

• Identify idols. As Keller teaches, idols are those things that elicit “inordinate emotional responses” from you; that is, the things which draw out of you the extreme attention that should only be given to God. Sins like lust fit perfectly in that category.
• Be intentional. Set up structures that foster accountability. Don’t think it will just happen.
• Pray through the Scriptures. Do not fall into the trap of merely “studying.” Pray as you read that God would speak to your heart and to your life - anything less will not help you overcome sin.

Session 2: Ed Stetzer
I was really looking forward to Ed Stetzer’s talk. Having only read his book Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age, and never really seeing or hearing the guy speak, I had all kinds of anticipation. And it was a great session.

He started with a recent poll stat: 72% of unchurched people believe that the church is full of hypocrites; 44% said that Christians just get on their nerves. Thus Ed’s premise: Given this climate, how do we as the church “Dwell in the Kingdom Mission”?

The text was 2 Cor. 5:16-21. He provided the following breakdown:

• A Kingdom View (vv. 16-17). The mission requires that we view no man in a purely human way; that is, we evidence the new creation by recognizing that the new creation community is made up of all kinds of people. We don’t count out anyone or any group. We want to see our cities impacted by biblically faithful, culturally relevant, counter-culture communities.
• A Mission of Reconciliation (vv. 18-19). Simply, our mission is reconciliation in the same sense that Jesus’ mission was. When Jesus broke into history, he declared that he would help the hurting and save the lost (Matt. 12:29ff.). We need to tell the gospel and be the gospel; we need to bring Jesus and justice.
• A Kingdom Mission (v. 20). I don’t have many notes on this point!
• A Cross-Centered Mission (v. 21). The kingdom can never be reduced to just doing good; it must always tell of God and his good news about Jesus and the cross. The cross is central to understanding the kingdom.

At the end of his talk, Ed made a convicting statement: “Maybe God’s going to use this day to speak to your heart and cause you to say, Here I am Lord, send me.”

In the Q&A following his talk, Ed said some interesting things about church planting:

• You have to connect with other churches in your area on three essential levels: Christ, Christ crucified, and the authority of Scripture. There are convictional distinctions; there are preferential distinctions; but don’t let these become confused with essentials.
• We can feel free to ally ourselves with non- or even anti-Christian organizations in co-belligerence against issues of immorality and injustice.
• It is never too early for your church to multiply. Celebrate multiplication.
• Don’t go it alone. Connect with other churches.
• As long you are planting for the right reasons, then you should follow God’s call even if you do not have denominational support. If you are not persistent, you shouldn’t plant.
• Plant because God tells you. You’re attitude about your city must be, “Give me Scotland or i die!”

Lunch
At lunch, a group of pastors in Acts 29 ascended the stage to talk about their experience with the network. This was extremely encouraging. The spoke about the “missional bug” that they caught at some point in their journey, and their inability to find a church or ministry where they fit in; they spoke of the encouragement of being among Acts 29 pastors and leaders who see things as they do; they spoke of the awesome things God is doing in their cities through their churches. One of the speakers was East Coast captain Ed Marcelle who pastors Terra Nova in Troy, NY, just a few hours away.

Listening to those guys made me feel like I’m not completely crazy.