Author: Shannon Elder

Inspiration and Information from the
National Association of Wesleyan Evangelicals

Your NAWE Companion

‘N AWE
Stay Close to Your Guide
Steve Lamb, Fairmount, IL

December—January 2015

A pastor had served faithfully at a church for over 45 years. He was asked when he retired if he would be willing to preach at their sister church about 15 miles away. Since the small church was close by, he accepted the offer. The pastor knew that one of his shortfalls was getting lost if he was unfamiliar with the area, so early on in his ministry he had invested in a GPS device. He was usually very faithful about daily plugging it in to his computer to get all the updates on construction and routes. However as he packed his belongings for the move, the GPS got packed away too. After returning from a short vacation, for his first sermon he stood before the congregation and said, “A church is a lot like a car. The GPS is God giving us turn-by-turn instructions; the pastor is the driver steering the church while listening to God; and the members are the driving force. The more active and strong the members of the church are the faster the entire church can get to its destination. There is some trust that has to be put in the pastor that he is following the guidance of God.” He went on to say, "Let’s say we all wanted to go to the grocery store to purchase a thanksgiving dinner. We would get in the car, turn on the GPS, and even if we had no gas we could push the car down Route 7 across old mill bridge leading into Jamestown (the next local town with a store) and turn right onto Main Street and arrive at the store." A couple in the back of the church looked at each other and the man said rather loudly, "God wouldn't take you that way." Stunned at the disrespect and disruption to the service the pastor quipped back, "I know I'm new to the church, but not to this area. We most certainly would take Route 7 to Main and then to the store. I went there just last week and it’s the quickest way to get there." Again the man spoke up: "If that is the way you would take us then I won't help you, and I wouldn't push the car either!" The pastor replied softly, "That's the problem with churches today. Everyone thinks they know how to steer a church better than the pastor." The man in the back responded: "Look, I live on Route 7. Old mill bridge got damaged in the storm on Tuesday while you were away. They knocked it down yesterday because it was unsafe. And I don't want to be responsible for pushing my pastor in a car without gas into a river after his first sermon." All this to make two points: (1) It only takes a little time separated from the true vine or shepherd to no longer be informed as pastors on where God would steer us. We may start trusting ourselves instead of God for where we are going, looking at our experiences and thinking we know best, and that we need to do what we have always done and where we have always gone instead of listening for a new way to do things (John 15:1; John 10:11). (2) Sometimes God allows the thorns of the flesh (those people in our churches who frustrate us) to save our skin (Romans 8:28) (Psalm 119: 67, 71).

Praise & Prayer

Praise the Lord for Phyllis Snipes’ father recently completing his radiation treatments. He continues to need our prayers.
Pray for Dr. Richard Smith as he recovers from recent surgery.
Pray for churches in which the work of the NAWE has been presented—that God will direct them as they consider the benefits of being part of the association.
Pray for our churches and pastors as they minister during the Christmas season.

Resources
Book Recommendations
Tony Elder, Conyers, GA

Does your church leadership need a good tool for evaluating the current health of your church? Check out one of Thom S. Rainer’s latest books, Autopsy of a Deceased Church. This respected researcher and former pastor pinpoints some of the common characteristics found in churches which have eventually died. Be prepared. His insights might reveal some uncomfortable truths about our churches. But some of us may need to wake up and be honest about where our churches appear to be heading if nothing changes. And it’s not all doom and gloom. He does offer some suggestions on how to keep churches alive as well. However he doesn’t go into as much detail on those answers as I would have liked. I shared this book with my church board, resulting in some frank discussions about our future and inspiring us to make some changes.
There is another book which might serve as a good counterweight to Rainer’s work. It’s Jim Cymbala’s latest publication, Storm: Hearing Jesus for the Times We Live In. The well-known author and pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle reminds us of some ways we don’t want to go in seeking answers to our church’s health issues. He warns about some of the current trends and self-effort tendencies which he believes to be dangerous. He emphasizes our primary need for prayer and for a fresh movement of God in our churches. The author doesn’t downplay the fact that we live in stormy times full of great challenges for our churches. But he also reminds us that we serve a great God who can still revive and do wonderful things through His people today.
I see the combination of these books as giving us a good balance – showing us our primary need to depend on God and seek Him, but also being open to whatever God may show us we need to do to help our churches become healthier and more fruitful.

ASSOCIATION NEWS
Speakers for 2015 Events
Tony Elder, Conyers, GA

Dr. Stephen Flick will be our speaker at the 2015 Annual Meeting. An alumnus of Wesley Biblical Seminary and Drew University, Dr. Flick has served as pastor for several churches and as professor of theology and church history at Wesley Biblical Seminary. In 2013, he founded Christian Heritage Fellowship, an organization dedicated to helping believers reclaim their Christian American heritage. He is also the author of numerous articles.
For more information about Dr. Flick and his ministry, go to www.christianheritagefellowship.com
Dr. Daniel Berry will be sharing with us during our Ministers’ & Wives’ Retreat in April. Dr. Berry has been a minister for over 35 years and currently serves as District Superintendent of the South Coastal District of the Wesleyan Church. His life changed in 2007 when he and his wife were in a very serious accident. She was in a coma for three months, followed by months of rehab. Dr. Berry provided constant care for his wife until her death in March 2010. Today he testifies “God has turned my mourning into joy by providing me a second chance with a new marriage and a new family.” He has written a book describing his journey through this experience entitled No More Cloudy Days.
Let’s be looking forward to the fellowship and ministry of these quality individuals whom God has sent our way for these occasions.

Calendar

April 7-9—the 2015 Ministers’ & Wives’ Retreat in Helen, GA
July 14-16— the 2015 Annual Meeting in Covington, TN
Visit us at www.theNAWE.com