|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Consecration 2002 Roundtable, Part 1January 20, 2003 Intelligent discussion is always at a premium, so Consecration 2002's session featuring a panel of fascinating, candid Apostolics was greatly anticipated. Candid it was. It's not often you hear Bible school staff advocate secular education, or a youth pastor declaring their teens the very key to revival, or a PK fess up to the special situations and pressures others can't understand or even an Apostolic wondering why we don't minister to the multi-cultural world around us-is it because we insist on not seeing it? This was a panel across denomination lines, across age groups, and across racial backgrounds, but it was a panel believing Christians can change the world around them. Consecration 2002 was held on November 1-2, 2002 at Calvary Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Part one explores the secrets of Bible school and how to survive afterward to be followed by part two, which discusses secular education, the dynamics of a youth group, and the roles of men and women in worship. Finally, part three wraps up with thoughts on what makes Christian music Christian music and the urgency of ministry today. Throw your thoughts into the discussion by writing a letter to the editor.
The Panel 1. Bill Zink, pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Greenville, Ohio 2. Wayne Francis, Indiana Bible College (IBC) dean of students 3. Paul Pamer, youth pastor of Apostolic Church of Barberton, OH 4. Lisa Lindner, pastor's wife, Heavenview Tabernacle, Winston-Salem, NC 5. Brooke Williams, Preacher's Kid, Pentecostals of Apopka, FL 6. Kent d Curry, executive editor of ninetyandnine.com, St. Louis 7. Jeremy Hoffee, choral director, Gateway College of Evangelism, St. Louis 8. Russ Strange, youth president of Ohio District, UPC A very special thanks to Beth Wallis who spent most of the last three months transcribing this 90 minute discussion. We are indebted to you for sharing the thoughts of this panel with the world.
Jonathan Walker: From your perspective as a pastor and a former youth pastor (my youth pastor) what would you say the value is to you as a pastor of a young person that is simply trying to live their best and have a consecrated life for the Lord? Bill Zink: Well for a young person to be involved in the kingdom, first thing I tell every young person I have an opportunity to talk to is that if you’re worried about who you’re going to marry, what job you’re going to have, your future, your career whatever it may be, my answer would be what the Bible says and that’s to seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will be added. Now I also would like to say that yes, a young person can be very involved in the kingdom, and can be very affective in the harvest. The Bible tells us in 2 Chronicles chapter 34 that Josiah was eight years old when he began his reign, and it also says that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. So I think this myth that we’ve had for all these years, that young people have to live a roller coaster life, can be up at camp and then back down at Christmas, I don’t think that’s accurate. I think young people can be very active in their church, I think they can love their pastor, love the church, love the kingdom, love the work of God and be very involved in it. To me a young person that’s involved in the kingdom and is affective and wants to live a consecrated life for God has to be one of the church’s MVP’s. Because the potential of young people, and nothing against our adults, we love every one of them we need every body, but young people have a potential that no other section of the church has. They walk the hallways with hundreds of people that are potential candidates for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and baptism in Jesus name. Mom and Dad, they see the same few people in their cubical at work, or whatever the case may be. And sometimes, not sometimes, most the time as we become adults we get into a rut. And young people, you tell them their soul winners, they believe they’re soul winners. So I would have to answer that and say that a young person that’s living for God, that doesn’t live a seesaw life, a roller coaster walk with God has to be one of the most valuable people in the church. A young person that loves God, doesn’t mean we’re not going to fail, doesn’t mean we’re not going to stumble, but it means we’re going to get up one more time when we fall. So I would have to say that a young person that lives for God and gives God everything has to be one of the most important and effective people in the church. Jonathan Walker: Bro. Zink, when you’re inside a church service, let’s say from six to eight o’clock on a Sunday night, when you’re leading the service as a pastor, talk about what a young person as a worshiper in a service or a praise breaker, if you will, in a service does for you. Bill Zink: We have had in the past what we have called “Jonathan Hours.” When I meet with out young men, I tell them I need them in service. I need them to be leaders in worship, because there’s something about young people. Every church that I’ve been to this is true; any Holy Ghost revival church has a youth group that’s on fire. It’s not for the prime time anchors, thank God for them; we thank the Lord for the happy sixty and over club and all that. But a church that is really on fire, I believe the ignition to that is a youth group that is on fire and knows how to worship. As I drove coming back from the hospital last night there was a dance club or whatever it was up in the Dayton area. It was packed out, and I watched young people, early twenties and maybe even younger, walking into that place. And I thought: They’re going to be in there for hours, walking out of there absolutely exhausted, broke and everything else. So a young person that walks into the house of God has a mind set that I’m going to worship no matter who worships with me, or who doesn’t. And here’s another thing that I believe is that when a young person begins to worship, he’ll never be the only one worshiping. Because there again it’s a spark that will light a fire of worship and praise. And obviously that adds to the whole atmosphere, the pastor will be able to preach better, the evangelist will be able to preach better, there’s just something about creating an atmosphere for God to do something. Is God able to do anything at any point? Yes, but there’s something about, as the Bible tells us, when we create an atmosphere, when we come together in our praise and worship. Jonathan Walker: From your perspective now as a dean of students and a former graduate of Indiana Bible College, talk about a Bible school student either succeeding while they’re there or two taking steps back. Because as we talk we don’t really think there’s a lot of middle ground at a Bible school. Talk about that from your heart. Wayne Francis: Well, in answer to the first part about a successful person at Bible college, obviously I would have to gear my thoughts toward a people who come to Bible college with a positive attitude. The Bible says study to show yourself approved unto God a work that would needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. In the secular world, people prepare themselves for their profession, and so if you’re a doctor your go to med school, if you’re a lawyer you go to law school. So people who feel the call of God on their life in whatever area, whether it’s missions, music or a preaching ministry should prepare themselves accordingly, and Bible college helps to do that. Most students who are successful at Bible college come with that mindset that I am preparing myself to ultimately go out into the ministry. And so they come with an attitude of I want to go to classes, I want to learn, I want to glean from my peers, I want to have the total Bible college experience by going out and ministering while I’m there. Those are usually the people that end up coming with a positive attitude and end up having success. Now, other people come and have a different mentality. They think it’s an extended period of camp, and they think that for eight months we’re just going to prank people. Run around, act crazy, sleep in and not go to class and not go to chapel; those are the type of people who end up not getting anything out of Bible college except for the social aspect of it. Now, there’s nothing wrong with coming to Bible college for a social aspect because that’s just part of college life, whether it’s secular or in a Christian context, it’s good. If you can’t find a girlfriend or a boyfriend in your youth group then come on down to Bible college, somebody say amen. More seriously, Bible college offers several different facets for your total life. If you want to minister to ever aspect of your life, seated among this whole audience area alumnus of Bible colleges that are doing things for the Lord, which is awesome. I don’t think that you could go any other place in the United States and build a network of ministry. As a matter of fact, I don’t think that I would be on this panel unless I went to Bible college, many of the people that I have known and have worked with I have been exposed the then through Bible college somehow. So in that aspect it’s good. Secondly, and I’ll close on this, there’s a notion that going to Bible college you’re kind of backwards when you graduate because you don’t really get exposed to some of the secular subjects that you would need to. I would say that one of the negative things, or I wouldn’t deem it as a negative thing, but I would say that you need to be very conscious before you come to Bible college what you want to do when you get out of Bible college. I come from a metro area, originally from New York City, and so if I didn’t have any intentions of getting into the ministry full time afterward I would couple my studies with going to secular college. I think you should balance yourselves, especially when you’re young. There’s nothing wrong with going to Bible college and saying, “Lord I want to dedicate a year of my life to studying your Word in an organized fashion,” and then seeking a secular education. Because unless you totally desire to be in the ministry afterward if you have to go back to New York City or if you’ve got to back to a metro area, a Bible college degree will not necessarily get you a job at IBM or wherever. So you have to be a balanced Christian, a balanced person, and do it that way. Jonathan Walker: A follow up question for Wayne. You kind of touched on this, but let’s try to appeal right now to a junior or senior in high school who’s sitting out here, who are twirling with some of the things that you just talked about. Do I go to secular school? Do I go to Bible college? What path do I take? If a young person is sitting there and they have this perspective, I don’t know what God wants for me and my life right now, which a lot of kids are at. If they have that mindset, not that that’s an apathetic mindset, but more of an indecisive mindset. If they walk into Bible school with that mindset, what could you tell them, from your perspective, that would bring them success there rather than just going there like you said for a year, coming home, wasting five thousand dollars, and wishing they’d never done it? Wayne Francis: I would say the best thing is to seek God first. Why not just devote a year of your life to God? Because if you’re in a position to where you’re indecisive, invariably the best place for you is in a Bible college atmosphere. You’ll be around some people that are very focused on what they want to do. And then there are other people who are at the same place. And so to find strength with people who are wrestling for the will of God for their life. Invariably there is going to be a chapel service, there’s going to be some type of preaching at a church. There’s going to be a youth rally that you go to or there’s going to be a student that is going to preach to you. There will be something that happens while you’re at Bible college that will help direct you into a path of righteousness, guaranteed. And at that point you have freedom to do whatever you like to. You can make any kind of decision, but I would think that the best thing to do is to seek the will of God. The best place to seek the will of God is with other young people who want to seek the will of God for their life in a Bible college atmosphere. Jonathan Walker: Just by a show of hands on the panel, I think I know the answer to this, but for the sake of the audience. How many of you have either taught at Bible school, gone to Bible school, or been affiliated with a Bible school in any way? That’s what I thought. It’s the ends and the middle, me, Kent, Brooke and Lisa. One more question, open to anybody. Let’s say they’ve chosen Bible school, okay, Bible school is over. They come home now, I’ve found, and not just friends here, but friends I’ve had across the country. Sometimes I feel they come home and they’ve learned so much and gained so much, but now they feel somewhat detached, because they’ve been gone for nine months. And so they almost when they come home, some have even told me, Jonathan I feel like I’ve lost my place, I don’t feel like I fit in, the church has moved in a different direction. They say I’ve been trying to better myself while I’ve been there, but I’ve come, and maybe the leadership roles have been filled in their absence. What would you say to a young person that might be coming home, the other side of the fence? That they jump in with both feet and try to apply what they’ve learned how would you respond to that? Bill Zink: Well, first I would say submit yourself to your pastor, obviously. But, as Bro. Francis just leaned over and said, sometimes you go in different directions. It’s not so much that you’ve lost your place; you’ve just taken your place to a different level. Bro. Marhler told us a story that he probably tells every class, of the chickens and the eagle that were born with the chickens. And once that eagle learned he could fly, he never wanted to go back with the chickens. It doesn’t mean the young people in the youth group are somewhere now below who you are and what you are. But once you’ve expanded yourself, you’ve preached in chapels, you’ve gone to the nursing homes, you’ve been involved in missions, you’ve gone to home missionaries, you’ve knocked on doors. You can’t just come home and sit on a pew and be satisfied, it’ll never happen. Jonathan Walker: And is that where you think the frustration comes in? Bill Zink: Absolutely. Jonathan Walker: Because they can’t come home and they kind of lock themselves up and they were meant to fly and they’re sitting. Bill Zink: That’s right. And that doesn’t mean okay, pastor, I’m home, let me preach Sunday night I’ve got a word for this church. But it might mean, hey, Bro. Youth Pastor I want to be here helping you on youth services, I’ll take a leg if you need me to help in an area of driving a van to youth rallies or if you need me to help with the prayer service Saturday night. Whatever it might be, you’ve got to get involved. And there again it may not be to the same extent you were in Bible college, but you’ve got to be involved because if you don’t I believe that you’ll dry up. You’ll become very discouraged; you’ll talk yourself out of your calling and you anointing. And then also, just as my own personal experience, I found an opportunity of ministry outside of my home church, and this is my home church. So what that did also, the Lord helped that to qualify me, if you will. I left home and I went somewhere else, and I got some experience in the ministry, and then God brought me back here for about six years or so in full time ministry. But Bro. Walker, I believe by me leaving and finding an open door, an opportunity of ministry, it helped me to come back home and be more affective than I would have been if I had gone to Bible college, then come back home, sat on a pew, been a Wal-Mart greeter, passed out smiley stickers and frustrated myself all those years. But God allowed me to jump into ministry in a different avenue. And my pastor was good enough to say go, if there’s an opportunity, go minister. So my first answer: Submit yourself to your pastor, get some godly guidance and direction, and then get involved wherever you can at any opportunity. Jonathan Walker: Anybody else? Yes, Bro. Kent. Kent Curry: St. Louis is going through an explosion of daughter works, and a lot of times when we get kids back from CLC at our church and so on, we just ship them right to the daughter works. First of all it’s a completely different experience and so they have a different type of environment. You can get intoxicated by a four hundred person church that revival this and that, and think oh, well that’s what I deserve. You through them in a daughter work and not only is it a different experience completely, which will round them out and give them wisdom, but also it makes them realize the realities of ministry. That’s one thing that we do at New Life. Jonathan Walker: Yes, Bro. Strange. Russ Strange: I would like to say something to the youth groups, you know we’ve been directing our comments to the Bible college students coming home. I don’t if that would be the majority in this room or not. The majority in this room are young people probably that are sitting in a youth group when the Bible school student comes home. When that Bible school student comes home and his vision has been expanded or her vision has been expanded by the exposure of Bible school and different levels of ministry, don’t help with the process of ostracizing that young man or that young lady. Try, instead of being boxed up and putting God in your little youth group mindset that it’s been, try to jump outside or off the map and outside of that box. Instead of trying to ostracize that young lady, that young man who’s trying to expand the vision of your youth group, jump on that bandwagon. Instead of saying, well he just came home and he’s got so many scriptures in his head, and he’s trying to be or she’s trying to be Mr./Mrs. Preacher. I don’t think that’s it at all. I just think if we could get more young people that haven’t gone to Bible school to hook with this young man or this young lady who’s come home. And say, we’re not asking you to jump over a wall and run through a troop, but we are going to catch onto your vision, help us, because not all of us can go there, but help us to experience what you’ve experienced. And in that you’ll expand the vision of the whole youth group. Next week: Part two discusses secular education, the dynamics of a youth group, and the roles of men and women in worship. ninetyandnine.com © 2003, ninetyandnine.com -------- |
|
|
