State of the Union 2021 Intro: Risk for the Cause of Christ

Each year, at SGC’s annual Pastors Conference, I meet with our Council of Elders and present what we call a “State of the Union” address. This is just a name for an overview of the last year and a vision of what I hope to help lead us through in the coming year.

Below is a summary of this vision that I hope will challenge and encourage all who read – though, keep in mind, that I am speaking primarily to our pastors, and church leaders.

Overview

In what some might call the first Council of Elders meeting, the Council in Jerusalem was convened because as the gospel advanced, as churches were planted, and as the mission expanded, issues arose. 

In this case, as the church grew at Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, issues arose about the status of Gentile converts and their relationship with Jewish Christians. More specifically, we know from Acts 15:3 that there were Jews who were teaching that the Gentiles needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. The council in Jerusalem decided that circumcision wasn’t necessary, so they wrote a letter to the church in Antioch ` their decision. 

As I review the last few years and look forward to the year to come, it’s important to me to draw the attention of our elders to the following verses:

“25 it has seemed good to us, having come bto one accord, to choose men and 

send them to you with our cbeloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 dmen who have 

erisked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 15:25-26

The Risk

In these verses, Barnabas and Paul are described as men who “risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” They were known as those who took faith-filled risks for the cause of Christ – many of which are detailed in the book of Acts. 

This is what I’m calling us to as brothers in Christ – to be men to take the right, prayer-saturated, faith-filled risks for the cause of Christ and to lead the members of our churches to do the same. I believe that we are at a pivotal moment in Sovereign Grace and I believe this call is critical to our mission as a denomination of churches. 

The Why

I understand that after enduring a global pandemic and persevering through several years of trials, we can be prone to wrap ourselves in self-protection and settle for the status quo. 

But, here is the question we must answer: 

“Will Sovereign Grace be known as a family of churches who reached its peak in the mid-2000’s, navigated through some troubles, and then simply coasted into being a relic?”

I say no. 

Rather, I believe that Sovereign Grace Churches will be known as a family of churches who responded to our trials - not wrapping ourselves in self-protection - but by taking the right faith-filled, forward-looking risks to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that bore much fruit for Christ throughout the world.

Now, I want to be clear. I’m not talking about reckless risks that are thoughtless and prayerless in nature. I’m talking about taking right risks.

My concern is that we avoid taking any risks at all at a pivotal time in our story. May this never be said about the pastors and churches of Sovereign Grace and may it never be true.

One quote that stuck out to me recently was the following: 

“The biggest risk of all is that we stop taking risks at all.”[1]

May it be said that we took the greatest risks of all for the greatest cause of all-the cause of Jesus Christ! 

The Challenge

For that to be said of us, we must recognize the temptations to avoid risk. There are a few temptations that I think can be especially prevalent amongst us.

1.    One of the lingering effects of the pandemic is that we, and the people in our churches, just want to play it safe and not put ourselves at risk. In addition, the challenges we have faced in SG over the last 10 years can make us vulnerable to be risk averse and avoid future trials by not taking the right risks for the cause of Christ.

2.    While I love our polity and I truly believe that it has strengthened us, I’m concerned that we can be prone to think we can solve all our problems and find all of our safety in our polity. Rather, I believe it’s important to see our polity as a means that brings clarity and structure to the global opportunities God is giving us to take risks in advancing the gospel around the world.

3.    As some of us get older, lady comfort’s voice grows louder calling us to ease, drowning out the clear call of Scripture to be men who risk our lives for the cause of Christ until we finish this race for Christ.

These temptations (and others) to avoid risk must be met with faith to take the right risks.

The Call

The word “risk” means the possibility of loss or injury, so - in taking the right risks as churches, we may (probably will) make mistakes. 

We may see our reputation take a hit, put ourselves in harm’s way whether that is critique, and marginalization, or more serious persecution. But, risk means that we take them by faith, not knowing what the future holds, but believing that our risks are a part of God’s good, sovereign plan for SG.

Alongside this, we must remember that taking right risks is not a modern phenomenon because it is seen throughout biblical history. The redemptive storyline in our bibles is filled with people who took risks not knowing what would happen to them.

-       Esther takes a risk to help save the Jews by approaching the king not knowing if she will lose her life in doing so, saying to her friend “if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)

-       Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego took the right risk to not bow down to the state ordered idolatry, and before being thrown into the fiery furnace said to Nebuchadnezzar, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace…But if not, be it known to you…that we will not serve your gods…” Daniel 3:16-18 

-       Later in the book of Acts, Paul says to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 that he is going to Jerusalem, “not knowing” what will happen to him there except that the Spirit testifies that imprisonment and affliction await him, and so he takes a risk and goes anyway.

Why?

Because he did not account his life of any value or precious to himself, if only he could finish the course of his ministry to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)

May we be those kind of men, who lead those kind of churches, where we don’t account our lives of any value or as precious to ourselves, if only we could finish the course of our ministry to testify to the gospel of the grace of God throughout the world.

Let us be men and let us build churches whose doctrine of the sovereignty of God functions in a way that we take prayer-saturated, faith-filled risks trusting the One who knows and ordains our future.

And let us take these risks so that SG will not be a relic, but a faith-filled, forward-looking family of churches who finds great joy in advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ together throughout the world. 

May Sovereign Grace be known for taking the greatest risks of all for the greatest cause of all.

[1] Mitch Daniels, President of Purdue University, 2021 graduating class commencement speech.

New Ordination Standards

Among the most significant responsibilities we have as pastors in Sovereign Grace is to entrust the gospel to the next generation of pastors.

In his last letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul commands him and us: “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). 

Entrust what you have heard to faithful men. 

There are many different ways we entrust what we have heard—the gospel and sound doctrine—to the next generation of pastors. One vital way we can do so is by continuing to uphold the high calling and biblical standards of eldership. 

THE ORDINATION PROCESS IN SOVEREIGN GRACE

Since ratifying the Book of Church Order in 2013, we have joined together to uphold the high calling and biblical standards of eldership through our ordination process, which has included extensive reading, theological papers, and written and oral exams administered by our Regional Ordination Committees.

THE NEW ORDINATION STANDARDS

On November 10, 2020, we concluded a seven year process of writing and deliberating and adopted our new Statement of Faith. Since then, the Theology Committee has rewritten our ordination standards to follow the Statement of Faith. These new ordination standards were approved in November of 2021 and are now ready to be used by our Regional Ordination Committees and our elder candidates. The full text of the ordination standards can be found in the Ordination Guide HERE.

The new ordination standards include many of the same things as before, local eldership evaluations, theological papers, and written and oral exams. However, the new ordination standards include a few changes:

•       There is no specific reading requirement. Preparing for the ordination exams will require reading! However, there is no longer a specific reading requirement. Local elderships can obviously continue to require reading; however, the reading requirement unnecessarily slowed the process for certain candidates. 

•       Both of the theology exams are online. In seeking to examine candidates on each part of the Statement of Faith, we expanded the theology exam into two smaller exams. In addition, these exams will be online, allowing for speedier grading and a variation of questions for repeat exam takers.

We are excited for these new standards to go live! 

We feel sure there will be a few kinks to work out as we go live and begin using the new ordination standards, so please do not hesitate to reach out to us or the chairman of your Regional Ordination Committee with questions. 

It is a joy to serve the Lord with you, 

The Theology Committee

How to Introduce Our Statement of Faith

Our Statement of Faith isn’t a document to be put on a shelf somewhere to collect dust, but a gift to our churches that can be used in various ways to guide, build and encourage our faith both as individuals and local churches. To this end, I’m pleased to have these videos by Jeff Purswell featured here to help you along the way.

Jeff Purswell is the Director of Theology and Training for Sovereign Grace Churches and the dean of the Sovereign Grace Pastor's College. He also serves as an elder at Sovereign Grace Church in Louisville, KY.