State of the Union Point 6: Risk of Generous Giving

 After the Acts 15 Council we know that the church Paul planted in Philippi was known for giving generously to Paul’s ministry and mission.

“And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.” - Philippians 4:15-16

Scripture tells us that giving to gospel mission came from local churches as one expression of the interdependence they shared. Scripture also tells us that giving to gospel mission not only came from local churches but individuals as well.

In Romans 16, Paul commends Phoebe who he describes in as “a patron of many and of myself as well.”

Phoebe is one example of the Gospel Patrons we find in the bible and throughout church history that have given generously to support the work of the gospel. Scripture is clear that churches gave, and individuals gave generously as an expression of the interdependence they shared in gospel mission.

In this pivotal moment for our family of churches, now is the time for us to step on the gas to advance our mission, and that will require financial resources.

Let us lead our churches to take the right risk of giving generously.

State of the Union Point 5: Risk for Evangelism

 After the Acts 15 Council meeting, we find Paul in Thessalonica in Acts 17 where he shares the gospel.

“Explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you is the Christ.’” - Acts 17:3

Sharing the gospel has always been risky, and it always will be risky. Given the cultural trends, the pluralism, the angst the pandemic has caused, the political polarization, sharing the gospel will be risky, but it is the right risk to reach a world that is chaotic and hopeless.

Let us call people to share the gospel and if they need help in doing that, equip them.

State of the Union Point 4: Risk to Plant Churches

 With the number of opportunities that God is giving us outside of the U.S., we can be vulnerable to think that God is not at work here in the States. 

Given the trials we have faced in SG, that have uniquely impacted our churches in the States, we can be prone to think that our reputation has taken a hit, and we can’t plant churches like we used to.

 Given the anit-institutional trends in our culture that tends to look down on the local church, we can wonder if planting churches is even worth it.

I understand those thoughts, but the book of Acts tells us that Paul and others encountered challenges and took risks to plant churches.

Church planting has always been risky, and it will always be risky, but it is a “right risk” to take in reaching the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let us take the greatest risks for that great cause of planting churches.

State of the Union Point 3: Risk to Build Biblically Faithful Churches

 Building biblically faithful churches has inherit risks.

First, building biblically faithful churches means we take the right risk of continuing preach and counsel our people with biblical truth. Given the rapid movement of the culture away from biblical truth, the faithful preaching of God’s Word will have more inherent risk of us being criticized.

We are on a trajectory where the culture sees the biblical truth we preach as the problem. The culture says teaching on biblical sexual ethics is the problem and must be censored. And, in a growing culture of victimhood, the truth we preach, and the truth we counsel our people with will be targeted as potentially oppressive.

Let us be men who risk our lives for the cause of Christ by preaching it anyway for the purpose of building biblically faithful churches.

Second, building faithful churches means that we take the risk of calling our people to a love for, and a commitment to the local church. Whether it is an anti-institutional mindset, or a suspicion of authority, or the lingering apathy people have post-pandemic, calling people to love the dearest place on earth will be risky.

We must build faithful churches by courageously, and graciously calling people to be faithful to their local church.

May a love for the local church not be a first or second generational phenomenon in Sovereign Grace, rather may it be a multi-generational distinctive.

Third, building faithful churches means we take the risk of honestly accessing the health of our local eldership.

One of the primary ways that Satan seeks to sow disunity in the church is to weaken and divide the pastoral team.

“Conflict, poor communication, and relational disunity on a pastoral team can lead to discouraged and weary pastors, and eventually, can diminish the unity and health of the whole church.”[1]

If we are going to call people to love the local church, let’s make sure that the church we are calling them to love is strong and united. We do that by honestly evaluating the health of our local elders, which can be risky, but it is the right risk to take.

Let’s take great risks for the great cause of building biblically faithful churches.

[1] Jon Payne, “Team Health Evaluation Tool” blog post, October 19, 2021, sgcleaders.com

State of the Union Point 2: Risk to Stand for Our Theological Convictions

The debate at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 was theological in nature. Good theology defined and shaped their unanimous decision as a Council. 

Last year, this Council unanimously approved our new Statement of Faith that contains the orthodox theology that defines and shapes our family of churches. This Statement of Faith clearly addresses many of the issues we see in our culture: Same sex marriage, gender ideology, sexual orientation, complementarianism, ethnic harmony, etc., etc. 

The Statement of Faith provides a theological foundation on which we stand to protect our churches from cultural influences that can cause theological drift.

Now here is the risk: 

When we stand for our theological convictions, which we will need to do, the culture and even some in evangelicalism will push back.

When we stand for our theological convictions, there is the possibility that people will pull out past accusations against SGC to discredit us. In that moment we must not distance ourselves from our family of churches and from the partnership we share. Rather, we must stand together knowing our feet are held firmly by his grace..

There will be risk in standing for our theological convictions, but it is the right risk to take. I’m asking our Council of Elders to equip the members of their churches to stand for our theological convictions by encouraging them to read the SoF, and the SG Journal to strengthen the doctrinal commitments and the gospel values that we share.

To continue to stand for our theological convictions highlights the vital need for theological training, whether that’s for new pastors or existing pastors. Therefore, I want to encourage the Council to send men to our Pastors College even when it seems risky. The PC model that started here in the States is being replicated throughout the world to equip men theologically, which is important as we expand globally.

Let us take the right risk to stand for our theological convictions.

State of the Union Point 1: Risk for Global Partnership Opportunities

In 1927, Roland Allen wrote a book entitled, “The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church.” 

He starts the book by describing what you see in the NT - the gospel is shared, people are born again, and churches are planted as the gospel reaches more and more people. Allen goes on to argue that that kind of spontaneous expansion is not limited to the apostolic age but continues today.

“By spontaneous expansion I mean something which we cannot control. And if we cannot control it, we ought, as I think, to rejoice that we cannot control it. For if we cannot control it, it is because it is too great, not because it is too small for us. The great things of God are beyond our control.”[1]

 That would describe what I see in SGC right now - opportunities to partner with churches throughout the world that is beyond our control because it is God’s doing.

Currently, we have at least 75 churches outside of the U.S. pursuing partnership with SG and we will potentially adopt 62 of those churches in the next 2-3 years.

Let us take the greatest risks of all for the greatest cause of all-the preaching of Christ to every tribe, tongue, and nation.

[1] Roland Allen, The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church, Wipf & Stock Publishers 1997, pg.13

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.

COVID-19 Virus Communication from Mark Prater to SGC Leaders

The COVID-19 virus (Coronavirus) has filled the news headlines for several weeks. The World Health Organization determined this week that it is a pandemic, the first our world has had since 2009. Without a doubt, members of your church are tracking these events and responding to them in different ways. They are also looking to you to provide leadership and pastoral care.

For that reason, the Leadership Team and I wanted to pass along some thoughts that we hope will serve you as you pastor and lead your church. Keep in mind, these are only thoughts. You know your church and community best. So, only use the thoughts that serve your local church, if you use them at all.

The thoughts below are in categories of leadership and pastoral care.

Leadership

The members of your church want to know if you are tracking the events surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 virus and if you are thinking about the implications it has for your church. Therefore, consider communicating clearly, succinctly, and as often as it serves them.

Here is a list of thoughts you can consider including in future communications:

• Let your members know that you are consistently tracking the spread of the COVID-19 virus including your own locale and whether there are any confirmed cases in your area.

• Let your members know that you are tracking local, county, state and national government decisions and any potential restrictions.

• The spread of the COVID-19 virus will vary from place to place. Not every community is going to be affected uniformly. For example, if there are no, or few reported confirmed COVID-19 cases in your community, you may choose to go ahead with your Sunday meeting. Others of you may live in a community that is more affected and to hold your Sunday meeting might seem thoughtless to those most vulnerable to infection. You know your church and your community, and you are best equipped to make these weighty decisions. Therefore, communicate that your eldership continues to discuss, consider and pray about what will best serve your church as it relates to your Sun service, small group meetings, etc.

• Communicate that your eldership will follow any government-mandated ban on public meetings (Sunday service, small group meetings, etc.) in keeping with Romans 13:1-3.

• Give your members direction regarding the Sunday service including:

  •  If you are sick, even with a cold, or a member of your household has been sick in the last 48 hours, please stay home. (If your church offers live stream, then include a link to where they can watch the service from home.)

  • Inform your members that you are disinfecting the facility you meet in, including door handles, rails, and other surfaces before the church gathers on Sunday. Encourage your church to greet one another with encouraging words, but to refrain from shaking hands, or hugging to help prevent the spread of any illness.

  •  If your liturgy typically includes greeting one another, then let your church know that you plan to eliminate that greeting until further notice.

  • Let your members know that you are considering ways to share communion as a church that limits the passing of the elements (For example, consider purchasing prepacked cups with sealed juice and wafers that can be placed on a table.)

  • If you pass baskets to collect the offering, consider whether you want to maintain that practice, or place the baskets near the doors where people can drop their offering.

  • Consider asking your members to wash their hands often as a means to prevent the spread of any illness.

If you learn that a member of your church has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, consider informing your church that you have asked that member to comply with doctors’ orders for a 14-day quarantine. You will need to use your discernment on whether to share the name of the person or not.

One other important thought. As Christians, we have the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ in our communities. There are people all around us that are consumed with the COVID-19 virus and they are anxious and fearful. But Jesus offers hope and peace in the gospel. Therefore, encourage the members of your church to look for opportunities to share the hope of the gospel in their neighborhoods.

I’ve pasted below a communication that our elders at Covenant Fellowship Church sent to our members this past Saturday.

Pastoral Care

Encourage your church to respond to the COVID-19 virus with faith and to resist fear and anxiety by pointing them to truth. Scripture passages to consider:

• Remind your members of their adoption by God in the gospel and therefore we are not to fear. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15

• Help your members overcome fear with faith: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4

• Encourage your church to turn anxious thoughts into passionate prayers: “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:5b-7

• If your liturgy includes a pastoral prayer, consider praying against the spread of the COVD-19 virus, asking God to heal those affected, and pray that you can trust God as a church.

• Remind your members of the sovereign rule and reign of God and for that reason, we can have joy in the midst of a pandemic: “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’…Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:31, 34

• This post by Denny Burk is helpful. You can read it here.

• This post by The Christian Counseling & Education Foundation (CCEF) is also helpful. You can read it here.

• Look for ways to bring application as it relates to the COVID-19 virus in your normal preaching schedule.

• Inform your church that you are looking for ways to serve your congregation and your community who may be affected by the COVID-19 virus.

• Keep in mind that your own personal example of following God with faith and joy, absence of fear and anxiety will strengthen the saints in your church.

We hope these thoughts serve you. Please know that we are praying for you asking God to give your wisdom as you lead and care for the members of your church.

With faith in our God who reigns,

Mark

---

Communication to CFC:

Dear Covenant Fellowship Church Family,

We will hold our Sunday service tomorrow at 10am. (Don’t forget to turn your clocks FORWARD.) We have been tracking the spread of the coronavirus and have been considering the steps that our church can take in response. We don’t want to react in fear, but we want to be wise. Therefore, we are taking the following precautions which may help prevent the spread of this illness and other illnesses like the flu.

• If you are sick at all, even with a cold, or if you or anyone in your household has been sick in the last 48 hours, please stay home and enjoy our service online at www.covfel.org/live or get there through the home page.

• Door handles, rails, and other surfaces which hands may touch have been disinfected for the Sunday morning service.

• Please greet one another with a kind word but refrain from shaking hands or hugging to help limit the spread of sickness should you be ill but non-symptomatic.

• We will be eliminating the “greet one another” during our service until further notice.

• Please wash your hands often. Medical professionals are all agreed that thorough handwashing is the best defense anyone can deploy to help thwart the spread of disease.

• We ask you to pray for our church and for those most susceptible to this virus. Pray that God would use this for his glory and to draw many to himself.

 If you have any concerns, please contact the pastors by calling the church office (610-

361-0606) or reach out through email (covfel@covfel.org).

 Sincerely,

 Your Pastors

---

Mark Prater is the Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches and has served as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church since 2002.