Bob Young Resources

Over the last few weeks since Jan and I announced our “retirement” from local ministry, I have told several people that our focus is not on “retiring” but on “reinvesting.” We are “re-focusing.” Both we and the local church are preparing to go through a ministry transition. Ministry transitions in local churches are often handled poorly with a negative impact on the church, at least in the short-term. Over the last several months, we have put plans in place to manage this transition proactively so that a smooth, seamless transition can occur and the work of the church will not “miss a beat.”

Jan and I are looking forward to the challenges and freshness of a ministry that extends beyond the local congregation to multiplied congregations and locations across the nation and around the world. Rather than retiring, we are planning to expand our ministry. We already have a fairly full schedule for the remainder of 2010 and are scheduling 2011 activities.

The question we most often hear is, “Why?” Why does a person make this kind of change? When we were young, we set out to change the world, confident that such was within our grasp. We were going to make a difference in a grand way. We set about the ordinary tasks of life (and ministry) with energy and enthusiasm, seizing opportunities, seeking God’s will. Looking back over 40+ years of ministry, we believe God blessed our efforts and that what we did was significant to God. But as we became older, we also saw that we would not be able to accomplish all that we had hoped, so we have to focus on the things that we believe really have the possibility of making a difference in the long-term. We dream of doing only the work we love, of doing the work for which God has uniquely equipped us as he has opened multiplied doors through our lives, and of doing those things that really matter.

For us, encouraging and supporting mission work in receptive areas of the world is one such activity. Baxter Institute and training those who will take the message to others who will also share the message is a “difference making” work. Helping local churches with special series focused on evangelism, missions, leadership, and other church dynamics makes it possible for local churches to take giant strides forward. We look forward to using our lives and our energy thoughtfully. We also look forward to the increased flexibility in our lives along with the independence to go where we are needed when we are needed. God still opens doors, and we will be in position to walk through them unhesitatingly.

The contrast between the old man and the new man is familiar to NT students. When a person becomes a follower of Jesus Christ, the previous life is ended–dead and buried. The power that energized that previous life is rendered powerless through the overwhelming power of the new life.

The Bible associates this “life-change” with baptism, which beautifully pictures what is occurring spiritually. The death and burial of the new man makes possible the “rising to new life”. Participation in the death of Jesus (baptism into his death) makes possible participation in his resurrection (perhaps referring to the ultimate resurrection as well as the ‘new life’ resurrection which occurs through baptism). Some desire to speculate whether this spiritual life-change can occur without the corresponding physical action. Some describe baptism as merely symbolic with no real life-changing capacity. Certainly God can do what he wants, but the Bible makes clear the connection between the physical action and the spiritual reality which occurs. No clear example exists after the establishment of the New Covenant and the establishment of the church on the day of Pentecost wherein any person became a Christ-follower without baptism.

This process of rebirth (death, burial, and resurrection to new life) also mirrors the experience of Jesus (death, burial and resurrection). Paul describes this as the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15. One becomes like Jesus in one’s participation in baptism–a Christian, one who is like Jesus.

In addition, Acts 2:38 connects baptism with the reception of the Holy Spirit. Much has been made of this passage, questioning the meaning of the Greek preposition eis. For a complete study of this question, see my article, Baptism….Again.

Let us be careful, diligent students of Scripture. Read the Bible again. Use a concordance and check out every NT passage about baptism. Check the NT passages about salvation, and those verses which connect baptism and salvation. The overwhelming evidence is in favor the connection, as is the experience of the early church as reflected in the Church Fathers. I am amazed that so many are willing to “take their chances” with a humanly-invented “possibility” in face of the clear teaching of Scripture.

I have been writing about Baby Boomers for over 20 years. My wife and I are Baby Boomers. My master’s thesis focused on the importance of Baby Boomers in the work of the church. In the late 1980s, Baby Boomers were on the cusp of assuming primary leadership roles in the church. Today we are on the verge of a wave of retirement, with the first Baby Boomers already drawing Social Security. Nonetheless, we are still in position to have a positive impact on the future of the church–perhaps even more in retirement (what many Baby Boomers prefer to call “reinvestment”) than during our family-rearing and working years.

The oldest generations in the church have typically been underserved. Only in recent years have we seen an increased interest in ministry to seniors. Other religious groups have been far ahead of us in the churches of Christ in this regard. Our Baptist neighbors have seen this need for at least 40 years. We are trying to catch up. We are writing books, studying gerontology, thinking about keeping seniors active and involved in the church. This generally includes ministry with those who are 55 or older. One of the “experts” in this area lives near us. Our brother in Christ, Dr. James Knapp of Southeastern Oklahoma State University has studied and written about the aging membership of the churches of Christ. We are “graying”. He says that in a typical congregation 20-40% of the members are in that age range. Dr. Knapp has examined the statistics for 754 congregations and found the average percentage of seniors to be 23% of the local members. The percentages of older members are generally higher in rural areas and lower in urban areas. The highest percentage he has found was a church of 100 that had 90% seniors and only 10% 54 and younger. For many years this age group has been underserved. Churches hire youth ministers that in many churches serve no more than 5-10% of the church, and a major age group that is 30-40% of the church and a significant contributor to the work of the church is ignored. I am not suggesting an “either-or” option but a “both-and”. Even in churches with limited resources, the church cannot afford to ignore the need for ministry focused on the seniors in the church.

What will we do in ministry with those who are 55 and older? The local church where I serve has a 55+ group. Most of them are signficantly older than that. The Baby Boomers represent another generation coming on who are today’s real 55+ers. We must give better attention and care to our “seniors.” In today’s world, ministry is not “to” seniors, it is “with” seniors.

Don Vinzant, minister at the Edmond church, told me yesterday that seniors fall into three groups: no gos, slow gos, and go gos. The church cannot afford to ignore this group that is at least one-fourth to one-third of its membership. In many congregations, this is the group that gives most of the contribution.

We must consider afresh the kind of honor, respect and service opportunities that our senior Christians deserve. We want to include and involve all of the members of God’s family–from our infants, children and youth to our seniors. Vinzant describes these as those “who have passed through many winters and still want to help in God’s work of reconciliation.” Indeed! My wife and I are “reinvesting” this year, not because we plan to quit, but because we want to do more than ever before, and freeing ourselves from the requirements of daily work routines will allow us the freedom and flexibility to do that. This story is not unique to us–it is the story of 1000s of Christians who will reinvest their lives in things they find meaningful, worthwhile and rewarding. The church will miss a great opportunity if it does not find ways to help these find service and ministry in those things that advance God’s kingdom.

Courtesy note for those who want to know.
I have posted quite a few new articles over the weekend. Articles are posted in reverse chronological order and are also dated. New articles are listed in a single category. You can access these by clicking on this link to my Articles Page.

We have made evangelism hard, not natural. Sharing good news should be one of the easiest, most natural things in the world. We have made it artificial and difficult. We have developed programs that seek “converts” and have depended more on human wisdom and power than on God’s wisdom and power. While we accept Bible passages that speak of God’s power (his Word, grace, the gospel, preaching), we have failed to see God’s power in the obvious places.

Today’s sermon illustrates the power of God in unlikely and unseen places: the power of the ordinary, the power of relationships, the power of encouragement, the power of caring, the power of a vision, the power of asking, and the power of our words. In these dynamics of our life, the power of the gospel is available to us. God sends us forth according to his plan and purpose in the ordinary days of our lives, through the relationships and people in our lives, with opportunities to encourage and care, with boldness to ask.

Perhaps we are less than effective because we “do” rather than “ask”. Jesus promised, “Ask and ye shall receive.” If evangelism is by God’s power, it should be a constant subject of our prayers!

This blog is a combination of excerpts from a recent article and subsequent reflections. [Recent articles can be accessed from my articles page.]

I am part of a fellowship that claims to be undenominational. Generally, our position has been that everyone else is a denomination, and we are not. While we deny that we are a denomination, we look at the world through denominational eyes. The concept of “church” in our worldview is fashioned by denominational understandings. We must change the way we understand the church and its place in God’s eternal purpose. We should do this not to “fix” everyone else, but to “fix” ourselves. We have focused on external and superficial criteria to identify the church and have too often overlooked heart and action.

I am saying that we have used a “denominational framework” to develop our worldview. The framework we use to develop our understanding of church is especially important. Using a denominational framework to develop a worldview means that the thought structures and categories used are shaped by denominational understandings. Those who use a denominational framework end up with two basic ways to define churches: denominational or nondenominational. Concepts such as missional, attractional, and inclusive provide points of conflict and do not fit.

A denominational worldview generally serves to exclude, isolate, and separate. Evangelism and missions are “official” actions and the average church members is not involved except to hire someone else to do it. Such churches have an inward focus and exist primarily to meet the needs of the members, so that the church is more interested in maintenance than mission. A denominational worldview results in leadership methods that control since the church is defined by a certain belief system and worship system. Those who would control the church fail to see the power God can unleash when disciples are freed, equipped, and empowered to go into the world as salt and light and leaven, modeling discipleship, making more disciples, marking those disciples, and maturing those disciples.

In our changing world, we need new, fresh ways of understanding what God is calling his people to be and do. An older tract published among us was titled, “Neither Protestant, Catholic, nor Jew.” Today, that description fits numerous churches that do not have strong roots in the Reformation. We live in the midst of hundreds of restoration-focused churches. How sad that we seldom if ever talk with them!

God’s plan is that the world might be saved by the gospel (1 Cor. 15:2).  That summary statement includes many aspects of God’s work in our world and our acceptance and involvement according to God’s purpose.  Based on our current approach to church, I fear that the modern church has by and large lost confidence in God’s plan.  We are trying to attract people with everything but the gospel. We think people will come because the activities are fun (and free) and the “product” is right. We entice people with meals, refreshments, enjoyable activities…the list seems almost endless. We are enticing people with everything but the gospel. The average church member seldom thinks of the attractiveness of the gospel when visiting with friends or neighbors. Do you doubt it? When was the last time you offered someone a gospel survey or Bible study? My observation is that we offer prayer, benevolent or financial help, and secular activities. We are training our children to grow up and leave the church when they find out that the church will not do for them as young adults what it did for them when they were part of the youth group. We are teaching self-serving Christianity. We are setting ourselves up in competition with the groups around us. We are trying to “catch” and keep people, including our own youth, with all kinds of activities and lures.  We must learn again the lesson:  what you convert them with is what you will keep them with!

I believe much of the success we are experiencing in Honduras is because we are bringing people to Christ with the good news of the gospel. We offer Bible study, knowing God, connection with God. That is why Dixiana, a young 16-year-old girl, is helping in a campaign two years after I baptized her. That is why the churches are growing. To the extent that we encourage those young Christians to adopt the U.S. standards of how the church building looks and what the church can do for me, we will find that people will be attracted for the wrong reasons.

In the U.S., we have started down a difficult path which we are finding hard to sustain. The average church cannot hire ministers focused on demographic groups–children’s minister, youth minister, singles minister, young adult minister, seniors minister–in addition to the task-oriented ministry needs–pulpit minister, outreach minister, involvement minister, education minister, administrative minister.

The gospel is attractive. We must get back to understanding, living, and communicating the essence of the gospel. God has a plan for this world. The gospel meets basic human needs. You and I can so live our lives that we “adorn” the gospel (1 Tim. 2:10). The church is declaration of God’s plan and purpose and wisdom (Eph. 3:10-11). The plan of God may seem folly and foolishness to some–Paul shows us that such was also the case in the first century (1 Cor. 1:18).

The power of God is in the word of God. God has a plan that involves Christ (as the means for the salvation of the world), the church (as the message of God’s love and wisdom), and Christians (as the ministers of reconcilation). By taking the gospel where we go in the world, Christians are involved in making more disciples, marking those disciples according to the teaching of God, and maturing those disciples to make more disciples.

God has no other plan.