We are finished with a four-week tour of the C&MA churches in the Hawaiian Islands. It’s been a beautiful month of connecting with the great folks in the churches here, as well as getting to see some of the beauty of this place. Now we’re off to hit several churches in the southeastern US. However, Hawaii will be remembered with fondness.

We didn’t get a huge opportunity to do everything there is to do there. No surf lessons. No snorkeling. I didn’t get to fly over the volcano on the “Big Island”. My wife did get to see the Robin Masters Estate (of Magnum PI fame). She was happy about that.

One of the highlights of “playing tourist” was visiting Pearl Harbor. My expectations were that of a tourist-driven war memorial and while I was sure that being on “that particular spot” would be interesting and maybe even kind of cool, I was not prepared for my real reaction.

“December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy”

As we moved through the queue for the movie and the short boat trip aboard a US Naval vessel to the resting place of the USS Arizona, there was something about being there that I found inexplicably moving. I had been looking forward to this trip. Renee’ had told be about the beauty of the blue water in the harbor – and I don’t doubt her assessment. However, the day we visited it was appropriately choppy and gunmetal gray. As we looked over the edge, oil continues to leak into the water.

Knowing that the rusting hull beneath us serves as a tomb for 1,177 soldiers made me feel small, weak and cowardly. Some tourists (many of whom, interestingly, were Japanese) gazed thoughtfully over the now peaceful waters. Some took pictures with thousand dollar cameras and tripods. I felt it to be a place of mourning and deep sorrow and, even though I too took pictures, I wondered if cameras should be banned or banished to the sea with the dead.

Questions came with the unexpected emotion of the day. Questions like, could America ever win a war again? Could the civilian population (and the news media) lay aside comfort for something that will be for the proverbial “greater good”? There was something about the WW2 generation, for good or for ill, in that they were willing to lay down their comforts and their rights for something bigger than themselves. In my generation the cynicism is too great. We don’t trust the government. We don’t trust the military. We don’t trust anyone who might tell us what to do. We don’t trust ourselves.

The more profound questions are in the placards on the shore which surround the memorial. Why does God’s grace allow for some to live and some to die? Perhaps better asked, why are we all not dead?

This bit of American war-time propaganda caught my attention.

Work. Fight. Sacrifice.

I was immediately drawn to this. Those three little words. I find them inspiring, noble words. Words I would like to be characterized by. Words that I know very little about.

They are Gospel words, really. At least if taken in the proper perspective.

Jesus worked on our behalf. That work was completed. “It is finished.” He obeyed the Law, thus completing the Law. He did it all. (Romans 10:4, Matthew 5:17)

Jesus fought for us … and won. He made a public spectacle of his defeated foes. Principalities and powers are no longer principle and no longer powerful. They’re disarmed and shamed. (Colossians 2:15)

He sacrificed everything, because we had nothing to sacrifice but life itself. The cross means a sacrifice I could never make. Jesus made it. For me. Forever. (Philippians 2:8, Hebrews 10:4-14)

Work, fight, sacrifice are Gospel words because Jesus did all of this for those who believe on his name. And we’re changed. And thus we do the things he did, for the benefit of others (Ephesians 2:10). We, too, work, fight and sacrifice.

This is where the bite and the challenge lies for me. I completely rest in the work Christ did for me. I’m shielded by his victory. I’m secure in his sacrifice. There’s nothing I can add. Yet, where does my very real working, fighting and sacrificing come to play?

I don’t believe the Bible teaches a pacifist spirituality, where all is rest and peace on every side and the Christian just floats to heaven “happy all the day.”

There’s more to it than this. I am pretty convinced that at least one job I have in the working out of God’s epic and historical masterpiece is that of prayer. Doing the work of prayer. Fighting the fight of prayer. Making the sacrifice of prayer.

Here’s the beef. Ministry, whether in Mongolia or in America, is about seeing the spiritually dead come alive (Ephesians 2:1) and hoping that the spiritually blind will actually begin to see (2 Corinthians 4:4). No mortal can make that happen. We say in the Alliance “prayer is the primary work of the people of God.” Theologically speaking, this is why I believe it’s true: prayer’s work in mission is essential, because God’s work in mission is indisputable.

I’m thankful for Pearl Harbor memorial. I’m thankful for those who gave their lives and I mourn their loss. I’m thankful those lives were not wasted and that the United States is still free. I’m thankful for that memorial, and for my visit there. It helped me to see something essential. Something I can’t loose sight of, lest I sink and drown. My first job is to work, fight and sacrifice in the arena of prayer, even though when it comes down to it, I’m pretty much a wimp when it comes to the fight of prayer. I’m a disciple who sleeps while the son of God sweats blood.

But Paul told the Colossians to “continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). Pay careful attention to it. Be courageously perseverant in it. That’s the kind of working, fighting, sacrificing and praying that needs to happen for the nations, for communities, for my family.

“Remember Pearl Harbor” was the rallying cry in the days following December 7, 1941. I don’t know if it’s quite “a rallying cry” for me. But my day in those warm, gray choppy waters changed me. In the end, i hope it will remind me to work, fight and sacrifice in order to pray for and with my wife and my children, friends, family, neighbors. I hope it helps some to “Remember Mongolia,” as well.

“Prayer is the mighty engine that is to move the missionary work” A.B. Simpson.

“Oh, how you must suffer for Jesus”.

That’s the typical initial sarcastic response I get when I tell people that we are doing Missions conferences for the churches in Hawaii. In February. And it’s true, we’re not suffering here, too much. Warm air, sea breezes, awesome sunsets and breathtaking vistas add to the inherent pleasantness of what is already a truly beautiful place. Perhaps the most beautiful place I’ve ever visited. And the food … well, I won’t even get started with the food.

However, our time here has not been spent drinking piña coladas on the beach (believe it or not).

The conversations we’ve had with church leaders in Hawaii have been enlightening and stimulating. I have come to the conclusion that Hawaii is a strategic launching point for the Great Commission, particularly in reaching Asian lands. I was speaking with a young associate pastor of a church here about the possibilities of Hawaii becoming a center for Missions and Leadership training, as this is his vision. It is exciting to see what may take place.

I’m also thrilled to see what may happen with several partnerships that are developing and may be developing here with Mongolia. A Hawaii-Mongolia connection is happening. There is already one church on it’s way to an official strategic partnership with the field. (Shout out to Leeward!) There are others who expressed serious interest in this, as well. Mongolia needs partners. It’s a privilege to see God making a way for more partners to form from these beautiful islands as we travel from church to church.

I am praying that the Hawaiian churches will continue to mobilize for mission, and that the saints here will lay down their lives so the Nations will achieve their purpose.

“I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth” Psalm 46:10

And He will be exalted in Mongolia, as we work together for the beauty and glory of Jesus.

So, please pray for the churches of Hawaii. There are struggles they face which are unique to these islands. The Lord has His people here. It’s been a privilege to connect with them.

And I’ll just say that our suffering here has been minimal. Especially at meal times…

This week finds me (Bernie) in the preparation process for final examinations as I finish out stage one of higher education. I’ve mentioned it here before, but, for those who don’t know, I am doing graduate work with the University of South Africa in Missions and Christian Spirituality. During this first week of February I will complete my “Honors BTh” degree and hopefully gain entrance into the Masters program later this year. (If you’re really interested in how the educational system in South Africa differs from ours, you can check it out online. I am a fan of UniSA and recommend it to any of my American friends who want to finish out a degree).

In any case, my recent reading for Missiology has been the tome written missiologist David J. Bosch entitled “Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission”. This is a book that has become more precious to me as I read. Bosch wrote prophetically about how missions has moved and will be progressing over the coming decades. While I take issue with things he says here and there, overall, I highly respect his research and insights. In particular, I am listing here 18 points he makes toward a “constructive understanding of evangelism”. As I read through these things it’s a breath of fresh air. Even though this book was written in 1991, it wears contemporary relevance like a comfortable jacket. It’s fairly weighty reading – and probably not something most would read from cover-to-cover. However, if you are involved with missions in any way, Chapter 12, “Elements of an Emerging Ecumenical Paradigm”, is necessary reading (this “chapter” being about 142 pages in length) in which he lists and explains what he sees as thirteen elements of mission for the twenty-first century. It is truly prophetic writing. Bosch was killed in a car accident a few years after this was published. In my mind, this was the loss of a world-class, modern day missionary statesman. He has another little volume called A Spirituality of the Road. I highly recommend this to anyone working in cross-cultural missions.

One of the critical elements elaborated on is “Mission as Evangelism.” He gives an helpful list of points to understanding evangelism. They are as follows:

1. I perceive mission to be wider than evangelism 

2. Evangelism should therefore not be equated to mission

3. Evangelism may be viewed as an essential dimension of the total activity of the church

4. Evangelism involves witnessing to what God has done, is doing and will do

5. Even so, evangelism does aim at a response.

6. Evangelism is always invitation.

7. The one who evangelizes is a witness, not a judge

8. Even though we ought to be modest about the character and effectiveness od our witness, evangelism remains an indispensable ministry.

9. Evangelism is only possible when the community that evangelizes – the church – is a radiant manifestation of the Christian faith and exhibits an attractive lifestyle.

10. Evangelism offers people salvation as a present gift and with it assurance of eternal bliss.

11. Evangelism is not proselytism.

12. Evangelism is not the same as church extension.

13. To distinguish between evangelism and membership recruitment is not to suggest, though, that they are disconnected.

14. In evangelism, “only people can be addressed and only people can respond” (versus Societies, etc. It’s individual. But not individualistic.)

15. Authentic evangelism is always contextual.

16. Because of this, evangelism cannot be divorced from the preaching and practice of justice.

17. Evangelism is not a mechanism to hasten the return of Christ, as some suggest.

18. Evangelism is not only verbal proclamation.

This seems to be a thorough list. I think I would add something to clarify that evangelism at its core involves proclamation of the cross of Christ. However, if you assume that this is the essence of evangelism by definition, this seems like a solid list of points to understand.

What do you think? Additions? Corrections? Deletions?

“For you always have the poor with you…” Jesus (Matthew 26:11)

The contrasts between Mongolia and Franklin, Tennessee are flat out Brobdingnagian (Yeah, I’ve been waiting to use that five-dollar word for a long time. With the new Gulliver’s Travels movie coming out, maybe this will become a popular new adjective?) The above photo is not one that will ever be taken close to my home in Franklin. I’m currently living in a place that’s prosperous and wealthy, and an epicenter for contemporary Christian culture, music, art, literature and more. Honestly, today, as I was driving down the oak and maple lined downtown streets and sliding by my favorite Starbucks store in the world, I have to admit that this is truly an ideal place to spend a one-year home assignment. I love our home church. I love the fellowship and community that we experience here. And while I do feel a bit disconnected (even now after 8 months), I must say that this is Hobbiton for me. It’s the Shire. It’s everything that represents comfort and home, this side of heaven. At least, for me. I know I am sometimes critical of America, American culture and often of what has become my hometown. However, ultimately, this is probably the one place in the world I would choose to be, if I that choice were mine to make.

In Mongolia we work with some of the very poor. In Franklin (while I was pastoring) our church was (and still is) located in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. This was intentional. Far too often, James 1:27 takes on a rendering of “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: … to keep oneself unstained from the world.” So we live our lives and protect our children and do what we can to keep from “worldly defilement,” at least as far as that meets our definition. The ellipsis is “to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.” Care for the poor and for the “least of these” is not an option, nor is it even an obligation. If I understand what the Bible teaches correctly, it’s something Christians do. Period. It’s unfortunate that things like social and economic justice have been so horribly politicized in the evangelical church, to the point that many people who hold to a conservative theology (it’s probably true in politics, as well) are downright afraid of this kind of work. Someone told me recently that they would not go to a church that uses language like “justice”, for fear that they’d have sold out the Gospel. That’s simple ignorance I suppose, but “justice” is Biblical language, and is at the very heart of the Gospel and needs to be practiced and demonstrated by the church. However, that’s a discussion for another article on another day.

The question I bring up is the way we work help the poor. How do we intervene? I’ve observed work with the poor in Mongolia and in Franklin and I’ve worked with the poor in both of these places. The way is not always clear. Issues can be complicated. Contexts can be tough to discern. Perhaps one of the most helpful books I’ve read on this subject is Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert’s “When Helping Hurts.” Anyone working under the auspices of the Gospel to help the poor must read this. Not all poverty is created equal. Sometimes the need is relief, sometimes it’s rehabilitation and sometimes the real work is in development. Not every situation we run into requires immediate relief. Some require long-term, well planned and strategized development.

This is article very intentionally for those who care about “the ellipse” of James 1:27 and know that Jesus wants His followers to serve the most powerless in our society. In other words, if you’re reading this and you don’t really care: stop reading blogs and go read your Bible until Jesus changes your heart, you repent and you do begin to care.

For those who do care and who are working with the poor and powerless, I think it’s important for us to understand that there are two ways we can fail, with best intentions. Many know that serving the poor is important, even required. Some may study the right ways and means for serving the poor. However, there can often be a lack of genuine love and concern for people as human beings, to the point where action is minimal, at best. This is knowledge knowledge without zeal. While that’s definitely a potential fail, I don’t think it’s the common one. Maybe in some academic circles. Maybe a stray theologian. But most people who are actually getting their hands dirty will face the other potential fail.

There’s a greater problem, particularly among Americans working with the poor, both domestic and foreign. We have such abundance and great means. So we try to give away massive amounts of money, food, clothes and more – with great zeal, but with no knowledge. Without intention we give in such a way that we even cause harm to the recipients. Zeal without knowledge is a fail we need to face.

This would not be the place to deal with this question in a comprehensive manner. The issues are complex and even a little unclear in many cases. However, I would like to propose that before beginning extensive ministry to the poor and the powerless, the following to be considered:

1. Read the Bible with intensity and let the Holy Spirit put His heart for people (particularly the poor) into your psyche. That will consist of learning what it means to love people with a whole heart, fervently.

2. Have real-time conversations with the people you serve, with the honest intension of learning from them. Arrogance is the American’s greatest relational obstacle when working cross-culturally. We must recognize when we are being wise in our own eyes and learn what it means to become a true servant.

3. Learn the difference between relief, rehabilitation and development; and learn when each of these should be applied. In most situations I have observed, relief is being administered when the real need is rehabilitation or development. The work of relief tends to be the easiest and provides quick and immediate gratification. However, the longer, harder work of rehabilitation and development is seldom even considered, let alone really practiced. We need more long-term thinking that leads to long-term solutions and less flash-in-the-pan.

I highly recommend two resources for further reading on this subject. “When Helping Hurts” by Fikkert and Corben along with another book entitled “Building a People of Power” by David Linthicum are “must read” resources for working with the poor and disenfranchised, in any context. I’d love to get your reaction to these both of these books.

What do you think about the issue? How do we best help the poor from a Biblical and a pragmatic perspective? DO you know of other helpful resources that bring greater understanding to how we help the poor? “The Ellipse” cannot be ignored. However, we should give serious thought to how we “help without hurting.”

I am not sure how to construct this post in a way that is not going to offend some. It’s not that I am afraid of offending people. I’m not so bad at that. However, I really don’t like being offensive. I particularly don’t like the possibility of offending people whom I know and even like. (This may be why I really don’t have that many friends…)

But I write.

The past few months have found me in different kinds of churches, mostly in Wisconsin, to talk missions, Mongolia and the Kingdom and Glory of Christ. Each church is a menagerie of different experiences: fun, interesting and, in some cases … well … interesting. I’ve been in small churches and I’ve been in large churches, each with its own dynamic and various strengths and weaknesses. I must say that over all it’s been a good experience, even though I am now quite ready to get back to my family in Franklin.

Missions mobilization is the primary job of the furloughing missionary. I believe that. My aim is that as many churches as possible will be involved with God’s mission for the world. It’s my hope that stories from the field, direct contact with the workers (i.e., me) and exposition of the Bible will help people in churches move closer to the least reached and unreached peoples of the world.

I make one major observation from doing this tour (this is where the offensive part comes). The key individual for missions mobilization and missions engagement in local churches in America is not the visiting missionary. It is not the missions committee chair. It is not the common member of the congregation. The key missions mobilizer in any church is the pastor and/or the pastoral leadership. In every church I have visited the heat of missions fervor is relative to the lead pastor’s interest (or disinterest) in the overseas work. It’s the maxim. The constant. The every-time reality.

I’ll be careful here. I was a pastor for a long time. I understand the pressures that are on the shepherd of a congregation. It can be overwhelming … and it can be overwhelming to even think about one more thing to be responsible for. Particularly something that may seem minor. Missions involvement. Isn’t that why we have missionaries? Isn’t discipleship more critical? What about local evangelism? Why missions? Why one more thing? I understand the pressure from below and the pressure from above that pastors face. I really do. But, sorry pastor dude (if it’s possible there is a pastor among the four or five who read this blog). I can’t let up on this issue. The missions temperature of any given church depends on where the pastor sets the thermostat. It’s been true in every church I’ve visited.

So what’s a leader in the church to do? I am going to list four things that I think will help. There’s much more there, perhaps. But, here is my initial stab at a list that I hope will be helpful. I am open to more. I like discussion. As you can see, I have absolutely no opinions about this issue, at all (tongue firmly planted in cheek).

1.Bathe in the Bible (… and encourage your people to bathe in the Bible)
The scope of this article does not include an argument of why missions should be a center piece to every Christian church. Suffice it to say that there is plenty of material out there to make this argument. I have read the Bible from cover to cover several times during my years of ministry, and I find the issue of God’s glory being revealed and spread to all peoples of the earth a consistent in Scripture. It’s in every book of the Bible. All I can say is read it. You’ll discover this to be Scripture’s central theme. Any person (or pastor) who lives in and is fed by the Scriptures will find a Biblical motivation for caring about unreached and unengaged peoples around the globe. I really believe that we should care about what the Bible cares about. In doing that we care about what Jesus cares about and our priorities are right. Too often, Pastor (yeah, I’ll speak directly here) we get too concerned about our own ministry kingdom and personal ego. I say this from experience. I’ve been there. I know the human ego – and worse, the pastoral ego – far too well. This is why God gave us the gift of the cross. We must crucify fleshly ego that gets in the way of what He really wants to do through His church, purchased with His blood, that we have been called to lead. We can only lead when dead to self. There’s no other way.

2. Understand Missiology (… and do what it takes to help your people understand missiology)
This may seem like an ivory tower issue. I know that the popular way to advertise churches now days is to let people know that we give “practical messages” and most would not find missiology immediately practical. The problem here goes back to number 1, at least to some extent. A people mobilized for missions are a people who are versed in the Scriptures. However, it is also important to understand the unique issues surrounding overseas work. I have met with missions committees who have no idea about basic issues like contextualization, dependency or church planting. While these things may not seem to have immediate relevance, the person who is mobilized to do their part in fulfilling the Great Commission should at least be aware of some of the issues that those on the field are facing. One the best educational resources for missions mobilization that I am aware of is the material put out by the US Center for World Missions called “Perspectives“. As far as I am concerned, this is something every pastor should take. If possible, every member of the missions committee should be scholarshiped by the church to go through this. This training of local pastors and missions leaders will serve those of us who are serving on the field beyond telling, in terms of awareness, help and support. It will make a missions committee more effective in doing it’s job and it will give the local church greater global impact.

3. Don’t Make Everything “Missions” (because that will make nothing missions)
I know the trends. I know we now use the term “mission” as a generic word for “outreach.” Some churches will use “global” and “local” as descriptive modifiers. However, it seems many churches are confused when it comes to the difference between these two areas. And there is a difference. It is not appropriate to pit local outreach and global missions against each other, or to call one more important than the other. However, I also think we do a disservice to both areas when we equate them with each other. Reaching out to American inner cities or helping hurricane victims on the Gulf coast is good work that churches should be involved with. However, this is not the same thing as connecting with those who are crossing culture to reach an unreached, under-reached or unengaged people group. Churches in America can and should be involved with both. Our terminology is important and people get confused when we equate local outreach to global engagement. These are not the same things. While it may be possible to be engaged globally and not involved locally, this is not a typical problem. In most of my observations the exact opposite issue is a greater problem. More churches than ever are engaged at a local level, and assume that things will care for themselves globally. There’s an incredible disconnect. This is exacerbated when we call local outreach “missions” and pat each other on the back for being “missions-minded”, when in reality the church is mostly about locally growing bigger and gives very little thought to the unreached and unengaged peoples of the world. Global missions and local outreach are not the same, and engagement with one does not mean engagement with the other.

4. Get Involved With Relationally Based Strategic Partnerships
This means that your church connects directly with a field, a worker or a field project at a personal and relational level. In other words, the local church actually knows and understands international workers, and their work. Partnership is relationship that moves to a specific way of the local church praying for, resourcing, connecting and communicating with the field. Church members know the overseas work and is able to participate with that work in incredibly tangible ways. The field worker, likewise, knows the church and has connected with the people there. We have partner churches who have paid for and installed computer labs, taught Mongolian girls how to quilt and provided field workers with needed vehicles. Official strategic partnerships connect the church with the field, and the field with the church. I’m a fan. For churches in my denomination, this is can now be accomplished in an official manner at www.cmalliance.org. I can’t tell you how much I am a fan of this model of mobilization. It engages both the church and the field and is a true “win/win” for all involved. (Contact me personally if you want more specifics!)

In the end, missions mobilization requires intentional pastoral involvement and there’s no way around it. Pastor (here I go talking direct again), you have to be globally engaged. Meet with and encourage the missions committee. Take “Perspectives” with them. Partner with a field or a field worker. Bathe and believe in the Bible. It’s not enough to talk about local outreach, or even to make random short term trips. Make sure your theology of missions includes the unreached, under-reached and unengaged peoples of the world.

Missions should be in the DNA of the church, but it probably won’t be until it’s the heart of the pastor.

What other ways can a pastor get more involved with missions? How does your church leadership work to mobilize the people of the church for the Great Commission?

Contrary to popular belief, Home Assignment is not a year long vacation, just in case anyone has false ideas of what “missionaries” do when not on the field. Currently I am in the midst of a 10 week tour in Wisconsin. Even last week, when I was on vacation with my family in Panama City, FL, I still had the opportunity to speak and share in a church being pastored by an old friend. We’ve been to Wyoming and New Mexico to connect with our church partners. Kingdom work in Mongolia goes on there and we are about the work of raising awareness, prayer and support here. It’s a full time job, really. Being away from family for huge chunks at a time is not great. However, I am happy to connect with churches and to see awareness and support and connectedness with the Global Kingdom of Jesus increase. It’s satisfying.

Wyoming, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Florida … and Tennessee. I’ve had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time in each of these places. A couple of weeks ago I was driving through an unnamed Wisconsin town. The downtown area had an unbelievable number of bars. It was fairly amazing, actually. I can’t say that I have ever been to a place that has more bars, per capita. One Catholic Church. One Lutheran Church. 75 bars. (Okay, maybe not 75 … but trust me when I say it was a lot.) As I drove through “Bar-Town”, Wisconsin, I decided something. There needs to be a moratorium on church planting in areas like Nashville (and that includes Franklin, Brentwood and Spring Hill) and Dallas (I read that this is the most churched area in the country – and Metro Nashville can’t be far behind). Church planters who are feeling called to establish a new congregation really need to consider places where there is little Gospel presence and that would NOT be Nashville. It WOULD be places like Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, or towns in States like Maine or Montana. I drove through Spring Hill, TN one recent Saturday evening and the entire main drag through town was littered (seriously, it looked like actual litter) with church signs in preparation for Sunday Morning (and Saturday night) services. Spring Hill doesn’t need another church. Franklin, TN doesn’t need another church. But, if planting a church is what’s on your heart, why not consider going to Española, New Mexico or to Beacon Falls, Connecticut? Nashville already has churches. Lots and lots of churches. I would even go so far to say that Nashville has enough churches. I know there will be some who disagree to the point of even being offended by that statement. But, I wholeheartedly believe it’s true.

I was sharing these thoughts with an old friend of mine recently. His immediate response was expected and common. “Well, there’re lost people everywhere, brother.” Yeah, I know it. And, in Nashville and places like it, there are is also opportunity everywhere. There are over 800 churches in Nashville. If neighboring Williamson County is thrown into the mix there are well over 1000 churches in the area. One thousand churches. Granted, many of these churches will not be Gospel preaching churches. So take away half. Take away two-thirds. Take away three-fourths of them. That still leaves at least 250 churches, for crying out loud. That goes without even mentioning all the Christian ministries and organizations that are located in Nashville and the surrounding counties. I dare say that Nashville is churched. Are there lost people? Yes. Are there unchurched? Sure. But establishing another church in a place where there are so many other churches is not going to change that fact.

Church planters must ask and answer the question of “why do I want to plant?” And let’s not play games. Answer the question with brutal honesty. Several years ago, I met with a church planter guy who wanted to “plant” in the Nashville area. His stated main goal in trying to figure out where to establish his new congregation was not “where is the need?” His main goal was “how close am I to our family and what school system will my kids be in.” Are you kidding me? This is terribly wrong criteria.

I wonder sometimes if we really understand what Jesus meant when He said that we are to deny self, take up the Cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Somehow our American Dream mindset discounts the implicit discomfort of that call. Establishing the Kingdom of Jesus in the areas of the world (and America) that are unreached and least-reached is not going to be comfortable. The easy places are essentially reached. The easy places have Bibles and churches and Christians. It’s the uncomfortable places of the world (and America) that are left. I would never choose to live in “Bar-Town”, Wisconsin or Connecticut or even Panama City, Florida (yeah, the beach is nice – but sure wouldn’t want to live there). But these are the places where church planters NEED to live and do the work of the Kingdom. If the choice were mine, I wouldn’t choose to live in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It’s not an awesome city. It’s far from family and there are very few “perks” in living there. But it’s my harvest field – where I am called. Church planters need to go to the places in America (and the world) where the need lies … not necessarily to the places in America (or the world) where they are comfortable.

So until the Gospel of grace and freedom is being proclaimed over the noise of “Bar-Town”, let’s call a moratorium on further church planting in Nashville and other such over-churched places. If you are called to a place like Nashville, why not connect with and assist something that’s already happening instead of feeling the need to start something of your own? There are good things happening in many Nashville area churches. Join what God is already doing there. If there is a sense of being called to something new, why not check out “Bar-Town”, Wisconsin? It’s time to move toward need and not comfort. That’s what Jesus said.

The day came all too soon. It was a Thursday. It was surreal. I got in my little (borrowed) Saturn Astra. Jonathan got in his Ford Explorer. We’d packed. We gassed up. We left Franklin. Destination: Greenville, SC. Jonathan has been with us for 18 years, and it’s time for him to venture off on his own.

I spent most of the trip in my car, he in his. Alone together. Together alone. We stopped just once, I think. For food. I spent most of the trip wondering how the time got away from me so quickly. Eighteen years really isn’t that long. As we drove past places along the way, memories flood my mind. Big Rock Mountain in Crab Orchard, TN. We camped a couple of times and learned to rock climb together there. We passed Gatlinburg, TN, where Renee’, Jonathan and I had some of our first family vacations. I still remember pushing Jonathan around in a stroller through the winding Gatlinburg sidewalks. As we hit the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, I made the decision that this is indeed my favorite area on the planet. Jonathan, Cori and I went on several camping trips in that area … some of the very first ones were there. Jonathan ate himself sick on blueberries. We hiked the AT. We slept in an abandoned barn. It’s funny how a stretch of interstate can have so many memories that I didn’t even know I had.

As a father, I want my son to exceed anything and everything I’ve accomplished. I guess, most Dads want that for their kids. It’s normal. My prayer and hope for Jonathan is not that he will “follow in my footsteps”. I want him to run past me. Blow me out of the water. That’s my hope. He is going to the same school that Renee’ and I went to. For that I am glad. It’s a good place to learn how to seek God. And as long as he seeks God he will do fine. I know he’ll be all right.

We arrived in Greenville that evening. It was dark. As we pulled on campus, so many other memories flood my mind. This is the place where I learned to follow Jesus. It’s where I learned that it’s more important “to be” than it is “to do”. It’s where I learned the things that I needed to know to sustain 17 years of ministry without quitting when it got hard. We parked the cars and started to wander around. We needed to find someone to help us check into our rooms. As we climbed the stairs to head to the dining room, I stopped short. There was a copperhead snake laying directly across the path in front of us. I had nothing to move it with, nothing to kill it with – and I sure didn’t want to step over it. If I’d had boots on, I would have stepped on it and smashed its head. But I was wearing sandals, and just didn’t want to take a chance of missing and having to go to the emergency room with a snake bite on my big toe. So, we climbed onto the building and were able to navigate around the snake, and we did find a young lady to help us. When I told her that there was a snake on the path, she gave a squeal and promptly brought me a shovel. Welcome to the Evangelical Institute.

I wasn’t able to kill the snake. It has crawled off the path, and I couldn’t get an angle on it with the shovel. I think I may have injured it. But now there was a really angry hissing copperhead in the bushes. We avoided that area for the rest of the night.

Jonathan and I worked to get his room set up late into the night. We drove around Greenville the next day and finished getting everything he needed for the coolest dorm room ever.

I spent most of the day continuing to wonder where the time had gone. Wasn’t he just pushing Thomas the Tank Engine trains around the living room last year? Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that he was playing soccer in shorts that went down to his ankles and socks that went up to his waist? And I know it was just a few days ago that he donned his pink hat and with fear and trepidation boarded an airplane to Mongolia, trusting that Mom and Dad were not completely insane and that we were all doing the right thing. Now he’s 18 and in school. On his own. My heart hurts. But I am not worried. Not worried at all. I am really, really proud of him. I didn’t have much to do with him turning out as well as he has. God is faithful.

God is faithful … and time is fleeting. That’s what I keep coming back to. The Bible says that life is a vapor and all flesh is grass. I understand that better than I care to, now. We don’t really have that long on this planet and it’s sure not our home. We’re only visiting. It is more crucial to me than ever before that life be lived for the Glory of Jesus and not be wasted on uselessness. By my math, I’m at least half way finished (in all likelihood). My son is just starting his journey. I pray he finds more joy and more satisfaction in Jesus than I ever could. I pray that he fights harder and accomplishes more than I ever did. I pray he has less wasted moments. More fruit. More prayer. More victories.

It was getting late. I had a long journey to Wisconsin in front of me. Time to go visit churches and talk about Mongolia. We finished setting up the dorm room. I took some last minute pictures. We walked to my car and said goodbye. I could see him walking back to the dorm in my rear view mirror. I called Renee’, told her that he was going to be okay and cried. As I made my way north, I did much thinking and much praying for both of my children. I don’t know how great of a father I was for them. I get so uptight about stuff that’s not so important. They have both seen the ugliest sides of me. I wasn’t one to wrestle and I don’t think I did enough “Dad things”. But I know that there is one thing that both of my kids have learned from their parents. You have to do the will of God no matter what. I suppose if there is nothing else to learn, you’ll be okay if you learn that.

I listened to the Jars of Clay song called “Boys (Lesson one)” (lyrics below … it’s a fantastic song) and cried again. It seemed like an enormously long drive to Kentucky.

As I pulled off the Interstate, weary and worn out, I got a text from Jonathan. It simply said, “We killed it! :]”. I smiled and thanked God. He killed the snake that I wasn’t able to. It was really an answer to my prayers. God is faithful. Life is fleeting. I know that he’s in good hands and he will be fine.

Lesson one – do not hide
Lesson two – there are right ways to fight
And if you have questions
We can talk through the night

So you know who you are
And you know what you want
I’ve been where you’re going
And it’s not that far
it’s too far to walk
But you don’t have to run
you’ll get there in time

Lesson three – you’re not alone
Not since I saw you start breathing on your own
You can leave, you can run, this
will still be your home

So you know who you are
And you know what you want
I’ve been where you’re going
And it’s not that far
it’s too far to walk
But you don’t have to run
you’ll get there in time
Get there in time

In time, to wonder where the days have gone
In time, to be old enough to
wish that you were young
When good things are unraveling,
bad things come undone
You weather love and lose your innocence

There will be liars and
thieves who take from you
Not to undermine the consequence
But you are not what you do
And when you need it most
I have a hundred reasons why I love you

If you weather love and lose your innocence
Just remember – lesson one

Boys (Lesson one) by Jars of Clay

These days have found me (Bernie) spending much time at the Williamson County Public Library or Starbucks working on a couple of research papers I want to have finished by the end of the month.* This is not to say there are not other proverbial irons in the fire (I have this thing called “missions conference tour” that I keep hearing about), but that’s the focus at the moment. In reality, I’ve found the first months of home assignment to be refreshingly uneventful. I think ‘uneventfulness’ is something I needed more than I probably knew. Even recent mornings have found me waking up groggily at 10:00 AM, quite the rare event for those who know my early rising tendencies. Perhaps my perceived laziness is telling of my weariness. However, that said, it’s been a good couple of months to rest and write and think.

I’ve found my thinking often lands on the issue of community. Community, not in the sense of development or “centers”, but community in the sense of “living life together”.

Last week I went to a “Hutchmoot”. “Hutch” as in a cage for rabbits. “Moot” as in an old English word for meeting, used specifically with regards to the meeting of large tree-shepherds called “Ents” in the writings of JRR Tolkien. Strange name. Spectacular gathering (I almost wrote “meeting” but “meeting” could bring thoughts of board rooms and power lunches. This was more a gathering: dispersed people wandering to one place for an informal but glorious “moot”. Check out the web page and the Rabbit Room for more info and true etymology.) Weekend discussion focused on Gospel centered story telling through music, literature and other artistic expression. Lot’s of talk about books and music – which was fun. However, the core and essential matters, and the moments which moved me most were conversations which ended up centering on Christian community in relationship to Gospel storytelling. I came away with the seed of an idea that I am not sure I will ever move away from. The best ministry and creativity in a Christian and Biblical context will always sprout and grow to fruition in an environment of community. I am still playing with that sentence. I don’t know for sure. But I have this deep suspicion that it’s true. Truer than I know.

M. Night Shaymalan had a couple of decent films early in his career. The Sixth Sense and Signs were examples of good film-making; surprising, redemptive, even beautiful in their message and tone. That said, all of his films since those two have taken a serious turn for the worst. He’s become a “one-trick pony” and his recent films have been good examples of the uncreative and banal. In a recent conversation, we were discussing how someone could go from “Sixth Sense” to “Last Airbender” and I found out, interestingly enough, that Shaymalan works in alone. He writes alone. He has complete creative control of all his films, and does very little collaborating with others. He does not work in community. This answered many questions for me.

Community and creativity must walk together. Without community, creativity becomes a one-dimensional effort; limited; dull and what once was original becomes secondhand and worn out.

Contextual theology is creative work in much the same way writing a song or a novel is creative work. This is particularly true in a young church that doesn’t have 2000 years of church history to stand on. The Church in Mongolia is in the process of becoming “self-theologizing.” This is a critical and oft neglected aspect of mission. Right now Mongolian Christian theology has been nearly 100% imported. Some is fine. There are aspects of theology that are universal and timeless and cross all cultures. However, there is s great need pastors and teachers and thinkers and writers in Mongolia to learn how to theologize in way that is both Biblical and contextual. There is much more to be said about contextual theology than what can be put into a blog post, but I will say that this task of learning and doing will take a great amount of creative energy, much of which was sapped in Mongolia by seventy years of socialism. My Mongolian sisters and brothers will have to open new channels of thinking and creating in order to do the creative work of contextual theology. This is not a mere academic venture. It is as much artistic.

At the very center of this creative contextual theologizing, is a community of believers united by the Cross, the Blood, their faith and their story. Learning to live and work together, “striving to maintain the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3) A group who is called “the Body of Christ” (I Corinthians 12:27) and “the Bride of Christ” (Revelation 19:7), and even “brothers” of Jesus (Hebrews 2:11). A group that Jesus has prayed for very specifically. “…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21) This group is called to tell the unique story of Mongolian Jesus followers to this generation and to the next. No one else can tell their story. The story must be told. Together.

I have to confess that this kind of community is something I’ve only tasted a few times in my life. I’ve written about it before, and, in recent days, have had so many good discussions with good friends on this topic. However, it is something that I dream for the emerging church in Mongolia. We return in 10 months. My hope and prayer is that next term we will have the opportunity to begin walking with the Mongolian church to a new age: Community-based, Biblical, creative, contextual theology propelled through the culture in the conduit of proclamation, story and song.

My hope is that if we work together with Mongolian brethren, and the church works together in community, we will see stories and films and songs in the Mongolian language that will rival the works of Lewis or Tolkien or Chesterton in the English language (and perhaps very little of everything “The Last Airbender” represents).

Now back to the library. I have a paper to finish.

* For those who are not aware, I am doing graduate work through the University of South Africa. I hope to finish phase one of this work the first week of February. More on this in another post…

I don’t remember the exact day it dawned on me that the Mongolian populace really doesn’t care whether I live in Mongolia or not. There are in fact some Mongolians who would just assume that I stayed here in Franklin, TN. I don’t remember if it was a day my ignorance of the Mongolian language was taken advantage of and I paid way more for a shoe shine than I ever should have. It may have been the day I punched a guy for trying to steal my camera, or the day I nearly came to blows with another man in the market because of his mistreatment of my wife. Whichever day it was, I know that the Mongolian people are not gathered rejoicing that the Anderson family lives in Ulaanbaatar (at least four out of five years). Hard to believe, I know. But it’s true.

I’ve figured something else out (I’m slow and incredibly egocentric when it comes to these things). The same is true when it comes to living in America. There are no ticker-tape parades celebrating the fact that a former pastor, missionary (err… International Worker) family is now living Stateside. There may have been a day when that would have been different. Possibly. Frankly, I am happy there were no parades and I despise the celebrity making of Christian workers who are supposed to be servants. So it’s all good.

As we reconnect with Southern US, Franklin, TN culture, I am seeing the obvious: things have changed and are changing. I am not an anthropologist or a sociologist or an any-kind-of-ologist. I have learned over the years that Christian ministry requires skills in exegeting the Word as well as exegeting the culture. The Word and culture must connect in a way that both heaven-reaching meaning and oak-rooted truth live peaceably with each other. This is contextualization, and is necessary work in both Franklin and Ulaanbaatar.

American culture has shifted in the past four years. It’s not really even that subtle. People are generally satisfied with their lives. There is little “need” at a conscious level. We are a truly post-Christian age. Albert Mohler makes this observation in a Newsweek article that was published last year:

“The post-Christian narrative is radically different; it offers spirituality, however defined, without binding authority,” he told me. “It is based on an understanding of history that presumes a less tolerant past and a more tolerant future, with the present as an important transitional step.” The present, in this sense, is less about the death of God and more about the birth of many gods. The rising numbers of religiously unaffiliated Americans are people more apt to call themselves “spiritual” rather than “religious.”

There are interesting similarities between post-Christian American spirituality and the potpourri of spiritualities present in post-socialist Mongolia. For the most part, anything goes and tolerance reigns supreme. (Sidebar: Please don’t misunderstand. I am not for intolerance in the unloving, graceless, bitter way that the “God hates fags” crowd is intolerant. I am for finding the Biblical balance of grace and discernment). We need to seek how we are to engage a culture that is as interested in hearing about Jesus as they are about inner workings of the government in the Czech Republic. I once asked a woman in an Outer Mongolian countryside ger if she had ever heard about Jesus. She said she had heard of Jesus, but he “wasn’t interesting”. She followed the “yellow religion” (that is Tibetan Buddhism). I have a friend who works at a cafe’ in Franklin, TN. She has tried to share Christ with her coworkers, and they are no more interested in Jesus than the Yellow-Religion following Mongolian. One guy at the cafe’ believes in Kharma. Another believes all roads lead to heaven. There is a satisfaction in being a good heathen. Hardworking. Tolerant. Not a bitter anti-Christian. Simply satisfied to include Jesus as nothing more than another totem on the pole. People here and there will not be characterized by banging down the doors of our churches any time soon.

That’s what I see, culturally speaking. However, I am also wondering what the answer might be. How do we bring attention to need without carrying signs and yelling at people on street corners? I am pretty sure that Jesus will not generally be received this way. Nor will we. On the other hand, we must engage people in the conversation. People are not going to hear about Christ nor receive His grace because we simply exist.

I told a story at our church’s VBS last week. It was a story Jesus told about two men, a religious-worker-pastor-missionary-type who thought he had it all together and a worldly-wise thieving tax collector who had clearly blown it with his life. One prayed extensively with extreme gratitude that he was better than everyone else and one wouldn’t lift his eyes to heaven for the shame of what he’d done with his life. One was ignored by God and one “went away justified.” It’s a potent story for those who trust “in themselves that they are righteous and treat others with contempt.” It was powerful when I told it to church children. It had to be powerful when Jesus told it to religious Jews. (See more at Luke 18:9-14)

I don’t know for sure, but it seems to me that current cultural shifts are making way for the rediscovery of the power of story. Perhaps this is the day for artists and poets and photographers and moviemakers and singers in the church to use their gifts alongside the preachers and philosophers to tell the Gospel story to this generation in a way that is subtle, surprising and powerful. It seems to be true in Mongolia as well as in America. What would it look like if the church became something of a community of story tellers, missionally proclaiming the Gospel in Christlike humility? I’m convinced this a conversation we should be having in the world-wide Christian church of 2010. What will this kind of community look like in Mongolia and Franklin and the million other communities around the world where the church currently exits, and is disturbingly absent? Grace is much more subversive than we would have ever expected and the story must be told. Will we be bold enough to tell it?