Home

God is adding to our church family.  We are seeing new faces and families every week.  We are regularly celebrating new members who covenant with us to make Christ known in the world.

Hallelujah!  The "word of the year" for CBC is Multiply.  

We are praying for God to multiply us.  For God to use us to multiply disciples.  To multiply pastors and teachers and missionaries.  To multiply life groups and Bible study friendships.  To multiply children by births and adoptions.  Maybe even to multiply churches!  Most of all, we are asking God to multiply His glory in the gospel of Christ in and through us this year.

But we also know we will inevitably have to say some goodbyes.  Some due to deaths or more accurately "home goings."  Some due to members moving away.  Some due to members deciding for any number of reasons (whether we agree with those reasons or not) that they should find another church home.  So, at the beginning of 2020, it is a good time for us to think on the subject of leaving well.  To help us in this task, I want to paste a recent blog, which is actually an excerpt from a book, from Mark Dever.  He says it about as well as it can be said.

Yes, it feels really weird to be writing this blog post.

After all, I am a pastor.

But I am convinced this post, and others like it, are critically important for churches today.  Rather than try and say all I want to say, I think I will simply let well-known pastor, Thabiti Anyabwile, say it for me (Don't Make Your Pastor a Statistic).

And my conclusion is that for all the hub-bub about Pastor Appreciation Month, it isn't working.  O sure, it might be raking in thousands of dollars for Christian bookstores / retailers, but it is doing nothing to actually solve the crisis (and yes, it's a crisis, read the post below please), happening among pastors and churches today.

Two of my close pastor friends, both faithful preachers of the Word who loved Christ and people, have recently been ousted (fired, in business language) by ungodly, unbiblical processes (a coup, in political language).  Behind the back meetings.  Behind the back gossip and false accusations.  Behind the back coalition building and grumbling.  It makes me sick.  And if my Bible is true, it makes God sick too.

The only solution is humble submission to the inerrant Word of God by those in churches claiming to be followers of Jesus.  A return of Holy Spirit-empowered obedient faith is the answer.  Churches must once again have the spiritual spine to structure themselves and order themselves and relate to one another according to the New Testament.  Period.  By this, Christ is highly exalted, and pastors and members flourish under the Spirit-filled good reign of God the Father.

Every pastor I have ever known has experienced discouragement.  And many of the "great" preachers / pastors in church history have battled seasons of depression and melancholy.  Spurgeon being the classic example here.

We pastors are human and our calling baptizes us daily in trench spiritual warfare.  Sometimes our discouragement is unwarranted.  A pity party for which we must humbly repent.  But sometimes our discouragement arises out of holy zeal for God and a desire to see His kingdom advance and His people grow more like Christ.

Discouragement sometimes comes at the hands of the flock we shepherd.  Sometimes, though thankfully very infrequently for me, members purposely discourage a pastor.  But most often it's unintentional.  The vast majority of church members do not want to discourage or disappoint their pastors.  At the risk of sounding too depressed and negative, I have compiled a list of ways members discourage pastors.  My hope is that you may recognize if you are personally involved in such activity, even if unwittingly, and ask God to help you change your ways.  While no church member should feel it his or her duty to be 100% encouraging all the time (after all, pastors sometimes need rebuked too), I trust true followers of Jesus do strongly desire to encourage and build up their pastors.  So, contemplate the list below, then do the opposite!

So, here are ten sure fire ways to discourage your pastor:

1. Sleep while he preaches.
2. Do not take the sermon to heart and do not discuss its truths or applications with anyone throughout the week.  Just show up, hear the sermon, then go about your week as if it never happened.
3. Do not ask the Pastor any questions about the sermon, and do not ever ask for resources to help you further study a specific doctrine or truth from the sermon.
4. Ignore or neglect the pastor's heartfelt pleas as he leads the church.  Calls to prayer?  Don't show up.  Call to fast?  Laugh it off as you gobble down a steak.  Pleas to engage in disciple-making?  Pawn it off on others.
5. When it is obvious your pastor's heart and soul are truly "all in" for a certain biblical ministry or emphasis or vision for your church, do not follow where he leads.  Better yet, vote "yes" on his vision but then do nothing personally to make it become a reality.
6. Do not follow through on your commitments.  Be inconsistent, especially in your worship attendance and participation.
7. Rarely if ever invite the pastor and his family over for dinner, or coffee and dessert, or take him out to lunch.  But definitely expect him and his family to host every single member and guest that comes through your church doors.
8. Expect him to do everything and know everything and oversee every single ministry effort, all the while staying disengaged from ministry and church life yourself.
9. Do not pray for him daily.
10. When your primary preaching pastor is on vacation, do not attend the worship service.

While I have experienced all nine of these (plus others that didn't make the list), I confess I am truly blessed to serve Corydon Baptist Church, a flock that loves me and my family and has encouraged me more than any church body I have ever had the privilege to serve.  I offer the list not to grumble, but just to help us all, me especially, keep learning by God's grace to encourage people who love Jesus and want to see Him exalted in His Church.

At the end of God's book, the angel escorting the Apostle John through his apocalyptic vision says, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb" (Revelation 21:9).  Just a few verses later the Bride of Christ is described as "those who are written in the Lamb's book of life."  And a few verses after that, "His servants" who will "see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads."

These are descriptions of the Church given by the angel of God!  What grandeur and glory and beauty are captured in these words.  We do well to regain a high view of the Church, of which every single gospel-proclaiming local church is a part.  Jesus loves the Church.  And so should you!  And so should I!

To bring this series to an end, I want to share with you some passages and comments I have sometimes presented to those who are considering / wanting to leave the local church I serve for what we might call "less than biblical" reasons:

• Given what the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2-4 (especially 2:11-22, 3:10, 4:1-16), do you think he would accept your reasoning for wanting to leave if he were the pastor here?
• Giving the clear command to view ourselves as a "team" striving towards holiness together in Hebrews 12:14-15, how does your decision reflect that spirit?
• Given the instructions of Philippians 2:1-4, how does your decision not violate those commands?
• How does this decision make Jesus look really great and powerful and glorious?  Does it show off our Savior's power to reconcile people to one another?  Is the spirit of 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 manifested in your decision to leave this church?  How would lost neighbors or friends come to see the love of Christ in this and be drawn to Him?  (see John 13:35)  We dare not forget that Jesus started His Church with 12 men who could not have been more "abrasive" to one another in their personalities and occupations and stations in life!
• If Paul expected Jews and Gentiles (who were taught from childhood to hate one another), as well as former sexual  and moral deviants of all kinds to be able to serve Jesus together in a church (1 Cor 6:9-11), then how do you manage to justify "personality differences" or interpersonal struggles as a legitimate reason to leave a church family?

Can I tell you I have never had a single person wanting to leave for less than biblical reasons even attempt to engage with these passages face-to-face with myself or our other elders.  Not once.

It reinforces the truth that people simply do what they want.  Period.  We are all driven by our hearts (Prov 4:23; Matt 6:21; Mark 7:14-23).  We go for what we want.  And if we want to leave a church, for reasons that are clearly not warranted by the Scripture, we will proceed to do so over any protest or guidance or counsel.  But it seems to me this is a very dangerous thing for a person who claims to be abiding in Christ and His Word (John 15:6-9).  Think on it.

And now, let me conclude by sharing with you a story of "Victory in Jesus!"  We had a member leave us last Sunday, and she honored our Lord and His Church.  She had been in discussions with pastors for months.  She was so respectful and thoughtful throughout the process as pastors helped her find a new church home (she had moved to another city).  And she came back Sunday to say goodbye face-to-face, express love and gratitude to her church family, offer to tie up any loose ends that anyone was aware of, and seek our commendation to her new church home.  Praise God!  There are still a few believers who prize the love and unity of the Body of Christ over and above their personal preferences and comforts.  What a blessing to see this sister in Christ leave us so well.  She will make an amazing member and servant in her new church to which we commended her.  No doubt.

God is good.

Earl Blackburn's little workbook Jesus Loves the Church and So Should You is worthy of every church member reading and working through.  I could see great benefit to small groups studying this material together, as well as incorporating some of it into a membership class.

For the last two posts, we have been reviewing highlights of the Chapter on "When it is Right to Leave a Church and How It Should be Done."  Having covered the "when is it right," let's move on now to "how it should be done."

If you are convinced you have biblical warrant to leave a local church, Blackburn says this is how you should do it:

• With the Word of Christ dwelling in your heart and directing all your actions (Colossians 3:15-17);
• With love to God and your brothers and sisters in Christ characterizing your exodus (1 Corinthians 13:1-8);
• With the fruit of the Holy Spirit exuding from your person (Galatians 5:22-23);
• With the mind of Christ governing your attitude (Philippians 2:3-4, especially see the context of vv. 1-12);
• With the wisdom that is from above controlling your conduct (James 3:13-18);
• With a forgiving spirit, void of bitterness, attending your exit (Ephesians 4:32; Hebrews 12:14-16);
• With a sacrificial heart beating within you towards your brethren who remain (1 John 3:16-18);
• With a face-to-face farewell (3 John 13-14).

Well, again, this makes me happy and sad.  I have almost never seen a church member leave this way.  I especially think the final point is important.  I have requested members leave this way, only to be ignored.  I can only believe that the reason a person would refuse to give a face-to-face farewell to their forever family in Christ is because he or she is leaving for wrong reasons!  

Blackburn then leaves us with these few practical suggestions:

1. Seek counsel before deciding to leave, especially from your pastors and elders (Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, 24:6);
2. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; in other words, leave as you would like to be left (Matthew 7:12);
3. Clean up any unresolved matters before you leave (Ephesians 4:1-3);
4. Leave in a way that does not cause confusion or division after you leave (1 Corinthians 14:33);
5. Leave in such a way that you can be heartily commended to another church (Philemon 12 and all the verses that deal with commendation);
6. Leave in such a way that your attitude and conduct will not hinder your coming back;
7. Upon leaving, do not think or speak evilly of those who remain (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, especially v. 5);
8. Make sure you know where you are going.  Do not leave without a plan as to which church you will go.  Many leave and stop going to church altogether.  Again, I remind you that the NT knows nothing of a churchless Christianity!

I am resisting the urge to write a 500 page book on #'s 1, 3, 4, 5, and 8!  In our church we have seen some seek counsel from pastors before leaving, only to completely ignore their counsel!  Rarely have we seen messes cleaned up and resolved prior to departure.  And usually pastors are left holding a bag of rottenness to try and explain to the congregation because the departing member is unwilling to give a face-to-face explanation to the congregation himself or herself.  This almost forces pastors to gossip!  And when it comes to #8, knowing where you are going, well, that just doesn't fit with our church-shopping consumer mentality now does it?

As you can tell, this is definitely a sore spot with me.  I yearn for Christians to return to a biblical vision of church.  I pray often for God to make Corydon Baptist Church a radically different body of believers from the "typical" churches in our society.  And I believe He is doing just that, for His glory alone in the Gospel.  But for those who sometimes continue to treat the Church poorly and view her in more secular ways, we mourn.

I sometimes wonder what it will take to force American Christians to once again love the Church like Jesus does.  That thought scares me a little.  The Bible does say "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God" (1 Peter 4:17).  And that is within the context of suffering and persecution.  This is how God has always purified His people on earth.

May we be a church ready to "suffer according to God's will entrusting their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good" (1 Peter 4:19).

Our Lord and Savior suffered for the Church.  Why should we expect any different?

Last post, we heard good reasons someone might leave a local church. These were taken from Earl Blackburn's book Jesus Loves the Church and So Should You.  

In this second post, I want to share Blackburn's reasons you should not leave a church, and I am quoting him at length from pp. 133-34:

• Because you reject hard sayings and teachings of the Holy Bible and their implications . . . Other examples include biblical doctrines that are not palatable, instruction on church discipline, penetrating sermons, Sunday School lessons that seek to address today's lawless practices, pastoral counsel that people do not want to hear.
• Because you do not get your way about non-salvific matters (Philippians 2:3).  People often make idols of their own ideas or desires.  The church vote did go the way you wanted.  The pastors/elders or deacons did not do what you thought was best.  "I don't like they way they did it ..."  However, you must remember that the church in not about "you."  The church is all about Christ! (emphasis in original)
• Because you are unwilling to deal with personal sin when confronted (Matthew 18:15-17).
• Because you will not work out personal differences with another brother or sister in a biblical manner (Philippians 4:2).  NOTE: Learn to work through difficulties with brethren in a biblical manner.  Do not run away to another church.  You will only carry your "dirty laundry" with you, see your problems resurface or worsen, and pollute the new church you attend.
• Because you are under church discipline and you refuse to repent of flagrant sins or doctrines or teachings that caused scandal, division and offenses (see Romans 16:17-19).
• Because you fail to live the way you should live within the covenant church community and before a watching world (Colossians 3:12-16).
• Because you love the world more than Christ (2 Timothy 4:9-10) and you wish to return to the things that temporarily gratify the flesh.
• Because you get angry and reject exhortations.  This often happens when fellow church members carry out exhortations and admonitions through mutual ministry (1 Thessalonians 5:14) or when pastors caution members of carelessness they observe.
• Because the church does not have all the "programs" you want.  Activities and programs, which can create "busyness" to entertain or occupy children or teens, can easily deter people from the authentic purpose of the church.
• Because the worship or preaching does not meet your "felt" needs.  Society today is so sensory-oriented and emotionally driven that objective truth is often overrun by subjective feelings.  NOTE: The full-orbed exposition and declaration of the whole counsel of God's Word is more important than people's desire for programs or their "felt" needs!  A consistent expository ministry will eventually meet all "felt" needs.
• Because you are not a true Christian (1 John 2:19).  If you are a church member and come to believe you are not a true Christian, the thing to do is not leave the church, but repent and believe the gospel.  Let the pastor(s) know of your conversion, be baptized as a believer, and then truly join the church.

Well, this list makes me both happy and sad.

Happy because I am in such agreement with it and have been for many years.  This is a truly biblical vision of church cast by the New Testament itself!

Sad because of how few pastors and church members I see and know who embrace this full-orbed New Testament view of the church.  And even sadder by how many people and friends I have known who have left churches for these very reasons.  These very poor reasons.  These very shallow reasons.  These very reasons that mock the Doctrine of the Church as it has been given to us by Jesus Christ and His Apostles.

May God forgive them and us.  May God enlarge our vision of church. May we be given grace to do church in the way that makes Jesus look best and biggest.  Whatever man may say.  Make it so here at Corydon Baptist Church, O Lord.  And begin the work in my own heart!

While it might seem odd for a Pastor to write a blog titled "Leaving a Church Well," I for one think the subject has been ignored long enough!  Sadly, I have seen too many members (now former members) of the church I pastor leave poorly.  Even those who have said they were trying to leave the right way seemed to have butchered it somehow.  It's saddening and sometimes maddening.

Last month I read a little book study by Earl Blackburn titled Jesus Loves the Church And So Should You.  I really wish every member of every evangelical church would read it.  The book is a treasure trove of practical biblical instruction on all things church.  To say this book is sorely needed, even among the members of the church I pastor, is an understatement.  Chapter 17 is titled "When is it Right to Leave a Church and How Should it be Done?"

Practical to the core.

Blackburn writes, "To leave a church in a godly manner means to depart correctly (for the right reasons) through proper resignation of membership."

Lots in that one sentence.  Over the next few blog entries, I plan to present some of Blackburn's points for us to ponder.  For starters, he asserts there are only a few biblical grounds for a person to leave a church.  I have argued this for years, only to be ignored by people refusing to engage with the biblical texts I have asked them to submit themselves to while considering whether they have good warrant to leave.

For Blackburn, here are the biblical reasons to leave a church:

1. when a church departs from the gospel and the preaching thereof;
2. when a church embraces and teaches heresy;
3. when a church tolerates open and scandalous sin in the church leadership or membership and refuses to deal with it via biblical church discipline;
4. when a church changes doctrinal positions not consistent with the church's original Confession of Faith, doctrines, or practices (e.g., becoming paedobaptistic or charismatic);
5. when a member (who is not under discipline) changes his major doctrinal position from that of his church;
6. when a member is providentially moved to another location far away from his or her present church.

And there you have it.  I think he nailed it.  I have frequently told people that there are only about five reasons I would leave a church family.  Blackburn's list closely mirrors my own.  And yet, the vast majority of members leaving churches in our culture do so for reasons other than those listed above.

Our view of the church matters greatly, friends!  And whether we stay or leave, and how we leave if we do leave, speaks volumes about our relationship to Christ and His people.  And those two things are always connected at the hip!

Next week, we'll chew on some reasons NOT to leave a church.

On Sunday, March 12th, 2017 we (Corydon Baptist Church) celebrated our 10th Anniversary!  The history of CBC is unique.  In 1994, First Baptist Church of Corydon had an ugly split that resulted in a group leaving and forming Cross of Calvary Baptist Church.  But in 2007, by a mighty act of God's grace and power, those two churches reunified under the banner of Corydon Baptist Church!  We pray that our unique history will become commonplace, as churches that were once at odds lay down their offenses at the Cross and unite for the sake of God's glory in the gospel of Jesus Christ!

To open the celebration this past Sunday, I read John 17, and spoke these words:

We gather here today to celebrate!  We celebrate Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  We celebrate God the Father who sent Him to us.  We celebrate God the Holy Spirit who imparts His eternal life to us.  We celebrate the Triune God.  He is a Tri-Unity.  And we celebrate unity.  True unity.  Not unity that the world celebrates.  But unity in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

By God’s Grace, Ten Years ago, two churches that had once been at odds made a decision.  To honor God and His Gospel above all.  Above all other differences.  Above all other preferences.  Above all other offenses.  And Corydon Baptist Church was born!  It was Gospel Unity birthed in hearts by the Holy Spirit that brought this church into being.  And it is the Gospel which unites us still.

The Gospel of a Holy, Sovereign, Righteous, Just and Loving Creator God.

The Gospel of unholy, sinful, rebellious, fallen man. 

The Gospel of mankind helplessly and rightly condemned by God and spiritually dead before God. 

The Gospel of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, living a perfectly righteous life, dying a substitutionary death in our place, rising from the dead to justify His people before God, and ascending to reign at His Father’s right hand until His enemies be made His footstool. 

The Gospel of the Sweet Holy Spirit convicting men and women of their sin and powerfully, irresistibly drawing them to faith in Jesus and granting them repentance of sin. 

The Gospel of the Loving Rule and Reign of Christ in and through His New Covenant People, the Church, as He sanctifies us and sends us out to make Him known in Corydon and to ends of the earth.

This is our unity!  This is our identity!  The Good News that God rescues and forgives sinners through the Person and Work of His Son, Jesus.  This is our heartbeat.  Let all lesser things never come between us.  And while not every Christian who comes our way wants to be a part of God's work among us, we must stay the course of living to please God and not men!  Because we are Gospel People, first, foremost and always.  This is how the world knows that God sent Jesus – a oneness that defies all worldly explanation.  A family resemblance that comes only through a common commitment to let Jesus get bigger while we all get smaller.

O God thank You for making us one!  Make us one still.  Let this Church be known, be marked by one thing and one thing only – The Glory of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  Hallelujah!  Amen.  

There have been times in my life when I have been in the position of seeing sad, hard consequential life circumstances that were a result of ungodly choices.  This has happened in my life and in the lives of others around me.  Galatians 6: 7-8 says one reaps what one sows.  A dear friend of mine paraphrased that scripture like this...why would you plant corn and be upset when a green bean doesn't grow?

I recently finished reading a book titled Follow by Floyd McClung.  The author has served as a missionary church planter in Afghanistan, Amsterdam, America and now South Africa.  While I may not be precisely in line with him on all points of doctrine, I found his book both edifying and convicting, challenging and encouraging.  Brother McClung is serious about following Jesus and making followers of Jesus!

To peak your interest, I wanted to post a lengthy quote here, taken from Chapter 11, "A Committed Community." These words challenged me.  They're worth pondering in light of the absolute truth of Scripture:

Jesus did not die on the cross to empower a hierarchical system of religious duties . . . Jesus came to unleash an irresistible revolution on the earth, not a predictable new religion.

Most churches are boring!  They promote conformity, the exact opposite of what Jesus stood for.  We are called to nonconformity.  It is sad that church and conformity go together in most people's minds: Wear 'decent' clothes, worship in a 'respectful' manner, and believe 'balanced' doctrine.  Boring!  When church takes the edge off being radical and the risk out of the adventure of following Jesus, church has died.  It is no longer the irresistible revolution Jesus intended it to be.

This raises the question about the purpose of any form of church that does not call people to radical obedience.  The Bible challenges the anemic idea people have of 'fellowship,' or 'hanging out,' or worse, being part of a weekly 'home group' that has no vision beyond itself.  If you are part of a small group, by whatever name you call it, and you are not committed to personal, radical nonconformity, transparency, and obedience to Jesus' commands to love the poor and lost, you are playacting at church.  The Bible present church as familylike communities of people deeply committed to loving God passionately and loving one another with ruthless honesty - as they empower and encourage one another to live their lives for the poor and broken.  When we read Acts, we don't find people gathering in cozy home groups to merely 'support one another,' or just 'hang out' as many postmoderns try to do.  We find the disciples of Jesus in Acts sharing their lives and a revolutionary commitment to the cause of the gospel.

The first disciples did not just attend meetings that they tried to 'juggle' or 'fit' into their busy schedules; gospel intentionality was their life.  They didn't try to 'apply' the teaching of Jesus to their lives; His teaching was their life.  Christian community was the very center of their lives because they knew it was the center of God's purposes on the earth.

Wow.  God forgive us for what we've made it.  I've got a lot of reforming work to do as a pastor.  And we've got a lot of reforming work to do as a church.  God give us the grace and ability to grow into a more radically committed community of Christ-followers.  For Jesus' glory.  Amen.