Recently I was asked a number of questions during the Pastor Search process and I felt like sharing both the questions and my responses because I appreciated the fact that the church has put for the thought and effort into something as important as these spiritual concerns and also felt that if you were interested in our ministry you may also be interested in what we believe.
- What do you believe about the inerrancy of the Bible?
I believe the Bible to be God’s Holy and infallible Word. Though written physically by men, the Bible was divinely inspired. God, through His Word told us about Himself, about His Son, Jesus Christ, about who we are, but He also gave us hope for eternity and described for us His plan for salvation through Jesus Christ.
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 it is made very clear that all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, which is why I find no error in it, and also why I choose to preach exegetically so as to not be tempted to skip the harder passages, but instead to dig deeper to find the truth and the profit of each of the texts.
- What do you believe about the inspiration of the Bible?
As mentioned above, I believe that the Bible is divinely inspired by God through man. I do not believe that God was dictating the words, but that the ideas and the truth of His Word was carefully guarded through the inspiration of the writers of Scripture, thus making it God’s Word and not man’s.
- What do you believe about the authority of the Bible?
Again, hanging my hat on 2 Timothy 3:16-17, I believe that God’s Word is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness and thus it is, as the Baptist Faith & Message describes it, “the supreme standard” by which all of life should be tried. While many would argue that the Bible cannot be consulted on every little issue of life, I would disagree. Yes, I would concede that the Bible dos not say explicitly, “Thou shall not smoke cigarettes,” or other very specific things that people struggle with finding answers to, however, the principles by which we must make those decisions can be found clearly in scripture. The Bible, therefore, is the guidebook for how to live as well as the foundation by which we will be judged.
- What do you believe about the sufficiency of the Bible?
I believe that this questions and the previous question are closely tied and intertwined. God’s Word is sufficient for life as I stated previously, because it is a moral guide on how to live a life that is contrary to the world. This does not mean that we do not engage our world, but it means that God’s Word is sufficient to instruct us on how to engage our world, as well as how to live a righteous life. It is also sufficient in that it reveals what we need to know about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, and with that knowledge it instructs each person how to have eternal life.
- Are you more comfortable with an Arminian or a Reformed theological framework? Discuss why.
I would consider my view on the matter unique. I would not see myself in either camp because I see both God’s sovereignty and man’s choice clearly taught and demonstrated in Scripture and as I stated earlier, God’s Word is without error so there has to be a marriage of both.
The epiphany I had a few years ago helped me to see how this happens. The hang-up for most Arminians, which was my upbringing, is the issue of Libertarian Freedom, or the right to choose whatever I want to choose. The trouble with Libertarian Freedom is that in reality, this is never the case. What we truly exercise in life is what I call a freedom of desire. In other words we choose what we most desire to choose, and because God knows us so well, He also knows how we will choose because He knows our desires and thus is sovereignly in control based on those desires.
To use a simple analogy to demonstrate what I mean, imagine you are given the choice between your favorite ice cream and strawberry ice cream, and let’s pretend for the sake of argument that you are deathly allergic to strawberries, if eaten, you would most likely die in minutes. Having no other stimulus in this decision, is there ever a time that you would ever choose to eat the strawberry ice cream? No. Again, the desire to live, coupled with the desire to enjoy your favorite ice cream will always outweigh your right to choose the strawberry. Though freely able to choose it, reality dictates that we never would under these circumstances.
Now, again for the sake of argument, pretend that an armed gunman entered the room with your family and ordered you to eat the strawberry ice cream or else you family would die. Now what would your choice be? Why? Did not your desires just change? Your love and your desire for your family to live now outweigh the risk to your own life, correct?
Now imagine your life before Christ. You chose based on your desires, and your choice would typically be to sin, but (and I will say that is one of the greatest words in the Bible) after accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, your desires are now being changed. I no longer want to live as I used to live. God is not forcing me to do things like a puppeteer does with a marionette, but He, through the Spirit, is changing my heart and my desires and thus He is still sovereignly in control (He chooses), while I am still making every decision (I choose).
I know that this is a hot topic in the lives of churches and even within our denomination. However, I believe it has become so complex because of those that have taken either argument too far and have abandoned the truth that the Bible teaches both. I am neither hyper-Arminian, nor hyper-Calvinist. I would consider myself more of the Reformed thought due to my stance on God’s sovereignty, but I still must choose to follow Christ, otherwise I could not be held accountable for the times when my desires of the flesh outweigh my desire to serve Christ.
- What are your theological “absolutes and non-negotiables”?
My theological absolutes would include the doctrine of trinity, that Christ is both fully God and Fully man, justification by faith, and the authority of Scripture. There can be no doubt on who God is. There can be no doubt on whom Christ is, nor can there be doubt in the Spirit’s role. We live in a world that would take the name, Jesus Christ, and assign a different definition to who He is. He is the incarnation of God, the “with-us” God who came to take our place on the cross. Knowing that we are saved because of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, which is an active saving faith, the faith that trusts that He not only died for our sins, but that He rose again and that He will fulfill all that He promises, is non-negotiable and absolute. As discussed earlier, the authority of Scripture is absolute. The fact that we, as a body of believers must maintain scripture, even when it is contrary to popular or secular belief is an absolute. For the safety of the church, God’s Word must stand as the “supreme standard.” These issues are essential for all believers and cannot falter.
The secondary issues that denominations often disagree over, which I would still hold as absolutes personally would be the meaning and mode of baptism, that baptism is a sign of a New Covenant believer to the world and can be considered the first act of obedience of a Christian and the mode is by immersion of the believer after their confession of faith and conversion; and the issue of women serving in the office of elder/overseer/pastor to which I disagree due to the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3. I would also add to this list a proper view of creation, though it could be considered a third-tier issue, only because I believe that your view of creation defines your Christian World-view and can be of vital importance to the life of the believer. I would also add a proper view of the Lord’s Supper to this list as well, that it is to only be taken by believers in Christ, whose hearts are prepared, and that it is a act of worship that symbolizes the blood and body of Christ that was offered to us for our salvation so that we may always remember that sacrifice.
All other Issues I would consider third-tier issues which we should debate in order to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the Kingdom, but we should never divide over them.
- What do you believe are the essential elements of corporate worship and how do you incorporate those elements in leading the service?
While many in our world would classify worship as the music service, I would say that this is just an element of worship, but it is not even what I would consider an essential element of worship. Music enhances worship, but it is not in and of itself worship, though proper focus through music can be considered worship.
True worship must begin with the acknowledgement that we have come together to enter into the presence of God himself. We know that scripture teaches where two or more are gathered in God’s name that He will be present. In order to incorporate this, all elements of the worship service must point to God. This means that the music should point to God and His greatness and not to us. The preaching of God’s Word should not be about pleasing people, but to detail the truth of God’s Word, even if that means stepping on toes. It means to simply remind the church at the beginning of the service of the reason why they have gathered. It means to come together corporately to pray and ask God to enter into our presence.
True worship also requires praise. In everything we do, both corporately and individually. Too often we turn to God in our times of weakness and pain, but we forget to praise Him daily. We are to praise Him with the sound of the trumpet, with the lute and the harp, with the timbrel and dance, with the stringed instruments and organs, and even with the cymbals, the high sounding cymbals, hence with our music (regardless of whether the music is considered classic or contemporary). We are to praise Him when we pray. We are to praise Him as we read scripture. We are to praise Him as we study and hear the preaching of God’s Word. We even praise Him by the giving of our tithes and offerings. However, if we are not praising God individually, it becomes almost impossible to worship him corporately so this must be taught through discipleship.
True worship includes confessions. The Old Testament is clear that our sin has cause a separation between us and our God, so much so that even our prayers are not heard (Isaiah 59:2), therefore we must confess our sins to God. This can be done corporately and deliberately by a time of prayer at the beginning of the service in order for people to make their heart right for worship.
True worship is centered on the proclamation of God’s Word. In the New Testament church, we read that much of their worship services were nothing more than the reading of letters and scrolls from the apostles and prophets. This central attention on God’s Word and its proclamation is paramount for us as well. I believe that the reason our world has fallen as far as it has, and our churches struggle as much as they do, is because we as a people of God have fallen away from making Scripture a priority. Thus the central focus of any worship service is the proclamation of God’s Word.
But lastly, true worship must include a commissioning as well. This is also considered today as the “Altar Call,” or the “Invitation,” and many times it is only given to those who need to accept Christ, because our worship services have become more for the seeker and less for the disciple. The invitation, however, should be a call of response to those who have been burdened or affected by God’s Word and its proclamation. It is a time of challenge for God’s people to action. When God asked, “Who shall I send?” Isaiah responded, “Here am I. Send me!” We need a revival in our churches and it begins when we realize that true worship, our corporate worship, needs to be centered around God and what we will do for Him, and not on what He will do for us.
Now there are many elements that can and should be used in a worship service, however, they should all serve the purposes stated, whether prayer, Bible reading, singing, instrumentals, solos, greeting and hand-shaking, or even a time of announcements. Each of these are good and even necessary, however, the attention must stay focused on God.
- Describe your philosophy and beliefs of ideal church governance assuming they could be easily accomplished.
I believe that ideally church government should be biblically based and thus a plurality of elders is the best model for church governance. That said, I also know that throughout my life, I have only been in one Southern Baptist Church that was not congregationally led. Though there is merit to being congregationally led, there are also dangers. Congregation led church governments can fail to function well because people that should not be in power are put in the position of making decisions for God himself. When sinful people, some of which may not even be truly members of the Kingdom, are put in power, morality, and righteousness can be compromised. This is not to say that a church filled with strong believers cannot function under congregationalism, however, the danger still exists.
A church the size of Immanuel, having a plurality of Pastors, which in Baptist life we equate with the office of Elder, this appears to be in line with the Biblical model of a plurality of elders, men called by God to ministry and the proper treatment of His Word, leading Christ’s church by the truth of God’s Word.
Ideally, I would like to have a minimum of five elders/pastors in the church. These would not be all paid staff members but would consist of Godly men who meet the Biblical qualifications of elder/overseer that would work in agreement and unity in order to further the Kingdom and to guide and govern the church.
- In your view, what is the role of the deacon body?
The office of deacon is often misunderstood in the modern church. Based on the New Testament, the role of the deacon is mainly to be a servant to the church. The biblical role of a deacon is to take care of the physical and logistical needs of the church so that the elders can concentrate on their primary calling, which is to teach and preach the Word of God, and to shepherd the souls of those under their care.
Beyond what we can gather from the qualifications for those chosen to be a deacon, little is really given as to the role of deacon other than the example of what we find in Acts 6. From this text, the best view we can infer is that the deacons are servants that must do whatever is necessary to allow the elder/overseer to accomplish his work. Just as the apostles delegated administrative responsibilities to the seven, so the elders are to delegate certain responsibilities to the deacons so that they may focus their efforts elsewhere. Therefore in every church, the role of deacon may be different. They could be responsible for anything from facilities to benevolence, or finances to logistics.
Yet while deacons are not called upon to be the spiritual leaders of the church, their character, in accordance to their qualifications, is of utmost importance, and therefore, they are to be held to higher standards, just as an elder.
- What is your opinion of elders?
Based on my previous comments, I do believe in the office of Elder and that there should be a plurality of elders. I believe that the pastoral staff serves as elders, as should men who are both qualified and called as members of the church. Each elder should be called by God. They should also be examined and held to the biblical qualifications. This is why I hold to a plurality so that there is an accountability to both the office and the biblical standards.
- What is your view of divorced deacons (IBC has voted to ordain divorced men to the office of deacon), staff members, and church team/committee members?
There are three different interpretations to what Paul meant when he stated that a deacon should be a “husband of one wife.” The first and most literal is that he should not be a polygamist, but I do not believe Paul was addressing polygamy at the time.
The second view is that Paul is saying that a deacon can only have one wife for a lifetime. This however poses problems with a man who has been widowed; as Scripture does not forbid remarriage of a widowed man, nor does being widowed disqualify him for service.
The third view Paul was addressing was the mentality of men in the days of the New Testament who were treating wives as property to be discarded, for any reason, through divorce, or to those who maintained their marriage but were philanderers. This view would suggest that being the husband of one wife focused more on the word husband and what that required rather than on the “one” wife, thus leading to the belief that Paul meant that the deacon should be devoted to the woman that he is married to. This is the view that I hold as I believe it to be the most biblical interpretation. However, God hates divorce. That said, I believe if a man was divorced prior to his conversion, or if the divorce was one that is permissible in scripture, due to adultery or abandonment, then I see no problem with him serving as a deacon unless his divorce actually violates another qualification; that of being above reproach.
If the divorce or remarriage results in a poor testimony for the man within the church or the community, then it may mean that the qualification of being above reproach is actually what disqualifies him from being a deacon rather than the requirement of being the “husband of one wife. An elder, or deacon either one, must be a man that the church and community can look up to as an example of Christ-likeness and godly leadership. If his divorce or remarriage detracts from this purpose, then perhaps they should not serve in the position of deacon or elder. It is important to remember though that just because a man is disqualified from the office, this does not mean that he is not a valuable member of the church or the body of Christ and he should still exercise his spiritual gifts in the service of Christ. Every Christian possesses spiritual gifts and we are all called to use those gifts in the edification of others, and therefore a man who is disqualified or any man or woman who has been divorced can still teach, serve, pray, worship, and play an important role in the church and are commanded by Scripture to do so.
- How would you describe your leadership style?
I like to think that I am a lead by example person. I believe that as a shepherd, I must interact directly with the flock and therefore I like to be involved. Being the pastor of a small rural church meant that I was involved in everything. However, by far, the best approach is to train and to empower leaders. We are commanded to make disciples who are taught to follow all of the things that we have been taught to do, and therefore as Pastor my primary responsibility is to disciple others to follow God’s Word. I do this through conversation and cooperation.
Being a church of multiple staff members, I would envision a weekly meeting to discuss the week behind and the weeks ahead, always casting vision and determining if we are staying focused. I embrace the input of others, and often enjoy new ideas, but I will put my foot down if I see something happening that is contrary to Scripture or that I feel will be a detriment to the church or to the kingdom. Now this is different than dropping the hammer. This putting my foot down will be done in love and concern, but still with the required boldness.
However, I do know in myself, that in the absence of leadership I do tend to take command. I find it difficult to allow things to fall behind or to slip through the cracks and the danger in this is I will often volunteer for too many things or I will overextend myself in ministry and in life. This is perhaps one of my greatest challenges that I work through and that God is working to change in my heart.
The leadership of a church should be contrary to the leadership of the world. I am called to be a servant and that is the role I see for myself. I am a slave to righteousness and strive to be all things to all people, but as Paul, I will stand up for truth when necessary.
- Please outline a generalized process for developing a vision/mission for a particular church?
The initial process for developing a mission/vision statement for a particular church is time. If we decide through God’s leadership to join together as a church, I would want to first learn what the church is currently doing. I would want to get a sense of the people and their needs. I would also want to spend a good deal of time with the current leadership of the church in order to hear their concerns.
From this I would then, through much prayer and study, begin to cast the vision for the church on how we would meet the mission. The mission of the church needs to be the primary mission we find in the Scripture, “to go into the world and make disciples, that they may worship and obey the commands of Jesus Christ, and that they may in turn share their faith with others.” This is the mission we were given by Christ in Matthew 28. Therefore our vision must be based around discipleship and missions; empowering people to go and make disciples of those who do not know Jesus Christ.
Once a vision, both short term and long term, has been developed, I would then guide the leadership in the vision in order for them to develop ownership of it as well, also if changes are necessary, or if better ideas are offered, these can be determined during this process, and once settled, the vision will then be cast by the leadership to the people.
- What is the highest level of authority that you believe a woman should hold within the church staffing/leadership structure.
I believe a woman can hold any position within the church other than that of elder/overseer. Understandably there is still a question of whether or not a woman can or should serve in the role of deacon also and it has been a controversial subject for some time. There is evidence to support that the role of deaconess is a biblical role. I believe that there is a strong biblical argument to be made because the Greek word used in 1 Timothy 3:11 could be and possibly should be translated women, which historically has either been used to mean “their wives” or it could be referring to the role of deaconess.
We do know from New Testament examples that the role of deaconess is not a new invention. Phoebe in Romans 16 was known to be a “servant of the church in Cenchrea,” or rather a “deaconess.” That said, as stated with the qualification of being above reproach as regards to divorce, if a woman being a deaconess would cause others to stumble, or if it would result in a poor testimony for the woman within the church or the community, then she would be disqualified as well. This then leaves the determination up to question based on how the community and church would react to such a placement.
Even with this, there is still the issue of a deacon being the husband of one wife and how that would interpret and relate to a woman unless 1 Timothy 3:12 is read as an additional stipulation placed upon the men due to the nature and treatment of wives in Paul’s day.
My personal view is church history should also play a part in the decision. Just because our world has blurred the lines between the sexes, does this mean that the church should? I believe that women can serve in any capacity, but the real question is whether or not they should, and by using church history we would have to come to the conclusion that they should not serve in either the role of elder/overseer or in the role of deacon.
I do not, however, have an issue with women serving on staff, thus with the caveat that they are not to be considered an elder/overseer, or as we as Baptist’s generally define the role, pastor. However, I would also say, if there is a qualified man who is equally gifted and called to serve in the role that a woman is also gifted and called, I would prefer that the man be given preference due to the responsibility that men have been given as the spiritual heads of their home and of the church.
The biggest question that arises is whether or not having a woman on staff would then place her in a situation of having authority over a man as stated in 1 Timothy 2:12. Though, again, this is a controversial verse that many would argue was for a day when women were seen as property. I would argue that Paul makes the point based on the role of Adam verses that of Eve and how they were different by design, thus I would limit the role of a woman on staff to a children’s department role or to a role that does not place them in direct authority over men thus protecting her from assuming authority not designed for her to have, but also protecting the ministry from error.
- What do you believe is the highest level of participation within the worship service that a woman should have?
I have enjoyed the service of women in all areas of the worship service and find nothing biblically wrong with, or offensive with a woman serving in or participating in any area of worship. I would, however, reserve the proclamation of God’s Word as reserved for a man called by God, who meets the qualifications of an elder/overseer. This does not prevent a woman from sharing a devotion or testimony, nor even sharing thoughts or insights.
Also, due to the response of the biblical role of deacon, and who can serve as a deacon, serving the Lord’s Supper would also be an area of the worship service that would be limited to men as well. Beyond these things, I believe that women are free to engage in the service as they are called and qualified.
- How do you see/define the relationship between Evangelism and Discipleship as priorities in your ministry?
As stated in my answer to question thirteen, I believe the mission of the church to be that we must “go into the world and make disciples, that they may worship and obey the commands of Jesus Christ, and that they may in turn share their faith with others.” Evangelism is this process of making disciples and thus the two are inseparable and are THE priority in ministry.
From preaching God’s Word, to teaching, to the very activities of the church corporately, we must be guiding the stage-coach, if you will, in the same direction. If the horses are all pulling in different directions, the stage will go nowhere, but, if the horses pull as a team in a common direction then it travels the distance. So also the church, if all moving in the same direction, with a common purpose in mind, can and will accomplish great things together.
This means that we must train our members to break down the barriers of evangelism and learn to share their faith with people as they go out into the world. We have already established that church is where we come together to corporately worship God and to praise Him. A place where nothing is about us and everything is about Him. So therefore, we need to utilize this time to challenge and empower the people though discipleship to go and to make more disciples.
I once heard, and heartily believe, that you can translate the word “go” in the great commission to read, “as you go.” In other words, as you are going throughout your daily life and are with the people who you have influence…make disciples. Whether this is local or abroad, this is our focus and my highest priority in ministry.
- How does your spouse view your ministry in the local church?
I hate to answer for her, because she often has a better way of saying it than I do, but my wife sees my ministry as third in priority in that my relationship with God must come first, and then my relationship with her and my son must come second as Scripture would indicate, and then the church.
She would agree that I am called to be a shepherd and that there are times when sacrifices have to be made for the sake of the kingdom. She also sees my ministry as an extension of her own in that she has accepted her role as a godly wife and mother, which makes her one of the best minister’s wives I have ever known, though I may be a little biased.
She, while I attended seminary, attended the Seminary Wives Institute and was one of only a handful who graduated with an advanced certificate from the program. She is thoughtful and caring and is my help and my shoulder to lean on and often the one I trust to allow me to bounce my ideas off of.
She would also agree that my ministry is to make disciples and that we should strive to guide people in both the Great Commission and in the principles of Acts 1:8 as she and our entire family have made it a point to participate in and to guide numerous mission trips and ministries. We are currently scheduled to lead another mission trip to Honduras December 30, 2013 – January 6, 2014 in order to evangelize the lost of Comayagua, Honduras, which will be our fourth trip to the region.
- What does your spouse see as their ministry and/or role in the local church as the Senior Pastor’s wife, if any?
My wife sees her role as my help mate in ministry. She typically travels with me on visits and also serves alongside me when counseling women or couples and has counseled women on her own. Though the church is not hiring my wife, she is a member of the church and is spiritually gifted to serve and will do so as God guides her. However, one area that she has specifically been drawn to is the care for, and study with, deacon and staff wives. Growing up as the daughter of a SBC pastor who served bi-vocationally until his retirement a few years ago, my wife has a unique perspective on what a pastor’s wife must endure and seeks to be a blessing to others in her same unique situation.
However, she would also say that her role in the church is to be the Proverbs 31 woman she was called to be, a woman who fears the Lord, but more especially seeks to honor Him by living a righteous life.
- As part of our preparation for our search the Committee has spent significant time reviewing our core spiritual beliefs. We have come to the conclusion that the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message along with the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood state our beliefs. Do you hold any doctrinal positions that differ on these two statements, if so, what and why?
May I just say Amen and Amen. First of all I appreciate that you have struggled with your core beliefs and can with unity state them. Secondly, growing up Southern Baptist and going through Seminary, I am a Baptist because I believe that our statement of faith most reflects what is found in Scripture. I have enjoyed on a few occasions teaching through the Baptist Faith & Message in a Sunday School setting. Thirdly, I must admit, I had not heard of the title “Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood,” but the content is well known to me as two of the men on the Board of Directors, who would have helped craft this statement, were two of my most influential professors at the seminary, Russel Moore and Randy Stinson. I can easily say that I agree wholeheartedly with it as well.
- Please share with the Committee your approach to preaching.
For the better part of the last decade the value of exegetical preaching has been proven to me. I believe that God calls me to preach a book of the Bible and guides me through the application. I had been burdened early on with what to preach and I found that if I did not hold to this method of preaching I would be tempted to preach “Rich’s” word instead of God’s word. Too often, I feel men use the pulpit as a soap box.
I have been asked in the past how this is allowing the Holy Spirit to move my message, and to that I would answer that I have witnessed God’s timing through my prior planning evidence itself greater than in those rare moments when my message is changed during the music service, which has happened on rare occasions.
Also in my approach to preaching, I believe that as Christ, it helps to complement my proclamation of God’s Word with illustrations and stories in order for the hearer to be able to relate it better to their life, but also so they may remember and retain it longer.
As I said, I like to plan ahead. Ideally I like to have my messages planned out for the better part of a year and actually written in an initial draft six to eight weeks prior. This allows time for much prayer and consideration to be had for the message. This also allows ample time to apply it specifically to the church, but the greatest benefit to this is it allows me to also work through God’s Word in my own life, as most of what I preach also affects me in one way or another.
Application is key to preaching. A sermon with no connection to the hearer and how they are to apply it to their lives is no different than a good story meant to entertain. My goal is never to entertain, but to challenge; to challenge the believer to be better, to live better, and to honor God with their lives.