Sophomoric Musings: My Dream
This is the first article in a series I’ve entitled “Sophomoric Musings”. I view my musings as sophomoric for two reasons. The first is that the word sophomore is Greek in origin meaning ‘wise fool’. I’ve lived as a Christian for a little over ten years now. While I feel as though I have amassed some experience that may deem me as relatively wise, in reality I’m still a pretty foolish person. I don’t see things objectively, so my musings are infused with a bit of quackery as well as insight due to just having lived up until this point. Secondly, the term sophomore refers to a stage just above the novice or freshman level. These days, I feel as though I’ve entered into the second phase of my Christian life. I’m not sure if I can say exactly when or where the transition happened (the Red Line stop at Belmont on July 10th… nah forget it), but I definitely feel as though I’ve had a major paradigm shift as of late in terms of how I relate to Christ, His church and the world around me. This post is an articulation of what I’ve been feeling as of late. Hope you enjoy or even cry preferably tears of joy, but I’m not averse to those induced by sheer terror either; all I can say is that Dr. Ben taught me well in this regard.
On www.ubfriends.org we’ve all been struggling to articulate what exactly it is we desire to occur in UBF. We all have dreams and wishes and quite often, they fail to come to fruition in this lifetime. However, the process of imagining them unfold perhaps keeps us somewhat sane. A dream I’ve conjured up has to do with the beginning of change. Actually change occurs beneath the surface and behind the scenes but usually it burgeons forth in some kind of inaugural moment. So what I’m imagining is that particular moment. It would be in the form of a sermon given by a prominent pastor/leader in UBF (insert any figure you have a preference for).
Some Like it HOT
It’s a hot, stuffy, bright day in the afternoon; the sun is shining through the windows and brilliantly reflecting off of the adjacent wall, illuminating all of the intricate crevices etched into the stucco over time. The sun light almost looks heavenly, angelic as it configures into a neatly ordered, splayed-line pattern due to being fractured by the window blinds. The ceiling fans are spinning quietly while the AC motor is pushing cooled air through the vents at a low and steady hum. Hot, but bearable; to my dismay, not hot enough for me to doze off. The sanctuary is packed with about four hundred people or so, stuffy with must and all of those peculiar summer scents; the smell of perfume and cologne become amplified in this heat and that sneeze smell seems to travel at least ten times more now than it does when dispersed in cold air. The pastor is supposed to be delivering a sermon on the Great Commission in what would be an otherwise predictable lecture for most UBF members. I’m about to go into autopilot mode, thinking about what I have to do to get ready for work on Monday. I also keep fixating on this unsightly stain on the back of the chair of one of the parishioners. “What is that?” I ask myself, maybe a smear of chocolate or something less savory. Man, I would like some chocolate right about now, I think to myself. Looking up at the Pastor in his three piece suit and tie, with my eyes ready to glaze over, I listen to the words slowly tumbling out of his mouth, more like slow pouring molasses on a warm summer day. I notice that his demeanor is somewhat hesitant, uneasy this time around, which is unusual. He looks very forlorn but determined to stand in the pulpit and deliver his message. He seems to have a one thousand pound burden weighing him down. This makes me perk up and open my ears to listen. He begins to speak (the rest of this post is his sermon).
Today, I was prepared to give a sermon on the Great Commission. Throughout the years this has been the linchpin of UBF ministry. Many people have come to our ministry because of it and also many have left because of it. Well today, I’d like to take a little detour from what I initially began to write about Jesus’ statement in Matthew chapter twenty eight, verses eighteen and nineteen. For some time, the Gospel, the pure grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and all of its implications has been working in my heart in a new way. I’ve been struggling with how to articulate my feelings about this, but today I believe that I have something very important to say that will perhaps shape the context of our ministry for years to come.
I’ve thought about some of the misguided things that our ministry has done in the past, things which I used to justify. And while over the past few years I’ve apologized somewhat for these things, I know in my heart of hearts that a genuine apology has never been given from me or others in senior positions. This truth came to a head recently when somehow the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see how injurious many aspects of UBF’s ideology actually are. While God blessed us in many ways with a unique mission, we have also egregiously sinned against God and against His precious sheep in various ways. Not only do I have a deep sense of anguish and remorse about this, but many others, both former and current members, are coming forth baring their hearts and seeking some semblance of remorse from long time UBF leaders. I deeply apologize that both I and they have been silent for so long. Perhaps in private conversations we have even vented our angst concerning the ministry and even apologized, but publicly we have never attempted to disclose such things. I stand before you today and state with a spirit of deep contrition, repentance and earnestness, that our ministry is indeed very broken. (He pauses as if on the verge of shedding a tear; the sanctuary is captivated in stunned silence).
In the rest of my talk today, I’d like to share my thoughts on why this is the case and some possible remedies. To be honest, I don’t have this written down in sermon form; what I speak to you today is from my heart and I would like to engage all of you in the most genuine manner possible. Shep… I mean John (authors’ note: not actual name of a person), (at this moment, John looks up at the pastor, mouth agape and eyes widely transfixed upon him) I want to do away with these foolish titles, what I’m saying is that I’d like to talk to you today… to you… to all of you from the earnestness of my heart. It’s time to shed all of these facades. Let me continue with my train of thought on some of our problems.
Yes, We Admit it, Soylent… Green… is… Made of People
(An Admission of Gross Wrongdoing)
Specifically, I believe a significant portion of negative aspects in our ministry stems from our narrow definition of the word ‘ministry’ (he makes quote signs with his fingers as he’s saying this). Particularly, we’ve relegated our ministry mainly to the campus setting. Focusing on campus ministry is what worked for us in the past; as you all know, it is the very foundation of our ministry. But the problem is that we trusted in and chose the foundation of campus ministry more than the foundation of Christ and the Gospel. Not only this, but we’ve enforced our view of ministry with an uncompromising, iron-like fist. We have abused our positions of authority in order to keep our legalistic view of the gospel intact. Because of this, many espoused and suffered from an injuriously myopic view of ministry. The stories of personal tragedy are simply gut-wrenching and in some cases too much to bear without shedding many tears; the abuse is on a catastrophic level that no one should have to bear; in fact, Christ died in order to take up such wounds and burdens. Not only that, but because we have never sufficiently acknowledged or addressed this problem, these tragedies still occur today, though perhaps unbeknownst to many here, even to some of our young leaders who should be in the know. This being the case, more than anything, I would like our ministry to focus on inward healing as well as conscientiously contacting those who have left the ministry in the hopes of building bridges aright with them.
Before we hold another international or staff conference, I would like us to focus exclusively on this effort. Even to those who are in foreign mission fields, I’m not asking that they stop doing missions, but that they partner with us and acknowledge that our ministry has grave problems that can no longer be ignored. One thing I have in mind is redefining what UBF’s mission is. At the website www.ubfriends.org, as on online community in Christ, former and current members have been sifting through and trying to interpret the good, bad and ugly aspects of our UBF heritage, it’s really quite interesting. Anyway, upon reviewing some of the former statements about these heritage points by our own UBF leaders (www.ubf.org/node/155) in conjunction with reading ubfriends blogs and comments, I have concluded that our internal doctrine is woefully, woefully misguided and needs immediate revision. Surely, there is some truth contained in them, but the first and foremost heritage point should be adherence to the gospel of God’s grace. I’m not sure about how to redefine the rest of our heritage points and to be honest I don’t really care. For far too long, the gospel given by Christ has been overshadowed by these eight or twelve heritage points. If I were to take a page from Martin Luther’s legacy, I would post one thesis: the Gospel of God’s grace.
I Don’t Want Your Money; I Want Change
I’m not sure how all of this will unfold, but I believe that this is the very long, overdue and necessary starting point to rebuilding UBF’s foundation rightly. Just to give some specifics of what necessarily has to change, I want to give some directives that I hope you will find beneficial. First of all, today, you may or may not choose to stay after service and pray two by two; you can pray in groups or however you like (some in the congregation let out a snicker, a chortle or nervous laughter, looking at each other as if to confirm that they all heard what the pastor just said). In terms of ministerial practice, if you have conviction about seeing your home or your workplace or any other place as your mission field, please with our blessing serve with the grace of our Lord Jesus there. You are no longer relegated or tied to the campus to do ministry there; please feel free to serve anywhere as you see fit. (literally a millisecond after the pastor is finished, one of the older missionaries shouts out, “This is heresy!” and storms out. The pastor momentarily loses his composure, but regains it and continues on with heightened resolve). Moreover, if you believe that God has called you to do social justice ministry, we will wholeheartedly support you in this endeavor. Actually, we would like to do something revolutionary. We would like to have committees to oversee each of these areas, that is the home, workplace and urban evangelization. Not only these areas but any other area you propose, we are willing to let you have the freedom to build up these ministries under the UBF banner. Also, we would like to encourage you to visit other churches and build relationships with those outside of UBF. You don’t have to come here every Sunday; take some time to explore the rest of the Christian world. This may come as a grave shock to many of you, but I’m telling you, get out and get to know other people besides UBF people (at this, the crowd begins to stir and talk to each other in disbelief at the statements coming from the pastor’s mouth). In all of this, we just ask that you not use your freedom in the Spirit as an excuse to do evil, but rather to love. In this way, we want to become a multi-faceted, healthy church which is what many have vied for and advocated in the past as well as present.
In the coming weeks we would like to launch a series entitled, “What is the Gospel?” For many years, we have presumed to know what the gospel means but it is obvious that we need to go back to the basics and learn the truth about the very crux of Christianity. We will also hold workshops on how to practically apply the gospel in all of our various relationships. We will not look to UBF heritage to define the Gospel; rather we will look to the Bible, church history and also the current work of many contemporary theologians and pastors who have exclusively focused on this issue. Any major conference will have this theme from now on. I don’t know for how long, perhaps until Jesus comes. But by the authority given to me by the Chief Shepherd Jesus Christ, as a lowly under shepherd of His church, I am resigned to teaching you only about His Gospel, as explained by the whole of Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments, until the day I die. If I ever, ever step out of line and Lord authority over you or try to take the place of the Chief Shepherd, I will submit to church discipline and if need be resign; this is how seriously I take my commitment to purity and integrity in leading you.
Chicken Wings and Drinks On Me
Lastly, some practical advice, not a command, to you today is this: If you have children or family that you have not seen for some time because you have been so busy with ministry, please go home and hug them. Tell them that you love them and that they are more important than any mission, that in fact they are the mission; your mission is to love them with the love of Christ. For older missionaries who have strained relationships with children who have either left the church or have remained in a begrudging manner, please call them and apologize to them; tell them that you are sorry and that your only desire is for them to know the grace of our Lord Jesus. I give this advice to any shepherds who have wounded young students in the past. Also, for those who are peers, if you have any grudges, please don’t delay coming to the cross to reconcile; this is much more important than the work of campus ministry or any other endeavor that you wish to undertake.
From now on, we will listen to any and every story of abuse or misfortune you have suffered because of UBF. In fact, we want to hold both open and private forums for such dialogue to occur. We can do this over a meal in someone’s house or in the sanctuary right here before this giant cross emblem. Yes, as leaders, we might initially become defensive or even angry at some of the assertions, because these things are very difficult for us to face and own up to. But we give you our word, we will hear you out and we will seek real reconciliation to the best of our ability. We will shed tears with you and talk for many, many hours. However long it takes, we will seek to understand you and come to a solution at the foot of the cross.
These are very trying times for our ministry, but something such as what I laid out today absolutely must take place if we are going to do right by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you today. Oh and lastly, if you want to go out and have a beer, drinks on me at Hawkeyes near UIC; can’t beat the ten cent wings either. We can ride my purple dragon, Bubbles there (author’s note: hey, I did say this was a dream). Thank you and God bless you.
On the Verge of Waking Up
Many of the parishioners are clueless as to what to do; even the piano player is at a loss as to what hymn to begin playing. “How about we just end service right here?” the pastor says. Some people remain in their seats in shock, others begin to file out and discuss what they have just heard. At the same time, a long line forms beginning at the podium where the pastor once stood and terminates at the rear sanctuary door. Personally, I’m puzzled as to what exactly just happened, but at the same time I feel as though precisely what I dreamed of wanting to transpire just came to fruition. It’s hard to believe this because dreams are often illusory and hard to remember, seemingly impossible to grasp. I think to myself, perhaps this is just another one of those dreams. I sooth myself with the notion that whatever occurs on this side of heaven will always be imperfect and bittersweet, but what will happen on the other side is in fact beyond our wildest and most imaginative dreams for it is a reality grounded in truth and perfect justice, authored by God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit in whom there is nothing false or malicious.
Concluding Remarks
Some may not appreciate the humor put forth in this article; I haven’t tried my hand much at it so maybe it’s a bit off… or way off. But the reason for the levity is captured best by a quote from Elton Trueblood in his wonderful little book entitled The Humor of Christ,
“Any alleged Christianity which fails to express itself in gaiety, at some point, is clearly spurious. The Christian is gay not because he is blind to injustice and suffering, but because he is convinced that these, in the light of the divine sovereignty are never ultimate. He is convinced that the unshakeable purpose is the divine rule of all things, whether of heaven or earth (Eph. 1:10). Though he can be sad, and often is perplexed, he is never really worried. The well-known humor of the Christian is not a way of denying the tears, but rather a way of affirming something which is deeper than tears.”
Bravo! David, you have virtually articulated my own dream almost verbatim but with far more elegance and eloquence than I ever could muster! My own dream then would be to be able to match your poetic enunciation and erudition someday.
Someday, padawan, you will learn the way of the master… Lol, jk. Thanks for the props, Dr. Ben. I’m putting my hope in God’s will to grant us more than we could ever imagine, as the Gospel declares.
Wonderful article.
The part I liked best was this:
“We will not look to UBF heritage to define the Gospel; rather we will look to the Bible, church history and also the current work of many contemporary theologians and pastors who have exclusively focused on this issue.”
Thanks, Joe. Buried beneath all of the silliness in my post, this is what I wanted to convey the most, even though ten cent wings and riding on a purple dragon sound far better. Jk… sort of. I really hope I’m not lowering the standards of ubfriends. But then again, I ask, what standards? Ok, let me stop.
You are definitely raising the standards.
Awesome dream, David! I love this post. Can we have more like it? Your humor and candor are excellent. We may be decades from this ever happening (hopefully not) but visualizing the dream is important. I share your dream. I hope the door is open now to actualize it.
Thanks, Brian. I’ve thought about writing a lot of articles, but I wanted to make sure that whatever I wrote was something deeply meaningful to not only me but also the virtual community here and those in UBF who may or may not agree with what’s on this blog in general. I’d love to write more, but I’ll have to do some digging and serious soul searching to see what’s mutually beneficial to the aforementioned communities. I hope that we can continue to both dream of and pray together for change (Acts 2:17; btw, does this mean we’re getting old?).
Well we’re not getting younger..or are we?
Anyway vision is important. I love these quotes about vision/execution I heard lately:
“All too often the best way to see a light at the end of the tunnel is to… go turn it on!” Peter G. Hold
“Vision without a plan is wishful thinking. Planning without a vision is slavery.” unknown
And now I absolutely must watch the movie with an absolute spirit!
And on a serious note: I really really appreciate your understanding that the “food” of ubf is people. Thanks.
Yes!!! We must have solidarity in this matter; this movie must be watched. Lol. It’s a really freaky movie that you could draw so many different metaphors from. To be honest, I didn’t make the connection that you’re making about UBF regarding people as food. But I guess in some sense it works. Some people (and in the past I felt this way too) seem to draw new life solely from continually inviting and engaging with new recruits. In contrast, Jesus’ food was to do the will of the Father who sent Him, which has a far greater scope than this. The pastor in my dream issued a call for a massive in-reach effort; I think he’s eating the right food.
What a dream! I could see such an event happening in Chicago or another ministry maybe someday, but then all the missionaries who said “This is heresy” just go and continue the heritage in a different place. There were so many times when I pined for the sort of reforms that were occurring in Chicago, but those things never trickled down into small house churches. Chapter directors had and always will have absolute control. They can pick and choose whatever reforms they want to bring in or leave out. They can instruct their members, “Don’t pay attention to that chapter; they lost their mission.” They can prevent them from attending certain conferences if they detect a whiff of disloyalty to the heritage.
Therefore, my dream isn’t for a figurehead to stand up and declare such a message, but for each individual local chapter director–who are really the engines driving the UBF crazy train–to be the ones who actually implement such a dream.
@Joshua: “They can pick and choose whatever reforms they want to bring in or leave out.”
Ah but now they CANNOT do something they always did: control the information! Now all ubf people around the world can instantly know all about reforms and other happenings. I think some older poeple are afraid now, because as MarkM said once here “the jig is up.” Information can no longer be controlled in ubf as it was in the day of me and bigbear before the internet and before email.
@DavidW: Your dream reminds me of the dream I had awhile back, actually it was just the end of the Bug’s life movie. Back in 2011 I envisioned thousands of ubf people communicating to each other, realizing they are the ones with the power and authority.
They don’t need to control information if they control thinking and behaviour. If a person has enough control over my life that I submit to his commands to abandon my three month old daughter, do you think I’m going to disobey when I’m told not to read a website or respond to an email? I still sometimes tremble uncontrollably whenever I login to UBFriends.
“If a person has enough control over my life that I submit to his commands to abandon my three month old daughter, do you think I’m going to disobey when I’m told not to read a website or respond to an email?”
Good point Joshua. And I must add we did that too :(
@Joshua. I should be more optimistic because things are changing quite a bit in Chicago. I love many people here, but that doesn’t negate what I feel in my heart of hearts, as communicated in my dream. Yeah, I guess my dream is a bit dreamy, because the pastor seems to issue a sweeping decree that all of the elders/senior missionaries (except for one) are on board with. In reality, as you said, this needs to happen at the local level where there is not as much oversight.
@Brian. A Bug’s Life is now in my queue of movies to watch. Hopefully this blog is the beginning of the realization of your vision for we desperately need open communication like this.
Thank you David. This was a pleasant change from everything. It echoes what we need and want to hear and see. It also captures the humor of our private thought world when we habitually come to hear the weekly message. I was able to get a couple things from this that could not be said elsewhere on other recent articles.
1) Failure of weekly messages: Personal healing and common experiences are not addressed in the messages. The messages are used to highlight favoured verses in the passage that reinforce the UBF Campus Ministry heritage.
2) 1:1 Bible studies are used to cover point #1: If you have personal troubles it is expected that this is exclusively handled in a 1:1 setting. This results in possible covering up of accountability because conversations are private. Usually this is beneficial for confidentiality of students, but I will repeat that accountability gets thrown out the window. It is a student’s word against a senior leader.
3) The messages become 1 dimensional for many because the honeymoon period is over and the inductive approach can be done independently from UBF gatherings. You can predict how verses will be applied to campus mission and repentence for not managing to achieve the criteria and goal.
4) I could only dream that the messenger would be so humble. A call for unity among all Christian believers is needed. As for the senior leader who walked off. I rather envision the leadership and brass escorting the messenger out of the hall.
I want to keep my comment short – so, stopping here. Thanks again. Also, it is fantastic that another member has made a contribution for an article.
gc, your points 1-3 capture my perpetual angst. Many of the leaders in UBF are beginning to study theology, but until the Gospel somehow uncouples the amalgamation of the Bible and UBF ideology in the minds of said leaders, I’m not sure how much these studies will benefit the church. On point 4, our dreams do indeed tend to be diametrically opposed with reality. It’s funny how many societal structures are infatuated with the idea that acts of force are more influential than acts of humility. Could you imagine what kind of atmosphere the church would have if leaders displayed this kind of humility? That’s why it’s a dream, I suppose.
Thank you David for your wonderful article. What you said here is very important issue in my opinion. “In terms of ministerial practice, if you have conviction about seeing your home or your workplace or any other place as your mission field, please with our blessing serve with the grace of our Lord Jesus there. You are no longer relegated or tied to the campus to do ministry there; please feel free to serve anywhere as you see fit. Moreover, if you believe that God has called you to do social justice ministry, we will wholeheartedly support you in this endeavor. Actually, we would like to do something revolutionary. We would like to have committees to oversee each of these areas, that is the home, workplace and urban evangelization. Not only these areas but any other area you propose, we are willing to let you have the freedom to build up these ministries under the UBF banner.”
In this case we have to change the name UBF into some other name. This may be reality although I don’t know when.
Thanks, James. I was tempted to have the pastor say that we were going to change the ministry’s name as well. But then I thought if he did that, some peoples’ heads would begin to explode; it would be like totally losing our identity. I left that as a cliff hanger, kind of like with the parishioners thinking “is he going to go there too, change the actual name of the ministry!?” It reveals just how deeply we adhere to things that are so ingrained, so familiar. And it’s human nature of course. But yeah, the implication is that if the Gospel really takes root among us, then the natural conclusion would be to shed our name; we exchange our long held ideology for something much better. I’m not advocating that we do this, I’m just saying in light of the Gospel, do such names even matter?
Bravo!!! you have articulated my dream so well, I pray that we may experience this as reality soon.
Thank you David for sharing your dream. As others have said, it is very well articulated. It is forward-looking but appropriately deals with the past. And yes there is a place for humor.
Thank God for his grace to us in Jesus Christ. Based on this grace and its power alone I am hopeful. It is actually exciting to make the visions he gave us a reality, even though it is not easy.
James, I would like to make a few comments on your response to David Weed’s posting. In the first place, I carefully read his article and my understanding is that David wants change-real change from the inside out and not just fixing outward behavior(s) in UBF. His main point is not even ministerial practice, but change. During the initial stage, God used Korea UBF in its unique way to bring hope to many students who were in disillusionment after the Korean war. The Korean cultural ethos and social milieu were very conducive to campus ministry in the 60’s. But after 50 years, things have changed, and such ministerial practice(s) have become obsolete. It is like an old computer made in the 70’s. So we need a paradigm change; I believe this is what David Weed and many others are asking for. By now, everybody is realizing that we need change-real change in UBF ministry. Even if we don’t want to be changed, change will come anyway, whether we welcome change or not, because as I mentioned elsewhere, times have changed. You get on board or you are left out- the train is leaving. Any change must first occur in one’s attitude.
What is our UBF ministry attitude then? In your comment, I noticed phrases such as “our blessing” or “we will wholeheartedly support you” or “we are willing to let you have the freedom.” Let me put it in a different way. David and Christine Weed can serve our Lord’s ministry as they please and “we will bless them” and “support them.” I appreciate your BIG heart for David. My question to you is who are “we”? This is exactly why people criticize our UBF ministry at home and abroad. As long as we maintain this “we attitude,” people’s nightmare of UBF control freaks will continue to exist. A word related to “control freaks” is “disconnectedness.” And how many people today are crying for connectedness in UBF? They want to nurture honest deep relationships.
In “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality,” Peter Scazzero also talks about connectedness a number of times. By the way, Peter Scazzero’s book was one of the text books used in one of my core classes in Gordon-Conwell Seminary. I read and wrote a book report about it, my wife Liz Lincoln read it, and recommended it to a number of close friends and they were blessed to read it.What can I say, like Joe, this book was personal redemption for me. We are not the owner of UBF ministry. We were given a privilege to serve God’s ministry in UBF. We all mutually own the ministry together, from top to bottom in UBF.
Recently, I went to Emmanuel Gospel Center’s (EGC) 75th year celebration in Boston’s South End. Someone asked a question- “What will be the shape of EGC after 75 years from this point on?” One of the leaders said: “After 75 years, I wish EGC does not exist, but let Jesus and his grace continue through EGC ministry.” I thought this is the kind of ministry attitude we all should love to cherish.
PAL
+1
@PAL. You hit the nail on the head. On the one hand, the pastor in the dream is a legitimate overseer of the community there, but at the same time, the ministry is a shared venture, under Christ’s ultimate authority of course; his language still indicates that he can’t let go of his long held notion of how much authority and oversight he really has.
A lot of confusion and angst arises when, in UBF, young leaders think that they have just as much of a stake in the ministry as the older leaders do. Of course, this should be the case, but this is not what the older leaders think; young leaders should be exceedingly humble and should above all respect the fifty year heritage of the ministry. Only the Gospel can change such a mindset.
@PAL, it was good to hear from you. The comment you mentioned was actually from the quote of David Weed’s article if you read it carefully.
I like your comment that we are not the owner of UBF, but were given a privilege to serve God through UBF for a while.
@Martha. I’m happy that this resounded with you. From a biblical perspective, there is such a high occurrence and significance placed on dreams and visions throughout many of the texts; the entire book of Revelation is one long, intricate vision which draws from another visionary book, Isaiah. Often, these signify pivotal moments in a figure’s life. I hope that I can take the time to listen to others’ version of ‘the dream’.
@aw. Thank you and I hope that my dream doesn’t dissolve into a mere pipe dream, but rather one that I am willing to continually (humbly and lovingly) fight for and most importantly submit to God in prayer on a regular basis. Hope that we can spend some quality time together in the near future.
@David, “A lot of confusion and angst arises when, in UBF, young leaders think that they have just as much of a stake in the ministry as the older leaders do. Of course, this should be the case, but this is not what the older leaders think; young leaders should be exceedingly humble and should above all respect the fifty year heritage of the ministry. Only the Gospel can change such a mindset.” – See more at: http://www.ubfriends.org/2013/07/16/sophomoric-musings-my-dream/#comment-9280
What you said above says about as nicely as anyone can possibly say it (which I am clueless about how to do!), and it just about nails a core practical fundamental issue in all of UBF, which ONLY THE HOLY SPIRIT (through the gospel and through the humility that follows) can change.
Paraphrasing PAL “’After 75 years, I wish (UBF) does not exist, but let Jesus and his grace continue through (UBF) ministry.’ I thought this is the kind of ministry attitude we all should love to cherish.” – See more at: http://www.ubfriends.org/2013/07/16/sophomoric-musings-my-dream/#comment-9280 May God bless UBF and UBFriends to continue to cherish this dream!
@David, “A lot of confusion and angst arises when, in UBF, young leaders think that they have just as much of a stake in the ministry as the older leaders do.” – See more at: http://www.ubfriends.org/2013/07/16/sophomoric-musings-my-dream/#comment-9291
By God’s help, we (old foggies) at West Loop have deliberately and intentionally given and entrusted our young(er) leaders the stewardship to take the initiative and leadership in the church. Our old(er) members have also intentionally and deliberately decided to support what our young(er) leaders want to do, and to not overrule them or impress upon them what we want or prefer or expect of them.
My greatest joy in such a (risky) venture is that young(er) people speak to me and old(er) leaders as though WL is their own church (and not under me!) and which they have full rights and authority and stewardship over. They do not have to live in fear of displeasing me, or try to figure out what I want or prefer or expect of them. They can truly and freely take the initiative and leadership as to what they wish to do according to the leading of the Spirit (Jn 3:8).
My “only job” literally is to only give them Jesus (Mt 1:21), and the gospel (Ac 20:24), and Christ crucified (1 Cor 1:23; 2:2), and the grace of God (1 Cor 15:10), over and over, which all fall in the marvelous realm of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1).
+1
Dr. Ben, in a very practical sense, you’ve implemented much of what the pastor in the dream stated. Especially, I drew inspiration from what you’re doing when I crafted this statement for him:
“But by the authority given to me by the Chief Shepherd Jesus Christ, as a lowly under shepherd of His church, I am resigned to teaching you only about His Gospel, as explained by the whole of Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments, until the day I die.”