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Part 1: Unity There are many "things" that God has put upon my heart for Alaska. Those "things" can be remembered in the acronym H.E.L.P., mentioned in another article. Over the next several ECCAK Newsletters, I want to unpack some of these "things." The "H" stands for healthy churches. One of the dynamics needed for churches to truly be healthy requires unity. Christ Himself said in Mark 3:24-25 "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." God has raised up a great team in Alaska within a group of Christians called "The Covenant." The Covenant within Alaska consists of three separate ministries who answer to the ECCAK General Council. They are [1] ECCAK [the Evangelical Covenant Churches of Alaska which consists of 19 churches across Alaska], [2] KICY [our radio station in Nome] and [3] ACC [our Christian college in Soldotna]. Under ECCAK, we have other organizations such as CYAK and the Camping Ministry, which includes Camp Gilead, a special camp to help those caught up in substance abuse. Most people know that God is much bigger than "The Covenant." We also work hand and hand with many other Christian ministries, such as [1] MARC [Mission Aviation Repair Center, who gets people where they need to go via air], [2] ABM [Arctic Barnabas Ministries, who encourage those in the field by flying in and spending quality time with them], [3] AEC [Amundsen Education Center (featured in an article last week) who provides vocational training to Western Alaskans], [4] CEF [Child Evangelism Fellowship, who trains and equips people to minister to children], [5] the Schnupps and Larry Seversen who provide training to help minister to the abused, [6] Kako [a Christian camp and retreat center north of Bethel, [7] Native New Life Fellowship which meets in various villages to grow in the faith, and [8] a multitude of churches and organizations from other denominations who are willing to join us in a variety of ways to reach out. Part of my vision for the future of Alaska is not only to continue and expand our ministry partnerships with the above, but to build some bridges to other Christian ministries where we may be able to network in a closer way. For example, I hope to be able to travel to Glenallen in the future to connect with SEND International and Alaska Bible College. Pastor Hinkey from Fairbanks suggested I connect with Prairie Bible College as a source for future pastors. God is at work in Alaska, without a doubt. As we pool our resources, we are simply being good stewards.
So to summarize, we must strengthen our unity within the Covenant, but also with other brothers and sisters in the Lord from "wherever." I am reminded of the Lord's Prayer in John 17 concerning the believers of the future church. Jesus prayed we would be one as He and the Father were one. May it be so! |
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Part 2: Caring Whenever you hear the word "caring" within the context of the local church, the first thought that may come to your mind may be "pastoral caring." That indeed is an important ingredient in a healthy church. A second thought that may come to your mind is the caring of one another. That is certainly a biblical mandate. 1 Cor. 12:25 says, "That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another." We must live out the many "one anothers" found in the Scriptures. And when we do, we will experience greater spiritual health within the body of Christ. But I want to briefly focus on a caring principle that is easy to forget about. It has to do with the caring of our pastors. They are people, too! They are human and frail, just like you. Yes, I know they often do not show it on the outside, but they carry a heavy load in their calling to be the under shepherd of God's flock. So how do you care for your pastor? Let me suggest a few ways: 1. The first to come to mind for me is that the local church needs to take care of the pastor and his family's physical needs. That would involve a salary that allows them to keep up with the costs of just living. As with some of our pastors, that should include health insurance needs. The local church, in cooperation with the larger Covenant Church, should also provide for a pension. 1 Tim. 5:17 says, "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." I know that some of our churches struggle with their budgets in this regard, but each member of the church must see their responsibility in tithing to their local church. It breaks my heart to see church members send off their tithe and offerings to TV Evangelist while their own pastor goes without. Or who have the money to play bingo every week, yet give little to the work of the Lord. Or to receive a dividend and never stop to ask God how much He would have them give towards His work through the local church. 2. The second way you can "care" for your pastor is spiritually and emotionally. Most of our pastors put in many long hours. They handle many difficult situations throughout the course of the week. They put a lot of time and energy into feeding the flock on Sunday morning. Here are some ways you can "care" for them:
I certainly have not exhausted the ways to care for your pastor. But it is a list you can start with and develop. The church leadership hold the primary responsibility for seeing that their pastor is cared for. A well-cared for pastor is a needed ingredient for a healthy pastor. Healthy pastors is a means healthier churches! |
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Part 3: Healthy Families H = Healthy Churches E = Evangelism L = Leadership P = Prayer God has appointed Curtis, John and Byron to lead an organization called CYAK. This is an acronym for Covenant Youth of Alaska. It focuses on youth and young adults. How I thank God for how He has moved among our youth in Alaska. God has put upon my heart the families of Alaska. It is not hard to see how the enemy has attacked this basic unit established by God. We see broken families, neglected children, abuse of all sorts to name only a few. I believe we need an organization called CFAK. This is an acronym for Covenant Families of Alaska. You cannot have healthy churches if they are filled with unhealthy families. As the old saying goes, a chain is as strong as its weakest link. Still in its embryonic stage [in my mind], CFAK is waiting to be born. If it is to become a reality, it will take an person called of God to lead it. What will this person do? Some of the things I would envision are as follows:
This is surely not an exclusive list, but if it could be done with great vigor, what a difference it could make in making healthy churches via healthier families! What is preventing us from moving forward? Resources…both human and financial. But I am convinced that God not only wants us to disciple the family in these ways, but that He will provide… in His time. |
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Part 4: Discipleship, Vital to our Future One book that has most impacted my life and ministry is Robert Coleman's "The Master Plan of Evangelism." It is simply a study of Christ's life. If every Christian could grasp and live out the principles portrayed in Christ's life, what a difference it would make in reaching out to a lost world. In it, the bottom line is "reproduction." We are not only to reach the lost but also disciple them; that is, build them up in the faith. It is my hope that more and more Christians in Alaska will someday come to understand and live out this principle in their life. The question is: Who are you discipling? Of course, it is a given that we disciple our children, but what about investing in someone who God has put in your sphere of influence that is outside your family? What about setting up regular meeting times with them to pray and look into God's Word? If every Christian would do this with just two people, who in turn did the same thing, who in turn did the same thing, etc., the world would be won to Christ within a decade! Do the math. In order to help provide Alaska Christians with a tool for discipleship, I will be traveling with Keith Hamilton to visit with Dr. Jorge Maldonado, president of the Hispanic Center for Theological Studies in Bell Gardens, CA. The Hispanic community is experiencing the reality of Christians being discipled by Christians. We are going to look at what they are doing and see if we can tailor a similar program for Alaskans! The potential within this goes beyond laying a foundation for many Christians through discipleship, it also provides a way for those specifically called by God to be trained and prepared for pastoral ministry. It is possible for one to receive their bachelor's degree in ministry and be ordained by the Covenant. We hope to learn from what God is going among the Hispanic community and bring it to Alaska! |