Carson's Solemn Vows and Those Taken Before God Between Crosspoint Encuentro and Her Officers

Last Sunday April 3, 2011, I was part of the commission to ordain and install my friend Rev. Carson Pittman (front row, 2nd from left) as Associate Pastor of Atlanta Westside Presbyterian Church. 

As I read the vows on the screen behind Carson, as I heard Pastor Walter read them aloud, Carson could barely keep it together. His sincerity caused me to look into my own heart. I was struck by the depth and significance of these vows. Carson takes this so seriously and so should we all. He was moved to tears several times throughout the night. This man's overwhelmed state got to me. I'm an easy mark when it comes to Jesus and His church. 

I was not the only one moved by this holy moment. As the Westside congregation, a church I helped give birth to, I was equally moved by the depth and meaningful sincerity of the vows taken by the congregation. It took me back to the day in January 2007 when Crosspoint made these same vows. I too was moved to tears. 

And I am again as I write these words.

Church, this is deep.

God is calling forth a movement of His Holy Spirit in some new churches in Atlanta and He is crossing hereto seldom approached barriers. In these churches Jesus' gospel is all the good news that matters. Not race, not class, not ability, not looks, not power, not hipster coolness. Jesus is King. And He's awesome.

Sunday April 10, I will be referring to the following vows. Read them. Think about them. It may seem boring at first. But think of what this means.

Consider again (or for the first time) the covenant, the trust and the honor we have of being a church so loved by our Savior Jesus Christ and so well led by His Sovereign Kingship.

1. Vows Taken Before God by the Officers of Our Church and Declarations about Their Roles

  A. All Officers (Elders and Deacons) Take These Same Ordination Vows:

1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as originally given, to be the inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice?

2. Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confession of Faith and the Catechisms of this Church, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures; and do you further promise that if at any time you find yourself out of accord with any of the fundamentals of this system of doctrine, you will on your own initiative, make known to your Presbytery the change which has taken place in your views since the assumption of this ordination vow?

3. Do you approve of the form of government and discipline of the Presbyterian Church in America, in conformity with the general principles of Biblical polity?

4. Do you promise subjection to your brethren in the Lord?

(Book of Church Order Chapter 21 Paragraph 5 and Chapter 24 Paragraph 5)

  B. Teaching Elder’s Take These Distinct Ordination Vows:

1. Have you been induced, as far as you know your own heart, to seek the office of the holy ministry from love to God and a sincere desire to promote His glory in the Gospel of His Son?

2. Do you promise to be zealous and faithful in maintaining the truths of the Gospel and the purity and peace and unity of the Church, whatever persecution or opposition may arise unto you on that account?

3. Do you engage to be faithful and diligent in the exercise of all your duties as a Christian and a minister of the Gospel, whether personal or relational, private or public; and to endeavor by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in your manner of life, and to walk with exemplary piety before the flock of which God shall make you overseer?

4. Are you now willing to take the charge of this church, agreeable to your declaration when accepting their call?  And do you, relying upon God for strength, promise to discharge to it the duties of a pastor? (BCO 21-5)

  C. Ruling Elders’ and Deacons Take These Distinct Ordination Vows:

1. Do you accept the office of ruling elder (or deacon, as the case may be) in this church, and promise faithfully to perform all the duties thereof, and to endeavor by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in your life, and to set a worthy example before the Church of which God has made you an officer?

2.   Do you promise to strive for the purity, peace, unity and edification of the Church? (BCO 24-5 (#4 &6))

  D. At the conclusion of the Ordination of Ruling Elders and Deacons, the Following is Declared: 

I now pronounce and declare that ____________________ has been regularly elected, ordained and installed a ruling elder (or deacon) in this church, agreeable to the Word of God, and according to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America; and that as such he is entitled to all encouragement, honor and obedience in the Lord:  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen. (BCO 24-5)

  E. At the Ordination of a Teaching Elder, the following is Declared:

I now pronounce and declare that ____________________ has been regularly elected, ordained and installed pastor of this church, agreeable to the Word of God, and according to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America; and that as such he is entitled to all encouragement, honor and obedience in the Lord:  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  (BCO 21-7)

2. Congregations’ Vows Taken Before God at the Ordination of Officers:

  A. Vows Taken by Congregation in Receiving/Calling a Teaching Elder:

1. Do you, the people of this congregation, continue to profess your readiness to receive _________________, whom you have called to be your pastor?

2. Do you promise to receive the word of truth from his mouth with meekness and love, and to submit to him in the due exercise of discipline?

3. Do you promise to encourage him in his labors, and to assist his endeavors for your instruction and spiritual edification?

4. Do you engage to continue to him while he is your pastor that competent worldly maintenance which you have promised, and to furnish him with whatever you may see needful for the honor of religion and for his comfort among you? (BCO 21-6)

  B. Vows Taken by Congregation in Receiving Ruling Elders and Deacons:

Do you, the members of this church, acknowledge and receive this brother as a ruling elder (or deacon), and do you promise to yield him all that honor, encouragement and obedience in the Lord to which his office, according to the Word of God and the Constitution of this Church, entitles him? (BCO 24-5)

Excited about Church Planting Momentum in the Atlanta Area

Crosspoint/Encuentro is part of some significant Kingdom expansion work you would seldom see. Today I went to our monthly Church Planters Network (CPN) meeting and there were 40 church planters, coaches and visitors. This represents almost 20 church plants in Georgia, Minnesota, North Carolina, London and Bucharest. We are usually mostly white, middle-aged and Presbyterian, but today I looked around the room and saw five racial backgrounds, young guys and old guys. 40!

Several men from Bethlehem Baptist Church Minneapolis (where John Piper is the pastor) checked out what we are doing here. We had visitors from the London Church Planters' Network some of our men helped start and even a church planter from Romania! It was so cool to hear him say straight up that he and a few other pastors from the International Presbyterian Church in Romania are making plans to change their whole country through church planting. Seriously. I believe it.

Ten months out of the year, though you may not know it, I spend a day (630am-230pm) in Atlanta with this network. Pastor Hector too. I used to go to receive, now I go to give back. I coach other church planters who have started churches on the Atlanta Westside, in Vinings and East Atlanta.

Every month there is peer-coaching, prayer and training. This month's training and prayer time inter-weaved as Dr. Tom Wood and Alex Villasana led us in strong, gospel-centered life-changing interaction. I'm so proud of Tom and Alex, he's the guy that recruited, trained and still mentors me. And Alex just preached at Sunday night at the Regional Hispanic Worship Gathering for the four Hispanic churches in our area.

And I heard that J. Allen Thompson, the church planting guru of the PCA and Redeemer NYC is moving back here. My guess is so he can be closer to family and Cuba where he frequently travels to train church planters and church leaders where he was born, raised, planted churches and got kicked out in 1960.

Why tell you all this? A lot of reasons:
It's personal. Crosspoint/Encuentro is one of the first three church plants from this network.Without these men and this training I would have flopped more than once at church planting.
It's spiritual. This is the kind of momentum we have been asking the Lord of the harvest for and working towards for ten years.
It's missional. Our church vision has always been to multiply churches for all the nations because it is God's ordained method to saturate the world, Atlanta and Smyrna with the gospel.
It's eternal. Alongside godly people doing ground-breaking work in the 21st century, we will have continuing impact long after we pass into eternity.
It's global. This behind-the-scenes work is the greatest opportunity for the most people in the most places to worship King Jesus.

We are so honored to take part in this world-changing enterprise!

Five Things that Will Make You Happier

Scientists prove (part) of what Scripture teaches. This article lists 5 things that are proven to make you happier.
A psychologist from the University of California at Riverside speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science said she and colleagues reviewed 51 studies that tested attempts to increase happiness. The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Here they are with some more biblical terminology.

1. Be Grateful (Okay, that one's biblical)
2. Be Optimistic (Be Hopeful)
3. Count Your Blessings (Rejoice)
4. Use your strengths (Use your God-given gifts)
5. Commit acts of kindness (Give generously)

 Granted the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring these effects (plus guaranteed suffering and trials) but it's cool to me that general revelation confirms what special revelation stated millenia ago. I'm going to count my blessings! Ching!

Thanks for My Father-in-law!!

CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE
I'm so thankful for God's protection and salvation! Here Elizabeth, my wife, explains our gratitude!

In 1962, my dad was navigating for this helicopter, when the pilot ran into some wires. When my dad looked up and saw what was happening, he called upon the name of the Lord and was saved.
The blades came into the cockpit and scratched his legs and dented the cigarette lighter in his boot, but he and the pilot were fine. He told this story of God's goodness with tears in his eyes at Thanksgiving dinner. I would not be here if he had not survived.

At the time of this picture, John Edward Kreiner was an Army helicopter pilot with a wife Regina and twin daughters Kim and Karen. My wife was not yet born. She would not be here except for God's saving mercy. Neither would my children, Jake, Erica and Elysia, whom I love!

And I would not be the man I am had God not saved my father-in-law - this time and several others during his entire career as a MASH helicopter pilot in Korea and Vietnam.
Thanks be to God!