Guiding Principles team: Tom Julien

Some unfortunate news — Tom Julien was to be the fourth member of our teaching/facilitating team for the interactive seminar: Guiding Principles for the People of God in a Postmodern World. Due to cardiovascular problems, however, Tom's doctor has asked him to put aside all responsibilities, so he will not be able to participate in Equip '07.

Tom has assured us of his prayers during the seminar. "The prayer of the righteous man is powerful and effective." And we will interact with some of Tom's thinking in the seminar. So he will be participating, just not as we had anticipated!

Kary, Matt and I know that God is sovereign and we are eagerly anticipating these two days of praying and dialoguing with sisters and brothers about Jesus’ idea of Church expressed in local churches.

Tom is one of the best eccesiologists that I know. My understanding of the Church has been powerfully impacted by his thinking. For example, just today he wrote:

"The church will always be caught in the tension of confronting culture while communicating with it. This tension nearly always manifests itself in one of two ways: isolation from the culture, resulting in legalism; accommodation to the culture, resulting in syncretism. In either case, the authentic church can be corrupted.

1. Corrupting the church through excessive form: death by asphyxiation.
This is the snare of the traditional church with its legalistic preservation of forms for their own sake. When form smothers function, the result is the suffocation of the essence of the church.

2. Corrupting the church through excessive freedom: death by amputation.
This is the snare of the emergent church in which many have crossed the line of despair in the loss of objective truth. When freedom ignores commitment [to Scripture as truth], the result is the dissipation of the essence of the church."

If you would like to check out some of Tom Julien's work, please see:

"The essence of the church," an extraordinary article in EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly), April 1998.

Antioch Revisited: Reuniting the Church with Her Mission
"Tom Julien, drawing from decades of missionary service, recounts in story form some of his guiding principles for today’s church. The book also contains a manual to 'help you bring back together what God meant never to be separated—your church and her worldwide mission.' George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilization, says, 'This book must be read.'"

Guiding Principles team: Kary Oberbrunner

"Live what you want to reproduce."

That is one of my team's (GBIM Europe) guiding principles. And in the upcoming interactive seminar Guiding Principles for the People of God in a Postmodern World, we plan to do just that. Rather than follow the "superman" approach to ministry (the "one man show"), we will practice teamwork according to giftedness—each one teaching in his area of expertise on the subjects about which he is passionate.

teamwork according to giftedness

Introducing KARY OBERBRUNNER who is passionate about his family: Kelly, Keegan and Isabel Grace who was just born on Saturday! Mega-congrats Kelly and Kary!

I was interested in Kary becoming part of our team as soon as I saw his blog header:

“BILINGUAL: Bridging Modern and Postmodern Values and Voices.
Because both groups bring strengths & weaknesses, insights & critiques to the table. Because both groups are comprised of people like you & I.”

Kary received his doctorate in Transformational Leadership. He is a self-proclaimed Recovering Pharisee*, "founder of Redeem the Day Ministries and serves as Director of Grace Institute and Pastor of Discipleship and Leadership Development at the Grace Church in Powell, OH.

Through his speaking, writing, coaching, and consultation, he invites others into a holistic relationship with Jesus Christ.

Kary in action

Kary believes that we can only grow in our faith when we’re real with where we’re at. He thinks God can handle our anger, frustration, and confusion, but that He won’t tolerate our hypocrisy." Kary is "calling others to live lives larger than themselves.”

Just released

*WHY RECOVERING PHARISEE?

Kary writes, "I believe every true follower of Jesus is in process. I use the word 'recovering' to communicate the fact that I haven’t arrived yet. I grew up in a strong Christian home, but slowly over time I exchanged a vibrant relationship with God for religious performance. Although, I trusted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I strived to repay God’s grace through duty and rules.

I felt as though my salvation and the weight of the world, rested upon my shoulders. These were dark times.…”

Required reading for the Guiding Principles seminar

For more about Kary, please visit his blog (see link on right) or his web site: http://www.karyoberbrunner.com/index.htm

Guiding Principles team: Matt Harmon

Thought I would introduce you, one by one, to the teaching team for the interactive seminar, Guiding Principles for the People of God in a Postmodern World, (July 30-31 at Grace Seminary, Winona Lake, IN).

Here are some excerpts for an article I just read yesterday about Matt Harmon. Matt will present, from the OT and NT, a biblical theology of the "people of God" (doctrine: universal priesthood of believers)… For more on Matt just click on his blog link (see on right).

Passing on What God Has Taught Him
By Melody Pfaffenberger

Dr. Matt Harman

Dr. Matt Harmon has a great desire to help people see Christ revealed in Scripture and to encourage them to lead others to see Christ.

“It’s sobering,” the Grace Theological Seminary professor says, “knowing they sit in my class, soak up my words, and make conclusions based on what I teach”…

He is one of four facilitators who will lead a discussion about “Guiding Principles for the People of God in a Postmodern World"…

Much of Harmon’s practical experience has come from his involvement in Campus Crusade for Christ, both as a student and then for eight years as a full-time staff member, both at Ohio University in Athens and at Trinity International University in the Chicago area.

As a student, his involvement with Crusade helped him realize how much he enjoyed ministry. “I felt like God was directing and leading me,” he recalls. He found it satisfying to know he was helping to advance the gospel, even in a small way.

“The thrill of passing on what God was teaching me was almost intoxicating, especially when I saw people seeing Christ in new and fresh ways from Scripture,” he recalls…

Harmon teaches Greek and advanced classes on exegesis, focusing particularly on the New Testament books. He will also teach courses on the cultural and literary background of the New Testament."

The people of God in a postmodern world: Equip '07

Back from a fabulous vacation and 25th wedding anniversary celebration in Crete! …with a change of plans. I am going to put a hold on "Tribes and configurations: postmodern church implications." Sorry about that, but gotta focus…

Crete + June 19, 2007 = 25th wedding anniversary!

Focus on what? The upcoming Equip '07 interactive seminar (Winona Lake, IN July 29 - August 3). Huh?! The Equip '07 blurb states:

"Equip07 is for all ages! All genders! It is for novices and the highly experienced. It will strengthen your foundation and sharpen your edge."

See Equip '07 info: http://www.fgbc.org/equip07/

Leaders of the denomination of which I am a part (Grace Brethren) asked me to teach a seminar at Equip '07. So, I invited some Friends, new and old — Tom Julien, Kary Oberbrunner (http://rtdministry.blogspot.com/) and Matt Harmon (http://bibtheo.blogspot.com/), to present:

Guiding Principles for the People of God in a Postmodern World

(Create your own infomercial by reading the following blurb!)

"Postmodernity is shaping our culture. Some churches, attempting to be relevant to their culture, are assimilating emergent postmodern philosophies. Other churches, attempting to be faithful to Scripture, are freezing their forms.
The ecclesiological conversation is often confusing and heated, yet the Spirit of God desires to guide local churches through the fog into fruitfulness.

Drs. Paul Klawitter, Kary Oberbrunner, Matt Harmon and Tom Julien, will facilitate dialogue around salient issues facing local churches. These men, representing three different generations, will share GUIDING PRINCIPLES for learning leaders who desire to be biblically faithful and culturally relevant as they navigate both inherited and emergent churches through today’s fluid postmodern culture.
GOALS:

• Learners will deepen their understanding of the postmodern world in which we live and become more culturally nuanced; they will gain fresh insights into Jesus’ design for the local church, and renewed confidence in the pertinence of Scripture in a fluid culture.
• Learners will interact with one another, Scripture, critical terms and concepts, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of both Inherited and Emergent Church realities.
• Learners will receive practical guidelines on how to grow in their relationships with God, believers and unbelievers, and how to guide the local church toward biblical relevance in this postmodern period in which we find ourselves.

WHO WILL BENEFIT:

• Any leader desiring to transform their world by being in it but not of it.
• Anybody desiring to know more about postmodernism, the Emergent Church Movement, and the Inherited Church.
• Anybody desiring to find their place in The Metanarrative."

So far, 40 learners from across the United States, Europe and beyond are signed up. If you want to join in on the fun just click and sign-in (http://www.fgbc.org/equip07/registration.html).

It will be great to sharpen and edify one another as, for a couple of days, we live in a learning community. Looking forward to seeing you!