From Father to Adviser: Joining My Son's Church-Planting Ministry
A few days ago, my youngest son, Gym Buddy, told me that he wanted to transfer his church ministry from Manila to Dasmariñas, Cavite. Yesterday, I talked to my compadre and shared with him my son's intention. He told me to tell my son to visit him one time to know the details or the procedure to follow. He also shared that his associate pastor is doing a church planting somewhere in Cavite, and my son could be asked to assist him.
Early this morning as I was contemplating my son's decision, an idea came to mind. I thought of also transferring my membership from the NCR South Metro Presbytery to Cavite Presbytery. In this case, I could act as an adviser to my son's ministry.
And then I shared this idea with my son, and he liked it. I told him that the most strategic starting point is to organize a prayer group focusing on planting and growing a healthy church. I also advised him to read the literature about this topic and make this the discussion point and prayer focus of the prayer group. His response was immediate. He showed me Mark Dever's Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. As I checked the book's table of contents, the nine marks are:
- expositional preaching
- gospel doctrine
- a biblical understanding of conversion and evangelism
- a biblical understanding of church membership
- biblical church discipline
- a biblical concern for discipleship and growth
- biblical church leadership
- a biblical understanding and practice of prayer
- and a biblical understanding and practice of mission
I told him the book provides a good start for now. I borrowed his book for me to have an advanced reading of it.
Looking back to my ministry experience in the past, I am reminded of two books that covered the same topic, Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church and Christian A. Schwarz's Natural Church Development. Among five purposes, it is unclear if worship and ministry are included in Mark Dever's book. The other three purposes are clearly covered: membership, discipleship, and mission.
Relating to Schwarz's book, Dever's book did not include gift-oriented ministry, inspiring worship service, holistic small groups, effective structures, and loving relationships. The remaining three characteristics are mentioned, though phrased differently, such as empowering leadership, passionate spirituality, and need-oriented evangelism. Dever's emphasis is on the biblicality of the characteristics, whereas Schwarz used different descriptions like "empowering," "need-oriented," and "passionate spirituality." I think "passionate spirituality" is the same as "a biblical understanding and practice of prayer." In biblical leadership, empowerment is implied. As for evangelism, this requires more explanation. I am not sure if "biblical understanding" of evangelism is the same as "need-oriented evangelism."
Nevertheless, by volunteering myself to function as my son's adviser in his church-planting activity, I want him to avoid the mistakes I made during my younger years. And besides, since I am the one who initiated the revision of the field ministry education in our seminary curriculum with the help of the members of the curriculum committee, I want to incorporate the foci of FME 1 to 5 into the DNA of a newly planted church. Ideally, the goal is for students to see the concrete implementation of the curriculum in the actual life and practice of the church. What follows below is the course description of each FME subject:
FME 1: This course is designed as a field study to help students gain practical knowledge in holding public worship with specific emphasis on liturgy, type of sermon, music, facility, delivery, overall impact, and interpretation.
FME 2: This course is designed as a field study to help students gain practical knowledge in mission & evangelism with particular emphasis on the idea of mission/evangelism, tools & strategy, foreign & local missions, church planting, and interpretation.
FME 3: This course is designed as a field study to help students gain practical knowledge in Christian education programs with particular emphasis on curriculum, library, LLTI, continuing education, schools, publication, scholarship, or any student assistance for seminary training.
FME 4: This course is designed as a field study to help students gain practical knowledge in counseling and church discipline with specific emphasis on handling doctrinal and moral problems, soul-care ministry, pre-marital counseling, and handling emotional and mental depression.
FME 5: This course is designed as a field study to help students gain practical knowledge in pastoral leadership with specific emphasis on equipping and delegation and in understanding the nature and formation of the governing authority in the church, such as the session, consistory, and the board.
As you can see, our seminary curriculum included almost all the topics discussed by the three authors above. If there is one characteristic that needs to be emphasized, I think it is the priority of prayer or passionate spirituality.
I think that's all for now that I have in mind regarding this new development in my son's ministry.