Dearly Beloved Members and Friends of MLEPC,

 

After casting lots, I was nominated to take a stab at addressing some of the questions that may be arising after our first Town Hall Meeting this past Sunday. Please know, that I'm prayerfully doing my best, trying to discern God's will as it has been revealed to the Session of the church through much Scriptural reflection, prayer, and counsel with EPC coaches and pastors at the executive level.

 

Leadership

 

Believe it or not, your church elders know what they're doing. How do I know this? Because I interact with them on a daily basis. I see how they function, and not to mention, I am one of them. They are a group of faithful servant leaders who, when they seek to discern God's movement, go first to the Bible, and likewise to prayer. Everything they do is bathed in prayer. Also, they are a group of men and women who have character-something sorely missing from this world. They want to do the will of Jesus Christ, and their lives, service to the church (including sacrifice of time and energy), and overall behavior reflects that. Finally, if/when there is a disagreement among them (which often times is good), they go back to prayer, they faithfully and thoroughly debate the different angles and opinions, and make a patient, faithful decision based on the information and the movement of God. Overall, I'm so proud to serve alongside our ruling (and teaching) elders. Biblically, elders (presbyters) are called to serve and lead. They are pastoral but they are also decision-makers, because someone has to make the decisions, and God directly appointed elders to humbly do so. You, as church members, are not bound to agree with every decision your elders make. But you are bound to abide by it, as covenant members of this local expression of the Body of Christ. Alexander Strauch, in his book entitled Biblical Eldership, defines the role of elder as such: "Elders lead the church [ 1 Tim 5:17;  Titus 1:7;  1 Peter 5:1-2], teach and preach the Word [ 1 Timothy 3:2;  2 Timothy 4:2;  Titus 1:9], protect the church from false teachers [ Acts 20:17,  28-31], exhort and admonish the saints in sound doctrine [ 1 Timothy 4:13;  2 Timothy 3:13-17;  Titus 1:9], visit the sick and pray [ James 5:14;  Acts 6:4], and judge doctrinal issues [ Acts 15:6]. In biblical terminology, elders shepherd, oversee, lead, and care for the local church."

 

Ok, Pastor Steve. Enough of the history lesson. Let's get down to brass tacks. Who stole my church and what did they do with it? Well, that's a complicated question. Perhaps a better question is, How is God changing and challenging His local church so that His mission might be accomplished through us? You see, change is not the enemy. Change is not bad. We're not talking about changing doctrine. We're talking about changing our methods. And not only is that ok-it is necessary. When we make our methods essentials, we, in essence, make them idols. Peter thought he was going to go out of his mind when God changed methods, and said it was kosher for Jews to not eat kosher: "Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time,  "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." (Acts 10:13-15). You see, when we start to proclaim things as untouchable by God, God, in His love, intervenes, and sets us right. "God, You can change whatever you want, but not that." Whatever our untouchable that is, is precisely what the Holy Spirit goes after first. Why? Because God wants us to make Him the most important thing in our lives, and not some ministry idea, program, or way of doing things that has been around for two-hundred years. In the case of Peter, it is understandable that he would be taken aback. In that context, the methods and the doctrine were closely aligned. But God appeared to change both by allowing Peter to eat what was previously declared to be unclean. We often make idols out of things that are not doctrinally binding and never were. We need to view things differently, for the sake of Christ's church.

 

Vision

 

Which brings us to our vision statement. Just as a point of clarification, at least for now, our mission will remain the same (Reaching Upward, Outward, and Inward for the Glory of God). The terminology may be different from organizational structures that aren't the church. The word "mission" carries with it special connotations for the church that aren't carried in worldly institutions. The mission of the universal church of Jesus Christ is always the same: Worship (Psalm 95), Evangelism (Matthew 28:19) and Discipleship (Ephesians 4: 11-17 says to "equip the saints for the work of ministry"), among some other things. Every church in the world should be defined by these things, and many are. By contrast, our vision statement must be precise. It must be focused. It must be clear. And by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we will all align together, as a unified people, to join in with God's vision for us as a local church. This approach is thoroughly biblical. In Matthew 15, the text says this: ^"Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly." Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." He answered,  "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." "Yes it is, Lord," she said. "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." Then Jesus said to her,  "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed at that moment.

 

This passage is mind-boggling. In this passage, Jesus has a laser-focused vision about what He was to be doing, and He states it, unapologetically. He came only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel. But discerning the movement of the Spirit, and moved by the Canaanite woman's faith, Jesus, in compassion, makes an exception. As we read the New Testament further, the exceptions come up often, but this does not stop Jesus from initially proclaiming, in bold terms, His vision for ministry at that time. But perhaps the most telling thing about the Mathew 15 passage is not that Jesus makes an exception and heals a Canaanite instead of a Jew. The point is that Jesus came to reach the lost. Not those already cozily imbedded into the covenantal community of Israel. He came to save those who did not know Him, or only knew of Him marginally. Not surprisingly, this Matthew passage begins this way: "Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?" Wow. Jesus is changing the way things are done, in order to sympathize with the lost. In order to relate to the lost. In order to reach the lost. This way of doing ministry permeated the way the Apostles did ministry too. When St. Paul was evangelizing at the Areopagus, he has an intentional, focused group that he was trying to reach at that time. He knew that if he could reach the men of Athens who were well-versed in philosophy, it would spread out to everyone else. We do not minister in Athens, we minister at the corner of Mount Lebanon and Dormont. We are not looking to reach men well versed in Greek rhetoric, we are looking to reach kids. Because reaching kids allows us to reach others.

 

Children are special in the eyes of God. This is clear in Matthew 19:14. Yet all people are made in the image of God. So why are we intentionally and clearly seeking to reach the unchurched among children and their families? Well, there are a number of reasons. First, the leaders of the church have discerned that this is God's will for us at MLEPC. That point alone is sufficient for us. This discernment has been confirmed by fruit in ministry. Since its inception, thousands of kids have been impacted by Fired-Up Friday, VBS, etc. And it is not just about the numbers-a lot of formerly unchurched and unbelieving kids have been impacted and changed by the gospel. What was lost has now been found by God, through our ministries! You may be thinking, so what? We impact all different kinds of people all the time. What makes this different?

 

The thing that makes ministry to children and their families different for us is that God has opened up multiple amazing opportunities to build deep, long-standing, long-lasting relationships with these children and their families, over and over again. They know us now. They are beginning to trust what we say. And what we say, is the gospel of Jesus Christ, through and through. Beyond the laser-tag, and the silly string, and the minute-to-win-it games, is a profound interaction with the living Christ. Now imagine if we nurture those relationships and friendships through every single ministry in the church? An example of this is the Women's Craft event this winter. In the past, the Womens' Ministry did a Christmas Tea. I like tea, especially black pekoe. Sometimes green tea. There's nothing wrong with tea. But that being said, what the Womens' Ministry Team did this year was absolutely awesome. It was exemplary. What they did was creatively fashion their ministry event in order to offer an environment whereby moms of kids from Fired-Up Friday, Kingdom Kids, and Jubilee could interact with our own church members relationally. Do a craft (which is popular now culturally), and get to know our church members. It worked. 200+ women, most of whom are unchurched, interacted with the women of our church. We serve, in order to build relationships, in order to share the gospel. At least that's what the EPC says, and I agree. The problem with how we've been doing ministry up until now is not that we haven't served. Its that we have been too broad as to who we are serving, making it impossible to befriend them in sustainable and permanent ways. So the next question I have is this. Not, "which other group are we gonna reach next," but instead, what ministry team is going to step up to the plate and creatively do ministry that is targeted to the exact same women who came to the craft event? Or how about their husbands? Or maybe some of them are single moms and have a special need. This is what is meant by focused outreach to children and their families. How do we align our ministries in order to meet the needs of our focus outreach? Most of the ministries of the church now can creatively mold their ways of doing things in order to reach out to our focus group. To learn more about the ministry process that the EPC supports, please see this summary: http://www.navigators.ca/SGN/pdf/SimpleChurch.pdf.

 

Transition

 

Our church is in the middle of a transition. Rev. Carolyn Poteet was called to this church to assist us during this time of transition. A major part of that transition involves healing. There are broken hearts and broken relationships that need to be addressed during any change in leadership and during any transitional period. Pastor Carolyn has a heart for people in this way. Also, transitional times for churches offer an opportunity for the church to find out who they have been, who they are, and who they are becoming in God's grace. Older models attempt to hire a permanent pastor rapidly for the purpose of stability. But in my experience, there is ample, ample stability at MLEPC right now. Uncertainty is different from instability. Pretty much every major biblical narrative that involved uncertainty turned out to be highly impactful for God (Abraham was pretty uncertain when God told him to leave the land he knew and start a journey elsewhere, without a flow chart and details. Peter had no idea what was in store for him when Jesus told him to drop his fishing nets and instead, to fish for men). But all along, God was their stability.

 

These are the facts: attendance at the early worship service has increased, seniors in our church are getting to know Pastor Carolyn, and service to them is continuing through Pastor Linda and others, as part of our commitment through the Sperry Cameron Horne ministry, our financial situation is relatively balanced from 2017 into 2018, 1700+ people attended our church between the Kingdom Kids Christmas Program, the very successful Christmas Cantata, Jubilee Christian School's musical, the Women's Craft event, and our Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve  worship services. Family Fusion is growing a lot (many of our friends from Twin Towers are coming, thanks to the outreach efforts of some of our members), and Fired-Up Friday is growing like it's on steroids. Youth Ministry is stable, relational, and growing, and reaching kids in creative and unconventional ways. Our building and campus are the focus of ministry-related improvement. Small groups are expanding and new people are growing through them. We have a discipleship sequence in place for the unchurched, new visitors, and potential members, our Session is operating by the Spirit, and most importantly-the Word of God is preached, without apology, every Sunday morning, at both services, as we gather in Spirit-led worship. Not to mention, the music is excellent, thanks to our worship team and chancel choir. Mission Possible 10 occurred this past year and was a huge success. Our Sunday school classes continue to dig deep into God's Word. And countless, countless other ministries are running seamlessly (my apologies if I did not mention yours directly). To be perfectly frank, I'm not sure the word "instability" applies at all to this season of ministry at MLEPC. Please be patient with the transition process and pastoral search. We are not looking for a pastor to create and implement their own ministry. We are seeking out God's preferred ministry future for us, and calling a pastor that fits that requirement. This is different from how the PCUSA does things, and that is intentional. Please join us in prayer and during our future upcoming Town Hall meetings. We want you to be a part of both the conversation and the process!

 

Bylaws and Trustees

 

I can't thank the Trustees of MLEPC enough. Both from years and years ago, and our most recent members. Do you know how difficult it is to plan for, implement, and keep in good condition a campus like that of MLEPC? The financial element alone is a challenge! It is incredibly difficult, especially when 235+ individual ministries are vying for space, time, attention, and support! All this said, a unicameral board makes more sense from a Scriptural standpoint, is far more efficient, and allows the overall ministry vision and goals of the church to be aligned with the building, campus, and support staff. Honestly, not much is changing here. A property team, a staff human resources  team, and a finance team will still exist. These teams can contain former trustees as well as congregants. The only difference is that ministry and communication will be streamlined through the session, which is called by God, Scripturally, to serve and lead in that way.

 

A Session of Pastors and a Pastoral Session

 

In reading the Scriptures, the role of elder (πρεσβύτερος) is pretty clearly defined. Yes, that group of ordained individuals, along with the deacons (διάκονος) is to provide both the leadership and service for God's people. Elders in particular though, are called, first and foremost, to be shepherds -- guides, nurturers, and spiritual mentors for the congregation. Essentially, every ruling elder is also a pastor. In order for this role of elders to be accomplished well, trust is a key component. If trust is lacking because the congregation misunderstands or is seeking out the reason why the church exists (which is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, trusting that all other things will be taken care of-Matthew 6:33), the elders are called to educate the congregation. This letter is an attempt to set forth why we exist as a church, that being, to seek God's will and not our own. To seek the ways of the kingdom first, and the local church second. But trust and progress can be cultivated more and more through interactions and communication between the elders and the members of the church. If trust is lacking because the elders need to pray more or listen better, we're willing to do that! We want trust to abound and a strong bond to be formed between the elders and the members of the church. The Town Hall meetings are a way for that to happen. Please also know that you may email the communications team at [email protected] , contact one of the pastors or any of the elders, or call the church directly or write a letter to session directly. My phone number at the church is 412-531-3388, ext. 105, and my email is [email protected]. Please allow two business days for reply. And please know that the leadership of this church loves you, and we love God. We consider it a privilege to serve Jesus Christ together with you all, and are committed to seeking God's will first and foremost, every day.

Your brother in Christ,

Pastor Steve