In this new season of Church on the Edge, I’ve reserved Thursdays for sharing some personal thoughts about my life and ministry with you. I thought today would be a good time to remind you of why I began Church on the Edge and where God is leading me in the upcoming days.
I was so blessed to pastor Seoul International Baptist Church for almost twelve years. Those of you who were a part of that fellowship know that we were multi-national and multi-denominational. That made us unique. It also posed some challenges, as I shared in yesterday’s post.
But the best thing about SIBC was the loose structure of our church and its ministries. I often refer to the “institutional church.” Some people may wonder what I mean by that. Most institutions share several things in common: things like buildings, budgets, bylaws, etc. While we had these things at SIBC, we never allowed them to fence us in or ultimately influence what we believed was God’s primary calling for us. And what was God’s primary calling? To make disciples, of course.
And let me be honest with you - at times, the institutionalized church can be severely limited in its call to make disciples for Christ.
I shared in yesterday’s post about baptism. Baptists believe in baptism by immersion. I believe in baptism by immersion. But not all followers of Jesus have been baptized in this manner. So, we had to decide early in my ministry in Seoul how to handle the many people who attended that came from a different Christian tradition regarding baptism. We decided not to make it a requirement.
Interestingly enough, I ended up baptizing many people from different Christian traditions who decided God was calling them to be baptized. But it wasn’t because of outward pressure that promised full fellowship in the church if they chose to be baptized. It was because of an inward prompting to which they responded in faith.
It’s easy as a pastor or leader in a denomination to become a “company man,” always toeing the line when it comes to denominational beliefs, practices, and decisions; what’s best for the “company” guides the decision-making process. And believe me when I tell you that upward mobility in the organization demands it!
I began Church on the Edge because I believe that in these days of division, where the walls and barriers between us and “others” are stronger and higher than ever, we, as Christians, need to be both wall-takers and wall-breakers.
In 2 Corinthians 10:4, Paul mentions the divine power we have as believers to demolish “strongholds.” The word refers to fortresses. Rienecker and Rogers tell us that in the papyri, the word also had the meaning of “prison.” (Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, p.486)
As wall-takers, we seek to take back our authority from fortress institutions that tend to serve themselves rather than Christ. Institutions that hold us captive, keeping us from becoming the church and people our Lord is calling us to be. And make no mistake about it, the ministry of Jesus was an affront to the religious institutions of his day. Such an affront that they killed him for it.
As wall-breakers, we are called to be about the task of tearing down anything and everything that hinders the message of the good news of God’s kingdom established through Jesus. Rather than the pressure of outward conformity, demanding that others become like us to follow Jesus, we seek to meet people where they are, knowing that is how God works - He meets us where we are and leads us (note, He does not “drive” us) to where He is calling us to be.
As Sherri is completing her years with the Department of Defense and nearing retirement, I fully expect to serve as a pastor once again. Actually, I never stopped! But leading and encouraging a fellowship of people who are not bound by institutional expectations and who are passionate about reaching those on the margins is where I believe God is calling me.
I’ll keep you posted.
In Christ,
Dan
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Hi Dan - Are you saying that people who didn't want to be baptized (in whatever form) could still be church members?