I have a concern. And it's deep. And well, I just don't know how to talk about it, so here it goes. I'm concerned that so many pastors have joined the leadership cult.
I have an (unprovable) sense there's a lack of deep theological and exegetical skills in order to teach the scripture. (When I'm around pastors they don't talk about what the Spirit taught them in the text. They talk about business -- I mean -- I'm game but I'd like to talk about NT Wright once in a while). I meet so many sincere pastors that are all into "strategic management"; "organizational leadership"; "executive thinking" and have never studied greek, hebrew, philosophy or Augustine, Calvin, Wesley, or the neo-orthodoxy theologians or in our own progressive pentecostal tradition (Yamamori & Miller 2006) Yong, Macchia, Self or the Archer/Archer(s) work. Which is awesome! I mean sure the management stuff is important -- it's vital -- I study, teach and test/research that literature. But if you can't exegete, study your history and do theology from the text then what are you managing? It's so frustrating. I'm just thinking here and reviewing Sunday's teaching on Luke 1:19 and I'm struck with awe of the phrase "καὶ εὐαγγελίσασθαι σοι ταῦτα". I could probably teach/preach/altar call for 40 minutes on εὐαγγελίσασθαι. "Good News" meant/means so many things to so many people in 1st century Palestine and meant/means so many things in 21st post-modern America. I wouldn't know that unless I was taught it in my 20's -- the careful & skillful craft of scholarship. With that great detailed learning comes the humility to listen to the doctors of the church for guidance. Those "doctors of the church" are the professors at our universities and seminaries that study for a living. Listen to them. My humble thought is simply this: Pastor, before you do that MA in Leadership do that MA in Theology. Know your stuff. You're accountable to King Jesus for your teaching before you're accountable for your management. jame jamé bolds "The Basurero" from Victory Church AG on Vimeo.
Why a Mission's Trip
This summer Pastor Jennifer and I were asked to visit one of Victory Church's missionaries -- Gabby Munoz at Living Water Teaching in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Our Ministers in Residence, Mark and Stephenie Shanks journey to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala every Christmas for their shoebox ministry and encouraged us to come. If all goes well we'll start doing annual church wide mission trips. Theology and Economics Collide At dinner a few nights before we left I asked my children, "Babies, do you know what poverty smells like?" My children looked at me with the strangest look. A few days later they understood what I was saying as we stood in a "basurero". A basurero is city dump. And it is here where Gabby Munoz's ministry happens as she cares for colony of 100 families (300 people) that call this place home.. As we stood there in the basurero I was put in conflict with myself. The pastor trained in theology and the executive trained in economics seems to be at odds. My heart was torn because I know that God will always side with the poor and oppressed (Psalm 12:5) and these people need to be loved and comforted for they truly are the least of these. Conversely, I can see there is a vicious cycle of declining rate of foreign investment, scarcity in production increase and that combination negatively decreases incomes. At bottom, it's a lack of productivity growth from domestically created capital and the inablity to be part of the larger global marketplace. (World Bank, 2014.). I could see it and it wasn't simply data on a spread sheet it was a live in flesh and blood. Pain. Despair. Lack of Hope. That's what I saw.
Applying Economics to Faith
After a few days of thinking prayer, we had a conversation with Gabby about applied economics and a sustainable development model to fund her ministry. We started thinking about raising our own "foreign investment" from American churches to create some working captial.. Our thought was to buy two buildings: one for ministry and the other for investment. Renting out one building to local businesses for passive income and using that income to house a preschool and tuition for the basurero children. We are still in that process so pray for us. Merging the disciplines could be completed. Though as long as the focus is on real people I'm positive the Spirit will lead, guide and direct this journey of pastoring faith, work and economics. During December of 2015 I lost my mentor Dr. Arnold Lastinger. He was the long term Pastor of First Assembly of God Gainesville, FL and after his retirement he became President of Evangel Theological Seminary, Kyiv, Ukraine. Dr. Lastinger had two mentee's Mike Patz, now Lead Pastor of Greenhouse Church and myself. I was mentored by Paul, grew with Timothy and I became Titus. I miss you pastor -- I answered the call to, "Come and Follow Me."
“Whatever,” I reply, shaking my head and chuckling, “But don’t give Aunt Jenny an appointment unless she has a business plan.”
As Jennifer walks out of my office, she turns and says, “Well, you like business and putting deals together. Let’s see what this is all about." It’s true that I like business. Though I’ve been a lead pastor for ten years, a Gordon-Conwell graduate, and also studied economic development at Rutgers, worked as a management consultant, and encouraged the development of small businesses through public-private partnerships. Why do Christians engage in business? The most obvious reason is to provide for their families and themselves (1 Tim. 5.8). Also, in Genesis 1-2 God reveals himself as one who engages in creative work. Created in his image, we find satisfaction in doing the same. Business is a form of work which organizes people’s energies and abilities, resources, and finances to provide needed and desirable products and services more effectively than individuals could do on their own. Besides the need to care for our families and personal fulfillment, in this chapter I will show how business serves seven other important purposes of God. In the process you will meet some business people whom I have pastored, with whom I’ve had association, or who partnered with me in my public affairs consultancy. These business leaders will show us how their businesses serve God’s purposes. Many business leaders don’t think about the connection of faith to their business. Though Christians believe God is at work in the world, many fail to see how this could be happening through their business. Being a Christian in business should produce both positive economic, practical, and spiritual results. Practically and economically, how we manage people, negotiate a deal, or sell a product or service affect the lives of others.
Then & Now: Macchia, Kuzmic, & HackettFrank Macchia, Southeastern University (early 90's)
In the early 90's I was privileged to study under Frank Macchia now at Vanguard University, CA and Ph.D. advisor at Bangor University, UK. (So that's why I'm so Barthian in my theology) Though back in the day he was a newly minted Basel Ph.D. He went from Switzerland to Florida - that's some transition. Over the years, usually at SPS, Dr. Macchia has been gracious with his time and has continued to take interest in my pastoral leadership and social justice research. Throughout the years we've continued to email and dialogue. Though this time our conversation was different. It wasn't like Duke, Marquette or Minneapolis, no we were in Lakeland. At the end of the conference Frank Macchia would be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award and it was so fitting it would be in Lakeland. As we sat in the Disney like campus we both felt the reality that this is where it all started. He as a professor. Me as a student. Twenty years of life stopped. As the student, I asked questions. He as the professor, crafted theology. The brilliant yet humble professor started pouring into me again, asking me the same questions as he did twenty years ago. I learned from my professor that the best of theology always speaks to the complexities of life. I asked about my Ph.D. research and family life. He answered with his normal profound clarity. As I shared my thoughts, he shared his reflections and in the words of Bonhoeffer we shared "life together". As our time closed, I read him an email that he sent me over a decade ago that now is taped to the inside of my preaching Bible. In this well crafted paragraph contained encouraging words from a now seasoned theologian, Dr Macchia, to his second year seminarian, Me. As I finished, we both sat glassy eyed. Where two or more are gathered there is the Spirit and the Spirit was there. Peter Kuzmic, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary During dinner, I sat in a private dinning room with some dear friends from Assembly of God Theological Seminary. As I was reflecting on today's events with Dr. Macchia. I looked up and in his intellectual European ethos strolls in Dr. Peter Kuzmic! My dear missions and ecumenics professor at Gordon-Conwell. My worlds collide, again. My seminary meets my college. Dr. Kuzmic, told me all about his mission and seminary in Eastern Europe as well as his teaching load at Gordon-Conwell. (I've always found his neck breaking ministry fascinating. Who commutes between Osijek and Boston? Kuzmic does.) I told him about my teaching post in Kiev, Ukraine; he was grateful for that contribution. As we had dinner, he shared is heart, he asked about my family and I asked about his, we laughed and carried on. It was great to visit Boston in Lakeland. William Hackett, Southeastern University (Present) As I entered the chapel for the evening plenary session. I instinctively moved and sat in "our" row. It's on the left hand side, a third of the way up in the middle. That's where my "boys" and I would sit. Where else would I go? I sat down and the evening worship started. As it began, I started tearing up. Again. I was flooded by the memory of my spiritual formation at such a young age. Music at Southeastern has always been good. And it was world class. I have no idea what they were singing. I was in the moment, I turned to my left and right I saw memories of Josh, Ham, Chad, Chuck, Hawk and -- where's Brad? And later the "girls", Necole, Jules, Jennifer and the other Jessica & Kelle's that would enter our story. I just stood there in the Spirit much like John did. (Rev 1:10) I looked up and saw Dr. Hackett, my first homiletics professor before I had Haddon Robinson. I went up and touched Dr. Hackett's shoulder, he turned and immediately recognized me, "Jamé!!", he said with a warm pastoral expectation. I lost it. I mean. I started to sob. Hard. The collision of my worlds was completed. "Doc Hackett" as we called him, asked me, "Are you Ok?" I stated I'll be "Ok". It's just all so surreal. We hugged. He told me he had watched my educational journey, pastoral and social justice ministry, as well as my teaching at Southeastern. In his quiet nod, he smiled and said, "I'm proud of you". I emotionally collected myself, returned to my seat and sighed. I began to settle down and listen to the plenary lecture on globalization. Later that evening, as I mentioned to my colleagues that Macchia had once again breathed life into his student; Kuzmic encouraged my teaching post in Kiev; and Hackett validated my Southeastern professorship. My heart was full. My colleague said, "Jamé, early in your life, you had some wonderful people pouring into you." I nodded in agreement and whispered, "And...I didn't even know it". I sat under some master teachers and I owe them a debt that can never repay. Thank You Southeastern. jame bolds jamebolds.com pastor jame bolds jame bolds nj |
bio:+ Economic Theologian |