Take 6 in Pocono

This year Pocono Community Church hosts its annual Christmas outreach concert with Grammy Award winning artists Take 6. The concert promises to be the best ever Pocono Christmas.

I've got 25 FREE TICKETS for the first 25 people that email me after reading the blog. Just send me your first and last name via email at dcrosby@poconocc.com and let me know how many tickets you need and I'll have them at the box office for you. The concert is this Saturday night at the historic Sherman Theatre in downtown Stroudsburg. The show starts at 7pm and the doors open at 6pm. Bring your unsaved friends and share Christ this Christmas through this unique outreach. Merry Christmas to my blogging friends : )

Gerry's Bike Story

This past weekend I shared a stewardship message. As a part of the message, we showed a video testimony from Gerry Stolsfoos. What a great illustration of sowing and reaping!

Gerry was out at Allison Park for our Annual Roundtable in June. We filmed the testimony there and saved the story for the series on stewardship. Enjoy.

Guest Post by Dr. George O. Wood

Recently, I was in contact with Dr. Wood, new General Superintendent for the U.S. Assemblies of God. In sharing about this blog, I invited him to submit a guest posting. What he shares below has been shared on another blog, but in case you haven't seen it, I think it will give you a wonderful window in Dr. Wood's heart and mind.

Let me also share that Dr. Wood is scheduled to speak at State College Assembly of God (use for directions) on January 13, 2008. The evening before he has made himself available to meet with any A/G credential holders who wish to come for an evening meal and a personal time of sharing.

The dinner will be provided free of charge by State College Assembly and will be held from 6-8 pm on Saturday, January 12 in our Fellowship Hall. Please RSVP by emailing scassembly@aol.com and simply saying who is coming and from where (for name tags). RSVP deadline is Friday, December 28.

He will be unable to interact with comments here, but I do hope you enjoy the following:

For my devotions this year, I’ve been slowly moving through Ezekiel with Donald Bloch’s terrific (and technical) commentary; and journaling a verse a day through the Gospel of Mark. My journaling is definitely not exegesis, but iso-gesis. I type in the verse and then “think (i.e., write) out loud” my thoughts onto the computer. At the end I write a brief prayer. I’ve found this daily absorption in the Scripture to be really invigorating.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been plowing through Mark 9 – a very long chapter. Now, I’m almost at the end and suddenly some things fell together as I awakened the other morning. Funny how you can cogitate and meditate on something for a long time and not see how the parts fit – and then all of a sudden, a flash of inspiration comes in a nanosecond and you see everything clearly.

So, here’s how I see where Mark 9 fits into a lot of discussion on the blog. Mark 9 is all about the disciples and their perception of themselves and their place in the kingdom. The chapter follows the disciples through 4 stages, and I suspect we’ve all been there or are in one of them now.

First, revelation. That’s the Transfiguration or Metamorphosis of Jesus. It’s the only time in his early life where his divine nature shown through his humanity. Moses and Elijah are there. Jesus face is shining like the sun and his clothes whiter than any Clorox could get them. What a great moment for the three: Peter, James, and John.

Revelation is the spot where we are overwhelmed in the presence of the majestic Christ. It’s something we Pentecostals covet – being caught up into spiritual revelation and experience beyond what the rational mind can fathom. It’s being lifted into the heavenlies and encountering God in such a way that language cannot hold the experience nor can the emotions be articulated.

Second, argument. When Jesus and the inner 3 come down from the mountain they find the remaining 9 locked in an argument with the teachers of the law. What’s the argument about? The 9 cannot cast the demon out of the boy. They cannot do this even though earlier Jesus had commissioned them to cast out demons and Mark reports that they had done so. But, now they command and nothing happens – so they’re left to argue with the critics.

It seems to me that this is one of the problems we are having now in the Pentecostal movement. When we don’t have power, we argue. The fullness of the Spirit has leaked all the way out. And, our arguments don’t solve the pressing needs of those who are looking to us. I fear a dried up Pentecostal theological scholasticism that has no power. Argument (except for a wholesome apologetic for the faith such as the Apostle Paul’s dialogical evangelism) never produces the fruit of the Spirit, much less the gifts.

But, since the disciples at the foot of the Mount of Transfiguration have no power, they can only fall back on defending themselves with argument. It’s not a pretty picture. Jesus chews them out for not praying, thereby connecting argument with prayerlessness, and authority with prayer.

Wait. It gets worse. Third. Arrogance. After getting chewed out by Jesus for their powerlessness, they then start arguing about who is the greatest. They are doing the very thing that breaks community. Whenever we pit ourselves against others, or take the attitude “I don’t need you” – aren’t we exhibiting the same arrogance? When I was a new district official I visited a pastor who had a large church in our district but never was involved in anything. I wanted to reach out to him and find out what we could do to establish relationship. His response to me was, “I went to Springfield once and the brethren had nothing to add to me.” I wished I had said, “Well, maybe you could have added something to Springfield.” I think that’s what the Antiochians would have done for Jerusalem.

And, let’s face it – “Springfield” can be just as prone to arrogance as “non-Springfield” because arrogance doesn’t have territorial limitations.

So, Jesus talks to his arrogant disciples about being a servant, and he sets a little child in their midst. I think he does that because he’s telling the disciples: “If you really want to be great, then put your arms around the next generation and serve them. Stop being so narcissistic. My way is not self-fulfillment but self-denial. My way is not independence, but interdependence.”

Fortunately, by the time we get to the book of Acts – the disciples have gotten over arrogance and become a model community. It took awhile for them to realize the world would know them by their love for one another, not how smart they were, how cutting edge (or dull) they were, or what their age and cultural preferences were.

Then, the fourth thing happens in Mark 9. From revelation to argument to arrogance to exclusivity.

The disciples, who couldn’t cast out the demon, tell other people who are casting out demons to stop. If it weren’t so serious, it would be funny. They think they’ve got the exclusive franchise on Jesus.We must avoid narrowness of heart and spirit. Jesus tells these disciples of his that they better not lead the “little ones” into sin for if they do, it would be better if a millstone were tied around their neck. What he’s really saying is that the fractiousness of the disciples is going to doom the novices in the kingdom, that exclusiveness is not only silliness but spiritually deadly.

So, in these recent weeks I’ve been drinking deeply from the well of Mark 9 and asking the Lord to help me stay fresh on the revelation side so that I’m inundated with His presence; and spared from the traps of being argumentative, arrogant, or exclusive.

During the charismatic renewal of the 70s (for those of us who were alive then!), we sang a beautiful and haunting chorus. I almost always led it at communion time: “Bind us together, Lord; bind us together . . . with cords that cannot be broken.” That binding is to Christ and to one another. In Mark 9, the disciples are seen at their nadir – but the Lord wasn’t finished with them. By the time he was done working on them – that argumentative, arrogant, and exclusive minded group had become a community (the body of Christ) that changed the world. They got bound together by the work of the Spirit.

And, incredibly, by the grace of the Lord, he’s doing the same thing with us! He works with all our limitations and sees that he can bring gold out of all our dross.

George O. Wood
General Superintendent

Salary Negotiations For The Hesitant

Very few pastors I know have any formal training when it comes to negotiating a compensation package. I know I've made plenty of mistakes along the way in this area of ministry, but here are a few principles that might help you speak with your board prior to the year end.

1. Be candid with your board.

Surveys show that most pastors who ask for a raise usually get it. If you're like me, however, you'll never ask. Be candid and forthright with your board and let them know your financial needs. While there are some boards that are out there to "keep the pastor humble", it's been my experience that most are made up of Godly men who want to bless their pastor and provide for his/her needs. Don't assume they know what you need.

2. Educate your board.

Educate your board on how to set up compensation packages. Much like pastors, boards don't have a clue what to pay their pastor or how to set up a fair salary package. We use the National Association of Church Business Administration (NACBA) survey each year as a guide for compensation and benefits. This survey breaks down salary packages by church size, demographic, location, budget, denomination and much more. In addition, each year I have a friend who pastors a larger church write a letter to my board recommending a compensation package. The letter is incredibly personal and helpful to the board.

3. Finalize your annual budget early.

Your annual budget should be completed in late November or early December. Roughly 40 to 50 percent of your undesignated giving (general tithes and offerings) or 30 to 35 percent of your total giving should be allocated to staff salaries and benefits. Growing churches pay their pastors well and always staff for growth. (1 Tim. 5:17-18)

Missions 'Mistakes'

Ralph Winter is certainly one of the top evangelical missiologists in America, so I was interested to recently read this article warning of 12 missions "mistakes." I wish the text were longer, because a few of them left me scratching my head. Maybe someone can elucidate me.

History of Religion in 90 Seconds

I got this from evangelist Tim Enloe. It's the history of world religion in 90 seconds from a website that normally maps wars, of all places. It is oversimplified, of course, but nuancing would probably take, well, a little longer.

From Jerusalem and Beyond

I heard Ed Stetzer share this week regarding the epicenters of Christianity throughout history. The heart of the church moved from Jerusalem to Antioch and then to Athens and Rome. From there it has moved throughout Europe, Southern Asia and then to America and now it is largely a movement in the Southern Hemisphere.

Just moments after hearing Ed share this, I received this email from my friend Christopher Alam.

"Christianity began as a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
When it went to Athens, it became a philosophy.
When it went to Rome, it became an organization.
When it went to Europe, it became a culture.
When it came to America, it became a business."

Ouch.

Communicating For A Change

One of the best books I have read recently is the book by Andy Stanley on preaching. It is called, Communicating For A Change.


Andy's homiletic is shaped by one BIG IDEA that is both transformational and memorable. Over the past six months I have been using his methodology for message preparation/delivery, and I am now ready to recommend it highly.

It's an easy read and fairly simply to apply. The outline is as follows: ME - WE - GOD - YOU - WE! Check it out.

Future Trends of Church Planting

I am spending the week at a Stadia and the Church Coaching Solutions network presenting at their Church Planter Bootcamp in Nashville.

Today, special guest presenter Ed Stezer shared his thoughts regarding the future trends of church planting in America.

1. Market share of people willing to come is shrinking. As a result of the success of the Purpose Driven and Seeker Sensitive attractional models, many communities have been saturated by church plants and it is becoming increasingly difficult to launch new churches with over 200 people on the first day.

2. Incarnational models are becoming more important. Church planting movements such as Acts 29 and David Mills' "Compassion by Design" are helping church plants meet the actual needs of the community. New church plants are finding great success by "being Jesus"in the community, i.e. serving the community.

3. Attractional models beginning to wane. Seeker sensitive movements and the whole "come and see" plants are not connecting well with this culture. The "big show" is out. Serving the community is in.

4. An increased interest in house churches and a move to emerging church models and to engage the “Bohemian mix” in metropolitan areas is growing. See Tim Keller and Redeemer church in NYC.

5. A new emphasis to be more theologically driven is growing, especially within the Reformed tradition.

Praying for the Sick

We are living in a time of momentous change in the Body of Christ. Some of it is great; some of it is not so great, but let me focus on what I think is positive.

A recent poll of Southern Baptist pastors and laity found a majority believe that tongues as a private prayer language is for today.

Today, David Rogers, son of the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Adrian Rogers, and one of the best known and loved missionaries in the Southern Baptist Convention today, posted this on his blog about divine healing.

Read, enjoy and be encouraged. God is up to something big!

Good Leaders and Good Listeners

Here are four tips from Rick Warren on how to be a better listener.

more thoughts on falling

Thanks for your writing about falling, Pastor.

I love your kind and Pastoral heart on the matter. I can only imagine the stuff you need to hear and work through there in the office you hold, and it is so comforting to see (again) that you approach it with this kind of grace.

In my much smaller world, I am often amazed that while a person can fall by themselves or in relative privacy, it seemingly takes 5-10 people to get them back on track. A counselor, Pastor, numerous family members, a small group of peers, etc. are all involved to get a person back to a place of productivity and health.


Here in my little world, we have often tried to err on the side of grace when doing restoration, wanting so badly to see the fallen back on track. However, after years of trying extreme grace, I often wonder if it helped anybody, because those to whom we extended grace seemingly did no better than did those who others seemed to come down hard on.

I wonder how often God looked at my falls like that, and if I have been a quick learner and thankful for His great grace?

I Fell; Confessions of a Preacher

I Fell; Confessions of a Preacher
It happened so suddenly! There was no warning. Everything was fine. I was doing everything I knew to do and yet, it happened. Down I went.

No I am not talking about a moral failure. I was on a walk, working hard to get my heart rate up, the metabolism increased, and the blood circulating at an appropriate level. One minute I was doing fine and the next I could feel myself going down. It was one of those strange moments. It takes some time to write about it, but by the time I hit the ground I had asked the Lord, “What happened?” and He had answered, “It’s a parable.” A vision flashed through my spirit revealing the process that occurs when a believer falls into sin. Like me on my walk; 1) there are distractions, 2) an overconfidence in how well things are progressing, 3) a failure to realize there are dangers and the road is not as smooth as might be thought, 4) not paying attention, and 5) being alone raises the potential danger.

Everyone takes a fall from time to time. None of us are proud of our falls, whether the ones during the exercise regimen or the ones that impact our moral integrity. The degree of failure will make a difference in recoverability. My turned ankle will last a few days but a broken bone would take a longer recovery. Falling off a cliff could mean death. Recovery from a moral failure presents challenges that depend on many variables. Recovery is possible. The importance of instituting preventive measures is illustrated in my ankle injury. Because I was alone, my level of vulnerability was great. Leaders must understand the importance of walking together if we are to survive and thrive in ministry. Catalyst Groups are not only for the purpose of mentoring and effectiveness. They also present an opportunity to challenge and encourage one another to walk circumspectly and to be there when one of us does fall.
Working at walking worthy!
Steve Tourville

Preparation Time

Every so often, I do a complete life re-evaluation. I look at my priorities, my schedule, and my energy-drainers, and try to realign to gain the greatest effectiveness and healthy. Sometimes I am involved in coaching another pastor on their life planning or the arrangement of their weekly schedule.

I am curious. How much time do you think is the appropriate amount of time for a pastor to spend on sermon preparation in a week? How much is too much (in that maybe there is not enough time spent on leadership-oriented activities)? How much is probably too little (simply because there will not be enough depth)?

A Resource for You at Penn State

One of the desires we have for the Penn-Del District is to resource you. Of course, most of the time we are connecting you to existing resources of which you may not be aware. There's more out there than we often realize.

Actually, there is quite a valuable resource to you right here at Penn State. Roger Finke, a nationally recognized sociologist of religion and professor at PSU (his best known work is probably The Churching of America, 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy, co-authored with Rodney Starke), started an incredible archive of religion-related information some years before Penn State snagged him. Since he came to Penn State it has expanded into, possibly, the best one-stop religion data resource on the internet.

That archive is called ARDA, or the Association of Religion Data Archives. It has a wealth (actually an understatement) of information!

On that site you can find religious data from most nations of the world. For instance, if you wonder how many Christians there are in Iraq (a rapidly diminishing number, actually), ARDA will tell you.

Or maybe you want to know about American people's attitude toward the war in Iraq broken down by broad religious affilliation, or even church attendance, ARDA can tell you that as well.
Or maybe you want to know how many Old Order Amish (or Jews or Muslims or Christian Scientists) there are in Pennsylvania. Look no further.

Of the two states in our district, let me focus on Pennsylvania just to illustrate how helpful his data can be.

Pennsylvania, as a whole, is fascinating from a religious standpoint. According to ARDA, Pennsylvania has the most mainline Protestant churches of any state in the U.S. It is also #2 in the number of Catholic churches (second only to New York). That, in and of itself is hugely important, but then there is the fact that many of those churches are more conservative than their national counterparts. Two major American Protestant denominations (The Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church [USA]) have conservative resurgent movements epicentered in, off all places, Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh is spiritually very different than Philadelphia (I've pastored near both cities). Both have a large population of Catholics, but it was Pittsburgh where the 1960's Charismatic Renewal took hold, specifically at Duquense University. It is also the place where the healing evangelist, Kathryn Kuhlman, headquartered her ministry in the 50s and 60's. Many of her meetings were held in the prestigious, downtown First Presbyterian Church (next door to Trinity (Episcopal) Cathedral)! Can you imagine that in Philadelphia?

Here are the overall stats for Pennsylvania.

Now, to more specific information. This map shows the relative strength of the evangelical Protestant Christian population. You will notice that it shapes what some would call the Pennsylvania ‘Bible Belt,’ having much in common (both culturally and historically) with western Maryland and northern Virginia. I would submit that the dividing line on the western end is the city of Altoona, with southern Blair County being noticeably different than northern Blair County (of course, Cambria County to the west is predominantly Catholic--55%, in fact).

The second map shows the relative strength of the mainline Protestant Christian population (with the percentage being as high as 35% in Snyder County). You will notice that the shift is toward east central Pennsylvania. It should be remembered that many of these congregations/church members are rather evangelical, though usually not quite as conservative as those ARDA designates as evangelical denominations.

Regarding the A/G in particular, this map shows the relative strength of the A/G in every county in PA. This one shows the same in Delaware.

I encourage you to explore the site. There's lot of stuff there.

I've recently been told that ARDA is going to do a major upgrade of their site. I'll let you know about that when it happens.