Roseville Baptist Church

Thoughts on Transition

2012-01-21T23:29:00.001-06:00

As most all of you know, (and if you are part of our church body, and you don't know, you've been hiding under a pew), we are going through a major transition. As with any transition, there will be changes, and change, is often times, perceived as negative. I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you about this transition and transition in general and I would also love to have your feedback.

Transition is Normal:

Transition is a way of life. We transition every year as we age. In school, we transition from one grade to the next. On an escalator we transition from a moving set of stairs to a stationary floor. Right now we are trying to get our son to transition from diapers to pull-ups. Transition is normal, and often times, a very good thing. For example, if Noah (our son) is still wearing diapers in four years, because he didn't transition to underwear, his Kindergarten teacher won't like us very much. The discipleship process is all about transition as well. Through disciple-making, we transition from spiritually dead, to spiritual infant, to spiritual child, to spiritual young adult, to spiritual parent...or at least, that is how it should happen. Tragically, many people who have been Christians for a while are still in spiritual diapers. When it is time to transition to the next stage or time to take the next step, we need to do it willingly. Not to transition when transition is needed is actually taking a step backwards.

Our Transition Model is Biblical:

Pastor Mike has been praying about and planning for this transition for years. He first spoke to me about the possibility of me transitioning into the Lead Pastor role in 2008. I think Pastor Mike's planning and the steps we are taking, are in agreement with the scriptures on how transition between leaders should look. In Joshua 1, God used Moses' training of Joshua to transition from one leader to the next. King David passed the baton to Solomon, Paul transitioned to Timothy, and the biggest example is Jesus. Jesus discipled the apostles and passed the baton to them in Matthew 28:18-20 & Acts 1:8. The way most churches in our denomination go about finding new pastors, by forming search committees, just doesn't agree with scripture. Sadly, most pastors put churches in that place because they don't develop a leader to take their place. In our case, Mike has been discipling and training me to replace him since 2008. This is the biblical model for a transfer of leadership. That is where I failed miserably in Iowa. I was youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Lamoni, Iowa for two years and six months. While I was there I was able to have the privilege of seeing many teenagers come to Jesus Christ. God was really blessing that ministry and was at work in our church. I ended up leaving Lamoni and moving to the Twin Cities to be the youth pastor at RBC. I really think that is what God was calling me to do. The problem is, I didn't do in Lamoni that one thing all of us are called to do...make disciples. Before I left Lamoni, I should have trained my replacement. It was my responsibility, not the church's, to find someone, develop them, disciple them, and train them to do the ministry I was doing. I did not do that. As a result, when I left Lamoni, it only took a few months before the youth ministry there fell apart. I know now that I was responsible for that and it still stings when I think about it. The model we are using here at RBC is all about discipleship. I think we are doing this the biblical way and I think God will bless us as a result.

Transition should Continually be Taking Place:

Since discipleship is a form of transition, we need to be intentionally going through transition all the time. If you are leading a ministry or teaching a class, you need to be developing a leader to replace you. This isn't just a good idea, it is vital to the survival of the church. The person you are training may never actually replace you in that ministry, but if you train them like they will, we will have one more mature disciple of Christ that is ready to lead a ministry, but more importantly, ready to disciple someone else. Every bible study teacher needs an assistant teacher that they are training to lead that class. Every deacon needs a yoke fellow that they are training to become a deacon. Every ministry leader needs to be working with someone to disciple them how to lead that ministry. Every Christ-follower at RBC needs to be leading someone else to Christ so they can teach that person how to follow Christ and ultimately, lead others to Christ. The process needs to be easy to replicate and continually at work. Follow this simple model: watch me, help me, I'll help you, now you do it and I'll watch you, then both of you find someone else and start the process over again. I know it doesn't seem like rocket science, but based on the lack of Christians that do it, you'd think it was. This is a simple model that we simply need to put to use. Transition needs to be continual and we need to be doing it in every area in our church.

Transition Causes Discomfort:

We need to face the reality... transition does cause discomfort. Moving from one thing to the next, no matter how good that new thing might be, can, and often does cause discomfort. Listen, this is a true saying, the only people the like change are babies (if you don't get that little joke, just look up at the transition is normal part of this blog entry and you'll probably figure it out). Knowing that there will be discomfort at time during this transition is helpful. When we feel discomfort, we need to talk about it. Keeping it to yourself could lead to bitterness or resentment, neither of which are helpful. There is also a right and a wrong way to talk about things. The wrong way would be to talk to someone else about your discomfort by saying something like, "well I don't like this...". It is perfectly ok to not like something that is going on, but it is not ok to gossip about it. If you are feeling discomfort during this transition, please, speak to Pastor Mike or myself. We would love to hear your concern and do what we can to help you with your discomfort. Denying discomfort exists does nothing to relieve the pain. Transition isn't always comfortable, but it can be less discomforting if you talk through the issues that are bothering you.

Wrapping Up:

In closing, I'd just like to say I am convinced that Pastor Mike and I are on the right path. I'd love you read any comments you have on our transition. I am excited about what God is doing here at Roseville Baptist and I am so thankful that we are in this together. God is truly amazing and I can only imagine what He has in store for us. May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you!

Because of Him,
Pastor Jackie

Logo

2011-11-22T14:52:00.000-06:00

We are trying to make a church logo that is simple, yet stands out. We want it to represent what we are doing and what we believe. Since we exist to connect people to God, God's people, and God's purposes, I thought it should have something to do with connecting. Here is the first rough draft...what are your thoughts?

Get Connected!

2011-11-20T22:58:00.001-06:00

We all need to get connected. God created us to be connected to Him and that can only happen through a personal relationship with Jesus Church. As a result, Roseville Baptist Church exists to connect people to God, God's people, and God's purpose.

We connect people to God, first and foremost, through the saving power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is clearly spelled out in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4:

"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."(NASB)

John 14:6 tells us that there is no other way for people to get connected to God except through Jesus Christ. Once we enter into that life changing relationship through faith in Christ, apart from works, we need to continue in the connection process.

The process of connecting people to God is called disciple making. That's not a function of the church, it is THE function of the church. It starts with sharing the gospel, and it continues through the teaching of the Scriptures, and results in a replicating disciple making process. The Word of God is God's primary form of communication to His people. Our faith gets stronger as we study the Word (Romans 10:17) and we grow in knowledge and wisdom as we study the word. Our desire is to preach the Word of God passionately, and without compromise. Our sermons on Sunday morning are always Christ-centered and bible based. Our bible studies and small groups are founded on Christ and His word. Without the word of God, we have nothing of value to teach. It is our standard and our foundation.

After we have been connected to God, the next part of the discipleship process is getting connected to God's people. We do that through the "ships": worship, fellowship, and lasting relationships. If you love Jesus, you should love His church too. Christ followers need to be actively involved in their local church body. This is all too often neglected by the average Christian. We need to be connected to God and His people. Being connected to a local fellowship of believers gives us accountability, encouragement, and opportunities to serve. Every follower of Christ needs those things in their lives. (Hebrews 10:23-25)

When we are connected to God and connected to God's people, we will begin to get connected to God's purpose. God's purpose is clearly laid out for us in Matthew 28:18-20

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, " All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."(NASB)

The last step in the disciple making process is to become a disciple that makes disciples. God's purpose for mankind is that every human being that ever lived, or ever will live, should bring Him glory. God desires for every person on the planet to be rescued from their sins through the saving power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all to be disciples of Jesus that go out and makes more disciples for Jesus. When we are rightly connected to God and His people, we will desire to see His purposes accomplished in our lives and in the lives of those around us. God loves the world, every person in it, and we should too. Jesus came to save sinners, and we should desire to see them saved too. God wants all people everywhere to come to repentance, and we need to be going to them. God wants us, His people, to bear His name and share His fame with the world. That's His purpose for you, for me, and for our church. We would love to have you come to RBC and get connected this week...