tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80941982012-01-09T07:53:55.267-08:00Blogging the Future of AdventismMehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477458230339928896noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1131903356652443932005-11-13T09:08:00.000-08:002005-11-13T09:41:42.626-08:00

In the past we've spoken quite a bit about staffing for growth and staffing ratios. Jerry Lee Holt, pastor of The Edge Christian Worship Center (SDA congregation), in the Twin Cities is again pushing the issue with the conference. As you might recall, Pastor Holt is the one who sent up a sensible (yet inflamatory) tithe proposal to the Minnesota constituency meeting in April of this year (which

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com89tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1127415395980203372005-09-22T11:07:00.000-07:002005-09-22T11:56:36.003-07:00

In the days of early Adventism, church structure was mostly congregational. The Adventist boogieman was the Antichrist. In fact, early Adventists were so paranoid about the "Antichrist" and "Babylon" that they wanted nothing to do with "organized religion." Adventists were proud of their status as a movement (instead of a denomination). And they wanted to be certain that they got by with

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1126619135828975252005-09-13T05:47:00.000-07:002005-09-13T06:45:35.886-07:00

My last post was about adequate staffing in local churches. How could we ever pay for it? It's a good question. How do other churches pay for adequate staffing? Without going all congregational, is there a way? In an earlier entry, we looked briefly at conferences stepping out in faith - hiring staff ahead of growth in healthy churches and seeing the tithe come in as the people come in.

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1126146184047995202005-09-07T18:31:00.000-07:002005-09-08T06:03:57.413-07:00

The last question on the RMC advertisement for the new Tithe Reversion Policy was "How many staff members does your church need?" We've visited this topic briefly before (see this article), but now's a good time to bring it up again. How many staff members does your church need? This is a serious issue, because it's one the local church can do little or nothing about. A local church can

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1126142939437102622005-09-07T18:18:00.000-07:002005-09-07T18:30:38.170-07:00

This fullpage ad appeared in the most recent issue of the Mid-America Union Outlook. It advertises the new Tithe Reversion Policy in the Rocky Mountain Conference. It focuses attention on the very real need for local churches to use more of the tithe for local staffing and local ministries. (I believe you can click on the picture for a larger version of the ad.) Again, I have to applaud the

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1125631173305819602005-09-01T22:20:00.000-07:002005-09-01T20:20:42.116-07:00

Some Conferences and Unions have claimed that changing tithe policy would be impossible because every Adventist in the whole world (I'm paraphrasing here) would have to agree to such a policy change (In October 2004, Don Schneider actually claimed that all 1 Million North American Adventists would have to be in his office with a unanimous vote before he could pioneer any changes). Well, Rocky

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1125624818511662442005-09-01T20:36:00.000-07:002005-09-01T18:36:12.996-07:00

In the most recent issue of Ministry Magazine (September 2005), Editor Will Eva writes his final editorial. He is leaving the "corporate" Adventist environment to become an associate pastor of the Spencerville, MD church. He writes that the corporate milieu has not been helpful to his personal spirituality. In the next-to-last paragraph, he takes an opportunity to lash out at the structure

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1119368729380946262005-06-21T10:41:00.000-07:002005-08-22T05:21:03.786-07:00

I received this e-mail as a follow-up to our Discussions at Glacier View Ranch last October: From: Roger Walter [mailto:rw@theadventure.org] Sent: Monday, June 20, 2005 7:45 AM To: Subject: Announcing: Church Planting/Leadership Conference Hey all, this is just a brief note to let you know of something that’s coming up this fall. This isn’t a high-tech announcement, but we wanted to get

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1119277068514664062005-06-20T09:13:00.000-07:002005-06-20T07:17:48.560-07:00

The people at Former Adventist Fellowship Forum claim they have seen through Ron Gladden and his Mission Catalyst Network. They have done the analysis - looked at the requirements that pastors sign off on the SDA Fundamental Beliefs on a yearly basis, seen how MCN uses the writings of Ellen G. White, see how MCN is still teaching soul-sleep, annihilationism, and the Sabbath - and they have

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1112814618652451872005-04-06T14:04:00.000-07:002005-04-28T13:25:51.063-07:00

One has to wonder what is going on in the Mid-America Union Conference. I have recently received word that four MAUC employees have taken (or are taking) other calls. Recently, Doug Kilcher (by all accounts, one of our most effective employees since the Sandefur administration), Gary Brady (very effective in church revitalization), and Ryan Teller have taken calls to the Texas Conference.

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1108053806609877782005-02-10T08:21:00.000-08:002005-02-10T12:37:52.946-08:00

Adventist Today is, perhaps, the best source for news and opinion related to Adventist Church Structure in North America. Recently, I found two articles that might be of interest to you. One article of interest is a recent feature on Ron Gladden's Mission Catalyst Network. I have found it to be very balanced and level-headed. At the end of the article, it raises the possibility that the

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1098382911059137582004-10-21T13:18:00.000-07:002004-10-29T19:01:24.413-07:00

The spirit of today's meeting was completely different. We felt that the Spirit of God was truly present. Everyone felt that we broke new ground. New ideas were nurtured that could (if taken to their final conclusion) completely transform the structure of the Adventist church in North America. We started out with worship and prayer time. Jim Brauer got up and told us how the premise

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1098365118892009732004-10-21T05:40:00.000-07:002004-10-22T13:40:07.920-07:00

Yesterday, some 45 people were present for the Adventist church's official response to Ron Gladden's Mission Catalyst Network. Those present included Don Schneider, North American Division president; Dennis Carlson, Mid-America Union president (and the ring-leader for forcing Ron out of his job as Church Planting Director); various other Mid-America Union and North Pacific Union officials (

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1097095258080155232004-10-06T15:41:00.000-07:002004-10-06T13:40:58.080-07:00

McDonald's is a franchise. When you go to a McDonald's anywhere in the world, you will see the same signage and the same decor. You will be greeted the same and be offered (usually) the same menu items. McDonald's puts its franchise owners through a 9-month training course, where they learn about McDonald's culture, advertising, expectations, procedures, and best practices. In return for

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1096074867233977522004-10-01T22:00:00.000-07:002004-10-01T19:09:23.303-07:00

When I think of the Seventh-day Adventist theology of tithe use, I am near ecstatic! The tithe is to go for the work of the ministry! For paying pastors to be out in the world winning people to Christ and telling them God's end time message for a dying world! Not to be used for any other purpose! Hallelujah! But when I think of the Seventh-day Adventist practice of tithe use, I am nearer

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1096073618621845552004-09-24T17:32:00.000-07:002004-09-24T17:53:38.620-07:00

I've been giving some thought recently to how the church could structure differently for growth. Let's just assume for a moment that the Adventist church won't actually reallocate tithe in a way that will cause more pastors to be in the field. Can we still see some restructuring that will cause more growth? Allow me a little illustration: Let's say that a hotdog company in New York City

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1095804573707778252004-09-21T15:03:00.000-07:002004-10-01T15:08:21.880-07:00

In a recent post on The Philosophy Department, another Adventist blog, Keith Goodman states that Ron Gladden wrote the following thoughts. Communism is based on four tenants [sic]: (a) central planning & control; (b) central holding of property; (c) redistribution of wealth; (d) persecution of dissidents. How does it work? Consider communist China vs. Taiwan. For the year 2002, China

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1095101202520605282004-09-13T11:43:00.000-07:002004-09-13T11:46:42.520-07:00

On the EverythingImportant Forum, you'll find a decent discussion of a couple of issues. You'll also see Leo Scriven's Newsletter that deals with the Mission Catalyst Network.

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1095100663078281752004-09-13T01:57:00.000-07:002004-09-13T11:40:20.463-07:00

BlackSDA, the Black Adventist Online Community, is having quite a discussion about Mission Catalyst, and the implications of a new structure and tithe system. Along with that discussion is the letter from Don Schneider, informing the conference presidents about the existence of Mission Catalyst. Included in the discussion is a reply from Jerry Lee Holt, bringing out many excellent issues that

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1094689290956123762004-09-08T17:13:00.000-07:002004-09-08T17:21:30.956-07:00

Ron Gladden's (open) letter to Russell Burrill raises some important issues that need to be discussed, but what I'm going for here is the tone of the letter. I'm interested in sensing the spirit of the exchange. Do you feel like Ron Gladden is calm, controlled by a spirit of humility and love? Or do you feel like he's angry, controlled by a spirit of fear and territorialism? Here's the

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1094688514113855862004-09-08T16:55:00.000-07:002004-09-08T17:11:12.683-07:00

Russell Burrill's (open) letter to Ron Gladden raises some important issues that need to be discussed, but what I'm going for here is the tone of the letter. I'm interested in sensing the spirit of the exchange. Do you feel like Russell Burrill is calm, controlled by a spirit of humility and love? Or do you feel like he's angry, controlled by a spirit of fear and territorialism? Here's the

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1094152253300020992004-09-02T14:37:00.000-07:002004-09-02T16:30:49.806-07:00

I just got off the phone with a pastor friend of mine, who said he had just come across research showing that churches are virtually guaranteed to plateau or decline when they send more than 11% of their total receipts out of the local church. I assumed he was talking about protestant churches in the North American context. Immediately I felt sick. My church sends over 50% of its total

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1094045242147856112004-09-01T06:10:00.000-07:002004-09-01T09:36:46.383-07:00

Yesterday, the president of one of the conferences in the Mid-America Union e-mailed Blog the Future. This is the first official communication I have seen with a prayerful and Spirit-filled tone. In his e-mail, he said that the officers of the conferences in the Mid-America Union are meeting in Lincoln, NE today and tomorrow (September 1 and 2). He also said that the agenda for these

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1093908425103804242004-08-30T16:03:00.000-07:002004-08-31T20:29:32.640-07:00

I've noticed a disturbing trend over recent years. I'm not certain how widespread it is, but I do know that it is in at least four conferences. It is a form of conference-sponsored congregationalism. An Adventist church grows beyond what one normal pastor can handle. The conference is secretly pleased with the success, but claims they have no money to add staff. After much begging and

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1093786227782194812004-08-29T06:02:00.000-07:002004-08-29T07:00:38.836-07:00

When Adventism started in the 1800's, it was based on a system of open dialogue. Anathemas, name calling, and power struggles were the coercive powers of the established denominations who were kicking out (and even persecuting) the Millerites. But the Adventist movement had, as the core of its doctrinal and organizational development process, open fora consisting of Sabbath conferences and

The Insiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00434437303867081860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1093788333473814912004-08-29T06:00:00.000-07:002004-08-29T07:27:44.953-07:00

See also Structural Issues, Part 1 - What the Church Does What Mission Catalyst Plans to Do Mission Catalyst plans to place the focus more on the local church than on the overall organizational structure. Local churches will accept all funds for themselves. They will then return a tithe (10%) of these total donations to the administrative center (called a "network support office"). The

Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477458230339928896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1093740270292237952004-08-28T17:43:00.000-07:002004-08-29T06:54:19.613-07:00

Blog the Future is pleased to welcome The Insider, an employee of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, to the blog team. He will provide commentary and insight on issues and reactions raised by Mission Catalyst within the church.

Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477458230339928896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1093736924261238312004-08-28T16:16:00.000-07:002004-08-29T07:28:19.646-07:00

Mission Catalyst claims that it is the "same cart" with "new wheels." It asks participating churches to affirm, yearly, their commitment to the 27 fundamental beliefs of the Adventist church.* The primary difference between Mission Catalyst churches and Seventh-day Adventist churches, then, will be the use of money within the organization. See also Structural Issues, Part 2 - What Mission

Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477458230339928896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8094198.post-1093610653390722632004-08-27T05:44:00.000-07:002004-08-29T06:55:30.596-07:00

Several weeks ago we saw the launch of Mission Catalyst. Spearheaded by Ron Gladden, former church planting director for the North Pacific and Mid-America Unions, this ministry plans to start new churches that are Adventist in doctrine, but not in structure. Mission Catalyst churches will be established on a more congregational basis, returning only 10% of all donations to the network

Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477458230339928896noreply@blogger.com0