Christmas Thoughts for Genesis

 


“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world… and everyone went to their own town to register.”  

There is so much undercurrent in these beginning verses of Luke 2. It’s a frightening time. The Roman Emperor is now hailed as “Augustus Caesar” - a religious title of divinity - reminding the people that it is ultimately the Emperor who rules them, not their God. And that ruler is forcing them to travel long distances, leaving homes and work, seemingly for his own vain purposes. People are impotent against the forces that control them. And so a young poor couple are forced into a four day journey, far from the support of her family and their community, while she is close to giving birth to a child. Those first verses of Luke 2 are a picture of powerlessness.

The powerlessness continues as Mary gives birth, and the place where the new family huddles is a stable. From the world’s perspective, this is a sad story of people without resources or hope. Seven verses about the might of the world, and the powerlessness of a young family. 

Of course, Mary and Joseph know that this isn’t the full story. In Mary’s song (“The Magnificat”) in Luke 1, Mary proclaims:

 “…for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name… He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” - Luke 1:49, 52 NIV

By the beginning of Luke 2, this knowledge is still a secret. In verse 8, another group of very  unlikely people join in the secret.

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” - Luke 2:8-14 NIV

The strength, the glory, the light of the Lord, the magnificence of a heavenly host (a military term for an army of angels) suddenly show that the world’s power is nothing in comparison to the power of the Lord.
Of course throughout the story of the gospels the forces of this world wage war against the might of God. King Herod causes the young family to flee Bethlehem and become immigrants in Egypt. The political strength of the Sadducees war against Jesus and His ministry. The Roman Empire condemns Jesus to death. But each time it seems that the power of the world has won, the power of God breaks in. Jesus is born. Jesus’ life demonstrates the miraculous might of God. Jesus’ death results in resurrection, with darkness being defeated for us. 

In a day when so much seems out of our control (global crises, high inflation, a broken political system, a culture moving further and further away from God) it’s easy to forget the “secret” of Mary and Joseph and the Shepherds: the story isn’t over. That same miraculous baby that  caused an army of angels to break through 2000 years ago, invites us to walk in His power today.

We wish you not only a Merry Christmas, but a Christmas filled with moments when the “secret” of God’s power breaks through, you proclaim with the angels Glory to God in the highest!, and you experience His love and peace.

With Hope,
Pam & Marshal Braman 

Asbury, Revival, and Genesis

As I write this, the Asbury College chapel service that began six days ago as a "normal" one hour service, still continues. People are flocking to the chapel at Asbury where round-the-clock prayer, praise, Scripture and story (testimony) continue. Those who have been there describe a deep sense of the presence of God (no hype, no hysteria, just a deep transforming presence). Is this the beginning of the revival (or third great awakening) that we are longing for? Time will tell (Will this revival transform many... even transforming society? May it be...).

In Genesis, we've been talking a lot about revival over the past six years. Revival is in our soil. We're in the location of the hub of the second great awakening and where our denomination launched. We've begun to see a fresh work of God among us in the past two years. We've seen healings, answered prayer, hope.

On Saturday I posted to our pastor's facebook group the encouragement to pay attention to how God's Spirit may be at work in the midst of all we were hearing from Asbury. I also posted this on our conference page: "What if… we all entered our churches tomorrow morning with the same expectation as those who are rushing to the Asbury revival? What if we expected the love and power of Christ to meet us in our local church? What if we worshipped and prayed for one another with expectation that He will meet us and answer us? What if we confessed our sins to one another, asking for forgiveness of one another?  What if an hour long service was not enough?  What if… the Lord’s Spirit met us in such a way that the football game in the afternoon became irrelevant?"

Over the past few days I've been hearing from different pastors about how the Lord seemed to be up to something new in their churches this weekend. A baby was healed. People came for prayer. A person came in before the service to "get right with God." Prayer for the community was deep. People were on their faces asking God to do a new thing. Churches were working together, walls were coming down. 

When I think about images that the Bible uses for the work of the Holy Spirit, I think about how often those images are fragile in the beginning. An oak (Isaiah 61), streams in the desert (Isaiah 43), fire (Acts 2). 

When a sprout first pops out of the ground (whether it's an oak or a marigold) it is so fragile in the beginning. Being stepped on, frozen, or being in the wrong soil can quickly kill it. When a stream is starting, it's just a bit of water coming from the ground. It can be buried or redirected easily so that it never reaches a larger channel. And a fire? Anyone who has tried to start a campfire knows that those first few minutes of getting it going are crucial. One bit of wind, a log placed wrong, wetness in the wood... anything can cause that fire to never get blazing. 

Do I have any clarity on what God is up to at this moment? No. But I believe that when we see those sacred and fragile spouts and streams and embers, we need to care for them gently. Not screaming about them. Not demanding of them. But instead... protecting, surrounding them with expectation.

Pastors? Pay attention to the movement of God's Spirit. Don't get so stuck in "the program" or the schedule that you stomp on what the Spirit is doing. (Don't "quench the Spirit" - 1 Thes 5:19). Leave room for the unexpected. Don't demand... this isn't about creating something on our own. This is about listening and looking and responding. 

One reason that I believe there is something unusual happening at Asbury College is that they were prepared for it. The revival that happened there in the 1970s is in their DNA. When they saw the signs they were prepared to surround and protect what was happening, allowing it to flourish. They didn't stomp on it, or rush students back to class.

One reason that Asbury encourages me for Genesis is that revival is in our soil. We might need to dig a bit deeper (after all, revival was 50 years in Asbury's past, but we've got to go back further...)... but it's here, as long as we remember it. Remember it. Pray for it. Look for it. Steward it. Protect it when it is fragile... and let it flourish when it grows.

For Genesis Ministerial Candidates

Dear CMCs (along with their mentors):

In our continuing desire to make our ordination process clear and helpful, I’m writing in response to questions or complaints that we’ve heard. 

In many denominations, a masters degree is a pre-requisite to being ordained (usually an MDiv, which can take 3 years full time, 24 classes). In some, an additional full-time internship is also required. In addition, some denominations will not ordain until a candidate has a full-time ministry appointment. 

In our denomination, we recognize that the Lord does, indeed, call people who may not have the time, funds, or the educational background to get a masters. And we don’t want to just be about checking a list… we want to see you functionally prepared for ministry in your head (theology), heart (character), and hands (skills). 

At the same time, ministry is not “a job.” It’s a sacred calling. Our elders need to be people who walk closely with the Lord, and know, deeply love, and correctly use Scripture. We need to be people who are emotionally, spiritually, and personally mature and maturing. We need to have theological depth, and we need to have practical skill. We need to see fruit in whatever ministry God leads us to. We need to know what we believe… and why we believe it. 

This past year the FMC’s Center for Pastoral Formation came out with 15 required courses for ordinands. In Genesis, we have chosen to take 7 of these courses, and instead of classroom teaching we are choosing to cover the material through labs, application, CCGs and coaches. For example, the work you will do with your heart coach and your CCG will cover the requirement for a course on Spiritual Formation.  We believe that this practical approach is easier to fit into lives that are filled with family, jobs, and ministry. We also believe it has the potential to more practically prepare you and be better remembered. The 8 remaining courses that we require are the more theological and academic ones. 

While we continue to tweak and streamline our process, we are doing so in order to better prepare you for ministry (not give you more things to do). Should you ever have questions about what we are asking of you, feel free to reach out, particularly if you feel something has changed since you began the process.  In addition, if you think what we are asking you to do in your annual letter is not helpful, feel free to reach out. We can adjust if our assignments are missing the mark in helping you grow. 

When we switched from “Year 1, 2, 3” to “Block 1, 2, 3,” some people thought this meant that once classes were taken, a CMC could speed through the process. This was not the intent of the switch, but rather the opposite: “blocks” allow people to take longer than 3 years without feeling they were “falling behind.” The normal length of time for CMCs is 3 or 4 years (with a maximum of 10). If you feel too much is being asked of you, then feel free to slow down the process and take longer to complete each block. A few people have completed being a CMC in two years, but only when they are coming into our system already having their academic work done and with significant prior ministry experience. 

For our records, under normal circumstances, “blocks” advance at annual conference. However, final decisions and notifications of which block you are in, is determined during our fall interviews. For example, if at Annual Conference you still have 3 remaining courses and other items to complete, you will most likely be in Block 3 for that conference year. People who enter as CMCs at Annual Conference are Block 2 for the conference year. 

As of this winter, we will be holding classes so that if a LMC who has interviewed in January begins with Wesleyan Theology that spring, and takes one course each fall and spring, then academic coursework can be completed before your ordination interview in three years. If a candidate also keeps up with the practical experiences and training needed (CCGs, Rule of Life, evangelism, growing leadership, practical administration, etc), and is growing in appropriate ways in head, heart, and hands, it’s possible to complete it all in three years. But we’re not in a rush! Ordination interviews take place in block 4. 

I have said this before, and will keep saying it: as you take your classes, what you learn about Scripture, God, and theological truths isn’t something you learn in order to “pass” the class. We want these truths to go deep into your soul. We want you to be able to discuss them, teach them, wrestle with them in your own life. We don’t want you to settle for “simple” answers. We don’t want you to be surprised by a question or conversation with people in your community, congregation, or other pastors. During your CMC and ordination interviews, we expect you to be able to discuss Scripture and theological principles appropriate for your block level. By the time you are ordained, we expect you to have the theological depth we would expect of an ordained elder.  We expect you to go beyond learning “the minimum,” and develop a pattern of lifelong learning. Read books that expand your understanding of Scripture, God, people, and this world. Keep going deeper. Don’t settle. 

We also recognize the need for you to grow personally. Conflict resolution, learning boundaries, developing an ability to not take things personally, becoming flexible, taking responsibility, and not being a people pleasers are just a few of the areas where we want to see growth and health. Growing in your character and your emotional, spiritual and mental health are crucial for healthy ministry. 

As we continue to better our ordination process, this year we are trying something new. Sometime in the next couple of months, you will get a one page checklist of crucial items that need to be covered in your ordination journey. We will highlight those items that, according to our records, you still need to complete. We hope this new chart will help you give a quick “at a glance” summary of what you still have left.

A few more “clean up” items:

*In the past year we placed more training in the LMC block (block 1). I don’t want the switch to mean you miss some crucial training! We want you to be able to articulately share you faith. If you have not yet had evangelism training (or if you have not introduced anyone to Christ in this past year and followed up with them), then please make sure you get this training and take opportunities to share your faith with others. If your local church is not offering training, reach out to the conference. There is some brief training on the Genesis YouTube Channel, under “CMC resources” that can help you start. We do expect you to see fruit in this area before ordination. 

*We also ask, during your LMC year, that you form a prayer team who will pray for you during this journey. We assume that continues and that this team of people will pray for you into the future. Make sure you keep them updated on your journey and needs.

*Before ordination, you are required to go through a psychological evaluation. We now have a counselor who is doing our evaluations for $400 (which is discounted). The conference will contact you with information in block 3 or 4. If the $400 is a financial hardship, please reach out to the conference office for help. 

*The “ordination essays” that you will need to complete before your ordination interview are online. We encourage you to be filling them out throughout your journey, as you take classes that pertain to the essay questions. This is much easier than trying to get them done in the weeks prior to the deadline. 

*Each year you are to do a ”Leadership Lab” (which means you are leading and learning as you go) and each year your leadership should be expanding. For example, while leading a small group may be a good start in block one, by block three or four your leadership needs to be greater than what we’d expect from any good lay leader in the church. On the Genesis website ordination page, in the bottom green box, you will see two “Leadership Lab” links: One that leads you to a video playlist, and the other to a worksheet that helps you think strategically about what you are leading. In Block 2, you should watch all of those videos (about 2 1/2 hours of content) and begin to put what you learn into practice. In all blocks / each year you should use the “Leadership Lab” worksheet to guide. Go through the sheet with your local mentor at the beginning, middle, and end of each church year. If you went to Elevate Leadership in 2019, then you do not need to watch the videos. If you did not attend Elevate, even if you are beyond block 2, then please take the time to watch the videos. 

*There is a list of ministry experiences and competencies in the CMC Formation Process Document (on the Genesis website). This is the list you go through with your skills coach. We do expect growth in all of these areas. Review that list carefully on a regular basis. Is you need a place to learn or grow in one of these areas, reach out. 

In all of this: Ask questions. We will have interviewed over 50 people this year, and our process is not perfect. If something doesn’t line up with your expectations, give us a call. We can’t help if we don’t know what you are experiencing.

Also know this: we are rooting for you. We want to do all we can so that you can be effective in life-long ministry. You are in our prayers and our hearts.

With Hope!

Pam Braman

Superintendent, Genesis Conference