What is Christian Maturity?
St. Paul uses a Greek word, semnotes, in I Timothy 3:3 that wonderfully describes an emotionally mature Christian.
Aristotle defined it as the average or virtue that lies between two extremes. One extreme is authadeia, arrogance or trying to please nobody. The other is areskeia, servile humility, or trying, at all costs, to please everybody. Semnotes stands as the balance between arrogance and servility and it has in it the ability to perform ones duties well as a citizen while modeling the truth that real dignity is not earthly but from heaven. It thus draws our respect.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
Servility+++++Balanced++++++Arrogance
Paul instructs Timothy to look for leaders who had reared their children to relate with semnotes. Thus, senior pastors must be old enough to produce and rear children who are themselves, mature.
Semnotes means one can speak the truth in love. We learn how to pastor the church of God by being a parent. Children teach us as much as we teach them.
Paul looks for the signs of maturity in relational skills. People who are either arrogant or servile are not ready to be senior pastors. In fact, those who have failed to rear children to be semnotes are not mature. This is a strong endorsement for parental involvement. Balanced children do not spring from the earth.
Pastoring is almost exactly like parenting. Children grow slowly over a long period. They require many hours of thankless and boring nurture. Yet, our love for them compels us to give the best we have.
Members often require hours of thankless servanthood. They need to be nurtured, confronted, encouraged and taught. We pray they will move toward semnotes quickly. The fact is adult members are usually servile or too arrogant. Rarely is one born again with automatic, balanced maturity.
Those who are fearfully shy require great sensitivity and encouragement lest they withdraw in pain. The prideful and arrogant are just as much in need of sensitive love and encouragement, but we find it harder to give since they are so difficult to live with. We want to confront them harshly and tell them to "shape up or ship out" but that almost never works.
So, we need to minister to the arrogant and the servile with semnotes; balanced love and truth. Paul says in Ephesians 4:15 that we will grow up into Him, the head of the church, when we speak the truth in love to one another. We may be tempted to offer only love to the servile and truth to the arrogant but scripture indicates a very different approach that combines truth with love.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Considerations for A Healing and Equipping Ministry
1. Most individuals and families (some 70 to 80%) will get pastoral care and counseling needs met in the regular church ministries such as classes, cells, worship and personal ministry involvement. They will only need specialized pastoral care from trained Para Care Givers, Pastors or Professionals during times of crisis, death, loss of a job, family life transitions, etc.
2. The 70-80% must be equipped and moved into personal ministry to the other members and those outside the church.
3. Approximately 10% of a congregation may reach maturity as a Christian. This state combines wisdom, character, ethics, morality, and spirituality with the truth, fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Such persons will provide the bulk of ministry leadership in the church. A congregation that vigorously equips the saints may actually expand the number of persons in this category but the percentage will not grow because new persons are always entering the family of God.
4. About 10% to 20% of a congregation will need special, para-care at any one time through individual or group listening, problem solving, prayer, support or recovery.
5. About 10% to 15% need specialized, Professional care at any one time. Every church needs to develop a list of supportive counselors in the community.
6. Only some 2% to 5% will require expert psychiatric medical care.
7. Equipping must both heal and train. The Life Skills Model of equipping is actually as therapeutic as most counseling so you can be much more efficient with Life Skills.
8. Growth and healing normally proceed at a slow pace, one point, or less, at a time. Helen Lim is a minus 4 on the scale and will not likely move to a plus 5 overnight may grow from minus 4 to minus 3 to minus 2. A miracle may move a person from minus 4 to plus 1.
9. Healing is different from growth and only prepares the way for growth. The absence of illness is not the same as maturity. One can be emotionally mature and spiritually immature. After one is healed he needs to also be equipped.
1. Most individuals and families (some 70 to 80%) will get pastoral care and counseling needs met in the regular church ministries such as classes, cells, worship and personal ministry involvement. They will only need specialized pastoral care from trained Para Care Givers, Pastors or Professionals during times of crisis, death, loss of a job, family life transitions, etc.
2. The 70-80% must be equipped and moved into personal ministry to the other members and those outside the church.
3. Approximately 10% of a congregation may reach maturity as a Christian. This state combines wisdom, character, ethics, morality, and spirituality with the truth, fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Such persons will provide the bulk of ministry leadership in the church. A congregation that vigorously equips the saints may actually expand the number of persons in this category but the percentage will not grow because new persons are always entering the family of God.
4. About 10% to 20% of a congregation will need special, para-care at any one time through individual or group listening, problem solving, prayer, support or recovery.
5. About 10% to 15% need specialized, Professional care at any one time. Every church needs to develop a list of supportive counselors in the community.
6. Only some 2% to 5% will require expert psychiatric medical care.
7. Equipping must both heal and train. The Life Skills Model of equipping is actually as therapeutic as most counseling so you can be much more efficient with Life Skills.
8. Growth and healing normally proceed at a slow pace, one point, or less, at a time. Helen Lim is a minus 4 on the scale and will not likely move to a plus 5 overnight may grow from minus 4 to minus 3 to minus 2. A miracle may move a person from minus 4 to plus 1.
9. Healing is different from growth and only prepares the way for growth. The absence of illness is not the same as maturity. One can be emotionally mature and spiritually immature. After one is healed he needs to also be equipped.
Growth Process Model into Maturity
Dr. Gary Sweeten
I am often asked about what I do when I teach here and around the world. In the following posts I will try to explain my goals and processes.
The Lifeskills model promotes Personal growth towards holiness, healthiness, wholeness and maturity. This will include healing and curing as well as mentoring and teaching. No matter where one is when he begins the journey toward wholeness (Teleios) it is the duty of the church to facilitate positive, forward movement. As Paul noted in Col 1:27-29:
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect, Teleios, in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
We use a scale to evaluate health and sickness, healing and growth. there are gradations of health and dysfunction. I recently went to the heart doctor and they analyzed my heart functioning. They told me that everyone can be assigned a number that tells medical personnel how well theri heart is functioning. Despite the fact that I have an injured heart muscle my score was pretty good.
The scale of emotional/spiritual functioning runs from minus ten to minus one (-10 to -1) on the dysfunction side and plus one to plus ten (+0 to +10) on the maturity side. The scale allows us to get an idea of how the healing/growth process actually works.
For example, a Minus Eight indicates that a person is very unhealthy and unstable and needs intense support and ministry. In the physical realm such a patient would be dying. From a mental/emotional/relational perspective, such persons are deeply addicted, psychotic, angry, violent or suicidal. The person is out of control.
Can you think of any Christian character from biblical days who was emotionally/spiritually unwell? Did salvation immediately make every convert into a mature Apostle?
At the beginning of his spiritual journey was Saul of Tarsus quite dysfunctional. He was angry, bitter and took his rage out on people with whom he disagreed. He was even involved in killing Christians. Perhaps he would have been considered a minus eight or nine.
A zero indicates that one is balanced between dysfunctional and health. Such a person would be fragile and prone to bad habits but still maintaining some peace in his life.
On the growth side of the equation, Ten would be considered to be the most mature person imaginable. They can, "Take a licking and keep on ticking". Mature people face and overcome many crises and problems while maintaining inner strength and balance.
Zero implies that the person is neither dysfunctional nor healthy, but will maintain health or sickness according to normal problems of living.
Dr. Gary Sweeten
I am often asked about what I do when I teach here and around the world. In the following posts I will try to explain my goals and processes.
The Lifeskills model promotes Personal growth towards holiness, healthiness, wholeness and maturity. This will include healing and curing as well as mentoring and teaching. No matter where one is when he begins the journey toward wholeness (Teleios) it is the duty of the church to facilitate positive, forward movement. As Paul noted in Col 1:27-29:
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect, Teleios, in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
We use a scale to evaluate health and sickness, healing and growth. there are gradations of health and dysfunction. I recently went to the heart doctor and they analyzed my heart functioning. They told me that everyone can be assigned a number that tells medical personnel how well theri heart is functioning. Despite the fact that I have an injured heart muscle my score was pretty good.
The scale of emotional/spiritual functioning runs from minus ten to minus one (-10 to -1) on the dysfunction side and plus one to plus ten (+0 to +10) on the maturity side. The scale allows us to get an idea of how the healing/growth process actually works.
For example, a Minus Eight indicates that a person is very unhealthy and unstable and needs intense support and ministry. In the physical realm such a patient would be dying. From a mental/emotional/relational perspective, such persons are deeply addicted, psychotic, angry, violent or suicidal. The person is out of control.
Can you think of any Christian character from biblical days who was emotionally/spiritually unwell? Did salvation immediately make every convert into a mature Apostle?
At the beginning of his spiritual journey was Saul of Tarsus quite dysfunctional. He was angry, bitter and took his rage out on people with whom he disagreed. He was even involved in killing Christians. Perhaps he would have been considered a minus eight or nine.
A zero indicates that one is balanced between dysfunctional and health. Such a person would be fragile and prone to bad habits but still maintaining some peace in his life.
On the growth side of the equation, Ten would be considered to be the most mature person imaginable. They can, "Take a licking and keep on ticking". Mature people face and overcome many crises and problems while maintaining inner strength and balance.
Zero implies that the person is neither dysfunctional nor healthy, but will maintain health or sickness according to normal problems of living.
Semi Retirment?
For a man who is semi-retired I sure have a lot on my plate. God told me a year ago that the future would be the most influential portion of my ministry. Like many things I have heard from the lord, it was hard to believe at first. I normally ask myself if I were dreaming or making things up. When it comes to hearing God I am never sure until He moves in my life and answers such a word.
For the past ten years following a heart problem and leaving EMI behind I have spent my time in foreign lands raising up people who can continue our healing/discipling ministry in another culture. In 2005 the LifeWay Ministries Board advised me to slow down on international travels and stick around here to support and mentor leaders in the USA. I am doing that and many opportunities to minister locally have arisen.
However, on August 10 I leave for Moscow for two weeks and I need your prayers.
More later.
For a man who is semi-retired I sure have a lot on my plate. God told me a year ago that the future would be the most influential portion of my ministry. Like many things I have heard from the lord, it was hard to believe at first. I normally ask myself if I were dreaming or making things up. When it comes to hearing God I am never sure until He moves in my life and answers such a word.
For the past ten years following a heart problem and leaving EMI behind I have spent my time in foreign lands raising up people who can continue our healing/discipling ministry in another culture. In 2005 the LifeWay Ministries Board advised me to slow down on international travels and stick around here to support and mentor leaders in the USA. I am doing that and many opportunities to minister locally have arisen.
However, on August 10 I leave for Moscow for two weeks and I need your prayers.
More later.
Semi Retirment?
For a man who is semi-retired I sure have a lot on my plate. God told me a year ago that the future would be the most influential portion of my ministry. Like many things I have heard from the lord, it was hard to believe at first. I normally ask myself if I were dreaming or making things up. When it comes to hearing God I am never sure until He moves in my life and answers such a word.
For the past ten years following a heart problem and leaving EMI behind I have spent my time in foreign lands raising up people who can continue our healing/discipling ministry in another culture. In 2005 the LifeWay Ministries Board advised me to slow down on international travels and stick around here to support and mentor leaders in the USA. I am doing that and many opportunities to minister locally have arisen.
However, on August 10 I leave for Moscow for two weeks and I need your prayers.
More later.
For a man who is semi-retired I sure have a lot on my plate. God told me a year ago that the future would be the most influential portion of my ministry. Like many things I have heard from the lord, it was hard to believe at first. I normally ask myself if I were dreaming or making things up. When it comes to hearing God I am never sure until He moves in my life and answers such a word.
For the past ten years following a heart problem and leaving EMI behind I have spent my time in foreign lands raising up people who can continue our healing/discipling ministry in another culture. In 2005 the LifeWay Ministries Board advised me to slow down on international travels and stick around here to support and mentor leaders in the USA. I am doing that and many opportunities to minister locally have arisen.
However, on August 10 I leave for Moscow for two weeks and I need your prayers.
More later.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Ministry to Hurting Persons
People have suffered under authoritarian rule for centuries but they have survived. Until now dictators have generally ruled people’s daily lives but allowed them to develop their souls as they pleased. The Bolsheviks have changed all that. Now we must give ourselves body and soul to the state. Alexander Solzhenitysn paraphrase From Under the Rubble, Regnery Press, 1981
I have been actively supporting people in Russia and the CIS since the early 90’s. During that time I have seen the nation and all its people go through a horrendous time of pain and distress. As you read the reports below you will be shocked by the carnage and suffering mainly because the USSR destroyed almost everything leading to freedom, democracy and hard work.
Soviet Persecutions of the Church
Spiritual, vitality is necessary for any nation to thrive. The Bolsheviks did everything possible to destroy faith in God and the health of the churches. Some estimate that they killed over 90,000 Russian Orthodox priests and destroyed over 12,000 of their churches during the 70-year reign of terror. This includes only the Orthodox so we know that an equal percentage of Pentecostal and Baptist believers were also eliminated along with their meeting places.
One of the most brutal practices they used to stamp out Christianity was to take believers’ children from them. Christians were seen as defective parents who were dangerous to the kids so they were placed into orphanages or foster homes. A close friend and leader of the movement to treat Christian addicts were in such a home. The long-term effects of being ripped from their parents and siblings still reverberate throughout the adult children in the form of depression, addictions, abuse and illness.
These are very common problems among those who stayed true to God despite Communist persecution. Many of the current leaders are survivors from those homes and churches and are deeply wounded adults with immature parenting and leadership styles. The articles below outline many of the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical outcomes of the satanic attack on the Russian people in general and Christians as a specially hated group.
Pray for the leaders of Russia and the people who love God.
People have suffered under authoritarian rule for centuries but they have survived. Until now dictators have generally ruled people’s daily lives but allowed them to develop their souls as they pleased. The Bolsheviks have changed all that. Now we must give ourselves body and soul to the state. Alexander Solzhenitysn paraphrase From Under the Rubble, Regnery Press, 1981
I have been actively supporting people in Russia and the CIS since the early 90’s. During that time I have seen the nation and all its people go through a horrendous time of pain and distress. As you read the reports below you will be shocked by the carnage and suffering mainly because the USSR destroyed almost everything leading to freedom, democracy and hard work.
Soviet Persecutions of the Church
Spiritual, vitality is necessary for any nation to thrive. The Bolsheviks did everything possible to destroy faith in God and the health of the churches. Some estimate that they killed over 90,000 Russian Orthodox priests and destroyed over 12,000 of their churches during the 70-year reign of terror. This includes only the Orthodox so we know that an equal percentage of Pentecostal and Baptist believers were also eliminated along with their meeting places.
One of the most brutal practices they used to stamp out Christianity was to take believers’ children from them. Christians were seen as defective parents who were dangerous to the kids so they were placed into orphanages or foster homes. A close friend and leader of the movement to treat Christian addicts were in such a home. The long-term effects of being ripped from their parents and siblings still reverberate throughout the adult children in the form of depression, addictions, abuse and illness.
These are very common problems among those who stayed true to God despite Communist persecution. Many of the current leaders are survivors from those homes and churches and are deeply wounded adults with immature parenting and leadership styles. The articles below outline many of the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical outcomes of the satanic attack on the Russian people in general and Christians as a specially hated group.
Pray for the leaders of Russia and the people who love God.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Burn Out and Hopelessness in Ministry
Smoldering Wick Ministries says that as many as 1500 ministers leave their posts each month due to burn out. Whether that is a tru number or not I do not know, but if the number of leaders I see every week is any indication then it is close to true.
The cause of burn out is not working too hard but doing hard work in one's own strength. No one that I help thinks they are doing it on their own for every one of them is motivated by Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit.
The ministers I speak with talk about their compassion, concern and desire to build the church. But they are filled with worry and the thrill of ministry has died. They are convinced that the church and its people cannot survive without them. They feel guilty whenever they are not doing something for God. The must always be the one who teaches, preaches, leads the small groups and has the plan for success.
The burned out leader cannot receive assistance because he must always be helping not receiving. He is selfish about giving for "It is more blessed to give than receive."
Perhaps you think I am being judgmental and harsh. That I have no compassion or sensitivity toward people in pain. That I do not really understand.
Maybe not, but that was me until I collapsed. That was me until I ended up in the hospital. That was me until my chest pains led me to fly home from Asia and see the doctor. That was me until I got a stent in the chest and Doctor Kereiakes saved my life.
Maybe I do not understand.
But if I do, I can help pastors avoid burn out.
Smoldering Wick Ministries says that as many as 1500 ministers leave their posts each month due to burn out. Whether that is a tru number or not I do not know, but if the number of leaders I see every week is any indication then it is close to true.
The cause of burn out is not working too hard but doing hard work in one's own strength. No one that I help thinks they are doing it on their own for every one of them is motivated by Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit.
The ministers I speak with talk about their compassion, concern and desire to build the church. But they are filled with worry and the thrill of ministry has died. They are convinced that the church and its people cannot survive without them. They feel guilty whenever they are not doing something for God. The must always be the one who teaches, preaches, leads the small groups and has the plan for success.
The burned out leader cannot receive assistance because he must always be helping not receiving. He is selfish about giving for "It is more blessed to give than receive."
Perhaps you think I am being judgmental and harsh. That I have no compassion or sensitivity toward people in pain. That I do not really understand.
Maybe not, but that was me until I collapsed. That was me until I ended up in the hospital. That was me until my chest pains led me to fly home from Asia and see the doctor. That was me until I got a stent in the chest and Doctor Kereiakes saved my life.
Maybe I do not understand.
But if I do, I can help pastors avoid burn out.
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