Before You Quit

 More than ever, as society around us devalues marriage, the church needs to respond with biblical conviction. While most statistics indicate that divorce is nearly as high among professing Christians from the secular world, we are also discovering that Christians who attend church regularly have a far better chance of surviving the enemies attempts at destroying the family. Professing believers who do not attend church have a 60% change of divorcing, and that number drops to 30% for those who do regularly attend church. The church is an important place, not only to promote godly marriage, but also respond with biblical obedience to divorce and remarriage. We encourage the pastor and church leaders to have a clear biblical policy in place that will help to strengthen the family unit. I had the privilege to interview Pastor Dan Samms on this subject.

Pastor Dan is deeply committed to doctrine who believes if the pastor is going to be passionate about anything, it needs to be about what he believes concerning the truths of God’s Word. Dan’s primary role is equipping the saints to make disciples.  He plants house churches and trains shepherds with Restoration House Church Network.  He also teaches theology for Liberty University and for Underground Seminary.  Dan is in love with his wife, Christy.  They have three kids, a few chickens, and an awesome dog named “Sam.”  Dan drinks good coffee, enjoys fine woodworking, and writes theology curriculum.  Christy is a licensed counselor.  She owns Hope Counseling and Consultation Services, LLC  and is an incredible mother who has a variety of hobbies .  Together, they raise their kids, lead the church, and enjoy God’s blessings and they do all that in Amherst, Oh. 

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I grew up to missionary parents in Papua, Indonesia, formerly, Iran Jaya. My parents served there for thirty-eight years, most of those years with a primitive tribe in the Paniai Lakes region. After World War Two, hundreds of missionaries moved to Papua and a large community of churches was planted. My parents’ main role was to train and equip pastors. Papua is a complicated place to understand. Politics, under the control of Indonesia, animism, corruption and power all came together to create conflict within the Alliance Church in Papua. Today, there is a spit group, one tied strongly to the ambition and fight for independence, and the other maintain strong roots to orthodoxy.

Barry Jordan and I start our conversation by telling the story of my parents’ visit some ten years ago to the tribal area where they started their ministry, and where my sibling and I were born. My parents had been invited to speak at an area church conference. Awaiting the airplane was a large crowd. At first, it was assumed the crowd was there to greet them, but as they airplanes engine shut off, the mob began attacking the plane. Barry was one of the passengers, and he explains how for twenty minutes, they prayed and waited, and eventually the local police were able to disperse the crowd, and the airplane was able to take off. It broke my parents’ heart, especially seeing in the crowd some of the students they had taught, now there to either kill or kidnap them.

In this podcast Barry and I talk about the dynamics that led to this tragic church conflict.

Barry Jordan is married to Patty for forty-years, and together they have served in Papua for thirty-five years. They have three children, two grandchildren and two on the way.

The post Episode 131: Church Crisis in Papua (Barry Jordan) appeared first on Before You Quit.

How does the church remain strong on its convictions, but convey love? How do parents respond when their adult children come out as homosexual? Do you attend a gay wedding? What do you do when your son or daughter wants to bring their partner home? Jim Domen addresses these questions, but also tells his story about coming to Christ and leaving the gay lifestyle. He now offers encouragement and support to parents who are wrestling with the same questions his parents did when he was far from the Lord.

Check out Jim Domen’s website here.

Here is what Jim shares about himself:

I never imagined that I would enter the homosexual lifestyle after being raised in a God-fearing home and accepting Christ at age seven. After I graduated from George Fox University, I was so desperate to love and be loved that I didn’t care that my partner was HIV positive. God changed my life forever on June 8, 2002, when I lost all my worldly possessions and distinctly heard God’s voice telling me to come back to Him. I told God, “I’m yours again,” and I began to realize that His strength is made perfect in my weakness – even in someone as broken as me.

God began to restore me and I enrolled in seminary at Azusa Pacific University. I learned how to be obedient to God’s voice and how to interpret the Bible. God continued His work of redemption and gave me opportunities to share my story publicly.

After I graduated from seminary, I became a pastor at Rose Drive Friends Church. I realized that I could no longer ignore the troublesome news stories about public policy and it discouraged me to hear Christians who did not understand how to articulate their worldview. Around this time, Proposition 8 was being fought in the culture and I found myself on the front lines promoting God’s plan for marriage: the union between a man and woman. At press conferences and rallies, I met the founder of Focus on the Family’s California Family Council, who became my boss and mentor after I was asked to join California Family Council. After six years at CFC, God strategically called me to begin Church United in 2016. Church United’s vision is to transform California for Christ by 1) Disrupting Pastors, 2) Uniting the Church, and 3) Transforming our Communities.

Six years after leaving the gay lifestyle and one month before the successful passage of Proposition 8, God continued His work of restoration when I met my wife, Amanda. She is “God’s gift from Heaven.” We were married in 2009 and five years latter God blessed us with our daughter, Aliah, whose name in Hebrew means “ascending to God” – just like our praises to Him for giving us the gift of becoming parents. Two years later, Amanda gave birth to our son, Ryker, whose name means “strong leader,” and in 2018, we had our third child, Asher. Her name means “Happy and blessed.”

Click on book cover to order Jim Domen’s book

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We continue our series on the twenty-plus-year pastor. What keeps a pastor serving even when the road gets rough? How does one stay resilient during seasons of little growth, opposition and even disappointments and loss? Have you ever considered that pastoring can be mundane? How do you keep yourself passionate about preaching and shepherding? What a privilege to sit down with Pastor Kevin Hurt on his experience of pastoring in one church for 32 years.

Kevin was the founding pastor of Grace Bible Church in Mountain City, GA where he served as the senior pastor for 32 years prior to the successful transition to the new senior pastor. Following the transition he was privileged to remain at Grace Bible Church where he served for 3 years as the Associate Pastor under the new senior Pastor.

He has served in various counseling organizations, chairs various boards, and continues to lecture, teach and train other pastors and counselors in Biblical Counseling in the US as well as in Uganda & Ireland.

He currently is serving as the pastor of discipleship at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

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We continue our series on the twenty-plus-year pastor. What keeps a pastor serving even when the road gets rough? How does one stay resilient during seasons of little growth, opposition and even disappointments and loss? Have you ever considered that pastoring can be mundane? How do you keep yourself passionate about preaching and shepherding? What a joy it was to interview pastor Milan Dekich who served for forty years in one church at Fairview Church of God in Falkville, AL.

Born in 1954, Milan Brown Dekich grew up in Ringgold, Ga on chicken and cattle farm,. His education is as follows:  Ooltewah High School – 1972, University of Georgia – BSEd – 1977, Anderson College School of Theology – 1980, Asbury Seminary – Doctor of Ministry 1992,   Pastor of Fairview Church of God, Falkville, AL 1980- 2020, Regional Pastor of the Church of God in Alabama – 2020 – present.. Wife- Barbara Jo (Blevins) Dekich, Children- Daughter – Christal (Dekich) Ellett, Son – Milan Michael Dekich, Son-in-law – Hayes Ellett.

His Hobbies – Fishing, raising Golden Retrievers, hunting artifacts.

The post Podcast Ep.128: The 20+ Year Pastor (Pastor Milan Dekich) appeared first on Before You Quit.

We continue our series on the twenty-plus-year pastor. What keeps a pastor serving even when the road gets rough? How does one stay resilient during seasons of little growth, opposition and even disappointments and loss? Have you ever considered that pastoring can be mundane? How do you keep yourself passionate about preaching and shepherding? What a joy it was to interview pastor Chuck Wall, who has served in one church for …drum roll…. 34 years.

By the mercy of God – Chuck grew up in a godly home and has been a part of the C&MA all his life.  He received a B.S. from Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University) with some additional classes after graduation.  Began ministry in Lexington, SC for 8 years and has been serving in Statesville, NC for 34+ years.  He has been happily married to Denise for 45 years.  They are the grateful and joyful parents of 5 children (and their spouses) and 11 grandchildren ( & 1 more next month).  He loves to teach and unpack the truths of God’s Word because it is through God’s Word that we are instructed in how to know and walk with the Lord in every aspect of our lives.  Therefore, the study, understanding and applying of the Bible is paramount in the Christian’s and the Church’s life.  One of his favorite verses is 2 Corinthians 3:5 – “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy come from God.” 

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Someone suggested to me recently that I interview pastors who have served in one church for twenty or more years. Great idea, I chimed. It’s actually a great subject. Most pastors don’t last five years in a church, some might stretch it to seven, or ten, but twenty? That just doesn’t happen often. There must be some reasons for longevity in ministry. Like a good investigator, I put on my Columbo hat and began knocking on doors, asking some probing questions. There are seven pastors I will be interviewing in these podcasts, from different regions and various denominations. I ask them all the same question and know the answers will vary dramatically.

Pastor Mike earned a B.S. from Lee University, M.Ed. from the University of South Alabama, M. Div. from the Church of God School of Theology, and DMin from the Pentecostal School of Theology. After more than 40 years of pastoral ministry, he is serving in his 23rd year as Senior Pastor of The Torch in Demorest, Georgia which serves through two campuses.  

Pastor Mike’s ministry role also includes teaching leadership seminars, mentoring pastors, serving on several boards and committees, and leading short-term mission enterprises, and most recently appointed to the church of God State Leadership Team for Ministerial Enrichment.

Among his greatest blessings in life are Connie, his wife of 41 years; three children, David, Daniel and Renée; two daughters-in-law, Abbie and Chelsea; one son-in-law, Madison; and seven grandchildren, Bailey, Asher, Maddie Rae, Arden, and James, Adeline, and one on the way.

The post Podcast Ep.126: The 20+ Year Pastor (Mike Franklin) appeared first on Before You Quit.

In this podcast I interview author Mark Barnard on his book, The Corporate Church; Why We Need to Get Our House in Order. We live in a very individualistic time, where we fail to see God’s relationship to us as a corporate body. Many churches are hurting because they don’t understand what is causing their pain.

The Corporate Church explores God’s relationship with Israel and how it shapes His relationship with the Body of Christ. On the surface, that objective seems mundane. Yet rediscovering how God views His people corporately radically changes how we view our church, denomination, or Christian organization. Seeing God’s people from God’s perspective completely shifts popular notions of church health and revival. It recalibrates the balance between our individualistic culture and the Church’s collective identity. A corporate perspective fosters a fundamental transformation in the way we think about and “do” church.

Mark founded Blessing Point Ministries  which works to enhance the fruitfulness of healthier ministries and heal wounded congregations. He authored several books related to church health. His latest title, Screwtape versus The Church, explores the nature of corporate spiritual warfare. Mark is a father, grand father and husband of over 30 years. You can learn more @blessingpoint.org.

To order book, click on book cover

Check out the churchScan Inventory here

Check out the article Mark wrote about the Rusty Steeple

Order Mark’s book by clicking on the book cover

The post Podcast Ep.125: The Corporate Church (Mark Barnard) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Pastor’s often meet together and talk shop. It takes a certain level of trust, though, for us to talk about matters of the heart than issues of the Church. I wrote this booklet, Building A Community of Trust: Eleven Things Pastors Struggle With, but Rarely Talk About with the aim of helping ministry leaders get to the heart of their struggles.

Order the booklet here! 

Here are the eleven things in chart form that pastors struggle with but rarely talk about;

The post Podcast Ep.124: Eleven Things Pastors Struggle With but Rarely Talk About, and How to Change That. (Mitch & Dan) appeared first on Before You Quit.

When you think of race and the church you likely think of the turmoil in our nation in 2020. It woke the church up, and we found ourselves asking if we are doing a good enough job understanding race, and appreciating the stories of those who hold different ethnicities than we do. How does the gospel address race? What does the Bible really say about who we are, in our distinctions, but also in our unity under family, that of Jesus Christ. To unpack all this, I had the privilege of interviewing Pastor Tom Sugimura about his book, Grace, Race and the Church, a wonderful testimony of how the church unites all people under the covering protection of the gospel.

Grace, Race and the Church will introduce the reader to the important conversations in today’s social landscape. We hope these stories open people’s eyes to the racial tensions we all face in a fallen world, but also to a healthier way of starting our experiences with others. (From back cover of book)

Pastor Tom Sugimura serves as a pastor , church planting mentor, and professor biblical counseling. He writes at tomsugi.com and ministers the gospel at New Life Church. He and wife, Amanda, are raising their four children in the wilds of Southern California.

To order Tom’s book, click here

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