Called to Serve - Assemblies of God

Assemblies of God Ministers Letter
June 2011
Called to Serve
FROM THE GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT
How We Do Business as a Church
Dear Fellow Minister,
General Council 2011 is just around the corner. I trust you
have registered already, and if not, that you will do so today
(www.generalcouncil.ag.org). All who register prior to
July 1 will receive their registration materials by return mail,
eliminating the need for you to go through a line at General
Council. Just bring the materials with you.
night service, Alton Garrison at Wednesday morning communion, Jim Bradford on Thursday night, and Doug Clay on
Friday night. This will be the first General Council in which
executive officers have ministered in all the meetings. A
special event will occur Wednesday night as AG World Missions hosts a banquet for John Bueno, who has announced
his retirement. I urge you to reserve your tickets for this event
(http://generalcouncil.
ag.org/ticketed-events).
General Council
I especially want you to
Events
visit the Exhibit Hall. You
I want to take a
will see in a powerful way
few moments to walk
the ministries of our Felthrough General Council
lowship and the fantastic
events with you.
resources that exhibitors
General Council
have come to share
begins on Monday evewith you.
ning, August 1, with the
Our theme for this
Influence Conference
Council is “Make Your
(http://generalcouncil.
Mark on Our Movement.”
ag.org/influence). This
Exhibit Hall Rendering
I encourage you to go to
year’s theme is “Be
http://generalcouncil.
(the) Cause.” Speakag.org/make-your-mark, and record how God is using you
ers include Tommy and Matthew Barnett, Lisa Bevere, Lee
to make your mark on the Assemblies of God and the kingMcFarland, and Dino Rizzo. Scott Wilson is the emcee, and
dom of God.
Shane & Shane are the special musical guests.
Evening worship services begin Tuesday, August 2. We
will use the same format for evening services as we did at
Business Sessions
the 2009 General Council. The youth will join us on Thursday
The business sessions for this General Council will take
and Friday nights. Separate youth meetings will take place
place in the mornings and afternoons on Wednesday,
Monday and Wednesday nights. I will minister in the Tuesday
Thursday, and Friday (August 3–5). There are very impor-
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tant matters on this year’s agenda, including the election of
the assistant general superintendent, general secretary, and
executive director of World Missions. Also, we will vote on all
nonresident executive presbyters.
One matter of unfinished business from the 2009 General
Council pertains to the potential enlargement of the General
Presbytery to include younger ministers and women ministers.
Included in this packet of material are the resolutions for
consideration at the upcoming General Council. I would like to
remind you that there will be additional resolutions forthcoming from the General Presbytery and Executive Presbytery.
All additional resolutions not included in this mailing will be
handed out to the delegates in Phoenix, before or during the
General Council business session. Please remember to bring
this resolutions booklet with you to the business sessions.
Additionally, the Task Force for Consolidation of the
Springfield Schools is hard at work. It will forward its recommendations to the boards of AGTS, Central Bible College,
and Evangel University on June 8, and then the actions of the
boards will be reported to the Executive Presbytery June 9
and 10. At the present time, it is anticipated that a resolution
from the Executive Presbytery will be provided to the General
Council requesting authorization for the consolidation of
these schools.
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Finally, we are a Fellowship and a family of believers. May
all our sessions be marked by the kind of unity toward one
another demonstrated in 1 Corinthians 13! When I pastored,
I announced annual business meetings this way: “You may
have had a bad experience at one time in a church business
meeting, or perhaps you are not a follower of Christ and
don’t know what happens at a business meeting. I invite you
to come this next Wednesday night and observe how Christians do business.” Our business meetings thus became a
wonderful witness to both members and nonmembers. Too
many good people have been wounded in church business
meetings. Sometimes the same kind of wounding has taken
place even in a district council or a General Council business
session. None of us want that to happen, and it won’t as we
love one another as our brother or sister!
May I encourage you and the ministry you lead to spend
time in prayer for this General Council? This Council is very
key to our future as a Movement. We are beginning to launch
our journey to our 100th anniversary in 2014. You won’t want
to miss all that is in store this General Council! See you in
Phoenix (bring a sweater or coat—you may need it inside).
How Christians Do Business
As we anticipate the business sessions, may I share some
observations with you?
The General Council Bylaws provide that all business sessions are governed by parliamentary procedure as set forth in
the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised
in keeping with the spirit of Christian love and fellowship.
May I offer some additional suggestions for handling resolutions and discussion? You can recognize that with up to four
thousand voting delegates, the overwhelming majority
will never make it to a microphone. Here are some observations that I have made from my experience of General Councils.
• Those who speak should do so succinctly, making
their points clearly without redundancy. Concise presentations are received better than longer rambling
remarks.
• It is always appropriate to talk about the merits or
demerits of an issue, but never appropriate to attack
the motives or personalities of persons on the opposing side.
• The General Council is a deliberative assembly and,
therefore, applause or “amens” or “oh me’s” are not
in order from the audience. Every effort should be
June 2011
made to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace.
Respect should be accorded all the delegates.
Thus, it is not appropriate for a few persons to continually dominate at the microphones.
The practice of good parliamentary procedure is that
the pros and cons of an issue should be alternated.
The Chair does his best to alternate between those
desiring a matter to be adopted and those opposing.
If the Council feels it has received sufficient debate
on an issue, a motion calling for the previous question is in order. However, this cannot be called out
from the floor—the maker should go to a microphone
and make the motion for the previous question.
While the General Council is the final decider on
matters brought to it, the Executive Presbytery and/
or the General Presbytery have looked at many of
the issues. Some level of trust should be accorded
these eldership bodies even as local congregations
accord a level of trust to their pastoral and leadership teams on issues that come before church
membership meetings.
George O. Wood is general superintendent of the
Assemblies of God (USA).
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By John Bueno
50 Years in World Missions
I
n a few months I will be finishing 50 years of involvement
in World Missions. It began with my first assignment in El
Salvador—which was only supposed to last two years,
but turned into 28 years—and will conclude 22 years after I
came to Springfield for a “short-term” assignment.
It is indeed with grateful hearts that Lois and I look back
on both phases of our ministry with Assemblies of God World
Missions. It seems as though in God’s divine purpose He let
us be a part of what He is doing in the world in one of the
most productive and fruitful times in the history of the Assemblies of God.
The growth of the church overseas is unbelievable. It
continues unabated in every inhabited continent of our globe.
The incredible harvest happening now in places like Africa is
something that no one would have believed a few years ago.
The fervor and faith of our brothers and sisters overseas is
one of the factors causing the unprecedented growth that
defies all odds. It seems as though the more difficult the land
and the more trying the circumstances, the greater the blessing for the church.
decade of greatest growth in the Assemblies of God in El Salvador. The latest scientific survey made by the Roman Catholic
university in El Salvador states that 38 percent of the population of El Salvador are born-again Christians. While we dare not
rely on statistics, even from scientific surveys, it is an indication
of the impact the gospel is having on this Central American
country.
The thrilling part is that this is not unique to one Latin American country, but it seems to be happening around the globe.
What our forefathers saw in the beginning of our Movement in
“the greatest evangelism
the world has ever seen” is
being lived out on a day-today basis all over our world.
The principles laid out by
our forefathers certainly
have had great impact on
how all this has developed.
Our emphasis has been
on training national pastors
and leaders, establishing
learning centers in different phases and categories
across the globe, and developing national churches
with indigenous church
principles. Though slow in
We’ve always seen in history
that the church prospers in times of
persecution and hardship.
We’ve always seen in history that the church prospers in
times of persecution and hardship. This, of course, is the case
in El Salvador. The 1980s, despite an ongoing war, was the
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Continued on page 4
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the beginning, it is
now certainly reaping
great results in our
times.
My parents started
out in Venezuela in
1928. My father said
that for three years he
preached to a congregation that oscillated
between one and
three—one of them
being my mother.
But because of their
perseverance, a thriving church developed
in that town, and today it is a living witness of the faith and valor of our pioneers.
This story could be repeated time and time again of those who went before us in
the seed-sowing phase of the development of this great Movement. They sowed
with tears, and now we’re seeing the tremendous harvest that is coming because
of the faithfulness of those early men and women who went, sometimes sending
their goods in coffins, because they knew they would not return alive to their home
country.
I am deeply humbled by the privilege God has given me to stand on the shoulders of some of these great men and women, and I am grateful to God to live in this incredible hour. While I’m leaving office
to pursue other facets of ministry, I believe with all my heart
that the best days are still ahead.
I am confident that God has placed our Movement in strategic places and times for the greatest awakening this world
has ever seen.
Executive Leadership Team
George O. Wood
General Superintendent
L. Alton Garrison
Assistant General Superintendent
James T. Bradford
General Secretary
Douglas E. Clay
General Treasurer
Zollie L. Smith, Jr.
Executive Director,
Assemblies of God U.S. Missions
L. John Bueno
Executive Director,
Assemblies of God World Missions
Executive Presbytery
Warren D. Bullock
Northwest Area
Richard L. Dresselhaus
Southwest Area
Clarence W. St. John
North Central Area
J. Don George
South Central Area
Larry H. Griswold
Great Lakes Area
Douglas E. Fulenwider
Gulf Area
H. Robert Rhoden
Northeast Area
L. John Bueno is executive director of the Assemblies of God World Missions
C. Dan Betzer
Southeast Area
Saturnino Gonzalez
WORLD MISSIONS CELEBRATION DINNER
Celebrate missions around the world and the life and ministry of
retiring Executive Director of Assemblies of God World Missions
John Bueno and his wife, Lois. The evening will include great
music, international guests, special presentations and good
food in a relaxed atmosphere.
Language Area – East Spanish
Jesse Miranda, Jr.
Language Area – West Spanish
Nam Soo Kim
Language Area – Other
John E. Maracle
Ethnic Fellowships
Tickets $39.95 per person
R. Bryan Jarrett
Order online or download a registration form at:
http://generalcouncil.ag.org/ticketed-events
Click on the View Details button next to
WORLD MISSIONS CELEBRATION DINNER.
June 2011
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Ordained Pastor under 40
A. Elizabeth Grant
Ordained Female
The General Council
of the Assemblies of God
1445 N. Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802-1894
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Assemblies of God Ministers Letter
DO YOU LEAD A
HEALTHY CHURCH?
Actually, don’t answer that question just yet—you
deserve a break. After all, as a leader, you are often
expected to have the answer:
• Pastor, can you help me fix my marriage?
• Pastor, how do you intend to pay for this project?
• Pastor, what do you want to do with that upcoming event?
• Pastor, why don’t you do more for college students?
• Pastor, what must I do to be saved? Wouldn’t it be nice if, for once, you didn’t have
to have the answers? What if you could ask the
questions instead? What if being an effective
leader had less to do with having all of the right
answers, and more to do with asking the right
questions?
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The Power of Questions
Jesus was masterful when it came to asking the right questions. In fact,
some of his most powerful moments in ministry were punctuated with a
question mark:
• Who do you say I am? (Matthew 16:15)
• What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole
world, yet forfeits his soul? (Matthew 16:26)
• Do you want to get well? (John 5:6)
As leaders, many of us fall short of our God-given potential because we fail
to ask the right questions. Not that it’s about us. Sadly, when we don’t ask
the right questions, those that we lead are the most affected.
Questions are powerful because they provoke thought. They help us to
see things differently. Occasionally, they even catch us by surprise. For the
leader, questions are a means of assessment.
Those of us who do the work of the ministry have been given a sacred trust.
Like shepherds, the Scriptures encourage the wise to “know the condition
of your flock” (Proverbs 27:23). In the same way that Paul encourages believers to examine their own lives, this proverb challenges us as leaders to
assess the health of the churches that we lead. And the best way to assess
something, of course, is to ask the right questions.
Why We Don’t Ask
If questions are so powerful, why don’t we use them more effectively in
church leadership? There are two main reasons:
1. We don’t intend it.
More often than not, a lack of assessment is caused by a lack of intention.
We fail to ask the right questions because we don’t intend to. Many people
think of an intention as a wish, as if it were passive. Actually, the word is
more active and, well, intentional. In fact, the dictionary defines intend as
having a course of action as one’s purpose or objective.
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Unfortunately, though regular church
“check-ups” are one of the most important responsibilities of pastoral
leadership, many of us simply don’t
intend to do it. That is, we don’t make
it a priority nor have a plan.
It’s easy to understand why this is
the case. After all, asking questions
doesn’t seem as pressing as the
countless demands that weigh on our
heart and mind—from the preparation of a weekly message to the training of volunteers to the answering
of unending e-mails, and more. And
yet, few things are as empowering to
leaders as assessment. Asking the
right questions will lead to the answers we need to lead effectively.
2. We are intimidated by it.
For some leaders, the problem isn’t
one of intention, but one of intimidation. Some of us never get around to
asking the important questions about
the health of our church because the
very thought of it is overwhelming.
Who has the time? Where should I
start? How do I go about it?
Some are intimidated because they
know the process of assessment will
raise issues that they would rather
not know about, let alone deal with.
Ignorance is bliss, right? Not in leadership.
Asking the right questions requires
courage to confront the answers (or
lack thereof) that result. Of course,
it’s easier in the short-term not to ask
hard questions, but it’s far more costly in the long-term.
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Back to the Beginning
Phoenix and beyond
So, back to the original question:
Do you lead a healthy church?
We look forward to seeing you in Phoenix for General
Council 2011, August 1-5. If you haven’t already,
register today at GeneralCouncil.org.
One of the great things about this year’s General Council
is that it gives us the opportunity to get away and to gain
perspective. It’s a great opportunity not just for rest and
relationship, but for assessment. This year, the AG Resources exhibit area is being designed to make it easier
than ever for you as a leader to evaluate the health of your
church, and to find fresh resources for effective ministry.
These resources all center around the five components of
a healthy church that are outlined in Acts 2: Community,
Discipleship, Worship, Compassion, and Evangelism.
If you are unable to attend in person, you don’t have
to miss out! Join us online at GeneralCouncil.org where
you can:
• Watch all of the General Council
services live
• Hear the vision of our executive
leadership
• View the Influence Conference,
National Fine Arts Celebration,
business sessions, and more.
So, if you don’t know where to start (or would like a little
help) assessing the health of your church, start by asking questions. At this year’s General Council event in
Phoenix, Arizona, attendees will receive questions that
will jumpstart your journey to becoming a healthy church.
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LIVE STREAM at GeneralCouncil.org.
GeneralCouncil.org
June 2011
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