Policy directly from my church website…

“When we speak of total agreement, we are speaking about the final conclusion of the
elders concerning a matter. Total agreement does not mean that every policy adopted or
decision made has a unanimous perspective during the processing and deliberation. Total
agreement means that every elder comes to a unified consensus about the decision or
policy; that every elder agrees with every policy or decision that is made.
The process of getting to total agreement is to be a forthright, no holds barred, honest,
and vulnerable exchange of perspectives. The board allows each elder to deliberate in
his own voice—each elder can argue, take exception, disagree, examine, evaluate,
scrutinize, investigate, explore, etc whatever is being proposed. However, when all the
discussion is done and the elders come to a consensus, all the elders speak with one
voice. When the elder board comes to a decision or sets a policy, everybody must unite
behind the decision or the policy. That policy or opinion then becomes the voice of the
elders.
Coming to total agreement will not always be easy. Any one elder, when standing on
unwavering conviction, can stop any decision. If in the process of evaluating a decision
or policy an elder comes to the conclusion that the issue at hand is not weighty enough
for him to stop the decision or policy (i.e. it is a matter of your personal opinion rather
than a matter of theological or philosophical conviction), then he should yield to the
group. If he believes that the decision or policy may be unwise, then he should request
that the elders table the decision. At that point, the Chairman will initiate the scheduling
of extended time for the elders to spend in prayerful reflection, fasting, and ongoing
conversation.
However, once an elder agrees with the team to set a policy or make a decision (either
through an affirmative vote or an abstention), even if he personally deliberated against it
at the beginning, he is now united with the whole team on that decision. At the point he
unites to speak as one voice, he gives up any personal rights to say to anyone that he
disagrees with the decision. If he does not believe that the decision or policy was worth
stopping because of conviction, then he has chosen to stand united behind that decision or
policy.
In addition, total agreement means that no elder may speak his personal opinion as if it
carried special weight. He may have moral suasion because of his spiritual maturity, but
his personal opinions do not have any more value just because he is an elder. The
authority of the elders belongs to those decisions and policies agreed upon by the whole
elder team.
A misuse of authority or the undermining of elder unity is considered an offense for
which an elder may be disciplined and/or removed from office”

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interesting blog

www.herescope.blogspot.com

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Interesting talk on New Age

steelonsteel5/10/2008

Hopefully this media add will work.  It is a long clip, over an hour.  It ties world events, spirtual leaders, and current movements in the church together to show what direction we’re all likely headed in.  Constance Cumby has been observing the New Age movement for years.

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Help me to be Holy

As the modern church continues it’s transformation into a “new” church, as it tries to bring in seekers, and as it makes itself pretty for the culture I want one thing for me and my house.  I want us to serve the Lord.  I want us, starting in my own life…to be Holy.  I would like to be set apart by God.  I am looking and can see issues in my own church, can see a shift that’s been coming.  I can judge…without seeking change in myself to be someone God wants me to be.  I believe I have to hit the Book hard, hit my knees hard, and seek my God.  I need to follow Jesus, the Lord and Savior.  I need to pray to repent of my own failings.  Then I have to pray for my church and decide what to do next. 

 

Lord, teach me to pray what you would have me to pray in the way you would have me pray.  Teach me to act and think as you would have me act and think.  Teach me to follow, and teach me to lead.  Forgive me for my compromises, I need to repent of all I’ve done to drag down your church, your message.  Help me to have discernment, and to know your word well enough to know when something is not right in the pulpit…and in our church.  Help me and my family to be united in the purpose of doing your will in this situation.  Help others in my church who see a problem to first look to You and to repent of their own sins.  Then, help them to seek your Word, to pray and seek Your will as to what action You would have them to take.  I pray our church repent and turn to You.  Open the eyes and ears of our members and our leadership, and help them to realize where we have gone wrong.  Help us to turn our hearts back to the Father through Jesus Christ.  Convict us with your Holy Spirit, and challenge us to teach the true Gospel, challenge us to follow the One true God in three persons.  Challenge us to not accept false doctrines and new age practices.  Teach us to speak the truth in love, no matter how hard it might be. 

Help us to be Holy.

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The Evengelical Manifesto

A few links….

A page allowing the download of the Manifesto itself:  http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com/manifesto.php

This one has a list of signers:  http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com/sign.php

 

A Baptist Critic:  http://sbctoday.com/files/evangelicalmanifestoreply.pdf

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Beginning again

I am beginning to seek out in what way I should study God.  I have recently had my world turned upside down by realizing my church has dipped it’s toe in the emergent movement and not so recently either.  I’m having to decide what exactly I plan to do about this, actually, what exactly God would lead me to do about this.  I must pray, study, pray some more, pray with my husband, and we must together move forward in complete faith that it’s all in God’s timing, in His will, and in His way.  I am a Christian and choose to proudly use this title as it’s the title given those like me in Antioch (recorded in Acts).  There are those who are “Christian no more” but are calling themselves “Christ followers.”  Well, I am not opposed to being called a Christ follower, but I refuse to give in to this age, this world, or whoever it is these people are in compromise with.  I am a CHRISTIAN. 

 

Besides this seeking and change that may be coming in our lives, we are a family of many.  We have been blessed with six born children.  I homeschool some, and home public school some.  I hate housework, so you can guess that walking in our house is, well, an adventure.  However, I am training my children to be a part of the solution and not the problem by helping out around here and it’s getting better. 

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