THE CENTER FOR RESTORATION & TRANSFORMITY

 

 

A DISPOSITION ON THE DEVELOPMENTAL GUIDELINES

FOR

THE CENTER FOR RESTORATION & TRANSFORMITY

 

 

TRENTON CLARK RINDOKS

RLGN 489

APRIL 25, 2016

 

Axiom & Capstone on Developmental Strategy

We as Christians are under command by Jesus to first love God and secondly love others (Matt. 22:37-40)  Jesus also commissioned every believer to Go to all People regardless of culture or worldview and proclaim the “Good News” that all are redeemed from the bondage of sin and death. That through his atonement of blood on the cross we are all declared citizens of his kingdom and are worthy and significant. We all are entitled his protection and rights of the kingdom.  However, all may live by one’s own cultural distinction and personal views unless such ways infringe on the nature of God and others as outlined within The Law.

The Law serves as a basis or guidance to inform us on the nature of our sin, inspires, and informs us of our higher calling which is served out of faith, sacrifice and love and not out of rigid obligation.  For any law, work or deed in itself or in any form can only bring wrath and is manipulated by sin and our own selfish desire.

Thus, God, Christ and the Holy Spirit has written The Law on the hearts and minds of every individual during our transformation and ongoing sanctification process.  By our profession of belief and repentance of a life of sin, we all may enter into a new covenant relationship, and are transformed by the obedience of faith through the protection and leading of the Holy Spirit.  In gracious, worshipful obediently living in faith and in the practice of spiritual disciplines, we are being restored into the new creation and enter into an Eternal Living Body (Matt. 28:16-20, Rom. 1-8, Rom. 12-15). This new body or Eikōn is the likeness of Christ

Our salvation and redemption was finished or bought in full by the atonement on the Tree of Calvary.  All creation and our image of the likeness of the New Adam will not be complete however, until Christ returns establishes The Eternal Kingdom[1]. Thus, one should work toward achieving Christ-Mindedness (Phil. 1-6) in the Spirit of Love and worship of all things for the Glory and praise of God and our Hyper- Exalted Lord and Savior Jesus Christ thru the Holy Spirit.

The development of solid spiritual counselors, mentors and leaders must be built and maintained on a solid biblical foundation and an interdependent relationship with the Holy Spirit and trust and reliance upon the relationship of the Trinity and the unified Body of Christ. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work ( 2 Tim. 3:16:17) .

Furthermore, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek and every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. (Heb. 7: 17, 8:3).”  When the three verse are read in a combined fashioned a logical deduction can be made and simply stated all believers upon receiving the Christ are baptized with the Holy Spirit and given one or more Gift to serve in ministry for God’s kingdom. Thus, leadership development should be the development of these talents and gifts given God as well as any innate gifts, experiences or educational backgrounds that will advance and glorify God and lead other people to Christ or serve to minister to the needs of others or enable the prosperity of people, the kingdom and the Body of Christ in General.

The Book of 1 Peter reminds us we are ambassadors of Christ and Spirit and although we do not conform to the ways of customs and cultures that are against God, we live and lead by example as we imitate and walk in our teachers and masters footsteps. Love often serves as a better teacher than words for some; even over proclaiming the Gospel, (Paul teaches these same ideas in Romans and much of his Epistles as well as does James and John).

Prospective on Functionality-Missiology & Objectivity

The Center for Restoration and Transformity is devoted to aiding, shaping and developing the minds and hearts into the Eikōn or image of Christ.  By the primary use of Biblical teachings for encouraging, instruction, and awareness of depravity and shortcomings, we shall assist in the overcoming of obstacles and provision of needs and in the promoting diversity, unity, brotherly-love, and environmental awareness and sustainability and furthering the highest calling of God. The ultimate Purpose accomplished through proclaiming the Gospel in humility, hope and love and in a relative manner to those whom chose to see or hear shall provide the means of faith for all who chose to be included in the Eternal Kingdom of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Additionally we serve in gracious and worshipful servitude to God and those whom we serve as Bond Servants of the Living God and are thus, empowered by His authority and the provisions of the Holy Spirit.

The Organizational structure of The Center for Restoration and Transformity comprises the following emissaries, or The Leader Service Board:  Lead Pastor, Youth Services Coordinator, Worship Leader, Administrative Assistant, Information Technology Coordinator, and Counseling Service Team composing of a separate male and female issue therapist and a socio-environmental awareness specialist. Additional each member of the Counseling Service Team should have knowledge in family dynamic structures and the infrastructure of support agencies of the community and the other Christian churches and strive to promote unity and interdependent relations with the world in general.

• Lead Pastor: Is the General overseer of the organization, responsible for instructing, teaching, proclaiming the Gospel to the members, convincing and rebuking of sin. The Pastor must strive to be a close Eikōn or   example or Christ,  serving in humility, and being of the highest Christian Character or Christ Mindedness (1 Tim. 3:1- 13 , Titus 1:6-9, Phil, 1-6, Rom 12-15) and exhibited the characters of faith, hope and above all else love in all thought, feeling and action ( 1 Cor. 13). However, as all have sinned and fallen short from the Glory of God and all are justified by the Atonement of Christ and faith alone and through the process of sanctification, the Pastor shall be accountable to the members and shall also,  seek consul from his fellow trustees. The only Authority of the organization is therefore, Jesus Christ and the Body itself. The pastor shall work in an interdependence within the organization, with the community at large and with the universal Body of Christ to help fulfill God’s purpose of inclusive Kingdom fulfillment and the restoration and transformation of all willful creation from the fallen state of sin and death. This requires an acknowledging and assessment of his or her own limitations and giftings and working in unity with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit and the Body of Christ at large. The primary weakness for the pastor is constriction of time and a tendency to sympathize with the pain and need of others. The use of time management and the delegation of tasks to other organizational will assist in relieve of much undo stress. In addition, it is wise that the pastor seek regular counseling from the counseling team and practice personal spiritual disciples such as prayer, meditation and spiritual intake to combat the force of spiritual warfare and pride with in his or her own life (Whitney 2014).
• Youth Services Coordinator: This minister serves the function to develop the curriculum, events and outreach missions for the youth within the organization. Building upon both a biblical as well general knowledge the Youth Service coordinator will help transform and shape the hearts and minds into the Christ-Minded leaders that will empower future generations.  This individual shall have a background in education as well experience the traits of an Ambassador of Christ (1 Pt 2, Phil 1-6, 1 Cor: 4- 13) and shall have the gift of teaching and encouraging and patient and have the fruit of self- control.  Additionally this leader will working in conjunction with the counseling team to cultivate the skills necessary to help with developmental and needs of children teens and young adults as the progress through the various stages of life. A criminal background may be necessary if required by law, but should be forgone for experience and one’s testimonies are often the best teachers in life and lead others to Christ with the aid of the Holy Spirit.
• Worship Leader: The worship leader is responsible for providing praise and worship is a manner that is relative to both the current and growing body. It is thus suggested that the style be blend of traditional hymns and contemporary music and integrate a multimedia environment that interacts with the message being preached during the particular occasion or gathering. Additionally, the worship leader may wish to integrate drama, dance and other elements of the arts and should include the youth and the general congregation within the performance team to help foster unity and inclusiveness.  While a core, worship band may be necessary theses additives will help provide a more heartfelt experience for all in the service.
• Administrative Assistant: This person oversees the overall operations in such areas as finance, clerical, office task, and other general operational duties and serves as the personal assistant to the Pastor and other team members. Bookkeeping, general accounting, office skills, and computer knowledge are a necessity as well as an efficiency in time management and the gift of Administration. Additionally, the gift of wisdom and hospitality can aid as well as the fruit of self-control, which arises out of the discipline of patience.
• Information Technology Coordinator: This team member is responsible for the maintaining and developing of the computer, multi-media and overall technical network of the organization. Key skills should be in the area of Information Technology, web design, multimedia interfaces, and other areas of technology. A knowledge of music and sound and lighting design is helpful, as this member will work in conjunction with the pastor and worship leader to provide a vivid and contemporary presentation of the message and other events and the Gospel to reach the changing and expanding minds of the world. Strong interpersonal skills and diversity and multicultural awareness will help further spread the message using the internet and other media and presentation devices.
• Counseling Service Team: This special needs team is comprised of three primary members who work in conjunction with the Pastor and Youth Coordinator to provide for developmental, social, mental, environmental, physical and spiritual needs for the members and the community in general.  By assessing strengths and weakness, the counselors work with in their respective area to help those who are experience distress, or need direction achieve goal using Biblical and general guidelines to aid in the transformation and sanctification process.  A specific counselor shall deal differentiated to deal with male and female concerns. However, both counselors shall be equipped to deal with matters concerning the family, as the family is the basis and foundation of all society. An additional socio-environmentalist will handle issues related to education and concerns on ecological and social awareness.  All creation is groaning as the result of the sin of humanity (Rom. 8: 18-25) and it is one of our responsibilities being created and restored in the image of God to be a wise steward of creation and and not abuse the resources of the planet (Gen 1:27-28) until all is restored in the Eternal kingdom of our gracious and merciful King.  The counseling team in turn will empower all members through interdependence to serve as laymen counselors and minster to the needs of the community at large. However, we are to assist in the needs of others and not enable others by encouraging strengths and discouraging sin. The ultimate aid is by the proclamation and serving as living examples, we shall assist in the establishments of faith that will lead others to Christ and aid in the final goal of inclusive kingdom fulfillment and the restoration of all creation from the fallen state that exists as a result of the Original Sin of Adam.
• Board of Trustee (Members Board): The organization is autonomous and seeks to be self-supporting through the contribution of the members. The members’ board is composed of all members and votes on all regulations and decisions that affect the organization as a whole. The Trustee service board is composed of seven elected elders who serve as deacons of the organization and laymen counselors and mentors. The organization retains the rights to seek grant funding if necessary and receive charitable gifts from the community as a whole but will retain its autonomous nature in governance and structure.

Training & Recruitment Methodology

The primary method for recruiting leaders shall be conducted from researching internet, job boards, working in conjunction with university hiring centers, community hiring agencies and referrals from other churches and organizations as well as job placement ads on various sites and their respective agencies. Additionally, each candidate will be interviewed by the pastor and the shall be approved by their respective department head of relevant and are subject to the approval of the board of trustees or members themselves. Background checks may be required for positions if relative by law.

The training of the various elders within the organization will be conducted by the members of The Leader Service Board whom will use their various talents, giftings and skills to empower, transform and shape all the members to serve the community as whole and spread the gospel and teach one to serve as an walking examples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Special ministry teams may be created to meet specific needs to aid in kingdom fulfillment and shall be overseen by any mature believer of Christ under the guidance of the Leader Service Board and Board of Trustees in general.  Biblical and spiritual development will be employed using the small group method of study in which 3-13 gather for spiritual intake, fellowship and missionary activities and mentorship endeavors. In addition to a contemporary style worship service, youth Bible study will be offered during the study for younger children.  Pastors, counselors and professional staff members are encouraged and may be required by law to maintain any training, licensing and qualifications, relevant to their area of expertise on a regular basis.

The Basic model for laymen counselor will be built upon The Biblical Counseling Model for Churches developed by Larry Crabb. At the first level, all members are taught to be encouragers, which is simply a way of seeking out people who show signs of hurt or loss and offering feelings of compassion, empathy and a concerned ear. When working with the hurting individual on solutions to problems we strive to maintain humility thus not bringing undo attention to ourselves and thus never enable the individual but rather work on Biblical solutions and goals to reach stability and Christ dependency. Level II counseling involves convincing and exhortation and often such cases will need to be referred to level III counselors for advice and always require a degree of sensitivity and common sense as we must never be quick to judge others by our own moral compass, bias, but on the basis of how the Bible instructs on such issues. It is wise to remember we all fall short of God on a daily basis and only Christ is the judge. Level III counselors are the intermediaries between the professional counselors, pastors and community and the whole and require a degree of special training from the counseling staff and or educational programs. These special ministers serve in bringing the awareness of extreme issues of misplaced significance and security or wants and needs (Crabb 1977).

Other leaders and service positions shall be filled based on assessment of organizational and community need and filled based on Spiritual giftings and the aptitudes of the members and appointment by The Leader Service Board & Trustees. However, we within the small groups seek to develop and empower the individual and corporal disciplines of all believers and the organization for:  “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek and every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer (Heb. 7: 17, 8:3).”

On Motivation

Paul states in Romans Chapter 8 That the Holy Spirit searches the Hearts and minds of every man and intercedes in all are prayers and to overcome all are groaning and pains. The Spirit intercedes for the will of God alone as we work to fulfill his plan for God’s inclusive kingdom calling on our divine path of salvation for all of creation.  “But In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees (Rom 8: 37:40).  “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait. Eagerly In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness. For we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.   We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified ( Rom. 8: 26-30).”

The primary definition of power is the ability to control and influence another person, which places the emphasis on the ability to influence and the authority of the person in control. In contrast, Empowerment does not involve the abandoning of one’s own personal power to another but rather an active an intentional process of aiding another to become better equipped, inspired or to have more control or influence over some aspect or sphere of one’s life or the environment in general. Thus this is the process of helping another reach potentiality through encouragement and guidance and at times the mentor must be willing to step aside and allow the student learn and experience situations and circumstance in their own unique manner. Empowerment never involves the use of coercion or force but always be upheld in a manner of mutuality and respect of unconditional positive regard for the values goals and needs of the all involved in the process situation or occasion (Balswick and K 2014). Thus, effective communication skills should be emphasized as well as negotiation over compromise and active listening and intercessory prayer, Biblical study and meditation can be valuable disciplines that build strong foundations for success as one runs the race of life. Finally, Empowerment is built on the grace and mercy found in Christ.  Every relationship should be built in an interdependent Covenant fashion like the Holy Trinity of God himself respecting everyone’s unique capabilities, treating all as equal members of a unified body and respecting the privileges granted to each distinctive role or person (Balswick and K 2014).

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that anyone will chose to stay within a position of leadership or within the organization itself.  However, it is imperative that all the spirit of brotherly love and unity by promoted within and outside the organization. With faith, Hope and love, we shall encourage others, walk as living examples of Christ wherever we go and encourage participation and humble servitude by all members.

Additional cross training allows for much need sabbaticals and delegation of responsibilities. Furthermore, guest pastors, lectures, messages, and testimonies from the members allow the Pastor to have some much-needed rest. Special events allow the community to see the Fruit of the Spirit alive in the organization and blossom unity with other organizations. Community and interchurch cooperation at local events and volunteer and outreach service plants seeds of faith and love and offers opportunities to spread the gospel to the community at large. Support of missionaries and assisting in the local needs of the community such as food banks, prison ministry, hospital service calls, Hospice outreach and disaster relief and substance and crisis intervention sends a message of hope and love to a fallen world. Finally, environmental and social awareness provides the basis of sustainability and sound stewardship and helps combat the evils of prejudice, corruption and hatred that is an infestation of sin and perverting the hearts and minds of society. The final question is you a Fan of Christ or a follower. “If you ignore every single thing Jesus commanded you to do, you’re not a Christian—you’re just auditing. You’re not Christ’s followers; you’re just fans (Maher 2011).”

While all Evangelicals will agree “For that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).” What seems to be forgotten is Jesus states, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? ’Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock (Matt 7: 21-25).” This warning against hypocrisy, false teaching, also makes clear one must have the indwelling or Holy Spirit residing in them and live a life of obedience of faith. Jesus is the Narrow Gateway to Eternal life while the Holy Spirit provides the Keys of faith that opens the gate. Finally, the means of our justification and freedom from the bondage of sin and death was conquered by the atonement of blood on The Cross.  Our Eikōn, or transformity and restoration of all creation, will not be complete until Jesus Christ returns and reigns as our King in the Eternal kingdom.  Until then we have a responsibility to proclaim the gospel , wage a war with the principalities of darkness ( Eph 6), transform our hearts and minds ( Rom 12-15),  and serve as ambassadors, stewards and co-creator’s under the leading of the Holy Spirit and authority of Christ.

Bibliography

Balswick, Jack O., and Balswick Judith K. The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary Home. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014.

 

Crabb, Larry. Effective Biblical Counseling. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977.

Episode 213. Performed by Bill: Real Time With Bill Maher Maher. HBO, New York. May 13, 2011.

 

Moo, Douglas J. Romans. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.

 

Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2014.

 

 

 

[1]  Moo States Romans. NIVAC (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 2001): “The era of the law has come to an end with the redemptive work of Christ. To be “under the law” then, means to be in that old era and to deny that Christ has come.  This is the purpose for which we are freed from the law and joined to Christ is so that we may “bear fruit to God.” Practical works of service should flow from our new relationship.”   Douglas Moo contends the Eikōn and creation will be fully restored only once Christ returns and Establishes his eternal Christendom as is evident by Paul throughout the Epistle of Romans.