Jeff Iorg Blog
Mexican Partners
| Oct 26 2011
|
Recently, it was my privilege to visit the Mexican Baptist Seminary in Mexico City to celebrate their 110th anniversary and dialogue about partnership possibilities with Golden Gate. During my visit I taught a seminar, shared meals and talked extensively with students about everything from church planting to immigration policies, preached in a dynamic church, delivered the keynote address for the anniversary celebration, and consulted with the Mexican Seminary’s leaders about working together. It was a full weekend!
One impression from the trip was how much they are accomplishing with limited resources. While we sometimes complain about lack of resources – money and people – at Golden Gate, we work in relative opulence compared to our Mexican brothers. Yet, in public comments and private conversations, not one complaint was heard! They are more interested in building for the future than lamenting what they may not have in the present. While we are going to do all we can to help build their work, my hunch is we will receive far more than we may give. Their passion is palpable and contagious.
While our five campuses are all in urban centers, Mexico City redefined the concept of urban for me. It is huge, complex, beautiful, intimidating, and packed with more cars than you can imagine. It seemed every person owns two cars – and found a way for both of them to on the road at the same time (while he or she rode the bus!). About 22 million people crowd the metropolitan area, creating a rich urban learning center. If a person is serious about reaching people in the great cities around the world, Mexico City is an excellent immersion and training possibility.
Being generous with your resources, while trusting God to replenish your supply, is a biblical principle and pattern. It works for individuals, families, churches, and seminaries. We are committed to helping seminaries around the world strengthen their work. By focusing on blessing others, God will continue to meet our needs. It was an honor to visit the Mexican Baptist Seminary and will be a privilege to work with them in the future.
I Sprout Bible
| Aug 15 2011
|
Despite the roller-coaster like stock market which makes retirement so unpredictable, a few of us were discussing it last week. We talked about places we would like to live, hobbies we would like to start, and how much we will enjoy setting our own schedule. We also talked about the kinds of work we will do in retirement – essentially all the aspects of our current jobs we like without the parts we don’t.
One of the men in the conversation is a faculty member at Golden Gate. After listening to our jabbering, he said, “Well, it really won’t matter where I live or what I plan to do. Wherever I’m planted, I know I’ll sprout Bible.” God made him to teach – and that’s what he will do. He shared his conclusion with a kind of happy, resigned, matter-of-fact shrug of the shoulders. He knows, no matter what, wherever God places him – teaching the Bible will emerge as naturally as a seed sprouting a plant.
It’s good to work with people like my friend. His life is consumed with biblical truth – learning it, applying it, and sharing it with others. He has been doing it for so long it is an engrained habit, a life-long pursuit that won’t stop when the paycheck does. He can no more stop teaching than an apple tree can stop popping out Fujis. He was born to teach, is trained to teach, and will teach until he is no longer physically able. It’s what he was born – and born again – to do.
One of our retired faculty members personifies this. He retired from Golden Gate, and then took on a significant teaching load in our prison program at San Quentin. He is planted in prison, so he sprouts Bible. The inmates love him, the work fulfills him, and the fruit of his labors is significant.
Working with people who are passionately consumed with fulfilling their calling – in this case to teach – is a pleasure. But it makes me think. Wherever I’m planted, what sprouts? For me, the best answer is probably leadership. Whether I’m at seminary, on a community board, or serving on a denominational committee – my first thought is always, “How can we get more done, more effectively, with more people involved, while maximizing available resources?” Leading sprouts out of me like teaching does my faculty friends.
What about you? What do you sprout? If you can answer that, you have identified not only your passion, but the reason God made you and your best contribution to kingdom work. Knowing this about yourself will enable you to fulfill God’s purpose and find your most satisfying role in his kingdom.
Don’t over-think the problem! What you are good at, what gives you the most satisfaction when you do it, what other people compliment you for doing, or what you would pay others to let you do – that’s your passion. Find it, celebrate it, do it!
Cultural Connections
| Apr 28 2008
|
One of the unique features of Golden Gate Seminary is our multi-cultural and intercultural learning environment. On all five campuses, we have students and faculty who represent different cultural backgrounds. This year, about 58% of our students are non-Anglo. Because of this, we are constantly observing and learning from culture.
On a recent trip to Jordan and Israel, observations of two different groups produced new insights for me. The groups were women and Bedouins. My cultural expectation of women in these two countries was conservative dress, limited social interaction, and little public responsibility. My observations revealed a much more complicated situation. In Israel, where military or national service is mandatory for young men and women, it was not uncommon to see young women in military uniforms armed and prepared to defend their country. It was somewhat unsettling for me to see college age women in such roles. In Jordan, women were seen wearing everything from the traditional burqa to designer fashion from Europe. According to our guide, 54% of all university students in Jordan this year are female. Granted, when we drove through more rural areas, women were largely not visible (and those we did see were in more traditional dress – and probably more traditional roles). Still, my experience of observing culture (even through tourist eyes) convinced me my expectations about women in these countries were wrong.
My initial impressions about the Bedouin were equally off base. When we first saw Bedouin tents, my immediate thought was “those poor Bedouin.” They live nomadic lives in tents, following herds from grazing spot to grazing spot and from water hole to water hole. But then two other observations starting changing my perspective. First, some of the tents had satellite dish television receivers. Second, some of the tents had Toyota Landcruisers parked next to them. The poor Bedouin didn’t seem quite so poor or backward anymore. Then we engaged in conversation with a Bedouin proprietor of a trailside gift shop. We learned he had been to the United States as a part of his university’s debate team. He particularly liked Iowa! He was one of nine brothers, all university graduates. When asked why he wasn’t working in his field of study, he replied with a twinkle in his eye, “I make more money running this stand!”
These two groups, and my experience with them, remind me how easy it is to make wrong assumptions about culture (from our perspective) and miss the richness of genuinely experiencing and understanding other people. Many Americans view other cultures through a “right and wrong” lens. A better perspective is a “different and fascinating” lens. If you live in a monochromatic world, or if you too easily project your cultural bias on others, ask God for fresh eyes to see and learn from the complex mosaic of 21st century culture.
Is Preaching Still Important?
| Apr 21 2008
|
One of the more bizarre developments in the past decade has been the precipitous decline of both the quality of and value placed on preaching in the modern church. Students ask me, “Is preaching still a valid communication method and an important part of meaningful worship services?” Just the fact the question is being asked is startling enough. Even more, the fact they are asking because they assume the answer is “yes.”
Preaching has not passed out of vogue. People
are less and less interested in hearing bad preaching. People today are accustomed to hearing good communicators so a poorly prepared preacher has little hope of gaining a hearing. Cultural evidence is overwhelming that people still want to hear an authoritative person with authoritative conclusions about important issues about life. For proof, you need look no further than the current presidential campaign. When McCain, Obama, or Clinton speaks – people gather in large numbers and news networks show up en masse. Why? To hear a politician preach their passionate message of change, improvement, and reform. They don’t want a seminar, a Powerpoint presentation, or a quaint talk. They expect a message.
Golden Gate has made a strong statement this spring about its commitment to preaching. First, we hosted our annual Hester Lectures on Preaching with Dr. Mark Dever, pastor, Capital Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C. Dr. Dever challenged us with two outstanding lectures on preaching. Second, our spring academic convocation address was given by Dr. Paul Smith, associate professor of Old Testament and pastor of First Baptist Church, Chandler, AZ. Dr. Smith lectured on “Creative Expository Preaching” citing references and examples of each of the three words in his title in his presentation. (Audio files of these presentations are available at
www.ggbts.edu). These two special events – coupled with preaching courses taught by Dr. Claybon Lea (African-American pastor in the Bay Area) and me – have given us the opportunity to teach students the practical application of the challenges in these special lectures.
Preaching is not a method or a strategy. It is a timeless symbol of God speaking to his people. It is an opportunity to focus attention on the Word as central to worship. It is a moment to be silent, listen to the Word, and the words of a person whose thoughts are profoundly shaped by the Word. It is a holy moment. Preaching deserves our best preparation in every way – content, delivery, and preparation.
My experience has been people – believers and unbelievers alike – respond positively to good preaching. By good, I mean biblical, articulate, passionate, to the point, and applicable to contemporary life. May God give us the grace to preach like that – and end the debate about preaching passing out of vogue.
The Trustee Process
| Apr 07 2008
|
Twice yearly, including this week, our trustees gather to deliberate and decide important issues about our seminary. Southern Baptists depend on the trustee process to guide all our institutions. While it may seem like cumbersome bureaucracy, it is really a very efficient way to govern when a school or mission board is owned by a large denomination. It would be impractical to conduct our business on the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention each summer. It would also be unethical to turn over all operations to our employed staff without some kind of clear accountability. Hence, the need for the trustee system.
Our trustees are selected this way. The president of the SBC appoints a committee on committees that in turn selects a committee on nominations. Both of these committees are made up of two people from each cooperating state convention. The committee on nominations then nominates trustees (the number determined by SBC bylaws and each institution’s bylaws) from across the Unites States. Generally, every state convention is represented on each board. In our case, we have six trustees from California to weight western leadership for our western identity.
Our trustees are both ministers and lay leaders. They are mostly men, with a few women. They are mostly Anglo, although our board chairman is African-American. They come from large churches and small, large cities and rural communities. They are a cross-section of the SBC – as they should be. We have no role in selecting trustees. In fact, many of our trustees have very little knowledge of Golden Gate when they join our board. The first few years of service are spent learning about us. Most trustees serve two, five-year terms for a total of ten years. This leaves ample time to learn about the seminary and then make a significant contribution.
What do the trustees do? They make policy, adopt the budget, and elect faculty and executive leaders. Their primary functions are accountability and support. They hold us accountable theologically and fiscally. For each meeting, the staff prepares detailed reports and submits them to the trustees about three weeks prior to the meeting. These reports become the foundation for the actual meeting. We discuss them, answer questions, and listen to suggestions. When appropriate, the trustees adopt official actions to chart our course.
They also provide support. All our trustees are donors. Some give large amounts, some small. But all support us financially. They also pray for us. Between meetings, they also work in small groups on special projects – like faculty interviews. Trustees are also key people in getting Golden Gate personnel on convention and conference programs across the nation. Finally, they support us personally by encouraging us personally and professionally.
We are blessed with good trustees – theologically sound, fiscally responsible, not afraid to hold us accountable, but always supporting us as we do our best to move the seminary forward.
A distinctive feature of Golden Gate Seminary is our locations in major metropolitan areas in the western United States. We have campuses in or near San Francisco, California; Los Angeles, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon. We are located in five of the seven largest metropolitan statistical areas in the western half of our country.
From time to time, it has been proposed we move one or more of our campuses to a more suburban or small town location. The high cost of urban locations is usually cited as the primary reason. Financially, it would be less costly to work in a different environment. But missionally, it would be a step in the wrong direction.
A February 2008 population study released by the United Nations indicates 50% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by the end of 2008 and about 70% will be urban dwellers by 2050. There will be at least 27 mega cities (population over 10 million) by that time.
The numbers, in some cases, are staggering. For example, the total population of urban areas is expected to increase from 3.3 billion to 6.4 billion by 2050. In China, 40% of the population already lives in urban areas. That will increase to 70% by 2050. The perception of China as a rural economy of poor villagers is wrong. China is a booming collection of urban mega cities – with already more than 50 cities with population exceeding 1 million each.
One prominent mission leader recently complimented our graduate’s success in overseas service. He said, “One of the reasons is they are urbanized by living on or near your campuses. They already know how to function in a big city environment.” This has not been a strongpoint for Southern Baptists. We have been a suburban, small town, rural denomination. Going into the city, into the heart of major cities, has been difficult. But that is changing. We have specific efforts underway to develop new church planting strategies, new ministry models, and new paradigms of evangelism for urban settings.
At Golden Gate, we have a track record of accepting the challenge of preparing people for urban ministry. We are implementing new courses and degree programs to further this effort. We know the future of world-shaping kingdom growth is in the cities.
Urbanization is challenging. The gospel can handle it. Will we?