Book Review: "Spiritual Life: The Foundation of Preaching and Teaching"
John Westerhoff is the director of the Institute of Pastoral Studies at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia. For twenty years he serves as Professor of Theology and Christian Nurture at Duke University Divinity School. Noted author of “Will Our Children Have Faith?” & “Bringing Up Children in the Christian Faith” he was a key contributor to “Called to Teach and Learn.”
The importance of biblical preaching is needed in today’s culture. Westerhoff gives a clear picture of the importance of the spiritual relationship that one has with God in the ministry. The need for pastors to be close to God in their personal life is paramount in relation to their public life. The book used the example of a “pilgrimage” as an explanation of a Christian’s life. The journey is a life of becoming more dependent upon the power of God than one’s own strength.
The book highlights the importance of preaching and teaching the way Jesus did during his earthly ministry. This highlighted the power of the master teacher and how to apply it to today’s culture. The spiritual truth of discipline is explained in detail for the minister to put in action. The book explains the power that comes when a minister responds with grace to persecution. The heart of the gospel is to be dependent upon God for salvation and this book explains the importance of responding with obedience. Overall, the book was a clear explanation of the importance of spiritual formation for teaching and preaching.
The author gives a clear explanation of the importance for every believer to grow spiritually. The power of a personal life filled with God’s Word, prayer, encouragement and love for people is a priority for longevity in life and ministry. Westerhoff gives practical help to explain that the foundation for preaching is to be an obedient student to God’s Word. The theme is convincing because it focuses upon the internal part of ministry. Ministers have to handle many important aspects of ministry and the focus of this book must be a priority. The secret sins and issues will eventually come out in the light.
The issue that arises when reading this book is the lofty wordage that points to a dictionary more than clear understanding for any lay person. The illustrations at times can become misunderstood due to the irrelevance of current situations. One of the negative issues is the use of a Buddhist quote referring to spirituality. The important part is to fill the book full of scripture and not only quotes from other religions. Although it is important to understand other worldviews, the importance is to find truth from God’s Word. The feeling that comes from reading this book is that the author is not sure there is a certain set of beliefs to adhere to in life. The problem that this opens up is a liberal view of spirituality that is not based upon the original intent of scripture. The author does not use many scriptures in the first sections of the book but highlights many towards the end. It would have been greater to see scripture being the main theme of the entire book and not just the ending. The issue of using imagination was mentioned in the book and this is a weakness that arises. The problem that can come with this teaching is that some can easily make scripture into their own meaning. The truth comes from scripture and it is what makes up the theological beliefs of the Christian. Imagination is wonderful in the meditation upon scripture but it should never take the place of biblical exegesis and clear application of it into today’s culture.
The book teaches the importance of the spiritual health of the believer. If a person’s life is not focused upon the fruit if the spirit, it is devoid of true understanding of the gospel. The book explains the practical ways to lead a growing spiritual life. The essence of spirituality is to not only have disciplines, but also continually listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. The search that is explained is that each minister is to lay out the truth and trust the Holy Spirit to bring the growth. It cannot be formulated or coerced, it is a movement of God within the heart of people who have repented and put their full faith and trust in Christ alone for salvation. This book gives clear insights into the importance of being close and clean to God. Without the heart to seek God on a daily basis, the pulpit will become devoid of the power of God. This book reveals the need for a daily time with God that is focused upon listening more than doing. If ministers applied what is taught in this book, the pulpit would be more potent with the gospel. People are searching for meaning in life and this book explains the wonderful pilgrimage of growing spiritually into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Book Review: Shift
Author Info: Dr. Brian Haynes serves as Lead Pastor at Bay Area First Baptist Church in League City, Texas. Brian is the creator of the Legacy Milestones strategy designed to inseparably link church and home to equip the generations.
To learn more about Brian visit: http://legacymilestones.com or http://legacyblog.org.
Why I chose to read this: We need a shift in how we minister to students. There have been many books written and messages spoken about what it takes to reach this generation. I've enjoyed learning and studying how we are to lead and equip parents to be the leaders in their homes. I had a "shift" in my understanding of being a student pastor when I started in ministry. Instead of looking at parents with a positive attitude, I looked at the statistics and lack of parents leading their children spiritually. What I have learned over the years is that my desire is to reach students, one home at a time.
Highlights of "Shift: What it Takes to Finally Reaching Families Today."
Brian Haynes wrote this book to highlight a cultural shift back to the principles of scripture. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, the Shema was given to set up the biblical model of spiritual formation.
Haynes says this, "The tragedy, unless something changes, is that today's children will live a warped, individualistic, self-serving form of Christianity. They'll make decisions based upon feelings rather than truth...And eventually, as life goes by, the influence of Christianity in our culture will grow dim and silent."
As I have watched and talked with many parents over the past 8 years, one thing I have learned is that less often does the home life become an incubator to help children develop spiritually.
Reasons parents do not lead in the home: - Families are busy: Children are in extracurricular activities by the time they enter preschool. Students are stressed out and filled with anxiety many times because of the pressures of many activities. In today's culture, rest is considered many times for the weak.
- Parents think discipling their children is the professional's job: We cannot outsource the spiritual formation of our own families to the church. Although the norm is to outsource their education to the school systems or to a local sports coach to help students improve, God's original blueprint is for parents to disciple their own children. The church and parents need to work together!
- Parents aren't sure how to be primary faith influencers: Many parents have no idea how to lead their children spiritually. Sometimes it is because they were never shown how by their parents.
As a student pastor, my first ministry is to my family. If I am supposed to lead other families then I need to be authentic. Brian explains the importance of evaluating your own family strategy. I have started to think about what kind of environment that I hope Micah grows up into and how Cassidy feels loved in my family.
The book helps explain the importance of one simple approach to discipleship. One simple path. What if the church embraced a strategy to help equip parents to be the primary influencers in the home? Resources, training, encouragement and more.
The book has some terminology associated with the strategy:
1. Milestone: The strategy focuses upon the seven milestones that every person growing in their relationship with Christ experiences and celebrates. When a person reaches this milestone, that growth is celebrated as praise for how God is working in the person and as a motivation to continue walking the path.
2. Core Competencies: Each child, adolescent or adult must learn key truths as they progress from one milestone to the next.
3. Faith Talks: The parents must reinforce the core competencies to their children or students in formal and informal ways. Faith talks are intentional times set aside each week for conversations based upon scripture. It can be done at the dinner table, a walk in the park or a trip to Starbucks.
4. God Sightings: It gives parents the opportunity to reach core competencies in informal ways by modeling and speaking truth. It could be a sunset together or watching a baptism. It is capturing the moment with your family in order to teach God's truth.
5. Church Events: The church would host events to support each milestone. The purpose is to connect parents with each other for support, ideas and encouragement and to celebrate God's working in the family life.
6. Parent Summit Conference: Twice per year, they would host a conference that has a passion to encourage and motivate parents. It is a time to help chart their course and determine where their student(s) is on the journey along the milestones.
7. Parent Seminars: Training is given for each specific milestone.
8. Family celebrations: Helps teach parents how to host an at-home celebration for almost every milestone. For many families these celebrations are the most moving and meaningful steps along the way.
As natural development occurs in the family, the seven milestones are clear steps to help lead the family spiritually. It highlights the importance of building the parents up to be successful in making the most of the time.
7 Milestones:
1. The birth of a baby: This milestone connects new parents with the responsibility and opportunity of leading their children spiritually. It is baby dedication but with a seminar to teach parents the ways to lead.
2. Faith commitment: It is to lead your children to Christ. Teaching and helping parents know how to help their students make the decision.
3. Preparing for adolescence: The church partners with parents of 9-12 year olds to help them grow spiritually.
4. Commitment to purity: It is leading parents to help their students make a decision to be pure.
5. Passage to adulthood: Helping students walk into adulthood with maturity and God's vision for their lives.
6. High school graduation: Leading upcoming graduates to be influencers for Christ after high school.
7. Life in Christ: A process of helping adults become discipled in the main 7 competencies of a Christian (Prayer, scripture, authentic faith, obedient follower, disciple maker, giving/serving, and community.
"Cookie cutters are for cookies. What I am about to show you is a strategy designed specifically for Kingsland Baptist Church in suburban Houston, Texas. The principles behind this strategy are universal... You're the expert regarding your church and your ministry" (page 42). Shift has been an eye-opening book on the need for a shift in how the church partners with parents. I plan to take many of these principles and apply them in our culture at church. We are opening our new resource center called, "Homefront" at Church @ The Springs in the next few weeks. Reading this book has helped me understand a clear process of partnering with families. We hope to provide a resource center for parents to adequately receive the helps and encouragement to grow as a family.
What are your thoughts about what it takes to reach families in 2012? What thoughts or ideas do you have to shift into partnering with parents?