The unequivocal response received by the HLUB attendees is indicative of the hunger and thirst that is resonating throughout the local churches of the Hmong District. The excitement and energy that has been circulating in response to all the workshops and sermons clearly indicates that the next generation is seeking to understand the Word emotionally as well as intellectually. Their urgency to see and understand the intricacies of the Scriptures grant a great deal of encouragement for the district and beyond. This next generation stands with the Reformers in living by the motto, "faith seeking understanding."This has enormous implications for young ministers and their duty in establishing sound biblical teachings at the local level. We must become intentional in centering our efforts to ground the next generation in Word ministries as well as being aware of the implicit teachings that may derive from our attempts to establish effective ministries. Regardless of whether we are aware of it or not, how we structure our ministries will have a great impact on the next generation's views on doctrine, theology, and the nature of the church. What is taught implicitly may do more harm to the community of saints than what we give it credit for. An unwillingness to be attentive to these realities may lead us toward a ditch we most certainly would like to avoid. I would like to challenge how we view four crucial pillars within the church: (1) Expository Preaching, (2) Worship, (3) Discipleship, and (4) Community Fellowship.
The Church Life:
The nature of the church has come under fire in recent years within the Hmong District. Some have moved away from the traditional model of corporate gatherings while others have taken more contemporary approaches. Within the scheme of the local assembly, it is helpful to hold in tension the nature of the church as institution and organism. Abraham Kuyper, the late Dutch Reform Theologian, grants us language to understand these two concepts while contextualizing these principles to the modern day church. Either way, the institutional element of the church (in one's mind) will feed into the organic expression of the congregation.
Regardless of where we stand in these endeavors, our aim here is to address some of the implicit teachings that glean from our approach to the institutional establishment of the church and how our approach can then have an effect on our people's daily engagements.
Expositional Preaching:In 2011 I attended Desiring God Conference in Minneapolis, MN where Mark Dever, lead pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, was teaching a break out session. This encounter broke me, theologically, on many different levels, but one statement has continued to resonate with me. Dever calmly articulated, "How you preach will indirectly communicate to your congregation how you read your bible." My mind was blown!
Expositional preaching is not merely a method among other strategies, but rather the laying bare of the text to the congregation. It is not the communication of human intellect; expositional preaching is expounding the Word as faithfully as possible in order to hear the voice of God.
Faithful exposition week in and week out will give the community of saints a lens into the work which is done to understand and decipher the text. It will teach, indirectly, hermeneutical skills that will foster a mindset, a posture, and an attitude toward the holy Scriptures. Expositional preaching will serve as a catalyst to faithful reading of the Scriptures within its particular context, genre, and fuller narrative of redemptive history. With expositional preaching these things are caught, and not merely taught. Under this discipline the saints will begin to build a biblical framework and establish biblical literacy for generations to come.
Topical preaching, though strong in tackling relevant issues, does not ground the congregants in the biblical storyline and does not foster a God-cetnered approach toward Christian living. It terminates the ideals, methodologies, and efforts on man rather than painting a robust view of God. This is what some would call a "Self-Help Approach." Topical preaching is insufficient to root the body of believers in the biblical framework of life. It is a counter-intuitive approach in teaching the community of saints how to read their bibles.
Worship:
The modern day approach to worship via the medium of music has become a consumeristic entity that seeks to entertain rather than focus on the object of worship—God Himself. The current trends tend to live by the motto, "bigger is better." Worship leaders see themselves as artist who book gigs with local churches in order to entertain and draw a crowd. This type of approach will lead the assembly of saints down a path which terminates on the experience rather than the encounter.
First, it must be said that worship through music is an agent of teaching. The lyrics and precepts that are sung are meant to bring substance to the musical flavor. The Apostle Paul encourages the church of Colossae to "[sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Col 3:16b). Yet this must not be divorced from the undergirding reality that Paul begins this verse by saying, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom" (Col 3:16a). Worship songs are meant to be saturated with a deep theological conviction that is rooted in the Word.
Worship leaders are not merely paid musicians, then, but rather pastors who teach through the medium of music. Therefore, songs from Hillsongs, Bethel Music, and others must be prodded and searched, theologically, before entering the Sunday morning service. An unwillingness to take on such responsibilities will in turn teach our people false doctrine. Secondly, the presentation of worship with the glitz and glamour of lights speak an indirect reality to the congregation. Church service has become more of an entertainment center rather than a place to encounter the living God in the corporate setting. This style of worship teaches the community of saints a Hollywoodized notion of the Christian life. This misconception is not indicative of the daily grind that is experience throughout the Psalms and with the saints of old. This type of style does not impart a framework to deal with the slow process of sanctification. It paints a fallacious precept that will handicap the body of believers in the long haul.
Discipleship:
Jesus' mandate upon His disciples was to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Mat 28:19-20). This is a decree that was handed to all disciples—current and future.
Within the institutional order of our ecclesiastical make-up it is imperative that discipleship is engrained in such a way that the organic expression takes root. Where discipleship lacks within the local setting the congregation will overly depend on professionals to do the work that was given to the saints. It cannot be overstated, then, how professionalism has tainted the church's approach toward ministry. Instead of empowering the people of God to "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matt 5:16), evangelicalism has negated the biblical mandate given by the Apostle Paul which states: "[God] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Eph 4:12).
When intentional discipleship is not fostered within the DNA of the local church, the community of saints do not function in accordance to God's creative design as the church.
Community Fellowship:Fellowship of the saints is a vital piece to the sanctity of believers. One of the key components within the early church's development was rooted in the gathering of the saints. "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42). This type of fellowship was not merely a gathering of individuals focused on an outward event (ex. volleyball, bowling, or potluck), but rather an intentional pursuit toward Christ-conformity. It was an endeavor that centered its efforts on magnifying Christ, and in doing so, fostered a high view of God as Savior. Much of what unified the early church was due to the persecution that was undergirding their faith. In a post-Christian nation today, there is a need within the church to view their fellowship as a means to pour into, develop, and edify the body of believers.
When fellowship does not happen within the confines of the local assembly, or when the coming together is merely met within the ritualistic Sunday morning service, fellowship begins to operate out of routine rather than necessity. Necessity is birthed out of substance, depth, and meaning. When fellowship is merely basketball, boardgames, or potlucks; then the urgency to gather will be lost. When Christ is the central figure that links the community of saints together (with the vision of discipleship and missions), then the gathering will be filled with encouragement, edification, and Gospel-centeredness.
A lack of fellowship will breed into the body of believers a spirituality that will terminate on a certain day of the week—in particular Sunday. The Christian faith will not transcend beyond the confines of the four walls of the building, but will be compartmentalized to events, programs, and services. To foster an environment that would produce a Christocentric aroma would be to mount the church in developing authentic fellowship that would encourage the saints.
Feed My Sheep:
The charge to the Apostle Peter from his Lord was to "Feed My sheep" (John 21:17). This same mandate resounds as we find ourselves in a similar predicament. Students within the Hmong District and beyond are plagued with questions concerning the purpose of life, the identity of the self, and the nature of the church. The church must come alongside these starving young people and feed them the Word of God. In doing so, His Word will shape the way that they think and fuel the way that they live. Ministers, elders, and leaders must be aware of the strategies that are used to impart into saints the truth that is from the Word of God. Much of what we will teach will flow out of the implicit actions that we take. It is the duty of the church to think long and hard on how to most effectively reach the next generation by staying faithful to the biblical text. In our endeavors to remain faithful to God, may He grant us the wisdom, grace, and mercy to proclaim His Gospel message for the glory of His Name.
____________________________________________________________________________
McYoung Yang is the husband to Debbie Yang and the father to McCayden (7), McCoy (6), McColsen (4), and DeYoung (1). He graduated from Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, MN with a Youth Ministry degree and has served as a Youth Pastor in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota for over 8 years. He is currently studying at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY for his Masters of Divinity. He hopes to use his training to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens.
