The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-10/19/2016 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: 'Lord, teach us to pray' by Steve Gaines Date: October 19, 2016 - Wednesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Steve Gaines is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of the Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) -- If I could encourage the Southern Baptist Convention in one area, it would be to pray. I want us to be the greatest army of prayer warriors in the world. Jesus is the only "expert" in prayer. When we read the Gospels, we see how important prayer was to Him. There is only one thing recorded in the Gospels that Jesus' disciples specifically wanted Him to teach them. They said, "Lord, teach us to pray." As we read in Luke 11:1, "It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples'" (NAU). How did Jesus pray? Jesus prayed early in the morning. The Bible says in Mark 1:35, "In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there." Jesus had just completed a busy day teaching in a synagogue, casting out demons, healing people and having dinner with friends. Yet, in spite of His demanding schedule, He rose early the next morning and prayed. Every Christian should start his day in prayer (Psalm 5:1-3; 143:8; Matthew 6:11). Before you communicate with others, talk with God. Jesus took prayer retreats. Jesus was busy but never stressed. Wherever He went, He walked in peace. That's because He prayed. Luke 5:16 says, "But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray." You'll never have time to do everything you want to do, or do all that others want you to do. But you will have time to do what God wants you to do, and God wants you to pray. Time spent in prayer is never wasted time. Jesus prayed before making important decisions. The Bible says in Luke 6:12, "It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God." After a night alone with God, Jesus chose His twelve disciples. The Father directed Jesus in that decision because He prayed. We often make "common sense" decisions, not prayerful decisions. A night spent in prayer and making the right decision is better than years spent in regret because you didn't pray and made the wrong decision. Jesus prayed when He was tempted. Everyone has been tempted to sin, even Jesus (Hebrews 4:15). He overcame temptation through prayer, fasting and quoting Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus warned His disciples, "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Jesus Himself overcame temptation in Gethsemane because He prayed "fervently" (Luke 22:44). If we pray, we too can overcome temptation. Jesus prayed while He suffered. In the darkest hours of His life, Jesus prayed. Of seven utterances that Jesus spoke on the cross, three were prayers. Twice Jesus prayed Scripture (Psalms 22:1; 31:5). He also prayed and forgave those who crucified Him. You too can overcome the trials you face if, like Jesus, you pray prayers based on the promises of God's Word. Jesus prayed with thanksgiving. The Bible says in Luke 10:21, "At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, 'O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way'" (NLT). Jesus thanked God for His blessings. Even in His resurrected state, our Lord refused to put a morsel of food into His mouth without first thanking the Father for it (cf. Luke 24:30). Similarly, you and I should thank God for all He has done for us. Jesus is praying now in heaven. Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for His followers, pardoning lost people who repent and preparing to come again. He is also praying. Hebrews 7:25 says, "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." Christians should never get discouraged. Jesus is praying for us right now. If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to pray while He was on earth, don't we? A great place to start is to pray, "Lord, teach us to pray." My prayer is that the people of the Southern Baptist Convention will become the "prayingest" Christians on earth! May we pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Moore contrasts 'world's form of power' to God's by Marilyn Stewart Date: October 19, 2016 - Wednesday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Russell Moore, in chapel at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, urged listeners not to depend on the wrong power for ministry and service. "When we buy into the premises of the world, the world's form of power, the world's form of strength, and the world's form of influence, we buy into something that not only is a lie, it also ultimately harms us," said Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Moore noted that the Mark 5:1-20 account of Jesus' encounter with the Gerasene demoniac paints a picture of a man "as far gone as possible" who was unclean, living in a graveyard, isolated, alone, and yet with a physical strength no chains could hold. Moore then connected the man's lostness with every believer's former state. "That's our story," Moore said in his Oct. 10 message. "That's where we come from." The church's true strength, he noted, is found in believers' common identity of brokenness. "One of the most powerful things we have as the church of Jesus Christ is the ability to say to those who are considering the claim of the Gospel what it means to belong, what it means to have a new household, what it means to have a new family and what it means to have brothers and sisters who bear one another's burdens," Moore said. Moore told of an experience as a pastor years ago when a visitor misinterpreted the abbreviation "D.T." in the church bulletin to refer to a "detox" meeting rather than Discipleship Training. At first he was embarrassed that the woman thought core church leaders attended the "detox" meeting. Moore was further embarrassed when he realized how hard he had worked to convince the woman that the congregation was "a good church." Every believer is "in detox" from something, Moore said, whether it is idolatry, pride, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, quarrelsomeness or another issue. "In reality, the power that we have in that congregation is not our togetherness, but our brokenness and woundedness in need of the Gospel and grace of Jesus Christ," Moore said, noting that believers may give in to fear or discouragement because they have forgotten where they've come from and have forgotten that strength lies in God's grace. Pointing to the passage, Moore said a witness on the scene might have thought the demoniac "held all the power" because people feared him, his formidable strength, and even the graveyard where he lived. Jesus, on the other hand, simply spoke, Moore said. "Jesus had no fear of the power of death … of the unclean spirits … of contamination by the graveyard … of being seen with the demonized man," he said. Jesus' response to the demoniac was the same response God gave Adam in the Garden of Eden, Moore said. Each was a personal encounter rather than a display of power, with Jesus asking the demoniac, "What is your name?" The solution to sin, he said, is grace through Christ, not power as the world defines it. "One of the crucial aspects of our ministry, whatever sort of ministry God has put you in, is to be separate from sin, but not separate from sinners," Moore said. "One of the messages we have to give to the outside world is what it looks like for the church of Jesus Christ to be in an actual community that knows one another and loves one another and forgives one another and carries one another's burdens and crosses." Freed from his demons, the man wanted to go with Jesus rather than stay with people who knew his past, a reaction Moore said he understood. But the new start afforded to believers is a call "to bear witness to the power of the Gospel," he said. Although some might prefer to forget past shame and failures, Moore said past struggles will be the very point at which God's power to a needy world will be demonstrated. "Your ministry will probably enable you to show that God's power is sufficient even in your point of greatest weakness, what you wish and hope that no one would know about," Moore said. "[T]he message that we have for the outside world is not our displays of power … [or] how together we appear to be. "The message we have for the outside world is that we are crucified with Jesus Christ and therefore we no longer live, but He lives in us, that Christ in us is the hope of glory and we are crucified sinners who stand only by God's grace." Moore concluded, "That's grace. That's mercy. You might even call it 'detox.'" Visit www.nobts.edu to hear the sermon in its entirety. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Raising up church leaders focus of Pipeline conf. by Lisa Cannon Green Date: October 19, 2016 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Church leaders must make critical shifts in focus to prepare leaders for the next generation, speakers told attendees at the inaugural Pipeline conference for church leaders Oct. 13. The event, hosted by LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, emphasized the need to build a pipeline of future leaders at every church. Ten speakers addressed issues ranging from vision to stewardship. Eric Geiger Kicking off the conference, Eric Geiger, vice president of LifeWay Christian Resources, spoke on the importance of building future leaders in the church. Although many leaders have learned to function without developing others, Scripture shows this practice can destroy a ministry in a single generation, said Geiger, who is also co-author of the new book "Designed to Lead." Moses invested heavily in the life of his protégé Joshua, and when Moses died, Joshua was ready to take the reins, Geiger said. But when Joshua died without preparing a successor, "another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works He had done for Israel" (Judges 2:10). Developing people is one of the toughest challenges of a leader, Geiger said. He listed three critical traits for building future leaders: a conviction for developing others, a culture that values character above skills, and constructs that help train future leaders in the abilities they will need. "The role of a ministry leader isn't to perform ministry -- it's to prepare others for ministry," he said. Jenni Catron Leadership expert and author Jenni Catron talked about helping teams work together and offered three keys to effective collaboration. "Leadership is a sacred calling," Catron said. "But it's not about your success; leadership is about the success of others. It's about helping draw out the individual gifts of your team members and pairing those gifts with the mission of the organization." Effective leadership requires collaboration and is built on the foundation of humility and honor, Catron said. The keys to unlocking a culture of collaboration are relational connectivity, clear communication, and high accountability, she said. "Effective leadership earns influence through relationship rather than through authority." Catron said one of the most important things leaders do is invite others to work together. "God chose to work with us," she said. "And we have the opportunity to collaboratively work together to accomplish the mission God has called our churches to." Thom S. Rainer Churches today face an unprecedented need to change, said LifeWay President and CEO Thom S. Rainer. Attending church is no longer a cultural imperative. Church practices of the past may no longer be effective. But many church leaders are not trained in change management, Rainer said, and they often face resistance from within the church ranks. A study of more than 52,000 churches found leaders who successfully transform their churches go through three phases, Rainer said. They acknowledge the necessity of change, believe God can make it happen, and stand strong through the crisis that significant change brings. "It's reality when you lead change, there will be some kind of crisis. Sometimes it will be major," Rainer said. He offered a series of practical steps for change, starting with prayer. "I cannot recall ever seeing lasting change in a church that did not begin with a foundation of prayer," he said. Rainer also advised church leaders to communicate urgency, build a coalition of supporters, offer a vision of hope, and begin shifting to an outward focus. Mac Lake Learning to lead is an essential part of discipleship for every believer, said Mac Lake, a church leadership consultant and lead navigator of the Leadership Pipeline for Auxano. Lake urged church leaders to help people lead like Jesus, investing in relationships to produce transformed lives. Too often, he said, church leaders feel pressure to churn out new leaders quickly. "Our motivation is just to equip people to turn our ministry widgets," he said. "We want leadership development to be fast, easy and linear, and it's not." Filling empty leadership roles in the church isn't the primary reason to develop leaders, he said. Instead, the motivation is seeing potential in other people and wanting to help them grow. "Your leadership development efforts will have their greatest impact when the people you're training know you're emotionally invested in them," he said. Trip Lee A strong call to discipleship was Trip Lee's message to leaders saying, "the best way to make leaders who serve God's world is to develop disciples who love God's Word." Lee is a Christian hip-hop artist and pastor of Cornerstone Church, a year-old church plant in Atlanta. "We're always looking for new ways to develop leaders," Lee said, "but if we want to see the kind of lasting change Jesus has called us toward, we have to lean on the things He's already given us, and that begins and ends with God's Word." As a pastor of a new church, Lee said he's learned how important community is in the lives of believers. "Christianity is a team sport," he said. "We aren't meant to follow Jesus alone; we are supposed to follow Him together in unity. There is no such thing as a believer who can follow God in an isolated way." Other speakers at Pipeline 2016 were Will Mancini, founder of Auxano church vision consulting; Kevin Peck, lead pastor at the Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas; Carey Nieuwhof, founding pastor of Connexus Church north of Toronto; pastor and author Paul Tripp; and Brian Dodridge, executive pastor at Brentwood Baptist Church near Nashville, Tenn. More than 1,000 leaders attended the live event. More than 3,000 participated online. The conference also offered coaching sessions to help church leadership teams learn practical skills for developing others into leaders. Next year's Pipeline conference is scheduled for Oct. 11, 2017. Speakers will include John Piper, Bob Russell, H.B. Charles, Tami Heim, Léonce Crump and Mark Jobe. For details, visit myleadershippipeline.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Former SBC pres. on '60 Minutes,' addresses refugee crisis by Margaret Colson Date: October 19, 2016 - Wednesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Please see additional story on Johnson Ferry Baptist Church's outreach to Syrian refugees below this article. MARIETTA, Ga. (BP) -- Amid today's tumult of political rhetoric and social discourse about Syrian refugees entering the U.S., a pastor and former Southern Baptist Convention president spoke out in an Oct. 16 "60 Minutes" report, as well as a Sept. 11 sermon, calling on Christians to lean on God's Word to determine how to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis. Bryant Wright, senior pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, said Christians are not to make decisions about Syrian refugees "by our feelings, by our fears, by talk radio, by political candidates, by political ideology, by news stations, by news outlets and publications. "We are to make our decisions according to the teaching of God's Word," he said in his message to his Marietta, Ga., congregation in September on the 15th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil. During the 60 Minutes segment, titled "Finding Refuge," correspondent Bill Whitaker reported that 13,000 Syrian refugees have resettled in the U.S. in the past year, and more are coming. After the terrorist attack in Paris in November 2015 that killed 130 people, 31 governors called for a complete halt to the Syrian Refugee Program, Whitaker reported. Georgia's Gov. Nathan Deal also signed an executive order denying state services to Syrian refugees, an action prompting a letter from Wright, urging the Republican governor, a man he voted for, to reconsider. "Our calling ... is far higher to follow Christ and do what Christ teaches us to do than whether there's an R or a D behind your name," Wright, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, said during the 60 Minutes interview. The governor's ban was later withdrawn after it was deemed illegal by Georgia's attorney general, Whitaker reported. Just as the political response to the Paris terrorist attack was unfolding, the first Syrian refugees began arriving in the U.S. "Desperation is really the one word that best describes what refugees feel," Wright preached in September. Such desperation, he said, "drives them to what is often an impossible hope … seeking to flee a reign of terror … and looking for a better life to come." The 60 Minutes report highlighted the thorough screening process each refugee family must undergo before being admitted into the U.S. The U.S. security check can take up to two years, Whitaker reported. In his sermon Wright underscored the different roles the government and church fulfill in the Syrian refugee crisis. The role of government, he said, is to uphold the common good, to protect citizens from within and without, to administer justice and to punish evil, while the role of the church is to love our neighbor as ourselves, particularly to care for those in need, he said. "The government has decided 10,000 Syrian refugees are coming. That's not our decision. Isn't it better to reach out and love these folks than to give them the cold shoulder? Which approach do you think might cause a Muslim refugee to be more sympathetic to Islamic terrorism? Which approach? To me it's a no-brainer," Wright said in during the 60 Minutes interview. Wright acknowledged in his September sermon, "We are living in a world of fear today in 2016." Still, as in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, Christians are called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, he said. "Our neighbor is our fellow man. It's all mankind -- people from all religious backgrounds and non-religious backgrounds, people from all different people groups and ethnicities. Our neighbor is our fellow man and especially our fellow man that is hurting," he said. Drawing on Matthew 25, Wright said, "How we respond to refugees and immigrants is how we respond to Jesus." Jesus, he said, was the ultimate immigrant as He "left His native land in heaven to come to our land here on earth." The war in Syria has taken the lives of almost a half million people and created the largest refugee crisis since the end of World War II, Whitaker reported. Wright asked his congregation, "If you're a follower of Christ, where is the outrage concerning the humanitarian disaster that is going on in Syria and Iraq in the Middle East?" Members of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church began helping Syrian refugee families settle into their new homes in America last December. Bryan Hanson, assistant pastor of global ministries national at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, noted that "a lot of people want to make this (the Syrian refugee crisis) a political issue; for us, it's a biblical issue." It wasn't the first time the suburban church has helped resettle refugees. In the 90s, the church helped resettle refugees from Kosovo, and in 2006 the church helped resettle Hurricane Katrina victims. The first Syrian refugee family the church welcomed into its community arrived on Dec. 1. Others soon followed. Today the church is helping resettle seven Syrian Muslim families and one Iranian Christian family -- a total of 37 people, including 20 children -- in its upper-middle-class predominantly Republican suburb of Atlanta. The response of Johnson Ferry Church along with Wright's teachings run parallel with a resolution adopted by messengers to the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention this past June, to "encourage Southern Baptist churches and families to welcome and adopt refugees into their churches and homes as a means to demonstrate to the nations that our God longs for every tribe, tongue, and nation to be welcomed at His throne," while also calling "on the governing authorities to implement the strictest security measures possible in the refugee screening and selection process, guarding against anyone intent on doing harm." More than 120 volunteers from Johnson Ferry church are involved in the refugee resettlement ministry. On a weekly basis, approximately 50 are actively serving in some way. The ministry is time and energy-intensive. The goal is "helping families become self-sufficient, productive and integrated into society," Hanson said. As the church ministers to the refugee families, "We want them to learn about Christ. Christ loves us so we love them. We want them to understand. "There are no strings attached for our love for them. We're sharing the love of Christ. We're being the church as God has called us to be the church," Hanson said. Please see additional story below. ********** Getting "off the couch" changes heart in refugee ministry By Margaret Colson MARIETTA, Ga. (BP) -- Johnson Ferry Baptist Church began ministering to a Syrian refugee family last December, just weeks after the terrorist attack in Paris that killed 130 people. In spite of the attack and the ensuing political storm regarding Syrian Muslim immigration, the suburban Atlanta church's senior pastor Bryant Wright was "unwavering" in his resolve to minister to Syrian immigrants coming into the U.S., said Bryan Hanson, assistant pastor of global ministries national at the church. "Doesn't it just make sense that it is far better to reach out with the love of Christ to people in need who have undergone incredible suffering than to give them a cold shoulder to where they possibly become embittered at the U.S. and more vulnerable to evil influences in their lives?" asked Wright in a sermon on Sept. 11. Currently the church is helping resettle seven Syrian Muslim families and one Iranian Christian family -- a total of 37 people, including 20 children and even one baby born in the U.S. -- in its upper-middle-class suburb of Atlanta. Robbi Fernandes, a volunteer with the church's refugee resettlement ministry, noted that "when you sit with a woman refugee and watch a video stream of her sister getting married in Syria and wipe the tears from her eyes … when you help a 56-year-old man send photos of himself home to his 80-year-old mother that he knows he will probably never lay eyes on again ... when you walk into school with a teenage boy and see the excitement on his face that he can actually attend school again … when you witness a call come in from Syria and hear the crying on the phone and see a man weep in despair ... it changes your heart." Syrian resettlement in the U.S. is not without risk, acknowledged Hanson. Yet, risk "does not diminish our calling" as Christians to do "what God has called us to do." While fear may be an understandable response to Syrian refugees, he said, "Love drives out fear. The opposite of fear is not courage, but love. "As you begin to have relationships with the refugees, as you begin to love them, as you begin to put faces with the statistics, fear is driven out," he said. Church member David Hicks, who is involved in the church's refugee ministry, agreed. "Once you meet these families and their children, you see that they are truly grateful for any help. As a Christ-follower, we are called to help others," he said. Johnson Ferry's relationship with each refugee family begins with meeting the family at the airport and inviting the family to stay in the home of a church member for a few nights. Then the family is taken to its new home, which has been fully furnished by church members. From there, a whirlwind of activities over an extended period of time helps acclimate the families to the U.S. Volunteers also help teach the families English, enroll the children in school, provide transportation, teach driver's education, assist with homework, help adults obtain green cards, assist in job searches, teach adults how to write checks and use ATM's and more. The refugee families are "surrounded by people every day who love them. The day is rare when these families don't receive some kind of touch from our church," Hanson said. The goal of the ministry is to help the refugees become self-sufficient and productive members of society as they experience God's love through those who are helping them. After arriving in the U.S. in December, the head of household of the first Syrian refugee family -- who had never written a check in his life -- was able to pay his bills for the first time this past summer. He works at a catering company owned by a church member. His son is enrolled in kindergarten. "There is joy and pride in becoming independent," Hanson said. "It's very humanizing not relying on other people." For Fernandes, a wife and mother of a 13-year-old daughter, being a Christian means "action. It means that I have to get off the couch and actually do something. I need to follow Christ's example of standing up for the vulnerable, loving the unlovable, showing compassion to others. When you turn off the rhetoric of the media and stop and look at refugees as human beings, as people that Christ died for, how can you not want to help them?" She got "off the couch" to serve a Syrian family of four -- a husband, wife and two children. The family left behind another adult child with two small children in Syria, along with other close family members. "The most important thing I am doing is being their friend," said Fernandes, a preschool teacher. Practically, she provides a weekly English lesson, assists with transportation needs, serves as a liaison between school teachers and the family and meets other needs as they arise. She also prays for them. "I pray continually that they will see Christ in me. I pray that they will come to know and accept Jesus as their Savior," she said. In mid-July Hicks drove one of the refugees, a Kurdish father of three young children who is trained as a tailor, to a job interview at a window treatment shop owned by a Christian. "It was great to see God's timing and the father's face as he was able to begin part-time work the Monday following his interview," said Hicks, adding that the business owner has been pleased with the quality and speed of the refugee's workmanship. Hicks has continued to provide transportation to and from the job for the man, and he has helped him with tax withholding forms. In going through daily routines with refugees, talking about religion with them is "natural," said Hanson, "because religion is such a large part of who they are and their daily lives." The seven Syrian families are all Muslim. "If we reflect the love of Christ with them, we've done what we're called to do," he said. The refugees, whom Hanson has known for less than a year, "are my friends now. I want them to believe. I hope they will become my brothers and sisters in Christ." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Trinity debate continues with JETS article by David Roach Date: October 19, 2016 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- A theological debate concerning the Trinity that crescendoed this summer has continued in the latest edition of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society and likely will garner "a tremendous amount of additional discussion" at ETS's national meeting next month, says the journal's editor. Two articles on the Trinity in the September issue of JETS -- one by Paul Maxwell of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and one by Ross Hastings of Canada's Regent College -- follow an online summer debate on the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. According to a count by Jack Jeffrey of booksataglance.com, scholars worldwide generated more than 140 blog posts on the topic between June 3 and July 11. Though the debate seems to have subsided, "the Trinity" is slated as the theme of ETS's annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 15-17, with three plenary addresses and at least 19 sessions devoted to various facets of the doctrine. "A debate about the nature of God and the teaching of Scripture is always welcomed, as long as it is conducted on the basis of truth and the merits of the case," JETS editor Andreas Köstenberger told Baptist Press in an email. "As editor of the Journal, I certainly hope that articles we publish on this subject will be enlightening and make a positive contribution to the debate. I expect that there will be a tremendous amount of additional discussion generated at the upcoming annual meeting in San Antonio." The meeting's Trinity theme was selected "several years ago," noted Köstenberger, senior research professor of New Testament and biblical theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. At issue in this summer's debate was the argument of theologians like Bruce Ware of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Wayne Grudem of Phoenix Seminary that God the Father and God the Son eternally have been equal in divinity but that the Son has submitted to the Father eternally. Some opponents of that view went as far as suggesting it represents heresy. Ware, Grudem and others argue the "authority-submission dynamic" within the Trinity illustrates the proper relationship between a husband and a wife, which they label complementarianism. Like the divine persons of the Trinity, they argue, a husband and wife possess different roles but are equal in value. Those to oppose Ware and Grudem's Trinity arguments include both complementarians and egalitarians, a group that believes Scripture grants equal authority and leadership roles to both sexes in families and churches. Maxwell, in his JETS article, argues Ware, Grudem and their theological allies do not commit heresy but also articulate a view that is "untenable when placed under biblical and logical scrutiny." In Maxwell's view, "the claim that there is an analogy between the Trinity and marriage emerges as a more seriously strange concept the more the specifics of the claim are measured." "Egalitarians and complementarians are not trying to prove" that the husband is uniquely without a source like God the Father or that the wife shares a single essence with the husband like the Son does with the Father, writes Maxwell, a doctor of philosophy student. The claim of 1 Corinthians 11:3 that "the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God," Maxwell adds, is not referencing an eternal attribute of the Trinity but a manner in which the Father and Son relate to each other in the world. Complementarianism is biblical, Maxwell writes, but better supported by Bible passages that address it directly than by an analogy to the Trinity. Hastings, associate professor of pastoral theology at Regent, discusses in his JETS article 18th-century pastor Jonathan Edwards's theology of the Trinity without making explicit reference to this summer's debate. Among sessions scheduled at the ETS meeting are "submission and subordination in the Trinity," "Intra-Trinitarian Relations" and "Islam and the Trinity," according to the program. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 So. Bapt. churches on Outreach/LifeWay top 100 by Diana Chandler Date: October 19, 2016 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Twenty Southern Baptist congregations are among the 2016 top 100 fastest growing and largest participating churches in the U.S., with NewSpring Church in Anderson, S.C., ranking highest in both categories among Southern Baptists. In the lists compiled annually in collaboration between Outreach Magazine and LifeWay Christian Resources, NewSpring Church ranks third on the largest participating churches list and eighth among the fastest-growing churches named in Outreach's October issue. NewSpring, under the leadership of interim senior pastor Clayton King, reported an average attendance of 33,761 and a 21 percent growth of 5,925, according to the list. The nearest Southern Baptist church in growth was Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Ark., the pastorate of Archie Mason, ranking number 11 and reporting a 30 percent growth of 958 in its attendance of 4,203. It was followed closely by Beltway Park Church in Abilene, Texas, the pastorate of David McQueen, ranking 15 and recording 25 percent growth of 966 for an average attendance of 4,836. In participation, Saddleback Church, the pastorate of Rick Warren in Lake Forest, Calif., was the second highest Southern Baptist church, ranking fifth with an attendance of 25,612. Elevation Church in Matthews, N.C., under the leadership of Steven Furtick, followed closely at number 11 with 21,146 in attendance. In the self-reported survey, LifeWay Research surveys 27,000 churches for information, verifies the numbers, calculates the results and compiles the lists. In turn, Outreach interviews many pastors and writes features profiling churches and leaders. Southern Baptist churches achieved higher rankings in the category of participation than in the area of growth, Outreach and LifeWay found. Each list includes 20 Southern Baptist congregations, with seven of those churches ranking in the top 100 on both lists. All numbers are based on attendance, not official membership, according to the report, and captures numbers from February and March of 2015, excluding Easter Sunday. "Although we go to great lengths to confirm data, the information is reported by pastors, staff or church officers, and as such, reflects their perception --- their churches as they see them," Outreach said in its October issue. "The 2015 Fastest-Growing list includes surveyed churches with attendance greater than 1,000, a numerical gain of 150 or more and a percentage gain of at least 4 percent. The 2015 Largest list includes all churches participating in the survey with attendance of 5,269 or more." Second Baptist Church in Houston, led by H. Edwin Young, ranked 13th in participation with 20,698 in attendance; Woodlands Church in The Woodlands, Texas, pastored by Kerry Shook, ranked 14 with 19,430 in attendance; and Lake Pointe Church pastored by Steve Stroope in Rockwall, Texas, ranked 28 in participation with 12,185 in attendance. Other top 100 Southern Baptist churches in participation are Potential Church in Cooper City, Fla., the pastorate of Troy Gramling, ranking 35 with 10,598 in attendance; The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, pastored by Matt Chandler, number 36 with 10,340 in attendance; Pinelake Church, Brandon, Miss., pastored by Chip Henderson, number 37 with 9,845 in attendance; The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., the pastorate of J.D. Greear, number 42 with 9,437 in attendance; Cross Church in Springdale, Ark., the pastorate of immediate past Southern Baptist Convention president Ronnie Floyd, number 45 with 9,033 in attendance, and Church by the Glades, the pastorate of David Hughes in Coral Springs, Fla., 46 with 8,486 in attendance. Rounding out Southern Baptist churches in the top 100 in participation, according to the list, are Houston's First Baptist Church under the leadership of Gregg Matte, number 51 with 8,237 in attendance; Biltmore Church in Arden, N.C., pastored by Bruce Frank, number 63 with 7,490 in attendance; Bellevue Baptist Church, the pastorate of current SBC President Steve Gaines, number 65 with 7,329 in attendance; Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif., pastored by David Jeremiah, ranking 67 with 7,276 in attendance; Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas, the pastorate of Matthew Carter, number 72 with 6,881 in attendance; Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., pastored by Robby Gallaty, ranking 76 with 6,582 in attendance; Sandals Church in Riverside, Calif., pastored by Matt Brown, number 83 with 6,333 in attendance; and The Church Without Walls in Houston, the pastorate of Ralph D. West, number 90 with 6,010 in attendance. Among the fastest growing churches, Southern Baptists ranking below the top three in the denomination are Elevation Church which ranked 18th with an 18 percent growth of 3,268 for an attendance of 21,146; Mercy Hill Church, Greensboro, N.C., the pastorate of Andrew Hopper, ranking 25, growing 48 percent in attendance and adding 487 worshippers for an average of 1,500; Calvary Fellowship in Miramar, Fla., pastored by Bob Franquiz, ranking 31 with a 26 percent growth of 538 for an average attendance of 2,632; and Liberty Baptist Church, Hampton, Va., led by Grant Ethridge, at number 35, growing by 18 percent to add 802 for an average attendance of 5,282. Others recording high growth are Bethlehem Church in Bethlehem, Ga., the pastorate of Jason Britt, ranking 38 with a 28 percent growth of 466 for an average attendance of 2,160; TrueNorth Church of North Augusta, S.C., the pastorate of Steve Davis, ranking 42 with a 26 percent growth of 458 and averaging 2,237 in attendance; Sandals Church, at number 45, recording a 16 percent growth of 868 for an average attendance of 6,333; and The Summit Church, ranking 46 with a growth of 14 percent, 1,162, for an average attendance of 9,437. Rounding out Southern Baptists among the fastest growing churches are Lake Pointe Church, number 53, growing 12 percent with 1,286 new attendees for an average attendance of 12,185; Lifepoint Church in Lewis Center, Ohio, pastored by Dean Fulks and ranking 58, with a 24 percent growth of 405 for 2,112 in attendance; Pinelake Church in Brandon, Miss., pastored by Chip Henderson, ranking 60, recording a 12 percent growth of 1,054 and averaging 9,845 in attendance; Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church in Moore, S.C., D.J. Horton pastor, number 61, reporting 19 percent growth of 501, average attendance of 3,167; Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Sugar Land, Texas, pastored by Mark S. Hartman, number 68, recording 16 percent growth of 568 and averaging 4,229 in attendance; Biltmore Church, number 77, recording 12 percent growth of 787 and averaging 7,490 in attendance; The Summit Church of North Little Rock, Ark., the pastorate of Bill Elliff, ranking 94, recording a 19 percent growth of 262, averaging 1,610 in attendance; theChurch.at in Broken Arrow, Okla., pastored by Alex Himaya, reporting a 12 percent growth of 485, averaging 4,677 in attendance; and Rock Bridge Community Church in Dalton, Ga., pastorate of Matt Evans, reporting a 12 percent growth of 485 for an average attendance of 3,864. The full lists and accompanying features are online at http://www.outreachmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016_Outreach100-Summary.pdf.