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Slide Notes
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
Galatians 2:11-21
Published on Oct 05, 2017
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Galatians 2:11-21
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
Photo by Aaron Burden
But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore.
He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?
“You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.
But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down.
For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
Old Berries vs. New Berries
there is a story here
The berry bucket is a theory I’ve had for many years. Carl George wrote a whole chapter on it in our old book Leading and Managing Your Church, which you can pick up for a song now on Amazon, seeing as it’s out of print. But I’ve recently found that the berry bucket theory still holds true as I’ve been dealing in my coaching and consulting work with pastors who are moving into established churches.
The basic theory is this: churches that have been around for a while have “former berries” (the old guard) and “new berries,” (the newer people that joined more recently).
The former berries have been around forever and have invested over many years, both financially and relationally. They have seen pastors come and go, and plan to still be there after this one leaves.
They have hired the new pastor to do a job, but they don’t necessarily have allegiance to his or her leadership. The former berries expect the pastor to preach and to shepherd… but not to lead or change things. They view him or her as a chaplain, not as a commander. They expect the pastor to take cues from them, for the former berries have the experience and they know how things work around here.
The impasse comes when the new pastor reaches new people and the “new berries” start outnumbering the former berries. Often the new berries are receiving most of the pastoral attention, and they expect that the pastor has the power to make decisions and lead. Yet the former berries hold most of the decision-making positions in the church and provide most of the finances. The former berries—either figuratively or literally—hold the keys.
This situation can lead to an “us vs. them” dynamic that results in turf wars and power struggles. Even if those struggles are unstated and subtle, they are nonetheless real and the effects will be felt.
The pastor tries to lead, it backfires, and then he or she wonders what happened. The result is often the leaving of the new pastor and the leaving of the new berries… both of whom are frustrated because they have no real say in how the church was actually being run.
So what works? New pastors must understand these dynamics and recognize that getting former berries to buy in will take about five years. They must not assume they have a mandate to lead simply by being placed in the pastoral role. Pastors must persuade, gain trust, get permissions, listen, ask for advice, ensure that people feel heard, develop relationships, and determine what the unwritten rules are. This is time-consuming, but necessary if the pastor expects to truly lead… and to last for more than a few years.
https://loganleadership.com/?s=berry+bucket
Peter - old berries
First to be appointed apostle Matt 10:2
Part of Jesus inner circle Mk. 9:3
Peter told in Acts 10 vision to include Gentiles
Peter was saved from prison in Acts 12
Antioch was center of new Gentile Church
Peter regularly ate with these new Christians
Until……
Paul - new berries
Last apostle appointed -
Focus is the Gentiles, those who are not Jewish in background....
From lawless backgrounds with no boundaries or rules ....easy pickins for young believers looking to bring structure to their lives
(Illus. Read intro from Commentary)
People from Pastor James church in Jerusalem.....supporters of the old berries....
called Judaizers....adding things to the Christian life that replace Jesus sacrifice for our sins with rules and regulations that help people "earn" their spot in the kingdom
The basic theory is this: churches that have been around for a while have “former berries” (the old guard) and “new berries,” (the newer people that joined more recently).
The former berries have been around forever and have invested over many years, both financially and relationally. They have seen pastors come and go, and plan to still be there after this one leaves.
They have hired the new pastor to do a job, but they don’t necessarily have allegiance to his or her leadership. The former berries expect the pastor to preach and to shepherd… but not to lead or change things. They view him or her as a chaplain, not as a commander. They expect the pastor to take cues from them, for the former berries have the experience and they know how things work around here.
The impasse comes when the new pastor reaches new people and the “new berries” start outnumbering the former berries. Often the new berries are receiving most of the pastoral attention, and they expect that the pastor has the power to make decisions and lead. Yet the former berries hold most of the decision-making positions in the church and provide most of the finances. The former berries—either figuratively or literally—hold the keys.
This situation can lead to an “us vs. them” dynamic that results in turf wars and power struggles. Even if those struggles are unstated and subtle, they are nonetheless real and the effects will be felt.
The pastor tries to lead, it backfires, and then he or she wonders what happened. The result is often the leaving of the new pastor and the leaving of the new berries… both of whom are frustrated because they have no real say in how the church was actually being run.
So what works? New pastors must understand these dynamics and recognize that getting former berries to buy in will take about five years. They must not assume they have a mandate to lead simply by being placed in the pastoral role. Pastors must persuade, gain trust, get permissions, listen, ask for advice, ensure that people feel heard, develop relationships, and determine what the unwritten rules are. This is time-consuming, but necessary if the pastor expects to truly lead… and to last for more than a few years.
https://loganleadership.com/?s=berry+bucket
Peter - old berries
First to be appointed apostle Matt 10:2
Part of Jesus inner circle Mk. 9:3
Peter told in Acts 10 vision to include Gentiles
Peter was saved from prison in Acts 12
Antioch was center of new Gentile Church
Peter regularly ate with these new Christians
Until……
Paul - new berries
Last apostle appointed -
Focus is the Gentiles, those who are not Jewish in background....
From lawless backgrounds with no boundaries or rules ....easy pickins for young believers looking to bring structure to their lives
(Illus. Read intro from Commentary)
People from Pastor James church in Jerusalem.....supporters of the old berries....
called Judaizers....adding things to the Christian life that replace Jesus sacrifice for our sins with rules and regulations that help people "earn" their spot in the kingdom
Photo by Johnny Martínez
Top 5 Reasons
- Change of worship time
- Handling staff moral failure
- Length of worship service
- Who makes decisions
- Worship style
1. The corporate worship time is changed. The church may be adding a service. Another scenario is that current worship times are modified for a variety of reasons. Some members simply do not want to give up a cherished time slot for “their” worship service.
2. Members disagree how to deal with a pastor or staff member involved in moral failure. I’m serious. I recently was in conversation with leaders in a church where a staff member was dismissed due to clear and flagrant moral failure. The terminated staff person was treated with grace and generosity. Still, some church members thought that Christian charity and forgiveness demanded that the staff member not be dismissed.
3. A number of members complain about the length of the worship services. Their issue may be the length of time of music in the worship service. Or it may be the length of the pastor’s sermons. Or it could be other issues. Perhaps some of the members are frustrated that they get to the restaurants later than members of other churches.
4. There is lack of clarity and disagreement about who makes decisions. Most church documents are not clear on this issue. How much independent authority does the pastor have? Or the staff? What decisions should be made by congregational vote? How much authority do the elders or deacons have? Or committees or boards?
5. The conflict over worship style is still present. I have noted in other posts that this issue has not been as prominent as in recent years. Yet it is still present. I would surmise that it would have been the number one issue five to ten years ago.
http://thomrainer.com/2014/07/five-frequent-issues-conflict-among-church-me...
2. Members disagree how to deal with a pastor or staff member involved in moral failure. I’m serious. I recently was in conversation with leaders in a church where a staff member was dismissed due to clear and flagrant moral failure. The terminated staff person was treated with grace and generosity. Still, some church members thought that Christian charity and forgiveness demanded that the staff member not be dismissed.
3. A number of members complain about the length of the worship services. Their issue may be the length of time of music in the worship service. Or it may be the length of the pastor’s sermons. Or it could be other issues. Perhaps some of the members are frustrated that they get to the restaurants later than members of other churches.
4. There is lack of clarity and disagreement about who makes decisions. Most church documents are not clear on this issue. How much independent authority does the pastor have? Or the staff? What decisions should be made by congregational vote? How much authority do the elders or deacons have? Or committees or boards?
5. The conflict over worship style is still present. I have noted in other posts that this issue has not been as prominent as in recent years. Yet it is still present. I would surmise that it would have been the number one issue five to ten years ago.
http://thomrainer.com/2014/07/five-frequent-issues-conflict-among-church-me...
Photo by fred.c81
Reasons for Church Conflict
- Control issues
- Vision/Direction
- Leadership changes
- Pastor’s style
- Theological/doctrinal
- Cultural issues
from resources 20 years old......
things haven't changed much....
things haven't changed much....
Photo by Free the Image
Principles for Conflict
1. The corporate worship time is changed. The church may be adding a service. Another scenario is that current worship times are modified for a variety of reasons. Some members simply do not want to give up a cherished time slot for “their” worship service.
2. Members disagree how to deal with a pastor or staff member involved in moral failure. I’m serious. I recently was in conversation with leaders in a church where a staff member was dismissed due to clear and flagrant moral failure. The terminated staff person was treated with grace and generosity. Still, some church members thought that Christian charity and forgiveness demanded that the staff member not be dismissed.
3. A number of members complain about the length of the worship services. Their issue may be the length of time of music in the worship service. Or it may be the length of the pastor’s sermons. Or it could be other issues. Perhaps some of the members are frustrated that they get to the restaurants later than members of other churches.
4. There is lack of clarity and disagreement about who makes decisions. Most church documents are not clear on this issue. How much independent authority does the pastor have? Or the staff? What decisions should be made by congregational vote? How much authority do the elders or deacons have? Or committees or boards?
5. The conflict over worship style is still present. I have noted in other posts that this issue has not been as prominent as in recent years. Yet it is still present. I would surmise that it would have been the number one issue five to ten years ago.
http://thomrainer.com/2014/07/five-frequent-issues-conflict-among-church-me...
2. Members disagree how to deal with a pastor or staff member involved in moral failure. I’m serious. I recently was in conversation with leaders in a church where a staff member was dismissed due to clear and flagrant moral failure. The terminated staff person was treated with grace and generosity. Still, some church members thought that Christian charity and forgiveness demanded that the staff member not be dismissed.
3. A number of members complain about the length of the worship services. Their issue may be the length of time of music in the worship service. Or it may be the length of the pastor’s sermons. Or it could be other issues. Perhaps some of the members are frustrated that they get to the restaurants later than members of other churches.
4. There is lack of clarity and disagreement about who makes decisions. Most church documents are not clear on this issue. How much independent authority does the pastor have? Or the staff? What decisions should be made by congregational vote? How much authority do the elders or deacons have? Or committees or boards?
5. The conflict over worship style is still present. I have noted in other posts that this issue has not been as prominent as in recent years. Yet it is still present. I would surmise that it would have been the number one issue five to ten years ago.
http://thomrainer.com/2014/07/five-frequent-issues-conflict-among-church-me...
Photo by fred.c81
Reasonably
The first step in conflict resolution is .....can I overlook this?
Are there good reasons for this confrontation?
Are there good reasons for this confrontation?
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters
Explain the Problem
"they may not see it"
2 Timothy 2:23-26
23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
Photo by astro_matt
Principles for Conflict
- Face to Face
- Publicly
- Reasonably
- Explain the Problem
- Self-Lastness
1. The corporate worship time is changed. The church may be adding a service. Another scenario is that current worship times are modified for a variety of reasons. Some members simply do not want to give up a cherished time slot for “their” worship service.
2. Members disagree how to deal with a pastor or staff member involved in moral failure. I’m serious. I recently was in conversation with leaders in a church where a staff member was dismissed due to clear and flagrant moral failure. The terminated staff person was treated with grace and generosity. Still, some church members thought that Christian charity and forgiveness demanded that the staff member not be dismissed.
3. A number of members complain about the length of the worship services. Their issue may be the length of time of music in the worship service. Or it may be the length of the pastor’s sermons. Or it could be other issues. Perhaps some of the members are frustrated that they get to the restaurants later than members of other churches.
4. There is lack of clarity and disagreement about who makes decisions. Most church documents are not clear on this issue. How much independent authority does the pastor have? Or the staff? What decisions should be made by congregational vote? How much authority do the elders or deacons have? Or committees or boards?
5. The conflict over worship style is still present. I have noted in other posts that this issue has not been as prominent as in recent years. Yet it is still present. I would surmise that it would have been the number one issue five to ten years ago.
http://thomrainer.com/2014/07/five-frequent-issues-conflict-among-church-me...
2. Members disagree how to deal with a pastor or staff member involved in moral failure. I’m serious. I recently was in conversation with leaders in a church where a staff member was dismissed due to clear and flagrant moral failure. The terminated staff person was treated with grace and generosity. Still, some church members thought that Christian charity and forgiveness demanded that the staff member not be dismissed.
3. A number of members complain about the length of the worship services. Their issue may be the length of time of music in the worship service. Or it may be the length of the pastor’s sermons. Or it could be other issues. Perhaps some of the members are frustrated that they get to the restaurants later than members of other churches.
4. There is lack of clarity and disagreement about who makes decisions. Most church documents are not clear on this issue. How much independent authority does the pastor have? Or the staff? What decisions should be made by congregational vote? How much authority do the elders or deacons have? Or committees or boards?
5. The conflict over worship style is still present. I have noted in other posts that this issue has not been as prominent as in recent years. Yet it is still present. I would surmise that it would have been the number one issue five to ten years ago.
http://thomrainer.com/2014/07/five-frequent-issues-conflict-among-church-me...
Photo by fred.c81
