Archive for the Elders Q&A Category
Oct 26
Prayer for Those Coming and Going
On Wednesday night of this week, we held a Members Meeting & Elder Q&A where we brought in 16 new members, said goodbye to 5 members, and the elders fielded questions from the congregation.
After the bringing in and sending out of members, Drew Hodge prayed for those who were “coming and going.” Below is the prayer that he gave. We decided to post his prayer because it was a good, guiding, and helpful prayer, but also because it serves as a earnest reminder of the fellowship that we have, through Christ, in a body of covenanting believers.
O gracious God, we thank you for these your people, our brothers and sisters. You know us and call us by name, and are acquainted with all our ways. We Thank you for those who have been with us many years and now move on. Bless and keep them in your grace. May they find fellowship and friendship, and guard their way in your Word. Thank you for the good church families they are going to and/or will soon find.
Lord, we praise you for these 16 souls you have added to our family to share in our work, worship, and witness.
Thank you for their voices now added to the choir of our congregation, for their hearts being knit together with ours in life and love.
May they always hold fast to their confession in faith as they live out their professions of faith. May they walk in a manner worthy of their calling, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. May we be of the same mind and same judgement in Christ.
Watch over your servants, establish faithful families, and enable them by your Spirit to be rooted in the steadfast love of Christ.
Deepen their understanding of the gospel, strengthen their commitment to follow the way of Christ, and keep them in the fullness of faith, and in the consistent communion of your church.
Father, guard them from temptation and deliver them from evil.
May sin be sour and holiness sweet.
Increase their compassion for others, and send them into the world in witness to your Word and your worth.
Multiply your grace and peace to us all, for Your glory and our good.
In Jesus name, amen.
Oct 2
Elder Q&A | Members Meeting
Each year, the DSC elders host an evening to take questions from DSC members called “Elders Q&A.†This year, it will take place in addition to our quarterly Members Meeting.
This Elders Q&A will take place on Wednesday, October 24, at 6:30 PM, with a church-wide dinner together at 5:30 PM.
Also, this meeting will serve as a regular Members Meeting where we’ll be affirming new members into the church. If you haven’t been to a Members Meeting this year, October 24 is a great night to begin!
If you have a question, you’re encouraged to submit it. Here are four ways to ask your questions:
- Write: Submit your question using your bulletin Comment Card on Sunday and drop that in an offering box.
- Email: Email your question to info@desertspringschurch.org.
- Tell: Communicate your question for the Q&A to an elder in person or through email. Click here for their emails.
- Show: Show up with your question on the 24th. In addition to written questions, the elders will take some questions from the audience that evening.
It would be helpful to receive your questions early. This helps the elders notice recurring themes, know how to devote time to particular questions, and spend time in a way that best serves the church. Questions that are not addressed at the Q&A will be answered through the DSC Blog or by email.
Also, audio from previous Elder Q&A evenings is available at our Messages Page under the topic “Elder Q&A.â€
See you at the Q&A on October 24 at 6:30 PM.
Sep 11
Elders Q&A – September 27
Every year, the DSC elders set aside an evening to take questions from DSC members. It’s called the “Elders Q&A.â€
Our next Elders Q&A will take place on the last Wednesday of this month, September 27, at 6:30 PM, with dinner together at 5:30 PM.
If you have a question, we hope you will submit it. Here are four ways to ask your questions:
- Write: Submit your question using your bulletin Comment Card on Sunday and drop that in an offering box.
- Email: Email your question to info@desertspringschurch.org.
- Tell: Communicate your question for the Q&A to an elder in person or through email. Click here for faces and emails.
- Show: Show up with your question on the 27th. The elders will take some questions from a mic during the evening.
Of course, it would be helpful to receive your questions early. This helps the elders notice recurring themes, know how to devote time to particular questions, and spend time in a way that best serves the congregation. Any questions that are not addressed at the Q&A will be answered through the DSC Blog or by email.
Before the Q&A, get acquainted with DSC’s elders by reading their biographies on the Leadership Page, send them an email, or reach out to them on a Sunday morning.
Also, audio from previous Elder Q&A evenings is available at our Messages Page under the topic “Elder Q&A.†For a few recaps from previous years, click here, here, here, and here.
See you at the Q&A on September 27 at 6:30 PM!
Sep 14
Submit Your Questions for our Elders Q&A
Good questions and thoughtful answers are important for healthy relationships, and our relationship as shepherds and flock are no exception. Together we share all of the benefits of salvation as God’s new covenant people: forgiveness, adoption, the Spirit, and on and on. Some are shepherds. But we’re all bothers and sisters. We’re a family. And so DSC’s elders are available in the halls around church, by email, and once each year we set aside an evening to take questions in the context of a corporate gathering. We call it, an “Elders Q&A.”
Our next Elders Q&A will take place on the last Wednesday of this month, September 28, at 6:30 PM with dinner together at 5:30 PM.
If you have a question, submit it. If you don’t, think of one and then submit it. Here are four ways to ask your questions:
- Submit your question using your bulletin Comment Card on Sunday and drop that in an offering box.
- Email your question to info@desertspringschurch.org.
- Communicate your question for the Q&A to an elder in person or through email. Click here for faces and emails.
- Show up with your question on the 30th. The elders will take some questions from a mic in the course of the evening.
Of course, we appreciate your questions early. This helps us notice recurring themes and spend our time in a way that best serves the congregation. Any questions that are not addressed at the Q&A will be answered through the DSC Blog or by email.
Get acquainted with DSC’s elders by reading their biographies on the Leadership Page. Also, audio from previous Elder Q&A evenings is available at our Messages Page under the topic “Elder Q&A.†For a few recaps from previous years, click here, here, here, and here.
Aug 1
Is It Morally Permissible for a Christian to Smoke Pot?
At the very tail end of last year’s Elders Q&A we were asked about the morality of smoking pot should it become legal here in New Mexico.
As elders we might handle a question like this a number of ways. We handle it on the spot when we’re ready to be thoughtful enough on the question. We were all agreed as to our answer, but given that it was the last question of the night and given that it requires some careful handling, we said we’d follow-up with a post on the blog. We didn’t expect it would take us this long, but it’s been a full and fruitful year.
We’re glad now to give some attention to this important question.
First, I’ll mention some of the more helpful reads on the topic. For example, at The Gospel Coalition, Joe Carter answers the question, “Is Recreational Marijuana Use a Sin?” Then, at Desiring God, John Piper addresses the issue in his article, “Don’t Let Your Mind Go to Pot.” Ed Welch has a nice piece written from the concern of a biblical counselor. Then, there’s a very important piece at The Heritage Foundation, “Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No.” That piece addresses a slightly different question than the one raised at the Q&A, but one we should consider, and the piece is built on a body of substantial research which shows what Marijuana does to the human body, to a human life, and to society, including especially the urban poor. Then, there are articles like, “Marijuana Is Harmful: Debunking 7 Myths Arguing It’s Fine,” based on a book by a similar title by Kevin Sabet, a former Senior Advisor in President Obama’s drug policy office. All of this is worthy reading for the person who wants a grasp on the matter from several angles.
In the course of all this research it seemed helpful to actually write something on the subject. So, over at Desiring God, you’ll find a piece titled, “Five Questions to Ask Before You Consume Cannabis.” Don’t think of this like a position paper from the elders, or an official statement like the “Statement on Gender, Marriage, and Sexuality“ we released about a year ago. Do think of it as the Scriptural counsel we would provide to you in answer to the question, “Is it morally permissible for me to smoke pot?” Do think of it like the kind of reasoning and exhortation you might hear in a sermon where the topic is raised.
Here’s from the beginning and the end of the article.
Recent trends in the direction of the full-scale legalization of marijuana suggest that pot is undergoing a dramatic marketing makeover.
One cannabis branding firm put it this way: “There is a huge untapped market here. It’s about reaching nonconsumers: women, young people, business professionals, grandmothers and soccer moms.†Get ready: if it hasn’t already, your favorite show will probably feature marijuana in a way that makes it feel cool — whether in a joint, a pot-tart, a keefcat, or a pot-brownie.
This means that Christians will need to think more carefully about marijuana than most of us have until now. Not everyone will consume pot, but most everyone will be in a position to advise someone who is considering it.
…
So, brothers and sisters, don’t be intoxicated with popular culture’s messaging on this issue, and don’t seek the intoxicating artificial peace promised by chemicals like THC. But while life is hard and escapes are tempting, they are not the answer. Thankfully, Christ is our answer, and not only does he fill our hearts with himself but he forgives us for seeking life in the broken cisterns of chemically induced euphoric escapes.
Don’t get drunk with wine, and don’t intoxicate yourself with a plant. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, be sober minded, and stay alert for the coming of Christ — a euphoric experience in deed (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 1:13).
Read the whole thing here.