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A Search Team of One

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by Interim Pastor Steve McCoy

One of my special delights is to train pastoral search teams. As they embark on this journey, I share how searching for a ministry leader is a faith-filled, time-tested adventure.

As they prepare for the task, I take them to the classic story where Abraham sent his trusted servant, Eliezer, to search for a wife for his son, Isaac (Genesis 24).

This is what I call a “search team of one”!

Before launching out, Abraham gave Eliezer some search parameters: she had to be a distant relative, not a Canaanite (Genesis 24:3–4).

Our elders gave a number of parameters to the Pastoral Search Team to guide their search.

Oh yes, when Eliezer found the right prospect, she had to be willing to relocate: “If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine” (Genesis 24:8a).

This is a critical question for our search team as they interview prospective pastors: Are they willing to relocate to the Pacific Northwest?

Then when the “perfect” spouse was found she was given gifts—jewelry made of gold and silver, as well as clothing (Genesis 24:10a, 22b, 47b, 53).

When we host on-site visits with prospective pastor, we give gifts—transportation, lodging, meals, hospitality, honorarium, and goodbye gifts. He is our guest. We attempt to curry favor in a time-honored fashion.

Then lastly, and most importantly, the whole process was bathed in prayer. “Then he [Eliezer] prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham’” (Genesis 24:12). The nation of Israel is a result of that answered prayer.

May God hear the prayers of Elim and answer with similar success!

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Longings during a Coronavirus Christmas

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by Pastor Steve McCoy

When I packed up my belongings in the church study and went to work out of my home office back in March, I thought it would be a few weeks or a few months before I would return. Now it’s been over nine months!

The year 2020 will go down as a year of infamy, to use President Roosevelt’s term.

 Thanksgiving was a bust. Well, no, the giving thanks part was fine, but it was not the normal way we have traditionally enjoyed this holiday season throughout the years.

Now we are in December cruising toward Christmas. It simply will not be the same. You might be experiencing a similar grief.

 What am I going to do about it?

First, I plan to refresh my spirit each Sunday as I listen to the carols of the season. (Perhaps not singing this year will make singing all the more valuable in the future. Perhaps I will never, ever take singing for granted again!)

Second, I want to renew my mind with the precious truths of the coming of Jesus. I will be preaching on how to start Christmas from Matthew 1:1–2:16.

 Third, I want to gaze on the seasonal decorations that grace our worship center. They warm my spirit with their beauty, wonder, and delight.

 Fourth, I want to reflect once again on the key words of Christmas as highlighted through the advent candles: hope, peace, joy, and love. Jesus’s first advent came after seemingly endless years of waiting. We now await his second return. (How many times have I muttered under my breath this year, “This is a great time to return, Jesus!” So far, He has not complied with my wishful prayer to escape current discomfort! Instead, He is waiting for the time to fully come [Galatians 4:4], just as He waited for the right time to send the baby Jesus.)

Perhaps my Christmas this year will be less frivolous and more untraditional, but I anticipate it being deeper and more reflective. Meanwhile, I long for Him all the more!

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Can We Pass the COVID-19 Test?

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By Interim Pastor Steve McCoy

Tests are dreaded by most students, but teachers have been using them for years because they work. Students strive to learn their lessons so they can advance, pass the test, and move on to the next level.

God also administers tests. Jesus writes to the church at Philadelphia about testing the whole earthly population: “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth” (Revelation 3:10).

The good news is that this church is going to be spared from that test. The bad news is God is going to test those who call this planet home.

Interestingly enough, our world is going through a planetwide test right now since God has allowed COVID-19 to sweep the globe.

How do we and the rest of the world pass the test?

Do we pass by coping and hunkering down?

Do we pass when we discover who is to blame and hold them accountable—China, politicians, virologists?

Do we pass the test when we wear a mask, socially distance, or get a vaccine?

Just how do we pass the pandemic test?

When God was leading Israel through their wilderness wanderings, Moses disclosed to them the purpose of their trials: “to test you in order to know what was in her heart” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

God is testing me, our church, other believers, unbelievers, and the whole world with COVID-19 to see what is in our heart:

  • Do I love God more fervently than before?
  • Is my service for God as passionate as before?
  • Is my obedience more complete than in previous days?
  • Is my character more reflective of Jesus?

I want to pass the test with a heart hot after God.

Perhaps God is preparing His church to come roaring back with more vitality and passion than ever before!

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Pastoral Search Adventure

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By Interim Pastor Steve McCoy

Our church is poised for a great experience. Our pastoral search team is hard at work, praying, poring over scores of resumes, making calls, and asking questions. It takes time—lots of it.

They are very aware that searching for a leader is a faith-filled, time-tested adventure. At the right time, they and the elders will bring you as a congregation into the mix as we explore together God’s choice for Elim.

Meanwhile we can relax, because the “Evangelical Free Church at Ephesus” had to go through a similar assessment process.

Acts 18:24–26 reads, “Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.”

As a quality leader, Apollos had multiple positives going for him:

  • He was educated—“a learned man” (v. 24).
  • He was biblically savvy—“instructed in the way of the Lord” (v. 25a).
  • He was a gifted communicator—“spoke with great fervor” (v. 25b). (Interestingly enough, great fervor is an idiom that literally means “to boil in the spirit.” He was eager, enthusiastic, and passionate about ministry.)
  • He was doctrinally astute—“taught about Jesus accurately” (v. 25c).
  • He spoke “boldly” (v. 26a) about Jesus in a religiously hostile context.

But there was one negative regarding Apollos—he was deficient in his understanding of Jesus (v. 25) and the “way of God” (v. 26). With a teachable spirit, he humbly submitted to the tutelage of Priscilla and Aquila and was brought up to speed.

In due time, Elim will look at a pastor’s character and his ministerial competency. In addition, we will assess if he has the right chemistry to serve at our church. There will be all kinds of pluses, but there may be a negative or two. That’s what you will have to weigh as you consider the prospective pastor.

Meanwhile, Elim is on a time-tested, faith-filled adventure in finding your next pastor.

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How Do We Resolve Disputes?

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By Pastor Steve McCoy

Have you sensed we’re divided regarding post-virus church reopening issues?

Over my pastoral career, I’ve experienced divisiveness regarding church music, rock music, Halloween activities, educational choices, tattoos, cannabis, and others. Divisiveness seems to be part of our DNA!

Moral issues from God’s Word are incredibly clear: lying, stealing, sexual immorality, murder, drunkenness, not paying taxes owed, resisting governmental authority, etc. These are issues of right and wrong.

But, other issues in life are debatable or disputable.

This is where Romans 14 helps us navigate. But, first, let me give some background.

When the church was birthed (Acts 2) it was totally Jewish. When the gospel hopped the fence into the Gentile world (Acts 10-11) a number of disputes developed. Jewish believers had scruples; the Gentiles seemingly had none. Squabbling erupted when these two groups united in worship or in community.

Diet and days are two big issues critical to Jewish believers.

Jewish people were used to food regulations based on Levitical laws. A familiar one was no pork, but it also included many other items. In addition, Jews didn’t want to consume any food that was associated with idol worship.

Gentile believers, on the other hand, bought meat from pagan temples where sacrifices were offered. The idols didn’t eat the meat, so it was sold at the temple meat market at a good price.

This deeply disturbed Jewish believers, because to them, this was participating in idol worship. But Gentile believers regarded idols as nothing but wood, stone, or metal. “Why not take advantage of a good deal?” they thought. “After all, Jesus pronounced all things clean (Mark 7:19).”

If dietary regulations were not enough, the celebration of certain days compounded the problem. Sabbath days, feast days, and holidays were revered by Jews. Gentiles considered all days alike.

This is where Paul presents three guidelines regarding disputable things (Romans 14).

First, each believer is free to have their own individual perspective on non-critical, non-moral, disputable matters (14:2, 5-7). This allows for personal freedom.

Second, each believer is ultimately answerable to God (14:8-12, 22). This affirms individual accountability before God.

Third, each believer is to love one another.

But what does it mean to love a fellow believer? Three concepts describe love when it comes to disputable things.

First, love means I accept you with your individual peculiarities (14:1).

Second, love means I don’t judge you for your personal choices (14:3-4, 13-18). In this context “judge” means accusing you of a moral wrong when you have freedom of choice.

Third, love means I don’t want to offend you overtly with my actions (14:19-21).

We are not going to agree about the reopening process related to COVID-19. But we all need to agree to operate according to biblical guidelines with regard to disputable things.

Oh yes, by the way, you’re free to disagree with me!

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On Which Crown Do We Focus?

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by Pastor Steve McCoy

“Thorns and thistles” the ground would produce, God told Adam after the fall (Gen. 3:18).  I suggested in my sermon this past week that perhaps the coronavirus could be considered a molecular “thorn” and/or a microscopic “thistle.”

The Washington Post ran an intriguing article titled, “The Coronavirus Isn’t Alive. That’s Why It’s So Hard To Kill,”by Sarah Kaplan, William Wan, and Joel Achenbach.

Here are some snippets that caught my attention.

Viruses are “little more than a packet of genetic material surrounded by a spiky protein shell one-thousandth the width of an eyelash.”

Coronaviruses are “named for the protein spikes that adorn them like points of a crown.”

Gary Whittaker, a Cornell University professor of virology, described a virus as being somewhere “between chemistry and biology.”

“There is a certain evil genius to how this coronavirus pathogen works: It finds easy purchase in humans without them knowing. Before its first host even develops symptoms, it is already spreading its replicas everywhere, moving onto its next victim. It is powerfully deadly in some but mild enough in others to escape containment.”

“When viruses encounter a host, they … unlock and invade its unsuspecting cells. Then they take control of those cells’ molecular machinery to produce and assemble the materials needed for more viruses.”

“Once inside a cell, a virus can make 10,000 copies of itself in a matter of hours. Within a few days, the infected person will carry hundreds of millions of viral particles in every teaspoon of his blood.”

“Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University, compared viruses to particularly destructive burglars: ‘They break into your home, eat your food, use your furniture and have 10,000 babies. And then they leave the place trashed.’”

During this Good Friday week, we reflect on how “soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his [Christ’s] head” (John 19:2).  Corona is the Latin word for crown. Under the microscope, the virus looks like a thorny crown.  While our world is focused on this thorny crown virus, let us as Christians focus upon our Savior, who embraced our sinful state and wore a crown of thorns!

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