Languages   |   Education   |   Training   |   Ministry History   |   Questions

 

LANGUAGES

English, Spanish

 

EDUCATION

School

Degree

End (mm/yy)

 

Asbury Theological Seminary

Ph.D.

2008

 

TRAINING

Course

End (mm/yy)

 

Intercultural Studies - Missiology

2008

 

CERTIFICATIONS

Certification

End (mm/yy)

 

Church Planting Academy

2000

 

MINISTRY HISTORY

Church/Organization

Position

Begin (mm/yy)

 

United Methodist Church

Elder

1992

 

Global Methodist Church

Elder

2024

 

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

Church planter, church turnarounds, pastor, evangelist, revivalist, lecturer in the U.S., Europe, West Africa, S. Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba.

QUESTIONS

 

1. Gospel: What is the gospel?

The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, and we are called to share it. The second person of the Trinity has come in the flesh to dwell among us. Through preaching, teaching, healing, casting out demons, ministering good works, and his death, resurrection, and ascension he came to pronounce the good news of the Kingdom of God. The headlines of the good news is that Christ, the Lamb of God, takes away the sins of the world through his death on the cross and his resurrection. The Spirit thus call us to repentance and faith in Christ and his atoning work on the cross that sets sinners free. Those who receive Christ are forgiven of their sin, guilt, and shame, delivered from sin and death, justified and adopted into God's family, made a new creation in regeneration, are being sanctifying in His holy image, and receive eternal life.

 

2. Trinity: How would you articulate the doctrine of the Trinity and why it matters?

God is Triune, one divine being in three distinct persons - Father (1st person), Son, (2nd person) and Holy Spirit (third person). There are not three gods, but one divine being. There is not one God in three manifestations or parts, but three distinct, (not conflated) persons in one divine essence. The divine persons are defined by relations. The eternal Father eternally generates the only begotten Son. And the eternal Father breathes the eternal Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father through the Son. The Triune nature of God is not a peripheral doctrine of the Christian faith but defines the very nature of who God is. The doctrine of the Trinity distinguishes the Christian revelation of God from other constructs of the divine found in other religions and philosophies. Our concept of God is fundamental and necessarily shapes all of the other doctrines of the Christian faith.

 

3. Jesus: In what sense did Jesus die for our sins, and how does it impact your understanding of the Church’s mission?

The Word, the second person of the Trinity, became flesh and died for the sins of the world (the Incarnation). Christ is fully divine and fully human and fulfilled all that the Father required of him to be an atonement for our sins on the cross. Atonement theories are many but no single one captures the height, breadth and depth of the fact that Jesus took our sins with him on the cross and paid the price, ransomed us, demonstrated his perfect love, defeated sin, death, and Satan, and satisfied God's righteousness. Scripture declares, 'God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith' (Rom. 3:25). Christ has called us to be filled with the Spirit and to declare to the world the good news of salvation from sin. Declaring and demonstrating this good news is the heart of the church's mission.

 

4. Holy Spirit: How does the ministry of the Holy Spirit relate to your understanding of the Church?

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. and was sent into the world to bear witness to the person and work of Christ (Matt. 3:16-17; Jn.14:16-27). The Spirit convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn. 16:7-11), leading us to repentance and faith in Christ. The Spirits baptizes us into one body, the church, whether 'Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink' (1 Cor. 12:13). There is one church, birthed, united, sanctified, and empowered by one Spirit (unity) (Eph. 4:4). The economy of the Spirit is essential to the church's identity, call, sacraments, worship, and mission. The Spirit's work in the church is its life-giving power. Without the Spirit, the church can do nothing. Further, the Spirit equips the church with his witness and gives gifts to carry out the mission of God (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 12).

 

5. Sanctification: Do you affirm the doctrine of entire sanctification, and how would you explain it to someone who has not encountered it before?

Yes, I strongly affirm the doctrine of entire sanctification as promised in Scripture (1 Thess. 5:23-24) and proclaimed by John Wesley (e.g. Plain Account... and Scripture Way of Salvation). Wesley exclaimed, 'It is love excluding sin; love filling the heart, taking up the whole capacity of the soul.' Entire sanctification, like justification, is accomplished by grace. It is a work of the Holy Spirit that is received through faith not by our works (Acts 26:18; Eph. 2:8-9). Just as we have boldly claimed justification by faith, we can also claim entire sanctification (Scripture Way). Entire sanctification is the Spirit completing the work of salvation and Christlikeness in our lives before death. The work is both immediate and a process. The immediate work breaks the power and presence of sin in us. The process involves the ongoing growth in grace and maturity that follows as we walk in the Spirit.

 

6. Holiness: How do you understand holiness as it relates to human flourishing?

Scripture uses the terms 'qodesh' (OT) and 'hagiasmos' (NT) for the word holiness. English synonyms are sanctification and purity. A more dynamic (translation) theological synonym is 'Christlikness'. Holiness is the nature of God, and he call us to be holy like he is holy (Lev. 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16). Holiness is the purpose of our salvation and the purpose of our humanity. We were created for this end. Thus, human flourishing, or attaining and living in fullness, necessarily involves holiness. The Spirit cleanses, sets up apart, and shapes us in the image of God in Christ. Thus holiness involves flourishing in Christlikeness in this life and in the life to come. By the Spirit we bloom (flower) or flourish in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22). Holiness enables us to live the abundant life in Christ (Jn. 10:10) and fulfill our purpose in life.

 

7. Sacraments: What is your understanding of the Sacraments and their role in the life of the Church?

Sacraments define the church. The church is where 'the word is preached and the sacraments duly administered.' Baptism and holy communion are the church's sacraments (GMC BD&D- AR # 16-19; CF #6). In line with Wesley, we understand sacraments as outward signs or means of an inward grace that is communicated to the human heart. In baptism, we are initiated into the body of Christ, as baptism is a 'symbol of repentance and inner cleansing from sin, a representation of the new birth in Christ Jesus and a mark of Christian discipleship' (GMC BD&D). All those wanting to be Christian are to be taught by the church and baptized into the faith by the pastor and witnessed and nurtured by the people of the church. In the Lord's Supper, we are spiritually nourished by partaking of the bread (body) and cup (blood) through the Spirit as Christ commanded (1 Cor. 10:16-17).

 

8. Scripture: What is your understanding of scripture’s inspiration, authority, truthfulness, and sufficiency?

The Bible proclaims that 'all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work' (1 Tim. 3:16). Scripture is divinely breathed by God through his holy servants in space-time, which provides the human and cultural context of Scripture. Thus, Scripture come from God through and to humanity. The GMC us teaches that the 'Holy Scripture contains all things necessary to salvation' Thus, scripture is sufficient and our absolute authority leading us in salvation, faith, and practice. Since it was not written 'by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,' scripture is (2 Peter 1:21) true and trustworthy in all that it intends to teach. The nature and purpose of Scripture is soteriological (salvation), revealing God's will in Christ for us.

 

9. Human Sexuality: What is your understanding of human sexuality expressed in terms of human flourishing?

Scripture declares that in the beginning God made male and female. The two become one flesh in holy matrimony to be fruitful and to multiply (Gen. 1:26-28; 5:1-2; Matt. 19:4-6; Mark 10:9; Eph. 5:22-30). Thus, Scripture, and even biology and natural law, teach that there are two sexes and two genders (man/male and woman/female). God commanded man and woman not to fornicate (1 Cor. 6:18), commit adultery (Ex. 20:14), or to have same sex sexual relations ( Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:-9-10; 1 Tim. 1:9-10). Human flourishing, in terms of sexuality, is for man and woman to be fully who God created them to be in Christ. In terms of expressing human sexuality for flourishing, it means that sex takes place within a lifelong marriage between one man and one woman (Matt. 5:32; 19:9; 1 Cor. 7:3-5; Heb. 13:4). There are also those called to flourish in celibacy.

 

10. Human Beings: How does the biblical vision of human beings made in the image of God form your attitude toward the dignity of human life at every stage from conception to death?

Genesis 1:26-27 states that we are made in the image of God. Theologians across time have understood that to mean in the substantial (rational-volitional), relational, and functional image of God. Wesley took it to mean in the natural (rationality, free will), political (stewardship), and moral image (righteousness, holiness, love) of God. Ultimately, all persons are made in the image of God, beginning at conception, which is when science also acknowledges the beginning of human life. All persons, without qualification, are image-bearers from conception to death and are worthy of life, love, and basic human rights. Thus, all human life from the womb to the tomb is to be respected. Hence, I am against abortion, gender transitioning, murder, euthanasia, unjust war, unjust treatment, the death penalty, or any other harm or injustice that seeks to undermine or destroy the dignity of human life.

 

11. Wesleyan/Methodist Contribution: What is the Wesleyan/Methodist contribution to the Church universal?

John Wesley's famous line- 'scriptural holiness is the grand depositum which God has lodged with the people called Methodists; and for the sake of propagating this chiefly he appeared to have raised us up” sums up the providential contribution of Methodists to the Church universal. God called Methodist to preach, teach, receive, and live out scriptural holiness, entire sanctification, or Christian perfection, which is our GMC mission. Wesley’s shorthand for scriptural holiness   is “perfect love, excluding sin” (1 Jn. 4:18). We believe that the Spirit of God can give us full victory over sin and fill us with perfect love for God and neighbor. In order to appropriate and implement scriptural holiness, the Methodist system of small groups - society, class, band, select bands, penitent bands etc. was created as a means of grace. 'There is no holiness but social holiness,' Wesley exclaimed. We need each other to grow in holiness.

 

12. Global Methodist Church: What is your vision for the GMC?

My vision is the same as the GMC vision to make disciples and spread scriptural holiness across the world. It is also the heart of the gospel message and mandate – to teach, train, shape, and deploy disciplined learners and followers of Jesus Christ in all the nations. Holiness or Christlikeness is the essence and purpose of a disciple of Christ. It is the template from which the Spirit crafts our soul in restoring the imago Dei to its original intention. Transformation begins in our hearts, and only then, can it begin to impact others (to spread and transform others across the globe). Our mission is to restore and reestablish this vital doctrine as front and center in all that we do. My vision is to see this mission implemented in every nation, as we make disciples, plant churches, church planting networks, and raise indigenous leaders and discipleship structures.

 

13. Evangelism: What is evangelism and how have you practiced it effectively in your ministry?

Evangelism is the proclamation and power of the good news of Jesus Christ offered to a lost and dying world. The good news is that Christ has died for the sins of the world, and eternal life is freely available to those who repent and believe. Evangelism has both an evangelical component (transformation of the heart) and a cultural component (cultural transformation). I have been an active evangelist for around 40 years in many countries around the world. I began to evangelize five days after coming to Christ and preached in the open air at the Ohio State University to hundreds of campus students. The following are the various evangelism ministries that I have led over the last 40 years: prison, college campuses, street ministry, radio, TV, revival circuits, conferences, seminars, camp meetings, church turnarounds, church planting, seminary classes (Professor), writing books, women's recovery center, boxing outreach ministry and more.

 

14. Discipleship: What is a disciple, and how have you effectively made disciples in your ministry?

The word 'disciple' means learner, student or follower. Discipleship is the process of making disciplined, learners, and followers of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19-20). Discipleship is the process that completes evangelism. I follow Jesus’ plan of discipleship that is to reproduce oneself in the life of others, making disciples who make disciples etc. We see this model of discipleship with Moses and the 70 elders and with Joshua, Elijah and Elisha (and the school of the prophets), Jeremiah and Baruch, Jesus and the Twelve, Barnaba and Paul, Paul and Timothy among others, and John Wesley with the early Methodists. 2 Tim 2:2 calls leaders to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples. This model of discipleship has been very effective in my ministry in the church, in seminary training ministers, in writing books, in academia, in revivals, seminars, and conferences and on the mission field for the last 40 years.

 

15. Local Engagement: How have you led congregations to engage their local contexts with the gospel?

In my 40 years of ministry, I have worked in virtually every dimension of mission and ministry to teach and implement critical contextualization of the gospel and empower people to reach their local communities. I have done this as a Methodist pastor, church planter, urban missioner, seminary professor, author, conference speaker, and outreach director. I have done this through teaching people how to exegete culturally both congregation and community; how to strategize, build, and develop contextual ministries; and how to empower with and deploy the gifts of the Spirit. Some of the fruit include the Oasis House (ministry for women in the sex industry and trafficking), Parkside Ministries (in a section 8 housing complex), Big Bang Boxing Club (for at-risk teens and young adults), New Hope (church and comprehensive ministry plant in a depressed urban neighborhood), or training Vietnamese students (pastors and missioners) at the John Wesley college etc.

 

16. Unreached People Groups: How do you understand the mission of the GMC in relation to unreached and unengaged people groups?

Making disciples and spreading scriptural holiness across the globe involves reaching every people group with the good news of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19-20; Rev. 7:9). There are a variety of organizations that track unreached people groups, such as Joshua Project, Project 42, and others.   Joshua Project estimates that 3.42 billion out of 8.08 billion in the world have no access to the gospel, and 85% of these live in the so-called 10/40 window. According to Finishing The Task, there are still 189 unengaged, unreached people groups (over 5.7 million souls), that have not been reached with the Gospel.

      The GMC needs to identify, exegete, strategize, and prioritize reaching people that have no local community of believers throughout the world, especially in North Africa, the Middle East, and and South Asia, where many are Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist. To meet this need, we are challenged to train and deploy mission teams.

 

17. Global Missions: What is the local church’s role in global missions? How will you equip local churches for that role?

Our mission is to make disciples and spread scriptural holiness across the globe that means reaching every people group in every nation with the good news of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19-20; Rev. 7:9). Such a task involves training and deploying mission teams that are equipped to exegete cultures, critically contextualize the gospel, reach the unreached, create development, meet cultural needs, and raise up indigenous leadership that can self-govern, self-propagate, self-support, and self-theologize.   The so-called four-self theology of missions is a long term goal. It takes education, training, development, communication, and commitment in the local church to help the local church understand their role in global missions and equip them to meet the task. The local pastor needs to connect with our GMC mission efforts and educate the local church of its global mission enterprise, and the need for the local church to participate by supporting and sending resources, especially prayer.

 

18. Christian Unity: What is your understanding of Christian unity? How will you lead the Church toward greater unity in Christ and the Spirit both within the GMC and in relation to other ecclesial bodies?

According to the Scripture (e.g. Eph. 4:3-16; 1 Cor 12), Christian unity is a unity of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3) that involves a unity of faith in the Triune God and his work of salvation. We are united by one God (the Father) in one Lord (Jesus) by the Spirit who baptizes us into one body (Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Cor. 12:13). The body of Christ, the church, expresses one faith (Eph. 4:5) and hope in God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as revealed in Scripture and the Nicene Creed. We are called to 'make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace' (Eph 4:3). This means within the GMC and in relation to our ecclesial bodies. My first step to maintaining unity is to hold steadfast to our doctrinal unity and unity of the Spirit that is at the core of our Christian identity.

 

19. Bishop's Work: What is your understanding of the work of a bishop?

The work of a bishop is given in Scripture (John 21:15–17; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2–3; 1 Tim. 3:1–7) and in our BD&D (pars 602-603). A bishop is 'set apart for a ministry of visionary servant leadership, general oversight, and supervision in support of the church in its mission.' A bishop is ' charged with guarding the faith, order, liturgy, doctrine, and discipline of the church' (Par 602). A bishop oversees the life of the church; guards, teaches, upholds, and enforces the apostolic faith, doctrine, order, and discipline of the church; presides over General and annual conferences; oversees and delegates appointment making; fixes clergy appointments; 'consecrate bishops, ordain elders and deacons, and commission missionaries;' models scriptural stewardship; implements the mission of the church around the world; promotes and supports the evangelistic witness of the church; and promotes Christianity unity in the life of the church with other Christian communities.

 

20. Your Qualifications: What qualifies you for the office of bishop?

The delegation that nominated me has discerned that I meet the moral and spiritual qualifications of the office as described in John 21:15–17; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2–3; 1 Tim. 3:1–7 and in our BD&D (pars 602-603). One of the primary roles of a bishop is as a teacher and transmitter of the apostolic faith and the doctrine and discipline of the GMC. My role as a teacher/professor in the life of the church clearly demonstrates my ability to fulfill that role (see #33). As a professor, I have trained scores of student-pastors.

 

I believe my successful roles as a pastor and global missionary have shown that I can evangelize disciple, grow, lead, order, outreach and execute the mission of the church. Each church that I pastored was a dying church that grew. In the UMC, I planted churches and was an overseer/supervisor over a cluster of churches that grew.

 

21. Assembly of Bishops: What do you see as the role of the Assembly of Bishops?

The role of the AOB is recorded in par 606 of the BD&D. All GMC bishops are joined in a collegial covenant of 'mutual trust, concern and accountability' that speaks pastorally to the church and the world. The AOB watch over the well-being of its members in love with the GEC; plan for the growth of the church; serves the mission of the church; produce documents that teach, correct, guide, and strengthen the faith of the church; provide temporal leadership for the church according to the BD&D; 'ensure effective consultation in the appointment

process'; nominate connectional operations officers; lead the GMC into greater Christian unity; 'designate trained and qualified persons to preside over church trials as described in the Judicial Practices and Procedures of the Global Methodist Church.'

 

22. Fellow Bishops: How do you envision working together with fellow bishops?

I envision working with fellow bishops in the work described in #19 and within a collegial covenant of the AOB to address its common mission as described in #21. Our work together, providing oversight to the life and mission of the GMC, requires mutual love, care, respect, and discernment. Over our own annual conferences, in the General Conference, and across conferences lines, we will be identifying, organizing, fostering, training, deploying, and evaluating in order to fulfill the church's mission 'to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe.' When building people, we learn to share life together, encourage each other, bear each other’s burdens and prayerfully make decisions together. I believe strongly in team or corporate buy-in when visioning, decision-making and deploying for mission. Corporate discernment is undergirded by the relational and trust dimension that is built into healthy collegiality that prays and works together.

 

23. Conference Superintendents: How do you envision working together with and supervising conference superintendents?

The role of the conference superintendent is laid out in par.607 of the BD&D. The conference superintendent (CS) works alongside the bishop in many capacities. In the following ways the bishop will work alongside the CS: overseeing of the annual conference (AC); communicate and implement the mission and vision of the AC; providing leadership for churches, clergy and laity;   receive recommendation from the CS of the presiding elders for appointment by the bishop; fixing and approving appointments presented by the CS; and the CS will represent the bishop in his or her absence. Thus, especially in the last responsibility, the bishop needs to work closely and prayerfully with the CS as they model, communicate and implement the leadership needed to carry out the mission and ministry of the church.

 

24. Handling Concerns: If laity or clergy bring concerns directly to you bypassing their presiding elders and/or conference superintendent, would you include the applicable conference superintendent and/or presiding elder in the conversation? If so, how would you empower your conference superintendents and/or presiding elders in the discussion?

I am a firm believer and practitioner in following protocol. The order of the church is essential to the   organizational structure and life of the church. In such a scenario as described in the question, I would certainly involve, as needed, the conference superintendent and/or presiding elder into the conversation; not only to keep the order of the church, but also to profit from the collective wisdom. All relevant parties need to be included in on the conversation, prayer, and discerning process. I would empower my conference superintendents and/or presiding elders by sharing this view with them and support them as they fully execute their roles. I would give them the permission and support they need to do what the Discipline charges and enables them to accomplish. I would also be in prayer for and them and open to consultation and discussion until the concern is resolved.

 

25. Laity Leadership: How do you envision incorporating laity into the leadership of the church and into your leadership team?

The laity are the key to the life and mission of the church, not only in number but in gifting. 1 Cor. 12 is clear that all of the members of the body are gifted by the Holy Spirit and are essential to its overall work. The church is a charismatic community born of and gifted by the Holy Spirit, equipped for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:12). Pastoral leadership, including episcopal leadership, needs to be intentional to disciple the laity, empower them with the Holy Spirit, and to develop and deploy the laity in their gifted areas throughout the mission of the church. I would like to develop discipleship and catechetical structures that would train the laity in the doctrine, discipline, and mission of the GMC and deploy them throughout the church, even on my leadership team. They provide an indispensable perspective & contribution to the church.

 

26. GMC Challenges: What do you see as the top three challenges facing the GMC today? How would you address them?

The first challenge is planting new churches globally and growing or renewing existing ones.   We need to develop a church planting academy and train those who are gifted and deploy them in areas where the need has been assessed. The second challenge is prayerfully selecting, training, and deploying clergy and lay leaders for the task of our mission. We need to train properly our boards of ministry to undergird this process. We also need to make sure our seminaries are properly training our pastors for ministry in the GMC. Creating venues that teach on the Holy Spirit and where people can experience the power of the Spirit will be vital. The third challenge is catechizing the minds of our people in discipleship, especially young people and new believers. We need to develop Wesleyan discipleship systems for such training, and we need to develop effective materials to resources this end.

 

27. Devotional Life: How would you characterize your devotional life?

My devotional life is the most important aspect of my overall life. In my house, I built a chapel for family devotions. Every day, I pray there in the morning and at night, even during the day when needed. I also pray there nightly with my wife and with my adult children and granddaughter. My daily prayer is usually between 1-2 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours in the evening. The time consists of scripture reading, worship, and prayer. WIthout this time, I cannot accomplish what God has called me to do. It is vital that I seek the will of God in everything, and that I hear his voice for direction. All of my ministry needs to be undergirded with prayer, or I will find myself doing things outside of the will of God. Also, throughout the day I pray without ceasing, maintaining the communion of the Spirit.

 

28. Theological Resources: What are the top five authors or theological resources to which you turn for research and learning and why?

As an academic theologian, I am regularly engaged in researching, reading, writing, and teaching scholarly texts. In terms of theological resources, I rely on the brilliant minds and deep souls of the past. John Wesley, Maximus the Confessor, and Thomas Aquinas are the theologians who have most influenced my life and work. Aquinas has shaped much of my metaphysical understanding of God and creation and provides the broader framework for my theology. Aquinas and Hans Urs Von Balthasar's contribution to the analogy of being is instrumental to that metaphysical relationship between God and creation. Similarly, Maximus' cosmic theology informs my big picture view of God's deifying (sanctifying) work in humanity. Wesley most informs my practical theology, soteriology, and missiology, which is centered around scriptural holiness. Finally, I draw from a rich devotional tradition of spirituality that includes many writers, but is best represented by Johann Arndt's timeless classic 'True Christianity.'

 

29. Failures: Describe one time you failed; what did you learn from that failure?

Around 22 years ago, I came to a point of ministerial burnout. At the time, I was pastoring a high conflict church, planting a new church, and driving 300 miles per trip to work on my Ph.D, while raising two children with my wife. It became difficult to handle all of these responsibilities. As a type-A driven, high-task oriented achiever, it was hard to admit that I was struggling to keep up. I owned my struggle and shared it with my family, accountability partner, and church leaders. I also went to Christian counseling. It was a time of learning about myself, my humanity, and my limitations. I learned to listen to my body for signs of stress and burnout. I learned to say 'no' when needed. I learned how to regulate my emotions. Above all, I learned to be weak and vulnerable and rely on Christ for every moment.

 

30. Leadership Style: How would you describe your leadership style?

My leadership style is relational and personal, reproducing myself in the lives of others through the Holy Spirit. God builds people, and people - filled with the Spirit - build the Kingdom. The methods I use most effectively in developing people are modeling and the teaching ministry. My leadership metaphor over the years has been as a visionary coach.   Receiving vision from God in prayer is essential to knowing the direction in which one must lead others. When one hears from God, one can confidently focus all of the available resources, including human ones, into God’s revealed plan. In order to carry out God’s vision to its goal, the building up of people (the human resource) is key. Edifying and equipping people requires someone with proven coaching skills, specifically the ability to discern, deposit, and deploy gifting along with the graciousness and maturity to encourage souls to reach their potential in Christ.

 

31. Decision Making: Give an example of a time when you had to make a difficult decision as a leader and how you made that decision.

I was sent to pastor a dying church that God had turned around in my first year. We soon outgrew our building. We were landlocked with no parking lot, no room to build, and we were already having multiple services. The District approached me about taking on another dying church that had a large building. However, our leadership was considering renting or buying a used building. They did not want to take on another dying congregation. We met with the superintendent to discuss his plan of merger. We did several studies and projections on each option, and then had a season of prayer and fasting to discern God's will. We had several meetings with our congregation to discuss options. We followed with more prayer meetings, and eventually asked the church to vote. We decided to go along with the superintendent's plan and begin the merger process with the dying congregation.

 

32. Confrontation: Give an example of a time when you had to confront an employee or colleague over behavior or beliefs contrary to those agreed upon and how you handled it.

At the first church I pastored, I was warned by the council board about the church 'bully.' He was a tall, overbearing, intimidating figure. He sat on every committee and would control meetings with his forceful voice and aggressive persona. Everyone feared confronting him. Following an incident of bullying with a parishioner, I felt in prayer that God was leading me to confront him. I set up a meeting with this person, myself, and church leadership. Prior to the meeting, I prayed with our leadership for wisdom and protection. At the meeting, I shared the bullying incident with this person. I also warned him that such behavior will not be tolerated again, and there will be consequences should there be another incident - he will lose his committee positions. He was also required to make amends with the offended party with witnesses present. That week, he left the church.

 

33. Teaching: What experience do you have in a teaching role? How has your teaching style evolved during your ministry?

The most powerful, effective gift that God has given me is teaching. I have taught over the last 40 years, whether in the pulpit, the prisons, field preaching, campus ministry, in conferences, seminars, and revivals, in discipleship relationship, as an author of twelve books and dozens of articles, and finally as a tenured seminary professor. I have taught numerous subjects, including theology, philosophy, evangelization, missiology, urban studies, intercultural and interreligious encounter, pastoral care and counseling, church renewal among others to laity, clergy, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. Over the years, I have developed into a rigorous, interdisciplinary theologian who researches, teaches, and writes   at the intersection of theology, philosophy, and the sciences. I have also become a more practical, experiential, and applicable teacher to clergy and laity, simplifying my messages. I believe it is essential that my students are transformed by what I teach through the power of the Spirit.