The ERC's new New Strategic Plan has something going for it. It's, what?, slogan, or key phrase? is snazzy, catchy and memorable and has three components:
Healthy, life-giving churches,
Healthy, life-giving pastors, and
Healthy, life-giving regional leadership.
So, it's components are snazzy, catchy and memorable...
...what they are not is biblical.
Scour the Word for what Jesus taught and what He did. Zero in on the Book of Acts, now the Epistles.
Where do you find teaching about health?
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Actually, it is there.
There are New Testament Greek words translated as heal and healthy.
The word we translate as "heal" is fairly common in the Gospels. We've taken this word into English. It's therapeuo, you know, therapy, therapeutic? It's a verb.
As one example, "Jesus healed many who had various diseases." (Mk. 1:34)
The word therapeuo, however, is never used in connection, in any way, with the healing of churches or pastors or regional leadership.
More in line with the the terminology of the new New Strategic Plan, there is the adjective hugies, translated as healthy and the verb, hugiaino, to be healthy.
But, understand:
These words are never used in the Word to describe healthy churches or pastors or regional leadership!
Interestingly, they sometimes modify teaching or doctrine. As only one example:
"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound (healthy) doctrine." (2 Tim. 4:3)
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But, sound, or healthy, churches? Pastors? Hierarchical leaders?
Uh uh.
These concepts are nowhere to be found in the Word of God. Nowhere at all.
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I can see how ERC leadership finds authority for focus on healthy pastors (parish priests), healthy churches (parishes) and healthy regional leadership (Bishops and Popes)...
...in the theology of the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle Ages...
...but there's no authority for those things in the Word.
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As the plan is rolled out, the hierarchs may try to tell you what a healthy church or pastor or leader is.
Just understand, they'll be teaching those things on their own authority or on some other authority not connected to the Word...
...but not in anything rooted in Jesus, or Peter, or Paul, or any other authority in the Word.
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If you've gone to seminary, or Bible college, you know the terms, exegesis and eisegesis.
The terms will come into play...
...if, and this may be a big if...
...IF the hierarchs even turn to the Word,...
...beyond the platitude that God is the author of life.
They will be forced to read health, and life-givingness,...
...into...
...the Word...
...because those truths are not present to be taken out of the Word.
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If they ever talk about those "Five Characteristics of a Healthy Church," and, if they claim authority in the Word, they'll be stuffing their own beliefs into God's mouth.
We'd be better served by seeking healthy doctrine...
...and leave the healthy churches and pastors and hierarchs...
...to the Catholics in the Dark Ages.
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