God Issues Today: "If You Want to Make God Laugh ..."

Author, educator and commentator Dr. James Denison has been pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas since June, 1998. Prior to that, he was pastor at churches in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as Midland (at First Baptist!) and Mansfield, Texas.

... tell him your plans. No one in the Bible gets a five-year strategy. Paul thought he was supposed to go east when he was called west (Acts 16). And Europe, and eventually America, would hear the gospel as a result.

The past few weeks have illustrated the unpredictability of God's will in my life and work, on a level I have never before experienced. In brief, I have been invited to become Theologian in Residence for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The BGCT is made up of 5,600 churches and 2.2 million members. It relates to 120 campus ministries, nine colleges and seminaries, and a host of hospitals and other institutions. In this capacity, I will be able to do all the things I love most—speaking to current events, writing, teaching, leading conferences, talking with pastors and Christian leaders.

I have also sensed God's leading to create an independent ministry called The Center for Informed Faith. Its mission is to equip the Church to reach the world. The Center will promote cultural engagement, spiritual renewal, and practical discipleship.

We will speak to current events with biblical truth, addressing such issues as radical Islam, Israel and the Middle East, evil and suffering, science and faith, and same-sex marriage. We will create a comprehensive Internet discipleship ministry, taking a person from salvation to ministry. Our discipleship emphasis will focus especially on people coming to Christ in areas we call "mission" fields—new believers in Cuba, South Texas, the underground church in China, Latin America, critical places where the church is exploding in growth but few resources for spiritual maturity exist. We will partner with numerous other ministries in equipping Christians to reach their world.

And we will focus on spiritual renewal, seeking to further a global awakening in America and the western world through writings, conferences, retreats, and engagement with Christian leaders. All of this has developed in just the last few weeks. At first, Janet and I believed that we could do this new work while remaining in our ministry at Park Cities Baptist Church. However, as we began exploring the practical issues involved, it became obvious that both are full-time jobs. This new ministry will require a great deal of travel and attention. Park Cities deserves a full-time pastor. So we came regretfully to the conclusion that we must resign our ministry at the church we love to follow God's call into this new work.

I'd like to share more of the story with you tomorrow. In addition, after sharing this news with our congregation yesterday, a friend asked how we hear God's voice and discern his will. That's a conversation worthy of some attention. Let's begin in the morning.