“New Wine and New Wineskins”
A Challenge to Change

Dr Jim Brooks (Queen’s Park Baptist Church – Glasgow) was President of BUS in 2002-03

We live in changing times - new churches are born as old ones die; new evangelistic methods emerge as old ones become ineffective; new worship expressions take centre stage as old ones become empty traditions; new ministries are adopted as old models are discarded; new leadership training is essential as old approaches become increasingly irrelevant.

Many Christians are frightened by these changing times - but change is here to stay.

Every time Jesus began building His Church in a new way throughout history, He has provided new wineskins. During Jesus’ ministry while he was still on earth, he told us that such a thing would be necessary:

“Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” MATTHEW 9: 17

The growth and the survival of the Church throughout history is, in part, a story of new wineskins.

What are the New Wineskins that Jesus is providing to our Churches as we live, witness and minister in the 21st Century?

Over many years through listening, reading and visiting many and varied churches both in Britain and overseas, I have attempted to understand and appreciate what God is doing in His church today - particularly in church growth and churches where God’s blessing and ministry seem to rest.

My first observation is that the Church in Scotland must first of all “unlearn” so much before we can begin to learn new things and move forward with God.

Once a church has survived past it’s initial impact it arrives at the point of having to maintain a balance between organism and organisation and between structure and life. Here is where problems can begin. The spiritual spontaneity that was initially so attractive becomes choked by the weight of the organisation that was set in place to sustain it. Church bureaucracy can snuff the life out of a fellowship and it then tends towards ‘traditionalism’. What began as a reformed movement now needs to be reformed - so the life a church must be a process of continuing and constant reflection, reformation and renewal.

It is essential that our ministry in the 21st Century aims to focus on the radical middle ground. Of all the areas of Biblical tension, it is perhaps the Word-Spirit; Head-Heart; Reason-Experience and Organisation-Organism continuum that provides the best lens through which to view the new wine and new wineskins.

Jesus modelled for his followers that the Word and the Spirit are to be in proper relationship to one another. The Word submits to the voice of the Spirit, and the Spirit moves in accordance with the parameters of the Word. Word and Spirit are in dynamic tension and union at the same time.

Satan’s strategy is to pull individuals, churches and denominations away from this radical middle towards one or other pole. The tension becomes:

Word against Spirit; Head against Heart; Reason against Experience; and Organisation against Organism

Churches and individuals must be fluid. Renewal situations appear to start on the Spirit side of the continuum as people discover experimental reality and evidence of what the bible proclaims to be true and relevant to their lives. Then they move towards the Word side as they seek to ground their experiences in biblical objectivity.

This ‘Word-Stream’ in church history is termed Evangelicalism and the ‘Spirit Stream’ is usually termed Pentecostalism. However, inadequate or limiting these labels - the point is clear, and the terms are used to represent points of emphasis.

By using such terms, in no way infers that consensus orthodoxy has not been, or is not led by the Spirit; nor does it imply that experimental renewal movements have not, or are not, teaching God’s word. What is suggested is that groups tend towards one pole or the other. History suggests that “Word without the Spirit” can quickly becomes dead orthodoxy, and “Spirit without the Word” has dangers of becoming ‘cultish’.

The crucial issue for the “Word-Spirit” tension must always be how one is to know the will of God.

So what components are these new wineskins that are shaping today’s church?

- New Authority Structures: Leadership structures and new approaches to leadership authority constitute the most radical of the changes from traditional Christianity. There is a major transition from bureaucratic authority to personal authority; from control to coordination and from ‘traditional’ leadership to ‘charismatic’ leadership

- New Leadership Training: “Certain leadership skills can be taught, but the anointing is something that must be caught”. New leaders are able and willing to release the people of their churches to do the ministry of the church.

- New Ministry Focus: Traditional Christianity starts with the present situation and focuses on the past. ‘New’ churches start with the present and focus on the future. There is a dramatic change from traditional churches that are heritage driven to the new that are vision driven and willing to step out in faith to all that God is directing.

- New Worship Styles: Worship has always been a controversial subject within the church. Contemporary worship is the one characteristic of the ‘new’ churches that has penetrated most deeply into traditional and denominational churches across the world.

- New Prayer Forms: Prayer in the ‘new’ churches has taken forms rarely seen in traditional congregations. Some of it takes place within the church and some takes place outside. Newer forms of prayer include praise marches, prayer walking, prayer journals and prayer expeditions which are now becoming part of congregations life and ministry.

- New Financing: ‘New’ churches appear to experience relatively few financial problems. There are at least three discernable reasons to explain this situation: Generous giving is expected; Giving is beneficial; and Giving is cheerful.

- New Outreach: Aggressively and sympathetically reaching out to the lost and hurting of the community and the world is part of the life of the new churches. Many churches do a lot of talking about helping unfortunate people - but the ‘new’ churches find ways to actually do it

- New Power Orientation: ‘New’ churches seem to combine the technical and spiritual principles of church growth much better than traditional churches. Churches have a sincere openness to the work of the Holy Spirit and the consensus that all the NT spiritual gifts are operational today

New Wineskins: I have attempted to summarize and identify some of the doctrinal, spiritual and practical parameters present in the rapidly growing worldwide church. On reflection the ‘new church movement’ appears to be doing very much the opposite of many of our traditional Scottish Churches. The ‘new churches’ are growing in number and in spirituality, lifestyle, ministry and mission - whilst we are often sadly in decline.

Let’s taste the new wine and prepare the new wineskins!

The picture “New Wine & New Wineskins” was drawn by Ian Smith

How I got involved in preaching?

Graeme Scott, Newton Mearns.

When I took over from Matthew McKinnon as the manager for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) in Scotland I knew I would be visiting churches to talk about the work of MAF. Public speaking had formed part of my previous employment roles so addressing a congregation or fellowship was not an issue for me. However, I did not realise that I would be asked to preach or give a biblical epilogue as part of my role.

This only became clear to me when one dark and wet night in March about 5 years ago I was asked to speak at a Sunday evening meeting at a Brethren assembly in Lanarkshire. I had taken all the usual equipment that I need to enable me to make people aware of the work of MAF. Just before I was due to address the gathering the Elder who was leading the service introduced me and as we passed one another and I made my way to the platform he leant over to me and said ‘You’ll give us a Word before you tell us about MAF won’t you?’

Never having been asked to ‘give a Word’ I proceeded to recite that well known one word prayer ‘Help!’

Through divine inspiration rather than any quick thinking on my part I took the story of the Good Samaritan and managed to use it to lead into my presentation about MAF. After this baptism of fire I decided that I had better see about learning more about the art of preaching.

I had already been doing some study via the Christian Workers Certificate and Diploma which one of our fellow members, George Petrie, is involved in running. Having done some study already it was suggested to me that I should speak to the Principal of the Baptist College, Jim Gordon. When I explained to Jim my predicament he suggested a couple of modules that would be ideal for me to take. That was back in September 2004 and is how I found myself embarking on a course of modular study at the College. I started with Preaching and Communication which was run by Stuart Blythe followed by Text to Sermon with Jim Gordon. I am now on module number 6 and have been credited with another 3 modules due to other life long learning study I have done. If I keep going at the rate I am going I will have completed a degree in another seven and a half years!

The College are frequently offered to supply students to preach and I have had the privilege of being asked to speak at several churches throughout Scotland. This together with my work with MAF means that I have spoken from Orkney to Dumfries, and several point in between, at various churches and in various denominations. It is a real honour to be asked to expound the word of God and that is why I feel that I needed to undertake some training and why now I am delighted to be able to offer myself as a servant of the churches to be used when required to fulfil their needs for preachers. It is even more rewarding as an itinerant preacher if a church asks you back.

have been very fortunate lately as I was asked if I would do a series for Erskine Baptist Church. This was a real challenge to me as I had never been asked to undertake such a task. In the end it was a real blessing to be able to share the word of God on four consecutive weekends with the fellowship at Erskine. I have also been asked to cover four weeks at Clelland Baptist Church in June and I am looking forward to the challenge that this offers. It reminds me of what my pastor said to me when I told him that I was being asked to preach. He said ‘Well Graeme, take every opportunity you can and if you ever get any good at it we may even ask you to preach here!’ Now there was someone displaying the gift of encouragement.

It was Stewart Hendrie that had first made me aware of the Baptist Lay Preachers Association and invited me to the AGM that was held in Falkirk a couple of years ago. It has taken me a while as I honed my preaching skills before I felt it was the right thing to do to join the Association. I am now looking forward to making myself available not only to other Christian fellowships but also to God to allow him to use the gift he has given me to serve others.