|
|
|
More than 50 leaders of the charismatic/Pentecostal
community convened in Orlando for the first-ever Ministries Today
Symposium, moderated by Jack Hayford, the magazine's senior editorial
adviser. High-profile leaders such as Ted Haggard, Reinhard Bonnke,
Myles Munroe, C. Peter Wagner, Rod Parsley and Joyce Meyer convened
to discuss the topic of ministry ethics. The unified convictions
of those present were distilled in a series of affirmations called
"The Orlando Statement." An abridged report of the
Symposium and the complete text of "The Orlando Statement"
is available at http://www.ministriestoday.com/specialreport.html.
For a complete report on the event, be sure to see the March/April
issue of Ministries Today. From Staff Reports (For the full text of this article, see the March/April issue of Ministries Today.) More than 50 charismatic leaders drew a line in the sand at an historic meeting in Orlando, Florida, in January. Their message: "It’s not about power or titles, it’s about winning the lost." It was a virtual "who’s who" of the charismatic/ Pentecostal community at the first-ever Ministries Today Symposium, where high-profile ministers met to discuss key issues relating to leadership and ethics January 6-7. In light of the magazine’s year-long emphasis on the fivefold ministries and senior editorial adviser Jack W. Hayford’s challenge for ethical accountability (see "Practicing What We Preach," November/ December 2003), Ministries Today’s publisher Stephen Strang felt compelled to assemble a group of leaders to address topics such as the use of titles, leadership abuse, financial integrity and ministry ethics. Hayford moderated panel discussions on three topics: leadership issues regarding the fivefold ministries, spiritual and moral issues and questions which challenge the credibility of the larger charismatic/Pentecostal community’s witness and the future of the movement. Besides the positive relationships forged and productive discussion, one of the immediate results of the symposium was a collection of affirmations called "The Orlando Statement," compiled and agreed upon by the group at the conclusion of the gathering. During the first panel discussion, participants Reinhard Bonnke, Joyce Meyer, Bill Hamon, C. Peter Wagner, Kingsley Fletcher and Rod Parsley addressed the continuation of the fivefold ministries, the use of titles to identify the offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. None in the panel or audience disputed the legitimacy of the post-New Testament ministry of all the fivefold gifts, but some expressed concern that the power invested in titles of apostle and prophet often causes the holder to exercise authority and not service. While a variety of opinions were expressed regarding if and when those ministering in the fivefold gifts should be granted titles, the overarching consensus of the discussion was the need to return to the work of soul-winning and shepherding that the Scriptures demand—activities from which the use of titles sometimes distracts the church. The second panel, including Cindy Jacobs, John Bevere, Keith Butler, Steve Hill, Mark Rutland and Rick Joyner, concerned itself with the ethical crisis in the charismatic/Pentecostal community. Citing issues such as marital responsibility, "cheap concepts of restoration" and a lack of "self-moderating standards" in issues of finances, Hayford expressed his concern at the outset of the discussion. "Like the book of Judges, the movement is increasingly moving toward everyone doing what is right in their own eyes," he said. "We’re watching the dumbing down of a movement, in many ways—dumbing down in the thoughtful pursuit of what we’re really about." Hayford suggested that ethical issues threaten the continued viability of the movement and the willingness of many to identify with it. Although many may embrace the theological perspectives of the movement, they are reticent to be a part of what they see as the excess and shoddy ethics of many high-profile charismatic leaders, he said. The third and final panel, including Ted Haggard, R.T. Kendall, J. Lee Grady, Francis Frangipane, Myles Munroe and Frank Reid, explored the future of the charismatic/Pentecostal movement. The discussion largely surrounded the issue of the continued identity of the movement and the need for a unified response to the gay agenda, same-sex marriage, universalism and other issues on which there have not been strong statements made.
Statement of Objective: In light of the current misgivings concerning the awakening and release of the fivefold ministries in the charismatic/Pentecostal movement, we observe six distinct areas of general agreement. The following affirmations are presented in hope of promoting relational harmony and ministerial partnership. In light of our biblical mandate to be unified in the task of equipping the body for the task of world evangelism, we express the following: 1. Unity and Diversity: We affirm that the proper functioning of the body of Christ depends on the "unlikeness" of its members. Thus a diversity of perspectives and an ideological tension must not only be allowed but also encouraged for the sake of fruitfulness, maturity and interdependence. 2. The Heart of Ministry: We affirm that the heart of all ministry is servanthood, the task of all ministry is shepherding, and the goal of all ministry is the salvation of the lost and the equipping of the saved. 3. Continuation of the Fivefold Ministries: We affirm that there is an ongoing post-New Testament activity of the charismata of 1 Corinthians 12, as well as the ministries of the pastor, teacher and evangelist described in Ephesians 4. Therefore, it would naturally follow that we affirm the ongoing post-New Testament activity of apostles and prophets. 4. Current Escalation of Apostolic and Prophetic Activity: We affirm that, while all of the fivefold ministries have been active since their bestowal by the ascended Christ, that the last 30 years has evidenced an increase of apostolic and prophetic ministry, resulting in substantive growth of the church in the developing world and a resulting influence on the charismatic church in the United States and Europe. 5. Distinction of Offices and Giftings of the Fivefold Ministries: We affirm that there is a distinction between the office and the gifting of each of the fivefold ministries: "office" being endowment of position with authority and responsibility granted by a legitimate body of one’s peers, in recognition of gifting; "gifting" being those capacities and spiritual qualities that only God entrusts to become manifest through an individual. 6. The Use of Titles: We affirm the appropriation of titles by those who demonstrate the character and giftings requisite those titles, but we also affirm that the use of titles be submitted to the demands of servanthood and not become a distraction or hindrance to the very offices that they claim to serve, or the gifting they have been granted to minister.
Statement of Objective: The pursuit of this statement is to affirm those commonly-held values of biblical discipline and grace that have been timelessly honored by the people of God in reference to ethics, morality, marriage and ministry lifestyle. Our interaction has targeted the formulation of statements which we acknowledge as essential to sustaining the purity of the witness of the broad fellowship of charismatic believers. We recognize that there is no human agency that can mandate or administrate conformity to any set of values. Nonetheless, we present these summary affirmations, in hope that: 1. We hope all who embrace life in the Holy Spirit would give an equal and total embrace to the whole of the Scripture’s requirements regarding ethics, moral purity, sexual integrity, marital fidelity, financial accountability and the spirit of Christlike ministry. 2. We hope we may present a point of reference for all charismatic Christian believers that thereby they may be assured of the constancy of their majority leadership to live by the character expectations of leaders as revealed in the eternal Word of God. 3. We hope the values focused in these affirmations might become acknowledged and honored as reflecting the common convictions and values of the broad fellowship of charismatic tradition. 4. We hope we might recognize and affirm that, apart from the ongoing transformation of the Holy Spirit, both structures and relationships will be ineffective in the establishment of and the adherence to any moral or ethical standards. We seek neither to establish a governing group nor attempt to frame and administer legal structures for enforcing ethical standards. We know that ultimately such are impossible apart from hearts of submission to God’s Word and Spirit. Still, with all, we hope that we may project an informal mechanism for identifying and marginalizing those who independently pursue a lesser commitment to Christian discipline or who demonstrate an indifference to a biblical lifestyle, thereby separating themselves as apart from and unrepresentative of true charismatic Christian standards. We embrace the following affirmations: 1. Ethical Crisis: the Problem: There is a crisis of ethical standards in the church in general and among charismatic/Pentecostal leaders in particular, characterized by: (1) an increasing tolerance for sexual infidelity; (2) an escalation in instances of abandonment of marital responsibility under the guise of commitment to ministry callings; (3) an indulgent understanding of the concept of restoration and; (4) a lack of self-moderation and discipline in areas of financial responsibility and extravagance. 2. Ethical Crisis: Causes: This ethical crisis is in part due to (1) an increase in the number of ministry leaders operating outside existing accountability structures; (2) the failure of existing accountability structures to enforce legal standards because of an absence of authentic peer relationships; (3) an increasingly prevalent perspective of ministry as a profession in which the importance of success and power outweigh the demands of servanthood and integrity and; (4) a growing perception that the private life of the leader has no bearing on his/her public ministry as long as that ministry continues to gratify its followers. 3. The Ineffectiveness of Strictly Legal Accountability Structures: Proposed structures of ethical accountability that are strictly defined by legal limitations have not worked in the past and thus will not work unless accompanied by the relational networks composed of both peers and superiors who are willing to openly confront moral failure and constructively provide avenues of restoration for the repentant. Thus, we urge assertive acceptance of the responsibility to minister discipline with love and righteousness with grace, so any independence from and persistence to behaviors adverse to godly values be identified as alien to the lifestyle of charismatic Christians and unrepresentative of the true charismatic Christian community. [###] |