John H Armstrong

Synergy Network Conference in Chicago

I have appreciated the teaching and mentoring ministry of Carolyn Custis James for some time. I came to know about Carolyn because of my friendship with her husband Frank, who is now the dean at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Carolyn is a prolific author and a first-rate thinker. She is also a warm communicator whose ministry to men and women is deeply Christ-centered. She is the author of several very popular books. There are many great women teachers who are well worth knowing today but very few quite like Carolyn. This is why I happily asked her to speak in Chicago in 2010, which led to a co-sponsored event to be held at Christ Church in Oak Brook (IL) on January 23. I hope all who are within driving distance of Chicago will plan to attend this great Saturday event. It might appear that this day is only for women but this is not the case. Wives, bring your men. Come and meet me at Christ Church for a wonderful day of teaching and fellowship. Here is the link that you need to view the event information and register. I hope you will join me for Synergy Chicago.

ACT 3 Luncheon Forums Begin This Month

ACT 3 begins its second season of Luncheon Forums on September 16. If you live in the Chicago area we invite you to attend this event at the Holiday Inn in Carol Stream at 11;45 a.m. The ACT 3 Luncheon Forums are designed to provide a place for equipping the thought life of serious Christian leaders. They also provide an opportunity for encouragement and fellowship.

Our first luncheon for this season features Dr. Joel Scandrett speaking on “Catholic Evangelicalism: A Witness to the Ancient Way.” Joel is an adjunct professor at Wheaton, a former editor at Inter Varsity Press and an Anglican priest.

These luncheons are open to anyone who wants to come but registration is strongly recommended. You can sign up at the ACT 3 Website events registration tab. The event costs $20, which includes the meal. You can also call (630) 221-1817 for information or to register. Space is limited so sign up soon if you can come.

Facebook and Twitter

Some of you are already using Facebook and Twitter as social networking sites. I resisted Twitter for a few months but recently have found it useful as a way of linking me to helpful information in a simple way. I do not much care for people telling me their every move, and meal, throughout the day. I do like hearing about what they are writing, reading and thinking about vitally important issues and subjects. It also allows me to pray for friends when they post a simple sentence seeking my support. Facebook is already a huge social networking resource that I came to appreciate about six months ago. All of my blogs and articles are also posted as links on Twitter and Facebook. If you like these technologies, and enjoy using them, be sure to link to me on one or both of them. If you Twitter be sure to link so I can also follow you as well.

Social networking sites allow ACT 3 to inform its friends about publications, content, research and news. They also allow me to personally share with a wider circle of our friends.

I Am Somtimes Surprised That I Am Still Here

My friend Steve Brown recently recalled that Malcolm Muggeridge—the British journalist, author, satirist and Christian—once said when he was an old man that he sometimes awoke in the morning with one foot on earth and one in heaven. “Sometimes,” Muggeridge said, “I wake up surprised that I’m here.”

I not quite to this point yet but I can picture it if I live long enough. I do know, along with Steve, that I wake up at the end of August saying, “I’m surprised we are still here and doing this mission of ACT 3.”

Don’t misunderstand me. I am not surprised that I am still able to minister. I will do ministry whether ACT 3 succeeds or not. But God clearly has shown us that he has a continued purpose for this mission that we formed back in 1991 in my family room in Carol Stream. There have been times, however, when I really wondered.

I wondered when we began to lose donations in the early part of this decade. My open commitment to ecumenism cost us dearly. This really began in May of 1999 when we did our first trans-denominational conference at the University of Dubuque. I still recall the letters and calls that we got about having speakers from the “wrong” places. The list of plenary speakers included Carl Braaten (ELCA), William Abraham (United Methodist, photo at right), Donald Bloesch (United Church of Christ), J. I. Packer (Anglican) and me (now Reformed Church in America). We lost a lot of donors and hundreds of thousands of dollars from May of 1999 until about 2003. Once the bleeding stopped we closed an office and laid off staff. This was heartbreaking because it made me let go of some very dear friends in the process. We lost 60% of our total giving over the course of about three years. It was very stressful and thus I wondered, “Will we be here next year?”

My open commitment to think outside the box of certain kinds of rigid Reformed conservatism has also cost us very dearly. The verbal and written attacks of some leaders assured opposition against us in certain contexts. Misunderstanding followed. Though I have sought to “be at peace with all men” there have been times when men (I can’t think of one woman who has done this) have simply refused to be at peace with me. I have offered to meet with them and discuss things in private. I have been refused more times than I can remember. The instances that hurt the most were where men who I thought were good friends simply stopped writing or calling. Their actions spoke volumes. (There have been some wonderful exceptions. There are still a number of friends who do not always agree with me but who have chosen to not make this a test of relationship!)

So at the end of the summer 2009 I am amazed some days that we are still here. I am also grateful that so many of you love me, read me and support me and ACT 3. I am profoundly grateful to those who have donated to ACT 3 this year. In the last few months we have faced, like so many non-profits, a crisis in funding. The recession has hurt us. By God’s grace our immediate needs have been recently met thus we have kept current with our greatly revised budget.

While all of this sifting and shaking has gone on God has recently given me a deep sense of what is ahead. The vision of ACT 3 is simple: “To equip leaders in the unity of Christ’s mission.” We are working very diligently to create a strategic plan to carry out this vision in the next five years. Included in this vision are events that will follow the publication of my book Your Church Is Too Small, next March. Also included are articles and an expanded Web presence. God willing, we will launch a new initiative to train small cohort groups of leaders for the purpose of transforming the church. This new Center for Transformissional Leadership is taking shape and more information will come as we develop it. I will also begin working with an intern this week, a senior at Wheaton College. This senior leads the Ecumenical Society on campus. We have some plans to reach more students as we share together.

I have learned a number of things along the way. There is one thing I have learned again and again. God requires us to persevere through dark days and sunny days. He does not promise to always send sunshine but he does promise to always be with us if we are with him. I have not done everything well I assure you but I have served with my goal clearly before me—to exalt the glory of Christ and to pursue the making of disciples by equipping leaders for unity in Christ’s mission (Matthew 28:18-20 and John 17:20-23). Your love and support helps to make sure that we are still around in the next few years. If you would like to help us again, or for the first time, you can do so at ACT 3 online. 

The Summer Crunch and the Ministry of ACT 3

I stay in touch with a number of other ministries like ACT 3. Several are led by my closest friends. As a result of this fellowship I know that all of us are undergoing challenging times this summer. Ministry for us has never been stronger and opportunities beckon on many fronts. I have been granted amazing freedom to speak, teach, counsel, write and encourage. A DVD will come out in August that tells our story powerfully. The future for ACT 3 looks bright beyond words. Yet these summer months, with the economy in recession, have been more than a test for us in terms of meeting our small budget. We have cut our budget several times. We cut salaries 25% last September and have made other cuts since then. We operate in a responsible manner and our board takes oversight of the mission seriously.

I write this because I need you help right now. Today!

We will not make our payroll unless we get about $2,000 by early next week. This is not a huge sum but for us it is very important. We could really use about $5,000 so we guarantee that we can finish the summer by meeting our revised/lowered budget. I am prepared to live on less, already having done this for a year, and I am prepared to make do on whatever the Lord gives to us in terms of our growth and vision. I am not prepared to back up or quit. We are on the verge of the greatest ministry we have had in seventeen-plus years of serving the church and its leaders. I believe the Lord will provide.

Would you, readers and friends who appreciate this blog and the ministry of ACT 3, help us right now? You can do this in one of two ways.

Send a check to ACT 3, P. O. Box 88216, Carol Stream, IL 60188.

Or, go to ACT 3 online and give a gift through our secure donation site. It is easy, quick and gets funds to our bank in hours.

Thanks for your help. Please keep us in your prayer as you think of various ministries that serve the church all across America. We believe that equipping leaders for unity in Christ's mission is vital to the future well-being of the whole church. If you believe this then help us if you can.

ACT 3: What Are We Known For as a Mission

I mentioned several days ago that we had an ACT 3 annual board retreat May 4-6. One of the items we discussed was what the people who market call "branding." Now I am not a market person at all. If anything I am nervous about it but I also know it is important in the wider picture of things and that I have over-reacted against the positive insight of marketing.

Having said this I heard a pastor recently describe his own involvement in Rotary. He said the Rotary asked the question: "What do people think of when they hear about Rotary Club?" The answer, he told us, was "Polio." I did not know this about Rotary so I guess I did not know what made it a distinctive service organization. He also told us that there were only four countries where polio was still a major challenge to children: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Nigeria. For Rotarian this spells PAIN and they want to remove this last hurdle of pain as a movement. What a great goal and purpose.

As we met in our board meeting we asked: "What is ACT 3 known for as a mission?" We listed many things we hear people say about us but we also realized that there is no simple, single answer that we have communicated to people we meet. We have a story but we have not told it as clearly as we should. The "ethos" of ACT 3 is not clear to most who run into the work we do in various ways.

We are still working on this point but in a single sentence I will tell you that what I want people to think of when they hear ACT 3, and of John Armstrong, is that we are a catalyst for unity in Christ's mission. We seek to stimulate and change the present reality of the visible church by calling it to obey the clear teaching of Jesus in John 17:20-23 and we seek to do this by reminding all Christians and churches that the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) is indeed "great." Jesus' commission has been given to us and our unity will clearly bring about the fulfillment of this commission in the world.

Webster says "A catalyst is a person or thing acting as a stimulus in bringing about or hastening a result." We are a mission that exists to bring about "unity in Christ's mission."

The Annual ACT 3 Board Meeting

Each year, in early May, the entire board of ACT 3 meets for two days. We begin on a Monday evening with dinner and prayer. We get better acquainted, hear the stories of new board members and then pray. This year we have asked Rev. Phil Miglioratti, featured on this blog a few weeks ago, to lead our prayer time. Then on the Tuesday, which happens to be today, May 5, we do our primary business. We approve a budget, go over our financial statements, receive a report from the president (me) and envision the future of this mission. This day starts with what may seem like mundane reports and decisions but it ends with dreaming and thinking outside the box. Today will be no different, except that we are taking a sober look at our financial needs and the funds that we have to meet those needs. (We have less than in the past.) We will also take a good look at the future. I am sixty years old and this means we need to ask: "What specifically should we be doing as a mission in the next decade if God grants these years to me and this mission?" Our desire is to make a real difference in bringing our vision of a unified church, rooted in genuinely orthodox faith, to the forefront of the larger church in American and beyond.

Finally, on Wednesday morning we wrap-up loose ends and head for home. Several go back to Ohio and one to Texas. Several others come from California. (One from Georgia is on mission in China and not present this year!) Several live in the Chicago area. These men and women come to serve without payment because they love me and ACT 3. Would you pray for us during these hours as we seek God and his direction for this mission?

ACT 3 Luncheon Forums : Uncompromised Faith: Overcoming Our Culturalized Christianity with S. Michael Craven

Your Church Is Too Small

Many of you have prayed for me as I wrote a book telling my own story and explaining what I mean by missional-ecumenism. That book was completed last November, at least the draft was finished. I then gave it to Zondervan, my publisher. After several delays the book was put into the production schedule and will be released in February of 2010 if all stays on track.

When a book is accepted by most publishing companies a process begins that includes choosing a title and subtitle, creating art work for front and back of the book, and doing macro-edits and then micro-edits. The process takes several months. Then the marketing and sales people also get involved. I will personally be very proactive in the work on this book, even meeting with the staff at Zondervan on Monday, April 6, for a private time of dialogue and planning.

Last week the final title for the book was chosen after a process of discussion between me and several editors at Zondervan. The final title is: Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ's Mission Is Vital to the Future of the Church. I am very pleased with this choice and believe it accurately reflects the passion of the author.

Pray for the next steps in this process. The designer is working on three looks for the cover. I will interact with this process. Then we will make some decisions about the content and about who might endorse the book. We will also work on various markets. Who might buy the book and why? How might other ministries use it and which ones should we contact? The process, including my writing, will be about 30 months in all.

A Dallas Retreat on Spiritual Awakening

This Saturday, March 28, I will teach a unique seminar from 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship (The Treehouse), in Carrollton, Texas. Men and women from the north Dallas-Fort area have formed a group of intercessors to seek God for awakening through a special Day of Prayer on May 5. (This event will be held at the Rough Riders Baseball Park in Frisco, Texas, and is sponsored by a group called God of the City.)

The event at which I speak this weekend will be a half-day retreat for this group of intercessors, as well as other ministry leaders from the Dallas area. I will speak on revival. There will be a time for fellowship and prayer included in the seminar. If you would like to attend you should email: maryann@godofthecity.com. There is no charge. Coffee and light snacks are provided but there is no child care.

There will also be a special ACT 3 Evening event this coming Sunday evening at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Plano, Texas. This event begins at 6:00 p.m. and is open to guests as well. I will present the address: "My Three Conversions: A Journey to Trinitarian Unity in Mission." Because there is a dinner for this event if you plan to attend you must sign up. You can do so on our ACT 3 Web site.

I hope old and new friends of ACT 3 will join me for one or both of these events. It would be a joy to see some of you again and to meet some of you for the first time.