2010 NACC: We Can”t Say We Weren”t Warned

By Darrel Rowland

First night, first message at this year”s North American Christian Convention, President Ben Cachiaras let us know that the week would be more about “afflicting the comfortable” than comforting the afflicted.

Many of us had thought those square pieces of netting on our chairs that opening night at the Indiana Convention Center were some weird Hoosier way to save seats.

Instead, they were a visible reminder from Cachiaras of Jesus” radical call to the first disciples to drop their nets and follow him to a place “beyond”””the convention”s theme””and of our need to do the same today.

“A net is anything that prohibits you from following Jesus with abandon,” said Cachiaras, senior minister of Mountain Christian Church, near Baltimore. “God is always calling us to go beyond where we are now.”

Then came the prayer he wanted us to pray all week: “Dear God, disturb me.”

With that, we were off. A convention crowd almost double that registered just three years earlier plunged into a week filled with workshops on topics we”re often not comfortable talking about, from homosexuality to women”s role in the church to social justice, racism, and the Christian”s responsibility toward the environment.

The high-energy week wasn”t all heavy lifting. There were mini-footballs hurled into the audience, a T-shirt cannon, even a dance contest among three preachers.

But during the main sessions, speaker after speaker seemed intent on helping God answer Cachiaras”s prayer for us, convicting without guilt tripping.

Confession and Conviction

Take a seat and listen with us to one of the most renown leaders of our movement confess his lack of concern about international poverty in the years he was building a megachurch. Then ask yourself if deep down you feel the same way.

Examine your heart after a stirring plea for racial reconciliation and increased diversity in this predominantly white fellowship, during a convention with perhaps the most multicultural lineup ever of people on the platform.

Hear one of today”s most prominent Christian speakers actually express worry about how we love to study the Bible.

Take a look at a video showing the faces of the children in an African slum as a pig wallows nearby in their drinking water/open sewer. And then marvel with us as this harsh reality from one of the most desperate places on Earth turns into the week”s most heartwarming story.

On the convention”s second night, Dick Alexander of LifeSpring Christian Church in Cincinnati interviewed Mary Kamau, who with her husband, Wallace, founded Missions of Hope (cmfi.org/partner/hopepartnership), which now operates 10 schools with thousands of children in the Mathare slum of Nairobi, Kenya.

Even though the slum covers less than a square mile, it”s home to nearly a million people, with as many as 10 crammed into thousands of ramshackle one-room huts.

A native of central Kenya, Mary Kamau not only runs the schools, but the mission offers training and modest loans to start small businesses. She said throughout the process the love of Christ is shared openly””and thousands have responded.

“As we meet the physical needs of these people, their spiritual needs are met,” Kamau said.

As he often does, Alexander opened our eyes with a litany of statistics about worldwide hunger, poverty, slavery, and the 2 billion who still can”t hear the gospel in their native tongue.

He quoted a Ukranian brother warning American Christians, “We are tested by having a little. You are tested by having a lot.”

Alexander added: “Good intentions are not enough. Good intentions won”t feed one child. Good intentions won”t start one church. Good intentions won”t pray one prayer.”

Discipleship and Diversity

Francis Chan”s Crazy Love has been one of the hottest Christian books of recent years. But parts of his message, such as his emphasis on the church in Acts, seemingly could have been preached by Alexander Campbell 150 years ago.

Chan, who had just left his 16-year ministry with Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, said many believers seem to think we can be Christians without being disciples.

“I think that is one of the most destructive heresies today,” he said during his energetic, free-flowing talk that was the most-requested recording of the convention.

“Somehow we”ve learned to separate the Word of God from actually doing it,” Chan said. “If Jesus said something, you don”t have to do it, you just memorize it.”

Efrem Smith, founder of Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis, who is now with Kingdom Building Ministries covering the southwestern United States, cited a key reason racial reconciliation is so difficult within the church: We find it tough to love even people who look like us””much less those who are different.

Highlighting the diversity within Christ”s genealogy, Smith said, “Jesus walked the earth as a multicultural, multiracial, multiethnic human being. When Jesus was on the cross, and blood was coming from his head, and blood was coming from his hands, and blood was coming from his side, that was multicultural, multiracial, multiethnic blood from the King of kings and Lord of lords. That”s why when we say Jesus died for our sins, we can say that literally, because all of us were flowing through all of him.”

Transformed Lives

Gene Appel, now with Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, California, after stops building Central Christian in Las Vegas and serving Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago, took off his glasses and told us he could no longer see us clearly because he is nearsighted. But while his physical vision shortcomings were easily corrected, he confessed the remedy for his spiritual nearsightedness required a trip to Africa, where extensive poverty and hopelessness were in his face.

“It wrecked me,” he said. But he is now taking the advice of a friend in Africa, “Don”t ever let it stop wrecking you.”

While no individual or single church could ever fix such crushing problems alone, Appel said Jesus simply requires us “to do what you can with what you have.”

Brian Jones of Christ”s Church of the Valley in Philadelphia questioned why we measure church attendance and baptisms””the easy stuff“”but seldom relate stories about transformed lives where believers become “fully mature” in their faith.

“If we don”t fully disciple people, not having enough money or people attending our church is going to be the least of our problems,” he said. “God is calling us to evangelistic martyrdom where we are fully dying to our ambition, to wealth, to success.”

In the middle of the week, George Ross of Northside Christian Church in New Albany, Indiana, provided an oasis for those suffering from fatigue or burnout.

At the end of his talk he sang the old hymn “”Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” and many accepted his invitation to gather at one of several prayer stations set up in the hall. Numerous other couples or small knots of people got together near their seats, and put their arms around each other for prayers of encouragement and renewal.

“Come and Die”

One of the week”s most anticipated speakers, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, could not make the convention because of a medical emergency involving his wife and son. But he took time out from being at the hospital to record a DVD of his planned message, which was flown by two of Warren”s associates to Indianapolis in time for his scheduled Friday morning talk.

“I love the theme of this convention, to go beyond following Jesus to where you”ve never been. If you”re going to follow Jesus where you”ve never been, you must learn to think like you”ve never thought, because thoughts determine our actions.”

Warren urged leaders to mimic Jesus” progressive teaching of his disciples, starting with “come and see” and growing to “come and die.”

Creative Connections

Expanding the characterization of the NACC as “the connecting place,” several blogged from the convention this year while others put their Twitter accounts to creative use.

Adding unique spice was the simultaneous Filipino & American Christian Convention, its first joint gathering with the NACC. And putting a twist on the final evening, The Rock & the Rabbi musical drew the week”s biggest crowd, which was treated to a rousing portrayal of the story of Peter and Jesus.

Cachiaras said he wants the NACC to make an impact year round. Already, 25 churches have signed up to bring the “Beyond” messages to their congregations. (Get the material at www.gotonacc.org.)

“I look at the church and I feel like we”re not getting it done,” Cachiaras said during an interview. “I sense we have become a little too complacent.”

This year”s tough themes””including those assigned to those “outside our tribe”””were designed to address “some potential blind spots.”

Cachiaras said the NACC is becoming a premiere conference.

“There”s a fresh and good spirit in the air. It feels like something important could happen here.”

But the convention has a “branding problem,” he said. Once people attend they usually come back, but many won”t take that step to see what they are missing.

Since 3,844 registered for the 2007 NACC in Kansas City, the figure climbed 42 percent for Cincinnati in 2008, another 17 percent for Louisville in 2009, and this year an additional 15 percent, to 7,394. Next year”s gathering returns to Cincinnati, followed by Orlando in 2012.

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Reactions from those who were there

A few muted grumbles were heard about those outside the Restoration Movement being invited to speak, and there were a couple of fingernails-on-chalkboard moments for some when Chan talked about our “denomination” or Warren spoke solely of baptism as a “symbol.”

But those interviewed after the final session were uniformly upbeat and said the week will have far-reaching effects.

John and Ruth Chestnut, a missionary team in Kosova, lauded the “global emphasis,” which motivated five persons to stop by their booth in the exhibit hall and express serious interest about teaching in the former Yugoslavian area.

“They”re seeing that the world is bigger than my little town or my little church,” John said.

Three staffers from DC Regional Christian Church were lavish in their praise of this year”s gathering.

“It was by far the best convention I”ve been to,” said Abou Djaouga. “Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic.” He liked how the week blended the new generation of leaders with respect for previous giants, such as the onstage interview with Ben and Pat Merold.

“It was life-changing,” added Ray Mensah, who said this was his first NACC but not his last. “It”s moving me to think about what I am going to do when I get home.”

“I”ve got just three words,” said Steve Blake. “Ready to go.”

Darrel Rowland is an adult Bible fellowship teacher at Worthington (Ohio) Christian Church and public affairs editor of The Columbus Dispatch.