1. Have you read the June 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and do you fully support and agree with its statements?

Transcription

1 GREEN RIDGE BAPTIST CHURCH STAFF POSITION QUESTIONNAIRE DREW HUNSLEY POSITION: Associate Pastor of Family Ministries Questions may be answered on a separate sheet of paper. 1. Have you read the June 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and do you fully support and agree with its statements? I have read and support the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message 2. What do you believe about the creation account in Genesis? I believe God created the earth in a literal 7-day period. I also believe in a young earth. 3. What do you believe about Adam and Eve? Adam and Eve were the first humans who God created and were given the responsibility to fill the earth. They were the first sinners and it was through their disobedience that sin/death have passed to all of humanity. 4. Do you believe that the flood in Genesis was a universal flood? Yes. 5. What do you believe about Jonah and the great fish or whale? I believe the story literally happened as described in the book of Jonah. God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and, when he disobeyed, God caused him to be eaten by a large fish. The fish spit him out and he proceeded to Nineveh days later. 6. Briefly describe your own doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. (2 Timothy 3:16) God completed this process by inspiring human authors to write down the exact words of Scripture. The Bible shows individual characteristics and styles from the authors, but the message was inspired by God and was given to the authors through the work of the Holy Spirit.

2 2 7. Do you believe that the Bible is God s Word and therefore contains absolutely no errors in it? I believe the Bible is inspired by God, inerrant, and sufficient for guidance in any area of life. 8. Do you believe in the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch? Yes, although it is not a topic I have studied in depth. 9. Briefly describe your understanding of the fall of man. When Adam and Eve sinned, they fell from the perfection God had created them in. Their choice to sin was a decision of their free will and, in doing so, they caused death to come upon the entire human race. Perfect fellowship with God was severed and humanity was separated from God because of our sinfulness. All of mankind is now born with a sin nature and is worthy of eternal punishment for their sin. We cannot do enough good deeds on our own to ever remedy the sinfulness that has separated us from God. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Romans 5: Do you believe that Jesus was born of a virgin? Yes. 11. What do you understand is the role of Pastors or elders (episkopos, presbeuterous, poimen)? Pastors and elders are called to lead/shepherd the church, to teach the Word of God, to protect the church from false teaching, to care for the people in the church, and to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry. 12. Do you believe that the Apostle Paul was culturally biased in his writings? Do you believe that women should be a pastor or even an associate pastor of a local church? To say that Paul was not culturally biased in his writings would seem silly, but it is important to note that God was ultimately the one who inspired Paul to write the things he did. While cultural influences may have played a part in Paul s writings, we have to determine the underlying principles (eternally true) that are seen in any biblical passage. With that said, I do not believe women should lead a church. I believe women are gifted for ministry and are given spiritual gifts that can play a vital role in the local church, but the Bible seems clear that women should not be in a position of ultimate authority in a church. Elders/pastors are given the responsibility to teach and exercise oversight over

3 the church, and Paul specifically outlines that a woman should not exercise authority over a man. This does not make women less valuable or important, but it is important to understand the specific roles that God has placed on men and women and we should value those roles that I believe are outlined in Scripture. 13. What do you believe is the primary task of the local church? I believe that the local church is called to fulfill the great commission of making disciples and should practically focus on equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry. This can take many forms, but it is ultimately these goals that should dictate every ministry and program of the church. 14. Describe your philosophy of ministry as it relates to the Family Ministry in the local church. I have used the purpose-driven principles of fellowship, evangelism, discipleship, service, and worship as primary goals in the past and I believe these pillars allow me to effectively focus on creating well-rounded disciples. In addition to the use of these 5 purposes, I believe family ministry must be built on relationships. Relationships should be built with both the children and the parents and these relationships allow the church to speak into the lives of families in a much deeper way than simple programming would. Finally, I believe it is important for the church to recognize its role as a supporter of parents. Parents are the primary spiritual voices in the lives of their children. Parents should be challenged and equipped to lead their own children in cooperation with the spiritual instruction their children/students are receiving at church. The church must recognize and embrace its role as a specialized supporter of the parents role as the spiritual leaders in their homes. 15. What excites you the most about the Family Ministry in a local church? The opportunities to help families learn what it looks like to follow Jesus passionately and to allow Him to invade every aspect of their lives. Family ministry has a great opportunity to make a deep impact in the lives of families because of the broad range of time we have to invest in children and the importance of that role. Being able to walk alongside a family and provide spiritual guidance to their children throughout their lives is a wonderful opportunity. In addition to that, another area of family ministry that excites me is the a-ha moment that many students come to in their mid-teen years. Having the opportunity to teach students what it looks like to pursue Jesus and how to live a life that pleases Him is one of my greatest joys in family ministry. Whether it is a decision to accept Jesus as savior, a desire to serve in international mission work, or a simple understanding of how daily time with God can shape 3

4 4 their life, seeing a student get it is one of the most rewarding and exciting aspects on working with youth and kids. 16. What excites you the most about the work of the local church? While the local church certainly has problems to overcome, the most exciting aspect of working with the church is the fact that God has blessed it and chooses to use the church to accomplish His work in the world. God is the one who established the church and He is the one who gives us the strength to complete the work He has given us to do. We are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world and the fact that we are chosen by God to do His work is an incredible blessing. 17. What are you looking for in a church? In a pastor? We want to join a church that is: Highly relational. The church should understand the importance of walking through life with a community of believers and should be challenging their people to be connected for encouragement and accountability. Missional. They should be intentionally focused on reaching their community with the gospel (making disciples, not converts) and should have a clear plan to accomplish that. Practical. We cannot ignore what is going on the world and be ignorant to the practical needs of people. We want to serve in a church that is in touch with the community and is able to offer relevant teaching in a way that challenges people to action. We are not called to only be hearers of the Word, but doers! Our desire is to find a church like this and dive wholeheartedly into life and ministry with them. In a pastor, I want to work for someone who is: Godly. It should be clearly evident that everything we do is because of our love for God and people. An intimate relationship with God is essential to any good pastor. Team oriented. While it is clear that God places certain people in positions of authority, I don t want to work for someone who blatantly acts like they re better than others. Humility and a willingness to value the skills and opinions of others are essential to any cooperative effort. Honest and up-front about expectations, problems, or feelings. We should be respectful of others, but it is ok if people disagree. I want to work for someone who is going to tell me what he really thinks and is going to stand behind his comments when he makes them.

5 5 Supportive and loyal. If we are on a team, I want to work for someone who will stand up for me. I want to know that, whenever concerns or problems arise, I will be given the benefit of the doubt and will be able to trust the man I am working for to support the decisions we made together. 18. Describe your eschatological views. We understand there are differing views and that this is a secondary issue. I believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, but I think that Christians spend far too much time arguing over this issue. The absolute truth we can glean from Revelation is that Jesus is coming back, God reigns supreme over everything, and that mankind should be ready to stand before Him one day. Hell is real and God s justice will not be withheld forever, so the church should be anxiously awaiting His return and doing everything we can to share the good news of salvation with everyone we can until He returns. 19. As much as we try to avoid labels, if a member asks you if you are a Calvinist, what would be your response and why? I am not a Calvinist, but I think both Calvinists and Arminians are too absolute about the issues of free-will and election. There are Scriptural arguments for both the free will of the believer and the election/foreknowledge of God. While I cannot explain how both of these truths fit together and are consistent with one another, it seems clear to me that there is biblical evidence to support truth in both claims. God is sovereign and we have free will.