Surgery on Monday

It’s called Minimally Invasive Back Surgery. And it’s needed for 3 disorders: canal Stenosis, Lumbar Spondylosis and Neurogenic Claudication according to my neurosurgeon.

My surgery is finally scheduled for this coming Monday at 10:30am at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bellingham, WA. I have been told I will need to be in overnight to make sure everything is OK.

This surgery on my lower back is for now. I also have another needed surgery on my neck that will wait until after my lower back heals.

I am hoping that I will only need a week off from work but that is in God’s hands. Good things are happening in the harvest fields with church planting and God continues to use me.

So, please pray that the Great Physician and Healer will guide Dr. Goldman as he opens me up with a small incision and does his work.

Now here’s my list of the top 10 things you do not want to hear from your surgeon while you are on the table:

10. “Oh, just pick that up off the floor and we’ll use it again.”

9. “What’s this red stuff that won’t stop coming out of him?”

8. “Can someone please find my textbook on surgery.”

7. “What’s a scapel?”

6.” Is that bone or muscle?”

5. “Where’s the phone number for his next of kin?”

4. “I think I forgot to use soap when I washed my hands.”

3. “2 out of 3 isn’t so bad.”

2. “But I was sure I was supposed to cut off the bone on the right.”

1. (The all-time worse thing to hear your surgeon say in the middle of your surgery) “OOPS!”

Expanding the Kingdom through Church Multiplication

On Thursday afternoon I had the opportunity to have lunch with and then spend the afternoon with four other guys in Vancouver, Washington (not to be confused with Vancouver, BC, Canada).

This was the first meeting of the newly formed Pacific Northwest District (EFCA) Church Planting Team. To my knowledge, this was the first meeting of such a church planting team in the PNWD for many years. Those present included three pastors, a District Superintendent and me. All of us have a heart for church planting and a desire to see church planters and church plants multiplied throughout the mission fields of Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

We spent time over lunch at the Olive Garden getting to know each other’s stories and why we share a common interest in church planting. Then we reassembled for some great discussion.

Much of what we talked about were the ideas and principles from Steve Addison’s book, Movements that Change the World. We dreamed together about how we might set the stage for a church multiplication movement to take place in the Pacific Northwest.

Addison writes about the five key elements found in movements that change the world: white-hot faith, commitment to a cause, contagious relationships, rapid mobilization and adaptive methods. Could it be that God might stir up such a movement for church multiplication here in the Pacific Northwest just like he is doing elsewhere in the world today?

Together we affirmed the vision shared by District Superintendent Bruce Martin – see the number of Evangelical Free Churches increase from 46 to 90-100 in the next ten years. Our desire is to work with the current pastors and churches here to help see this happen.

This is exciting stuff, especially in a district and region known much more for closing churches than for planting new churches.

The Pacific Northwest District currently has one active church plant, but three more may begin within the next 12 months, God willing. Please pray with me and us for a move of the Holy Spirit which results in multiplying disciple-making churches in the Pacific Northwest.

Dealing with the Unexpected

In the middle of March I woke up one morning with lower back pains which in a few days had spread to my lower front abdomen. Rest did not do much so I eventually went to my doc. He was puzzled and so I ended up at a neurosurgeon who put me through an MRI and discovered severe spinal stenosis (narrowing of the space around my spinal column nerves). Surgery was recommended but a follow up MRI indicated problems requiring surgery in my lower back and neck. Marty and I decided to have outpatient minimally invasive surgery on my back first while we pray.

That was step one. Now comes step two. My neurosurgeon wanted to have me checked by a cardiologist before he attempted any surgery so I went to a cardiologist who had me go through a nuclear stress test because of my previous heart artery stent procedures 4 years ago. I go through that 3 ½ hour test and head off to Tacoma where I am serving as interim pastor. Two days later I get a phone call from the cardiologist’s office with the news that part of my heart is not getting enough blood supply so he will do a heart catheterization to see what is causing the lack of adequate blood supply. That procedure will happen next Thursday in the morning. I find myself dealing with the unexpected and thanking God for your prayers.

So at the present time, here’s what I am facing:.


#1-Heart catheterization with possible angioplasty and/or stent placement next week. If that one-day procedure doesn’t work, then I may need something else done.

#2-Lower back minimally invasive surgery to open up space for my nerves and take care of some disc herniation. This too should be a one-day outpatient surgery.

#3-Soon I will probably need a more extensive surgery on my neck involving fusion of three vertebrae with laminectomies.

#s 2 and 3 are dependent on a successful treatment and resolution of #1.
These issues are really no surprise since I have a history of cardiac artery disease and stent placement for blockages and 3 different back surgeries in the lower back and neck, but they are certainly unexpected and will require God to provide funds for the insurance deductables.

So thank you for your prayers and please pray for wisdom and guidance for the doctors and health care people involved resulting in healing from the Lord. Pray that I will not have to miss much time away from my many ministry responsibilities. Pray for Marty who will be giving some home care for me while I recover and as she works part-time. And pray for us for the peace of God, patience for recovery and healing, dealing with pain caused by my neck problems while I wait for surgery, and for the strength and courage to trust the Lord for his will.

Adjusting to a Busy Ministry Schedule

I enjoy blogging, but finding the time to do it and do it well is another story.
In July I began a new ministry as an Intentional Interim Senior Pastor. This full-time ministry is an addition to the coaching, consulting and training that I am also beginning to do in my role as Church Planting Coach in the Pacific Northwest. This is a bi-vocational ministry where my “day job” is also ministry but in my current case a full-time-plus day job.

Now, I’m only doing this double duty because the Interim Pastorate is short-term, meaning six-months to a year depending on the need and how quickly the church will be able to call a new senior pastor. This church ministry is a God-send and an answer to prayer for our “daily bread.” But it is still a very demanding schedule, especially at our age and energy level.

For example, it’s my day off and I just finished writing the pastor’s blog for the church web site, posted it, and then turned my attention to writing this blog. Following this I will be editing my Coach and Equip web site and cleaning my desk. I can do this because it’s a quiet day with Marty at work handing out samples at Costco, and it’s raining outside. At least I got a nap in today and was able to sample Apple Strudel handed out at Costco in Bellingham by Marty. I’m also able to do this because I finished my sermon preparation and sermon Power Point for tomorrow in Tacoma.

So, to my coaching, consulting, and training, add the following “normal” church stuff: sermon preparation and preaching, counseling, training leadership, recruiting leadership, coaching leadership, hospital and home visitation, blogging, entering stuff on Facebook and Twitter, phone calls, reading, researching the church neighborhood, preparing for and leading the weekly Bible Study and Prayer meeting, attending church activities in the neighborhood, leading staff meetings and coaching the staff, planning, preparing for an all-day leaders retreat, and did I say praying? Now, what am I forgetting?

All this is to say I need prayer, and from time-to-time a bit of encouragement.
Oh yes – I will soon be having surgery for my back so my schedule will need to be adjusted some for a few weeks. More to come on that soon.

One of the biggest challenges in ministry is learning to use the communication tools that are available.

In the last three weeks I have been learning to use Twitter. Twitter is a social network tool that has hit the church planting world with a storm. I am learning to use it to expand my network of church planting leaders and discover what’s on the cutting edge in church planting ministry. I am also sending “Tweets” letting people know the resources that I use, books I am reading, and Twitter users that I am following. For example, one of the best sites for current church planting information is Ed Stetzer’s regular Tweets at @edstetzer. In the future I envision using Twitter to promote resources that I will produce and advertising services that I offer. Plus, there are many uses that I look forward to discovering. Resourcing is a valuable part of effective coaching, consulting and training. You can follow my Tweets on Twitter at @charlieworley.

I have been using Facebook for a few months now and enjoy networking with over 350 friends now, many of them my students and people that I have or am coaching. Facebook also has e-mail capabilities that I use from time to time. Recently I encouraged one of the church planters I am coaching to get the word out on his infant church plant using Facebook and Twitter for maximum exposure and advertising. You can become one of my Facebook friends and follow me at www.facebook.com/charlieworley.

At the Interim Pastor ministry I am doing at Calvary Baptist Church in Tacoma, Washington, I am using Facebook, Blogging, e-mails, letters, phone calls, personal visits, and public announcements to improve communication. I have learned that if communication is to be improved, it must start with me. It takes time, but it’s worth the effort. Check out the church web site at www.calvarytacoma.org.

I haven’t learned “texting” yet and have resisted because my finger joints are getting larger and stiffer and the keys on the phones are getting smaller . But, this may change before long.

Maybe you have some ideas on how I can best communicate with you.

Birth Announcement

One of the great benefits of coaching is seeing those with whom I have had a coaching relationship bear fruit for the Lord. On Wednesday I received the following e-mail “Birth Announcement” from Trevor, a church planter in Dallas whom I have had the privilege of coaching:


"...there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10 (ESV) Rejoice in the Lord with me! He has done it again! SALVATION IS OF THE LORD! It is He that draws, and it is He the saves. He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:5-7 (ESV) Praise the Lord!”

“I elatedly announce to you the new birth of Toney, today, about 5:30p.m.! I was walking through the transit station toward Long John Silver's which was on the other side of the street as I eyed a man in one of the bus dugouts. I was tempted to keep going, but the Lord placed him on my heart (an answer to prayer - that God would set up divine appointments). I noticed that he had a folder in his hand which might have contained resumes. Indeed, he had been job hunting. I did have a job lead for him too. I gave him my STBC card, and on the back I wrote the job lead info. Please be in prayer for this.

This prompted him to ask if I were a pastor. This led us to exchange a little about our background. He explained that he had recently left CA, and was nearly homeless. He is temporarily allowed to stay with his mother, but that not a good situation, because she recently got married. His sisters would not allow him to stay with them. Please be in prayer for this.

He continued to talk about his life challenges. Yet, he expressed interest in peripheral godly things. So I asked him if he were a Christian, and he responded that he was. As I probed further, it became obvious to him that his Christianity had no foundation. Thus, he was unsaved. I shared Christ as the solution to sin. I asked him if he were hungry. He said yes. We continued to Long John Silver's for fish tacos. He told me that it had been a long time since someone had been nice to him. After eating I asked him if there was any reason that he wouldn't like to trust Christ right then. Immediately, he expressed a desire to trust Christ. We prayed together for the forgiveness of his sin, and he gave his life to the Lord. Please be in prayer for him.”

Note: I (Charlie) thank God for Trevor and my small role in his life and ministry and pray that there will be many more Trevors and many, many more Toneys. To God be the glory!

Change?

On July 1st I began a ministry as Intentional Interim Senior Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Tacoma, Washington. This is one of the ministries that I do as a Church Planting Coach in the Pacific Northwest. And, Sunday was my first opportunity to preach to and begin leading the congregation of 140+ people as their pastor for the next six months or perhaps a few months longer.

The message was intended to be an introduction to a series of talks on Ephesians as well as to my ministry as interim pastor. The Lord led me to focus on the necessity and importance of change as we build together a foundation for the future of the church. Three kinds of change were highlighted.

Change is simply doing something different. For example, change happens when we grow up as we move from crawling to walking. The Christian life is filled with small steps of following Christ as we grow into maturity and Christlikeness. And change in the church is required as membership increases or decreases or certain programs or ministries no longer work like they used to.

The second kind of change that is needed is transition or moving from one place to another. We transition we change jobs or when one pastor leaves a church and another comes. Neighborhoods change as people and businesses move out and new people and businesses move in or disappear. Churches have 2,3 or 4 generations and churches transition as one generation becomes leaders and an older generation no longer leads.

The third kind of change is radical change called transformation. Transformation is becoming something different. The Gospel of Christ is designed by God to bring radical transformation in the individual where she or he becomes a new creation ever becoming more like Christ in thought, word and deed. Churches filled with transformed believers are designed by God to go through radical changes to reach new people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. And transformed churches possess the power of God that can transform a neighborhood or community if ministry “ruts” can be avoided or overcome.

My role at Calvary Baptist is to be a change agent helping individual believers and the church change, transition and experience transformation with God’s help. It’s no small job but with prayer, God’s enablement and empowerment, all things are possible.

How do you handle change?