14,000 Lighthouses: Renewing the “C” in the YMCA

2011·93.6 MB·English

by  DAVID NEWMAN

14,000 LIGHTHOUSES:
RENEWING THE “C” IN THE YMCA
A THESIS
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF
GORDON-CONWELL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY
BY
DAVID NEWMAN
MAY 2011
ake LIBRARY
S1oa3u0ct ihdE asnHs aemCxio lntSwotenrle,le t MTAh eo0l1oog9i8e 2s- 2S3e6me4imin ary
Copyright © 2011 by David Newman. All Rights Reserved.
To my wife, Ashli, with love... forever.
Written to the future leaders of the YMCA: June 1894
Our fellow workers of the ages to come, whom, though yet unborn, we greet today, may
have yet to record yet nobler achievements, if only they never forget that the one
secret of success is the life of the Spirit of God in the heart, and that love of souls
which makes every Christian a missionary. Without any outward aids our forefathers
succeeded, because they had in their hearts this fire of first love; and without this, no
commodious buildings, no wise organizations, no staff of able secretaries can keep our
Association from going to decay. Nothing can take the place of spiritual life, and spiritual
life is one long victory. Courage then, brothers of today and tomorrow! On our
knees at the foot of the Cross, where we swear allegiance to our Divine Master, let
us ask without ceasing for a renewal of that baptism of life out of which has
arisen, among countless other blessed institutions, our Young Men's Christian
Association.
-President, G. Tophel,
General Secretary, CH. Fermaud
Fifty Years’ Work Amongst Young
Men In All Lands; A Review of the
Work of the Young Men’s Christian
Associations (Emphasis Mine)
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS viii
ABSTRACT
Chapter
1. THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Introduction
The Purpose of 14,000 Lighthouses
The YMCA and the Church
The Potential of 14,000 Lighthouses 10
Assumption of this Thesis-Project 12
The World’s Largest Lighthouse 14
Assessing the Brightness 15
The Strategy to Re-light the Lighthouse 17
. A THEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL FRAMEWORK:
THE LIGHTING AND DIMMING OF THE LIGHTHOUSES 20
The Biblical Foundation of Revival, Evangelism and Discipleship
Revival, Evangelism and Discipleship Throughout the History of
the YMCA 26
The Dimming of the Lighthouses 35
A Pattern of Ministry Institutionalism Through the Lens of the YMCA
. LITERATURE REVIEW 41
YMCA Resources 41
42
Historical Works
Significant Biographies 44
Handbooks and Training Books 46
48
The Path to Institutionalism
Revival, Evangelism and Discipleship 50
Revival 50
Evangelism 55
Discipleship 63
Healthy Churches and Church Planting Movements 66
. ASSESSING THE BRIGHTNESS 72
The Specific Setting 73
Assessing the Brightness at Countryside YMCA 74
Results 76
The Strategy to Relight the Lighthouse 83
Initiative #1- Training Seminars 84
Initiative #2 — The Chaplaincy Program 88
Initiative #3 — A Missional Church 94
. RESULTS AND RECOMMEMENDATIONS 99
The Current Cultural Moment of the YMCA 99
Training Seminars 100
Chaplain Program 104
A Missional Church 106
Heart Check 107
The Pace of Planting 107
Expectations 108
Thankfulness 108
Generosity 109
Pray for the YMCA Staff 110
Programs 110
vi
Offer Spiritual Enrichment Programs to the YMCA Community 111
A Purposeful Presence 111
Childcare Involvement 112
Understand the Language and the Values of the YMCA 112
Overall Results that Have Become Evident in the Culture
of the YMCA 112
Church of the YMCA Network 115
Conclusions and Expectations 115
Appendix
1. MISSION TRAINING SEMINAR 118
2. CORE VALUES TRAINING SEMINAR 141
3. YMCA CHAPLAINCY HANDBOOK 153
4. OUTLINE OF YMCA CHURCH PLANT STRATEGY 163
BIBLIOGRAPHY 167
VITA 171
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is a joy to acknowledge some special people that have joined me on this
journey. There are thousands and thousands of YMCA employees that desire, above all
else, to uplift Christ through their work at the YMCA. They work long hours, get paid very
little and sacrifice greatly for the beautiful mission to which they have pledged their lives.
Thanks for coaching kids, teaching lessons, opening gyms, counseling at camps,
mentoring the next generation and displaying Christ through real life. | can’t wait to hear
the stories of your faithfulness celebrated in Heaven. May these words help to fuel the
passionate pursuit of your life!
| am also thankful that God is raising up a number of revolutionary, mission-
minded church planters that view the YMCA as the greatest platform in the world to plant
a church. | can’t wait until the day where there will be 14,000 of us!
| would like to thank Dr. Tim Beougher, my DMIN mentor and friend who guided
this project, Dr. Robert Coleman, Dr. David Currie and my buddy in this journey, Kennon
Vaughn. | also am grateful for those who have ministered to me for a lifetime: my
parents, my in-laws, and my three “glorious brothers.”
Finally, | am blessed to not only have an amazing wife, but four passionate sons
who sword fight with sticks, sling mud at each other and play football with me in the back
yard. Oh how | love each of them!
viii
ABSTRACT
This thesis examines whether or not the YMCA has drifted from its original
mission. It begins by tracing the foundation of its mission throughout its historical roots
and demonstrates the profound effects that the YMCA has been able to accomplish
when it has operated according to its mission of putting Christian principles into practice.
It measures the mission knowledge and application within the specific context of
Countryside YMCA in Lebanon, Ohio and also examines other research to assess if the
results are reflective of the movement as a whole. The conclusion reveals that
Countryside YMCA has drifted from its mission. The author introduces a three part,
reproducible strategy to renew the “C” in a local YMCA through two training seminars, a
chaplaincy program and the planting of a missional church that is strategically partnered
with a local YMCA.
CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Introduction
There is a scene in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, when Gandalf
the Wizard asks Pippin the Hobbit to accomplish a critical task. He is asked to light the
beacon.’ The beacon is merely a tower that is filled with dead wood. In essence, it is a
massive torch that carries a mighty purpose. When the dead wood catches fire, other
watching men will see its light and they, in turn, will light their beacons. Lights will flicker
for miles upon miles across the horizon, illuminating the darkness and calling all the men
of middle earth to battle. Today, there are 14,000 towers of light that spread across this
world. These lighthouses are known as The Young Men’s Christian Associations. Like
massive torches of dead wood they bear the potential to give the light of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ to all nations. They have been built for this purpose. Their foundation,
heritage and stated mission all lead towards this goal. However, this author’s
assumption is that this bright light has dimmed and is in desperate need of being lit
again.
This thesis project will examine the global movement of the YMCA with a focused
emphasis on Countryside YMCA, the largest, independent YMCA in the world. It will
assess whether or not Countryside has drifted from the true mission of the YMCA. The
author will then propose a reproducible strategy to re-light the lighthouse at Countryside,
with the ultimate aim of creating a catalytic movement of light that shines to the ends of
the earth. The author believes that there will be a day when the atrophied mission of the
YMCA will be restored. The dimming light of 14,000 lighthouses will, once again, flare
with brightness and shine with strength. People from every tribe, language, nation and
' Peter Jackson, dir., The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Los Angeles: New Line
Cinema, 2003).