Participants dared to become 'the church God has in mind' By Craig M. Kibler The Layman Online Thursday, October 9, 2003 PORTLAND, Ore. – Telling her audience that, if they leave Portland with happy thoughts in their minds, the Rev. Carmen Fowler said Gathering VIII "will have been a failure." "The intent," she said, "was to help us discern together what it means to become an unstoppable force (the theme of this year's Gathering). I dare you to become the church that God has in mind." Some of the proposals discussed during the Gathering included Christology, gracious separation, a new wineskin for the denomination, discipline, withholding of per capita, mission, multicultural ministries and others. "This is about truth and dare," said Fowler, who is ending her two-year tenure as executive director of the Coalition to return to pastoral ministry. "We are not people who are void of the truth. Do you know that truth? Has the truth set you free? Should you have a heart that dares you to share it with others? "How does that happen?" she asked. "How do we move from being people who sit receptively just hearing? The desire is not to pour the Word into sponges. The desire is that the sponges be squeezed out. "God has been pouring into us, individually and corporately, for years – but too few of us are really being squeezed out in the work, locally, nationally and internationally," Fowler said. "It is not enough to just soak up the Word of God. The Word of God is alive, it is organic, it is not intended to be soaked up and just be held here. It is intended to be set free so that others may know." She said that everyone should make a "to-do list" about how they live their Christian lives. "Is there anything on your to-do list that's a threat to anybody? Is there anything that is a threat to Satan? If there is, how scared will you be? If you are not being pursued by the evil one, my guess is that you're not faithfully pursuing Jesus Christ and his work, then what you're doing is not sufficient for the Kingdom of God." Fowler challenged her audience again, asking them, "What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and to bring him joy forever. Is there the applause of heaven to what's going on in your life? It doesn't really matter what we're doing if we're not doing that." "The will of God is your sanctification," she said. "Is there evidence that your life is becoming more holy, more sanctified? Is there evidence of the 'more?' It's not that you love God some, it's do you love him more? Is there evidence of that? Do you love your neighbors as yourselves. What's the evidence of that? "I believe the unstoppable force, the church, is filled with people, individually and corporately, whose life together is designed to bring glory to God, who love God and love their neighbors." Fowler then stressed discipleship, repeating that the "purpose in life is bringing God glory and bringing him joy. How am I living out my life of faith? What are the questions on the final exam?" The answer, she said, is "show me your disciples. I told you 'to go and make disciple of all nations.' Show me your disciples. Bear fruit, fruit that will last. Show Jesus Christ your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Challenge each other to bear evidence of active disciplining." Then, in a reference to Moderator Susan R. Andrews, who the day before held up the three crosses she wears as moderator that are riveted together as a sign of the denomination's unity, Fowler said the highest value in the Christian life "is not three structures riveted together. The highest value is Jesus Christ, and him alone. Everything else, my friends, will fall away. If there are things more important in your life in the church, then you are in for difficult times ahead."

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