Intentional efforts are needed in the RFBC to create intergenerational unity in the life of the church. Specifically, this is accomplished through the intercessory work of the Lord Jesus Christ—the living Word. Moreover, it is because of the final blessing of God's Word that worship is constantly provoked in the psalmist's heart.
A theological and historical understanding of Scripture serves to increase intergenerational unity in the local church. First, some continuity is demonstrated in the mode of the canon - the written Word. Inerrancy is the pinnacle of Scripture – the peak of the mountain to which all other attributes climb.
Christians affirm the inerrancy of the Bible because it is the Word of God and God is the Truth. In the post-Reformation era, the sufficiency of Scripture was the testimony of the English Puritans. Allison, The 50 Essential Truths of the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2018); Baker Compact Dictionary of Theological Terms (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2016).
The Inspiration and Canonicity of Scripture”
First, key terms in each session were direct quotes from Allison's The Baker Compact Dictionary of Theological Terms. Second, many of the theological objectives are derived from—though sometimes modified—MacArthur's The Inerrant Word and Allison's 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith.
The Authority of Scripture”
Although the officials and traditions of the church have a certain amount of authority, only the Scriptures are divinely inspired and ultimately authoritative. First, some discussion was given as to who the Scriptures are authoritative over Christians, non-believers, everyone. This project took the position that the authority of Scripture extends to all of creation, but is relationally effective in the lives of the redeemed.
That is, since God—as creator and sovereign God—has authority over all creation, His moral law binds the consciences of all men. Therefore, thanks to the imago Dei, the law of God is written on the heart. However, only those whom he has redeemed receive the relative effect (effective calling) of the law.
Not only is obedience commanded, but believers are empowered by the power of the Holy Ghost to love and obey willingly. The doctrine of sufficiency teaches that the Bible contains that all human beings must be saved and fully please God. To avoid confusion, it was clarified that the Bible does not answer every question; rather, it only answers those questions that God intended.
It does not give comprehensive knowledge of God, nor does it make people omniscient like God. Explain the exclusivity of the gospel and the ways in which man can please and glorify God. Furthermore, it has been affirmed that where the Bible does not expressly address every matter, it implicitly provides principles and morals by which believers can act.
The Perspicuity of Scripture”
The Inerrancy of Scripture”
Q & A: The Chicago Statement and the Bible”
The purpose of the ministry project was to teach the doctrine of Scripture in pursuit of intergenerational unity. First, the purpose and goals of the project will be assessed, followed by the strengths and weaknesses that emerged after the implementation of the project. The purpose of the project was to teach the members of the First Baptist Church in Rogersville, Tennessee, the doctrine of Scripture in pursuit of intergenerational unity.
Naturally, these tensions led to different expectations among the congregation about the overall direction of the church. This equates to 20 percent of unknown membership for the largest generational group in the church. This project sought to provide the generations with the same foundation upon which to build—a common doctrine of the Bible.
This part evaluates whether each of these goals has been achieved in the implementation of the Ministry project. The first goal of the project was to assess the participants' knowledge of the teachings of Scripture. The Survey on the Doctrine of Scripture (SDS) was used to evaluate participants' knowledge of Scripture, achieving this goal.1 Each participant completed the survey prior to project implementation.
The survey retained the exact language of the Chicago Declaration to determine end-of-course growth. As the seminar progressed, it became apparent that none of the participants believed that there were errors or contradictions in the Bible. This revealed a somewhat consistent level of knowledge between the different groups at the start of the survey.
Curriculum Development
Specifically, since the project was about intergenerational participation, responses were measured both by group as a whole and by different generational groups. While the rising generation scored slightly lower in the survey than the two older generations, the results were relatively similar between the generations. Different theological objectives explained the main themes and issues and provided theological nuance and clarity.
The short section on historical relevance showed how the various characteristics of Scripture had developed over time in terms of historical theology—. The summary points concluded each teaching unit as the main themes were reinforced. Once the development of the curriculum was complete, a panel of four trusted ministerial leaders was tasked with evaluating the curriculum.
This goal was successfully met when the curriculum was completed and all four evaluators rated it with sufficient marks in every measurable area according to the rubric provided to them.2.
Project Implementation
For this goal to be successfully achieved, a minimum of four individuals from each generation had to participate in the implementation phase and be evaluated. There were a total of twenty-nine individuals present for the seminar and twenty-two were eligible and counted in the evaluation process. About half of the participants were RFBC members and half were members of another sister Southern Baptist church.
This goal was successfully met as eight members of the prime, eight members of the bridge and six members of the rising generation participated and were evaluated.3 Six participants were ineligible for consideration in the results: two were disqualified from evaluation due to of lack of church membership, one was disqualified for insufficient attendance, and three more were disqualified for not meeting the age requirement. Thus, the project's third objective was achieved when the seminar was completed and a sufficient number of participants completed the course and post-seminar survey.4.
Evaluation of Intergenerational Unity
Each of the listed goals was achieved in the Ministry's project and, as a result, the project was successful. However, some of the most important benefits of a project cannot be evaluated using metrics or analytical tools. Another participant commented on poll after poll: "The audience was clearly multigenerational, from preschoolers to older adults." This was one of the main goals and greatest strengths of the project - to have all generations of the church gathered under the Word for meaningful fellowship and study.
These feelings, shared and mentioned by several participants, are more than any measure a testimony to the success of the project. Perhaps the most intimidating aspect of the seminar—the technical language used in the pre-survey—proved unafraid of participants by the end of the event. One of the greatest strengths of the project was that deep theological truths were made understandable to every individual, every generation.
Perhaps more than the long-term success of the project itself in creating intergenerational camaraderie and unity, it will serve as a model for further progress. A final power that might at first seem unimportant was perhaps one of the most important pastoral ones. After two years of virtually no meaningful socializing (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), seeing RFBC members sitting down for an intergenerational meal was awesome, in the fullest and deepest sense of the word.
To meet the ethical requirements of the project, participants under the age of eighteen were required to obtain parental consent to participate. This has been one of the biggest struggles with Student Ministry in the past few years. Perhaps only a third of students who are active in student ministry have parents who are active church members, and those who rarely attend events with their children.
Would Do Differently
Another aspect of the ministry project that may have been done differently was the Survey of Scripture. The material covered in the curriculum was also a brief overview of the characteristics of Scripture. The unity of the church therefore depends on a common trust in the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.
Church creeds, councils or declarations have an authority greater than or equal to that of the Bible. The Holy Spirit bears witness to the Bible and assures believers of the truth of God's written Word. The doctrine of the sufficiency of the Bible refers to GOD'S PREPARATION OF ALL THE REVELATION He desires His human beings to have.
The clarity of Scripture is consistent with and supported by the Illumination of the Holy Spirit. The inerrancy of Scripture protects the church—and generations within the church—against the moral erosions of culture. The tables in this appendix show the pre- and post-survey results on the doctrine of Scripture (SDS).
We deny that any church creeds, councils or declarations have authority greater than or equal to the authority of the Bible. We affirm that all Scripture and all its parts, down to the words of the original, are given by divine inspiration. We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy is based on the Bible's teaching on inspiration.
We affirm that the Holy Spirit bears witness to the scriptures and assures believers of the truth of God's written word. The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God, Their Importance in the Christian Life.
