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).