John Howard Morgan

Expanding Our Vision, Our Organization and Our Leadership For Our Kingdom Culture Mission

A Pastoral Letter

From Pastor John Morgan

March 27, 2017

Within the next one and a half to two years, my role will change from being the Lead Pastor of Pinon Hills Community Church to becoming the President of Pinon Hills Ministries and we will be selecting and hiring the next Lead Pastor of Pinon Hills Community Church.

Our Kingdom Culture Mission

We are expanding our vision at Pinon Hills Community Church to grow the Kingdom of Christ in human culture. Jesus expressed that purpose when he prayed, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) In short, that means that our ultimate goal is to bring the truths, values and actions of Christ into every sphere of society. We have a Kingdom Culture Mission.

The church is the priority ministry in a Kingdom Culture Mission because the church is the disciple-making engine of Christ’s Kingdom. As Jesus said, “Go make disciples of the nations…” in Matthew 28:19. However, many other ministries are needed to reach some people in society who are too far from the church and other ministries are needed that create Kingdom Culture in the different spheres of society. We also need schools and missions organizations and evangelistic organizations and ministries that address all kind of social needs from poverty and hunger to addiction recovery to counseling. We need great Kingdom Churches and great Kingdom Culture Ministries to fulfill our Kingdom Culture Mission.

Expanding from Pinon Hills Community Church to Pinon Hills Ministries

In order to organize ourselves to fulfill our Kingdom Culture Mission, we will expand our organization from having every ministry under Pinon Hills Community Church to having every major ministry under the expanded organization of Pinon Hills Ministries. The ministries under Pinon Hills Ministries will include Pinon Hills Community Church, the Southwest Christian Academies (preschool through 12^th grade), The Prosperity Project International, the Pinon Hills Village Senior Community and other ministries that will develop as God leads us. This organization fits the strategic plan that our Leadership Team of our Elders and our Executive Pastoral Team have been working on for several years to pursue our sense of God’s leading.

The growth and health of Pinon Hills Community Church is always the first priority. Our church can and should grow to 2,500 attenders and beyond. We have a future larger worship center planned on our ministry campus to accommodate the future growth of the church and the need in our community for many unchurched people to connect to a life-giving church is clearly very great.

The Southwest Christian Academies will create the next generation of Christian leaders from our region as we deliver academic excellence and a Christian worldview. Our Southwest Academy high school will be the crown jewel of our academies with a state-of-the-art campus and leading programs in sports, arts, science and animal connectedness education. I am thrilled to announce that one of the families in our church recently donated $600,000 for the on-going construction and development of our academies. In addition to that, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Browning have donated their thirty-two acre Browning Ranch to be the anchor property for our future high school. We hope to eventually acquire 200 acres for all of our high school facilities. This year we will launch a region-wide branding and fundraising campaign to create the awareness of, financial support for and land grants for the Southwest Christian Academies.

The Prosperity Project International (PPI) has a vision to lead one million people out of poverty by 2030 through the biblical principles of creating enterprise. We have been teaching PPI training in Kenya, Africa and in Haiti for several years. We have a strong foothold of Christian communities in these countries who are growing in prosperity and their Christian missions. This year we have launched our Navajo PPI Initiative and we believe we will be able to gain a deep and broad presence in the Navajo Community. I also believe that our Navajo leaders will gain access to opportunities to minister to many tribes across America. I also believe that many people from many tribes will be working with us to help lead Prosperity Project training and support services around the world. We target poor Christian communities around the world because when they gain the resources they need, they can step up to help lead the global Christian mission. PPI has the potential to transform Christianity and the world.

We expect to break ground on our Pinon Hills Village Senior Community in the next few years on the western thirty acres of our main Pinon Hills Ministry Campus. We have had a vision for a senior community for a long time and this will complete our vision to have Christ-centered ministries for every age and every stage of life. Pinon Hills Village will provide senior adults with the Christian community, purpose and care that will bless them and that will help them be a blessing.

There are other target groups of people and target needs in our region where God is leading us to consider future ministries. We will develop those ministries as we sense God’s leading and as we are able to obtain the leadership and the resources to support those ministries.

Altogether Pinon Hills Ministries will provide for the expanded structure that we need to fulfill our expanded Kingdom Culture Mission.

Expanding Our Leadership

Within the next one and a half to two years, my role will change from being the Lead Pastor of Pinon Hills Community Church to becoming the President of Pinon Hills Ministries and we will be selecting and hiring the next Lead Pastor of Pinon Hills Community Church. We will make this change to expand our senior leadership to fulfill our mission. I will move into the role of giving directional leadership to Pinon Hills Ministries and to specifically developing the Southwest Academies, The Prosperity Project International and the Pinon Hills Village Senior Community. Our next Lead Pastor will provide the directional leadership for the growth and health of Pinon Hills Community Church. Together, he and I will cooperate on the overall Kingdom Culture Mission.

We have used the consulting services of the Vanderbloemen Search Group to prepare for this leadership transition and we will also use them to lead our national search process to select and hire our next Lead Pastor.

We are targeting the following dates to complete this process:

• January 1, 2018 is our launch date for our national search for our next Lead Pastor.
• June 1, 2018 is our target date to hire our next Lead Pastor.
• December 1, 2018 is our target date for a full hand-off of pastoral leadership to the next Lead Pastor after he and I have a six-month shared leadership transition period.

As we expand our leadership we are placing our best people on their best gifts. My gift and calling is to develop transformational ideas and organizations. That’s what I have done for the last twenty-two years as the Lead Pastor of PHCC. I have taken PHCC through my best development process. It is almost time for me to apply my development gifts to our other Kingdom Culture Ministries and for us to install a new Lead Pastor who has the gift of leading PHCC to future growth and health by taking advantage of all the great people, staff, ministries and resources that have been developed.

In the Bible, Samuel was the greatest leader of Israel up to his time in history. There came a time in his life where God called him to anoint the first and the second kings of Israel. John the Baptist had the ministry of preparing the way for someone greater than he. And the Apostle Paul came to a time when he handed off spiritual leadership to the next generation. My time is coming to anoint the next Lead Pastor whom God chooses and whom our church approves. I am preparing the way for one who will pastor better than I. And my time is coming to pass the pastoral leadership off to the next generation Lead Pastor who will lead PHCC into the future.

A Full Speed Transition

Being the Lead Pastor of Pinon Hills Community Church has been a great privilege for me. God’s leading of me to lead us all toward an expanded vision of multiple ministries under Pinon Hills Ministries and my future role in it has also been unmistakable. I am confident in God’s leading and I am very excited about our future together to grow the Kingdom of Christ in the Four Corners Region.

This, of course, is not just about me. It’s about the Kingdom of God. It’s about Pinon Hills Community Church. It’s about the many people in our community who need the touch of God in their lives. And it’s about the gifts and calling that God has on your life. You are part of this Body of Christ. You have “different gifts according to the grace that God has given [you].” (Romans 12:6a) God is orchestrating these new things at this time in your life for a reason. I believe it is because God is calling you to use your gifts in a great Kingdom Church and possibly in one of the great Kingdom Ministries that make up Pinon Hills Ministries.

The Apostle Paul tells us to run the race so as to win. As we go through these changes let’s run this race at full speed. Let’s grow the church and strengthen every one of its ministries. Let’s advance our Kingdom Culture Ministries. Let’s pass the baton of pastoral leadership to the next Lead Pastor whom God chooses at full speed and let’s move with the next Lead Pastor at full speed. Let’s do it all to grow the Kingdom of Christ like never before.

May God bless us as Pinon Hills Community Church, as Pinon Hills Ministries and as each one of us uses our different gifts to grow the Kingdom of Christ.

The last son of the American Household to treat the family car well was Ronald Reagan.

After him, George H.W. Bush treated it fairly well. He just didn’t take it anywhere great.

After him, Bill Clinton promised to take it somewhere inspiring. He actually didn’t drive it too badly. It is what he did inside the car that embarrassed the family. He used it as his personal booty wagon.

George Bush promised not to embarrass the family in the family car. He kept that promise but he did have two major wrecks. He wrecked the family car by over-extending the family in a war to destroy the government of Iraq and to rebuild it in our own image. Then he had a major wreck with the economic meltdown. Economists debate whether that wreck was his fault or the other driver’s fault. Either way, he was driving when it happened and it totalled the car.

Then came Barak Obama, the favorite son. He was cool. He was hip. He was charming. He was clever. And he was black. The family loved to love him. They loved him for him and they loved the chance to atone for the family sin of slavery and racism against its black sons and daughters. To the sons and daughters of color he was their inspiring hero. So the family threw the keys to the family car at him. He caught them on the run and put the pedal down on his political agenda of socialism, leftism and statism. He had some wrecks in his first term, but he was so clever at explaining how the wrecks were good for the family and the family loved him so much that they gave him the keys for a second term. In the end the wrecks damaged the family economy, security and social fabric. America still loves their favorite son, they just can’t drive that car anymore.

Hillary is the daughter who demanded her turn to have the keys to the family car. She was due. All daughters were due. The problem was that she  promised to continue driving the family car the same way as her predecessor. She also had a few wrecks of her own with her pay to play foundation and her unsecured email. And she had Bill, the family embarrassment.

Donald Trump is the brash, crude and politically incorrect older son who went off and built an empire. He feels no love loss for the younger sons who wrecked the family car. He stood up at his inauguration and excoriated Barak and all the other sons and daughters who have been driving the family car for leaving it totalled. He has no deep political principles and he has no guilt for the family sins or for his own. He just lives to win. His purpose is to win. His moral code is to win. He wins at deals. He wins at having trophy wives. He won the keys to the family car. He has promised to make the family win.

I was visiting an older friend the other day who is struggling with cancer. When I went in I asked his wife how their children were doing. She said, “Oh, some good and some bad. You know.” The American Family, like all families is a mixed bag of good and bad. It is very human. We want every son or daughter who gets the keys to the family car to treat it well and to take it to great places. The trouble is that our sons and daughters are like us, very human. And they are driving the family car in a world that is very human. Wrecks happen.

Will Donald Trump wreck the family car or will he make it great again? For the Family’s sake and for the sake of the other Families of the world I hope he helps us make it great. How will the moral and political code of winning play out when we hit the inevitable national and international crises that will come? Will the will to win win the day? Sometimes it does. On the battlefield it often does. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes in matters of national unity or international relations it creates unnecessary failures, divisions and wars.

A new son is driving the family car. He won’t be perfect. He will probably have some wrecks. Hopefully they will not be beyond repair. Hopefully, when it’s over the car will be in good shape and in a good place. If it is, it will be a rare feat. I think the family does best when it realizes that none of its children are perfect. I think it does best when it holds each one accountable. I think it does best when it keeps emphasizing the big picture that we are one family and if you wreck the family car you fix it and if you keep wrecking it you lose it. I think the American family in general does that. That has been one of our strengths. Let’s keep the accountability going.

The media appear stunned over the election of Donald Trump. The man who was packing them in at his rallies. They are trying to figure out what happened. Here is what happened.

Americans got tired of paying the heavy financial, physical, spiritual, emotional and social costs of the extreme leftists and statist polices that put:

• Liberal European values before traditional American values
• Big government before private sector producers
• Every other country before America
• Foreigners before Americans
• Socialism before capitalism
• Tyranny before freedom
• Paganism before Christianity
• Activism before the constitution
• The rule of man before the rule of law
• Executive orders before legislation
• Abuse of power before a balance of powers
• The EPA, The BLM, The DOJ and The IRS before the people
• Dishonesty before transparency
• Government monopoly of education before the children
• Division before unity
• Identity politics before brotherhood
• Big liberal media before objective journalism
• Takers before makers
• Extreme environmentalism before reasonable stewardship
• Corrupt politicians before public servants
• National exposure before national defense
• Political corruption before national security
• Political correctness before defeating Islamic extremist terrorism
• Corruption before protecting our people abroad
• Selling influence before serving the people
• Crime before safety
• Punks before patriots
• Convenience before the sanctity of human life
• And ultimately… evil before righteousness

Americans made a choice between a woman of questionable character who represented more of the same and a man of questionable character who promised to correct it. Americans chose for the right directions in their President, their House of Representatives, their Senate and, most importantly, their Supreme Court. What’s left is for those who got elected to refuse the siren call of money, power and corruption of the big power centers of business, media and government and to be public servants who serve the will of the people. Term limits would be a wise start; to limit themselves first, then to limit the excesses of big government.

All sin and corruption start with the sin nature that we all have. That is what our Founding Fathers knew and that is why they designed a government that limited the government and those who served in the government. May this be a new era of unity, humility and righteousness. Because righteousness does exalt a nation.

I. The modern premise that the purpose of child raising is to make the child happy is wrong because it misses the true human problem. The true human problem is not unhappiness, it is sin. (Genesis 3, Romans 1-3 and Ephesians 1-2)

If you make happiness the primary goal, then you will indulge and approve sins which   make the child happy at the time, but which create destruction and unhappiness later.           (Hebrews 11:25)

• At 3 it looks like allowing her to say, “No!” and to throw tantrums.
• At 12 it looks like allowing her to say, “I hate you” when you try to keep her away from bad friends.
• At 17 it looks like approving and possibly assisting her being sexually active.
• At 19 it looks like approving and financially supporting her as she lives with her boyfriend. And it looks like you supporting her as she has a child outside of marriage, which puts her in the highest statistical category for on-going poverty and social miseries.
• At 20 it looks like her supporting the rally of a socialist political candidate who promises to be her god who will provide for her living by taking money from those who live responsible lives of work and production.

II. There are three forces that are at work to destroy your child.

A. Your child has a fallen human sin nature that is attracted to sin.

• Selfishness.
• Lying.
• Meanness.
• Stealing.
• Disobedience.
• Rebellion.
• Getting drunk or high.
• Fornication.
• Violence, theft, crime.

B. Your child has a natural foolishness from not knowing better.

• Naïveté.
• Laziness.
• Entitlement.
• Self absorption.
• Negative attitude.
• Insufferable whining.
• Impressed with bad people.
• Mocking what is right.

C. Your child lives in a fallen world where every accomplishment of value requires a struggle of discipline, sacrifice and perseverance.

• Family household relationships.
• Family household chores.
• School
• Getting along with people outside family.
• Sports.
• Work.
• Dating, courtship and marriage.
• Business.
• Ministry.

III. 5 Experiences Your Child Needs to Become a Good Person.

1. Love & Affection.

You must provide for and protect your children and to communicate your love to them   verbally and physically.

2. Boundaries & Discipline.

Boundaries are the lines we draw on how we treat each other and how we allow others to     treat us with human dignity as people created in the image of God.

Discipline is the lines we draw and require on all other behaviors.

3. Fun & Play.

Fun is the good times you help create with your children.

Play is the free time your children have to use their imaginations.

4. Responsibilities & Freedom.

Give your children more freedom over time as they show responsibility in house chores,     schoolwork, work, good friends and good behavior. Do not over-indulge your child with       un-earned things or you will destroy their incentive to work and create a good life for           themselves. The goal is responsible independence.

5. Leadership & Wisdom.

Lead your children to Christ, to treat others well and to create value with their lives.                (“The family is the school of love, faith and life.” Pope John Paul II -paraphrased)

For wisdom, guide your children to master Proverbs from ages 12 to 25.

Conclusion: Making happiness the goal of parenting produces children who struggle with misery. Making good thinking and good actions the goal of parenting produces happiness. Children who learn to think good things and to do good things get the rewards of good results. A life of mostly good results is the best place to find happiness, if a person is willing to choose it.

1. Priority. Your marriage is your number one relationship. Do not let anyone get between you; not your mother, not your friends, not a work partner, not another love interest, not pornography, not an addiction, and not your children. Give time, attention and care to your marriage above all other relationships. Your spouse is your first human loyalty. (Genesis 2:24 & Matthew 19:6)
2. Equality. You and your spouse are created equally in the image of God. This means that each of you have the responsibility to contribute fairly to the marriage and that each of you have the right to receive fair benefit from the marriage. So, when you are making decisions about making money, creating budgets, spending money, managing the household, raising children, pursuing career, visiting family for the holidays, taking vacations and pursuing your dreams, make those decisions so that each partner gives and receives fairly. You can divide up how you contribute and how you benefit however you like and however you agree, just make it fair. Otherwise you are not partners, you are political players trying to use each other for your own advantage. (Genesis 1:27)
3. Unity. Husbands and wives are one physically and metaphysically, yet they can be divided in purpose. Align yourselves in behavior with your condition of oneness. Agree on the destination and the direction of where you are headed with your lives together. Once or twice a year take a retreat or time out to review the things you have agreed on and make new agreements on how to handle the present challenges of your lives. (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:6 & Mark 3:25)
4. Trust. All healthy relationships are built on trust. And trust is built on agreement. So it is very important that we make some key agreements in marriage. Our wedding vows are our primary agreement; that we will love, honor, cherish, and support each other and that we will be faithful to one another until death do us part. But we must continue to make clear agreements with each other along the way so that trust continues to grow. When we make mistakes that hurt our spouse or when we commit sins that hurt our spouse we need to apologize or repent and create a plan to prevent that from happening again. That’s how we repair trust. (Genesis 2:25, Poverbs 31:10-12 & Amos 3:3)

Next week I will give you a discussion guide to make the key agreements that you need to make in your marriage. Your agreements will be unique to you and your spouse, but the categories of agreement are the same for everyone. This will guide you to have one of the most important conversations of our lives. And you will be able to use it periodically to refresh your agreements for the new challenges of your lives and to strengthen trust even more.

The dark side of our human nature pulls us down into worry. When we face a problem our minds often rush to worry about the worst case of what could happen. We have one financial challenge and we im…

Source: Your Outlook Creates Your Outcomes

The dark side of our human nature pulls us down into worry. When we face a problem our minds often rush to worry about the worst case of what could happen. We have one financial challenge and we imagine ourselves living in a dumpster. We have one physical pain and we imagine ourselves dying of a dreaded disease. 

Too much worry is the enemy of living with vision for what God has for us. Living with a faith vision that God loves me, that God will provide for me and that God will bless me as I obey him is what moves me forward to take the steps of faith that God wants to bless. Living on the fuel of vision over worry is what moves me to learn new things, to go to new places, meet new people and attempt new and better things. 

Joshua and Caleb in the Old Testament were the poster children for living on vision. They were the only ones out of the twelve spies who returned from Canaan with a vision report that the land was good and that Israel could possess it by faith in God. The other ten reported their worst case worries, that the people of that land would squash them like bugs. 

Guess what? Their outlooks created their outcomes. The ten worry warts swayed the people to reject God’s plan to go in and possess the Promised Land. So, God judged that generation of adults with the promise that they would all die in the desert. Joshua and Caleb would then lead their children, forty years later, to possess the land. And they did. Joshua and Caleb had their best days of victory and blessing beginning in their eighties! 

Wayne Graham is the eighty year old head coach of the Rice University Baseball team in Houston. He has been the head coach for twenty-five years. He has led Rice baseball to twenty-one consecutive NCAA tournaments. He has led them to seven NCAA World Series. When asked about retiring he said he would keep going because he liked it and he had a lot to offer in experience. He also pointed out that Clint Eastwood is still directing movies at eighty-five and Robert Duvall is still acting at eighty-five. You know what that is? It’s vision thinking. He is looking ahead to what good could happen. 

When you are tempted to dwell on worst case worries, intentionally speak the truth to yourself. God loves me. God will provide for me. And God will bless me as I obey him. Your vision outlook will energize you to take the steps that God will bless with good outcomes. 

What’s the worst case worry that you have to keep clearing out of your mind? Mine is that I am too stupid to succeed or that I don’t deserve it, so I am doomed to fail. What’s yours? Let’s intentionally change our thoughts to vision and faith truth. Really, are you courageous enough to share with us your worst case worry?