January 20, 1999

Wade: Become like Jesus
___FORT WORTH--If you want to know how to do church, just think about what Jesus would do, Charles Wade told participants in the Texas Baptist Evangelism Conference.
___"If you want to build a healthy church, ... you have to start with a Jesus vision," said Wade, pastor of First Baptist Church of Arlington.
___Wade led a breakout session based on material in his new book, "The Jesus Principle."
___Since Jesus is the head of the church, the church ought to function and look like Jesus, Wade asserted. "If your church begins to look more and more like Jesus, isn't that what it means to be the body of Christ?"
___One way to measure the effectiveness of any church, Wade said, is to ask this question: "What kind of people have the people who are joining our church become five years later? Are they more like Jesus or less like Jesus?"
___This simple understanding of the church being the extension of Jesus in the world transformed First Baptist of Arling-ton over a period of years.
___Wade described a "turning point" in the church's life when the congregation was debating the advisability of launching a ministry for battered women. Some raised concerns about liability, while others raised concerns about safety. Finally, one deacon stood up and said, "If Jesus were here, he would care for these women."
___That settled the question and charted the church's future course, Wade explained. "My job as pastor is to never let our people forget the words of that deacon."

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