Charge to Spanish Springs Congregation

Given on the occasion of the installation of the Rev. Jeff Rumble as pastor of Spanish Springs Presbyterian Church on January 26, 2025.

Recorded Audio Version Available Here

Beloved people of Spanish Springs Presbyterian Church, God has called you together as a community of faith, not for comfort or convenience, but for bold witness to Jesus Christ. You are the Church of the risen Lord, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ alone as your cornerstone. In a world filled with competing voices, shifting loyalties, and false certainties, stand firm in the truth of the gospel.

I charge you to affirm that Jesus Christ alone is the Head of the Church. No earthly power, no political movement, no personal agenda can claim the Church’s highest allegiance. Christ alone rules through His Word and Spirit.

Reject lukewarm “thoughts and prayers” political religious theater that stays safely distant from real suffering and authentic faithful compassion. For we believe our nation will be judged by how we gave food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty,

How we welcome to the stranger at our shores and in our fields,

How we clothed the fire victims and those left naked by the slow burn of poverty,

How we recognized and respected those imprisoned—whether by iron bars or by the unbendable norms of society. and by how we stopped the shooting of schoolchildren and saved their actual lives rather than saving the imagined gender purity of their sports teams. (Matthew 25:35-40)

I charge you to reject every force that distorts the gospel or seeks to shape the Church in its own image. Faith is not a tool for power, the Church is not the servant of the state, and worship is not entertainment for the bored. The Church belongs to Christ—there is no popular vote, no recount, no charges of politics, no violent attack, no magic hat, no racist chant that changes that in Christ, we have the totality of our being. We are for Christ. The Church is not for us—it is for Christ, to spread His love to all people.

Reject the misuse of faith by those who wave Bibles to serve their own power rather than seeking God’s guidance within it. God’s guidance is in the Bible—not as a prop for personal or political gain, but as a witness to the living Word that calls us out of ourselves and into justice, mercy, and humility with all.

Resist spreading false news in social media, at office desks, and around family dining tables—news that divides, distorts, and encourages fear and hate instead of the Gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ that unites the diverse in mutual love, shared experience, bold faith and bright hope.

I charge you to reject despair, complacency, and every false claim on the Church’s loyalty. Christ is victorious, the Church is alive, and the gospel still transforms the world.

I charge you to stand firm in the call to be a people of courage and grace. Welcome Jeff, not as one who carries this ministry alone, but as a shepherd among you, a fellow servant in Christ’s mission.

Support him as Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses when he grew weary, as Deborah and Jael did what Barak could not do alone, so that together, the people of God may remain steadfast in the work to which Christ has called them. (Exodus 17:12-14; Judges 4:8-9, 21)

I charge you to refuse the temptation to make ministry the work of one person. Proclaim the gospel, care for one another, and serve the world in Christ’s name. Make Jeff neither drag the unwilling forward into mission nor race to catch up with the zealots.

Walk with Jeff as a shepherd among the flock, not ahead in isolation nor behind in pursuit, but hand in hand in the Spirit’s leading, following the voice of the Good Shepherd together.

I charge you to hold fast to the hope that is in Christ. Trust the Spirit’s leading, listen for God’s voice, and stand firm in the truth of God’s Word. Spread the gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ, which brings light to the darkness, hope to the weary, and life to the world.

Now, I charge you to go—in courage, in hope, in faithfulness. Love one another, support your pastor, serve the world, and trust the Spirit’s leading. And may the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, now and always.

This charge was reworked over 2 hours with ChatGPT, The Theological Declaration of Barmen, and the scriptures quoted.