PERSPECTIVES

on Worship
   Dr. John Piper says "Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate... The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God." Worship in today's world has many styles and tastes. Because of Pete's professional musical background, including a Bachelor of Sacred Music Degree, he has overseen a worship and music ministry in Fairhaven Church that includes a one-hundred voice choir, 40 piece orchestra, and a contemporary band. He celebrates a wide diversity of music tastes and worship styles from the litugical and traditional to the contemporary and creative. The varied generational tastes can be enjoyed and affirmed by the people of God with balanced leadership.

on Relationships
   The relational dimension of ministry especially among leaders becomes the primary authenticity of ministry. His ministry is characterized by relational credibility. This can be substantiated by the pastoral staff that he has built at Fairhaven Church (14 pastoral staff members) most of whom have had the staying power of ten plus years. Serving in ministry for pastoral staff members has been fun because of the culture that has been developed by Pete as the senior pastor. The scripture is replete with admonition and instruction on healthy, honest, affirming relationships. Pete's counsel in this arena is one of the main assets of his ministry.

on Mission
    Pete has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACMC, an association of churches mobilizing churches in missions for world evangelization. He has been a participant in the Global Consultations on World Evangelization in Seoul, Korea,  South Africa and Jakarta, Indonesia. He has been a friend and visitor to the church in China. He has supervised and developed a local church strategy for missionary support which has been published by ACMC. This was first developed at the Wheaton Bible Church, and has been updated into a new edition at Fairhaven Church. His commitment to world mission and world evangelization is reflected in his preaching and world travels.

on Preaching
   Pete calls twenty-first century preaching "the art of exposing grace." Crafting a sermon that is narrative and yet expositonal requires great discipline. He usually has the whole text memorized so that it can flow in the narrative form. Storytelling is a key ingredient for today's listener. While the outline is drawn from the text itself, it is formulated in such a way as to communicate one primary truth. The outline supports that one proposition along with stories that connect with the people of our day so that the word of God is understood to be relevant to the lives people live.

 

LISTEN TO A SERMON

Take an opportunity to see or hear an example of narrative expositional preaching in these sermons given at Fairhaven Church and Far Hills Community Church in 2011, 2010, 2008, and 2005.

Watch

• "The Wedding Invitation"
  
• "The Journey of a Follower"
  
• "The Peacemaker"
  
• "Beyond Externals"
  

Listen

• "The Wedding Invitation"
  
• "The Journey of a Follower"
  
• "The Peacemaker"
  
• "Beyond Externals"
  
  
• "Where Do You Live?"
  Romans 8:5-9
• "Rags Transformed"
  Romans 8:9-11
• "A Streetcar Named Desire"
  Romans 8:12-13
• "My New Born Identity"
  Romans 8:14-15
• "Evidence that calls for Devotion"
• "Christmas Shalom"
• "Forgive/Forget?"
• "Choices of the Journey"
• "A Place to Stand"

**Files are WMA or MP3 and are from 9MB to 20MB in filesize.

© 2008 Pete Schwalm