Sunday, February 26, 2006
James Montgomery Boice
James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000)
Jim Boice served as Senior Minister of Tenth from 1968 until his death in 2000. He preached his first regular sermon on Easter Sunday, April 14; he preached his last sermon Easter Sunday, April 23. Between those years he preached completely through Genesis, Joshua, Nehemiah, the Psalms, Daniel, and the Minor Prophets. In the New Testament, he covered Matthew, John, Acts, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, the Epistles of John, and was working his way through Revelation when he died. And, yes, there is his monumental series through Romans.
While he was preaching (both morning and evening for most of his years, including twice in the morning for about ten years), he pastored Tenth Church, turning around an aging and declining church so that at his death it was thriving and, I would contend, had reached its greatest height to date. No period in the Tenth's history can match all the accomplishments that Tenth had reached under his ministry: a worldwide/nationwide influential church, bursting at the seams with people of all ages, more diversity ethnically than at any other time, and more ministries than ever.
The 20th century for Tenth Church will be known as the Barnhouse-Boice era, who guided the church for 65 years. Good, capable ministers served as well, but these two tower over the others. They made Tenth famous. When Donald Barnhouse died in 1960, Linda writes, "Remembering the request Elisha made when Elijah was taken up into heaven, Jim prayed for a 'double portion' of God's Spirit." I will further contend that this prayer was answered for the man, who once as a toddler was prayed over by the great preacher as he held Jim in his arms.
Tenth was Dr. Boice's first and only pastorate in the United States. While studying for his doctorate in Basel, Switzerland, he fell into starting an English speaking church to become known as the Basel Community Church. Before and after his time in Basel, he served as an assistant editor for Christianity Today under Carl Henry. He attended seminary at Princeton, college at Harvard, and eighth grade through high school at Stony Brook Christian preparatory school on Long Island.
If you read Tenth's history, there is a chapter entitled "City Church Again," which covers the ministry of Mariano Di Gangi. The premise is that under Barnhouse, Tenth had lost its sense of location, i.e. of being a church in the city ministering to its community. The church was large (over 900 in attendance) and famous because of its minister who was large in the pulpit, in his radio ministry, and traveling preaching ministry. Di Gangi turned his attention to what became an arduous task of making the congregation conscious of reaching out to the city in the most turbulent decade of the century – the 60s. He succeeded to a degree, but attendance declined and finances suffered. It seemed that Tenth was heading along the same path of decline that afflicted many churches who remained in the city.
How then, did a young 30 year old minister, with little pastoral experience turn the church around? By combining the strengths of his two predecessors. Boice matched Barnhouse's preaching gift and Di Gangi's passion for the city. He was preacher and pastor. He was also energetic and persistent.
The Boices quickly reached out to a young population, hosting what became the Dinner Club, a weekly supper for young couples and singles and promoted small groups. He encouraged singles fellowship groups. A weekday pre-school was started. He recruited the leading organist virtuoso of the region, Robert Elmore, who revolutionized the music quality of Tenth. Within a few years the church was growing with young people and becoming the city church that Di Gangi had desired. Consider this partial report from the Missions Commission ten years later in 1978:
Center City Survey: Neighborhood residents who attend Tenth Church were surveyed for their perception of neighborhood needs, areas of potential ministry, and interest in attending or hosting home Bible studies.Home Bible Studies: Encouragement for existing home Bible studies in center city resulted in growth, as well as the formation of several new ones.Center City Dinner: Periodic neighborhood residents' fellowship dinners were organized.Film Series: The development of the “Christian Approach to Cinema” Program, directed by Ken and Katie Myers, was initiated in 1978.
Boice got the momentum going for creative energy within the congregation. The outreach and community life of the church grew not merely because he continued to have new ideas, but he fostered creativity and desire among church members. From the 70s, the annual reports will reveal new ministries starting or new ideas in the ministries for outreach and fellowship, including Joyful Sound, Harvest, Alpha, ACTS, CCA (which Jim and Linda started), Maranatha, the Tenth Chamber Orchestra, The Branch college ministry, and so on.
Beyond the concern of a pastor for the health of his church, Dr. Boice made a commitment to the city. In the late 70s, after a trip to Pittsburgh with associates to hear about the commitment of ministers in that city, he returned and helped formed a coalition of ministers dedicated to serving in Philadelphia, making a covenant not to leave the city without consulting first with one another. Twice he was asked by Billy Graham to consider leaving, one time for the presidency of Gordon-Conwell and another for the editorship of Christianity Today. No doubt he had offers from other churches, and certainly he must have been tempted to stay in Florida after speaking engagements in the winter! But he did love the city and was committed to keeping his ministry here. Dr. Di Gangi must be pleased to see how his successor carried on his efforts to turn the heart of Tenth to the city, its community, and as the one who saw that the racial barriers were removed, would be pleased to see African-Americans not only in the pews, but in leadership positions as elders, deacons, and deaconesses.
But then Dr. Barnhouse would have been just as pleased to see the child he prayed over pick up his mantle of preacher and worthily expound God's Word. Though the radio ministry of The Bible Study Hour had chosen to sever its connection with the Tenth pulpit after Barnhouse's death, within a few months of Dr. Boice's pulpit ministry the Evangelical Foundation asked him to take over the role of radio preacher. Eventually, his radio broadcasts would extend internationally, surpassing the extent of Barnhouse's ministry. Dr. Boice became one of the most sought after speakers of his time, attributed to both his radio ministry and to his growing number of Bible commentaries based on his sermons.
But what furthered his reputation and respect was his role as statesman and activist. In 1974 he founded the first of the PCRT conferences, which would become one of the most well-respected theological conferences in the country. A seminal responsibility came in the form of ICBI – The International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, of which he was asked to serve as chairman. The assignment revealed the respect he had garnered less than nine years after serving as Tenth's pastor, and it would further his reputation as a mover and leader.
Indeed, Boice proved himself to be more than a good speaker and even visionary. He was a man who got things done. He could organize; he could manage; he could work with strong men and women, building consensus and moving ideas into concrete action. It was Dr. Boice who could read a book about the worrisome direction of evangelical theology (Whatever Happened to Truth) and form an alliance of disparate theologians and pastors to address the issues, as he did in the 90s.
He could take such leadership, not only because he could manage people and organize well, but because he had earned respect as a scholar and astute thinker in his own right, as demonstrated in such books as Foundations of the Christian Faith, The Foundation of Biblical Authority, Standing on the Rock, Mind Renewal in a Mindless Age, and Two Cities, Two Loves (Foundations of God's City), as well as in his PCRT messages.
He could also take leadership because of his own distinquished personality. Put him in a room of respected church leaders and he would always stand out. Perhaps it was because of his clothes, which always looked elegant on him, even his casual wear. Perhaps it was his demeanor, which denoted confidence; or perhaps because he was personable. Authentic is a popular word today for what people want in a leader. Jim Boice was authentic. What you saw in the pulpit is what he was off it. His voice did not change, nor his manner. He was as ease talking with the leading church leaders of the day, as he was talking with the 13 year old boy asking questions while he ate lunch (Michael Horton) and with the shy young man new to Tenth (Reggie James). Dr. Boice was a man you wanted to be around and would trust.
I recommend that you read the booklet The Life of Dr. James Montgomery Boice to get a fuller story of his life and ministry, as well as read the chapter on him in Tenth's history book.
I will conclude by noting what I think were the two great motivations in Dr. Boice's life. One was the supremacy of the Word of God. Recall that I began my talk listing Boice's sermon series. Jim was proud of the many ministries that had been given birth and flourished under his ministry. He was pleased with the contributions made in his role with ICBI and the Alliance. But what he was most committed to, and never wavered from, was expository preaching – making God's Word plain. He believed that was the primary calling of the minister. He had a passion for preaching, but not for oratory; rather for proclaiming clearly the whole counsel of God in Scripture. If everything but one activity had to be removed from his service, what would remain is the weekly exposition of Scripture. He came through three of the most academically respected and liberal institutions in the world believing thoroughly in the inerrancy and the sufficiency of Scripture. And though he led the movement of defending inerrancy and promoting the Bible's sufficiency, what truly reveals his faith in the Bible is his unwavering practice of preaching passage after passage of the Scriptures with the end that his hearers would not come to trust in his wisdom, but in the all surpassing, unfailing truth of God's Word.
The other great, indeed the greatest, motivation is soli deo gloria. Surely Romans 11:33-36 must be considered his theme passage.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
"For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?"
"Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Perhaps it is when facing death that the heart of a man is truly revealed. In his last words to Tenth Church from the pulpit, he told the congregation, "Above all, I would say pray for the glory of God."
Jim Boice served as Senior Minister of Tenth from 1968 until his death in 2000. He preached his first regular sermon on Easter Sunday, April 14; he preached his last sermon Easter Sunday, April 23. Between those years he preached completely through Genesis, Joshua, Nehemiah, the Psalms, Daniel, and the Minor Prophets. In the New Testament, he covered Matthew, John, Acts, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, the Epistles of John, and was working his way through Revelation when he died. And, yes, there is his monumental series through Romans.
While he was preaching (both morning and evening for most of his years, including twice in the morning for about ten years), he pastored Tenth Church, turning around an aging and declining church so that at his death it was thriving and, I would contend, had reached its greatest height to date. No period in the Tenth's history can match all the accomplishments that Tenth had reached under his ministry: a worldwide/nationwide influential church, bursting at the seams with people of all ages, more diversity ethnically than at any other time, and more ministries than ever.
The 20th century for Tenth Church will be known as the Barnhouse-Boice era, who guided the church for 65 years. Good, capable ministers served as well, but these two tower over the others. They made Tenth famous. When Donald Barnhouse died in 1960, Linda writes, "Remembering the request Elisha made when Elijah was taken up into heaven, Jim prayed for a 'double portion' of God's Spirit." I will further contend that this prayer was answered for the man, who once as a toddler was prayed over by the great preacher as he held Jim in his arms.
Tenth was Dr. Boice's first and only pastorate in the United States. While studying for his doctorate in Basel, Switzerland, he fell into starting an English speaking church to become known as the Basel Community Church. Before and after his time in Basel, he served as an assistant editor for Christianity Today under Carl Henry. He attended seminary at Princeton, college at Harvard, and eighth grade through high school at Stony Brook Christian preparatory school on Long Island.
If you read Tenth's history, there is a chapter entitled "City Church Again," which covers the ministry of Mariano Di Gangi. The premise is that under Barnhouse, Tenth had lost its sense of location, i.e. of being a church in the city ministering to its community. The church was large (over 900 in attendance) and famous because of its minister who was large in the pulpit, in his radio ministry, and traveling preaching ministry. Di Gangi turned his attention to what became an arduous task of making the congregation conscious of reaching out to the city in the most turbulent decade of the century – the 60s. He succeeded to a degree, but attendance declined and finances suffered. It seemed that Tenth was heading along the same path of decline that afflicted many churches who remained in the city.
How then, did a young 30 year old minister, with little pastoral experience turn the church around? By combining the strengths of his two predecessors. Boice matched Barnhouse's preaching gift and Di Gangi's passion for the city. He was preacher and pastor. He was also energetic and persistent.
The Boices quickly reached out to a young population, hosting what became the Dinner Club, a weekly supper for young couples and singles and promoted small groups. He encouraged singles fellowship groups. A weekday pre-school was started. He recruited the leading organist virtuoso of the region, Robert Elmore, who revolutionized the music quality of Tenth. Within a few years the church was growing with young people and becoming the city church that Di Gangi had desired. Consider this partial report from the Missions Commission ten years later in 1978:
Center City Survey: Neighborhood residents who attend Tenth Church were surveyed for their perception of neighborhood needs, areas of potential ministry, and interest in attending or hosting home Bible studies.Home Bible Studies: Encouragement for existing home Bible studies in center city resulted in growth, as well as the formation of several new ones.Center City Dinner: Periodic neighborhood residents' fellowship dinners were organized.Film Series: The development of the “Christian Approach to Cinema” Program, directed by Ken and Katie Myers, was initiated in 1978.
Boice got the momentum going for creative energy within the congregation. The outreach and community life of the church grew not merely because he continued to have new ideas, but he fostered creativity and desire among church members. From the 70s, the annual reports will reveal new ministries starting or new ideas in the ministries for outreach and fellowship, including Joyful Sound, Harvest, Alpha, ACTS, CCA (which Jim and Linda started), Maranatha, the Tenth Chamber Orchestra, The Branch college ministry, and so on.
Beyond the concern of a pastor for the health of his church, Dr. Boice made a commitment to the city. In the late 70s, after a trip to Pittsburgh with associates to hear about the commitment of ministers in that city, he returned and helped formed a coalition of ministers dedicated to serving in Philadelphia, making a covenant not to leave the city without consulting first with one another. Twice he was asked by Billy Graham to consider leaving, one time for the presidency of Gordon-Conwell and another for the editorship of Christianity Today. No doubt he had offers from other churches, and certainly he must have been tempted to stay in Florida after speaking engagements in the winter! But he did love the city and was committed to keeping his ministry here. Dr. Di Gangi must be pleased to see how his successor carried on his efforts to turn the heart of Tenth to the city, its community, and as the one who saw that the racial barriers were removed, would be pleased to see African-Americans not only in the pews, but in leadership positions as elders, deacons, and deaconesses.
But then Dr. Barnhouse would have been just as pleased to see the child he prayed over pick up his mantle of preacher and worthily expound God's Word. Though the radio ministry of The Bible Study Hour had chosen to sever its connection with the Tenth pulpit after Barnhouse's death, within a few months of Dr. Boice's pulpit ministry the Evangelical Foundation asked him to take over the role of radio preacher. Eventually, his radio broadcasts would extend internationally, surpassing the extent of Barnhouse's ministry. Dr. Boice became one of the most sought after speakers of his time, attributed to both his radio ministry and to his growing number of Bible commentaries based on his sermons.
But what furthered his reputation and respect was his role as statesman and activist. In 1974 he founded the first of the PCRT conferences, which would become one of the most well-respected theological conferences in the country. A seminal responsibility came in the form of ICBI – The International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, of which he was asked to serve as chairman. The assignment revealed the respect he had garnered less than nine years after serving as Tenth's pastor, and it would further his reputation as a mover and leader.
Indeed, Boice proved himself to be more than a good speaker and even visionary. He was a man who got things done. He could organize; he could manage; he could work with strong men and women, building consensus and moving ideas into concrete action. It was Dr. Boice who could read a book about the worrisome direction of evangelical theology (Whatever Happened to Truth) and form an alliance of disparate theologians and pastors to address the issues, as he did in the 90s.
He could take such leadership, not only because he could manage people and organize well, but because he had earned respect as a scholar and astute thinker in his own right, as demonstrated in such books as Foundations of the Christian Faith, The Foundation of Biblical Authority, Standing on the Rock, Mind Renewal in a Mindless Age, and Two Cities, Two Loves (Foundations of God's City), as well as in his PCRT messages.
He could also take leadership because of his own distinquished personality. Put him in a room of respected church leaders and he would always stand out. Perhaps it was because of his clothes, which always looked elegant on him, even his casual wear. Perhaps it was his demeanor, which denoted confidence; or perhaps because he was personable. Authentic is a popular word today for what people want in a leader. Jim Boice was authentic. What you saw in the pulpit is what he was off it. His voice did not change, nor his manner. He was as ease talking with the leading church leaders of the day, as he was talking with the 13 year old boy asking questions while he ate lunch (Michael Horton) and with the shy young man new to Tenth (Reggie James). Dr. Boice was a man you wanted to be around and would trust.
I recommend that you read the booklet The Life of Dr. James Montgomery Boice to get a fuller story of his life and ministry, as well as read the chapter on him in Tenth's history book.
I will conclude by noting what I think were the two great motivations in Dr. Boice's life. One was the supremacy of the Word of God. Recall that I began my talk listing Boice's sermon series. Jim was proud of the many ministries that had been given birth and flourished under his ministry. He was pleased with the contributions made in his role with ICBI and the Alliance. But what he was most committed to, and never wavered from, was expository preaching – making God's Word plain. He believed that was the primary calling of the minister. He had a passion for preaching, but not for oratory; rather for proclaiming clearly the whole counsel of God in Scripture. If everything but one activity had to be removed from his service, what would remain is the weekly exposition of Scripture. He came through three of the most academically respected and liberal institutions in the world believing thoroughly in the inerrancy and the sufficiency of Scripture. And though he led the movement of defending inerrancy and promoting the Bible's sufficiency, what truly reveals his faith in the Bible is his unwavering practice of preaching passage after passage of the Scriptures with the end that his hearers would not come to trust in his wisdom, but in the all surpassing, unfailing truth of God's Word.
The other great, indeed the greatest, motivation is soli deo gloria. Surely Romans 11:33-36 must be considered his theme passage.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
"For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?"
"Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Perhaps it is when facing death that the heart of a man is truly revealed. In his last words to Tenth Church from the pulpit, he told the congregation, "Above all, I would say pray for the glory of God."
