May-June 1997
Standing On The Promises
by Joel Rissinger
It all started with a lively conversation between two friends during a three-hour drive on March 20, 1990. Today, Bill McCartney, founder and board member of Promise Keepers, looks to that time spent with his friend Dave Wardell as the foundation of what many feel is the most successful men's ministry in the history of the church.
In 1996 alone, Promise Keepers held 22 stadium conferences bringing more than one million men together to sing, pray and learn about Jesus Christ.
McCartney, former head football coach at the University of Colorado, holds many honors in college football, including Kodak Coach of the Year, Bear Bryant Coach of the Year, Walter Camp Foundation Coach of the Year, three-time Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year, and UPI Coach of the Year. Yet, what he has allowed God to do by leading so many men to a deeper relationship with Jesus is far more important to him than any achievement in the world of sports.
Joel Rissinger met with "Coach Mac," as he's affectionately known by the men he has inspired, during a conference in Syracuse, New York. They discussed his relationship with God and his vision for Promise Keepers.
Plain Truth: Coach, when this all began, did you have any idea it would be as successful as it has turned out to be?
Coach Bill McCartney: No, not really. The vision I had was men coming together in stadiums to celebrate Jesus and to make a statement of faith "man to man" in a godly manner. But the fact that men do as much as they do while at the events, that wasn't my idea.
Q. You mean the format of PK conferences?
A. Yes. Now, having said that, I did envision one day when every state in the United States would fill a stadium at the same time. And I can see more than three million men. I know there are a lot of guys out there who love the Lord. So I am confident that if they were called, they would come.
Q. How has all this affected you in your own walk with the Lord?
A. This kind of activity purifies me. You know, it's really very humbling. People have a disproportionate sense of my importance in all of this, and that really is alarming to me. You see, I know that I need this kind of fellowship, too. The sermons we hear at these events enrich my heart. They make me fall deeper in love with God. And, when I'm in the company of godly men, it just brings out everything that God has invested in me. I never could get tired of this.
Q. What do you love the most about these events?
A. I love the worship. You know, I don't sing as well as Steve Green, but I'm louder than he is. I love to be around guys like him. He just wants to get together over the Lord. I like radical guys that are not compromising. It challenges me, stimulates me. And that brings out the right things in me as a Christian man.
Q. Some have said that the Promise Keepers movement is a sign of revival in the church. How would you define revival?
A. I've read some things on revival. Isaiah 57:15 says, "For this is what the high and lofty One says--he who lives forever, whose name is holy: 'I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.'"
If we empty ourselves, if we are totally deprived of our own hearts, I believe we then will have the proper condition for revival. Then God will decide to let it go. I believe that day is coming, but I don't believe it is here yet.
Q. You have personally been very active in racial reconciliation.
A. I have a job unlike anyone in the nation. I travel to major cities and host luncheons for men of color who are in the clergy. I eat with them and listen to their concerns. There is pain there. Many of our brothers have been deeply hurt.
Q. What can we do to help heal the racial tension in this country, especially in the church?
A. First, we must come alongside the pain of brothers of color. We have to see that the hurt is real. When they believe we understand and are sincerely concerned, then we can begin to draw close to Jesus together and let God do his healing work.
If we stubbornly resist one another, God will not force healing on us, even though he desperately wants to give it. In brief, we must break down the walls between us and then let God build bridges.
Q. What does the future hold for Promise Keepers?
A. My sense is that God has called Promise Keepers into deeper personal purity and that he's going to take us the distance. What is in God's heart for Promise Keepers is bigger than we could ask or imagine. I mean, it is global. But I don't believe we are ready.
Q. How do you respond to those within the Christian community who have said that Promise Keepers is destroying denominational distinctives and focusing more on human promises than on Jesus?
A. Most of the objections have come from people who have not attended a Promise Keepers conference. As a result, they are speaking out of ignorance. I mean, this is not a movement of man. Man could not orchestrate this!
Q. Is it correct to say that Promise Keepers believes that God can use the denominations if they stop fighting and start working together, much like he used the 12 tribes of Israel as one nation?
A. Yes, we would say that each denomination has its own distinctives that are God-oriented and God-blessed. We need to rally around the central truths of our belief: the person of Jesus Christ, the inerrancy of biblical Scripture, the Holy Trinity, the basics.
And when we do that, that's when he said, "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." Isaiah 40:5 says, "And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it." All we need to do is celebrate Jesus of Nazareth with certain doctrinal truths, and God will show up!
Q. Coach, in your opinion, what is the most important thing a Christian can do to remain strong?
A. When I learned about the Father's love, it changed my whole life. I now know he loves me, and that sets me free to be who he called me and created me to be. I had trouble believing I could be loved like that. I felt so unworthy. But Hebrews 12:2 says that "Jesuswho for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
When Jesus came, all he was trying to do was tell us about the Father's love. If you read everything in the red print in your Bible, you'll see that's all he is really doing. He's trying to get you to see how much the Father loves you.
When I discovered that, it opened up the Bible to me. God is God, and he loves you and me. He's with us every moment of the day. He's with us right now as we are doing this interview. When we sleep, he doesn't slumber. He monitors. He protects. He guides. He orchestrates our lives. God's love is beyond description. And that's what keeps us strong! q
What Next for Promise Keepers?Randy Phillips, president of Promise Keepers, met with Joel Rissinger to discuss the movement and its future. The Plain Truth: What is Promise Keepers' greatest challenge now? Randy Phillips: Well, we're going through constant change within the organization. We've grown from a staff of two full time and two part time in August 1991. Today, we are approaching 500 full-time staff. With that kind of growth, we have basically doubled each year. That's great, but it comes at a price. We have made our share of mistakes. Now we have to understand how we can live what we are preaching and express the message we are called to share, while experiencing this rapid growth. Q. What's next for Promise Keepers? A. In previous years, we have seen a focus on the relationship with Christ. Now I sense, in addition to that, an openness with the men in their relationship with their wives and with people of different cultures, races, etc. A commitment to serving and understanding each other better. We have had incredible stories of how that has taken place for so many thousands of men. This is the first year I have sensed great favor in hearing the reconciliation message. Q. What do you have planned for 1997? A. We're holding stadium events, and we're really looking forward to our D.C. conference in the fall. We believe that a multitude of men, probably a million or more, will go to Washington, D.C., but not for the reasons the vast majority of people go to D.C. It is not to display our power or to influence man. It is to display our poverty and our desire for God to influence us. As God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Q. So, it's really a call to pray and repent such that God will be able to use the church more effectively to accomplish his will? A. Yes! We hope this is going to result in a church that has the same core orthodoxy, that shares the values of the faith concerning God's Word. This is an important point: We need to be a church that shares the commitments of the Person of Jesus Christ, the understanding of our salvation through him alone, people who understand the basics that divide eternal death from eternal life, for example. If we share those core elements of orthodoxy and faith, then we can love one another and commit to God and one another. Our hope is that D.C. will be an opportunity for God to throw out his blessing and provide a release of the gospel in this nation and around the world. Q. Is this a move toward some kind of superchurch? A. No, not organizationally! Despite some of the misunderstandings we may have helped foster in the past, Promise Keepers sees value in the distinctives in the denominations God has created in his church. We simply want to see unity in faith and purpose around our core beliefs so we can more effectively work together to preach the gospel as Christ intends. "Stand in the Gap, A Sacred Assembly of Men" will be held on Oct. 4, at Independence Mall in Washington, D.C. Those wishing to learn about Promise Keepers events and services may call 1-800-888-7595. |