“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
- Jeremiah 29:4-9
This passage was written by the prophet Jeremiah, who was ministering to the Jewish people in exile in Babylon. Rather than teaching separation from the world, he was teaching them how to bless the world that they didn’t belong in. This is a model for us today, we poor wayfaring strangers, citizens of the Kingdom of God while living on earth. For a time, we, too, have suffered false prophets and diviners, who have led us to ineffective witness in the world. As Jeremiah and other biblical authors make clear, it is important to have pastors in place who speak the truth to the people, lest they stumble.
A Pastor’s Function - Physician
There are many metaphors for what a pastor is like. He is like a coach that is training his spiritual athletes to win in the team sport of the church. He is like a general, leading the troops against the forces of the evil one. He is like a CEO, heading up the various projects under the umbrella of the corporation. Of course, the very word pastor in the Greek (poimen), is a metaphor meaning literally ‘shepherd,’ the notion being that he leads the flock of Christ to green pastures and still waters. Today, I would like to use the metaphor of a physician.
A physician is a person who treats sick people. In order to do that, any decent physician is going to start with a diagnosis. A diagnosis is the ascertaining and pronouncing of the malady plaguing the patient. A diagnosis is followed by a prognosis and treatment.
As I often remind you, Jesus, whose name means ‘savior,’ came to save us from our sins. He is often called the ‘Great Physician.’ He compares himself to a physician, as a physician only comes for those who are ill. He makes the point that the only people he is going to help are those who can admit that they have a problem. In a general sense, every human has a sin problem that is going to kill us. The Great Physician, Jesus, is the only one who can correctly diagnose and treat our malady.
It is true that I cannot treat you in the sense that Jesus can. He is Christ; I am not. Yet it is a similar concept to the ‘Good Shepherd.’ There is only one and his name is Jesus. We are all his sheep, of his flock, following his voice. Yet the structure of the church requires that a shepherd, or pastor, be in place. I am not the Good Shepherd. I am just a shepherd. I am not the Great Physician. I’m just a spiritual physician. I am in place to properly diagnose and then to treat the particular maladies in this context.
Basic Concepts & Doctrine
The sickness in any cultural context is sin. But what about this particular context? How does sin effectively capture the hearts of the people around us, dragging them to hell? That is where my function lies. In order to apply the balm of the gospel, it is helpful, and often essential, to know the nature of the wound or sickness. Just as medical misdiagnosis often results in the wrong treatment, and the wrong treatment can easily lead to more harm, so a misdiagnosis or misunderstanding of the problems of our time and place can easily result in more harm being done than good. Indeed, I think most churches today are misdiagnosing the problems of our society, and that is why we continue to see the church on the decline across the post-Christian West.
My interest in giving this sermon today is not out of any desire to tear down or degrade the culture I serve. It is rather to create a shared understanding of the work that Christ has called all of us to. We are not going to have a shared understanding of anything unless it is first articulated and then we all choose to adopt it together. It is my hope that you see the truth in what I say today and adopt it as your own understanding of our context.
This requires on the front end that you confess the doctrine of Total Depravity and the Imago Dei. The Imago Dei is the notion that all humans and cultures equally carry the image of God. The Lord made us in his image, and that means we are all of sacred worth. This is where the notion of human rights comes from, a notion that is still foreign to any culture that is not Judeo-Christian in its orientation. Total Depravity is the doctrine that all of us, and all worldly cultures, are conceived in wickedness, and that the untouched human heart is inclined to sin all the time. We are, by nature, sinful and estranged from God. Holiness is a supernatural act that God works in us. That is what we are doing here.
God loves and condemns the world. His love of the world does not cancel out his righteous anger towards sin. We are similarly called to love the world, to serve the world, to pour ourselves out for the world, even as we pronounce God’s judgment against the world and warn people about sin and death. That means our church here in Nowata is called to love our town, our state, and our country, even as we warn them about the things in our culture that seek to condemn us. We do this because people are naturally self-justifying. The human heart is deceptive.
“A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.”
- Proverbs 21:2
“The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?”
- Jeremiah 17:9
My Perspective - Granular & Birdseye
In Nowata, yes, this begins with sin. After ten years living and working here, ministering to these people, praying over this town daily—I think I have some insights as to the nature of the various maladies plaguing the people we are tasked with saving. Yes, it is Christ who saves, but he has ordained that we should do the work of bringing these sick people to the great physician of their souls. We need to do this work well. That means correctly diagnosing the problem. As a reminder, in my ten years here, I have visited you and hundreds of other people at their homes. I have frequented the hospital, the nursing homes, the schools, the jail. I have sat in the county court. I have been a part of civic and local government work groups, sat on nonprofit boards.
I also think it helpful to remind you that I accurately predicted what would happen in our former denomination many years before it happened. For years, from this pulpit, I prepared you for the decision that needed to be made. Church leadership eventually confirmed that I had been right, and they led the church to an almost-uniform vote to leave. Thousands of other local churches did not have the clarity to leave the United Methodist Church, and they are very upset. I know this because I started a podcast aimed at speaking to them, which now has a presence on a dozen media platforms and an annual viewership of a million people and a regular audience of at least 8K. I understand much of the world around us, such that 350 people daily consult a daily briefing I do on every weekday. I read books aimed at understanding larger cultural trends, interviewing authors and distilling information for you and thousands of others on a regular basis. All this to say that I have done about as much homework as one can do, both locally and more broadly, to know what I’m talking about. I can still be wrong about things, but my assessments should be received as informed.
Perhaps most importantly, I have met with the Ministerial Alliance for ten years, praying over this town, talking about the challenges of this mission field. And that’s what this is: a mission field. For the rest of today’s message, I’ll talk about this mission field. In order to hear me, you’re going to have to make room for me to speak in generalizations. Yes, there will be exceptions to things I talk about here. That doesn’t change the fact that what I’m asserting here is generally true, and that general truth has a larger impact we need to reckon with.
Next week, we will talk about how to do mission here.
Key Numbers to Understand Nowata
Nowata, Oklahoma is a town of 3,575 people, projected from the last census. Nowata County probably has about 9,463 people living it is, again projecting from the 2020 Census. The median value of owner-occupied homes is $121,900, this being figured from the total of 4,383 total household units in the county. The largest age group is 50–59 years old, making up 13.9% of the population, indicating a significant middle-aged and retiree presence. 32.6% of births are to unmarried mothers, with 39% of these mothers having less than a high school education. More than a quarter (25.5%) of Nowata County households consist of individuals living alone (13.3% of whom are 65 or older). The median household income for 2023 was $52,679, up 3.37% from $50,960 in 2022. 16.4% of individuals (1,516 people) live below the poverty line, higher than the Oklahoma average of 15.3%. 88% of Nowata County residents have a high school diploma or higher, slightly below the county average of 90%. 3,820 people are employed, down 4.29% from 3,990 in 2022. Our top industries are Health Care & Social Assistance: 745 people, Manufacturing: 606 people, and Retail Trade: 382 people. Also, 11.4% of residents moved since the previous year.
Is Nowata County especially poor? Not especially, no. We aren’t rich, though. The poverty rate in Nowata County, Oklahoma, as of 2023, is 16.4%, meaning approximately 1,516 individuals live below the federal poverty line. This is higher than the Oklahoma state average of 15.3%. Our county’s poverty rate ranks 27th among Oklahoma’s 77 counties for poverty rate. This places it in the middle tier of Oklahoma counties, as the state’s overall poverty rate is 15.9% (2023 American Community Survey), ranking Oklahoma as the sixth-poorest state nationally. There isn’t any solid data on how many in our county are underwritten by the government.
Some Basic History of the Area
The City of Nowata came together in the days of Indian Territory. A huge shallow oil deposit was found on the land here, and people flocked to the area in the first decades of the 1900s to make money off the oil. For a few decades, this was a well-off and orderly town. Yet as the oil dried up, so did a lot of the money and jobs. As I have spoken with many longtime Nowata people, the sense I often get is that the town generally feels its best days are behind it.
Cultural Trends
So far as I can tell, statistically speaking, Nowata is quite representative of larger social trends. There are definitely unique cultural things to be found in any place, including here. Yet in a county of 10% annual turnover, the truth is that the wider cultural shifts in the country are very impactful. Nowata is largely a recipient and incubator of much larger forces and trends that trickle in from many angles, which very few understand or anticipate.
Local Commerce
According to the older members of this church to whom I have spoken, our county has never been particularly good at supporting locally-owned businesses. Yes, large corporations have sometimes moved in with lower rates to put local stores out of business. But it is also the case that many are content to drive to Washington, Rogers, and Tulsa counties to spend their money rather than staying here. Nowata, like almost all American small towns, looks somewhat disparagingly upon itself. It doesn’t have the amenities of larger urban areas. It is generally ashamed of itself, and older folks generally have no qualms about telling their kids to get out of here and build a life in a better place. I think this is wrongheaded, by the way. American cities have largely prospered by a sustained brain drain from small towns over the last century. I am very worried about a culture that values whatever is big, shiny, and rich. That culture has largely saturated Nowata.
Labor Challenges
American blue collar workers and their culture has largely been disparaged since the 1960s in this country, as federal-level government has worked to deport such jobs overseas. Federalized education programs have pressured all young people to attend college and get white collar jobs, inferring something bad about those who work technical jobs. The result is a huge skills and job gap that people like Mike Rowe are working to fill. On the local level, that means that even when companies choose to locate here, they often struggle to find quality workers. Local business owners have complained to me or in groups that I have been a part of that they cannot find workers who can be dependable, who can show up on time, who can put in a full day of decent, hard work.
Unemployment & Government Assistance
Many people see work as not good. It is normal for many who could actually work to get by on government assistance or live off their parents’ social security. People who work in the banks here tell me of men who bring their elderly mothers into the bank to cash checks and move the money into their own accounts. I have personally worked with more than a dozen households here that ask for help after receiving thousands of welfare dollars on a monthly basis.
Declining Social Capital
Another national trend that has bled into our county has been a rapid decline in social capital. Social capital is the phenomenon of people who join voluntary organizations. Robert Putnum started noticing a decline of bowling leagues in the 1990s and began publishing on this topic. Since then, we have seen a rapid decline in all voluntary organizations, including the church. People are generally intolerant of group scenarios in which compromise and negotiation are required. We see this in every sector, including public schooling as other more individualized alternatives are available. Some of this can be good, but what it generally means is that people in our culture are increasingly incapable of speaking and cooperating with other people. Folks self-isolate. As Joseph can tell you: As we go door to door, we frequently find households that are very isolated, with folks who stay inside all day, watch tv and play video games, do the bare minimum engagement with the world. They are socially retarded and difficult to reach.
Household Budgeting
Folks, even middle class folks, around here generally do not know how to have a stable household budget. Credit card and payday loan debt is quite high. If national averages of lower income rural counties hold true, then the average Nowata household carries about $70K in debt. About a quarter of its residents are living in rentals. This provides a general feeling of insecurity, especially for children being raised in these households.
The Children
From conversations with local teachers and the Boys & Girls Club leadership, I know that Nowata children are not doing okay. The stats on single motherhood already accurately predict what is being reported on the ground. Many of our youth are significantly maladjusted. Attention and anxiety issues are normal. Addiction to screens and processed food is normal. It is relatively rare that children and youth know how to speak and interact with adults. Failure to launch is common. Cohabitation outside of wedlock is common, as is the illegitimacy and single parenthood that follows.
What I hope is clear to you as I talk through all this is how poisoned by propaganda our culture is. For decades, people here, like in other small American towns, have chosen to believe the lie that life is about relaxing, about getting what they want in the way they want it, about the narcissism that we see on tv and in city culture. Any old school ethos of hard work, of knowing one’s neighbors and participating in the social fabric, is generally regarded as quaint and unrealistic.
The Drug Use
Perhaps the largest and most influential outgrowth of this phenomenon is the rate of illicit drug use here in Nowata. Having gone into the jails and simply watched the streets with my eyeballs, I know that drug use here is huge. Nationally speaking, about one-in-five people are on anti-anxiety and anti-depression meds. Odds are, with the presence of Grand Lake Mental Health, this is higher here. With the legalization of marijuana, it is to be expected that about one-in-five is regularly partaking of that. Almost half of all people in Oklahoma regularly drink alcohol, and a good number of those are functional alcoholics. But the most concerning is those who are trying to manage addictions and lives built around methamphetamines and pain killers. Given that these things are socially unacceptable and often illegal, it is hard to get solid numbers on how many people here are affected. But we see them in the court, in the jail, we see their kids at the school. There are a lot. Depending on where you are and what time it is, the town is crawling with them.
A local contractor, a fantastic brother in Christ, named Baily Kile, recently made a Facebook post detailing this:
The comments that followed indicate that this is a problem that many are aware of and concerned about:
Summary of Maladies
Speaking plainly, Nowata has an underbelly of dysfunctional people that are not manageable. Our society has been trying to treat the issues with financial intervention and redistribution, coupled with mental health care and medication. The issues are not only not going away, but they are getting worse. This is impacting the morale of everyone in this town. It drags us all down, raising suspicions of one another and making all of us more wary about participating in local events and getting mixed up with local people. It is a vicious cycle that is going in a bad direction. Many of those more functional members of our county are often going to other counties, not only to consume and relax, but also to worship. So many who put themselves forward in this community as problem solvers and builders are not a part of the local religious life.
And that’s a real tragedy because, at root, the issues plaguing this county are spiritual in nature. We keep trying to treat these bullet wounds with band aids. Folks who are abjectly miserable are filling their lives with drugs, gambling (I didn’t have time to talk about the impact of casinos and sports gambling), dysfunctional relationships and pornography, escapism through video games and watching tv all day. You can’t tell me I’m wrong about this stuff; I see it in almost every household I touch. The only answer to these problems, the only thing that can possibly change these lives, is Jesus.
Neuroplasticity & Jesus
It was recently revealed that the smartest man in the world is a Korean man named YoungHoon Kim. He created waves this last week by publicly announcing that he is an unreserved Christian. A post of his made on X that I appreciated said:
That word ‘neuroplasticity’ means that it changes our brains. Christianity changes how, or rather who, we are. The word for this is ‘repentance’ and/or ‘conversion.’ A survey of Christian history reveals that the Christian faith has been the most influential force for good in the world. There is no competition. Christianity has turned societies bent on death and destruction into fortresses of heavenly beauty. Christianity has been up to the task of reforming sinners for almost two thousand years.
The Definition of Crazy
But I must make clear that the culture of the last century in our nation is not sufficient. For a long time, American Christianity has swallowed lies that have made us ineffective. Indeed, it is because we have been doing things wrong for so long that we find ourselves in this highly sinful and lost culture. The American church, generally speaking, failed to hold the line. Leadership chose to believe that Christians could give a bare minimum of themselves to Christ through the church, and that everything would be okay. Christians could be friends with the world, could get along with worldly people, could yoke themselves with unbelievers, and Christ would still prosper our work. These hopes have been revealed as lies. We need to sober up and reckon with this failure. The mainline Protestant project of the last two centuries is falling apart, as each denomination has collapsed in worldliness.
Next week I’m going to talk about the particulars of how our church needs to do ministry in this mission field if we hope to actually change anything, to actually make disciples, to actually last until Jesus comes. The church has been in decline across America, and local churches in Nowata are struggling just like everywhere else. The way our church has done discipleship in the past has not generally resulted in longevity among our members, nor has it resulted in people desperately running to get in the doors, despite the fact that the church is the only group with the solution to their problems.
We need to be able to reckon with things as they are, so that we can rightly pray for our town. It is only when we see things as they are that we can rightly pray, repent, and then work for God’s glory. It is my hope that we can and will do exactly that.
The Good News
Christ is able to transform the most wicked sinner into a saint. Christ is able to transform this town into a heavenly place! The Holy Spirit is the most powerful entity in the world, and he is working all things for the good of those who love him. Put your trust in God, and he will guide our footsteps together. May we joyfully submit to his direction and discipline, even though it means hard work on our part. To be a slave to Christ is the most blessed existence in all the world. Let us serve him joyfully together until Christ comes again in glory!
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