Have you taken a Look Around Lately?
Filed under: Church Planting, Church Revitalization, Encouragement, Random Thoughts, church growth, community, evangelism, leadership, ministry
When Church planters enter a community, they usually do some research first. They figure out where the people are, where they can meet the needs of the people they intend to reach etc… In established churches, sometimes the community changes while we aren’t paying attention. Maybe we need to take a walk around the neighborhood with some new eyes. Plant a new church within the established church! Rose White (Sorry Rose, I don’t have a link to you on the internet) recently did some incredible research into the idea of the “Christo-centric Walkabout” finding where people would and wouldn’t go in a city and why people might find certain areas or even churches “inaccessible”. Has your church become inaccessible to the people of the community where it is located? Do changes need to be made so that you can meet the people where they are in order to create relationships in which the Gospel of Jesus can be shared? Maybe it is time for a Walkabout…or even just a walk around the neighborhood with your eyes open to how God would have you reach the people there.
Are Programs Killing Your Church?
Filed under: Church Revitalization, Direction, Encouragement, Random Thoughts, Vision, leadership, ministry, volunteering
In the church world, there are so many great programs/events/studies/classes that can help your church. At what point do they become a detriment? One question to ask is, “How many staff and volunteers do we have?” and then secondly, “What is the very best use for these people?” If we try to do everything, we will accomplish nothing well. There are traditional programs like Choir, Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, Special Music, Men’s & Women’s ministries…each of these take someone to lead them and people to be involved in them. Each of these serve a purpose and can be good for the church. Sometimes though, it is important to choose between them so that a smaller number of programs can be done with the excellence that is due worship presented to the King of kings and Lord of lords! If you are having trouble getting volunteers for an area of ministry in your church, you could berate the congregation about why they aren’t serving the Lord…OR you might take another look at that area of ministry and ask if it is really vital to the core mission of the church? It might be time to kill it before it dies a long painful death.
Would you ask your church?
Filed under: Church Revitalization, Encouragement, Random Thoughts, church growth, leadership
Last night, as I thought about the sermon for this Sunday, a question popped in my head, really a series of questions. It is a survey of sorts. Since I am not the pastor of this church, just a guest speaker, my feeling is that if they hate me for it, that is fine. If the question gets some attention from them, then it was worth it. Here is the question series.
- How many of you have come to Christ in the last month?
- Last 2 months?
- Last year?
- Last two years?
- Last 5 years?
- 10 years?
My guess, sadly, is that in the first few questions, there may not be many hands going up. My second question then is “Why not?” If people will really ask that question and then do something about the answer, I believe we could have real revival and watch God do some incredible work in this country! Would you ask your church these questions? Would you be thrilled with the results, or does the idea terrify you? Oh, and like a boy scout, be prepared! God is doing AWESOME things in churches that are willing to actively take the gospel to the unbelieving and unchurched around them! You may have to get uncomfortable if/when you start dealing with the “Why not?” question. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do!
Linchpin Audio by Seth Godin
Hey, if you want a chance to hear a great lesson on taking risks and chances, Seth Godin does a great job in this free audio link.
If the link doesn’t work, cut and paste this link in: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/files/linchpinsessionsethgodinapril.mp3
Henry Didn’t Invent the Automobile, but He Was Still a Success!
Filed under: Church Revitalization, Direction, church growth, creativity, leadership
Henry Ford may not have invented the automobile, but he was quite successful in his creative “new” way of building them. He had an idea to have men specialize in one part of building a car and then pushing it down the l
ine to the next guy to do his part. Back in 1913, it was a brand new idea! Think if car companies hadn’t updated at all since then what we would be driving! The model T was a great car for its day, but most of us would be quite disappointed with going 20 miles per hour on the open road now! In the church, we must be constantly begging God to give us new creativity! We don’t change the message that God has given us! We do change the method in which that message is conveyed. Just as I am sure Henry wouldn’t be content with still cranking out the model T in 2010, we shouldn’t be content to just do things the way they have always been done. I heard a quote recently, “Your organization is perfectly suited to get the results you are getting.” If you don’t like the results your church is getting, then something needs to change, or you will keep getting the same results. Change is scary! Some people won’t like it! Even a model T can be changed to be a hot rod!
Something is Missing!
Filed under: Church Revitalization, Direction, Encouragement, Random Thoughts, Vision, church growth, community, leadership, ministry
Today, my wife left for Seattle. The house hasn’t changed any. Life around me is more or less the same, but there is a little something missing. She is only one person, but in my life, she is a VERY important person! Are you a part of someone’s life enough that you would be missed if you disappeared for a while? Someone other than your spouse/kids? In church leadership we can ask that question both of ourselves and our church. If I disappeared from this ministry, would anyone care? Would it affect anything? The same with our church! If my church disappeared off the face of the earth today, would anyone outside of the staff & maybe the members even notice? Are we making a difference in the community? Do people outside see the life change that is going on in people’s lives because we are here? Or are we just that building on a hill that has a few cars outside it on Sunday mornings for an hour or so? Tough question to ask, but one we should be asking regularly. Just because you would be missed today, doesn’t mean you have that status forever. We must constantly be seeking the Lord and HIS vision and direction for our churches. When we step outside of HIS will, we are just a community club that will soon lose members and die off. Seek God’s grace that your church will be one that would be missed if you weren’t there!
Mortality can hit like a truck!
Yesterday, a young man who is very well known in the Swing Dance community here in the Southeastern United States , Matt King was killed in a cycling accident. In a moment, a truck made a turn, Matt had just pulled off the curb and was hit. Soon afterward, he was pronounced dead. It wasn’t the driver’s fault, yet that doesn’t change the result. Matt was a great athlete, a guy who was a lot of fun just to know, a kind of goofy swing dancer, active in FCA, his church and youth group. I have no doubt about Matt’s relationship with Jesus Christ. The part that hits me is that he was about 15 years younger than me. A graduate of Clemson University’s class of 2009, he was not someone you would expect to be dead today. It was a not so gentle reminder that we all must be ready to meet our maker. For those of us who are Christians, it reminds us that time is precious and those whom we know who don’t know Christ aren’t guaranteed a tomorrow. We must remember that their eternity depends on their response to Jesus’ question, “Will you follow me?”. It is our job to give them the chance to be confronted with that question. Matt, I look forward to watching you dance again as we dance before our Almighty God praising HIM in heaven. I will be there soon.
Fun Times Speaking with Youth!
Last night I had the joy and privilege of speaking to the youth at Augusta Road United Methodist Church in Moonville, SC ! It was great to be able to share with them and see one of my students from the university in a different light. Lindsey is the youth pastor there and is really doing a phenomenal job working with the students of her church. Interestingly enough, I was speaking from Luke chapter 4 in which Jesus goes back to preach in his own home town and the people attempted to throw him off a cliff! Lindsey grew up in the church she is now working in! They haven’t thrown her off a cliff yet, and from the looks of how she interacts with the teens there, they won’t be doing so anytime soon! It is always great to see “my kids” out there doing great things for the Lord! To Lindsey and all the other students who are working hard for God while in college, keep up the great work!
Church Growth….Normal?
There are many books and seminars and well known speakers that deal with the subject of “Church Growth”. Last night, I was talking with one of the biology majors from the college I teach at about a final exam, and it hit me. One tenant of biology is that a healthy organism will grow! That is the natural way. A healthy baby doesn’t get smaller. A healthy tree doesn’t shrink…though sometimes a tree needs to be pruned in order to get healthy. Healthy plants grow, spread, flower etc. A church that is healthy should naturally be growing! Not because there is a master growth plan, or some special program or outreach, though there is nothing wrong with these things. It will grow because it is healthy. The members will be happy to tell their friends, relatives, coworkers etc…”Hey, come to church with me on Sunday!” They won’t be embarrassed of their church because it is healthy. If a kid has a tire swing that is hooked to a strong healthy branch, they will invite the neighborhood kids to come swing with them. If however it is attached to a weak branch that looks ready to fall, not only will they not invite their friends, but soon, they won’t swing on it either. In the same way, a dying church repels new growth. The medicine is the Holy Spirit! When the membership of the church is full of the fire of God, then things like outreach and evangelism will be the natural outcome…which will lead to church growth.
Religious Boneyard in the South…
This blog post was interesting as it fleshed out well what I had blogged on yesterday. This post on dying churches in the south by Tyler Jones is definitely worth reading.
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