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10 Good Things That Aren’t Good Enough Reasons to Become a Pastor

By
Dave Bruskas
-
communicating with the unchurched

There are some good reasons to be a pastor, and there are some reasons that just aren’t enough. This is the third installment in an eight-part series called Preparing to Lead.

Over the years, I have heard men give compelling reasons to be a pastor. I have also heard a few ridiculous reasons.

But most often, I have heard reasons that just aren’t sufficient on their own to justify becoming a pastor. Here are 10 of them.

1. You like spending time with other Christians.

This a very good thing. You should be really encouraged by this desire. According to Jesus, the clearest evidence of being a Christian is loving other Christians (John 13:35). And to love other Christians requires spending time with them.

But being a pastor requires you to spend considerable time alone in study and prayer. You will also give of yourself in knowing and serving non-Christians.

Too many people mistake pastoral ministry for a never-ending summer youth camp. In reality, the two have very little in common.

2. You like to study your Bible.

Again, this is a really good thing to like. All Christians should love to study the Bible in order to better know Jesus.

A pastor must study the Bible. Preaching should be his highest priority and the foundation of influential preaching is focused study.

But almost every pastor I know wishes he had more time to spend studying. It’s absolutely important and completely impossible to give yourself to it exclusively.

3. You like speaking in public.

Pastors must be able to clearly communicate the Bible. Most will preach anywhere from 50 to over 100 different sermons in a single year. But speaking in public and preaching are two different things. The medium is the same, but the responsibility is not.

Making a compelling presentation to your co-workers and preaching the Bible are as different as a paintball competition and real combat. Both involve guns and helmets, but that is about all.

Projects, products and dollars can’t compare in worth to the souls and eternal destinies of human beings. And that is exactly what is at stake every time the pastor enters the pulpit.

Being responsible to relay a message from God to people who desperately need him is an enormous task.

Tim Keller: This Needs to Inform Your View of Social Justice

By
Bob Ditmer
-
communicating with the unchurched


Tim Keller says many people in the church fall into one of two categories; they are into justification but not justice or they love justice but have a low regard for justification.

In this video he makes the case that both positions are wrong.

The doctrine of justification by faith teaches that our sins were placed on Jesus and his righteousness was given to us when he died on the cross for the sins of mankind.

Justice is the idea that Christians should be showing concern for the widow, orphan, immigrant and poor, what Keller calls “the quartet of the vulnerable.”

For those who prefer justification, Keller said “Justice is the sign that you have been justified by faith. It’s not the basis, you aren’t justified because you’re helping the poor, but a heart poured out in deeds of mercy and justice for the poor is a sign that you have been saved by grace.”

Keller said he regularly meets Christians who miss one of the major themes of the Bible found in the Old Testament, “If you aren’t intensely concerned for the quartet of the vulnerable…it’s a sign your heart is not right with God.”

He uses examples from Isaiah 29:21, Isaiah 58, and Deuteronomy 10. And he said the theme is repeated in the New Testament passages of Mark 12:38-40, Luke 11 and James 2.

Keller summed up the New Testament verses this way, “How do you know you’re really saved by faith? You care about the poor. When you see people without resources, your heart goes out to them. If it doesn’t, maybe you’re saved, but you’re lacking the evidence of salvation. Justification leads to justice. Justice is the sign of justification. It’s all through the Bible.”

He offered several reasons to back up his argument.

Justification and Justice Connections

First, the doctrine of justification by faith alone will eventually change your attitude toward justice.

If you believe God will accept you because you’re a good person, you are taking a low view of the law of God.

That’s because God is so holy and you fall so far short of his requirement, only the death of the son of God can save you.

Once you understand justification in that way, said Keller, you will realize that “justice matters to God.”

There’s also a balancing perspective on this point. Keller said once you understand the depth of sin from which we all suffer, you can’t be self righteous against perpetrators of unrighteousness, because you once rebelled against God.  

And he observed, an awful lot of people who are the biggest advocates helping the poor are every bit as self-righteous as the pharisees were against those who don’t.

Justification and the Poor

Second, Keller said a proper understanding of justification and justice changes your attitude toward the poor.

Matthew 5:3 quotes Jesus saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Poor in spirit, Keller instructed, is our infinite sin debt. It could only be paid by Jesus’ death on the cross.

Those who are poor in spirit cannot say to someone poor in a material sense, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”  Keller noted, “If Jesus had said that to you (in a spiritual sense), you’d be in hell.”

If one poor in spirit says, “I’ll only help those who are deserving”, Keller points out,  “If Jesus had done that, only shed blood to deserving poor (in spirit), there isn’t anybody like that here.”

“When you are poor in spirit when you look at the economically poor you know you’re looking in a mirror,” Keller said.

For the group that prefers justice, Keller called them, “middle class in spirit,” suggesting they think God would accept them or their prayers because of their good deeds.

Third, a proper understanding of justification and justice changes the attitude of the poor.

Referencing James 1:9-10, Keller said the poor Christian ought to take pride in his high position and the rich Christian should take pride in his low position because he’ll pass away like a wildflower.

Keller said the passage can be confusing if you don’t read it from the perspective that all Christians are vile sinners and at the same time fully loved as adopted children of God.

The instruction from the passage to successful Christians is, it would be good to dwell on their sinful condition since they can easily be swayed by the world where they get nothing but acclaim.

And poor Christians should dwell on their high status knowing that while they are disdained by the world, they are children of the king.  Where the the world says you are your bank account, the gospel says you aren’t defined by outside forces.

And finally, when the world sees the church doing justice then the world will get interested in justification. They’ll want to know what changed Christians. The answer will be justification.

Meet the Man Making Money Off Christianity in Africa

By
Bob Ditmer
-
communicating with the unchurched

Over the past 20 years Christianity in Africa has grown. But there are grave concerns over what is happening in the name of Christianity on the continent.

Conrad Mbewe, pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia, and who has been called “the African Spurgeon,” said prosperity teaching is an unwelcome guest that has taken up permanent residence in Africa. A Reformed Baptist, he hopes to see a revival of the true gospel in Africa. In a 2015 article for the Gospel Coalition he wrote:

“We need to address prosperity theology here in Africa because it has replaced the true gospel of salvation with a kind of “gospel” that is no gospel at all. This is happening in what once were mainstream evangelical circles. Everywhere, especially on radio and television, almost all you hear is this message about how God in Christ wants us to be physically healthy and materially prosperous. You hardly ever hear sermons about sin and repentance.”

A case in point is Bishop Daniel “Angel” Obinim, the founder of International Godsway church in Ghana.

Impeccably dressed while sitting on an oversized chair that resembles a throne, his followers approach him throwing banknotes at his feet. He claims that Jesus Christ has granted him the right to more than 20 houses, eight Range Rovers, five SUVs and three Chryslers.

News reports claim his churches are filled. “These churches are experiencing a boom because they answer the material desires of people,” explains Akosua Adomako Ampofo, a professor of the African Studies Institute of the University of Ghana, in Accra. “The people, especially from the poorer areas of the city, look for answers for daily needs, therefore the promise of wealth—along with the miraculous healing—attracts people.”

In addition to offerings from his filled churches, Obinim is also a master marketer. His latest scheme is the #ObinimStickerChallenge that is trending on social media. The hashtag sticker comes on the back of audios that were making rounds in the country where some members of his church were giving testimonies about how miraculously the sticker, which has the Obinim’s face on it, has helped them in some way.

The ‘Obinim challenge’ has also garnered its share of ridicule. UK ambassador to Ghana Jon Benjamin tweeted, “Yes, I stuck an #Obinim sticker on my head last night and when I woke up this morning I had two heads…but no brain”.

The rest of his “theology” is also suspect. Obinim claims he can turn into anything, including animals and trees. He says he can retrieve passports from the spiritual world. He claims that he can change body parts. Obinim’s members now refer to him as Angel Obinim. He told them he was made an angel by his father, Jesus. He insists he can enter people’s dreams. And he recently told his church members that he went to Heaven, had a conversation with God and drew the jealousy of Satan.

While the stories are amusing, the impact is not. Pastor Mbewe wrote:

“It’s like giving children sweets before a meal; you spoil their appetite for that which is truly nutritious. The Bible is primarily about salvation from sin and being sanctified into the image of Christ. We ought to be admiring those among us whose godliness shines like the sun in its noonday strength, but we are fast losing that view. Christians are instead admiring the few individuals with big houses, and flashy cars and clothes, even when such individuals are living in sin. Invariably this emphasis is resulting in churches being rocked with scandals once rare in evangelical circles. Also, prosperity theology makes people think health and wealth are products of a man of God’s prayers (which he performs for you when you plant a financial “seed”), despite the fact that health and wealth are products of good hygiene, nutritious meals, regular exercise, medical treatment, integrity, innovativeness and hard work. This teaching has become a religious pyramid scam, with the so-called “men of God” reaping a fortune while their blind followers are getting poorer. Every day we have to deal with disillusioned individuals who have woken up when it’s too late. This teaching is wreaking havoc in the lives of many Christians.”

And not just in Ghana.

Beth Moore argues something similar is happening in America but in subtler shades. This week, as part of a panel discussion on “Evangelicals and the Future of Racial Unity” at the MLK50 Conference, Moore said while many evangelicals in America are proud they don’t subscribe to a “prosperity gospel,” many are guilty of subscribing to a “pampered gospel.”

“What I think has happened here is that in our discipleship, we are not teaching what is normative in the believing life. When we carry our cross and we follow Jesus, we are walking into a storm… But what we have subscribed to is a pampered gospel where we are so afraid of suffering and we are so afraid someone is going to criticize us and hurt our feelings,” Moore asserted. “This is the Gospel work of Jesus Christ and we are going with Him. Whatever it takes, no matter how unpopular it is. He was hated. We have to have thicker skin than that.”

Whether the allure is a pampered gospel or prosperity theology, pastor Mbewe said those caught up have not rejected the true gospel but have no idea what it is. He prays that the Holy Spirit will open their eyes to the lies they’ve accepted.

How Technology Made Me a Better Christian

By
David Murray
-
communicating with the unchurched

There’s way too much Christian negativity surrounding technology. All we seem to think and read about are the dangers and difficulties of the digital revolution. But how about some balance? How about recognizing and appreciating the amazing technological gifts that God has blessed our generation with?

In one of my blog posts, I linked to How Technology Made me a Better Mom, and I thought, “Why don’t Christians write pieces like this?” Then, “Why don’t I write a piece like this?” So here goes with “How technology made me a better Christian.”

Affordable resources

I would not have half the books I have without the advent of Logos, Ages Software, eBooks, Kindle Daily Deals, etc. How impoverished my life and ministry would be without these resources! Then add all the blogs, websites, online sermons and videos, podcasts, and it’s almost too much of a good thing. Where do you start? Enter reliable online curators like Tim Challies and Justin Taylor to help us find the best treasure.

Searchable books

When I began my ministry in the mid-nineties, I started an elaborate and time-intensive index card reference system for everything I read in books, magazines, journals, etc. Yet even that often failed me as I stood in front of my tiny library and wondered, “Where did I read that quote? Which book deals with this verse or doctrine?” Now I can search Logos, my Kindle, Evernote, Dropbox, etc. and find them with a few clicks. This has not only saved me oodles of time but has enriched my life and ministry immeasurably.

Economy and clarity of words

I got through Glasgow University and my first year of Seminary without a computer. I wasn’t a Luddite. It’s just that personal computers were still quite rare (and expensive). My first computer was a Packard Bell and it had a 200mb hard-drive! Yet even that made a huge difference to the sermons I was beginning to preach. I still have the 10 or so handwritten sermon notes of my first efforts. I remember there were times when I wanted to cut, edit, or re-arrange a section and yet just didn’t have the time to write everything else out again. My PC’s cut-and-paste made me a better preacher by helping me compress, clarify, and simplify my language. I so much wish John Owen had lived in our day.

Current comment

Until the advent of the Internet, if there was some moral crisis or worrying spiritual development in the church or nation, it would take a month or two for Christian periodicals to cover it and publish on it with comment and guidance. By then, the issue was often long gone and the debate had passed. Now we have the best minds and writers in Christendom able to comment and guide us through extremely treacherous moral and spiritual times and trends, and to do so virtually in real time!

Christian fellowship

Yes, I believe Christian fellowship has increased rather than decreased with the advent of the Internet. Through blogs and websites, “ordinary” Christians are sharing their faith and their spiritual experiences in ways that bless and encourage hundreds and sometimes thousands of other Christians — and nonChristians too. So much that would have been kept private and untold is now public and shared. Isolated Christians, Christian seniors, Christians with special needs, Christian homemakers, etc., have access to other Christians in unprecedented ways. And it’s not all digital. Most of my online friendships have developed into face-to-face friendships. Christians find it easier to open up and share in their local churches too because they’ve been “practicing” online.

Christian diversity

One of the richest aspects of online life is learning about other Christians from other backgrounds and cultures. Pre-Internet I might have seen them from a distance and judged adversely on the basis of outward appearance. But as I read their blogs, listen to their sermons, and interact with them on Twitter and Facebook, etc., I hear and see their hearts for Christ and I’m better able to see past outward differences, love them, and be immeasurably enriched by them and their witness.

Outreach and mission

It’s incredible how easy and inexpensive it now is to produce ministry resources and send them around the world at the click of a mouse. Churches and seminaries in third world countries are better equipped and educated than they’ve ever been. Classes and lectures are beamed into deserts, slums, and jungles. Missionaries connect with their families and churches at home via Skype. The Christian message is reaching countries and places no Christian can.

Usability of biblical languages

Logos, Bibleworks, NET Bible, etc., have helped me to continue, maintain, and improve my biblical languages. Like most pastors, when I came out of Seminary, my Greek and Hebrew began to slip and fade. However, when I discovered Logos in the late nineties, with easy-to-use parsing guides, word study tools, lexicons, etc., my biblical languages began to resume an important place in my sermon preparation. Without the time-saving digital tools, I know I wouldn’t have had the time to incorporate them into my weekly study.

Digital sanctification

This list is getting way too long already, and it could go on even longer, but let me wrap up by emphasizing that all these things and many more have made you and me better Christians. The digital revolution has increased our theological knowledge, our cultural engagement, our ministry reach and effectiveness, our evangelism and apologetics, our love for one another, and our holiness. And who cannot worship God more when they sit down every day with an Apple!

Pastors Who Build Healthy Church Relationships Take the Initiative

By
Sam Rainer
-
communicating with the unchurched

Leadership requires initiative. Healthy relationships require initiative. A pastor without initiative will struggle to feed sheep. In John 21, Jesus gives Peter the three-fold command to “Feed my sheep.” The context of this command is the question of love. Pastor, do you love Jesus? Then you will take the initiative to feed his sheep.

You’re the leader. You must take the initiative, especially with relationships in the church. Many pastors rigorously protect their study time in God’s Word. The same intensity applies to personal relationships.

Will you intimately know every person in your congregation? Of course not. Neither will you know every nuance of every passage in Scripture. But you still make the time to study a specific passage for your sermon preparation. The same initiative that applies to the study of Scripture also applies to relationships in the church. Why not also pick a family a week (or a month) to get to know better? Pastors who take the initiative build more relational bridges in the congregation.

Don’t wait for others to invite you to a meal. You should reach out to people. Invite them to Sunday lunches with your family. Have members over for dinner at your home once or twice a month. Meet key leaders for early coffee or breakfast before work. Don’t have an agenda at these meals. Simply get to know people. It will build relational capital. More importantly, it’s biblical.

When you have an awkward moment with someone, call them. Pastors use a lot of words, especially lead pastors. You speak, preach, pray and guide meetings. The sheer volume of words used by pastors means people will misunderstand you, and you will unknowingly misstate your intentions. When you have an awkward moment with someone, call them. Take the initiative to clarify what was spoken. Don’t assume people will figure it out or forget. Clarity is critical to the health of relationships, and you have to take the lead to obtain it.

When you don’t know someone, introduce yourself. Wallflowers are not leaders. Pastors do not have the luxury of hiding in the corners of crowded rooms. Take every opportunity to make an introduction with someone you do not know.

Be the main greeter before and after worship services. Worship services are the perfect opportunities to build relationships. The majority of the church tends to be on campus for worship. Handshakes, hugs and smiles are quick but powerful reminders that you care for people.

Text people when you pray for them. This one is simple. When you pray for someone, take the extra 10 seconds to tell them! Your initiative could brighten someone’s day at just the moment needed.

Hand-write thank you notes. Write a few notes a week to people in the church who went above and beyond with their service. Five notes a week will yield 260 personal communications a year—many of which your congregation will keep in a desk drawer or box only to be pulled out on occasion and read again. The initiative to write these notes speaks volumes about your passion to care for people.

When someone implies they are struggling, ask them about it. I’ve noticed few people will explicitly state they are struggling. Usually, they speak in a couched tone or with veiled words. When you can tell they are hurting, ask them about it. Rarely will people be offended. In fact, their reserved posture is more of a cry for help than it is a desire to hide something.

To love Jesus is to feed His sheep. This effort takes initiative, especially within the context of relationships in the church.

This article originally appeared here.

Which Way Are You Leading?

By
Dan Jarvis
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communicating with the unchurched

Which way are you leading?

Toward revival? Toward the Great Commission? Toward multiplication?

“Wait, Dan, you don’t understand the structure I’m under. I’m not really in charge—the chairman of the board is, or the lead deacon, or the personnel committee, or…”

True, you may have roadblocks. Still, I believe that you, Pastor, are in the best position to lead your church forward.

How?

#1. Leave the org chart in the file cabinet.

Leadership is influence, and that may have little or nothing to do with “job descriptions” or “chains of command” or “organizational charts.” Sometimes the people with the most influence aren’t on charts at all—but their ideas still get implemented.

Someone can end up in the chain of command for any number of reasons; the best, of course, is that they really are a strong, proven, visionary leader. But sometimes they were just the only willing person the search committee could find who fit the 1 Timothy 3 qualification list in that cycle. (Right?)

I’ve heard it said that if you need a pulpit handed to you in order to preach the gospel, you aren’t cut out to be a preacher. Perhaps we could also say that if you need a position of authority in order to lead people, you aren’t the leader you think you are.

#2. Realize that leadership and governance are two different things.

To illustrate this point, I turn to former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. When asked about the true “power” of the Presidency, he replied:

Most [Presidents] are remembered not so much for their governance as they are for their leadership. If you think about George Washington, few people can mention any of the laws that were passed under his time as President, but they know what he stood for and the kind of moral tone that he brought to America.

And when you think about Abraham Lincoln, it was kind of his devotion to the value and human dignity of individuals, the kind of things that may not have been so much governance related, although they were eventually translated into governance with the freedom of individuals who had been enslaved… The leadership in a moral and cultural sense may be even more important than what a person does in a governmental sense.

A leader calls people to their highest and best. The process of governance is really a way of setting thresholds over which people must go in order to stay out of jail. No one ever achieves greatness merely by obeying the law. People who do much more, higher and better and above what the law requires, they become really valuable to a culture—and a President can set a tone that inspires people to do that.

Such were the greatest Presidents, and such are the greatest pastors.

Governance is about executing assigned duties, about making and following rules, about organizing and administrating systems. Leadership is about motivating people, about setting a tone, casting a vision, reinforcing values, moving a team forward, creating clarity and momentum toward shared goals.

#3. Aim for influence rather than position.

In the long run, eternity won’t be impacted because you landed a “Senior” in front of your job title or a “Director” behind it. But it will be impacted by the influence you exercised, by the places you carried people, by the dreams you inspired in them, and by the example you set.

The governance people will still govern, the org-chart people will still org-and-chart, and the chairmen will still chair. All of these characters can certainly help you lead your church forward, but none of them can stop you from having a powerful, eternal influence.

I know the community I live in is in desperate need of light. Those people can’t wait 10 or 15 years for our church to organize itself more efficiently or for the org structures to change, and I assume your community has some similar pressing needs.

This is no time for you and all of your potential influence to sit on the sidelines!

Here are four practical “off the chart” influence ideas you could try anytime:

  1. Invite five guys to meet with you every other week and walk through a book on church leadership together. As you meet, discuss and pray about the future of your church.
  2. Ask the other leaders in your church for one-at-a-time breakfast meetings, and talk to them about their own effectiveness in life, what their dreams are going forward, and how you might best help them achieve their goals.
  3. Find a handful of outreach-oriented people in your church and talk to them about setting a bold outreach goal for 2017. See what they come up with as a team, and then tell them you want to champion their plans to the whole church family.
  4. Host a revival prayer meeting in your home, and invite a few other church leaders to join you. Pray in faith together based on Ephesians 3:14-21!

This article originally appeared here.

Top Quotes on Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

By
Daniel Im
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communicating with the unchurched

As many of you know, this year I’ve committed to reading/listening to as much of Timothy J. Keller as possible (click here to learn more about the books I’m reading/listening to and why).

I likely won’t do this for every Keller book I read/listen to, but Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters was so incredibly rich, that for personal learning purposes, I wanted to revisit the book and pull out the quotes that punched me in the face. On a few of them, I’ll add some commentary.

Caveat: Since I listened to the book, instead of reading it, the following quotes might not match the exact wording, punctuation and phrasing in the book.

  • “The incomplete joys of this world will never satisfy the human heart.”
  • “An idol is something we cannot live without. We must have it. Therefore it drives us to break rules we once honored to harm others, even ourselves, in order to get it.”
  • “Anything in life can serve as an idol, or a counterfeit god.”
  • “Anything can serve as a counterfeit god, especially the very best things in life.”
  • “An idol is anything more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God. Anything you seek to give you what only God can give. Anything that is so central and essential to your life, that should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.”
  • “If I have that, then I will feel like my life has meaning. Then I’ll know I have value. And I’ll feel significant and secure.”
    • The “that” which he is referring to are the idols in our lives.
  • “The Bible uses three basic metaphors to talk about how people relate to the idols of their hearts: they love idols, trust idols and obey idols.”
  • “God should be our true spouse, but when we desire and delight in other things other than God, we commit spiritual adultery.”
  • “Idols give us a sense of being in control and we can locate them by looking at our nightmares: What do we fear the most? What if we lost it would make life not worth living?”
  • “Idols control us since we feel like we must have them or life is meaningless.”
  • “Whatever controls us is our Lord. The person who seeks power is controlled by power. The person who seeks acceptance is controlled by the people he or she wants to please. We do not control ourselves, we are controlled by the lord of our lives.”
  • “The only way to free ourselves from the destructive influence of counterfeit gods is to turn back to the true one, the living God….he’s the only one who if you find him, can truly fulfill you, and if you fail him, can truly forgive you.”
  • “The most painful times in our lives are times in which our Isaacs, or idols, are being threatened or removed.”
  • “You don’t realize Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”
  • “No person, not even the best one, can give your soul all it needs…this cosmic disappointment and disillusionment is there in all of life, but we especially feel it in the things in which we set our hopes. When you finally realize this, there are four things you can do: You can blame the things that are disappointing you and try to move on to better ones (that’s the way of continued idolatry and spiritual addiction), you can blame yourself and beat yourself (that’s the way of self loathing and shame), you can blame the world (that’s how you get hard, cynical and empty), or you can reorient the entire focus of your life on God.
  • “Jesus warns people far more often about greed than about sex, yet almost no one thinks they’re guilty of it. Therefore, we should all begin with the working hypothesis that this could easily be a problem for me. If greed hides itself so deeply, no one should be confident that it’s not a problem for them.”
  • “Have we received more of God’s revelation, truth and grace than the Old Testament believers, or less? Are we more debtors to grace than they were, or less? Did Jesus tithe his life and blood to save us, or did he give it all? Tithing is a minimum standard for Christian believers. We certainly wouldn’t want to be in a position of giving less of our income than those who had so much less of an understanding of what God did to save them.”
    • Wow…what reasoning regarding giving and tithing.
  • “Counterfeit gods come in structures…sin in our hearts affects our basic motivational drives. Some people are strongly motivated by influence and power, while others are motivated by approval or appreciation. Some want emotional and physical comfort more than anything else. Others want security and the control of their environment. People with the deep idol of power do not mind being unpopular to gain influence. People who are most motivated by approval are the opposite. They’ll gladly lose power and control as long as everyone thinks well of them. Each deep idol, power, approval, comfort or control, generates a different set of fears and hopes. Surface idols are things like money, spouse, children, through which our deep idols seek fulfillment. We’re often superficial in the analysis of our idol structures, for example money can be a surface idol that serves to satisfy more foundational influences. Some people want lots of money as a way to control their world and life, and such people usually don’t spend much money and they live very modestly. They keep it all safely saved and invested so that they can feel completely safe in the world. Others want money for access to social circles and to make themselves beautiful and attractive. These people do spend their money on themselves in lavish ways. Other people want money because it gives them so much power over others. In every case, money functions as an idol, and yet because of various deep idols it results in very different patterns of behavior. The person using money to serve a deep idol of control will often feel superior to others and use money to obtain power or social approval. In every case however, money idolatry slaves and distorts lives.”
    • Wow…just wow…the insight in this paragraph is killer.

How to Make and Eat (Truly) Humble Pie

By
Laura Holland
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communicating with the unchurched

Oscar-winners. Professional athletes. Recording artists. Oh, and of course—politicians. Remarks by men and women in each of these groups often have a common theme:

I am so humbled to have been chosen…
I’m truly humbled to be among the ranks of such a talented group…
I’m infinitely humbled that you would exercise your right to vote on my behalf…

We listen, and sometimes we even believe them a little. But on the inside, don’t we suspect that a more truthful translation of the sentiment behind those word is more like this?

I feel pretty stinkin’ proud to be standing before you today. I actually really deserve this honor and would have been completely affronted had you chosen someone else.

Of course, before we run too far down the Path of Blame and Shame, we should probably examine ourselves. Yesterday I had an experience at the office, which, had I not been preparing to write this post, I might have walked away from saying, “Wow. That was humbling.”

Instead, as I look back on the day, while I do believe that I was unjustly reprimanded, my inward response showed that I was far from humbled by my supervisor’s words and authority. Rather I walked away prideful. Emboldened. Embarrassed perhaps. But humbled? Uh, no.

Meaningful Words

There is a sense of fluidity in language. That is, the understood meaning of a word and the way that everyday people apply it in speech or writing can change over time. Compare, for example, these two dictionary entries for the word “humble.” The first is from today’s dictionary.com, the second, from Webster’s Dictionary 1828—Online Edition.

humble—adjective, humbler, humblest.

  1. not proud or arrogant; modest:
    to be humble although successful.
  2. having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.:
    In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.
  3. low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly:
    of humble origin; a humble home.
  4. courteously respectful:
    In my humble opinion you are wrong.
  5. low in height, level, etc.; small in size:
    a humble member of the galaxy.

humble—adjective [Latin humilis.]

  1. Low; opposed to high or lofty.
    Thy humble nest built on the ground.
  2. Low; opposed to lofty or great; mean; not magnificent; as a humble cottage.
    A humble roof, and an obscure retreat.
  3. Lowly; modest; meek; submissive; opposed to proud, haughty, arrogant or assuming. In an evangelical sense, having a low opinion of one’s self, and a deep sense of unworthiness in the sight of God.
    God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. James 4:1.
    Without a humble imitation of the divine author of our blessed religion, we can never hope to be a happy nation.

The differences aren’t necessarily glaring, but there is a sense that in modern times we’ve backed off on the depth of the meaning of humility, and there has been a shift from seeing humble as a comparison of lowly man to holy God toward a comparison of one person to another.

So as we reflect on what it truly means to be humble, let’s spend a few moments looking at how the word is used in Scripture and what it might mean in a biblical sense. And just for grins, because I’m a recipe nut (and former Food Network addict…“former” only because we no longer have cable TV), why not look at the biblical meaning of “humble” through the lens of a recipe? Without further ado, here it is.

5,000 Families Relieved of Medical Debt Thanks to Texas Church

By
Bob Ditmer
-
communicating with the unchurched

42 million Americans have medical debt according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And CNBC reports medical bills are the number one reason people file for bankruptcy.

A church in Carrollton, Texas, sees those staggering facts as an opportunity for ministry.

On Easter Sunday, Covenant Church donated $100,000 to the charity RIP Medical Debt. A debt collector turned debt forgiver, RIP Medical Debt buys medical debt for pennies on the dollar and then forgives it.

That $100,000 gift paid off a total of $10,551,618 in medical debt for nearly 5,000 families in Carrollton, Crossroads, Colleyville and McKinney, all places where Covenant has churches.

In his Easter sermon, Pastor Mike Hayes told his church about one of the statements Jesus made on the cross before his death, he said the word ‘tetelestai.’

“When you were in debt to someone, when you reached the end of your payment plan and paid off whatever you were in payment toward, they would write like the big red ‘paid’ stamp they would put on the invoices, they would write the word, ‘tetelestai.’ Jesus in that moment was saying ‘guess what, it is finished, the debt of sin had been paid. What we celebrate on Easter, these families will get to celebrate that personally in their home. The bill is finished, it’s been paid, it’s forgiven.”

It wasn’t a problem for the church to raise the money. Hayes said they typically spend that amount promoting their Easter services but felt this was a much better use of their offerings.

While the charitable act by the Covenant congregation is laudable, Hayes reminded the crowd that they, too, have received similar letters of forgiveness, referring to what is written in John 19:30 when Jesus was on the cross and said, ‘It is finished.'”

“That is your letter in the mail,” Hayes said. “If you can imagine what those people this week will be feeling when they receive the letter you sent them saying their debt is paid. I prayed 100-fold that [is how] you would feel in reading the letter He wrote to you in the book of John 19:30—Hey, your debt of sin is paid. You are covered. He wrote a letter to us too. How do we not respond when we see the letter and understand what it means? How do I not want to send letters to others and say, ‘Guess what? I received it, would you consider receiving it?'”

Hayes knows firsthand what it’s like to be riddled with medical debt. According to NBC-DFW, Hayes was hit by a car when he was 17, and spent 12 days in intensive care. His family was aided in paying off their medical bills by his church family.

Hayes said he thinks about the kindness he received from the church but also wonders how people who don’t have the support of a church family cope with the pressure medical bills create.  

But now, thanks to the Christian love of Covenant Church, nearly 5,000 families won’t have to.

This Is Your Brain on Marijuana: What to Tell Teens

By
Bob Ditmer
-
communicating with the unchurched

Thirty states and the District of Columbia have laws broadly legalizing marijuana in some form.

Eight states and the District of Columbia have adopted the most expansive laws legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

That means marijuana use will be a growing issue for youth groups. How should youth pastors and parents address it?

Here are some factors parents and youth pastors will want to consider as they struggle with what, if anything, they should say about cannabis.

There’s a good chance some in your youth group are already using it.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, last year six percent of high school seniors and three percent of 10th graders smoked marijuana every day.  

NIDA also reports that more than 70 percent of high school students don’t see any harm coming from smoking pot every day. But the science disagrees.

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found teenagers who regularly smoke cannabis suffer long lasting brain damage and are in much greater danger of developing schizophrenia.

American researchers say the drug is particularly dangerous for a group of people who have a genetic susceptibility to the mental health disorder—and it could be the trigger for it.

Researcher Asaf Keller told the Daily Mail, “We found that the frontal cortex is much more affected by the drugs during adolescence. This is the area of the brain that controls executive functions such as planning and impulse control. It is also the area most affected in schizophrenia.”

In California, statewide sampling surveys of cannabis products sold in marijuana dispensaries have shown that cannabis products may contain dangerous bacteria or mold, or residues from pesticides and solvents.

Matthew Springer, a biologist and professor in the division of cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco, told NPR, “People think cannabis is fine because it’s ‘natural.’ I hear this a lot. I don’t know what it means.”

But even if the cannabis tests clean, Springer says, smoke itself is bad for the lungs, heart and blood vessels. Other researchers are exploring the possible relationship between marijuana smoke and long-term cancer risk.

Other health risks to consider:

Marijuana is addictive. About one in six people who start using as a teen, and 25-50 percent of those who use it every day, become addicted to marijuana.

Mental problems. People who use marijuana prior to the age of 12 are twice as likely to experience a serious mental illness compared to those who first use marijuana at age 18 or older.

Increased heart rate. When someone uses marijuana, heart rate—normally 70 to 80 beats per minute—may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute or, in some cases, even double. This effect can be greater if other drugs are taken with marijuana. The increased heart rate forces the heart to work extra hard to keep up.

Respiratory problems. Smoke from marijuana irritates the lungs, and can cause a chronic cough—effects similar to those from regular cigarettes. While research has not found a strong association between marijuana and lung cancer, many people who smoke marijuana also smoke cigarettes, which do cause cancer. And, some studies have suggested that smoking marijuana could make it harder to quit cigarette smoking.

Increased use in general could also negatively impact those who don’t smoke. A study from the University of California, San Francisco, demonstrated that just one minute of exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke makes it harder for the arteries of rats to expand and allow a healthy flow of blood.

One other aspect youth pastors might want to consider—parents expect them to talk about marijuana. According to a recent Barna study, 58 percent of parents want youth pastors to warn their teens about drug and alcohol use.

How Matt Chandler Organizes His Day as a Pastor

By
Bob Ditmer
-
communicating with the unchurched


Failing to spend time with God throughout the day, every day “is a foolish punt of our rights as children of God.” That’s according to Pastor Matt Chandler of the Village Church. Chandler intentionally organizes his day, week, month and year around specific goals for meeting with and celebrating God.

In this video Chandler reveals his “rule of life” for a day, but quickly adds that his schedule is inconsistent and messy.

How Pastor Matt Chandler Schedules His Day

Pastor Matt Chandler arises at 5:00 am and reads his Bible for the next hour. He said there’s nothing magic about that time. He gets up at 5:00 because his children awake at 6:00 and he finds it impossible to read and study until “my kids start eating like human beings.”  He jokingly said he can’t read his Bible while his children are slurping cereal—“It does something weird to my soul.”

For the next hour or so he helps get his kids ready for their day and then leaves for the office. On the short drive to the church he prays through his calendar. He asks God for supernatural wisdom to be able to see possibilities and problems in every meeting and plan.

His schedule is designed to allow a 10 minute gap between each meeting or task to allow him to pray about the next duty and to orient his heart around the need for God to be involved. Chandler said the respite helps prevent his day from “cascading out of control.”

Before he leaves for lunch Chandler reads a chapter from the book “Valley of Vision” a collection of Puritan prayers and meditations.  He also prayers for who will be joining him at lunch. On way back to the office he prays about his afternoon schedule.

Chandler calls his preparation to leave for the day one of the most important periods. He said it’s easy for him to be frustrated by goals that weren’t achieved and he doesn’t want to take that frustration home to his family, so he takes stock of his heart and realizes that the task undone will be there when he returns. The realization allows him to focus on responsibilities as husband and father.

At bedtime, he recounts how God heard his prayers and answered them and reminds himself that nothing he did that day affects God’s love for him.

On Wednesday’s, Chandler fasts from breakfast and lunch. He said the hunger is a reminder that he desires fellowship with God more than food.

Once a week the family has devotions, but like his daily schedule, the time tends to be inconsistent and messy.

Every month he schedules “The Day.”  On that day he does not turn on his phone or computer. Instead Chandler spends time with his Bible and God. He calls it, “my hardest day,” adding, “I know it’s good for the heart and I know it’s difficult. I get wore out on sitting and praying. I’d rather be doing something.”  But that he said, is the drift we all have toward self reliance.

Every Year Chandler celebrates advent, New Year’s Day and Easter.  His family joins a group of friends on those days filled with food, drink and fun. He asked, “What’s broken in us that we can’t celebrate these things?”

It’s a reminder and an invitation into our privilege of the power and presence of God, not in the tabernacle or ritual, through a living invitation to dwell in and with the spirit of God. Think how it might mark us as a community of faith.

And Chandler said we and those around us enjoy benefits because we are at our best when we’re in the presence of God.

13 Reasons Why Your Church Isn’t Engaging In Worship

By
David Santistevan
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communicating with the unchurched

On a scale of 1-10, how engaged is your church?

Do you look forward to worshiping on Sunday or are you worried that everyone in the room hates you?

It’s frustrating, isn’t it? To put so much time and effort into preparing for Sunday…to be met only by staring (sometimes glaring) faces. Why don’t people engage?

While you’d like to blame it on their lack of spiritual depth, it’s most likely something you can work on. Of course, that’s a general statement. There are other factors at work. But this is something I’ve observed in my own leadership for 18 years as well as coaching many other worship leaders and teams.

How should we approach engagement? Should be obsess over it, counting the number of hands that are raised? Is that worship leader success?

Or should we forget about it and just pursue Jesus? I’ve seen both. The right answer is somewhere in the middle. We can’t ignore engagement, because we’re called to lead the church. It’s our responsibility to help them discover their voice in this midst of their victory and trial.

But we also can’t obsess over it because that’s just an adventure in missing the point.

Here are a handful of tips for navigating these waters.

13 Reasons Why Your Church Isn’t Engaged in Worship

1. People don’t know the songs – If you lead too many unfamiliar songs, people will have a hard time engaging. They’re thinking too much about the newness and can’t fully dive in.

2. People don’t connect with the songs – It’s possible you are leading songs you love, but your congregation simply doesn’t connect with. Lead the songs that have a visible effect on people. If a song isn’t working, have the courage to toss it out.

3. You’re not an invitational leader – Many congregations don’t respond because you haven’t invited them to. There’s a disposition, a vibe a leader gives off that is either invitational or a spectacle. Be an invitational leader—give vocal cues, encourage, coach, speak up, smile, be engaged, help them sing.

4. Your team isn’t engaged – Have you looked at your team recently? You may have an unresponsive church because your team looks like they want to kill someone. Think about it. Do you feel motivated to engage in an activity where the leaders don’t want to be there? It’s not enough for you as the leader to be engaged. Coach your team to step outside their instrument and worship.

5. Your set isn’t structured well – Many times the actual setlist is a deterrent to corporate worship. Once you’ve chosen your set, filter it with these questions:

  • Have I planned my transitions?
  • Is there any room for silence or spontaneity?
  • Where can I place a simple, stripped back chorus or hymn?
  • When am I going to address the congregation?

6. There’s not enough space – Let’s talk a little bit more about space. It could be your church isn’t engaging because it’s just too produced—it moves from full song to full song to full song to full song, like an album tracklist. A setlist that engages utilizes space. There’s moments of spontaneous worship, contemplation, Scripture and exhortation. People want to feel a part of the moment and engagement will never happen unless you create space for it.

7. You’re singing but not coaching – Say this out loud, “Vocal cues are my friend.” You might be the best singer in the country. Your talent may very well be mind-blowing. But an engaging worship leader isn’t just one who shows people how great they are. They help others find their voice. Of course, there’s a wrong way to do this. Constant vocal cues can be annoying when they’re before every line of the song. For me, I determine the most anthemic moments of a song and always encourage the church to sing out before heading into those sections. Don’t miss this. Vocal cues are the quickest way to increase your church’s engagement.

8. The mix is poor – Is your sound guy managing volume or mixing music? There’s a fundamental difference. I understand how difficult it is to find any sound techs, let alone good ones. But this could turn into a great coaching opportunity with your current roster. It’s hard to engage if the mix is awful. Too quiet, and people feel awkward. Too loud, and their brains hurt. As Chris Greely says, a good mix doesn’t have to be a loud. Coach your techs to mix sound like it’s an instrument, not just pull the volume down.

Today’s Kids Are Experiencing a World Full of Trauma. Is Your Church Trauma-Informed?

By
Linda Jacobs
-
communicating with the unchurched

In our world today, many children experience early childhood trauma. Through a lot of research, we now know that childhood trauma can affect children for the rest of their lives. ACEs too High explains in several articles and research reviews how trauma in early childhood can affect kids’ behavior and health during childhood and cause lifelong problems.

We know early trauma causes toxic stress in the brains of young children—so much so that the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement about this issue. It encourages pediatricians to aid children who are experiencing toxic stress.

This means pediatricians need to not only check children for the normal ear infections and colds and administer the typical childhood immunizations, but they also need to ask questions about home life. In essence, baby doctors have been told, “Your new job is to reduce toxic stress.”

We have schools that are becoming trauma-informed schools. They are reaching out and changing the way they work with children with challenging behaviors and teens with out-of-control behaviors.

They are going from punitive discipline to informed disciplinary measures. Instead of strict no-tolerance policies, they are developing policies of conscious discipline of love and comfort. Without realizing it, many schools are now treating children like Jesus did in the Bible, pulling them up on His lap and comforting them.

In San Francisco at the El Dorado Elementary, school administrators and teachers are rethinking and resetting their classroom discipline policies. Now in each El Dorado Elementary school, there is a “peace corner” where kids can take a break if they need to. Bean-bag chairs, books, squeeze toys, blankets, stuffed animals, windmills to blow, pencils, crayons and paper crowd the peace corners at El Dorado. This is not time-out but simply a place to go to calm down and destress.

Why am I talking about pediatricians and elementary schools when this is a blog about churches and children of divorce?

Because the adverse childhood experience that changes children’s lives and, for many, adds layer upon layer of toxic stress is divorce. While the divorce rate is going down, the cohabitation rate is going up. When parents separate or one partner leaves, to the child, it is a divorce. It is the death of what they have known as “the family.”

Many in the church realm think the only children affected by trauma are kids who have experienced severe child abuse, neglect, poverty, a tornado or some other act of nature. Many of us don’t think we have these children in our churches. The recent explosion of school shootings means many more children are experiencing trauma. What about those children? Even if it doesn’t happen at their school, they see it on TV and hear about it. More than likely you have those children in your groups.

I get calls, emails, texts and Facebook messages from ministers who are experiencing out-of-control, unruly children. They are most often clueless as to what to do or how to help turn the children’s behavior around. The majority of these children have experienced the childhood trauma of divorce.

Along with the divorce, they have also experienced things children should never be exposed to. Rarely is a divorce just a division of property and the assignment of a visitation schedule for kids. It is a war, and many times, ugly things happen as a result of this war.

The following are just a few situations children I know have experienced. And these are all children in churches.

  • A seven-year-old witnessed his military dad with PTSD throw his mom in the closet. When the mom was finally able to break out, the dad was kneeling with a loaded rifle aimed right at her chest.
  • A six-year-old was sexually molested by his sister’s dad.
  • An eight-year-old girl was touched inappropriately by her birth dad.
  • Two elementary-age boys watched as their mom punched a hole in the wall because she was so frustrated and angry at the dad.
  • A thirteen-year-old saw sexting on her dad’s phone.
  • An eight-year-old witnessed his mom having an affair with his dad’s best friend.
  • A preschooler saw her mom repeatedly get high.

What Every Leader Should Know About Inspiring Others

By
Dan Reiland
-
communicating with the unchurched

Inspiring those you lead is a skill all leaders are responsible to practice.

It’s a misnomer to think that only the senior leaders in the church carry the role of inspiring others.

When I was a young leader, I was captivated by the skill level of lead pastors in megachurches. I quickly assumed that the role of inspiration was a unique responsibility only they carried. It took me years to learn that was not true.

Not all leaders are as inspirational as others, but all leaders must inspire, or their leadership will be capped.

The size of a few leaders’ gifts and skill level do not relieve the rest of us of our full leadership responsibilities, including inspiration.

Inspiration is not a stand-alone skill. It requires other supporting skills underneath such as the ability to connect with, appreciate and encourage people. Without these three skills, inspiring others will be difficult for you as a leader.

The primary purpose of inspiration is to move people in the direction of the vision and mission of the church, which ultimately is about their spiritual growth and resulting life change.

People who experience life change will reach others, and your church will grow.

The beauty of inspiration and explanation for why some leaders with great charisma inspire differently than others is that God made us all differently. He wired us to inspire people in different ways.

I discuss this in more depth in my book Amplified Leadership, but for now, let me give you a quick list of the primary ways leaders inspire.

  • Relationship – You are so good with people they are inspired because of how you love and care for them.
  • Strategy – People hate chaos. Any leader who can organize the church to move forward and make progress is inspirational.
  • Passion – Leaders who have “light up the room” personalities can leverage that in strategic ways for the mission of the church.
  • Competence – Think of this one like an Olympic athlete. They are so amazingly good at what they do, when you are around them you just want to get better at what you do! Competence inspires!
  • Coaching – These leaders have a special skill to bring out the best in others; it’s very inspiring.

Which one are you?

Perhaps you can add another style of inspiration. (Leave a comment, let us all know!)

One Essential Principle:

Before you can inspire others, as the leader, you must be inspired yourself. As a leader, it’s your job to show up inspired. No one else is responsible to pump you up!

Eighty percent of personal inspiration involves self-awareness, maturity and discipline.

It’s like a young mom or dad with an infant. There is no one there in the middle of the night to hold a pep rally to make them get out of bed and tend to their crying infant. They just get up. They get up because they love their child and have their child’s best interest at heart. They are motivated from within.

External Inspiration

Twenty percent of personal inspiration comes from external sources, such as someone who loves and believes in you, and perhaps one of those amazing inspirational speakers.

God didn’t design us to operate independently; He created us to operate as the body of Christ. We need each other, and we help each other. Your teammates help you stay fired up during the tough seasons.

I personally can’t imagine being able to maintain my ability to inspire others without some of the champions who have believed in me over the years. I’m very grateful for their love, belief and inspiration.

So, yes, it’s an important part of the process to receive external motivation and encouragement, so your internal inspiration gets that extra stamina.

However, I’m very aware that it’s ultimately my responsibility to be fired up about the mission of the church and helping people grow spiritually.

It’s up to me to maintain a close walk with God so the Holy Spirit can inspire me to keep going in the right direction for the right purposes. In the same way, it’s up to you.

It’s up to you to seek God and the power of the Holy Spirit, aligned with your sense of purpose and calling to remain inspired.

Three helpful practices:

  1. Seek the Holy Spirit’s presence and power to keep your inner fires alive and full of passion.
  2. Keep your ministry calling and purpose clear in your mind and heart.
  3. Develop your discipline for the needed perseverance to keep going with that inner enthusiasm that rubs off on others.

This article originally appeared here.

9 Things You May Not Know About Introverts

By
Ron Edmondson
-
communicating with the unchurched

I’ve been an introvert all of my life. I was born that way—or at least I’ve been this way as far as my memory carries me. As a child, I remember at social gatherings people asking me if there was something wrong with me. Because to some people it’s “wrong” to not be talkative. I had to force myself to engage others all through high school. And, I wasn’t a recluse. I was elected student body president of my high school. I was just quieter than some people.

And, if you’re really an introvert. I just said some things you understand.

The major problem with introversion, which, by the way, is not a disease—and not a problem—is the misunderstanding of it. People act like it’s a personality flaw. But, it’s not.

Introversion is a preference in how we respond to life. Nothing more. It’s a wiring. But, there’s no flaw in the wiring.

So, I’ve attempted to change the misunderstanding to understanding. Helping you understand introverts.

That’s the point of this post.

Here are nine things you may not know about introverts:

We can be very social. You should see me on Sunday. We can even be the life of the party if we choose to be. I have entertained rooms before—as an introvert.

We have humor. We may even be very funny. You may have to “wait for it”—and pay careful attention. We usually have time to think about it before we project our humor on the world, so it might be a dry wit. And, when we let you see our humor—be prepared to laugh. Laugh hard.

We love people. Seriously. We do. Deeply. Just because you may talk more than us doesn’t mean we don’t love as much as you do. Introverts are often very loyal to the ones we love. Just like extroverts may be.

We are unique. We are unique from other introverts. We aren’t all alike. And, we are somewhat offended with a stereotype. (Just as any other stereotyped person is.) Introverts have a realm of introversion. Some appear more extroverted than others. Some more introverted.

We aren’t afraid of people. We usually don’t need you to speak on our behalf to remove our fears. Fear is not the reason we are introverted. It’s a personality.

We don’t need help formulating thoughts. I realize it seems at times that we don’t know what to say, but usually it’s because we are processing, taking our time or simply don’t want to interrupt everyone else who seems to be talking incessantly. Believe me, thinking is not a problem for most introverts. We do it quite well.

We don’t always want to be left alone. Yes, we may like our time alone—or at least our quiet time, but we don’t have to be alone. Personally, I don’t enjoy life as much when Cheryl isn’t around. Even if we aren’t talking non-stop, I like her in my company.

We can have fun. Some extroverts think we can’t. Because to them more fun is more conversation. But, we can have fun. Lots of it. And, there doesn’t have to be constant noise to do that. And, sometimes there does. And, my definition of fun may not be yours. And, that’s OK. But, let’s hang sometime and I’ll show you how it’s done my way!

We aren’t weird. Well, maybe. But, it’s not because we are introverts. Something tells me at least one of my readers of this post will be weird. (I’ve got some weird tendencies—I guess we all do.) You may or may not be introverted.

So, there are a few things you may not know about introverts.

This article originally appeared here.

One Great Distinction Between Managers and Leaders

By
Dan Reiland
-
communicating with the unchurched

All great leaders are good managers, but not all great managers are good leaders.

This is not an article that lifts up leaders and devalues managers. Management is an essential function, and managers are highly valued members of the team.

There are differences, however, between the primary functions of management and leadership. And while great leaders can manage, that isn’t always the best use of their time. This can make it look like they don’t have management skills.

For example, some of the best leaders I know appear not to be very detailed. But don’t let that fool you, they are highly detailed in specific areas that are important to their leadership. For instance, in the finances of the church:

I’ve not met a senior pastor of a very large church who is clueless about the numbers. They know the numbers exceptionally well. They don’t need to give their time to the management of the finances, but they know how to interpret the reports for leadership.

We could make a lengthy list of the different functions of management and leadership, but I’d like to focus on one primary distinction.

Let me give some context and then practical guidance. First…yes, we all “get things done.” In fact, we all spend much of our days getting stuff done. But there is a huge difference between the routine tasks we all do (leaders and managers) and those key moments when a leader makes something happen.

Management (largely) deals with the successful execution of something already in motion.

Leadership sets something new in motion:

  • Leaders cast the vision for something new.
  • Leaders pick up the phone and set something in motion that didn’t exist.
  • Leaders establish relationships and create partnerships to forge new territory.
  • Leaders meet new people asking the Holy Spirit to reveal Kingdom purposes.
  • Leaders pitch a new idea that creates change in the church.
  • Leaders shut things down to clear a path for something new.

Leaders make things happen.

“Making something happen” is not always about something large, grand and public.

  • A leader may quietly go behind the scenes and solve a problem with a generous financial gift.
  • A leader might discretely have a strategic conversation that brings healing and forgiveness.
  • A seasoned leader may have a tough conversation with a young leader to help them succeed.

In each example, two things happened: change and progress.

You might be thinking, “Managers can do that stuff too.” Yup, managers who lead.

5 Guidelines to Help You Make Things Happen:

1) Exercise honest assessment about what you have recently “made happen.”

What is in motion that if you hadn’t started it, it wouldn’t exist? Make a short list of what you’ve done that is purely leadership (set things in motion) in the last six months. From that list what is working as you hoped? Did it last? What progress is being made?

Don’t get caught in the trap of busyness, merely doing the same things over and over again won’t help you truly lead.

2) Random activity never helps.

Know where you are headed, and only make things happen that help you move in that direction. When a leader starts something that is “new and shiny” but has little to do with the progress of the church, it’s essentially a waste of time. It’s often just another program, event or something not clearly aligned with the mission.

It’s vital to hold strong to strategic efforts and stay focused on where you are headed. Think progress!

3) Get out in front in at least one area.

Again, we all spend much of our time getting stuff done. That’s part of the practice of leadership, primarily when we include finishing what we start.

So as a leader, don’t put yourself under unnecessary pressure to “make 19 things happen every month.” That’s not how it works.

It’s more like this. In what one thing, maybe two or three things, are you “out in front” and leading the way? Meaning, if you don’t make it happen, it simply won’t happen. That’s where you need to focus your attention.

4) Absorb the pressure that comes from saying no to lesser priorities.

I personally find that my greatest hindrance to remaining consistent with the practice of making things happen is saying yes to things of lesser importance.

It’s necessary for me to say no to less important things that gobble up my time, to make room for what is most important.

If I don’t think I have time to get off the “busyness treadmill,” it’s time to say no to something. I’ll admit that’s not always easy for me. I like people and want to be helpful, but one strategic thought—decision—and corresponding action can out-perform dozens of helpful deeds.

5) Create a team that helps keep you focused.

If you have lots of ideas, like change and variety, and perhaps struggle with strategic thinking, build a team that will help you.

If you’re in a smaller church, invite three to five volunteers who are business leaders in their fields. If you are in a larger church and have the right people on your strategic leadership team, they can function in that role for you.

If you are a staff member, you can create the same kind of team around you for your specific area of ministry.

Whatever it takes, make things happen.

This article originally appeared here.

Biblical Theology Will Help You See Jesus in All the Scriptures

By
Nick Roark
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communicating with the unchurched

We can fail to notice what is gloriously beautiful, even when it’s right in front of our eyes. On January 12, 2007, a man emerged from the Washington, D.C. Metro station at L’Enfant Plaza and positioned himself next to a trash can. The young man wore a T-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap. He removed a violin from a small case, and then placed the open case in front of him, facing the pedestrian traffic. Then he began to play.

It was 7:51 a.m. on a Friday, the middle of the morning rush hour. For the next 43 minutes, the man performed six classical pieces, as nearly 1,100 people passed by. Would any of these people stop to enjoy the music?

The fiddler standing against the bare wall outside the Metro wasn’t your normal street performer. His name was Joshua Bell, one of the best classical musicians in the world. He was a musical prodigy at age four, and is now an acclaimed virtuoso. He packs out concert halls around the world, and the music Bell played that morning was far from ordinary.

Over those 43 minutes, Bell played masterpieces that have endured for centuries, some of the most elegant music ever written. And he played this beautiful music on one of the most valuable violins ever made: a Stradivarius, which was handcrafted in 1713, and is worth $3.5 million.

On that Friday back in 2007, over a thousand people had a free, front-row ticket to a beautiful concert by one of the world’s most famous musicians—but only if they had the eyes to see and the ears to hear. And yet, only a handful of people in the Metro that morning stopped to listen and enjoy Bell’s glorious music.

OUR GLORIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL BIBLE

We all can relate to this. The busyness of life, hurrying along to the next thing, and living nonstop until you drop can have the unintended effect of blinding us to what’s really important, what’s really beautiful and what’s really precious, even if it happens to be right in front of us. Life in this fallen world can easily inoculate our hearts from feeling wonder and awe, even when we have the privilege of beholding something truly amazing and astounding and beautiful.

I experience this sometimes when I read the Bible. Perhaps you do, too. Even though I know God’s Word is more pleasant than honey and more precious than gold (Ps. 19:10), so often in practice I struggle to believe this to be the case. I miss the glory that’s right in front of me. I fail to stop and patiently, prayerfully listen to the symphony of the Scriptures.

WE NEED BIBLICAL THEOLOGY

Yet it remains our humble hope and prayer to God that, while reading this book on biblical theology, you will taste and see something of the wonder and awe and profound privilege of being able to know and love Jesus Christ as he has been revealed in all the Holy Scriptures.

We hope and pray that you will understand more fully why biblical theology is so wonderful. Jesus Christ is the fountain from whom all blessings flow, and biblical theology is the scriptural map that helps guide us to this ever-flowing fountain. Little by little, the Holy Spirit helps us to see how the glorious map of Scripture guides us toward our risen and reigning King and his plan to redeem a blood-bought people for his own glory and praise.

Just like those disciples on the Emmaus road, we hope and pray that our eyes and our minds may be fully opened (Luke 24:31, 45) to recognize Jesus in all the Scriptures, in order that we all might fully love him with all of our hearts from all the Scriptures (Luke 24:32). Our King deserves nothing less.

The apostle Peter wrote in his first letter:

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Pet. 1:10–12)

The glorious salvation we have in Christ was prophesied and predicted by the Old Testament prophets of God and is presently the intense preoccupation of the angels of God. Ponder the privileged position we have in Christ! And then, by God’s Spirit, continue to humbly and prayerfully search his beautiful Word to discover even more of the riches of his glorious grace in Jesus.

* * * * *

Editor’s note: This article is an adapted excerpt from our new book Biblical Theology: How the Church Faithfully Teaches the Gospel.

This article originally appeared here.

How the Internet Can Help Us Model 2 Corinthians 1:3-4?

By
Mike Leake
-
communicating with the unchurched

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. –  2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I’ve written in the past about the negative impact of social media on our culture. And, yes, I realize the irony of blogging about the dangers of blogging. Part of the reason I keep blogging and continue engaging on social media is because there are a few good and redeeming qualities. One of them is it gives us the ability to spread the comfort we’ve received to others.

I witnessed this a few weeks ago when a fellow blogging friend, Eric Schumacher, posted a tremendous article on the experience of fathers during a miscarriage. Eric was vulnerable. He shared his pain. He also shared how God has comforted him. And let’s be honest, this is one of those areas that guys don’t really talk about. But they carry around this hurt.

So, it was encouraging to see all those who were helped by Eric’s vulnerability, by his comforting those who had been comforted. And I thought about how much good the Internet could do, if we used our platform more for things like this than for sniping others and arguing.

As I preached through 2 Corinthians a few weeks ago I made the point that it is non-redemptive to not share our suffering. That cuts both ways. It not only means we need to be there for folks as they are suffering, but we also need to share our stories. Consider all of those grieving fathers who wouldn’t have been helped had Eric decided his story was too personal, too gritty, to share. Consider all the ways God has comforted you. How might He use your story to comfort others? It’s wrong for us to withhold this opportunity for others to give comfort.

This is not to say that everyone needs to make public everything they are going through. You don’t need to be a blogger to obey 2 Corinthians 1. But you do need to be active in a local church. Paul’s call in 2 Corinthians is for the local church specifically. We need to have those in our lives who are not only helping us carry our burdens, but also those who we are actively and redemptively sharing our struggles with.

Nothing can replace the local church, and this is Paul’s major concern. But I also believe one of the good things we can use the Internet for is modeling 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. We can tell our stories of the comfort that God has given us…and in doing this, I’m confident that others will be comforted.

This article originally appeared here.

You Can’t Buy the Bible Online in China Right Now

By
Megan Briggs
-
communicating with the unchurched

Just moments after the Chinese government pledged to protect religious freedom, Christians in China discovered they could no longer purchase Bibles online.

Searches on China’s largest book purchasing websites, Taobao, JingDong, Amazon China and DangDang bring no results when users search for the Bible. Other religious texts, such as the Quran, are still available on all those sites except JingDong.

Social media users in China alerted the world to the disappearing Bibles on Tuesday, April 3, 2018, the same day the government published a white paper on religious freedom. The white paper, titled “China’s Policies and Practices on Protecting Freedom of Religious Belief,” bolstered the movements the government has taken under President Xi Jinping to crack down on the spread of Christianity in China.  

The move is typical of China’s two-faced approach to religious freedom. The government has a history of claiming to protect the religious freedom of its people as long as that freedom falls in line with the communist party’s agenda. Essentially, the white paper instructs religious observers to “adhere to the direction of localising the religion, practice the core values of socialism, develop and expand the fine Chinese tradition and actively explore the religious thought which accords with China’s national circumstances,” according to abc.net.

The official statement from the government identifies China’s main religions as Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity. The government estimates 38 million of its 200 million citizens are Christian and 6 million are Catholic. However, abc.net says “non-government estimates have suggested that China actually has closer to 100 million Christians, making it one of the biggest Christian countries in the world.” The discrepancy is due to the fact that the government only counts those who worship in the state-sponsored Patriotic Church while non-government estimates count the large and prolific underground church.

As to why the Bible was pulled from online retailers, there doesn’t seem to be a clear reason. Shop owners are telling customers they were ordered to take it down. Some speculate it is due to the Bible not having an official issuance number and it not being officially approved by the government for publication.

Others believe a document released by China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs might explain the situation. The Principle for Promoting the Chinese Christianity in China for the Next Five Years speaks of re-interpreting and re-translating the Bible in order to enhance “Chinese-style Christianity and theology.”  

New rules came into effect February 2, 2018, to tighten control on religious groups in China. As Reuters reports, the new rules:

“Place new oversight on online discussion of religious matters, on religious gatherings, the financing of religious groups and the construction of religious buildings, among others. They increase existing restrictions on unregistered religious groups to include explicit bans on teaching about religion or going abroad to take part in training or meetings.”

Additionally, religious groups are forbidden from receiving donations from foreign groups or individuals.

The Bibles being pulled from online shelves are just the latest in the government’s attempt to stifle the growth of Christianity in China. However, despite their efforts, the distribution of the gospel does not seem to be deterred.

Russell Moore: Evangelicals Honor MLK Because He’s Dead

By
Bob Ditmer
-
communicating with the unchurched

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, compared the evangelical church in America to the Pharisees in Jesus’ day because the church hasn’t done enough to bring about racial reconciliation.

Moore, speaking at “MLK50: Gospel Reflections from the Mountaintop,” an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, read from Matthew 23:29-39:

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Prophets who spoke out against injustice were opposed and sometimes killed by the religious and political leaders of their day. Moore said evangelicals likewise opposed Martin Luther King: “The hatred was not limited to the bullet that killed him,” adding, “The few white Evangelical leaders who said his message was just and right endured withering criticism.”

Moore said the Pharisees had no problem honoring the prophets because they were no longer alive to disrupt their social order. In the same way, he said Martin Luther King is not controversial in evangelical churches today because he hasn’t been speaking for 50 years.

Moore chided the church and Christians who say, “If I had been here, I would have listened to Dr. King even though I don’t listen to what is happening around me in my own community and my own church.”

https://www.facebook.com/erlcsbc/videos/1908972402446189/

King was in Memphis the day he was shot to speak out about the dangerous working conditions city sanitation workers faced and racial injustice.

Moore said in today’s world, “sanitation workers are still endangered, young black men are shot so often we aren’t shocked anymore,” and in light of these injustices asked, “Why is American evangelicalism white and middle class? Why aren’t we bearing one another’s burdens? Because the evangelical movement needs to be more evangelistic—it also needs to be more evangelized.”

He called on pastors to speak out against racial injustice even if it’s unpopular, and called on Christians to accept change that will be uncomfortable.

If we have to change our worship styles, let’s crucify our worship styles. If it upsets our political alliances, let’s crucify our political alliances. We will have consciences that are alive to hear the people who some say are invisible.

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