Vending Machine Prayers

January 18, 2018

In his book, My Name Is Hope, John Mark Comer contrasts “vending machine prayers” with “prayers in Jesus’ name.” When applied to marriage, the analogy is quite illuminating.

John Mark writes, “Vending machine prayers sound like, ‘God, my marriage is a wreck. Fix my marriage. Make me happy with my spouse.’

“Prayers in Jesus’ name sound like, ‘God my marriage needs your healing Spirit. Please transform me from the inside out and help me to love my wife.’”

Which prayer sounds most mature to you? Which prayer is most likely to lead to spiritual enlightenment? Which prayer is most likely to lead to a marriage that honors God and is ultimately more satisfying?

Pray that prayer.

Another vending machine prayer would be, “God I’m so frustrated about the lack of meaningful sex in my marriage. Would you please fix my wife/husband and make her/him care?”

A prayer in Jesus’ name might be, “Lord, help me to become the kind of loving spouse my husband/wife desires to be intimate with. Show me any hurts or actions that might be hindering our intimacy, and lead us toward a place of generosity and service in this area.”

The right kind of prayer can be so effective, but some “prayer” really isn’t prayer. It’s complaining. It will never change you or your marriage. When a couple comes to me for an hour of “pastoral counseling” and spends the first 50 minutes talking, they don’t leave with much, frankly. Prayer can be just like that. God doesn’t need our “information.” What he needs are humble hearts willing to listen and to be transformed.

We have a lot of readers on this blog so I want to ask your assistance to “finish” this blog post. Just as John Mark gave an example of a common vending machine prayer, and then offered the alternative “prayer in Jesus’ name,” will you take the time to do the same in the comments section? Write out a typical “vending machine prayer” as it relates to marriage and family, and then write out the better “prayer in Jesus’ name.”

I’ve never tried this before—asking readers to write the blogpost. But I know from past comments we have many godly, wise and gifted readers. So this could be fun…

This article originally appeared here.

On the Evangelical Identity Crisis

Trevin Wax

January 18, 2018

How do you define an evangelical?

“Someone who likes Billy Graham and likes to debate the definition of ‘evangelical.’”

We chuckle because there’s more than a little truth to that joke. But these days, more than a few wonder if the “evangelical” label is well past its sell-by date.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

British scholar David Bebbington is known best for his description of four major traits of evangelicalism (conversionist, biblicist, cross-centered, activist). This definition played a major role in a book released a decade ago, in which four scholars debated the meaning of the term and the spectrum of Christians encompassed by it. (The four perspectives were “fundamentalist,” “confessional,” “generic” and “post-conservative.”) Notably, all the scholars and editors were white men, a fact that unwittingly adds credence to the claim that “evangelicalism” as a movement is predominantly white.

Recent researchers have attempted to define evangelicalism by doctrinal and ecclesial commitments, and they’ve found that many people who adhere to common evangelical beliefs do not claim the label for themselves. At the same time, many who do not adhere to common evangelical beliefs wear the badge proudly, usually while going into the voting booth.

It’s the close association of evangelicals with the Religious Right that has caused confusion in recent years. The term has evolved from its American manifestation as a renewal project in the middle years of the 20th century. At first, American evangelicals provided a counterpoint both to the isolationist tendencies of fundamentalists and also to the modernists who held unorthodox views of Scripture. It was the movement’s political mobilization in the 1980s that altered the landscape, and the 2016 election of Trump, who captured a large percentage of white evangelicals, exacerbated the identity crisis.

Today, there are leaders within historically evangelical institutions who don’t immediately answer “yes” to the question “Are you an evangelical?” because they don’t know how the questioner defines the term. This shouldn’t surprise us. A decade ago, this conversation was anticipated by Os Guinness, who spearheaded An Evangelical Manifesto, a statement of evangelical belief that sought to distinguish between evangelicalism as a renewal movement and its too-frequent political connotations.

TWO-TRACK UNDERSTANDING OF EVANGELICALS

So here we are, 10 years later, and the definition of “evangelical” is still being debated. Do we define evangelical by those who identify as such? Do we define evangelical the way political pundits do? Or do we define evangelical by core doctrinal commitments?

I vote for a variation of the doctrinal definition, but I do so with eyes wide open to the fact many more claim the label, while many who fit the doctrinal description don’t want the label at all. I don’t think we can dismiss self-identifying evangelicals who hold to theological or political positions we find problematic (whether on the political right or theological left). Neither can we dismiss brothers and sisters who hold tightly to evangelical distinctives and yet want nothing to do with the label.

UPDATE: Prayers Answered, Bolivia’s Religious Restrictions to Be Repealed

Bob Ditmer

January 18, 2018

Update January 23, 2018, Bolivia

The same day Bolivia’s evangelical leaders led a national day of prayer and fasting to protest their socialist government making evangelism a crime, the nation’s president, Evo Morales Ayma announced that he will tell the South American nation’s Legislative Assembly to change the law.

Morales tweeted, “We have decided to repeal the Criminal Code to avoid confusion and so the Right stops conspiring and doesn’t have arguments to generate destabilization in the country, with disinformation and lies. We are going to listen to the proposals of all the sectors that observe the code. The National Government will never approve norms against the Bolivian people.”

He later repeated the promise on state television “I don’t want to keep using Banzer’s Code,” said Morales, referring to the system put in place by former dictator and president Hugo Banzer. “I ask the assembly … to rapidly advance a new code. I’m almost positive there will be a few changes and modifications to the articles.”

There are approximately 2 million evangelical Christians in Bolivia who have been told to stop telling others about their faith.

Those who refuse could face five to 12 years in prison.

That’s the penalty resulting from a new law in the socialist nation titled Article 88. It went into effect on December 15, 2017, and states “whoever recruits, transports, deprives of freedom or hosts people with the aim of recruiting them to take part in armed conflicts or religious or worship organizations will be penalized five to 12 years of imprisonment,” according to a translation by Evangelical Focus, a media initiative of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance.

Evangelicals represent approximately 19 percent of the total population. The legislation would affect other religious groups as well, such as Roman Catholics.

Christians in Bolivia Have Questions

The extent to which they will be affected isn’t yet known. “Will they denounce us if we bring a group of people to a Christian camp? Will I no longer be able to preach the Gospel on the streets?” pastor Miguel Machaca Monroy, President of the coalition of evangelical churches in the capital city asked.

The National Association of Evangelicals in Bolivia (ANDEB) also criticized the new penal code.

“It is deplorable that Bolivia becomes the first Latin American country to persecute the rights of freedom of conscience and of religion, which are protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the declaration of San José de Costa Rica, and our Constitution. Christian evangelical churches in our country are institutions aiming to rehabilitate the human being, improve the moral, spiritual, ethical and social conditions of our citizens. Now, we have been put in a situation in which practicing the Gospel has been criminalized.”

In an additional statement issued after the new law had been approved ANDEB stated the code “is imprecise, ambiguous, badly written, contradictory and its punitive power can constitute state abuse.”

A Challenge to the Constitution of Bolivia

The changes were approved several weeks after Bolivia’s Constitutional Court lifted term limits, allowing President Evo Morales to run for office indefinitely.

Bolivia’s government, which has close ties with Cuba and Venezuela, has cracked down on all forms of dissent, particularly those coming from Christian churches. ANDEB is pushing for “dialogue” involving the government, opposition parties, and other social groups to work toward a solution without the use of violence. The group argues that everyday citizens have had little input into the changes in the penal code.

The group’s statement continues:

“We express our most resolute rejection of the inclusion of our ministerial activities in the list of possible conducts that go against the law. The legislator forgets that the evangelical Christian churches in Bolivia are religious organizations recognized by the Bolivian state, and, therefore, legal entities.”

The Bolivian Constitution specifically protects religious freedom and freedom of worship.

Morales, the Andean nation’s first indigenous president, has been walking the country back from its official Catholicism since 2013. When Pope Francis visited Bolivia in 2015, Morales presented the pontiff with a crucifix carved into a wooden hammer and sickle, the Communist symbol uniting labor and peasants.

Faith groups are not the only ones that are opposing the plans of the government. Journalists have also denounced the penal code because it will severely restrict freedom of speech and the freedom of media.

And recently, after a 43-day strike from medical professionals, Morales requested that the legislative assembly repeal several articles that would have imprisoned anyone who caused “damage to the health” of another person while “in the exercise of his profession, trade or activity.”

This Sunday, evangelical churches in Bolivia will observe a day of prayer and fasting in light of the new restrictions.

How to Handle Mean-Spirited Email

Dan Reiland

January 17, 2018

We’ve all received hurtful emails.

We’ve all received email that makes our mouth drop open and say, “What?!” Here’s a real email I received a few years ago.

Thanks so much for canceling church services on Sunday 12/25. You’re helping me win the war to make Christmas just another day. Why let that Jesus guy get in the way of presents and Santa? Great decision. Now if I can get the Baptists and Catholics on board!

In your debt,

Lucifer

Yes, this is a wildly “out there” example, but it’s a real email. And it’s my only one from Satan!

If you had been sitting beside me at that moment, you might have said: “Dan, this is an easy one, it’s a ridiculous email. Just press delete. It wasn’t even addressed personally to you. It came to 12Stone, and you were asked to respond.” That would have been wise counsel.

This email didn’t cause me to lose any sleep, but I was part of the team that made that decision about services on Christmas (and having a gazillion Christmas Eve services instead). So oddly perhaps, it felt just a little personal.

But what about the email that really gets to you? When the hurtful email is serious, real and from someone you know, it requires a response.

We are tempted to fire off a retaliatory shot. Or end up hurt and shrink back in our leadership, especially if the email is from someone with authority. The email that really hurts are the ones that come from someone you know, even a colleague or friend.

What do you do?

5 Action-Steps to handle a mean-spirited email:

1) Wait for 24 hours

When you get an overtly critical or hurtful email, don’t do anything for 24 hours except pray. It may be difficult, but at all costs resist acting on your emotion. Resist responding defensively. And above all, do not be the one who escalates the situation.

2) Take a moment of self-examination.

I received a few attacking or hurtful emails over the course of 2017. It’s interesting how we remember three or four ugly emails out of many thousands of good ones, but we do. And we often keep them. Why is that? Because like a deeply meaningful email of gratitude or encouragement, it marks us.

Some “rough” emails we receive are well written, and the sender owns it. Though unnecessarily harsh, and with a few intended zingers, there may be something for you or me to hear. There may be something we need to learn. Take a moment in those first 24 hours to reflect.

3) If it’s anonymous, ignore it.

If an email message is anonymous, don’t respond. Ignore it. John Maxwell coached me on this subject nearly 30 years ago. Of course, back then, we received physical mail, actual typed letters. There was often no return address, and that made it easier. But today, nearly all emails can be responded to, however, if it’s set up as anonymous, let it go.

If the person doesn’t dare to take ownership, it’s not worth your time.

4) If it’s someone you know, give the benefit of the doubt.

You have probably been in a hurry and fired off a quick email that wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy. I have. We assume the person will understand. But when we are the recipient of that email, it’s different, right?

Always give the benefit of the doubt. Assume the best. If the person is clearly upset and possibly even attacking, please, do not respond by email.

It may be a vendor, a volunteer, a fellow staff member or even a family member.

Do anything you can to talk with them in person.

5) Respond by email only as a last resort.

This is similar to the last point, but referring here to someone you don’t know, and perhaps it would be highly inconvenient to talk to them in person.

You can always call them, and the majority of the time the person softens when they see you have the courage to talk, and that you are not responding in retaliation mode.

If you must write back, respond with the kindness and consideration you would want to receive if the roles were reversed.

This article originally appeared here.

How to Attract & Engage Millennials With Small Groups

John Tyler Black

January 17, 2018

As ministry leaders and Small Group Point People, we have all read the reports and articles of those a part of the millennial generation that are disconnecting form the church. Your church may be experiencing this in one or many ways. In our church we have a good level of attendance from the younger demographic and truly see many millennials serve, but we have seen the small group connection fluctuate greatly year to year. We want to help settle those numbers and see growth, especially since our city is home to a number of organizations that specialize in hiring those new to the work force. Here are four steps we are taking currently and in the coming months to better engage those of the millennial generation.

ESTABLISH GROUPS WITH A CAUSE
Each generation has a different theme or character trait that defines them and this generation is all about connecting with organizations that have a special meaning. We, the church, have the most meaningful! Millennials are more likely to stay with your church and their small group when there is a cause that gives their involvement meaning. This cause may be deep in a study, weaved within special relationships or out in the community serving alongside local nonprofit organizations. Whatever your method, lead your millennials with a cause!

GIVE CLEAR NEXT STEPS
This is growth within and outside of Small Groups, but be obvious with how each step will unfold. Millennials are not consumed with paychecks or status, as much as they are concerned with investing their time and resources properly. They want to know that they are developing in all facets of life, whether it is spiritually, relationally, professionally, etc. They are going to view their involvement and personal fulfillment with your church with a different perspective than maybe someone from a previous generation. Giving clear steps in growth help them envision their purpose and ensure that your relationship stays intact while their leadership qualities stay in house.

COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES
With each generation the church has adapted the method in which they share the message of the gospel. With Small Groups, I’d say be open to doing the same. If your groups tend to look one way but millennials are not engaged at the same rate, look to see what else may work. We are looking to launch a different looking group, with larger capacity and an advertisement of “anyone who wants to show up, be at this location” in the upcoming semester. This is because we have had trouble connecting a good percentage of our young adults and especially the men. Dare to be different in order to attract those that are wired differently.

BE CREATIVE AND COLLABORATE!
Millennials love to create and truly enjoy being a part of the process. Find places to include and recognize them for their innovation. Is there an event or area of Small Groups that could use an injection of energy? Is there a way to branch outside of your current niche groups to include a new idea of how groups can function and include multiple group ideas? There are many questions we ask each year to grow the impact of the church and there isn’t a better way to answer them than asking those we look to include. We can grow our millennial involvement by actively involving millennials in the creative process of Small Groups.

I hope these are helpful steps for you as a Small Group Point Person. Be intentional about looking to churches that are successful in their groups and especially those churches that are exploding in growth with young adults. This is a group of people that don’t need much but they crave authenticity and purpose. Remember, we, the church, have the greatest purpose of all!

This article originally appeared here.

The Delicate Balance of Attractional and Missional Worship

Ron Fessenden

January 17, 2018

Excerpted from The Rise (and Fall) of the Secular Church by Ron Fessenden, MD, MPH. Dr. Fessenden is a prolific author. His book can be purchased on Amazon.com

I remember clearly the events in our little church in Hawaii. The pastor abandoned the large, beautifully hand carved, elevated pulpit for a portable music stand, took off his coat and tie, and came to preach on Sunday in his jeans and Aloha shirt. We exchanged the choir for a four member singing group and started to use a guitar to accompany the singing (still no drums, however). It was dramatic and the church was ready. We even initiated a Sunday morning beach service in Waikiki (no drums there either as they were too much to haul back and forth, but we did use a tambourine and a small hand-held drum). And some came…at least enough to make us feel that our reaching out was partially successful.

We thought that we were being culturally relevant and it felt good to acknowledge our ability to adapt. Cultural tensions (secular values) have, of course, influenced the church for much longer than the last half century. Since the beginning, Scripture records multiple tensions that shaped the worship experience for believers and in some instances divided the church. The book of Acts records these almost in passing, recording the facts of church growth without describing methodologies or offering judgments.

Note the events that followed Peter’s first recorded public sermon (Acts 2:14–40, KJV) when 3,000 souls were added to the church on one day. We know surprising little about their worship experience. All that is recorded is this simple sentence: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house” (Acts 2:46, KJV).

From the beginning, a new form of church experience characterized their assembly and worship: “breaking bread from house to house.” No other mention of how to accommodate all these new believers, except that. “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:42, KJV); and again, “they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch (of the temple)…and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women” (Acts 5:12, 14, KJV). “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith”(Acts 6:7, KJV).

The account in Acts records the fear and disbelief of the apostles in Jerusalem regarding Saul (later called Paul): “And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple” (Acts 9:26, KJV). Eventually, Paul became an accepted and powerful dispenser of the good news about Christ, yet still, he continued, “as was his custom,” to reason with the Jews in “the synagogue…from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2–3, NIV). There is little doubt that the early church was transformational, while at the same time remaining culturally relevant.

It seems that the early days of the church were the only time in recorded church history during which secular influences were not invading the church, but rather the reverse was true.

The sacred penetrated the secular and the change was rapid and dramatic. What we do know of worship in the early church was recorded as being God-directed, sacrament observing, life changing, participation inviting, non-pandering to cultural or personal preferences, and multi-ethnic, yet exclusive. As churches struggle to meet the challenges of declining attendance and/or membership, the temptation for church leaders is to try new strategies to increase attendance and participation. Here the potentially conflicting values of being attractional versus missional or culturally relevant versus transformational may take center stage. Many contemporary churches have exchanged an exclusive spiritual focus for what can only be described as a secular strategy of inclusion.

Followership: How to Be a Great Team Member

Joe McKeever

January 17, 2018

“That the leaders led in Israel, and that the people volunteered, O bless the Lord!” (Judges 5:2)

“For the body is not one member, but many… If they were all one member, where would the body be?” (I Corinthians 14:14,19)

A man wrote to Reader’s Digest telling how his daughter had gone off to a woman’s university and he had received a letter from the dean. “We’re surveying the freshman class,” he said. “Please tell us about your daughter by completing the enclosed questionnaire.”

One question read: “Would you call your daughter a leader?” The dad wrote, “I’m not sure I’d call her a leader. But she’s a great player, someone you really want on your team.”

A few days later, he received a letter from the dean. “I thought you’d be interested in knowing,” he wrote, “that our freshman class of 250 young women is composed of 249 leaders and one follower. Your daughter.”

Everyone likes to think of themselves as leadership material. To be a follower is not glamorous. No kid announces to the family that when he grows up, he plans to be a team member. Few books—if any!—are written on the subject of how to be a great follower or team member.

My friend Vince Lee wrote the other night. “Your website has all kinds of articles on leadership. But no one ever writes anything on how to be a great follower. How about it?”

Great idea, Vince. Thank you.

I know about following.

I should be an authority on following. I’ve been a follower all my life, with a few times-out to take the lead in something or other.

That might take some explaining. After all, I’ve pastored six churches for 42 years and then served in denominational leadership for five years. So, how is it I have been a follower for all my life?

–I went to school. At no point was I the leader of the school. Not even the class or the Beta Club. (OK, I was president of the FFA, but in name only.)

–I worked in secular jobs. In college, I worked weekends as a clerk-typist at the railroad yards for the Pullman Company. After college, for two years I worked as the secretary to the production manager of a cast iron pipe company. During seminary, I worked afternoons in a huge office at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company. At every level, I had bosses and took orders. I was a small cog in a large wheel

–I’ve been a member of the PTA, but never its leader. A member of the chamber of commerce, but never its leader. A member of the board of trustees of a Baptist medical center, but never its leader. A trustee of our SBC International Mission Board, but never its leader. A member of the board for several state Baptist conventions, but never their leader.

You get the idea.

And, there is one other thing that might qualify me to pen something on followership: As a pastor of churches and a denominational “director of missions,” my work depended on a large corps of volunteers. Our teams were often large and sometimes unwieldy. The stories I could tell on this subject.

So, here are 10 things on FOLLOWERSHIP I’ve learned over the decades. Oh, and don’t miss the final scripture. It knocks this out of the park…

One. Not everyone is meant to be a leader. So, do not beat yourself up if you find yourself constantly refusing when asked to be chairman of the deacons or to lead a big project. You know yourself better than anyone. Find your slot and work it well.

Two. No leader leads in every area. When the president of General Motors goes to the PTA, he is put on a committee and takes orders. When the college president joins the chamber of commerce, they put him/her on the beautification committee and he/she learns to lead by following. When the President of the United States goes to church, he is not in charge but is following the leadership of the pastor.

Hope for Hurting Parents When Kids Rebel

Rick Warren

January 17, 2018

As a pastor, more than other people, I see the hurt and the heartbreak that happens in a family when a child makes rebellious and destructive decisions. And thankfully, there’s a story in the Bible that offers us a lot of insight.

What has often been called “the story of the prodigal son” is really a picture of how God shows his holiness, his goodness and his kindness to his children—each son in this story was rebellious in his own way. Some of the insights we learn about parenting from this story might surprise you.

The story, found in Luke 15:11-32, unfolds in three stages.

Stage 1: Rebellion.

Beginning in verse 11, “Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the estate.” So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.’”

Stage one is rebellion. In every parent-child relationship, there’s going to be a struggle. It’s a struggle for control, a power struggle.

At birth, as a parent, you are 100 percent in control. But as your child grows, the power gets transferred. Your control is not permanent. Kids want control sooner than we want to give it. They think they deserve it sooner than we’re ready to give it out. Kids have a sin nature. If you don’t believe that “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” you’ve never been a parent.

So what do you do when a child is legally independent and you can’t control them anymore?

Let them go.
Let them make their own mistakes.
Let them experience the consequences of their own choices.

There is a price tag for rebellion. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (NIV).

How do you as a parent feel when your child rebels? Guilty? Embarrassed? We tend to practice a lot of self-condemnation when our children rebel, but you are not the only influence in your child’s life. Your child has choices that he makes. She has friends that she chooses. He has teachers that you don’t control. She has books and movies that she sees. He has all kinds of influences and choices.

Stage 2: Regret.

Back to our story. Verse 17 says, “When he came to his senses…” You might be praying for that sentence in your child’s life. When is my kid going to wake up? When is he going to come to his senses? When is he going to see that he’s ruining his life? You’re praying for that.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’”

Notice the change in attitude. He goes through a process of re-evaluation, regret and repentance.

What do you do during this stage, while you’re waiting for your child to come to repent? Three things.

Pray for your child, non-stop.
Commit your child to God’s hands.
Wait patiently.

Who Is Praying for Those in Authority?

Bob Ditmer

January 17, 2018

For the past two years Barna has released a compendium of surveys from the previous year to shed light on our complex and changing world.

In one section of Barna Trends 2018, the researcher wanted to know if Americans trusted President Donald Trump and if they were praying for him just a few months into his presidency.

The surveys were taken in mid-2017, at a time when more than 9 out of 10 stories about the president from the mainstream media were negative. Also, the authors admit that the political climate and the news cycle shift frequently and rapidly. These findings reveal some interesting trends at a specific moment in time.

Flagging Performance and Trust

Barna found a plurality of Americans believe Trump’s performance was poor or worse than expected (57 percent).

Evangelicals were the only faith group whose responses about the Trump presidency were positive, saying it had been “great” (54 percent).

White Americans most approved of Trump, saying he was doing a “great job” or “better than expected” (35 percent).

Black Americans thought Trump was doing worse than anticipated (42 percent). Less than 6 percent called his performance “great.” Online, black adults were also the most vocal with disappointment (31 percent).

Those feeble numbers, across the board, also translated into a lack of trust in the new president.

56 percent of Americans said they didn’t trust Trump. 44 percent said they trusted him “somewhat” or “definitely.” Meanwhile, one-third of respondents said they trusted none of Trump’s cabinet members or key officials.

Praying for Those in Authority

While most Americans did not approve of Trump’s performance or put much trust in his ability, a majority (63 percent) also said they were not praying for him.

Evangelicals were the most likely to pray for Trump (88 percent) followed by practicing Christians (69 percent) and active church attenders (60 percent).

Despite their low approval of Trump, and perhaps evidence of their faith in the face of adversity, black Americans were almost as likely as whites to pray for the president (41 percent and 44 percent respectively).

Regardless of affiliation, Barna found an active faith increased the chance that someone prayed for Trump.

Can the Church Step Into the Divide?

The trends throughout the year also reveal the deep political divide facing the nation. Can the church help repair the schism?

As part of the book, Barna interviewed Mark Batterson, pastor at National Community Church in Washington, D.C.

The Pollsters asked Batterson how he leads and unites his congregation without shying away from complex issues.

“We made a decision on day one that we would strive to be nonpartisan. In other words, we don’t endorse candidates or parties. Galatians says there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female in Christ. We add Democrat nor Republican to the list. But we’re not afraid of tackling tough issues that may be perceived as leaning right or left. For example, we believe it’s our biblical mandate to care for refugees. We have not publicly commented on the policies related to that issue, and honestly some of those things are past my pay grade. But we have 250 people on our refugee care team, and we’re actively making a difference in the metro D.C. area on that front.”

Barna’s data show Christians, especially evangelicals, have a hard time talking to people who are unlike them and asked Batterson how pastors can better address difficult topics and help Christians overcome their conversational barriers.

“Let’s be honest: If you have a good friend who is gay, you approach that “issue” differently because it’s not an “issue” anymore; it’s a person. It doesn’t have to change your theology, but it will change your heart.”

“We challenge people to be friends with those who have a different skin color, political affiliation or sexual orientation. And it’s not about having an “agenda” for them; our agenda is love. Sure, love is truth. We want others to be transformed by the truth, just like we need to be. But it’s more about asking questions than offering answers. I believe the key to any healthy relationship is grace and truth. Grace means I’ll love you no matter what. Truth means I’ll be honest no matter what. The combination of grace and truth makes for transformation.”

If there are lessons to be learned for the church from Barna polling in 2017 it might be these: Prayer for our leaders is crucial; our trust is misplaced if it is not in our Savior; and love can overcome any divide, even the political kind.

Nick Vujicic: Teaching the Church How to Fish

Jason Daye

January 17, 2018

Nick Vujicic is an Australian Christian evangelist, author and motivational speaker born with Phocomelia, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of legs and arms. As a child, he struggled mentally, emotionally and physically, but eventually came to terms with his disability. After his mother showed him a newspaper article about a man dealing with a severe disability when he was seventeen, he started to give talks at his prayer group and later founded his non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs. Vujicic has written that he keeps a pair of shoes in his closet due to his belief in miracles.

Key Questions for Nick Vujicic:

How can church leaders work through fatigue and stress?

Why do we need to teach new converts to evangelize?

Why is mentoring an important element of evangelism?

[SUBSCRIBE] For more ChurchLeaders podcasts click here!

Key Quotes from Nick Vujicic:

“Most pastors and leaders are visionaries and once we accomplish a goal we’re looking for the next goal and we let the good and excellent things of our life and ministry distract us from the most important things, our walk and our family.”

“God doesn’t love you for what you do, he loves you because you’re his.”

“Protect your walk with Jesus and your family time and learn to delegate then don’t pretend that you know exactly what you’re doing.”

“If God can use a man with no legs and arms to be his hands and feet then he can use any willing heart.”

“It’s not about how many come to our church, it’s you being faithful with God’s calling in the flock that he’s given you.”

“The church is disabled. We don’t know how to fish.”

“Even when we don’t get a miracle, we can be a miracle for someone else.”

“What are we teaching this next generation, how much scripture are we actually giving them to feed themselves?”

“Many people don’t know how to evangelize because they’re afraid of the questions that are going to come and they don’t know the answers to the questions.”

“When I get to heaven Jesus is going to look over my shoulder and say ‘Well done good and faithful servant but who did you bring with you?”’

Links Mentioned by Nick Vujicic in the Show:

Be the Hands and Feet

Lifewithoutlimbs.org

Nick Vujicic on ChurchLeaders:

Nick Vujicic: Demons Convinced Me There Is a God

Nick Vujicic: Our Greatest Disabilities Are Not Physical

Nick Vujicic and Family Await Baby Number Two—Check Out Their Adorable Family Photos!

Must Watch: Nick Vujicic – You Can’t Argue With My Life

Preaching With Integrity

Brad Whitt

January 16, 2018

I recently came across a post from a well-known conference preacher detailing how, during his research for sermon fodder, he noticed that there was a recurring outline that several of the sermons he was reading had in common. He then went on to decry the use of other preachers’ outlines and detailed the evils of “plagiarism.” Of course, I wondered how he could draw such a sharp distinction between a basic outline and the sermonic thoughts and ideas he was obviously mining for use in his sermon. I’ve since listened to this particular preacher’s sermons and read his books and have been blessed. However, I couldn’t help but notice the limited number of attributed quotes in his sermons and the complete absence of any footnotes in his books.

This kind of thinking is becoming a “big deal” primarily because of the increased availability of resources on the Internet, the promotion of professional academics and the movement away from the pastor-preacher who is responsible for feeding his congregation three plus “meals” a week. (Not to mention all of the weddings, funerals, meetings, classes, etc. the pastor has to oversee every week.)

This “problem” is somewhat of a novel issue in Baptist life. Charles Spurgeon published his sermons weekly in the London Newspapers, and not just for the benefit of lay people. He even published expositions with preaching points “for the Village preacher” in his Treasury of David. Warren Wiersbe’s commentaries are little more than his sermons put into print. John Phillips, the same.

Being a student of history and preaching, I’m very familiar with who some of our most influential preachers have read after and what resources were used in their sermonic process. It’s certainly eye-opening to know where the most effective preachers of today and yesterday pulled their sermon material.

I heard an old story about a young seminary student who walked out of preaching class and vowed to be “original or nothing”—he was both.

I so appreciate the practical wisdom of Dr. Adrian Rogers when he said, “If my bullet fits your gun shoot it, but use your own powder.” We don’t hear enough of that kind of practical, pastoral insight in today’s academically saturated church-world.

So, how should a pastor who has to preach multiple times every week to the same congregation handle the issue of preaching and plagiarism?

He’s my rule: Don’t be lazy and don’t be a liar.

What does that mean? What does that look like?

PRAY BEFORE YOU BEGIN.

The power in your preaching doesn’t come from your persuasive personality, but the power of God’s Word bathed in prayer. Before I even open the first book to research the text, I read the passage and pray. I ask the Lord to illumine my mind. I ask God to guide my preparation. I ask God to allow me to prepare the sermon in such a way that it will teach God’s people and confront sinners with their need to repent. So, slow down, pray and ask God to guide you as you prepare your message.

DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.

If you can read and work out of the original languages, start there. If not, read your text from several good translations. Read your commentaries and make sure you understand the context and content of the passage. Only after you have read the passage and studied your commentaries do I recommend reading or listening to sermons on the passage, but I do certainly recommend feeding your soul and priming your preaching pump by reading after other preachers.

How to Do Youth Ministry With the Most Exhausted Generation

Aaron Helman

January 16, 2018

You may have noticed that it’s been pretty quiet around here lately.

That’s because I’ve been nose deep in more data about teenagers than I ever knew existed.

Teenage media consumption, nutrition patterns, homework habits and more…

My takeaway from all of it might fundamentally change the way I do youth ministry…

…and it might for you too.

(And at the very least, it will make you glad you’re not a teenager anymore.)

We’re dealing with the most stressed-out, overscheduled, underslept generation of teenagers in history, and it’s starting to show.

Every statistic that matters is pointing to the exact same thing. Teenagers are assigned more homework than ever before. Teenagers who play sports have more mandatory practices than ever before…

…and they know full-well the ones that aren’t technically mandatory, unless, of course, you actually want to make the team.

Students who play music spend more time rehearsing than ever before, and students spend more time than ever before filling out college applications and scholarship forms. The list goes on and on.

In fact, it’s gotten so bad that parents of teenagers are more likely than not to say that, yes, their teenagers typically have longer “work days” than they do.

If you read that last sentence and didn’t experience a visceral reaction to it, then maybe you didn’t totally understand it.

Because what it means is that we are living at a time when 14- and 15-year-olds—who are physiologically and emotionally children, by the way—are typically saddled with more hours of expected productivity than fully-grown adults.

It’s the kind of thought that belongs in a great big box with a simple hyperlink so that you can share it with anyone who cares about teenagers:

What’s the net result all of that? As I’m sure you’ve guessed, it’s not pretty.

A reliance on processed food because they’re too busy for meals.

Sleeping two hours less per night than teenagers did just 15 years ago.

Massive increases in suicide, mental illness and depression.

And of course, as any youth pastor already laments, students today have significantly less time for church activities.

(There’s a heart-check for all of us here. We should be far more upset about the effect that all of this is having on teenagers than our attendance numbers.)

So how do we do ministry with the most exhausted generation ever?

For me, it starts with Matthew 11:28. Jesus promises rest for the weary and refreshment for tired souls. There may not be a more pertinent or attractive message for stressed-out teenagers in a world that shows no indication of letting up.

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Now, I’m not suggesting that we should make faith easy, because it isn’t. I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t challenge students or draw them into deeper levels of involvement.

But if a student doesn’t know the Jesus who promises rest, it’s time to start making that introduction, because here’s the reality:

Our students are sick.

I don’t mean this in a metaphorical way or even necessarily in a spiritual way.

Ask any doctor what happens when a person experiences stress beyond their limits for extended periods of time. Ask them what happens when that person is also severely underslept and relies on unhealthy foods for quick and easy calories. Ask them what happens when that person uses caffeine regularly just to keep going, and especially ask them what happens when the person is emotionally incapable of handling all of this.

They’ll tell you.

That person is sick.

Years ago, a student of mine had an undiagnosed illness that was literally eating away his organs and was threatening to kill him. I encouraged him. I pastored him. I loved on him.

He had good days and bad days, and when he couldn’t make it to youth group, I didn’t give him a guilt trip for it, and neither would you.

And just because I can’t leave you hanging, I’ll tell you that God did a miracle, he recovered, and that he’s doing just fine still today.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I’m going to unpack several real simple, practical things that you can do to give your ministry the flavor of Matthew 11:28. Do yourself a favor and get on my email list to make sure you don’t miss any of it.

But the most important lesson that I learned was all those years ago when that student was sick, because, make no mistake about it, that’s the business we’re in now.

Stressed out.

Overwhelmed.

Exhausted.

Depressed.

And on and on it goes.

Thank you for your ministry. It’s needed now more than ever before.

Online Giving is Popular With All Age Groups

Bob Ditmer

January 16, 2018

A new report on giving provides more evidence that churches need to be taking donations online.

Here’s the good news. This year’s Annual Report on Philanthropy from Giving USA shows that “religiously affiliated people are more likely to donate, whether to places of worship or other charitable organizations.” Even as church attendance is decreasing, the rate of giving for those who attend church has not wavered.

And here is even better news. Technology has provided a way to make it easier for all generations to give to churches no matter what age group they fall into.

Preferences by Age Group

According to the 2013 Millennial Impact Report, 84 percent of surveyed Millennials donated or want to donate to a nonprofit via an online website. Eighty percent like it best when nonprofit websites are mobile-optimized.

Gen X’ers are much the same According to the 2013 study “The Next Generation of American Giving.” This generation represents 20 percent of total giving in the U.S. Compared to Millennials, more established Gen X donors are likelier to make a monetary gift to support a cause. They also give more frequently than other age groups.

This tech-savvy generation values donating and connecting with nonprofits online, especially through mobile devices. According to the 2013 study, nearly half (47 percent) of Gen X donors indicated they would consider donating through their mobile device. Social media is also an important engagement channel, with 47 percent of Gen X respondents following a nonprofit on social media.

Baby Boomers represent the top source of income for nonprofits. They sum up 34 percent of the nation’s annual donor base, but they contribute 43 percent of all gifts made by individuals. While they still engage with nonprofits through direct mail, their online giving and social media use continue to spike. The study found that more Boomer donors now give online (42 percent) than via direct mail (40 percent), a switch from 2010 when more Boomers gave through the mail. With 77 percent of adults aged 50 to 64 using the Internet, this trend is likely to climb upward.

How Local Churches Are Using Online Giving

Jeff Christian, the Director of Communications and Marketing at Cornerstone Church in Chandler, Arizona says online giving is the primary way people give at his church.

He says it has enabled recurring giving, which he calls a game-changer for Cornerstone that has “levelized giving throughout the year.” Thanks to recurring gifts there are fewer drastic down-turns during typically low attendance periods because many of their members have committed to making donations via regular auto-drafts.

Cornerstone sees people donating digitally in three primary ways: 1) online recurring giving, 2) making one-time donations online, on their phones or via the church app and 3) through giving kiosks located in the church lobby.

John Alexander is the Executive Director of Brand Experience at Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota. In the past year, they transitioned to a platform called Pushpay that specializes in mobile giving. He says they typically see about 25-30% of their weekly come through mobile devices.

Alexander says the challenge is to resist the pressures of forcing attenders into a giving method that they’re not ready to embrace.

“Although Eagle Brook’s mobile giving percentages may seem lower than how the industry is trending, we don’t focus heavily on promoting specific ways to give on our weekends. Rather than focusing on how to give, we always take the approach of explaining why it matters. On the weekends, we regularly talk about the value of living generously and then allow for attenders to choose the means of giving that fits best for them. For example, instead of focusing on having attenders text the word “EBC” to 77977 (which routes a person directly into mobile giving), we let them know that there are multiple ways to give at Eagle Brook. This approach allows for attenders to choose the option that works best for them, and we’re confident that mobile giving will continue to naturally increase over time.”

Whatever your donation strategy, online giving is growing in popularity with many church goers. Failing to provide them with a tool to fill that need is akin to expecting donations without passing the plate.

4 Questions to Evaluate

Melissa J. MacDonald

January 16, 2018

You FINALLY reach the end of an event and you collapse at your desk in exhaustion. You’re surprised you can even find your desk after having to navigate around pool noodles, googly eyes, stacks of books and a pizza box that has been there since sometime last month…or was it the month before that?

A tiny hysterical laugh comes out of your mouth and you quickly clap your hand over your lips. Nobody should be that happy that the event is over.

Your office door cracks open and the last woman to leave is that woman. The one who bustles in looking like she’s as fresh as a spring daisy. She’s carrying bags of who knows what. She beams at you and says, “Oh my goodness, what a precious time this has been! I can not wait until next year! Sign me up now!” She then places the bags she’s been carrying on the last empty floor space and skips (yes, skips! The woman is actually skipping!) out of your office humming the song you haven’t been able to get out of your head all week.

You put your head down on your desk, narrowly missing the gob of silly putty, and allow yourself to give way to semi-hysterical laughter. The only thought you have in your overwhelmed exhausted head is, “Next year, the woman said next year…”

OK, we’ve all been there. Whether we’re talking about VBS, a nine-month mid-week program, camp, Easter or even just one of “those” Sundays…we’ve been there. We’ve survived to the end of it and somebody needs to prop us up on the couch with an ice cream sundae and a good book because we deserve it. And you truly do.

I don’t know about you but when I reach the end of something the last thing I want to do is look back. If I survived I want to move into recovery and celebration. I do not want to watch the replay version and critique myself and the event. However, that is exactly what I need to do.

As much as I hate evaluating I have found it to be invaluable. Absolutely invaluable.

It’s takes intentionality and preparation. I begin thinking about evaluating before the event actually happens. With VBS I put our evaluation meeting on the calendar before we even start VBS. It’s that important.

So dear kidmin, stumind, fammin or just plain min peeps, I encourage you to evaluate. Gather your team and talk about it. For VBS we’ll give every one of our volunteers an evaluation and then we’ll pull the leadership team together to go through them and our own evaluations. We make notes and when it comes around to start planning the event again we pull those notes out. It’s shocking that the things I’m sure I will never forget, (like the fact that we didn’t turn the air on soon enough one day and it got over 90 in the sanctuary) that surely are burned into my memory FOREVER, are quickly forgotten. God’s mercy? Perhaps.

Always, always, always look for the God moments as you evaluate. It’s easy to look at what went wrong, what didn’t run smoothly, where we failed. It’s much more of a treasure hunt to see God at work in the midst of our failures. Not only will looking for those God moments bless your heart, they communicate to your team that He’s the most important aspect of the event. Help your team mine for the nuggets of God’s blessings. Point to Him as you evaluate.

4 great evaluation questions:

1. What aspect(s) of this event did you think went GREAT!?

2. What aspect(s) of this event could have gone better?

3. As a leadership team, how could we have better equipped you to have an amazing experience serving our kids (teens, adults, families, etc)?

4. Where did you see God at work (in your life, the life of a kid, the life of someone else) in this event?

Keep it simple, keep it short, keep it pointed on the ONE who, blessedly, doesn’t ever fail and who always is at work regardless of what we do well or…not so well.

And P.S. Leave your office a mess, go home, kiss your family, crawl into bed with ice cream and relax. Evaluation is best done two to four weeks after the event, and after you’ve had some sleep.

This article originally appeared here.

6 Ways for Understanding the Great Commission From the Whole Bible

Alvin Reid

January 16, 2018

You can’t isolate the Great Commission from all the rest of Scripture. It fits perfectly into the larger redemptive work of God seen throughout the biblical revelation. My colleague Mark Liederbach and I wrote a book a few years ago called The Convergent Church (it’s currently out of print). In the book we offer six ways to understand of the mission of God from all of Scripture:

1. Everything begins in God and is to return to God. Understanding this undergirds any theological system, any system of ethics, any evangelistic strategy or any evaluation of culture. God created, God sustains, God redeems and God will consummate history as we know it.

2. Human existence must be understood as theocentric, not anthropocentric. In Christian theology, particularly that of Augustine and Aquinas, this idea of exitus et reditus asserts that proper theology must begin with discussion on the existence of God, then the creation and fall of human beings, their salvation through Christ, and finally their return back to God in death and resurrection. It is foundational to understanding that the universe is theocentric, not anthropocentric.[ii] Our perspective on the world and the church begins with the assumption that the focal point is God, not us as individuals, our family, our church, or our denomination.

3. Individual life stories must conform to God’s story. Because the whole of Scripture from Pentateuch to the Apocalypse holds God alone in the central place in the universe, all of our personal life stories must yield to the higher, grander, more wonderful story that God tells throughout the Scripture, and in which alone our life finds any meaning (the metanarrative). Christianity is not just one story as a part of many stories, from Genesis, through the wilderness wanderings, into the time of the Kings and the exile, until the time of Christ and the birth of the Church; it is The Story. Most of us live our lives, and approach the Bible, to find how to make God’s agenda can fit into ours. This idolatrous thinking must be reversed, and must affect the way we think about and do church. Our agendas and our stories will not enflame the hearts of men and women to follow hard and live greatly. Similarly, any compromise or capitulation on the uniqueness of the gospel story as the sole means of salvation serves only to dilute the passionate existence we were meant to live. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the grand story of the universe. It alone rightly captures the imagination and fires the soul for greater things. This is the story we must learn, live in and seek to tell often and well.

4. A higher affection must motivate a life lived for God’s glory. When we truly see God’s beauty and majesty from the creation through the Old Testament story and throughout the New Testament, when we grasp His greatness and our place in His plan, we can see the relative insignificance of other things that would vie for our attention and affection. It is through a Spirit-filled meditation on the Word of God here and now that we can find our affections transformed and purified. The more one tastes of this kind of beauty, the deeper our hearts will long for more.

5. A life of worship should compel us to invite the lost to join us. As we see all of Scripture in its grand message of redemption and the invitation to be worshipers of God, evangelism becomes less a burden and more the joyful proclamation of the good news that others too can worship this great God! Evangelism becomes nothing more than inviting people to join us in being and doing what we have all been created for! Thus, worship from God’s intention in the beginning serves as the impetus for evangelism and the purpose of our mission.

6. The corporate worship of the church ought to change the culture. When believers as individuals, families, and churches together live a life of worship, even as we were intended to do before the fall and are able to do now because of the cross, individuals and the culture are changed as a result.

We have the most amazing story to tell in history. But it is a story that begins in Genesis and continues throughout the books of the Bible. And it is still worth telling today.

This article originally appeared here.

Finding Out Who You Are Will Make You a Better Christian

Justin Lathrop

January 16, 2018

Going on a journey of self-discovery sounds selfish, if we’re honest with ourselves. In the church we talk about love and service and how we treat others, but we rarely talk about ourselves. We don’t talk about figuring out who you are, or identity, or self-confidence as much as we could, and I think that hole in our teaching is causing Christians to be rather unlikeable.

It’s a strange thing to admit the reputation we’ve earned as Christians, but I think we’d do well to look around and see how we’re known.

Recognizing our reputation is the first step to changing it.

We’re seen as judgmental sometimes, quarrelsome, pugnacious. We’re easily offended and impose our convictions on other people. We are the captains of unsolicited advice. It’s unfortunate that this has become our reputation, and certainly not all of us are like this, but if we look around I think we’ll realize, this is often how we come across.

For those of us who don’t think we’re that way, we’re guilty of getting angry at Christians we feel are perpetuating this reputation. We think to ourselves, “Will you just be quiet?” or “Let it go!” But I’ve had a change of heart recently where I’ve begun feeling sympathy for people who come across this way.

I think judgement is usually a manifestation of insecurity.

Think about it that way for a moment. What if the reason Christians came across as judgmental and imposing was because they felt shaky themselves?

It’s a theory worth considering, right?

We’re easier to provoke when we’re insecure, we’re more apt to fight for things we’re uncertain about ourselves. When you see someone who’s truly secure in themselves, you don’t often see them arguing; they’re able to rest in that confidence.

It’s difficult being a Christian. It’s hard to know what you believe, let alone live it out. It’s hard to live in a world that lives so differently than you want to live, and we’re all caught in this tension of freedom and not feeling free quite yet.

And that tension, that insecurity, often brings out the worst in us.

In the church we don’t often talk about finding ourselves. It’s a phrase left primarily to new-age, self-help books or sometimes someone having a mid-life crisis. But I think we should spend more time here.

3 Lessons I Learned From Burnout

Aaron Coalson

January 16, 2018

Pastors aren’t supposed to have breakdowns.

We’re supposed to be in control, collected, stoic. Pastors exist to help others in their needs, and through our work, be able to rise above our own. Unaware of what was brewing underneath the surface of my soul, I believed the lie that pastoral work required me to be fixed, resolved, finished.

So I thought.

Yet, God has humbled me, bringing me to the end of myself and the beginning of his grace. Solomon writes: “Though a righteous man falls seven times, he will get up…” (Prov. 24:16); this is only possible because of the sustaining grace God gives his people.

I knew early in December something wasn’t right. Something subtle, yet significant, felt off in my being. I felt a weight I couldn’t shake. Joy was gone, replaced with sadness. Anxiety that is always creeping at the door was relentless, higher than ever, leaving me feeling as though I was living on the edge of the cliff every day; one wrong move, and down I fall.

Two weeks before Christmas, I hit a wall, and for the days that followed I hit it again, and again. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t function. I couldn’t breathe. Over the course of a week, I saw enormous emotional swings, experienced intense chest pains and deep depression. Driving to work one morning, I wept uncontrollably…“What is wrong with me?” I wondered. Finally, I was forced to see a doctor, where I was diagnosed with clinical depression.

Jolted to a halt. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced, I was unable to function. I was burned out. Full stop. After multiple conversations with my bosses and pastors, I was graciously placed on sabbatical for the next few weeks to rest, reset and recalibrate.

An old, familiar voice echoes in my head. It preaches to drive harder, faster, longer. “Produce more, and you’ll make it,” it says. And once I do, rest escapes me; it’s time for more. I was constantly driven to meet my own unrealistically high expectations. Good wasn’t enough, everything I touched had to be gold. “It has to be perfect,” my heart cried. That’s what I had built my career on. When I became a pastor, I brought this incessant drive with me.

Perfection and performance were my taskmasters. When I didn’t achieve my expectations, I was devastated. Every level of success became the baseline from which I expected myself to function. I was attentive to many of the Father’s commands, but for someone as “driven” as I was, “Be still and know that I am God” was a nice sentiment, not something to be practiced seriously. So in his mercy, God let me drive myself over-driven self right into a wall of my own making. He orchestrated a sabbath for my run down soul, and in the process he’s revealed how my identity was rooted in my performance, rather than His.

So I’m taking off the mask.

I have nothing to prove.

The lies I believe about myself are covered and crushed by the blood of the cross. He has shattered my self-sufficiency, humbled me and rendered me undone, and in the undoing he gave me the greatest gift, he gave me himself.

As your pastor, it’s important that I lead out of transparency, so I wanted to let you in on the struggles I’ve experienced over the past few months, and with hope, share with you the lessons God has been teaching me to live and lead more centered and balanced. Leading out of grace, rather than brokenness.

“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.”
– Ps. 119:71

Here Are Three Lessons I Learned From Burnout

1. We are humans, not machines.

I am not a god. I am not operating with unlimited time, energy, creativity, margin, joy and peace. No, those things are a products of the Spirit and must be replenished daily. Operating at a pace that was unsustainable, I brought a business mindset to ministry that is really borne out of my performance mentality and need to prove myself. I had forgotten the intangible fuels the tangible, and in my race for productivity, I made little effort to refuel myself and I had reduced myself to a machine, existing only to continue to meet the expectations of others, and more importantly, myself.

Jon Ritner on How Churches Can Thrive in a Post-Christian Context (Like Hollywood!)

Beth Colletti

January 16, 2018

Today we’re talking with Jon Ritner of Ecclesia Hollywood. For 10 years Jon served at a megachurch in the Williamsburg, Va., area. During his time there he worked in a number of different roles as the church grew. As the church experienced explosive growth, however, he began to wrestle with if this was the place he was meant to be for the rest of his life. Jon always had remained in touch with local colleges and mentored young adults, but found that though they were interested in the Bible and spiritual things, they had no desire to come to church. His concern about reaching the younger generation grew and he knew something had to change.

During this time, a friend serving in Europe connected with him, and Jon and his family moved overseas to Brussels for an opportunity to learn from and experience sharing the gospel in a post-Christian context. Here discipleship existed primarily outside of the traditional Sunday church gathering. When he came back to America, Jon moved to the largely post-Christian city of Hollywood with his family to implement the strategies he learned in Ecclesia Hollywood.

Jon talks with us today on how churches can thrive in a post Christian context.

• Take charge of creating disciples. In Brussels, discipleship looks different than it does here in America. The disciple-making process is much more personal, and European Christians take ownership of it. American Christians are taught to simply invite people to church gatherings, expecting the pastors and presence in the church building to pop out a disciple. So the only job of an American Christian is to invite someone into the church building. Europeans have grown up in much smaller churches and so they know you cannot invite someone to church and get a positive response. It’s a complete disconnect for the unbeliever. We have to be the church and take ownership over the disciple making through relationship building. We have to discern what is the good news for unbelieving people we are talking to, and what would sound like the gospel to them?

• Change your narrative of good news. There is no sense of shame over sin in Europe because there is no sense of absolute truth in the culture. In America, most of the situations in which people come to Christ center around shame over an area of sin in their life that they want to change. In Europe no one views morality as absolute, so you can’t lead them to Christ through feelings of shame over sin. How do you have good news for people who don’t feel bad about themselves? When Jon realized this, he worked on figuring out what are other narratives of good news. One example is, Europeans are obsessed with work, so he focused on helping them find rest and knowing that there is no shame in rest. Our Creator rested on the seventh day. They long to receive a blessing and God will do that through rest with Him.

• Take the church to the people. For believers in Hollywood, the city can be hostile toward Christianity and faith can feel like it’s about survival out in the world. Some churches there have created cultures that distance themselves from the rest of the world, and so Ecclesia Hollywood has had to reset people’s thinking. Instead Ecclesia sees themselves as a training center that teaches and equips people to go out into the world and engage with it about faith and truth. Jon says you can’t expect people to come to church, instead the church has to go to them. Share meals and hospitality with people you come across. Listen for wounds. Use that to engage the deepest longings of their heart. As our culture changes, churches and the people within need to innovate and recognize the need to adapt.

Learn more about Ecclesia Hollywood by visiting their website at https://churchinhollywood.com/

This article originally appeared here.

10 Things Only Preachers Can Understand About Preaching

Chuck Lawless

January 15, 2018

Churches usually have only a few preachers (if they have more than one) and many more members of the congregation. I write this post to help members understand preachers a little more—and, I trust, pray more for us.

Once the “preaching bug” bites, it’s tough to ever get away from it. There’s no way to explain it unless you’ve felt it. It’s an overwhelming, undeniable sense of calling.
We’re usually our own worst critics. Sure, most of us have critics—but few of us have critics as tough on us as we are on ourselves.
A perceived “good day” in the pulpit is exhilarating. It’s tiring, but it’s a weird kind of tired. It’s the kind of tired that says, “I can’t wait to do it again.”
A perceived “bad day” in the pulpit is exhausting. It’s an emotional, physical and spiritual drain that sometimes makes us think, “I don’t know if I should ever do that again.”
It’s easy to get lazy in sermon preparation. The resources are many, and the preparation time is sometimes short—so we learn shortcuts to a sermon. Many of us have to fight this temptation.
We both want and don’t want evaluations of our sermons. We want to improve, but we’d usually like to improve without others pointing out our weaknesses. We’re human.
We can’t avoid gauging the crowd as we preach. Nobody I know wants to preach just for the crowd, but we catch it when the congregation doesn’t seem to be with us. We don’t usually miss the signs.
We know when we’re underprepared. Whether it’s our personal spiritual walk or our practical study for a sermon, we know when we’re not ready to bring the Word of God. It happens.
We love it when a child “gets it” through our preaching. When the littlest guys and girls understand the Word from us, adults will “get it” too.
We grieve and quake a bit when we hear of other preachers who fall. We know our role as proclaimer puts us in the enemy’s sights. We also know that except for the grace of God, we would all be shot down.

Preachers, what would you add? Laity, please pray for us.

This article originally appeared here.

Intentional Volunteer Meetings

Corinne Noble

January 15, 2018

Volunteer meetings can be a great time for team building, training and even having some fun together. However, they can also be boring, tedious and drive people away from being a part of your team. It is important to be intentional with every volunteer meeting to avoid the latter. A lot of people are moving toward video training for their volunteers because they can’t seem to get people to attend their meetings, but I am a firm believer in getting the team together in the same room to get on the same page. I wasn’t always intentional about my meetings, or even great at leading them, but I’ve learned some important lessons so I can make the most of my volunteer meetings, and how to get people to actually show up.

Step 1: Consistent Meeting Times

Choose a time to meet with your team, and stick to it. It’s a lot easier for everyone to remember when the meetings are, and make them a priority when the times are consistent. We have chosen to meet once a month on the second Sunday of the month following the last service. Sometimes, your meeting time may fall on a holiday weekend, so when this happens my advice is to either cancel or reschedule for the month. No one wants to be required to show up to a meeting on Mother’s Day. Remember to stick to your meeting start and end times. If your meeting is scheduled to end at 1:30, let your team out at 1:25. If you need a longer meeting time, communicate it out ahead of time so your team can be prepared.

Step 2: Clear Communication

If you are going to get your team to show up for your meetings, you have to clearly communicate the details. Email them, Facebook message them, talk to them in the hallway, text them, do whatever you have to do to make sure everyone gets the information. We also email our team after meetings with the information that was covered so they can reference it later. Any expectations, forms or sign-ups are also emailed out to all of our team members. Don’t worry about over-communicating. I have never heard a volunteer complain about knowing too much.

Step 3: Cast Your Vision

If God has given you a word for your ministry, share it with your team. Ask them to pray that vision over the kids and families in your ministry. Include them in that vision. When you are talking about upcoming events, don’t just give them the details. Share the vision or the why behind the events. When your team realizes that there is a vision behind everything you do, they will get behind it and support you. Remember to not get too long-winded, or your team will begin to tune you out.

Step 4: Calendar Updates

I want my volunteer team to be the first to know about what is coming up in our ministry. I will usually share more of the details and vision behind any events or sermon series that are coming up in the next month or two. Then I will briefly share what’s coming up in the next few months after that. The goal should be that your team knows the details of what is coming up well enough to share with families who have questions when you are not around.

Step 5: Serve Food

This step might be the most important of all. Since our meetings happen around lunch time, we always provide lunch for our team. Even if your meeting time doesn’t fall during a meal, I would encourage you to provide some fun snacks and desserts. I’ve found that where there is good food, people will show up! Don’t expect your volunteers to show up for a meeting or volunteer event if you’re feeding them the same old, stale pizza they get at every kids’ event (yes, the $5 hot-n-ready pizza’s from Little Caesar’s). I like to change it up at meetings. Sometimes we go a little cheaper and do a DIY sandwich bar and other times we put in a large order at a restaurant. Some of my favorites that won’t completely break the bank are Jimmy Johns, Wing Stop, Olive Garden or any fast casual Mexican restaurants.

1...1,0851,0861,087...1,194 Page 1,086 of 1,194

Pray that prayer.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Update January 23, 2018, Bolivia

Christians in Bolivia Have Questions

A Challenge to the Constitution of Bolivia

5 Action-Steps to handle a mean-spirited email:

1) Wait for 24 hours

2) Take a moment of self-examination.

3) If it’s anonymous, ignore it.

4) If it’s someone you know, give the benefit of the doubt.

5) Respond by email only as a last resort.

Praying for Those in Authority

Key Questions for Nick Vujicic:

Key Quotes from Nick Vujicic:

Links Mentioned by Nick Vujicic in the Show:

Nick Vujicic on ChurchLeaders:

Preferences by Age Group

How Local Churches Are Using Online Giving

Recognizing our reputation is the first step to changing it.

I think judgement is usually a manifestation of insecurity.

Pastors aren’t supposed to have breakdowns.

Here Are Three Lessons I Learned From Burnout

1. We are humans, not machines.

Step 1: Consistent Meeting Times

Step 2: Clear Communication

Step 3: Cast Your Vision

Step 4: Calendar Updates

Step 5: Serve Food

New Articles

New Podcasts