When God’s People Pray

January 11, 2018

I remember the first time I heard Wayne Watson’s song by that title. I sometimes find myself humming or singing it… “When God’s people pray, there is hope restored, there is sin forgiven…”

It’s not that prayer changes things; it changes me. Prayer is not the method we’ve been given for twisting the arm of God. It is not given to convince God to see things from our viewpoint. Prayer is a privilege given to learn and embrace the mind of God.

Behind the scenes of every revival has been a prayer movement. Not a panel discussion. Not dialogue, but prayer. Behind every move of God in a local church, you’ll find someone, some group, some remnant praying. I’ve almost been able to chart the ebb and flow of God’s blessings on this local fellowship by our prayer ministry. Since those days in the early 1990s when Don Miller challenged us to be a praying church, we’ve not been able to move forward without being on our knees.

We have walked through every crisis, fear and opportunity through prayer. I don’t know that we’ve ever had a deacon’s meeting when we didn’t talk about things that needed to be prayed over. I don’t think we’ve had a Sunday without the Pastor’s Prayer Partners meeting to pray.

As we’ve invested significant money in two massive building programs, we’ve prayed. We didn’t get to where we are by architects alone, but by appealing to the architect of glory to give us wisdom. We would not be where we are today if it were not for prayer.

Any “success” we might have enjoyed has been the result of prayer. Every step of Sherwood Pictures was bathed in prayer, from writing the stories to casting to editing. It is the element the world cannot explain or even understand. God has done exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we ever hoped or imagined.

The fact that we’ve walked through the worship “wars” without having a war is, I believe, the result of prayer. We had to make some changes in our worship without forsaking our heritage. Some did not like it, some left, some did not understand, but because it was prayerfully done instead of forced, the change has been blessed.

The fact that we’ve changed from a 99.5 percent white church to a church of 20 nations, spanning socio-economic lines with ministries touching our region and the world, is the result of a praying people. You don’t make significant changes by bullying; you make them in a prayer environment. The examples are too numerous to mention, but you get the point. The prayer tower that stands front and center of our Worship Center is not our 900-feet-tall Jesus. It’s a symbol of what we stand for. It is our power source. It is a constant reminder that prayer is the key to what we do.

The disciples did not ask Jesus to teach them how to lay on hands, heal the sick, raise the dead, walk on water or even deal with the Pharisees. They asked the Lord to teach them to pray. It was the prayer life of Jesus that impressed them above all else. God the Son praying to God the Father caught their attention—the Godhead in tune with itself so that the will of God in heaven would be done on earth.

The greatest failure of the three—Peter, James and John—is summarized in the words, “Could you not watch and pray with me one hour?” Prayer is a spiritual ingredient that this church and no Christian can do without.

I was reading Leonard Ravenhill’s Treasury of Prayer, which is taken from the writings of E.M. Bounds. Read these words carefully, “It may be said with emphasis that no lazy saint prays. Can there be a lazy saint? Can there be a prayer-less saint? Does not slack praying cut short sainthood’s crown and kingdom? Can there be a cowardly soldier? Can there be a saintly hypocrite? Can there be virtuous vice? It is only when these impossibilities are brought into being that we then can find a prayerless saint. He who is too busy to pray will be too busy to live a holy life. Other duties become pressing and absorb in and crowd out prayer. Choked to death, would be the coroner’s verdict in many cases of dead praying, if an inquest could be secured on this dire, spiritual calamity. One of Satan’s wiliest tricks is to destroy the best by the good. Business and other duties are good, but we are so filled with these that they crowd out and destroy the best. Prayer holds the citadel for God, and if Satan can by any means weaken prayer, he is a gainer so far, and when prayer is dead the citadel is taken.”

It’s easier to do anything in the church than to pray. It’s easier to serve, sing, preach, teach, change diapers or coach a team than to pray. It’s not that we should stop doing these to pray. We must pray and then do these things, or our serving lacks power.

It’s easy for any and all of us to get drawn into secondary issues that can’t be fixed apart from prayer and revival. God can do more in a moment than we can do in a lifetime. Let us resolve to be, more than ever, a praying people. Praying is not our duty, it is a necessity. It’s not optional on our spiritual checklist. The truth is, I must pray and I must be prayed for.

Let me again quote from Ravenhill’s book, “That the true apostolic preacher must have the prayers of other good people to give to his ministry its full quota of success, Paul is the pre-eminent example. He asks, he covets, he pleads in an impassioned way for the help of all God’s saints. He knew that in the spiritual realm, as elsewhere, in union there is strength; that the concentration and aggregation of faith, desire and prayer increased the volume of spiritual force until it became overwhelming and irresistible in its power. Units of prayer combined, like drops of water, make an ocean that defies resistance.”

When God’s people pray, things happen. There are some things God will not do apart from prayer. Will you join me? Can we pray in unity that God will move in power and that the church will stop retreating and start doing battle on her knees?

This article originally appeared here.

When KidMin Breaks Your Heart

Kathie Philips

January 11, 2018

As a teenager, I served regularly in Children’s Ministry at my church. I also babysat regularly after school and on weekends. I had a lot of childcare experience. So when I went away to college and served in Children’s Ministry at a center for low-income families, I wasn’t prepared for what I’d experience.

When we’d pick the children up on the center’s bus, some of the children were unkempt—they were dirty and often smelled like they slept in a bed that they had wet. Some got on the bus eating non-traditional breakfast food like potato chips and fruit punch. Despite it all, they were so precious and teaching them about Jesus was such a blessing to me.

If you’re in ministry, you know what a joy ministry can be. Seeing a child ‘get it’ and take their next spiritual steps. Volunteers who are committed to the purpose God has called them to. Hearing stories of real life change. These are the things that confirm that we’re in the right place, doing what God created us to do. Feeling like we’re making an impact on the Kingdom is a very fulfilling calling.

If you’re in ministry, you also know that ministry is hard—physically, emotionally, spiritually. There are days we wonder what it’s all for, if what we’re doing really matters, and if we’ll ever have all of the resources (budget, facility, volunteers, etc.) that we need to do effective ministry.

Recently, I was reminded that kids and families in my ministry are really hurting. Sometimes I forget the burdens that families carry into my church and that smiles can often hide deep pain. My heart was so broken one Sunday that I came home and cried until I had a headache.

Think about the children in your ministry or community. Some split their time between two homes. Some are being cared for by grandparents dealing with health or financial challenges. Families are dealing with terminally ill family members. Some are simply wondering where their next meal will come from.

I admit that I am often consumed with details of ministry that are important—things like scheduling volunteers, editing curriculum, purchasing supplies, planning events and leading my team. Sometimes I’m too consumed by these things. But I was reminded that ministry is also doing soul care for our families, listening to the details of their lives, and reminding them of the hope we have in Jesus.

I used to think of these more heartbreaking moments as a downside of ministry, but the longer I’ve been in ministry, the more my perspective has changed. This is the ministry I was called to. This is kingdom impact.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

(Matthew 25:34-40)

If no one has told you recently, what you’re doing matters tremendously.

This article originally appeared here.

Four Unique Characteristics of Churches That Will Break Out in 2018

Thom Rainer

January 11, 2018

Where will your church be in a year?

Will it be unified, thriving and reaching its community for Christ? Or will it be divided, struggling and almost irrelevant to the community?

I have a watchful eye on churches that are “breakout churches,” meaning they have moved from struggling to thriving. I am seeing some specific traits common in many of these churches. And I see four of these traits to be unique and vital to the health of the congregations.

To be clear, these four characteristics are by no means an exhaustive list of traits of healthy churches. Instead, they are unique characteristics that became both the cause and the result of the breakout.

1. They increased their efforts to reach their communities by fourfold. These church leaders and members understood that the days of easy growth and cultural Christianity were ending. As a consequence, they increased their efforts, their spending and their time by fourfold to reach their communities. And while the factor of four is not a magic number, something near that number was common among the breakout churches. Reaching and ministering to their communities became a very high priority.

2. They focused their congregations to pray John 17:20-23 as an ongoing prayer effort. Not all the congregations prayed Jesus’ prayer of unity specifically, but they did pray for church unity in one way or another. Many churches fail to have a gospel witness because of infighting, self-serving behavior and tepid commitment. The breakout churches prayed, sometimes for a year or more, for unity in the church.

3. They made a concerted effort to abandon the entitlement mentality. Too many congregations have become religious country clubs, where the members pay their dues and get their expected perks. The breakout churches made intentional efforts to abandon that mentality. And though it’s self-serving for me to say, I am grateful nearly 1.5 million church members have used my book I Am a Church Member to guide them in these intentional efforts.

4. They prayed for hearts that would be willing to accept new paradigms. Please hear me clearly. Your church will either change or die. I know. You don’t change the truths of God’s Word, but many of the methodologies and paradigms that describe the way we “do church” today will not be here tomorrow. The breakout churches deemed themselves mission churches, and they knew sacrifice and change was critical to the mission heart.

As we begin this new year, we have a new opportunity to start with new attitudes and renewed efforts. I am beginning to see a number of churches move toward breakout. In God’s power, your church can be one of those churches.

My prayer for your congregation is that 2018 will be your best year ever.

In God’s power it can be done.

This article originally appeared here.

Show Stopper! Three Secrets for Making Great Video

Russ McGuire

January 11, 2018

Show Stopper! is the new book by Shonda Carter that has grown out of her startup company, Shonda Carter Productions. Set to release later this month, it has been a bestseller among Amazon preorders. So: how did a former prison employee become a best selling author and what does this have to do with ministry technologies?

Paid to be Mean

Shonda wasn’t raised in the church. When she went to college, she wanted to become a judge; she wanted to have power. She studied Criminal Justice, but unlike high school, she found that it took more than smarts: it took hard work to get good grades. She wasn’t willing to put in the work to pursue a Law degree so she graduated with her Criminal Justice degree and started her first career.

She got a job working for the prison system as a probation officer. She loved that she got paid to be mean. And she was good at it! From there, she moved to a child support enforcement role. Even though these jobs seem to have nothing to do with her current calling, Shonda points out that God never wastes anything—these jobs taught her how to tell people what to do, which has made her a better video director!

God Saves the Mean Lady

Shonda and her husband began attending church, but she just didn’t “get it.” She looked around at all the people that were full of joy in the Lord and she prayed, “God, don’t you want me?” One night, Shonda and her husband took their kids to the local drive-in to see a movie. It was a double feature, and although they didn’t really have any interest in watching the second movie, The Passion of the Christ, they figured they were already there, so they stuck around. Shonda realized that she was a visual learner, and once she saw what Christ did for her, she could finally understand all that she had heard at church. God literally opened her eyes to see and understand the gospel.

Not only did God use the film to save Shonda and her husband, it helped her realize the power of video in communicating His deepest truths. As she began studying the Bible, she saw that Jesus is the master storyteller. In gratitude to her pastor, instead of simply writing him a thank you note, she wrote a play for him. A year later he asked her if she would start a drama ministry with live, on-stage monthly productions. Shonda loved applying her creativity in service to God’s people, but the live productions were too unpredictable.

Technology to the Rescue

Thinking back to The Passion of the Christ, Shonda realized that video might be the answer. Her computer had some software called Movie Maker, so what could be so hard about making a movie? “I realized I knew nothing about making videos, but the Holy Ghost and YouTube taught me enough to get started.” Eventually, she went back to school to learn video production, quit her child support enforcement job and took a minimum wage job as an Associate News Producer for the local television station. She felt called by God to spend a year there, but she got promoted to News Producer and overstayed the 12 months before God made it clear that she was to move on.

As she continued to make videos for her church, she thought about creating a YouTube channel with spiritual content. Jesus went to where the people were, and video, if it’s engaging, can help people understand the message.

To figure out the business side she plugged into the local startup community. Video marketing on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook was becoming increasingly important to entrepreneurs, so Shonda started helping her new friends with their videos. I asked her what the hardest part of starting her business was and she said it was believing that she was good enough to get paid for video production. It’s called the imposter syndrome. Everyone told her she was good and her work was valuable, but she didn’t feel comfortable charging for her service. She finally bit the bullet and Shonda Carter Productions was born.

Three Video Tips

I asked Shonda if she could share three tips with us for making great videos. Her best advice boils down to this:

• Make it short. The shorter the better

• Tell a story. People want to feel, not just hear. Jesus used stories to powerful effect

• The music matters. Special effects don’t impress anyone anymore, but music helps the audience get in the moment faster

Finally, I asked Shonda how her faith impacts her as an entrepreneur. She said praying for God’s wisdom in all things is her most powerful business tool. When opportunities come her way, she turns to the Lord for direction in who to work with and who to decline. As a startup with limited resources, she also prays constantly for wisdom on spending money, for example, on which conferences to attend. She is thankful that the Lord has been faithful to her.

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV)

In this article series, we’ve defined a Christian entrepreneur as a person driven to glorify God in all he or she does, and ruled by the Word of God, who starts a new venture and is willing to risk a loss in order to achieve the success of the venture. Each month I’ve been introducing you to specific Christian startups and entrepreneurs, some of which may be helpful to your church, ministry, business or family, but my main intent is to encourage and inspire you to be entrepreneurial in your ministry and career. Are there Christian startups I should know about? Contact me at russ.mcguire@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared in the January 2017 edition of Ministry Tech Magazine.

3 Steps for Introducing Change Every Leader Needs to Know

Daniel Im

January 11, 2018

Think back to the last time you tried to change something at work or in your life.

You were burdened with a new idea and convinced that it was going to be the silver bullet to solve all your woes. You were going to be the hero. Life was never going to be the same again. And everything was going to go up and to the right.

Perhaps you’re an outlier and it always goes as planned, but if you’re like me (and probably the majority of us), you’ve had your fair share of falling flat on your face.

Unless your change effort leads you closer to fulfilling the vision of your organization, you’re wasting your time. You’re introducing change that will merely be overturned at a later time. You are allowing yourself to settle with mediocrity. After all, isn’t good the enemy of great?

This is precisely why, instead of creating my own version of the eight-step change management process by John Kotter, I want to outline a three-step process for introducing change. These three steps will help you evaluate every new or foreign idea to anticipate if it is a good fit for your organization, and then determine how exactly it will affect your vision, strategy and values. Let’s start with the first step: performing a SWOT analysis.

Step One: SWOT Analysis

The next time you or one of your team members comes up with a new idea, take some time before presenting it and run it through a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,and threats) analysis. This is a great way to systematically think through and discern the broader impact that these ideas will have, while keeping the unique DNA of your organization (vision, strategy and values) at the forefront.

When you put every new idea through a SWOT analysis, you will discipline yourself and your team to design initiatives proactively around the strengths and opportunities that this new idea presents for your organization, rather than as a reaction to weaknesses and threats from inside or outside.

Step Two: Conversation Checklist

If, after putting your new idea through a SWOT analysis, you still feel strongly about the benefits that this will bring to your organization, the next step is to determine who you need to talk to in order for the new idea to stick.

List the key departments and teams, as well as the decision makers and power custodians. When introducing any change, it’s also important to consider how it will affect the influencers—whether or not they have formal authority—since they will play a crucial role in the success of the idea’s implementation. So be sure to list them as well. Also systematically think through who is going to be directly affected by this new change initiative, and how they will be affected.

Step Three: Team Idea Audit

Once you finishing listing everyone, schedule time to have a conversation with each department, team and influencer that you marked as having a direct or indirect relationship with the new idea. When together, the focus of the meeting would be to collaborate on the idea and get their thoughts by doing a SWOT analysis together. Instead of sharing your SWOT analysis with them, do a new one together with each point person. Help them answer each quadrant by thinking through how the idea will affect their team.

Once you complete step three, and you feel that moving ahead with this idea is best for your organization, then finish this three-step process by writing out your next steps for today, next month, in three months, in six months and a year from now.

Conclusion

Any change you try to implement will face one of three fates:

1) It’ll never get off the ground because it will be seen as a bacteria, virus or foreign matter and subsequently be rejected.

2) The change will happen, but because it doesn’t fit into your vision, strategy and values, you will inevitably end up changing things again.

3) The change will move you closer to the vision of your organization because you started with discernment by using the three steps for introducing change.

These steps to discerning whether or not you want to begin the change process are important on a few levels. First of all, they are a practical way to evaluate new ideas that will cause change in your organization. Second, they provide a process to evaluate the extent to which those new ideas will work in your organization. Third, and most important, this approach ensures that you filter every new idea through your organization’s vision, strategy and values.

**This was a modified excerpt from Daniel Im’s No Silver Bullets: Five Small Shifts that will Transform Your Ministry. You can learn more at danielim.com/nosilverbullets

This article originally appeared here.

10 Lessons on How a Leader Should Handle Being Fired

Brian Dodd

January 11, 2018

***WARNING*** This post is for mature leaders only.

All leadership is temporary. Sometimes it is the leader’s decision when to walk away. Sometimes the market will determine the length of your tenure because your business closes or position becomes obsolete. And sometimes, we are asked to walk away. We are fired.

This past Sunday, when Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio walked off the field, team owner Mark Davis pulled him aside and relieved him of his duties. He fired him.

In the video below you will see the post-game press conference where Del Rio announced his own termination. As he points out, there was no progressive discipline or previous conversations about his job status. Del Rio was completely blindsided.

What is most striking is how Del Rio handled this. I have never seen a leader handle such a bad situation with more dignity, class and grace than he did. What a quality human being! In this dark moment, Jack Del Rio forever provided a template on how a leader should handle being fired.

The following are 10 Lessons on How a Leader Should Handle Being Fired from the Jack Del Rio post-game press conference. All the quotes below are his.

When Being Fired, Leaders Should Accept Responsibility – “Opportunities and lack of production are not good enough.”
When Being Fired, Leaders Should Be Disappointed – “That’s what our year was. It was disappointing.”
When Being Fired, Leaders Should Appreciate All The Good They Did – “He told me he loved me and appreciated all I did to get this program going in the right direction.”
When Being Fired, Leaders Should Be Grateful for the Opportunity They Had – “I told him how much I appreciated the opportunity he gave me… Very grateful.”
When Being Fired, Leaders Should Seek to Understand Why – “It’s a results business. I understand that.”
When Being Fired, Leaders Should Appreciate the Contributions of Their Teammates – “I appreciate the players and coaches and all the hard work, all the effort and energy.”
When Being Fired, Leaders Should Still Leave the Organization Better Than They Found It – “I do believe we have established a solid nucleus. I believe whoever comes in has a chance to take that nucleus and go to special places.”
When Being Fired, Leaders Should Continue to Cheer on the Organization – “I’ll be pulling for them.”
When Being Fired, Leaders Should Honor the Decision – “I honor the owner’s decision.”
When Being Fired, Leaders Should Learn From Failure and Then Move on to Their Next Opportunity – This was not brought up in the press conferences but I know Del Rio will learn from this failure and then move on to his next opportunity. He is a competent, class individual who will be an asset to any program who hires him.

What is one thing about being fired you learned from Del Rio’s press conference?

This article originally appeared here.

The Human Face of Trafficking: What Your Church Needs to Know

Joshua Pease

January 11, 2018

How is your human trafficking awareness?

Mora was 14 years old when her “boyfriend” first asked her to perform sex acts on camera for strangers. Mora was desperate for acceptance and approval, and said yes. Before long Mora’s boyfriend hooked her on heroin and began taking her to Buffalo and New York City to prostitute herself. When Mora realized she was just one of many girls trapped in this cycle, the “relationship” turned violent.

Human Trafficking Awareness

Mora’s story is just one of thousands of young women and children being sexually trafficked and prostituted in America. This is just a small part of a global epidemic of trafficking, with some estimates stating there are over 20 million victims of human trafficking in the world today. In recognition of this problem, the U.S. Senate established January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day, stating that America “refuses to let human trafficking exist in the United States and around the world.” And yet according to the International Justice Mission (IJM), sex trafficking is currently generating approximately $150 billion in profits a year. So what will it really take to combat sex trafficking, and how can the church lead the way?

1. See Sex Workers as Victims

When the woman caught in the act of adultery was dragged before Jesus, most people saw her nakedness and sin and rushed to condemn. Jesus, however, saw a woman who needed rescuing. Yes, she had sinned, but what she needed first was to be told “I don’t condemn you.”

Exodus Cry, a non-profit dedicated to eradicating sex trafficking, recently released a video on Facebook that powerfully illustrates the need to see women in prostitution as those “with the fewest choices.” The video outlines how most “choose” prostitution as children, and are influenced by prior sexual abuse, poverty, addiction or mental illness. The video quotes a former prostitute as saying “when I think about my choices it was these: have men on and inside me or suffer hopelessness and hunger.”

Is Prostitution a Choice?

Is prostitution really a choice? Share this video and help expose the truth. #notachoice #humantrafficking #sextrafficking

Posted by Exodus Cry on Thursday, January 11, 2018

2. Contribute to a Cause

There are many great organizations, many founded by Christians, dedicated to the cause of eradicating sex trafficking. International Justice Mission specifically provides multiple ways to help, and specifically provides churches with options for involvement.

3. Learn About Your Community

For some churches, the “far away” problem of sex trafficking is silently happening in their own neighborhoods. One of the most needed action steps in America on this topic is education, especially for pastors asking God what they can do. Compassion International provides a list of ways to spot sex trafficking in your community. The Human Trafficking Hotline provides statistics on human trafficking that can be broken down by state. For churches located in metropolitan areas, contact local law enforcement agencies to ask about the specific sex trafficking problems in the area.

This process of education could be the most important action step to take, because as more Christians prayerfully learn about the problem, God is mobilizing them to take action. Exodus Now was launched out of a prayer movement at Kansas City’s International House of Prayer. Dressember, which recently raised $2 million to fight sex trafficking, was started when Blythe Hill, a young Christian woman living in Los Angeles, found out that her city was one of the worst spots for sex trafficking in the country.

Human Trafficking Awareness Matters

While it’s easy to feel that the problem of sex trafficking is vast, and so global, that it’s impossible to make a difference, each Christian’s choice to engage matters. The more money, prayer, time and action spent combating sex trafficking gives hope to girls like Mora.

How I Created VBS That Worked

Dwayne Riner

January 10, 2018

Vacation Bible School can be one of your best outreaches of the year. You can make great contacts with the community, build relationships with the kids in your church, and mobilize the congregation behind the children’s ministry. I am a big believer in VBS.

When I began in children’s ministry, I didn’t believe in VBS. I thought it didn’t fit my style of ministry. To me, it seemed like a relic of the past, so I avoided it like the plague. However, I reluctantly agreed to host a VBS at one of the churches where I served. It went well. Not a failure, but also not an enormous success. That continued for a couple of years until I decided to try some things differently.

That summer everything changed and for the next four years, the church’s VBS program shot off like a rocket. Our attendance grew to over 300 kids per week (almost as much as our church’s total attendance). Many children received Christ, and the church’s VBS family service attendance eclipsed the Easter attendance. God did great things!

Every church and situation is different. If you’re doing a camp instead of a VBS that changes the dynamics as well. So, take these suggestions and think of how it applies to your church. Here’s the principles that helped me create a VBS that worked:

Pray. Okay, I realize that may seem overly obvious. However, when you’re knee deep in VBS planning, it’s easy to forget that VBS (or any outreach) is first and foremost a God-ordained event. Without Him it doesn’t work. That’s an undeniable fact. It doesn’t matter how great you are at planning, writing or storytelling. The most gifted speaker is inadequate for the job without God’s anointing. That’s why I began fasting in the weeks leading up to VBS. I tend to eat more when I get stressed. Fasting made me focus on Christ and my need for His help. I honestly believe that when I began fasting that our VBS events turned a significant corner.

Start Early. It’s never too early to get started. I often began thinking about my VBS the month after finishing the current VBS. You may not be there yet, but don’t underestimate the power of starting several months out. I created a timeline for my VBS where I mapped out when I needed to complete each project. I set a due date for each item and made sure the date was far enough in advance to allow time for changes and unforeseen problems.

Keep It Simple. At the time I lived in the Metro Atlanta area. Most of the families worked and most commuted a long distance to work. A three-hour VBS wasn’t going to work because no one could get there by 6:00 p.m. I chose a two hour VBS schedule that ranged from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. This shorter timeframe required us to keep the kids moving and reduced the fluff. This was a non-stop, hold on for dear life thrill ride…and the kids loved it. We removed the elements that weren’t necessary and condensed parts that could fit together compactly. We decided the small group would be simple: games and snacks. Half the VBS did games while the other half ate snacks. You could reduce the opening and closing session and add crafts, but for us, it didn’t work. Check out this post for simplifying your VBS check-in.

Make It Fit Your Style. We excelled at large group services, and I think that a large group service is vital to creating an engaging outreach. We devoted over an hour to the large group sessions. We began with a 30- to 40-minute opening and ended with a 30- to 40-minute closing. These sessions included worship, drama, Bible story, memory verse, etc. Including the drama and Bible teaching in the opening and closing allowed us to use our best actors and story presenters. Don’t underestimate the appeal of a large group worshipping together. The drama began in the opening session and ended during the closing. The high energy closing ceremony ensured that we left the night on a high note that had the kids desperate to come back.

Adapt It. Just because you bought the kit doesn’t mean the kit is your boss. I eventually began writing my own VBS programs, but I started out by adapting a VBS I purchased from Group. I wrote my own drama, but I used their Bible stories, decor ideas, theme, etc. You can do the same thing, and the great part about doing that is you’ll offer something fresh. Kids who have seen that theme before won’t be bored and check out.

Mobilize the Church. Get everyone excited about serving. The first couple of years you may have to personally ask every person to join you. Don’t trust an announcement in the bulletin to get the job done. After some successful VBS events, you’ll be amazed at how the volunteers will begin lining up. People like to be on a winning team.

Take Care of the Volunteers. Train them and bless them. Create a volunteer manual that ensures your volunteers are ready to serve. This will make them feel better, and you’ll know that everyone is on the same page (mostly). After the event, create an opportunity to get everyone together. We had over 100 volunteers who served at VBS, and after each one, we hosted a fun event. It might be as simple as a cookout at someone’s house or a pool party. As your numbers grow, you might not be able to do something like this, but remember to do something to let the volunteers know they mattered.

Open Up to More Ages. Our attendance grew as we opened up opportunities for younger kids to come to VBS. My thought was that if a parent knew she could bring all of her children to one event, she might be more likely to visit. It required extra work in staffing rooms, but the idea worked. More families attended, and the younger aged classes exploded.

Host a Family Service. The largest win by far was our VBS Family Service. We hosted it the Sunday after VBS ended and saw huge numbers return. At the time we did the service, the church was only running one service. However, we had to add a second service on VBS Sunday to accommodate the crowds. Here are some tips to make it work.

Start announcing it day one
Give something away to everyone who comes
Have a big giveaway
Leave the final VBS drama as a cliffhanger and wrap it up on Sunday
Have the Senior Pastor teach the Bible story
Lead worship in the same style as during the VBS
Create opportunities for pictures and social media posts
It cannot (repeat: cannot) be anything less than the best service you will do the entire year

Here’s a sample schedule for a two hour VBS:

7:00 – 7:30 PM: Opening Session
7:30 – 7:50 PM: Snacks/Crafts/Games
7:50 – 8:10 PM: Crafts/Games/Snacks
8:10 – 8:30 PM: Games/Snacks/Crafts
8:30 – 9:00 PM: Closing Session

I created multiple areas within each spot to accommodate all of the groups. So groups were assigned to either Snack A, B, C, D, etc. The same goes for games and crafts. I opted to not do individual rooms and had the kids check in with their group in the main auditorium. The groups then moved from venue to venue throughout the night. If you do opt for a longer VBS or camp then you will probably need individual rooms.

What has been your best VBS or Kids Camp experience?

This article originally appeared here.

A Letter to an Indecisive Student

Michael Guyer

January 10, 2018

Dear friend,

Congratulations. With each passing day, you get one step closer to your high school graduation. This will be a big moment in your life. I hope you will be able to enjoy this accomplishment. I would encourage you to take some time to reflect on all that God has done over this season of your life. Take time to thank those who have played a pivotal part in it—I know I wish I would have done more of this myself.

You are about to make some big decisions that will have major implications for your life. You are probably all too aware of this every time someone asks: “What are your plans after graduation?” I remember getting that question myself. For a while, I didn’t have an answer either. And there are only so many ways you can say, “I don’t know.” I know you’ve been struggling with this because you are unsure of what is best for you. Will you go the traditional college route? Or will you pursue training to enter the workforce? On the one hand, a college degree is seen by many as the new high school diploma. Everyone assumes that you will go to college and get an undergraduate degree. Yet, there are also great careers available to those who pursue associate’s degrees, vocational training or apprenticeships. I know you have heard from a number of different people on this issue, but I wanted to share a few thoughts with you that I hope will be helpful to you.

First, I want to you to be aware of what you are deciding between. A four-year degree at a liberal arts university is focused on what kind of person you will be when you graduate. You will spend a lot of time reading and writing. But you will also enjoy community, personal development, room to explore different interests and unique career opportunities. Vocational training is focused on what kind of skills you will be able to do when you are finished. This path may involve community college, trade school or apprenticeship programs. You will spend a lot of time doing hands-on work or even on-the-job training.

Both of these paths will help form you as a person or develop your skills. You may not prefer all the reading and studying for a four-year degree, but you should not neglect the formation of your mind and character. You may not see yourself working with electronics or welding, but you should not discount the work of your hands. Honestly, you may need to be pushed to pursue a four-year degree and beyond. Or you may need to be freed up to know that it is OK to pursue a different path with vocational training. Each path comes with its own set of questions and pressures. You may have difficulty knowing whether you are making the right decision.

Another important area for you to consider is student loan debt. This is perhaps the biggest issue facing undergraduate students today. Nearly 70 percent of graduates have student loans and the average student loan debt is $30,000. Once you add interest to these loans, you could easily be making $300-400 student loan payments after you graduate. And this doesn’t take into account those who pursue graduate school, which is often a necessity for many career paths. While many repayment options use a 10-year plan, it takes many people up to 20 years to pay off their student loans. I do not want to scare you away from pursuing a college degree, but I do want to give you a dose of reality. You have to ask yourself: How much debt should you go into in seeking your degree? What will your plan be to pay off your student loans? Are you willing to work while you’re pursuing your degree? Are there companies that offer tuition reimbursement? What type of scholarships might you be eligible for? Student loan debt may be inevitable for you if you pursue a four-year degree, but don’t fail to count the cost of it or to have a plan for how to tackle it.

4 Lame Excuses People Give for Leaving Their Church

Brandon Cox

January 10, 2018

The problem with my old church was …

That’s a phrase you will only hear in the modern, Western church—particularly in the United States.

In first-century Jerusalem, if you didn’t like the music, the pastor or the amount of perfume Sister Bertha wore, you had to stay and work it out. Where else would you go?

Disclaimer: What I’m about to say has nothing to do with people who are far from God. I’m writing it to people who claim to know Him well. Read on.

I’m not promoting the idea of having only one church in every community. I think God is blessing a movement of multiplying churches that are helping to fill the earth with the good news of Jesus. But the side effect of our multiplying efforts is applying the same consumer mentality we use at the mall to the church.

When you plant a new church in a community with a lot of churches, like northwest Arkansas for example, you come into contact with people now and then who are “looking for something new” because of the problems they encountered at their old church.

I’ve heard plenty, including…

We just didn’t feel connected.

Sometimes this is a church problem. Sometimes it’s a me problem. Some people will connect in one good church but not another good church.

We didn’t like the ________.

Plenty of words find their way into that blank. The kids’ ministry. The way they gave to missions. The way they asked me to be, like, generous and stuff with my money.

We couldn’t get along with ________.

The pastor? The deacons? Sister Bertha? Whoever it is, our inability to reconcile broken relationships with other Christians is a shame. It’s a bad witness, and going to another church never solves the problem. It just transfers it.

We just weren’t getting fed.

My favorite. As a pastor, I usually translate this in my head into plain English: “We didn’t really like the pastor, or the music or the volume of the music. But the easiest thing to do is blame the pastor for not ‘feeding’ us.” To this last one, I so often want to ask how long the person talking has been a Christian. If it’s a year or more, my next question would be, “When will you grow up enough to feed yourself?” Nonetheless…

If you, as a pastor, play into these kinds of complaints, you’ve created a problem that will almost always come back to bite you, usually in a year or less.

You’ve attempted to “sell” how much better your church is. You’ve hurt the brand of the church in general. And you’ve set the table for people with unreachable expectations, which is a pastor-killing problem to begin with.

Don’t do it. Instead say…

People: Gift or Lesson?

Kurt Bubna

January 10, 2018

As you may have noticed (at least my mother did), I’ve been through a bit of a rough patch in a few relationships lately. For me, writing is therapeutic, and so I process by prose. For the record, the reason I post my musings is because I know I’m not alone; we all struggle relationally.

No one has ever accused me of being profound, but I am practical, and if my journey can help you work through your relational struggle, then my angst and insights are worth it.

In this recent blog (Hiding in Eden), I wrote that none of us is perfect, but we are challenged to love nonetheless. Last week, I wrote about how our failures in leadership and life can help us to grow (You Failed Me).

Today, I’ll be brief—very brief—with only one thought I want you to consider as you face a new year. Here it is:

Some people come into your life as a blessing. Some come into your life as a lesson.

I have many relational gifts in my life. My wife. My family. My friends. But I also have a good number of people who are “gifts” I’d like to return to the store.

These people annoy me. They frustrate me. They often push my emotional buttons, and I want to scream! (Don’t worry; it’s not you. If it were you, you wouldn’t be concerned about me.)

Undoubtedly, I am that person to some, as well. I annoy them. I frustrate them. I push their buttons.

So how should you and I view one another? The short answer: as a gift.

Whether someone makes you smile or cringe, and whether you like them or not, people—all people—are a gift. The obvious ones for obvious reasons. The challenging ones because they help us to grow.

In fact, the very-draining-extra-grace-required folks force us to face our human condition (i.e., self-centeredness), and to become more like Jesus. By the way, transformation is God’s ultimate goal for you and me.

So, there you have it: Some people come into your life as a blessing. Some come into your life as a lesson.

Either way, it’s good.

This article originally appeared here.

Stop Complicating Discipleship

Dr. Josh Buice

January 10, 2018

Growing up in a Southern Baptist church setting, I was accustomed to returning for church on Sunday evenings each Lord’s Day for worship. However, we not only returned for an evening service, we returned each week for a five o’clock training hour. We referred to that class as ”Training Union.” I still think that name works better for some branch of politics rather than a discipleship class in a local church, but the time spent discipleship training together as a church was memorable. For that reason, our elders and I plan to restore that in the life of our church in 2018—but under a different name for sure.

As we plan to provide our discipleship goals to our church family next Sunday, it’s imperative that we don’t complicate discipleship. One thing we do well as Christians is complicate what God never intended to be overly complicated. We often do it with worship, with service roles in the church, and with discipleship. What is discipleship? At the most basic level, it’s helping people to follow Jesus. That means seminary isn’t absolutely required to make disciples. We aren’t mandated to attend conferences or read books designed to provide a helpful model or philosophy of discipleship. So, what’s necessary and how do we engage in the work of discipleship without complicating it? I believe the most basic elements can be found in Paul’s words to Titus in the New Testament.

Biblical Preaching and Teaching

In Titus 2:1, we find these words from Paul to Titus. He writes, “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” Paul expected Titus to set in order the local churches in Crete, that was his purpose in being left there. Paul makes this clear in the first chapter. In the second chapter, Paul develops the clearest pattern of disciple-making in the New Testament. Naturally, he begins with biblical preaching and teaching.

Immediately after the multitude of new believers were baptized following Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, we see the church gathered together under the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42). The pattern of making disciples centers on biblical preaching and teaching. It is the role of the pastor-teacher to preach and teach the Word in order to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Without biblical preaching and teaching—the church will become a shallow religious club that builds itself on a faulty foundation that will never last. God’s pattern for disciple making is always centered on the preaching and teaching of the local church. The pulpit serves as the catalyst for every other area of discipleship in the local church. Mark Dever writes:

Pastors teaching the Word is the core of a church’s discipling ministry. It provides the food and water that feeds all the other discipling relationships within the church. [1]

Older Training the Younger

Paul moves on from the pastor to the congregation as he develops the idea of the older men and older women training the younger men and younger women. It was first of all Titus’ job to teach the older generation (as he taught the whole congregation), and the older generation would go on to possess sound faith and teach what is good. This is where iron sharpening iron and family worship find their roots. If the pattern explained in Deuteronomy 6 was to be faithfully carried out in the homes and if fathers and mothers were to raise their children under the nurture and admonition of the Lord, it’s critical that they are first taught by the pastors of the local church.

Once again, you see the clear pattern of the older investing in the younger. This is true in life outside of the gathered church, but it’s likewise important that the older and younger spend time rubbing shoulders in the church as well. While I do not believe that it’s an imperative to be family integrated in all aspects of worship and discipleship in the life of the local church, I do believe that we are far too segmented in today’s evangelical church culture. It’s helpful for the younger generation to know older people in the church and to learn to value them as role models of perseverance in the faith.

Proper Pastoral Example

Paul then returns to the pastor in Titus 2:7-8. The emphasis in these verses is clearly upon the example of the pastor. His doctrine was the focus of the first verse of this chapter, but now the emphasis is upon his character. Paul understood that the entire church—including the younger generation needed proper examples of conduct and Christianity put on display in the pulpit and beyond.

The pastor must preach and teach with integrity, but he must live with a character that is beyond reproach as well. Far too many pastors are falling stars rather than strong mature trees with deep roots that provide an example of Christian perseverance. Many pastors in our day are little boys who are playing church. The need of the hour is maturity among those who occupy the office of elder. That’s why the title of pastor is elder in the New Testament. The title itself points toward maturity—not immaturity or perpetual adolescence.

How strong would our churches become if we refused to compartmentalize our discipleship into little workbooks or a five o’clock class on Sunday afternoons? How healthy would our churches become if we put into practice the simple circle of discipleship that Paul developed in his letter to Titus? How impactful would our churches be in our local communities if we worked together to make disciples for the glory of Christ under the leadership of mature men who were godly examples?

Stop making discipleship overly complicated. Help people follow Jesus. Remember, it’s not about the title of your class—it’s about the depth and commitment of the people. You can change Sunday school to Life Groups but if the people don’t take discipleship seriously the end result will not be discipleship. Aim for creating a culture of discipleship in our local church in 2018.

Mark Dever, Discipling, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2016), 60.

This article originally appeared here.

UPDATE: Top Leaders Leave Moody Bible Institute Over ‘Crisis of Leadership’

Bob Ditmer

January 10, 2018

Moody Bible Institute: Update January 11th, 2018

Moody Bible Institute President and Chief Operating Officer have resigned and the school’s Provost has retired following publicized complaints about the school’s direction. At a meeting on Wednesday the Board unanimously decided “it is time for a new season of leadership.” Resigning are President Paul Nyquist and COO Steve Mogck. Provost Junias Venugopal has retired.

Randy Fairfax, chair of the board of trustees said, “They are godly, honorable men to whom we entrust to the Lord and offer our deep gratitude for their years of faithful service to Christ and to Moody. However, we are unanimous in our decision that it is time for a new season of leadership. I ask that you be in prayer for them and their families.”

Moody Bible Institute is in the midst of what some are calling a crisis and it doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.

The problems at the 132-year-old school are wide-ranging and include falling student enrollment numbers, a climate of fear and intimidation on campus, where whistleblowers were said to have been silenced, a liberal theological drift, unprofessionalism by professors in the classroom, widespread layoffs, questionable loans to school trustees and officials and now the firing of a popular Moody Radio Network host who criticized the school.

SWEETHEART DEALS FOR TRUSTEES AND EXECUTIVES

Julie Roys, host of Moody Radio’s “Up for Debate” program, was told via email on Saturday that she had been terminated. No reason for the firing was given but just two days earlier Roys outlined the “disturbing truth” about leadership at MBI on her blog. Her article was titled “A Luxury Suite, Questionable Loan to Officer, & Gambling: The Disturbing Truth About Leadership at MBI.” The article resulted from her own investigation of complaints about MBI that she said school officials refused to address.

In that article she wrote:

In 2009, the Christian school allegedly gave Moody Bible Institute President Paul Nyquist a $500,000 loan—which Moody Bible Institute’s latest 990 forms say has never been repaid—in order to acquire a $1.08 million condominium near campus. This money was given during a period of financial hardship for the school, a period of time that has stretched into recent months as approximately one-third of the Chicago faculty were let go last November, and the school’s Spokane, Washington, campus and learning extension site in Pasadena, California, were both closed.

When asked generally about the practice of loaning to officers (not MBI in particular), Attorney Rich Baker, a partner with Mauck and Baker, a Chicago law firm known nationally for representing religious institutions, said: “I’m always against loans to corporate officers and directors… If it’s not paid back, then that certainly puts it into the category of self-dealing. I’d be very uncomfortable in an audit in a situation like that.”

The condo in question is said to be worth more than two times as much as the median sale price of homes in the same neighborhood as MBI, Roys reported. Meanwhile, Nyquist’s compensation package has risen from $233,252 in 2009 to $338,735 in 2016, records say.

Roys said that from 2000 to 2008, MBI also provided a kind of “second home” in a luxury apartment atop Jenkins Hall for former Moody board chairman (now a trustee) Jerry B. Jenkins, co-author of the Left Behind fiction series. Jenkins had given the school an undisclosed sum of money in 1999 that enabled them to purchase the building bearing his name.

According to Roys, “Had MBI allowed other people to use the suite, and had Jenkins used the apartment only when he was in town on trustee business, it would not be considered self-dealing.”

Roys wrote that many MBI staff members were uncomfortable with the arrangement and in 2008 someone submitted an anonymous “whistleblower report” internally at MBI. Jenkins was upset about the report and made efforts to find out who complained.

ACCUSATIONS OF A DRIFT TOWARD LIBERAL THEOLOGY

The accusations of liberal theological drift and unprofessionalism from professors come from Roys and a detailed letter from an alumna.

The drift has become so controversial that a website was created by concerned students called The Broken Twig. The website says it is “documenting the decline and fall of the Moody Bible Institute.”

On December 15, 2017, the website reprinted a letter from an MBI alumna documenting the unidentified writer’s “deep concern with the atmosphere, education and direction of Moody Bible Institute.”

“Moody Bible Institute is not the training ground it once was. Moody has become not a unique place to study and know God’s Word, but instead a place infiltrated by liberal political stances and clichéd cultural buzzwords without a solid theological foundation, a departure from Moody’s central and driving mission to train men and women for faithful service by knowing and teaching the Word of God.”

The letter describes urban ministry classes that frequently started late and ended early and were taught by an unprepared professor who promoted social justice, liberation theology and exercises meant to instill fear of “white privilege” ahead of ministry and the gospel.

The gambling reference also involves Jenkins. According to Roys, MBI dropped a prohibition on gambling from its employee standards after it was reported that Jenkins had admitted to gambling both in his home and at casino poker tournaments.

Daniel Henderson: How to Pray When You’re In Charge

Jason Daye

January 10, 2018

Daniel Henderson has been guiding individuals, leaders, and churches to embrace experiences of powerful spiritual renewal. He has served as a senior pastor to thousands in congregations in California and Minnesota. He speaks across the nation at leadership conferences and local churches while coaching pastors and business leaders in the principles of a strategic and spiritually significant life. He is a husband, father, grandfather, and author of nine books including Old Paths, New Power and Transforming Prayer.

Key Questions:

How do you define leadership?

How can pastors focus on the biblical understanding of leadership when they’re pulled in so many different directions?

What practical steps can pastors take to nurture a culture of prayer?

[SUBSCRIBE] For more ChurchLeaders podcasts click here!

Key Quotes:

“Leadership is influencing people to the will of God by the power of the spirit of God according to the will of God.”

“Everyone that God used significantly there was a common denominator and it wasn’t their training or personality, it was that little phrase ‘“God was with him.”

“Leadership is the manifest presence of God in the life of someone who is walking in the blessing of God and influencing them toward the will of God.”

“The devil doesn’t have to destroy us, he only has to distract us.”

“There’s a difference between a prayer program and a prayer culture.”

“Build sidewalks where the footpaths are.”

“Don’t get discouraged (about prayer) because the commitment of the few can secure the blessings for the many.”

“The power of no is in a stronger yes.”

“Most pastors don’t know what their priorities are.”

“Churches do more to help pastors succeed than pastors do to help churches succeed.”

Mentioned in the Show:

Daniel on ChurchLeaders:

The Best Kind of Busy

Broadcasting Bad Theology

How to Survive and Thrive as a Pastor

How to Fight Against Isolation

Worship Cohort

January 9, 2018

Fight Isolation, Lean Into Community

1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. 2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. 3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace.

Proverbs 18:1-3 (ESV)

It’s striking to me the order that these verses appear. And I believe it speaks to the human condition. These verses reveal not only the condition that exists in our hearts, but also the result that comes socially from wickedness.

Verse 3 says, “When wickedness comes, contempt comes also…”

Contempt is defined as the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile or worthless; disdain; scorn. It’s speaking to the condition of our hearts when we have given in to wickedness.

Verse 3 goes on to say, “…and with dishonor comes disgrace.”

Dishonor and disgrace are referring to a loss of honor in the eyes of people around you who see your behavior and the result of the condition of your heart.

Luke 6:45 tells us that “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

There is a very clear progression in these passages as you can see. A very fast way to dishonor and disgrace is to isolate yourself in such a way as to reject all counsel around you because you are set on your opinion being right!

The Word of God calls this foolishness and it says it leads to wickedness, contempt, dishonor and disgrace. So do yourself, your families, your teams and your churches a favor. Press into community and relationship with people around you.

If you are a worship leader and you are reading this, get into relationship with other worship leaders in your city! Maybe starting a Worship Cohort would be a good way for you to do that! Maybe you just want to grab lunch with some other people who do what you do.

Don’t neglect the wisdom that is out there for you to attain by being vulnerable enough to ask men, if you’re a man, and women if you are a woman, who are older or more experienced than you for insight and help. Ask other people for resources that can further your understanding of the Gospel and your call as a worship leader!

If you’re interested in starting a Cohort in your city, make sure you check out our Networks page first to see if there’s one in your city. If not, then head over to our Start a Network page and shoot us an email.

We’d love to connect with and help get a Cohort and community started in your city!

This article originally appeared here.

7 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2018

Carey Nieuwhof

January 9, 2018

The culture continues to change rapidly around you as a leader, and especially as a church leader.

If anything, the pace is accelerating, not slowing.

The question is: Are you and your team ready for all that’s ahead?

For the last two years, I’ve kicked off the new year with a post on disruptive church trends. You might still find those helpful. You can read the six trends for 2017 here, and the trends for 2016 here.

It’s critical church leaders keep trying new things and keep experimenting.

Why? Because the gap between how quickly you change and how quickly things change around you is called irrelevance.

And as I’ve said before, too many church leaders are perfectly equipped to reach a world that no longer exists.

In the hopes of helping every leader better accomplish our collective mission, here are seven disruptive church trends I see defining conversation and action in 2018.

Accomplish Your Goals in 2018

Organizational change is one thing. But the key to being able to handle all the challenges you face depends on your capacity as a leader.

How do you grow your capacity to navigate everything in front of you?

After all, too often, constant interruptions and distractions keep many leaders from getting even blog posts like this read, let alone finding the time to lead their teams through the day’s most compelling issues. And, sadly, work keeps bleeding into family time. Before you know it, all your hopes for a better year get dashed.

Until Tuesday, January 2, 2018, the High Impact Leader course is open for new registrations.

The High Impact Leader online course can help you solve the time and priority crunch so many leaders face by giving you proven strategies to get time, energy and priorities working in your favor. Last year, it helped over 2,500 leaders get their life and leadership back.

You can take the High Impact Leader course at your own pace once you own it, but time is running out to join it.

Every High Impact Leader course member in this round gets access to a private Facebook group that features a lot of peer support along with some personal interaction with me.

Click here to learn more before enrollment closes Tuesday, January 2.

With that said, here are the church trends I think will dominate 2018.

1. A Move Beyond Church in a Box

Let me start out by saying I’m a huge supporter of the local church. Anyone who’s read these pages would know that.

The mission of the local church is the most important mission on planet earth. Which is why this issue is so critical.

This year I think more leaders than ever are going to rethink our centuries-old model of making people come to a building on Sunday.

If you think about it, most churches (even growing churches, new churches and large churches) effectively say, “We’d love for you to come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and to do it you need to join us at a set hour every Sunday in a particular space we meet in. Beyond that, we’re not sure what to do.”

That’s a remnant from a day when everything was done on a set clock. You sat down Thursday night at 8 to watch your favorite show, because you didn’t want to miss it.

Why I Quit Making Fun of Joel Osteen

Jeremy Roberts

January 9, 2018

How are your Joel Osteen jokes? Not to brag, but I have a pretty good Joel Osteen impression. Recently, I’ve moved my over-blinking, big smile, drawl and slow speech with a time of “stand up, hold up your Bible and declare this with me” from my frontal lobe to the cavernous “adios” section of my brain.

Why? Because it’s ungodly. I realized this was doing nothing to bless God or others. It was just putting a guy down for the sake of a few laughs. The purpose of this post is not to defend Joel Osteen’s theology or lack thereof. I know some are thinking, “He’s an ear tickler and embarrassed Christianity on Larry King.” The main subject of this post is not even Joel Osteen—it’s YOU!

For some reason, making fun of people has become an increasingly accepted form of sin in American Christianity. “Let me just shred someone. Then, I’ll giggle. Then I’ll say, ‘just kidding.’”

Proverbs 26:18–19 says, ¹⁸Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows and death ¹⁹is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!”

No More Joel Osteen Jokes

Your words matter! I’m not saying God needs to get in agreement with our words; our words need to get in agreement with God.

1. Words Connect You to God

Psalm 107:20 says, He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.

There was a chasm—a grand canyon—between God and man called “sin.” So, God sent His Son—the Word—to span that chasm. Do you know how we receive salvation?

Romans 10:8a says, The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.

The Bible connects the mouth and the heart many times. So, God reaches us by sending His Word. Words are how we connect with God.

2. Words Connect Us to Each Other

Proverbs 18:21–22 says, ²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. ²²He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

There is a reason these verses are next to each other. God’s Word is perfect, and He placed every Word in every place for a divine reason.

The way we connect with God is through our words, and the way we connect with people is through our words. Think about whenever you have had a disconnect with someone. Words were involved. They were either involved with what you said or what they said. Words were involved.

Bearing the Burdens of the Broken

J.D. Greear

January 9, 2018

In Galatians 6:2, the Apostle Paul calls us to “carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (CSB). For Paul, this is simply an obvious application of the gospel. If you understand the gospel, you will enter into the burdens of others, even burdens brought on by their own sinfulness. The way we often say it around the Summit is that those who believe the gospel become like the gospel—overflowing with grace.

Paul points out that carrying each other’s burdens actually fulfills the law of Christ. You may know the Golden Rule (do to others what you want them to do to you), but here Paul upgrades it to the Platinum Rule (do to others what Jesus did for you). The law of Christ is that you love your neighbor by voluntarily sharing in their burdens.

Think about the metaphor of a literal burden. If someone is struggling to carry a duffle bag that weighs 100 pounds, how do you help them? You take one end, and they take the other. Now, no one is carrying the 100 pounds by himself; each one is carrying 50 pounds. In other words, in order to help that person, some of the burden has to fall upon you. This is precisely how we should relate to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Most of us, however, want to give to others without it really costing us. We want to give without being burdened. We think we’ve earned our burden-free life, and we’re reluctant to step into any situation that puts weight back on our shoulders. But that’s not what people who have experienced the power of the gospel should look like. So here’s my challenge to you: Think about the burdens you are carrying right now. How many of them are the burdens of others? One of the signs you’ve really encountered Jesus is the willingness to share in the burdens of others.

There are many ways to apply this principle—sharing in financial burdens, emotional burdens, relational burdens. But I want to apply this principle in a way that I think is timely for us—racial reconciliation.

For those of us in the majority culture, carrying each other’s burdens is one of the most important responses in situations of racial tension. We need to make every effort to bear the burdens that many of our brothers and sisters of color are carrying. These are burdens that most of us have never had to experience. And often, sadly, our brothers and sisters of color are carrying the weight of these heavy burdens by themselves. Racial reconciliation involves quite a bit more than simply sharing burdens, but it never involves less than this.

The obstacle that lies in front of many white Christians isn’t always ill will. It’s inertia. It’s simply easier to avoid thinking about things that don’t affect us. But if we’re gospel people, we will be aware of the pain others are going through. We will be aware of the privileges we experience that others don’t have. And we will use any position of privilege or strength that we enjoy to serve others. We are called to share the burdens that our brothers and sisters of color live with as if they were our own.

So the next time a public conversation begins, threatening to pour fuel on the fire of racial strife, take a breath. Remember that when it comes to things like kneeling for the flag or protesting after a controversial shooting, others feel like they do because of the experiences they’ve had. And, to be frank, if you had experienced the same things, you’d probably feel the same way. Our experience isn’t where the conversation ends, but it should certainly shape how the conversation begins. Listen to others in your community, trying to see things from their perspective. Listening is, after all, the first stage of sharing a burden. All of us can—and should—do this.

By the way, to listen to someone else, you actually need to know them. We can’t listen to people we aren’t in community with. For many of my majority culture readers out there, your first step is to get in community with people of color.

When we realize that our fellow believers are each carrying unique burdens, it changes the way we engage with them. As Paul points out in Galatians 6:4-5, “Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. For each person will have to carry his own load.” Our burdens, Paul says, aren’t created equal. How foolish, then, for you to feel proud that you aren’t struggling like another person. Of course you aren’t; you don’t have the same burden they do! The absence of struggle in your life may be due more to the fact that you’ve been given a different load to carry. It’s not because you’re better than that person in any way. So don’t compare your struggles to someone else’s.

If God has been gracious to me, then who am I to look down upon any other person? The measure to which you understand the gospel is shown by how well you relate to broken and needy people.

We all tend to judge others for struggles that we don’t share. Whether those are struggles arising from the color of another person’s skin, from the mistakes a person has made in his past, or from something else altogether, it’s alarmingly easy to see someone else’s struggles and respond with pride and condescension. But if we’re going to be gospel-shaped people, we need to remember that each of us has a different load to carry. And every last one of us is dependent upon God’s grace to help us do so.

This article originally appeared here.

The Gospel-Shaped Pastor

Jared C. Wilson

January 9, 2018

Pastors are a motley bunch of souls. We represent different personalities and tribes, different methodologies and styles, not to mention denominations, traditions and theologies. But I’ve learned over the years that there is something many of us all have in common—a profound sense of insecurity for which the only antidote is the gospel.

It’s easy to succumb to the temptation to compare one’s ministry to that of another pastor, or give in to the need to impress others and be liked.

The only remedy for these ministry idolatries and all others is the gospel because it announces, among many things, we are justified, accepted, loved and satisfied by God in Christ.

Until pastors discover and embrace their identity in Christ—which is accomplished by Christ and received by faith, not works—they will keep trying to find their identity in their position, their preaching, their persona and their programs.

While every pastor would affirm the gospel’s centrality to their ministry, we still need to remind each other this isn’t just some religious formality. Knowing how Christ’s finished work works in our own lives and ministries is vitally important.

So how do we become a “gospel-shaped pastor”? How (and why) should we keep the good news of the finished work of Christ at the center of our hearts and the forefront of our minds? There are many reasons, but here are four of the more important ones.

1. Remember the gospel so you will have the power you need.

In the trenches of day-to-day ministry work, it can become tragically easy to think of the whole thing as a managerial enterprise. We plan and program, we mentor and coach, we write and preach. The relational work of ministry is taxing. Studying takes its toll.

Nearly every pastor I know has been wearied by ministry. For this reason, we need to remember Christianity is not some ordinary religious methodology. It is supernatural.

We pray because we aren’t in control. We preach the Scriptures because only God’s Word can change hearts. We share the gospel because only the grace of Christ can bring the dead to life. We have to remember who we are in Christ or we will go on ministry autopilot, assuming we’re working under our own power.

Knowing the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16).

We’re told that a Korean pastor once visited the United States and was asked what he thought of the American church, to which he replied, “It is amazing what the church in America can do without the Holy Spirit.” May this never be said of us!

If we pursue pastoral ministry in our own strength, trusting in our own selves, we will be in big trouble. Our churches will be devastated, and so will we.

No, let us remember all that we are is because of Christ, and apart from him, we can do nothing. This reality will empower our leadership and our preaching and achieve real spiritual impact.

An Innocent Man and a Crooked Cop

Bob Ditmer

January 9, 2018

Are you harboring a grudge? Is the offense too much to forgive?

This video titled “An Innocent Man and a Crooked Cop” is an episode in the “I Am Second” series that tells of the power of forgiveness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Here’s the story.

Andrew Collins was a narcotics officer for the Benton Harbor, Michigan police department. Working on a tip from an informant he was watching for a suspected drug deal when Jameel McGee walked out of a nearby convenience store and headed in the direction of a car Collins had been watching. Cocaine was found in that vehicle.

In order to make an arrest and further his career, Collins lied about McGee’s identity and claimed he was in the vehicle where the cocaine was found, when in fact he wasn’t.

McGee was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute.

But instead of being a stepping stone, Collins’ career began to spiral out of control because of his own criminal activity. He was stealing money from the city, he was planting drugs on innocent people to get convictions and drugs were found in his office. Suicide seemed the only solution.

Instead, at his wife’s insistence, he met with a pastor who asked him about his relationship with God.

Collins answered, “I don’t deserve Jesus’ love.” The pastor told him, “That’s why it’s called grace. You didn’t earn it and I don’t deserve it either.”

Collins accepted Christ as his Savior and set out to atone for his wrongs.

He went to the FBI and confessed his crimes. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison and tasked with combing through his cases with the federal government to right his wrongs. One of those cases was Jameel McGee.

McGee was behind bars but also struggling with God. He was filled with anger at his unjust sentence. He found out he had a son, one he couldn’t spend time with because he was in prison. He vowed to harm Collins when he got out. But with lots of time on his hands, he started reading the Bible. He said “my mind went blank and God stepped in.” He gave his bitterness to God.

McGee’s conviction was overturned and he was released. Two years later he met his son for the first time and took him to a nearby park to play. Andrew Collins was there.

McGee walked up to him and said, “Do you remember my name?” Then looking at his son he said to Collins, “Can you tell him why I wasn’t there for him?”

Collins said that question hurt worse than being punched. Collins apologized but the air was filled with tension as McGee gripped Collins hand hard and wouldn’t let go.

McGee said he was waiting for God to tell him what to do.

Four years later both McGee and Collins were in a Jobs for Life program. Neither knew the other was involved. Part of the program is to assign a mentor to those looking for work. The mentor assigned to McGee was Collins.

They met. They prayed together. Collins apologized again feeling he hadn’t done an adequate job the first time.

McGee told him “It’s over. I believed you,” adding “If God didn’t forgive us, where would that leave us?”

Collins says now when he’s angry with someone and holding a grudge, God reminds him of Jameel’s forgiveness and his need to forgive.

McGee and Collins are now best friends and have written a book together about their ordeal titled “Convicted.”

Paid to be Mean

God Saves the Mean Lady

Technology to the Rescue

Three Video Tips

Step One: SWOT Analysis

Step Two: Conversation Checklist

Step Three: Team Idea Audit

Conclusion

Human Trafficking Awareness

1. See Sex Workers as Victims

3. Learn About Your Community

Human Trafficking Awareness Matters

We just didn’t feel connected.

We didn’t like the ________.

We couldn’t get along with ________.

We just weren’t getting fed.

Biblical Preaching and Teaching

Older Training the Younger

Proper Pastoral Example

Moody Bible Institute: Update January 11th, 2018

SWEETHEART DEALS FOR TRUSTEES AND EXECUTIVES

ACCUSATIONS OF A DRIFT TOWARD LIBERAL THEOLOGY

Key Questions:

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Daniel on ChurchLeaders:

Fight Isolation, Lean Into Community

Accomplish Your Goals in 2018

1. A Move Beyond Church in a Box

No More Joel Osteen Jokes

1. Words Connect You to God

2. Words Connect Us to Each Other

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