How to Make Budget Cuts in a Healthy Way

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September 10, 2017

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Churches often make budget cuts the easy way, as shown in the chart below. They choose a percentage by which the entire operating budget should decrease. Then they force every department to cut the same amount across the board. Essentially, the waterline is lowered for everyone.

It sounds fair to treat everyone exactly the same. Hard conversations are unnecessary and no one gets their feelings hurt. The ship might be sinking but at least everyone is going down together! (Actually they won’t. The best leaders will recognize what is happening and jump ship before it is too late.)

Here are some problems with flat-rate cuts:

Not every ministry is equally essential to your mission.

Forcing the same cuts on everyone does a disservice to your strategy.
It discourages high performers.

They worked hard to build the ministry only to be forced to scale back efforts, receiving the same treatment as underperforming peers.
It focuses on a money issue, not a ministry issue.

In most cases, if the budget is being cut because the church is in decline, the real problem is not the budget. Avoiding tough calls leaves real problems unaddressed.

Budget cuts, when led well, can actually create a healthy season of pruning in the life of a church.

So if you are faced with budget cuts this year, how can you approach them in a healthy way? Work through these five levels of a healthy pruning process. Start at the top and exhaust each level of cuts fully before moving down to the next, if necessary:

PRUNING LEVEL #1: ELIMINATE INEFFECTIVE MINISTRIES

Cutting the budget can be a great opportunity to eliminate a sacred cow. It can also be a good reason to cut a ministry that competes with your strategy. Ironically, these are often the cuts that leaders try to avoid. They often come with hard conversations about ministries with deep histories. The truth is, if these ministries do not have a place in the future vision for your church, the conversations should have probably happened before now. The time has come when you literally can no longer afford to ignore them.

Key Question: Which ministries lack results or compete?

PRUNING LEVEL #2: REFINE INEFFICIENT PRACTICES

This is the “trim the fat” stage of pruning. Look around the organization and identify areas of inefficiency. They are likely to be found between ministry silos where duplicate spending and efforts often take place. Ask yourself, what resources could the team be sharing instead of purchasing separately? What systems do you lack that result in increased project costs? How can you adjust midweek building usage to reduce utilities? Are there any unnecessary expenses you could cut and never miss? Pull ministry leaders together to identify and reduce them.

Key Question: Where do we waste money?

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Those Frustrating Times With Church Members

By

Joe McKeever

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September 10, 2017

Any pastor can tell you about that. Even when you do your best to serve God by ministering to His people, some church members are not going to forgive you. You didn’t do it their way, weren’t there when they called, didn’t jump at their bark.

Those are the exceptions, I hasten to say to friends who wonder why we overlook the 98 percent of members to focus on the 2 percent who drive us batty. It’s the 2 percent of drivers who are the crazies on the highways and ruin the experience for everyone else. It’s the 2 percent of society who require us to maintain a standing army to enforce laws. Rat poison, they say, is 98 percent corn meal. But that two percent will kill you.

I say to my own embarrassment and confess it as unworthy of a child of God that I remember these difficult moments with God’s people more than the precious times. Perhaps it’s because the strained connections and hard words feed into my own insecurities. Or maybe it’s because there are so many more of the blessed times. It’s human nature, I know. Help us, Lord.

Even so, here are two instances from my journal that stand out…

First, the church member who is mad at you needlessly

On returning from an out-of-town engagement, a staff member told me I needed to call Selma, that she was angry about something. Selma was married to a deacon, a good guy, and they were not high maintenance but generally supportive. I could not imagine her being angry with anyone. I called her immediately.

“My sister is in the hospital and none of you have come by to visit.” That was her complaint.

I said, “We have. I was there two days ago and I’ll be there tomorrow. Someone from our staff has been there every day. We’ve not missed a day coming to see her and praying for her.”

She was quiet, then said, “Well, I didn’t know it.”

I said, “Is that a problem?”

“We were all in the waiting room,” she said, “and it does look like you could have come by to see us.” I said, “Selma, I couldn’t find the SICU waiting room. I looked all over for it.”

Nothing would satisfy her. She was angry and hurt and no words of mine would erase the pain. Finally, I said, “Selma, I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”

A purist would say I had nothing to apologize for, and they would be right. But she was hurting and if my words would ease the distress, I could certainly do that.

She muttered something about it being all right and ended the call.

A few years later, I did her husband’s funeral and we continued to be friends for the rest of my ministry in that church.

The church member who will not be reasoned with

Annie was a young mother in the church, married to an insurance man. He and I were fairly close friends, I thought, but I was still trying to find the combination for befriending Annie.

We had had a fundraiser, “Crafts for Missions,” the ladies in the congregation called it. They brought items they’d hand-crafted to the church and people looked them over, and purchased them. Everything raised went to missions. I was proud of these wonderful friends, but Annie was having a problem with it.

Her husband had phoned to say they were thinking of leaving the church over this. Knowing him, I figured she was the problem. And I was right.

Before calling her the next day, I researched the biblical subject of raising money for the Lord’s work. I asked three questions:

–Is there a scriptural principle to support selling crafts for missions? (The principle that most fits here is “redeeming something given to the Lord.” A firstborn son, for instance, could be redeemed for five shekels. Or two pigeons if the family was poor. And for first-born animals, etc.)

–Is there a scripture that prohibits what we are doing? (None that I could think of.)

–Are we detracting from our people tithing to the overall ministry of the church? (Absolutely not. Our people were giving far above the average. So, this was not interfering with the tithe.)

So, I called Annie. And proceeded to share these three principles. At the end, I asked for her thoughts on the subject.

“Well, I am not a Bible scholar,” she said. “I cannot argue scripture with you. But I know in my heart I’m right. And when I’m right nothing changes my mind.”

When. I’m. Right. Nothing. Changes. My. Mind.

That’s what she said.

According to my notes, the conversation went on, but got nowhere.

In the afternoon, her husband called and I recounted the conversation. He basically told me how impossible it was to live with her. I felt only compassion for him.

I told my wife all of this that evening. She said, “Annie is beautiful. But you get past that real quick.”

Indeed. Most of us may be said to be drawn to beautiful people. But once we find their inner spirit to be hard and their attitude harsh, the outer beauty actually works against them. Cruella deVille, you will recall, was actually beautiful. In a harsh way.

That couple stayed in the church until his job moved them to another city.

And you wonder why pastors get gray headed.

Pray for your pastor. And if you can think of anything which might ease his burden, do it.

This article originally appeared here.

The World Is Rallying to the Cause of Suicide Prevention—What About the Church?

By

Meredee Berg

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September 8, 2017

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness month and World Suicide Prevention day is Sept. 10. With the number of teens and children hospitalized for suicidal thoughts and attempts doubling in the last 10 years, it’s more important than ever for the church to raise awareness, offer help to those with suicidal thoughts, and support friends and family who have lost loved ones to suicide.

The topics of suicide and depression still carry a stigma, which means the church has a critical opportunity to lead the conversation about mental health and suicide and be a voice for those who are afraid to speak up. Suicide Prevention Day can be the impetus for leaders to approach the needs in their churches with compassion and sensitivity. We want to show mercy and empathize with those who are suffering while making it known to them that God is present and he offers peace, grace and comfort through the pain.

There are many things we can do to address the warning signs in our youth particularly. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention states that depression and other mental health conditions are often the cause of suicide.

It’s important to note changes in behavior like the following:

increased use of drugs or alcohol

voicing hopelessness or lacking a desire to live

isolating themselves or withdrawing from activities

experiencing anxiety, rage, depression and more

According to the International Association for Suicide Prevention, many people considering suicide reach a point where they see no other alternative than taking their own life but would reconsider if someone simply tried to stop them. While most people are reluctant to intervene, it’s important that we encourage others to speak up if they are concerned about someone who might be having suicidal thoughts. Reaching out to someone could be the first step in getting them treatment and preventing a suicide.

The issue of suicide should touch us deeply with the desire to reach out to those inside and outside of our church walls. Scripture tells us that God has given us the gift of life and that suicide is antithetical to this gift, so we should strive to offer hope to those who are suffering. We should be the first ones to say, “You are not alone.” By creating awareness and breaking down misconceptions about suicide and mental illness, we can provide support to those around us with grace and compassion.

For additional resources go to AFSP.org, IASP.info and YouCannontBeReplaced.com to see how your church can receive training and get involved in suicide prevention and awareness. If someone you know is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

6 Questions to Ask Before You Change Jobs

By

Eric Geiger

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September 8, 2017

Leaders, especially ministry leaders, have commonly asked me questions about how to process new jobs/opportunities that come their way. What questions should I ask myself? How do I wrestle with changing jobs? Here are six questions, in no particular order, to ask:

1. Am I running from something or to something?

Leading is extremely challenging and filled with seasons of frustration and discouragement. Because of this reality, when a leader is pursued for a new role or opportunity, there is a temptation to view the new role as a great opportunity to run from current challenges. But the challenges of the new role will likely match the current challenges in short order, so if you don’t have a passion for the new role, you will find yourself in the same position. Brad Waggoner, mentor and boss, has often encouraged, “When considering a new role, be sure the pull is greater than the push.” You will have “pushes,” but be sure there is a way more compelling “pull.”

2. Have I looked at my current role through fresh eyes?

Before you consider another role, privately (in your own mind) resign your current one. Look at your current context with fresh eyes. Do you see the opportunities? Are you still as passionate for the mission as you were the first day? Though you may have seasons of discouragement, the opportunities for impact are likely as big or bigger than they were when you first arrived. Only now you benefit from tenure and better understanding of the context.

3. Am I looking to my job for something a job cannot give me?

Your current or future job cannot satisfy the longing of your soul. Only God can. If you look to your job to satisfy you, your job will always disappoint you.

4. Where would I most likely be developed?

More than God cares about where you serve and what you do, He cares about your development and maturity. He may use the team around you to be the primary means of your development. Or He may use the challenging and stretching opportunity as the means to drive you to deeper dependence on Him. But as you process, ask yourself where are you most likely to be challenged, developed and sanctified?

5. Has the Lord given peace?

As my wife and I processed a move at one point in our lives, she read in her devotional book a phrase that really resonated with us. “If there is no peace, the answer is no.” The lack of peace from the Lord made it clear that we were not to go where we considered going.

6. Does burden and passion increase the more I pray?

As you pray about the new opportunity more and more, does your passion and burden for the people and the mission increase, stay the same or decrease? If it does not grow exponentially, be very careful you are not considering a new role only because of a “push” (see question 1 again).

This article originally appeared here.

The 2 Best Questions to Evaluate Your Church

By

Kevin Lloyd

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September 8, 2017

My family owns a dog.

Sometimes, it feels like our dog sorta owns us.

Aspen, our eight month old lab-pit mix, is a handful. On some of her rambunctious days I have felt like I can hear Sarah McLachlan singing “In the Arms of an Angel” in the distance while a camera zooms in on my sad, defeated face!

Raising a puppy always has me second-guessing myself and wondering if I am doing an effective job. Am I disciplining her enough? How do other people get their dogs to obey them? Is it normal for my dog to attack me with the ferocity of a mountain lion? Normal questions, right?

Few leaders second-guess and question themselves more than pastors of local churches. Much like raising a puppy, it can feel chaotic, like you’re barely keeping up and like it runs you instead of you leading it.

Having coached a lot of church leaders and assessed numerous churches, I feel like most of us evaluate the health of our church by asking the wrong questions. Leaders can end up feeling defeated or focused on wrong solutions if they’re not careful.

I want to refocus how you evaluate the health of your church by giving you the two best questions to start asking today.

These questions narrow the scope of what you are evaluating to, what I believe, are two crucial elements: Culture and Systems.

You can have a well articulated vision, but your culture will eat it for breakfast. Regardless of the seeds you are planting, if you plant them in unhealthy soil, they won’t grow. Culture is the space in which everything at your church exists.

You can have a current strategy, but your systems will either accelerate them or make them nothing more than good ideas. Systems assure people move throughout your church in a healthy way, creating the results you pray for.

So, how do you evaluate these two crucial areas? By asking two simple questions about every area of your ministry:

How does it feel?

This is the culture question. You have to know the tone and vibe of your church. It is the unexplainable feeling that draws people in or pushes them away. Does your worship service feel fresh or is it dated? Does your facility feel life-giving or tired? Do volunteers serve with joy or out of obligation? Is the attitude of staff one of employees or owners?

How does it move?

This is the system question. Systems should move people from one point to another. If not, they are a waste of energy. Is there a simple, clear, obvious path to take a first time guest to connecting on a serving team? How does a volunteer eventually become a leader? When someone gives for the first time, how is continual giving encouraged?

So what is your next step?

The most effective way to incorporate these two questions is to give 15 minutes of every leadership team meeting you have to them. Slice your church really thin and focus the questions on a specific area each week. Children’s check-in, worship music, announcements, website or guest experience. Focus on one area and ask: How does it feel? How does it move?

These two questions will revolutionize your team’s conversations and ultimately your church.

The question is, do you have the courage to ask them?

Now, can anyone help me find my puppy?!?

This article originally appeared here.

Stop Inviting People to Your Church!

By

Brian Orme

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September 8, 2017

How we think of “church” will impact how we view the act of sharing the Gospel. If we think of church as primarily a building, worship gatherings, and a staff then we will place emphasis on getting people to the worship gatherings as a foundational way of exposing our friends and neighbors to the Gospel. Joseph Solomon, from the YouTube channel chaseGodtv, challenges that notion in the following video.

Solomon concedes that it’s not a bad thing to invite people to your church, but we shouldn’t use an invitation to our church as our “go to line” for reaching people with the Gospel. If we are not careful, we can implicitly communicate that people will not get anywhere else what they will get if they come to your church.

One of the ways Solomon illustrates this point is the example of Jesus. It’s important to remember that some of the people who first grasped the deity of Jesus did not ask Him what synagogue he attended but simply asked: “where are you staying?” (John 1:35-39). Instead of asking them to meet him at a building that following weekend, Jesus replies with “come and you will see.”

Doesn’t this sound different than how we normally think in terms of making disciples? Solomon argues discipleship is more about sharing your life with someone—going about life and doing things you would normally be doing—than it is about inviting someone to church.

Church outreach events have their place, but sharing your life with someone is indispensable in when it comes to making disciples. It will give you more opportunities to talk about issues of faith.

Though this video has a satirical feel, the principal message is an important one to think on as we continue to grasp what the nature of the church should be and how to fulfill God’s call to discipleship.

Top 10 Ideas for Your Groups to Connect With Their Neighborhoods

By

Mark Howell

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September 7, 2017

It doesn’t take much imagination to find ways for small group members to connect with their neighbors. Sometimes all it takes is a crisp fall morning or a spooky October evening.

Here are my top 10 ideas:

Movie night outside for kids and families. Easy to do with a video projector. Pick the right movie, circle up the lawn chairs and bring on the popcorn.
Drop in for waffles and bacon on a Saturday morning. Again, everyone’s kids will love this idea. Three or four waffle irons make it easy. Add-ins like blueberries, chocolate chips and pecans make it fun (and tasty!).
Invite neighbors over for a potluck theme dinner night (Italian, Mexican, etc.). Go all out with music and decorations. Make it fun and it will be easy to connect.
Garage sale for a local cause. Gather up your merchandise. Pick out a great local cause or charity. Be ready to talk about why you’re doing it.
Pull a fire pit or chiminea onto your front porch or driveway. Bring out the patio sets. Be ready to offer a warm cup of cider and a s’more to neighbors passing by.
Join in the fun to offer some safe Halloween fun. No tracts. Just the best candy and the friendliest people on the block.
Chili cook off. No better time to host a chili cook off complete with judges, prizes and Tums.
Block party cookout. Roll the grills into the cul de sac and bring out the lawn chairs. Do it right it might turn into an annual event!
The Big Game on the big screen. Plan a party for the day of the biggest college game in your area. Think Super Bowl party with local flair. Make it fun for the whole family.
Game night with pizazz. Whether your game of choice is bunco or pictionary, there’s a way to do that’s even more fun. Think tournament. Have goofy prizes for the winners. Mr. Microphone adds another level of enthusiasm.

What do you think? Have an idea to add? You can click here to jump into the conversation.

This article originally appeared here.

3 Dot Theology

By

Greg Stier

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September 7, 2017

Have you ever known a dude who meant well, but couldn’t quite connect the dots socially; someone who was sincere, naïve and, well, not all that bright when it came to relationships? Usually we feel bad for this kind of person because he doesn’t quite get it. He tries hard asking that out-of-his-league girl out but doesn’t catch the nonverbal cues that she is just not interested in carrying on a conversation or going out or whatever. He just can’t quite connect the dots.

Wait, That Sounds Like Me in High School!

But sometimes not connecting the dots can actually be a good thing, especially when it comes to beyond-our-pay-grade biblical truths. This is the case with the underlying theological issues surrounding divine sovereignty and human responsibility, especially as it pertains to salvation. When we try to connect the dots in terms of election and evangelism it can not only frustrate our theological systems, but fry our puny brains.

I believe there are three dots—three theological truths—that hover out there when it comes to evangelism. And each of these dots is crucial for us to embrace as we seek to make evangelism a priority in our ministries. But the reality is that they don’t seem to fully make sense.

Dot #1: It’s God’s Responsibility to Save.

Jonah 2:9 makes it clear that “salvation comes from the Lord.” In other words, it takes an act of God to save us. We are so sinful that, in and of ourselves, we would never choose God. When Isaiah 64:6 says that our “righteous deeds are like filthy rags,” it reinforces the truth that salvation has to come from the Lord. It’s like there is a light switch in our souls that is turned off, and God, through His Holy Spirit, has to reach into our hearts and flip the switch.

This is why we pray to God to save the lost. We beg Him to enable them to believe and regenerate their depraved souls. As Jesus himself said, ”No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44).

Apart from God’s intervention, there is no salvation. It’s his responsibility to save.

Dot #2: It’s Our Responsibility to Share.

Romans 10:14 puts the mission of evangelism directly in our hands. Paul writes, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” The exegetical point here is that if we don’t tell them, they won’t hear, and if they don’t hear then they can’t believe (how’s that for a quadruple negative!).

This verse is tucked right in the middle of the broader context of Romans 9-11, which is Paul’s grand treatise on God’s sovereignty in salvation (aka “election”). But smack dab in the middle of this teaching Paul makes it clear that, although God is large and in charge when it comes to salvation, He chooses to use us as the vehicles of sharing His redemptive message.

To drive the point further, in Acts 20:26,27 Paul says, “Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.” The meaning behind the phrase “innocent of the blood of any of you” comes from Ezekiel 3:18,19, “When…you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.” Paul is saying that he is not accountable for the blood of anyone dying without Jesus because he told everyone the good news of the gospel!

Are you “innocent of the blood” of those in your sphere of influence? Have you engaged everyone within your reach with the message of salvation? Sure, God is responsible to save but we are responsible to share, and if we don’t, how can they hear the good news of salvation?

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Do Kids Really Enjoy Your Ministry?

By

Dale Hudson

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September 7, 2017

Do kids really enjoy your ministry? Would they come if their parents gave them the option to stay home? Do their parents drag them to church or do they drag their parents to church?

There is a simple way you can find out.

Recent technology has been released that big entertainment companies like Disney are using to measure the engagement level of people during movies, events, rides, etc. It’s called FVAEs.

FVAEs stands for “Factorised Variational Autoencoders.” It’s facial recognition technology that tracks and translates data points on a person’s face into a series of numbers representing specific reactions such as smiling, laughing, wide open eyes, yawning, etc. The data allows companies to assess how an audience is reacting to a movie, ride, etc. They can see if viewers are reacting at the right time and place. Are they laughing at the jokes? Are they surprised at a sudden reveal? Are they tensing up at tense moment? Are their eyes watering during a sad part of the movie? The system is so sharp that it can predict how a member of the audience will react to the rest of a movie after just a few minutes.

Disney research team uses a 400-seat theatre equipped with four infrared cameras to record audience data during showing of mainstream movies like The Jungle Book, Big Hero 6, Star Wars and Zootopia.

Now I know what you are thinking.

We are on a limited budget and can’t afford to use FVAE technology to track children and parent engagement levels in our services, classes and events.

Here’s the good news. You can still use this premise to find out if kids and parents are enjoying your ministry.

All you need to do is be intentional about watching their faces.

Here are a few ways.

Set up a video camera (with parental consent) and record the kids’ faces during the service. Then go back and watch the tape. When did they laugh? When did they get restless? When were they looking intently to the front? When were they daydreaming?

Another way you can do this is to assign a volunteer to watch kids and parents faces during the program, event, service, etc. He or she can make notes about when people were paying attention, not engaging, yawning, laughing, etc.

Then analyze the data with the corresponding part of the service, program, class, event, etc. Did they laugh at the jokes, skits, etc.? Did they engage with the lesson? Did they seem like they were having fun during the activities? Did you see in any tears being wiped away during a touching part of the service? Did they actually sing during worship?

Once you’ve analyzed your data, you can go back and tweak those parts of the service, program, class, etc., to make it more engaging.

Blues Clues is considered by many to be the most engaging children’s show ever made. Why? They did exactly what we are talking about. Before an episode was put on the air, they brought in groups of kids to watch it. They made notes when kids looked away, disengaged, got bored, etc. Then they went back and tweaked those parts of the show to make it more engaging. The results were phenomenal and brought in top honors in the world of children’s television.

“Look” into doing this (sorry for the bad pun) and you will begin seeing kids enjoy your ministry more than ever.

P.S. You can get more great ideas for helping kids enjoy your ministry in the book If Disney Ran Your Children’s Ministry. It’s available at this link.

This article originally appeared here.

Are the Egalitarians Trending With the Culture?

By

Jeffrey Miller

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September 7, 2017

Complementarian/egalitarian discussions and debates can be complex. Some involve arguments from the finer points of Greek and Hebrew. Others may require an understanding of theological themes that span the entire Bible. Still others require solid grounding in the social sciences. Because of such complexities, I find it refreshing when someone asks a question that is easily answered. The question that forms the title to this blog entry is just such a question.

Essentially all readers have heard the claim that egalitarians are following culture. This claim is typically intended to point out that egalitarians are being seduced by feminism. And the feminism in question is usually a reference to the movement called second-wave feminism, which began in the 1960s and lasted for 20-plus years—a movement with ramifications which continue to wield strong influence today.

To those who would ask this easy-to-answer question, whether egalitarians are being seduced by feminism, I might choose to respond as follows:

Perhaps you haven’t heard of Martia, a church leader in France, probably in the fifth century—long before second-wave feminism. Or of Hilda of Whitby, a Christian leader and educator in the British Isles. She wielded considerable influence in the 7^th century—long before second-wave feminism.

Unfortunately you have probably not heard of Lioba, a biblical scholar, church historian and missionary to Saxony in the 8^th century—long before second-wave feminism.

I wonder, have you heard of Saint Clare of Assisi, who exercised leadership as an abbess and influenced many Christian leaders, including Francis of Assisi and more than one pope, in the 13^thcentury—long before second-wave feminism?

It’s more likely that you’ve heard of Joanna Cotton, who lived out egalitarian principles, including teaching adult men, in the 15^th century—long before second-wave feminism. Or of Margaret Fell, co-founder of Quakerism with George Fox, who wrote the booklet Womens Speaking Justified, Proved and Allowed of by the Scriptures, in the 1660s—long before second-wave feminism.

Perhaps you’ve even heard of Mary Hanson and Dorothy Fisher, early leaders of Methodism in Britain. In fact, when John Wesley compiled a list of 66 of the earliest Methodist leaders, 47 of them were women. Wesley compiled this list in the early 1740s—long before second-wave feminism.

Or of Mabel Lossing Jones, an evangelist and missionary. She began her missionary work in India in 1904—seven years before marrying famed evangelist E. Stanley Jones and long before second-wave feminism. Or of Anna Boyd, who preached extensively in the northeastern United States. She was ordained by the Rhode Island Adventist Conference and became the first president of the Union Female Missionary Association in 1866—long before second-wave feminism.

Surely you’ve heard of Catherine Mumford Booth, co-founder of The Salvation Army with her husband, William. She argued for the equality of women and promoted them to ministerial equality with men. She was active for the bulk of the second half of the 19^th century—long before second-wave feminism.

Again, you’ve surely heard of Jessie Penn-Lewis, a writer, speaker and revivalist in the British Isles. Penn-Lewis advocated for women’s ministry in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries—long before second-wave feminism.

I hope you also know about Alvera Mickelsen and Catherine Clark Kroeger, born in 1919 and 1925, respectively. These women were founding leaders of CBE International; they were writing about, as well as living out, evangelical egalitarianism before the advent of second-wave feminism.

You’ve noticed, of course, that the above list contains only women. But please know that over the centuries many men have also promoted women as Christian leaders of various kinds.

I began by claiming that this question—whether egalitarians are giving in to culture—is easy to answer. You don’t need all these names to answer it. Instead, you simply need a common-sense awareness that the idea that women are equal to men and are thus fit to exercise leadership in the church began neither in 1960 nor in the United States.

I should note that all of the women mentioned above have been written about in CBE International’s journal, Priscilla Papers. I easily found them, as well as many others, using the online index here. Another excellent resource is Handbook of Women Biblical Interpreters, edited by Marion Ann Taylor and Agnes Choi, which offers summaries of the life and work of 180 women ranging from the fourth to the 21^st centuries.

In short, the answer is no, biblical egalitarianism is not the result of the second-wave feminism of the 1960s and 1970s. We’ve been around much longer than that.

This article originally appeared here.

[For a fine book on Extraordinary Women of Christian history by Ruth Tucker, click here.]

Should Worship Bands Try to “Copy” Worship CD Styles?

By

Don Chapman

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September 7, 2017

Sound Like the Pros

I’ll often hear the question, “Should my praise band copy the professional recording we hear on the radio and on worship CDs?” Sure you should, and here’s why:

Amateur praise band musicians tend to overplay, and copying professional recordings teaches good habits. You’ve probably experienced a praise band rehearsal where everyone is chaotically playing every chord on every beat with all their heart, soul and might. Inexperienced musicians want to be active every moment or they feel they’re not participating.

A close examination of any professionally recorded worship CD will reveal that every instrument does >not< play continually throughout the song!

Good music has dynamics. An electric guitar lick might not appear until the second verse. Strumming might not start until the final chorus. Or everyone will jam from the start, dropping to a light, sparse bridge, then come together again for a big final chorus. Every song is different, and every song must be played appropriately.

Asking your musicians to copy a CD will separate the sheep from the goats. From my experience, good players (and those who strive to be good) enjoy the process of replicating a professionally recorded CD because good players like to find out what the pros are doing. They want to hear if there are any new tricks they can add to their own bag (and get better in the process).

Read an interview with any famous musician and you’ll likely hear something to the effect of “as a kid I locked myself in my bedroom and studied [insert rock music icon]’s record over and over until I could play it note for note.” Top musicians become top musicians by studying top musicians.

Players with amateur thinking tend to be uninterested in copying a CD, if not downright opposed. They also tend to have endless rabbit-trail ideas that eat up rehearsal time. (Experienced musicians go through the rabbit-trail phase during their junior-high garage band years. Now they just want to get the job done efficiently.)

Current praise songs should sound like they were originally recorded. With the current glut of modern worship music, most contemporary church congregations don’t know half the songs in praise sets as it is, so let’s not further confuse them by changing the arrangements of the songs they do know! Stick to the recordings for now, then once the song has been in rotation for a good while (and your band is solid and trained) try freshening it up with your own or an alternate arrangement.

Bottom Line: Help those players who are less experienced realize that it’s only in everyone’s best interest to copy a CD. They’ll grow as musicians, and as an added bonus, the music will get better!

This article originally appeared here.

3 Unhealthy Reasons Pastors Talk to Search Teams

By

Eric Geiger

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September 7, 2017

OK, here is a sad secret I have witnessed in nearly 25 years of ministry leadership. I have seen it numerous times, have never written on it, but am doing so now because it is unhealthy, causes confusion and wastes a lot of time among God’s people.

Some pastors play games with pastor search teams.

Some pastors engage in ongoing conversations with pastoral search teams with little to no intention of really considering going to the church they are supposedly considering. They make trips, enjoy dinners, fill out questionnaires, look at homes online and spend months in conversations just to play the game of going through the process. Some ministry leaders flirt with a church search team with no intention of really even having a date. Why on earth would they do this? What is going on? At least one of three things is at work in the pastor’s heart:

1. They want an escape hatch.

Challenges, burdens, criticism and pressure plague every ministry leader. Talking to a church about another role can provide a sense of relief, as if there is something else the leader can run to. Many ministry leaders know they are where they are supposed to be. In others words, they don’t really want to run; they just like knowing they could run if they wanted to. The problem with talking to a church as a mental escape hatch is that so much kingdom time is wasted. There are real people who are gathering and praying for their next leader, and it is cruel to play games with them.

2. They miss or love or need to be pursued.

Ministry leaders often feel underappreciated in their own churches, so the call from another place can feed the ego. They know that if they go to the new place, they will likely be underappreciated there too, but the conversations feel good. Sadly, this is deeply sinful as these leaders use another church’s search team to find affirmation and approval instead of rejoicing in the affirmation and approval the Lord has already given.

3. They want some of their team to know they are in demand.

Some ministry leaders enjoy having multiple opportunities “in the hopper” at one time because they actually hope some of their leaders or some of their team discovers that others are recruiting them. In other words, they use a search team as a pawn to increase their value where they are.

If you know you are not going to go to a place, don’t waste the search team’s time and energy. Don’t play games with a group of people. Yes, ministry is hard, but don’t use others to give you affirmation you should be finding in the Lord.

This article originally appeared here.

Why Tradition in a Church Is Good and Traditionalism Is Not

By

Chuck Lawless

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September 7, 2017

Years ago, I heard Chuck Swindoll, long-term pastor and now the chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary, speak about the dangers of traditionalism. More recently, I read his devotion on the same topic, where he defined traditionalism as “an attitude that resists change, adaptation or alteration.”* Dr. Swindoll is much, much more brilliant than I, but here’s how I describe both concepts in light of the local church:

Why tradition is good:

It honors God for what He has done. Tradition, by definition, is tied to the past. Ideally, though, it focuses on God and what He has done, not on what we used to do in the church. Healthy tradition is concerned about glorifying God only.
It celebrates the past while pressing toward the future. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating yesterday as long as that rejoicing encourages us to move into the future. My first church had an annual homecoming service that retold God’s work to encourage us to capture God’s vision for tomorrow—and that’s a good kind of tradition.
It grounds next generations in the work of God. Tradition is good when it helps next generations appreciate what God has done through His people in the past. For example, the Hebrews marked places where God worked so their children and grandchildren could know His care and guidance (e.g., Joshua 4).
It offers wisdom when making change. Sometimes, the traditions of a church cause leaders to carefully and prayerfully consider options before making a change. That’s not a bad thing.
It evokes gratitude and unity. Because it celebrates God’s work in the past as a means of faith for the future, our response ought to be thanksgiving as the family of God.

Why traditionalism is not good:

It emphasizes what we (or others) have done more than what God has done. Traditionalism fights to save traditions, but the traditions are what we’ve done…what our forefathers did…what our denomination has “always” done. It assumes that our preferences are God’s commands.
It elevates the past over the future. Traditionalism is protective and reactive. It guards yesterday’s turf at the expense of making a difference today and tomorrow. It fears the future more than it influences it.
It hinders reaching the next generations. Traditionalism assumes that almost anything new is a threat to the gospel, even if the gospel itself is never compromised. It requires young generations to become us if they want to follow God.
It blocks making necessary change. Traditionalism fights change, often without honest consideration of the options. It doesn’t inform change like tradition does; it obstructs it.
It leads to division. Traditionalism is elevating tradition to the level of commandment as if it equals the gospel. The emotion behind such a position usually creates conflict and disunity.

Tradition, in my opinion, is a good thing in our churches. Traditionalism, though, is a problem. What are your thoughts?

This article originally appeared here.

Are Altar Calls Outdated?

By

Dan Reiland

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September 7, 2017

Pastors confide that they are frustrated because people “just won’t come forward” for the “altar call.”

But what is the reason for that? What is the bigger picture?

I asked Warren Bird, the Director of Research and Intellectual Capital Development of the Leadership Network, if churches in general, and in particular megachurches, practice some form of an invitation. Here’s Warren’s response:

“I’ve visited literally hundreds of churches, and the clear pattern is that growing churches call for a response to their messages. The approach varies—some ask people to come forward in the traditional “altar call,” while others ask for a raised hand, a checkbox on a handout, or something specific to the Scripture of that day. For example, one church had a giant open door to walk through in response to the ‘open door’ reference from the Bible passage being taught.”

“Megachurches tend to do more altar calls and other invitations for a response than other churches. I suspect the reason is more because of outreach, which leads to growth, than due to size. Also, according to research, the larger the church, the more likely it is to have clarity of purpose—and an evangelistic purpose at that, which again would explain why larger churches expect, look for and call for a response to God’s Word.”

An invitation of some kind, including the traditional altar call to come forward, is still a relevant and effective practice.

So, the helpful question is, “How can we all do a better job with an invitation?”

Your church culture will determine part of that answer. Your leadership and style of worship service will also have an impact.

But ultimately the answer is not a mystery. If people come forward for prayer, salvation or whatever the invitation is for—then what you are doing works. If people fill out a card and turn it in, you know it works.

Here’s the practical focus. How can we continue to improve how we partner with the Holy Spirit to invite people to respond to the life changing power of God’s word?

Five Action Steps Toward Improving Your Invitations:

1) Your faith and prayers set the stage.

What you believe God can do matters significantly because that shapes how you pray. What you believe God will do has an equally huge impact and is connected to your faith. We don’t have to argue theology here to agree that faith and prayer play a large roll in what happens on a Sunday morning when you call for a response.

Faith and prayer will trump your communication skill level every time. We all still need to prepare with great diligence, but this is where the response begins.

2) Check your ego at the door.

All of us have experienced that moment of fear when we extend the invitation and wonder if anyone will respond. Perhaps you have been tempted to “soften” the call to ensure someone will come forward. We’ve all been there.

No one wants to stand on the stage and look like a lame leader. However, if you struggle with that, you’ve got to work hard to get over it. It’s important that you get freedom from that fear so you can deliver an authentic invitation that people will be drawn to. If you are tense, hesitant or insecure, the people will be as well.

Ultimately, you don’t determine how people respond. That’s not your responsibility. If no one comes forward, checks a box or raises a hand, then you pray again for the next weekend. That’s our commitment, and we never give up.

3) Create the moment, but don’t manipulate it.

Avoid routine at all costs. If you do the same thing every week without variance, that may be one of the top reasons the response is lower than you would like. The congregation doesn’t anticipate anything different, so they don’t respond any differently.

Creativity helps. You don’t have to use a “giant door,” but why not? Try different approaches. Don’t go for clever, but lean toward a little creativity and variation to keep the room fresh.

It is not necessary to “work the moment,” to make something happen, always refrain from that temptation.

4) Clarity and brevity in the invite is essential.

I have listened to thousands of invitations, and one of the top reasons people don’t respond is because the invitation is unclear. In many cases, the message should have ended earlier, and when it’s concluded, and the pastor begins the invitation, he starts teaching the message all over again.

The best coaching I’ve received for my invitations is: “Know (in advance) when it’s time to land the plane and land it. Also, know exactly what you want the people to do and make that clear. Then extend the invitation.”

Kevin Myers coaches with these two questions: “What do you want the people to know?” and, “What do you want the people to do.” Be clear and make the ask in as few sentences as possible.

5) Exercise great diligence in your follow-up.

Now that you’ve done all that work, whether one or one hundred responded, it’s essential to capture their information so you can follow up.

Whether it’s a new Christian’s class for converts, or prayer for a specific need, one of the most spiritually practical things we do as a church is to help people make progress in their faith.

So, how will you capture their name and contact info?

Keep it simple. If you ask for too much, they will check out quickly. Most of the time a name and email is all you need. If you have a great text system and prefer that over email, then go for it, but don’t walk away from the harvest.

Keep going, and don’t get weary in doing good. Your work is worth it!

This article originally appeared here.

Football Might Be an Idol If…

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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September 7, 2017

It’s that time of year again. The temperatures start to drop, the smell of pumpkin spice penetrates the air all around us, and the game of football returns to every screen in our vicinity. A majority of Americans will tell you that this is their favorite time of the year because they get to cheer their preferred team on to victory each week.

We don’t have to look far to see that as a culture we’ve made a simple game a god that we worship every week. From painting our faces and dressing like our favorite player to keeping our eyes locked into the player stats because of our fantasy team, it can be easy to make football—or any sport for that matter—an idol in our lives.

“Any time we think we can’t be happy or satisfied without something, we’ve made it a counterfeit god, an object of worship, an idol.” – David E. Prince

Here is a “Jeff Foxworthy-esque” checklist to make sure that football doesn’t become your middle name and you don’t allow Jesus to take a back seat to something He allows us to have.

Football might be an idol if…

You leave the Sunday worship gathering early so you don’t miss kick off.

Your family can’t talk to you for 24 hours after your team loses.

https://giphy.com/gifs/Dqyziru9dtHaw

You can recite a player’s stats better than you can recite the Word of God.

You prepare more for game day than you have for Christ’s return.

You spend more money on perishable things than you do for the Kingdom of Christ (betting, DirecTV Sunday ticket, season tickets, beer, food, merchandise).

You risk your testimony because a referee missed a call.

You sin while watching a game (screaming at a player to let him know how horrible he was).

https://giphy.com/gifs/yelling-C82jLSKdxDNXW

Your fantasy team is more important than your real family.

https://giphy.com/gifs/fantasy-football-theleague-theleaguefx-Nmi6tmsj6V3Ik

Your Monday conversations are more about the weekend games than about what your pastor said.

https://giphy.com/gifs/talking-yCjJekTW2rb8s

You love it more than you love Jesus. #reflection

I am in no way saying that football is evil or is a sin. I enjoy football and the football season. I am warning that we sheep can turn anything into an idol and not even realize it before it’s too late and we’ve fallen into sin.

Paul says in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Let’s make sure that we never jeopardize our testimony or roadblock Jesus from shining through us because of a game that doesn’t have any significance to eternity. Those of us who are parents need to remember that our children are always watching, and whether we think we are or not, we are always training them. Let’s make sure we are consistently pointing to Christ.

“What is an idol? Well, it is the thing. It is the thing loved or the person loved more than God, wanted more than God, desired more than God, treasured more than God, enjoyed more than God.” – John Piper

Share your “Football might be an idol if…” warnings in the comments section—we’d love to hear them.

What’s Your Story

By

Adam Weber

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September 6, 2017

One of my absolute favorite hobbies is talking with people. I love it. Specifically, I love talking with strangers. Why? Because everyone, every person, has a story. And I just want to hear it.

If I meet someone, without even thinking, I almost immediately begin asking them questions. Like, what’s their hometown? And what they do for a job. And how they got to where they are now.

And I do this pretty much everywhere I go.
In coffee shops.
As I’m checking out at Target.
While I’m pumping gas.

But one of my favorite places to talk with people is from my front porch.

My wife and I have an old house with a big front porch, and the sidewalk in front of our house has a fairly steady stream of people. It’s like a highway of people walking. And so whenever I get bored, I’ll just go out there and I’ll start saying hello to pretty much anyone.

And if someone stops I’ll just start asking them questions. Question after question just to hear their story.

Question for you: What’s your story?

Maybe when you think about your story, you think about your hometown and which state you’re from.
Or you mention your parents and who they are or were.
Maybe you talk about your race or your culture.
Or maybe you think about which college you went to or talk about your job.
You could mention your relationship status, your kids, your spouse, your significant other.

On the flip side, maybe you mention a trial that you went through or your parents went through.
Cancer.
A divorce.
Being picked on as a kid.
A broken home.

Maybe it’s a struggle, like depression.
Your weight.
An addiction.

No matter how you define your story, every one of us has one. Each of us has a story.

And hear this: God knows our story. And He knows it all.

God knows our story inside and out.
The good parts, and the bad.
The parts that we’re embarrassed about.
The most tender and sensitive parts.

Jesus knows our story, and yet He still approaches us.
And He still loves us.

But even better than God knowing our story? Hear this: God’s story changes our story.

On our own, we have our own life and our own story. But when we meet Jesus, His story changes ours.

From that moment on we are no longer the same. Instead of our story being based on our past, our mistakes, our career or our relationships, our story is now based on Jesus.
Again, God’s story changes our story.

Continue

4 Keys to Improving Worship Leading

By

Mark Cole

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September 6, 2017

Leading people in worship to the Living God is an awesome privilege and really involves four major areas: music, worship, leadership (people) and your relationship with God. The more you understand and grow in each area, the stronger your worship leading should become.

I have been leading worship with congregations ranging from 70 to 7,000 people for over 25 years, and I am still learning. Here are the main areas to consider for growth in your own personal journey. I’ve also put in links to help you go into more depth in each area.

1. Develop your music skills

Take music lessons on piano and/or guitar (Keyboards: 12 Keys to Improving)
Become a lifelong student of musical skills and styles
Learn to sing at a good level (10 Keys To Improving Your Singing)
Take music theory courses (Worship Musicians Theory Book)
Learn to sing vocal harmonies
Learn to memorize music
Learn to play-by-ear, improvise with chord charts and read notes
Develop a good sense of time and rhythm (Does A Click Track Help?)
Learn to write your own songs
Learn to write your own charts (Worship Charts: 7 Keys To A Great Rehearsal)

2. Develop your worship skills

Worship in private (The Secret To The Most Effective Worship Leading)
Study worship in the Bible (Actions and Attitudes of Biblical Worship)
Understand the progression of worship
Study under a strong worship leader
Serve faithfully on a worship team (Great Worship Team Members)
Watch great teams online (Hillsong, Bethel, Gateway, Elevation, Lakewood, Passion)
Read great books on worship (Link to my favorite books on worship)
Develop strong stage presence (Guidelines For A Strong Worship Team)
Learn to pick great worship songs (12 Keys To Picking Great Songs)
Be a lifelong student of worship

3. Develop your leadership skills

Love people – John 13:34
Learn the importance of serving – Matthew 20:28
Leadership begins at home. Are you leading yourself and your home well?
Be faithful with whatever opportunities (small or large) that God opens up.
Learn good administration skills (The Role Of A Music Director)
Learn to run great rehearsals (10 Tips On Improving Your Worship Rehearsal)
Develop your own strong team (Worship band and vocals)
Learn to communicate in front of an audience
Learn how to be a constructive member of a pastoral team
Develop a good relationship with your Pastor
Mentor future leaders and grow your worship team (12 Keys To Being A Successful…)
Read leadership books (My favorite books on worship)
Study other leaders and be a lifelong student of leadership styles

4. Develop your relationship with God

Read the Bible daily (Bible Reading Challenge)
Pray daily – Luke 5:16
Listen to what God is saying to you – John 12:49
Listen to what God is saying to the church
Do what God is telling you to do – John 5:19
Learn to trust Him more daily (Do You Trust God?)
Keep your heart soft and pliable before God – Revelation 2:4
Learn from other great men and women of God
Learn to love the church like Jesus loves the church (Top 10 Guidelines)

Check out my new book…Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure, available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions. This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.

This article originally appeared here.

What Does It Mean to Fear God?

By

R.C. Sproul

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September 6, 2017

We need to make some important distinctions about the biblical meaning of “fearing” God. These distinctions can be helpful, but they can also be a little dangerous. When Luther struggled with that, he made this distinction, which has since become somewhat famous: He distinguished between what he called a servile fear and a filial fear.

The servile fear is a kind of fear that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor, the jailer or the executioner. It’s that kind of dreadful anxiety in which someone is frightened by the clear and present danger that is represented by another person. Or it’s the kind of fear that a slave would have at the hands of a malicious master who would come with the whip and torment the slave. Servile refers to a posture of servitude toward a malevolent owner.

Luther distinguished between that and what he called filial fear, drawing from the Latin concept from which we get the idea of family. It refers to the fear that a child has for his father. In this regard, Luther is thinking of a child who has tremendous respect and love for his father or mother and who dearly wants to please them. He has a fear or an anxiety of offending the one he loves, not because he’s afraid of torture or even of punishment, but rather because he’s afraid of displeasing the one who is, in that child’s world, the source of security and love.

I think this distinction is helpful because the basic meaning of fearing the Lord that we read about in Deuteronomy is also in the Wisdom Literature, where we’re told that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The focus here is on a sense of awe and respect for the majesty of God. That’s often lacking in contemporary evangelical Christianity. We get very flippant and cavalier with God, as if we had a casual relationship with the Father. We are invited to call Him Abba, Father, and to have the personal intimacy promised to us, but still we’re not to be flippant with God. We’re always to maintain a healthy respect and adoration for Him.

One last point: If we really have a healthy adoration for God, we still should have an element of the knowledge that God can be frightening. “It is a frightening thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). As sinful people, we have every reason to fear God’s judgment; it is part of our motivation to be reconciled with God.

This article originally appeared here.

Greatest Joys of Pastoring

By

Chuck Lawless

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September 6, 2017

In my Southeastern Seminary class this semester, “Pastoral Ministry and Leadership,” I required students to interview a pastor who has served more than 10 years in ministry. One of the questions was about their greatest joys in ministry. Here are some of the findings from this group of pastors:

Seeing people come to know Jesus. No pastor can adequately describe the excitement when a lost person is redeemed through the grace of God. That’s one of the times that ministry is completely worth it.
Seeing people “get it.” There’s nothing quite like it when laypersons genuinely connect with the gospel and their eyes light up with excitement. Every pastor loves it when that happens.
Sending out workers. These pastors were excited when they could raise up and send out the next generation of church planters, pastors and missionaries—even when doing so meant they sent out their best.
Seeing radical transformation of lives. That includes things like breaking sin patterns, healing broken homes, restoring fractured relationships and overcoming struggles. When transformation brings joy to others, pastors rejoice, too.
Experiencing church change. Because these pastors have been in ministry for more than a decade, some have been in the same church for some time—and they’ve seen their church overcome much to move forward. They’ve seen congregational miracles take place.
Watching members grow up—literally and spiritually. When you’ve served one congregation for years, you get to baptize kids who grow up, marry and then have kids you help dedicate to the Lord. Nobody else has that kind of privileged access to others’ lives.
Preaching the Word. It can be a heavy task, but something happens when the “preaching bug” bites you. The fire seldom goes out, even when ministry is hard. Even the pastor who has been wounded deeply often still loves to preach the Word.

Come back tomorrow, when I’ll let you know what these pastors said have been their greatest frustrations. You might be surprised.

And, pastors, what are your greatest joys?

This article originally appeared here.

3 Ways to Make Your Students Into Evangelists

By

Greg Stier

-

September 6, 2017

“A farmer went out to sow his seed…” Luke 8:5

For decades youth leaders have been like farmers. They chuck the seeds of the Gospel in youth group, during outreach meetings, and at camps, retreats and mission trips. This is the way it has been since youth ministry sprung into being.

And praise God for youth leader/farmers who have faithfully sown Gospel seeds all these years. Millions have come to Christ as a result!

But there is a better way.

It’s not a newer way but the ancient way. It’s the way Jesus trained his disciples. And it is powerfully demonstrated in the first few verses of Luke 8, 9 and 10.

In Luke 8:1 Jesus was the primary seed chucker and the 12 watched him sow Gospel seeds from village to village: “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him…”

In Luke 9:1,2 the disciples were the primary seed chuckers and Jesus watched them sow: “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.“

In Luke 10:1 72 other disciples were the primary seed chuckers and Jesus and the 12 apostles were, most likely, watching, coaching and encouraging them as they did, “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.”

It started in Luke 8 with Jesus doing the primary work of evangelism. Soon the primary outreach work had transferred to his closest disciples. And soon after that his followers were training other disciples.

Jesus had moved from just chucking seeds to training farmers (the 12) and soon he was building greenhouses (building a ministry model that multiplied both seeds and seed chuckers.)

Let me ask a simple youth ministry question: Are you stuck as the primary Gospel seed chucker in your youth ministry? If your primary outreach strategy depends on you giving the Gospel during outreach meetings then you are stuck in Luke 8:1.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to give the Gospel (and not just at outreach meetings but in other meetings as well!). After all, Jesus didn’t stop giving the Gospel after Luke 8. He still preached the Good News, but his primary strategy moved from him (chucking seeds) to them (disciples chucking seeds) to it (building a greenhouse ministry that naturally multiplied seeds and seed chuckers, i.e., the 72.)

How can you make the transition from being the only seed chucker to being a farm club for farmers and a greenhouse builder? Here are three keys:

1. Make sure you are modeling how to live out evangelism in front of your teenagers.

Jesus lived on mission and his disciples saw it. From engaging the woman at the well (John 4:4-42), Jesus was always ready to engage in a Gospel conversation. And his disciples watched him do this again and again and again.

Are you exemplifying what it means to live a life on mission for Jesus? Are you living out a lifestyle of evangelism that your teenagers see and can model? Like Jesus said in Luke 6:40, “No student is above their teacher but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.“

For help in sharing your faith check out this four-minute video we put together at Dare 2 Share to give you a crash course in effective evangelism:

2. Inspire, equip and unleash your teenagers to share the Gospel.

Just like Jesus sent his “youth group” on mission, we must do the same. We must inspire them to share the Good News of Jesus. Then we need to equip them how to share it in a clear and effective way. And, finally, we must unleash them to do it!

This is where many seed chucking classes often fail. If we teach them how to share the Gospel but never actually take them out to chuck seeds, they never really learn. Another way to put it is inspiration plus information minus activation equals frustration.

A super simple way to get your teenagers activated in evangelism is Dare 2 Share Live coming up on September 23. On this powerful day of outreach we will inspire teenagers to chuck Gospel seeds, train them how and then unleash them to do some actual sowing! Find the closest host site near you and bring your teenagers to get activated as seed chuckers along with tens of thousands of other teenagers across the nation!

3. Turn your youth ministry into a greenhouse where the multiplication of disciples occurs organically.

In 2013 Dare 2 Share commissioned a research project. In it we discovered seven common values in every youth ministry that was seeing 25 percent new conversion growth on an annual basis. This means that these youth ministries were growing as a result of new disciples being made and multiplied. In a sense they, like Jesus in Luke 8, 9 and 10, were going from one to 12 to 72.

I cross checked these values with the book of Acts and was blown away by how often these seven values appeared. These values became the basis of my book Gospelize Your Youth Ministry and they are the centerpiece of all of our greenhouse building strategies.

If you want to turn your youth room into a greenhouse for making and multiplying disciples, get the book and go to gospeladvancing.com to take a diagnostic to see how strong your youth ministry is in each of these values. There are also free training videos you can watch on this site that will help you and your team build a great greenhouse!

It’s always time to chuck gospel seeds. But it’s also time to raise up young farmers and build effective greenhouses. Let’s get at it! And let us help you!

This article originally appeared here.

Here are some problems with flat-rate cuts:

Not every ministry is equally essential to your mission.

It discourages high performers.

It focuses on a money issue, not a ministry issue.

Budget cuts, when led well, can actually create a healthy season of pruning in the life of a church.

PRUNING LEVEL #1: ELIMINATE INEFFECTIVE MINISTRIES

Key Question: Which ministries lack results or compete?

PRUNING LEVEL #2: REFINE INEFFICIENT PRACTICES

Key Question: Where do we waste money?

1. Am I running from something or to something?

2. Have I looked at my current role through fresh eyes?

3. Am I looking to my job for something a job cannot give me?

4. Where would I most likely be developed?

5. Has the Lord given peace?

6. Does burden and passion increase the more I pray?

How does it feel?

How does it move?

Sound Like the Pros

1. They want an escape hatch.

2. They miss or love or need to be pursued.

3. They want some of their team to know they are in demand.

Five Action Steps Toward Improving Your Invitations:

1) Your faith and prayers set the stage.

2) Check your ego at the door.

3) Create the moment, but don’t manipulate it.

4) Clarity and brevity in the invite is essential.

5) Exercise great diligence in your follow-up.

Football might be an idol if…

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