Open Letter to Parents of Teens

October 1, 2017

A youth ministry friend pointed out this amazing blog post by Scott Linscott (didn’t his parents realize he already had a “Scott” in his last name?). He writes as a parent of young adults. This is what so many of us youth workers have wanted to say to (some) parents over the years; and Scott says it so well. With his permission, I’ll post it in its entirety here:
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The church in America is puzzled. Young adults are leaving in droves. Magazines, books and blogs are wagging the finger of blame to point out who is responsible. Some say it is a failure of youth ministry, some point to church budgets, and some nail the blame on outdated, unhip worship services. We parents are shocked that our kids just really aren’t all that into Jesus.

When I look for someone to blame, I head into the restroom and look into a mirror. Yupp, there he is. I blame him. That parent looking back at me is where I have to start.

If you’re a parent, I might tick you off in this post. But hear me out. I think that we, as parents, are guilty of some things that make it easy for our kids to put faith low on their priority list.

Keys to Making Your Kids Apathetic About Faith

1) Put academic pursuits above faith-building activities. Encourage your child to put everything else aside for academic gain. After all, when they are 24 and not interested in faith and following Christ, you’ll still be thrilled that they got an A in pre-calculus, right? Instead of teaching them balance, teach them that all else comes second to academics. Quick…who graduated in the top five of your high school class? Unless you were one of them, I bet you have no idea. I don’t.

2) Chase the gold ball first and foremost. After all, your child is a star. Drive 400 miles so your child can play hockey but refuse to take them to a home group Bible study because it’s 20 minutes away.

2b) Buy into the “select,” “elite,” “premier” titles for leagues that play outside of the school season and take pride in your kid wearing the label. Hey now, he’s an All-Star! No one would pay $1000 for their kid to join “Bunch-of-Kids-Paying-to-Play Team.” But, “Elite?!?” Boy, howdy! That’s the big time!

2c) Believe the school coach who tells you that your kid won’t play if he doesn’t play in the off-season. The truth is, if your kid really is a star, he could go to Disney for the first week of the season and come back and start for his school team. The determined coach might make him sit a whole game to teach him a lesson. But trust me, if Julie can shoot the rock for 20 points a game, she’s in the lineup. I remember a stellar soccer athlete who played with my son in high school. Chris missed the entire preseason because of winning a national baseball championship. With no workouts, no double sessions, his first day back with the soccer team, he started and scored two goals. Several hard-working “premier” players sat on the bench and watched him do it. (Chris never played soccer outside the school season but was a perpetual district all-star selection.) The hard reality is, if your kid is not a star, an average of three new stars a year will play varsity as freshmen. That means there are always 12 kids who are the top prospects. Swallow hard and encourage your kid to improve but be careful what you sacrifice to make him a star at little Podunk High here in Maine.

2d) By the way, just because your kid got a letter inviting him to attend a baseball camp in West Virginia does not mean he is being recruited. You’ll know when recruiting happens. Coaches start calling as regularly as telemarketers, they send your kid handwritten notes, and they often bypass you to talk to your kid. A letter with a printed label from an athletic department is not recruitment. When a coach shows up to watch your kid play, and then talks to you and your kid, that’s recruiting.

3) Teach your kid that the dollar is almighty. I see it all the time. Faith activities fly out the window when students say, “I’d like to, but I have to work.” Parents think jobs teach responsibility when, in reality, most students are merely accumulating wealth to buy the things they want. Our kids learn that faith activities should be put aside for the “responsibility” of holding a job. They will never again get to spend 100 percent of their paychecks on the stuff they want.

3b) Make them pay outright for faith activities like youth retreats and faith community activities while you support their sports, music, drama and endeavors with checks for camps and “select” groups and expensive equipment. This sends a loud and clear message of what you really want to see them involved in and what you value most. Complain loudly about how expensive a three-day youth event is but then don’t bat an eye when you pay four times that for a three-day sports camp.

4) Refuse to acknowledge that the primary motivating force in kids’ lives is relationship. Connections with others is what drives kids to be involved. It’s the reason that peer pressure is such a big deal in adolescence. Sending kids to Bible classes and lectures is almost entirely ineffective apart from relationship and friendships that help them process what they learn. As kids share faith experiences like retreats, mission trips and student ministry fun, they build common bonds with one another that work as a glue to Christian community. In fact, a strong argument can be made that faith is designed to be lived in community with other believers. By doing all you can to keep your kids from experiencing the bonds of love in a Christian community, you help insure that they can easily walk away without feeling like they are missing anything. Kids build friendships with the kids they spend time with.

5) Model apathy in your own life. If following Jesus is only about sitting in a church service once a week and going to meetings, young adults opt out. Teenagers and young adults are looking for things that are worth their time. Authentic, genuine, relevant relationships where people are growing in relationship with Jesus is appealing. Meaningless duty and ritual holds no attraction.

There are no guarantees that your children will follow Christ even if you have a vibrant, purposeful relationship with Him. But, on the other hand, if we as parents do not do all we can to help our children develop meaningful relationships in Jesus, we miss a major opportunity to lead them and show them the path worth walking.

I want my kids to see that their dad follows Jesus with everything. I want them to know that my greatest hope for them is that they follow Him, too.

Matt. 6:33 “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” (The Message)

On a personal note: I know the struggle. My wife and I have lived the struggle firsthand. My son was recruited by a few D1 NCAA schools for baseball and opted instead to attend a small D3 school. My daughter was recruited to play field hockey by a couple D2 programs and ended up playing D3 when the scholarship offer was not enough to make her top school affordable. Both played in “premier” leagues. Both got A’s in high school, though we often told them not to stress out too much over it. Both are in honor societies in college, and my son now has offers from UNC, Univ. of Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins and Weil Cornell for a Phd in Pharmacology. Neither ever missed a youth group retreat, conference or mission trip because of their sports or academic commitments. Both missed a game or two to attend faith-based activities. Both missed school for family vacations. Both held down part-time jobs in high school and learned to give employers advance notice for upcoming retreats. My son often changed into his baseball uniform at church to arrive in the third inning of Sunday games. Robin and I did all we could to make sure they connected in student ministry even when it meant driving straight from a tournament to a music festival at midnight so that they would not miss out. It was that important to us. My youngest, a culinary student, lost a restaurant job because he went on a mission trip. That’s fine. Thankfully, all three have strong faith walks today. That is due only to God’s grace. But I do believe that our efforts and example helped them long for a community-based faith.

Pastor, You Are More Vulnerable to Sexual Temptation Than You Think

Jeff Fisher

October 1, 2017

Let me start off by saying no one is immune to sexual temptation. It doesn’t matter what your job is, how old you are or how much time you spend with Jesus each day. We all have the potential to fall sexually, and we all need to flee from sexual immorality.

Even ministers…and maybe especially ministers.

Ministers have jobs that automatically put them in a pressure cooker.

The Need for Pastors to Flee from Sexual Immorality

It’s not unusual to have a stressful job, but there are five unique aspects of a ministry position that make it more vulnerable to opening the door to sexual temptation.

1. A pastorate is a place of power.

Whether the minister is using it or not, he has great influence over others.

The pastor is an authority, he is looked up to, he is on stage and he is usually highly regarded. Broken people with damaged lives come regularly to talk with the minister, many of them desperate for a word or attention.

It is not hard for a minister to sway others with their words or personality. The minister probably doesn’t realize the power he has over others.

2. Ministers are often isolated and unaccountable for their actions.

Ministers spend large amounts of time alone. Many don’t have a set schedule or a structured day. They don’t have to clock in and out of work, and don’t usually have church leaders asking them accountability questions.

This is especially true for the small church minister who is often the only staff member. Isolation and lack of accountability are seedbeds for disaster.

3. Protection and policies around ministers can be lax.

Churches rarely have policies requiring accountability software on their computer or mobile phone. Few or no precautions are taken when the minister is counseling someone of the opposite sex. And ministers often go on visitation to homes by themselves.

Policies don’t cure bad behavior or a wayward congregant, but they provide an extra boundary that may be a difference maker in a tempting situation.

4. Ministers have few people they can share their deepest struggles with.

It’s hard for a minister to be transparent. His closest relationships are usually with church people, and he doesn’t want to share deeply with parishioners.

4 Ways to Start Memorizing Scripture

Ron Edmondson

October 1, 2017

Our oldest son texted me New Year’s Day this year. He wanted to practice memorizing Scripture again this year. He’s been out of college for several years and fell out of the habit. He used to do it regularly when he was in high school. He wanted to know if I have any tips.

Of course, he already knew I’m fairly simple-minded, so my response may be overly simplistic, but I think it may have been what he was seeking.

Here’s what I shared with him.

Four ways to start memorizing Scripture:

Find a verse you like, which speaks to you.

One way to find them might be to look at YouVersion’s verse of the day and pick one of those each week—perhaps for the next week so you’ll have it for the whole week. I usually find them as I’m reading the Bible and something jumps out at me.

For these purposes, especially as you are getting started in memorizing Scripture, I would tend to pick shorter verses. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 was an early memory verse for me years ago. It simply says, “The God who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” I can remember that. Here’s another: 1 John 5:21 says, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” I understand it, easy to remember, and it’s a huge truth to place in my heart daily.

I think it is important that you really glean something from the verse—it speaks to you. Make sure you know what it is teaching. Scripture may have multiple of applications, but it is only one truth—whether we understand it fully or not.

Try only one a week.

If you’re an expert at memorizing Scripture you can move faster—and you will get better with practice, but don’t try to impress anyone with your skills. You shouldn’t be doing it for that reason anyway. You want to do something that will help you grow spiritually and you will maintain it as an ongoing spiritual discipline.

Write it down (not type) and place it somewhere you see frequently.

Educators will tell you we are far more likely to remember something if we write it down rather than simply try to remember it—or even if we type it. Something happens between your hand and your brain, which helps lock the words into your memory bank.

You may be like me and hate your handwriting. You may be like me and can’t even read your handwriting at times. But, take your time and practice the best penmanship you have. The more times you write it the better chance you’ll have of remembering the verse.

Remember how the teachers used to make you write out a statement as discipline? I will not chew gum in class. If you write that 100 times, it may seem cruel, but you won’t soon forget those words. Works here too.

Rehearse it over and over again throughout the week.

Place the verse somewhere you will easily see—perhaps in a couple places. You could put them on your mirror where you get ready in the morning. Put one on your dashboard and another on your desk at work. Carry one in your front pocket. The more you see it and recite it the more likely it is to stick long-term.

I hope this helps.

And, I have another suggestion. You could always buy Steve Green’s Hide ‘em In Your Heart CD’s! They are children singing Scripture verses. Our boys learned lots of verses that way. We learned with them.

This article about memorizing Scripture originally appeared here.

The Death of Christendom

Markus Watson

September 29, 2017

I mentioned in an earlier post Darrell Guder’s definition of Christendom as the “centuries in which Western civilization considered itself formally and officially Christian” (Missional Church, pp. 5-6). It was an era that emerged when the church moved from the margins of culture to the power center of culture.

It happened when the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. You can read more about that here. This event changed the nature of Christianity and the way the church understood its purpose for the world.

A New Distinction

Christendom affected the way the church perceived the world and its ministry to it. “In Christendom,” says Kreider, “everyone is a Christian” (The Change of Conversion and the Origin of Christendom, p. 94). In other words, there is no category for people who are not Christians. In Christendom, babies are baptized as soon as they are born and you belong to a parish simply because you live in a particular village.

As a result, there’s no difference between people who have chosen of their own volition to put their faith in Christ and those who have not.

But human beings are prone to making distinctions. So, a new distinction emerged. As Barry A. Harvey puts it, in “Christendom the fundamental division is not between church and world, but between clergy and laity” (Another City, p. 95).

This division resulted in a new caste system of sorts. Now there was a caste of Christians who provided spiritual leadership. There were “professional” Christians and there were “ordinary” Christians.

And what did these new “professional” Christians do? They provided spiritual services for those who were considered to be “ordinary” Christians.

A New Reason to Exist

The effect of this new distinction was that ministry became something that was performed by only a select few—namely, the clergy.

With that kind of framework, the church’s ministry no longer revolved around participating in God’s mission in the world, as it had in the time before Constantine. Rather, “in Christendom societies, mission often received little emphasis, for the churches concentrate upon the pastoral care of their people and the maintenance of their structures” (The Change of Conversion and the Origin of Christendom, p. 96).

When everyone is considered a Christian, mission becomes obsolete; and when mission to those outside the church is no longer necessary, the church must find a new reason to exist.

In Christendom, the purpose of the church had nothing to do with reaching people with the message of Jesus and inviting them into relationship with their Creator (because “everyone is a Christian”). Rather, the purpose of the church was to provide spiritual goods and services to those who are considered to be ordinary Christians.

In other words, when inviting people into the kingdom of God becomes unnecessary, the church has to find other reasons to perpetuate its existence.

The Decline of Christendom

Without a doubt, Christendom was a dominant force in Western culture for about 15 hundred years; but that era has come to an end. Christianity no longer has a place of prominence in the nations and societies that make up Western culture. Gerhard Lohfink states that “the illusion of living in a completely Christian society has been definitively and thoroughly demolished in our day” (Jesus and Community, p. 132).

As evidence of this, Kreider points out that “throughout most of the West, Christendom is in a state of decrepitude if not decomposition. In many countries shoppers flood the malls on Sundays, while Sunday morning has become a special time for sporting events” (The Change of Conversion and the Origin of Christendom, pp. 98-99).

Christendom Is Dead

The death of Christendom has certainly been evident in the churches I’ve been a part of, and I bet it has at your church, too. Whereas the oldest generation tends to faithfully attend church every Sunday, younger generations attend far less frequently. Soccer tournaments, gymnastics competitions, weekend getaways and professional football games on TV exert a powerful draw on younger folks at our churches.

Please understand, I am not condemning those who aren’t at church every Sunday. Lower church attendance is simply evidence of our new Post-Christendom reality.

This new reality poses a serious challenge for churches because many churches still see the world through the framework of Christendom. Many churches still think that the old ways of reaching people—by merely focusing on providing spiritual goods and services—will be enough to keep their churches alive.

But it’s not enough. This is not the world it once was. To offer a really cheesy paraphrase of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz:

“Toto, I don’t think we’re in Christendom anymore.”

This article originally appeared here.

The Air Force Considers Racism an Issue Big Enough to Tank Its Mission. What About the Church?

Megan Briggs

September 29, 2017

Leadership at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) was outraged earlier this week after finding racial slurs on its preparatory school campus. So outraged the superintendent held a special meeting with Academy cadets to make sure they understood that racism could tank their mission.

Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria’s words were strong, to the point and incredibly timely considering recent events such as Charlottesville and the NFL player protests.

“You should be outraged not only as an airman but also as a human being,” Lt. Gen. Silveria told the cadets. He left no room for interpretation when he told the group of 4,000 students, “If you can’t treat someone with dignity and respect, then you need to get out.”

The Air Force Times reports racial slurs were written on the whiteboards outside the dorm rooms of five black cadet candidates at the Air Force Academy Preparatory School earlier this week. The incident prompted Lt. Gen. Silveria, his staff and the entire faculty of the USAFA to hold a special meeting with the cadets to ensure everyone understood the Air Force has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to racism.

The racial slurs, containing the words “go home, n*****r,” were found on the whiteboards Monday, September 25, 2017 at the USAFA’s prep school near Colorado Springs, Colorado. This prep school is located on the Air Force Academy base, but is operated separately from the Academy. Each year, about 240 students who hope to enter the Academy as freshmen after 10 months of training go through the prep school. The cadet candidate responsible for writing the slurs has not been identified but has lost his or her chance of joining the freshman class next year.

After the incident in Charlottesville in August, the Academy held discussions with the cadets to help them process the event. Lt. Gen. Silveria said there was a lot of positive feedback articulating the efficacy of those discussions.

What the church and the Air Force have in common

In many ways, the Air Force and the church are similar. The two institutions are made up of people committed to a common cause. For the Air Force, a common desire to defend the nation unites its members. The church is concerned with knowing Jesus and making him known to a hurting world. It’s a mission that literally has eternal implications. As wonderful as America is, the church’s mission is infinitely more important than the Air Force’s.

Another thing the two institutions have in common is the diversity of the people who form their ranks. The global church is composed of people from every tribe, tongue and background. This is beautiful because it proves the point that God is Lord over all. We all came from the same Father. If anyone should be able to find value in people of different skin color, ideologies, gender and cultures, it should be the church.

The church can learn from the Air Force’s response

Lt. Gen. Silveria’s speech to the cadets was recorded and definitely worth watching. He talked about the power the diversity present in the Air Force affords the group. Not only is the group racially diverse, but Lt. Gen. Silveria also mentioned the various walks of life, parts of the country, gender and upbringing the group represents. This diversity is not a problem to be overcome, but rather a strength of the organization.

It should tell us something that an institution that has a mission as critical as the United States Air Force—commissioned to protect the livelihood and safety of an entire nation—feels racism has the potential to jeopardize its mission. One has to wonder: Shouldn’t the church feel the same way? And have a similar response to racism?

The Air Force responded quickly to the incident that happened on its property involving its own members. They also responded appropriately when the Charlottesville riots occurred, which didn’t occur on its property or with its own members. Both incidents elicited action from leadership. I’m not trying to make the point that the Air Force does everything right because that’s simply not true. Rather, there are things the American church can learn from their prompt response in these situations.

I was disappointed that more pastors didn’t do something like the USAFA did after the Charlottesville incidents. Holding discussions, helping people through the trauma of being re-victimized, and simply understanding what was happening are all very healthy things to do. It’s something people in leadership should initiate. However, many churches failed to respond to the moment. The truth is, we still have a problem with racism. Even in post-civil-rights-movement-America. Even, I hate to say it, in the church. This becomes clear when we fail to discuss these incidents and when we continue to meet in congregations separated by race.

Lt. Gen. Silveria told the cadets “I would be naive and we would all be naive to think that everything is perfect here.” I believe we can say the same within the church in America.

So my questions for the church are these: Do we consider racism a problem that can potentially tank the mission? Do we feel the need to address it as swiftly and emphatically as the Air Force does? What are we doing to ensure we are not being naive about racism within our own walls?

“If you can’t treat someone with dignity and respect–then you need to get out.”-Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria, Superintendent @AF_Academy pic.twitter.com/njCktv5Fmp

— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) September 28, 2017

The Thing That’s Holding Our Worship Hostage

David Manner

September 28, 2017

We use if only statements to express a strong desire for things to be different. Those two words are sometimes uttered to nostalgically hold on to the past in order to place stipulations on the present. And they are also used just as often to discount or disparage the traditional in an attempt to elevate the modern.

So when it comes to worship, these two words are often voiced to selfishly hold a congregation hostage until certain demands are met:

If only we would sing more or less hymns.

If only we had a younger worship leader.

If only the songs weren’t so trite and repetitive.

If only we still had a choir.

If only our services were more creative.

If only we had a better worship band.

If only the volume wasn’t so high and lights so low.

If only the attire wasn’t so casual or formal.

If only we were still holding a hymnal.

If only they would let my granddaughter sing a solo.

If only we were like that other church.

If only we still had special music.

If only the song sets and sermons weren’t so long.

If only the people looked and spoke more like us.

If only we talked about money less and politics more.

If only the text and tunes weren’t so archaic.

If only our present leader was more like our previous leader.

“If only” worshipers can hold a congregation hostage to styles and structures by constantly pointing the conversation back to themselves. What they need, what they like, what they want, what they deserve or what they’ve earned often determines their level of participation. But when “if only” stipulations beyond the revelation of God must be met before congregants are willing to engage in worship, what they are actually worshiping may be their own selfish desires.

This article originally appeared here.

Defining Leadership for Kids in 2 Steps

Holly Fox

September 28, 2017

Gathered in a small room, a group of 4th graders sat eager to get started learning about leadership. As I asked them what it meant to be a leader, the answers were as expected. A leader is someone who can talk in front of people. A leader is someone who has many followers. The giddy expressions soon changed as we dug a little deeper into the topic.

1. Look in God’s Word

How do you teach kids how to be a leader? A good start is found in Matthew 20. When discussing the topic of leadership, this is what Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In this moment, Jesus clearly and casually debunked the cultural definition of leadership. Leadership isn’t about gaining followers. It’s not about power, talents and abilities. Leadership is serving and it is a sacrifice. I’m sure the disciples were a little befuddled upon hearing this, and so were these 4th graders.

2. Think Like a Kid

Among adults, a good servant-leader strives for the success of those he leads. But how does this look for kids? To a child, a day that is jam-packed with fun has a stamp of success. From this came our definition for leadership. Being a leader means, “Making sure other kids are having more fun than yourself.” You’re on the playground and your friend wants to be the quarterback, what do you do? You let him. You are at church and a new kid walks through the door, what do you do? You befriend her. Your little brother wants to play with the toy you have, what do you do? You give it to him.

As kids learn how to lead selflessly, like Jesus intended us to, think about the type of parents, pastors, teachers, doctors and politicians they are becoming. In a self-centered world, they are learning to have others on the forefront of their minds…loving, sacrificing, caring and serving. Oh what a world this can be!

This article originally appeared here.

8 Reasons Your Church Isn’t Reaching People

Church Fuel

September 28, 2017

Go into all the world and make disciples.

That’s the mission God gave His church.

And even though we have creative purpose statements and fancy website slogans, that’s still the heart of the mission of the church you’re leading.

Our job is to reach people and help them follow Jesus. That’s business.

So let me ask you a simple question.

How’s business? How is your church doing at accomplishing this God-given mission? Are you truly reaching people?

It’s easy for a church to be about maintaining the status quo, keeping the saints comfortable, or staying busy doing good things. But we must never forget that our job is to reach people.

Here are eight reasons your church might be struggling to reach people who need to hear, know, and live out the Gospel.

#1 – You have too many ministries.

In a way, “reaching people” is a pretty generic option. With a little bit of creativity, you can make just about anything fit into that bucket.

That’s one reason churches end up with too many ministries.

It’s true that God can use anything. But effective churches understand they live in a unique community with unique resources guided by a unique calling. Instead of trying to do everything, they focus on what they can do best, because that’s what stewardship looks like.

In our workshop, we dive deeper into how to identify your keystone ministries and align your ministry strategy with your church-wide mission. We spend time working hard on this because we know the key to growth might not be something you start but something you stop.

The most effective churches carefully evaluate everything and make sure each ministry aligns with the mission of the church and has an effective strategy. Without this type of focus, it’s likely the ministry menu gets bloated.

If you’re struggling to reach people, get some people together and answer this question. If we could only do three things to reach our community, what would they be?

#2 – You’re not actually equipping people to invite.

Pastors often do a great job encouraging their people to invite their friends, neighbors and co-workers. But encouragement and equipping are two different things.

People don’t just need encouragement to invite, they need the tools. You need to do more than ask them to bring people to church, you need to give them resources that make it easy to follow through.

Are you asking people to invite their neighbors, friends and co-workers, or are you giving them the actual tools to do it. After all, if you want someone to do something, make sure they have the tools to do the job.

Here are two examples:

Instead of saying, “Invite your friends using social media,” say something like, “If you go to ourchurch.com/invite you will find sample images you can share and even Facebook posts that you can cut, paste and share in your feed. If you can copy and paste, you can invite people to church next week.”
Instead of saying, “Don’t forget to invite your friends next week,” say something like, “On the way out, our greeters are going to give you three small business cards. I’d like to ask you to personally give them to three people this week. It could be someone you work with or it could be a server at a restaurant.”

Looking for more ideas? Here are 19 ways you can equip your church to invite.

Continue

7 Ways to Care for Your Ministry That Require Zero Talent

John Tyler Black

September 28, 2017

Each Small Group Semester brings a different set off challenges and goals I look to strive for. I will always set a new numerical goal for groups, next steps emphasis and I always look for a few areas that need improvement within my role. It seemed that almost every semester I circled “better care” for my leaders and those I serve with. For a while I thought it was a talent or ability I needed to work on, but before long I saw that most of my team’s care was founded on effort. It doesn’t take a special talent, ability or even experience obtained over years to properly care for your team. The following are seven ways to care for your ministry team that require zero talent.

COMMUNICATE CONSISTENTLY
Block out 30 minutes each week or bi-weekly (whichever fits your ministry flow best) to write an email to all of your Small Group Leaders. Some weeks you will need to communicate vital information, while others you may simply share a helpful blogpost, celebrate a particular group’s big “win” or thank your leaders for their heart to serve! The point isn’t always to communicate information, it is to consistently remind them that you are thinking of them and praying for them.

RESPECT PEOPLE’S TIME
Honor the time of those who serve with you. As a ministry leader, it is important to start and end informational meetings on time. Show up early, stay late.

BE PREPARED
Sweat the small details while preparing for a meeting, email or training event. As ministry leaders, we know that we will often return a smaller percentage of what we invest. Maximize your investment in your preparation, as you ready for each moment with your team. Even if your efforts feel unnoticed, know they will create memorable moments.

BE ACCESSIBLE
Your team will quickly disband if they are unable to feel a personal connection with you. Make a point to be present before and after church, make your phone number available and/or give out your personal email. Being available is half the battle of establishing a level of care.

RESPOND IN A TIMELY MANNER

We all have that friend that lets an email or text message sit for days without responding. Life can be busy, but don’t let that get in the way of properly caring for someone. If someone took the time to email you, it means the subject is important to them. If it’s important to them, it should be to you. Let them know your level of care by responding on time.

WRITE HANDWRITTEN NOTES
I can send personal emails for the rest of my life and I will not get the same response for the handwritten notes that I have already mailed. Personal touches are few and far between for many within our churches and it’s important to show we care about what they are doing for Christ’s kingdom.

DO MORE THAN WHAT’S EXPECTED
Breathtaking moments occur when they are unexpected. Think of ways to go beyond what is expected and what has become predictable. How can you care for your church and its leaders in a way that neither would expect?

I know these steps of action can help you better care for your team and help you achieve a healthier Small Group culture.

This article originally appeared here.

God’s Glorious Name Drives Our Prayers

Steve Gaines

September 28, 2017

Jesus taught that as His followers pray, our priority should be the recognition and reverence of God’s name in the whole earth. Although we might grow in our commitment to this aim even as we pray for it, we can also be assured that God Himself is committed to the glory of His own name throughout the world.

The pages of Scripture are replete with acknowledgments of the glory of God and exhortations to glorify Him. That’s the theme of the second half of the seraphim’s song in Isaiah 6:

Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Armies;
his glory fills the whole earth.
ISAIAH 6:3

The writings of prophets like Habakkuk reveal a longing for the world to be filled with the glory of the Lord (see Hab. 2:14). God refused to share His glory or praise with idols in passages like Isaiah 42:8. In fact, the glory of the Lord was a tangible reality in certain sections of the Old Testament.

God’s glory was like a white-hot, “consuming fire” on top of the mountain when the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments (Ex. 24:17). Moses was hidden in a crevice of a rock as the glory of the Lord passed by Him (see 33:22). And the glory of the Lord consumed the sacrifice and filled the tabernacle when it was completed (see 40:34-35).

The prophet Isaiah reflected God’s desire for His own glory:

Look, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
I will act for my own sake, indeed, my own,
for how can I be defiled?
I will not give my glory to another.
ISAIAH 48:10-11

God does many things, but behind them all is a commitment to His own glory. He saves for His own glory. He delivers for His own glory. He judges for His own glory. God always acts for His own glory, and this pursuit is not only good and right but also loving.

While any human being who acts in a self-glorifying way is rightly seen as egotistical, boastful, arrogant and selfish, it’s entirely appropriate for God to seek His own glory. That’s because of all the beings in the universe, God is the only One who actually deserves the glory. So whenever we hold something higher than God in our hearts, we call that thing an idol. If God desired something other than His own glory, He would by definition become an idolater.

God’s glorious name should be the driving force behind our prayers, just as it’s the driving force behind all His actions. For that reason when we pray, we must ask God to bend our hearts to His ways, to create in us a greater love for His glory and His name so that we truly desire what He desires.

This article originally appeared here.

Why We Need Reformation Anglicanism

Ashley Null

September 28, 2017

Why Should We Care About the English Reformation?

The two greatest issues facing Christianity in the West are (1) the Bible’s growing lack of authority in the church, and (2) the lack of transformed lives among those who attend. The same two issues confronted English Christians in the early 16th century.

The medieval catholic church had rejected the Gospel’s offer of free pardon, teaching instead its own system of rules so that a person, in effect, had to earn forgiveness, even if a person very much needed God’s help to accomplish that task. Yet, at the same time, so many people were failing to lead the holy lives necessary for salvation, especially the clergy and those in religious orders, that the Christian faith itself was being brought into disrepute daily.

The English Reformers confronted both issues head-on, because they realized that both were intrinsically linked. The unbiblical teaching of the medieval church had led Christians to lead inauthentic human lives. Only loving God more would give people the power to say no to sin, but only the preaching of God’s unconditional love made known in salvation could birth in people that kind of transforming love. By teaching people that they had to earn God’s love by first being good enough, the medieval catholic church had actually cut people off from the only source that could change them from the inside out.

The Reformers, however, recovered Paul’s teaching on justification, that God justified the wicked (Rom. 4:5) through faith in the promise of unconditional pardon because of the cross of Christ. The English reformers taught justification by faith because only gratitude for the free gift of salvation would birth in Christians a love for God and a godly life.

Today, the message of Western Christianity can often sound very similar to medieval catholic teaching, that people have to work very hard to prove that they are good enough for God to love them. It is true that liberals and conservatives disagree about what “being good enough” looks like. Conservatives tend to stress personal morality like the importance of sexual purity as well as evangelistic activity, whereas progressives like to emphasize the importance of working for social justice and living an environmentally aware lifestyle. The prosperity preachers take a third tack. They simply tell people that being “positive enough” is what is required for God’s blessing.

Yet, despite all their differences, these groups of Christians still normally use Sunday worship services to fuss at people how they need to better be like God expects them to be. Since so much of Western Christian preaching has ended up sounding a whole lot like the medieval catholic church, the biblical insights from the English Reformation are just what we Christians in the West need to hear afresh today.

Who Was Thomas Cranmer?

Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556) was the chief English Reformer. As the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury, he was responsible for applying the insights of the Continental reformers to the situation in his own country. He first worked with Henry VIII to bring biblical authority to the Church of England. During Cranmer’s time under Henry, the English Church rejected the pope’s authority in England (1534), monasteries—where religious people tried to earn their salvation through good works—were closed down (1536–1540), Bibles translated into English were set up in every parish church for the public to be able to read, even though bibles in English had been banned in the country for over one hundred years (1538), and confession to a priest was no longer taught as necessary for salvation (1539).

Despite these biblical advances, Henry never accepted the key protestant teaching that salvation was a free gift. Cranmer had to wait until Henry died in 1547 and his nine-year-old son came to the throne before he could implement a thorough theological Reformation of the Church of England.

In six and a half years, Cranmer developed a blueprint for a protestant English church. He wrote a series of required sermons that taught the Reformation’s grace and gratitude approach to Christian faith (1547). He then devised a scheme of praying the Bible in worship through two more progressively reformed prayer books (1549 and 1552). Finally, he wrote up the biblical insights of the Reformation in a series of Articles of Religion so that future generations would know the spiritual DNA of the Protestant Church of England.

What Do the English Reformation and Thomas Cranmer Have to Do With Reformation Anglicanism?

Cranmer and his fellow English Reformers created a biblical church in continuity with the universal truths of the early Christians but which was also relevant to the specific spiritual needs of their generation. Reformation Anglicans are the heirs to this great tradition of proclaiming the unconditional love of God for sinners so that they can begin to learn to love God and others as they have been loved unconditionally in the cross of Christ.

If you want to know more about the great spiritual DNA of Reformation Anglicanism, check out a new collection of essays which explains its origins, teachings and relevance for the church today.

Blog originally published on Crossway.org; Material adapted from Reformation Anglicanism by Ashely Null, © 2017. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.

To Be an Effective Leader, Stop Wasting Your Time

Ben Reed

September 28, 2017

This is a flea market. Notice all of the junk. Randomly priced, randomly placed, randomly assorted junk. The highest priced item here: $7.50. (It’s also a picture of my son’s handiwork. “Hey dad…*snicker*…see what I did to that little wooden…*snicker*…mannequin…*snicker*?”)

Below is a picture from the next table over. Seriously, within just a few feet I saw a “Royal Albert China Dinner and Tea Set” for $850. I’m not saying it’s not worth that price tag…I honestly have no idea what, if anything, it’s worth.

Someone kept these for a long time. They spent a lot of money on them. Probably moved with them a time or two. Took extra time and care to store them. And probably rarely (if ever) used them. Now they’re sitting at a flea market, not selling. Because you can’t sell $850 dishes beside a $.28 button.

It’s sad, really. I feel bad for the person that bought them, the one that stored them, the one that didn’t use them, the one that transported them across town to the flea market, and the one that’s (not) selling them now.

Individual leadership

I bet there’s something you’re doing right now that, when you look back on your life in 20 years, is really a waste of time. You’re moving boxes of expensive dishes (your most valuable resource is your time) that you’re going to try to sell later, that nobody wants to buy.

There’s a book you’re reading that isn’t helping you. Put it down.
There’s a habit you’ve got that leaves you more irritable and less patient with people. Stop it.
There’s a relationship you have that is moving you further from who God made you to be. Change it.
There’s a side hustle you’re juggling that sucks the life out of you. Time to cut the cord.
Your “relaxing” time doesn’t leave you recharged. You can do better.

Life’s too short to protect expensive dishes you don’t want.

Organizational leadership

Church leaders, make sure the “programs” and initiatives you’re starting don’t just appease people’s itching ears, but actually lead them somewhere. Just because people ask for it doesn’t mean you have to do it. And on the flip side, be careful putting your time and energy towards what you think is nice without seeing if people want it.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. – Paul, 2 Timothy 4:3

Know where you’re taking people, understand WHO you’re trying to produce, and relentlessly pursue that. Stop having people do things that simply keep them, and you, busy with activity but don’t actually help them become the Jesus follower you’re trying to lead them to become.

Good pastors don’t just exegete the Scriptures, they exegete their people. In other words, good pastors don’t just spend time trying to know, understand, love, and unpack the truths found in the Bible. They work equally hard to know, understand, love, and unpack the people God’s called them to lead, and the unique vision God’s called their local congregation to. One without the other short-changes both. To love the Scriptures but not people makes you into a Bible-thumper. It also means you’ve not obeyed the most important command in Scripture: love others as yourself.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Jesus, Mark 12:30-31

It’s hard to know when you’re doing this, though, and whether the programs and processes you have in place are working. Maybe try asking a couple of questions of those you’re leading:

Because of ____ (program, event, etc.), are you closer to Jesus?
Are you growing more patient or more irritable with people, as a result of ___?
Are you finding yourself more or less courageous with your faith?
Do you find yourself more available emotionally, spiritually, and physically for your family, and those closest to you, because of ___?

People will be honest, especially when it comes to how they spend their time and resources. It may just be that that recreation ministry makes you happy, but isn’t helping your church become more faithful followers of Jesus.

Can we all agree to not become, or continue practices that produce, expensive dishes that nobody wants to buy?

This article originally appeared here.

Hugh Hefner Did Not Live the Good Life

Russell Moore

September 28, 2017

Overnight, we learned of the death of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. Hefner is the iconic figure who not only made pornography socially respectable (and even more lucrative), but also spent a life constructing a “playboy philosophy” of sexual freedom that would supposedly undo the “Puritan sexual repression he saw in American life.”

The death of any person is a tragedy. Hugh Hefner is no exception to that. We can’t, though, with his obituaries, call his life “success” or “a dream.”

Hefner did not create, but marketed ingeniously, the idea that a man’s life consists in the abundance of his possessions and of his orgasms. To women, he marketed frenetically the idea that a woman’s value consists in her sexual availability and attractiveness to men.

The “bunny” logo was well-chosen because, in the end, Mr. Hefner saw both men and women as essentially rabbits. This path was portrayed vividly by John Updike in his Rabbit Angstrom series. It is not a happy life.

And yet we are not actually rabbits. We can see our deaths coming, and we outlive those deaths to give an account of our lives. If you want to see “success,” look instead to the man faithful to the wife of his youth, caring for her through dementia.

In the short-run Hefner’s philosophy has won, on both the Right and the Left. The Playboy Mansion is every house now. Many church leaders implicitly or explicitly say, “This is fine.” In many cases, those who hold to what the church has always taught on sexual morality and the value of women are the dissidents now, regardless of how “conservative” a movement proclaims itself to be. Thou hast conquered, O grotto.

The long-run, though, is quite different. Jesus will reign.

In the meantime, the Good Shepherd searches the thickets for his lost sheep. And sometimes for a lost rabbit, too. The sign of the good life is not hedonism but crucifixion. The sign of the good life is not a bunny but a cross.

This article originally appeared here.

3 Keys to Reaching Millennial Moms

Dale Hudson

September 27, 2017

The birth of a child is a key time in a family’s life. Marketing companies know this and go all out to capture a new mother’s attention. It starts even before they leave the hospital with their newborn. From diapers to formula to wet wipes, companies pay to have their products put in the hands of new mothers.

The new mothers they are marketing to are the Millennials. The Millennials turn ages 20 to 36 this year. Consider these findings.

83 percent of the babies born this year will call a Millennial “mom” or “dad.”

There are over 16.2 million Millennial moms in America.

The average age for new moms is 26.

Globally, there are over 2.5 million babies born to Millennial moms each week.

If we are going to reach the next generation, then we must reach their parents. More specifically, let’s zoom in on how we can reach Millennial moms. Here are five keys to connecting with them.

Key #1 – Represent today’s moms. Today’s families come in all shapes and sizes and ethnicities. Sixty-seven percent of Millennial moms are multicultural. If your family portrayal only showcases families who look like it’s still 1950, with mom at the stove with an apron on and two smiling kids sitting at the table and dad coming in the door from work with a briefcase in his hand, Millennial moms will tune you out. The “happy housewife” who is a one-dimensional caretaker is not an accurate reflection of Millennial moms. Forty percent of Millennial moms are the sole or primary breadwinner in their family. Millennial parents run their household jointly, with both parents sharing in the decision-making and tasks.

In a recent survey, 51 percent of Millennial moms say advertisers have an outdated view of moms and don’t understand them. With 2 billion moms on the planet, that means that approximately 1 billion moms feel marketers are not connecting with them in authentic ways.

It’s so important that the church leads the way in understanding today’s moms and genuinely reflects who they are. As we engage them and add value to their lives in the many roles they undertake, we will be able to better connect with them. This includes their roles as a caretaker who provides for their family’s needs, an elder who provides cultural wisdom, a coach who guides children on how to behave, a hero who serves as a role model for their children, and a fan who encourages and believes in their children.

Key #2 – Provide spiritual parenting tips. Millennial moms are seeking out parenting tips. Especially online. Here’s an example. A company called Blossom posted a video on Facebook that featured seven hacks for organizing your clothes. The video has racked up over 382 million views and 12 millions shares. Millennial moms seek out online communities and will share content that they deem valuable.

With hundreds of online options and platforms about raising children available to Millennial moms, you will have a hard time making an inroad if you only provide physical parenting tips. But here is where you can make a major difference. By providing spiritual parenting tips.

Consider creating short videos that will give Millennial moms tips on how to help their children spiritually. It might be how to pray for your child or how to sing Bible songs with motions with your child or how to answer a preschooler’s big questions about God. Or perhaps it’s how to use their child’s toys as a tool to teach a Bible story or truth. Another idea is give mothers ideas for how to prepare their child for the nursery at church. You can also ask mothers in your ministry what topics they are interested in hearing about.

One of the best places to place the videos and promote them is on Facebook. You can create a Facebook page for the young mothers in your church for free. No need creating a separate website. Go where Millennial moms are already at. Ninety percent of Millennial moms say Facebook is helpful to their parenting.

Key #3 – Provide shared experiences. Millennial moms are moving away from being “Helicopter Parents” (parents who hover over their children closely and make decisions for them) to being “Passenger-Plane Parents.” Passenger-Plane parents are parents who believe everyone in their family should be accommodated. In a nut shell, they are looking for ways to bring their family together for a shared experience. They highly value opportunities to bring their family together.

With mobile viewing, families have moved to “separate togetherness.” This occurs when families are in the same room, but are experiencing different content. An example would be, dad watching ESPN on TV, while mom is watching Netflix on an iPad, while the son is playing a video game on his laptop, while the daughter is watching YouTube on her phone. Stats show that 52 percent of Millennial moms engage in “separate togetherness.”

While Millennial moms engage in “separate togetherness,” they are also looking for opportunities to create memories and build family bonds away from a screen. Companies and nonprofits that provide opportunities for this will connect with these moms. Here’s an example. Chick-Fil-A ran a promotion last year that encouraged families to put their phones in the “coop” while dining in the restaurant and encouraged families to engage in more conversation and connection while eating. Millennial moms connected well with this.

As a church, there are so many ways you can tap into this. Think of ways you can provide shared experiences for Millennial moms and their families. Perhaps it’s a shared worship experience, a family event, a special family night at church, a family camp out, etc.

As you read through these three keys, here are some questions to think through and discuss as a ministry.

Is our advertising (print pieces, web pics, pictures on screen at church, etc.) an accurate depiction of today’s moms?

Do we understand and reach out to moms in all their dimensions and roles such as caretaker, elder, coach, hero, etc.?

How can we provide spiritual parenting tips for moms? What platform should we use? What content should we focus on?

How can we create an online community for moms?

How can we provide shared experiences for moms and their families?

This article originally appeared here.

It Costs to Reach Your Community, and It’s Worth It

Rick Warren

September 27, 2017

There are tens of thousands of churches in America that haven’t baptized anyone in at least a year. Even though The Great Commission and The Great Commandments are core to who we are as the church, we’re struggling to engage our culture with the Gospel.

One of the reasons so few churches effectively engage in outreach is because they ask the wrong question. Too often, the first question asked is, “How much will it cost?”

The right question is, “Who will it reach?”

How much is a soul worth? If you spend $500 on a social media ad that reaches one unbeliever for Christ, is it worth it?

If your church gets serious about developing a comprehensive evangelism strategy, it will cost money! With this in mind, let me share some insights about financing your strategy, based upon my experience as Saddleback has grown over the years.

First, money spent on evangelism is never an “expense,” it’s always an investment.

The people you reach will more than repay the cost you invested to reach them. Before we held the first service at Saddleback Church, the people in our small home Bible study went about $6,500 in debt preparing for that service. Where did we get the money? We used our personal credit cards! We believed the offerings of the people we reached for Christ would eventually enable everyone to be paid back.

One of the “miracles” of our dress rehearsal service was that a man who had not attended our home Bible study came to that first service gave a check for a thousand dollars when we took the offering. After it was over, the woman in charge of counting the offering came up and showed me the check. I said, “This is going to work!”

Sure enough, we paid everyone back within four months. Please note: I’m not advocating that your church use credit cards to finance it. I’m just trying to illustrate how willing we were to pay the cost of reaching people for Christ.

Often when finances get tight in a church the first thing cut is the evangelism and advertising budget. That is the last thing you should cut. It is the source of new health and life for your church.

Second, people give to vision, not to need.

If “need” motivated people to give, every church would have plenty of money. It is not the neediest institutions that attract contributions but those with the greatest vision.

Churches that are making the most of what they have attract more gifts. That’s why Jesus said, “It is always true that those who have, get more, and those who have little, soon lose even that” (Luke 19:26 TLB).

If your church is constantly short on cash, check out your vision. Is it clear? Is it being communicated effectively? Money flows to God-given, Holy Spirit-inspired ideas. Churches with money problems usually have a vision problem.

Third, when you spend nickels and dimes on evangelism, you get nickel and dime results.

Do you remember the story about the time Jesus told Peter to go find money in a fish’s mouth in order to pay the Roman taxes? In Matthew 17:27 Jesus told Peter, ”Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin.”

I believe there is an important lesson in that story: The coins are always in the mouths of the fish! If you’ll focus on fishing (evangelism), God will pay your bills. That doesn’t mean we reach people so that they will give. We reach people because Jesus loves them and wants to save them. But one of the supernatural fruits of discipleship is generosity toward the cause of reaching others.

Fourth, remember that “God’s work done God’s way will not lack God’s support.”

This was the famous motto of the great missionary strategist Hudson Taylor. And I think it’s a timeless truth.

This article originally appeared here.

5 Reasons Ministry-Specific Facebook Pages Are a Good Idea

Kem Meyer

September 27, 2017

QUESTION FROM PHOENIX, AZ: Do you endorse different Facebook pages for the different departments? I’m looking for a way ministry leaders can get pertinent info out to those interested without clogging up main communication channels in the church. It seems there would be challenges ensuring those pages reflect our values and don’t get us into any sticky situations.

I wholeheartedly endorse this approach. When it comes to corporate communications, there is a balance between institutional control and individual empowerment. It looks a little different depending on each environment, but here are some simple thoughts around the concept.

You’re eliminating a content bottleneck. Help ministry stakeholders set up a profile with a standard church framework but let them run their own content.
You’re developing a team. Make sure someone with a global perspective of your church communications does regular, organic spot checks of the different pages you may have for your church. They should be looking for opportunities to celebrate good examples and help equip people who might need a little coaching.
You’re demonstrating human diversity. Remember, your ultimate all-church values are not defined by social media sameness. They are lived out in varying expressions across the life of the church. The overarching goal of this approach is to allow key leaders to contextualize dialogue for their specific audience. The last thing you want is a bunch of over-corporatized, sterilized Facebook pages across different ministries. Variety is part of what makes every family great. And, your church is a family of personalities.
You’re being honest. The definition of “excellence” is different based on size, scope and channel. People expect a little imperfection and actually appreciate rare authenticity from an institution. Shoot for overall “cohesiveness” not perfect “consistency.”
You’re working smart. Centralize the “wayfinding” and eliminate redundancy across pages by coaching individual FB admins to stick to their sphere; only post what’s relevant and related to their niche and next steps. Make it clear they’re not taking on all of social media for the whole church, just next steps for their team or department.

This article originally appeared here.

How to Be More Disciplined

Alvin Reid

September 27, 2017

Do you ever have conversations in your head with yourself? We all do. Imagine for a minute you are having that conversation: the one where you failed at discipline and you are scolding yourself for once again not keeping that commitment/avoiding that temptation/meeting that challenge/whatever the topic is at the moment. It’s OK, we all have those at times, don’t we?

Discipline matters. In fact, discipline and disciple come from the same root. A person can be extremely disciplined—like an Olympic athlete—and yet not be a disciple of Jesus. But can one really be a disciple of Jesus and not embrace discipline? I’m not talking about guilt-ridden, legalistic discipline, nor am I talking about discipline motivated by comparison with others. Discipline for the believer flows out of grace, not guilt. Our motivation for grace comes from the wonder, the gratitude and the joy of living for our Lord with all our hearts because of the gospel. It was Paul, who teaches us so much about grace, who set the example of disciplining himself like an athlete (I Corinthians 9:27). Dallas Willard sets this up well when he reminds us that “grace is opposed to earning; it is not opposed to effort.”

This discipline applies first and foremost to our spiritual lives, as Paul reminded Timothy to discipline himself for the purpose of godliness (I Tim. 4:7). But even as the gospel applies to all our life—spiritual, emotional, vocational, relational, financial and physical—it’s hard to be disciplined in our spiritual lives and let ourselves go totally in other areas. Is there not a fundamental problem when a person seems disciplined in his daily devotions and yet is wildly irresponsible with spending money?

A question for me all my life regards growing in discipline. In recent days I’ve found a very helpful way of thinking about discipline from a different perspective. I came across a book by a Pulitzer Prize winning author named Charles Duhigg called The Power of Habit. Then I watched a TED talk on the book from a new habit I’ve started—riding my exercise bike 10-20 minutes when I finish my daily devotions while watching a TED talk or other video.

Duhigg talks about the HABIT LOOP:

It seems researchers have found a consistent pattern in people who practice both good and bad habits. Something cues us to a particular routine, followed by some kind of reward. One researcher found about 40 percent of our daily lives are controlled by habits. It’s why you can get in your car and drive to work, arrive and ask yourself whether you closed the garage door, or can’t seem to remember much about the drive. It’s such a habit you don’t track every second.

What if you replaced one bad habit with a good one? What if instead of treating yourself to a cookie or other unhealthy snack in the afternoon, which you probably only eat out of habit, you began to bring to work your most favorite piece of fruit to enjoy then? Let’s say you are a young man who as a habit comes home and plays video games for an hour. First, WHY? OK, sorry, it could be watching Sports Center or the Weather Channel, or wasting an hour on social media, or grabbing a bag of chips. What if you put a cue that reminded you first to do something productive, like homework, or going for a jog, or reading for 30 minutes. Then, reward yourself with a focused, shortened time watching a screen, and eating something that’s not processed to the nines.

Continue

Is Your Discipleship Model for Everyone?

Andrew Mason

September 27, 2017

When my wife, Camille, was younger she had a mentor in a discipleship program that she was a part of. His name was Richard Moore. At the time I am writing this, he is the president and CEO of the nonprofit organization Shoulder-to-Shoulder. At the time my wife was in his discipleship program he went by the abbreviation “PR” for Pastor Richard. One of PR’s most memorable lines that she shared with me is, “Have a plan that doesn’t suck.”

He shared this blunt maxim with his students to teach them not to tolerate low expectations for themselves. Given enough time, complacency will ultimately lead to dead ends in life. To have a plan for your life that doesn’t suck, however, would guide you to live according to a vision that created the potential for growth and success.

When it comes to the discipleship model in your church I would like to borrow PR’s wisdom and say the following to you, Pastor, “Have a plan that doesn’t suck.” When I apply this filter to my thinking, it guides me to the following conclusion: I must have a Discipleship Model that is practical and creates the potential for everyone in my church to be discipled.

Being “practical” is important to me because any strategy can work perfectly on paper. Even a complicated plan can build amazing results in theory, but it’s usually incredibly difficult to put into practice. Typically, it’s the simplified ideas that can be effectively implemented and mastered for optimum impact.

Potential is critical as well if we are going to have a chance at success. I have seen many churches with the goal of discipling every person in their church, but their ministry model doesn’t even given them a chance to take a swing at their goal.

Here are 10 Thoughts on Practical Discipleship Models With Potential for Everyone…

1. If your goal is to disciple every single person in your church, you have to build a ministry model that creates enough room for everyone to be discipled. How many people attend your church on Sunday morning or your weekend services? Does your discipleship model have enough room for all of them? If the answer to the second question is no, you might have a discipleship plan that sucks.

You should have a discipleship model that gives you a chance to disciple every single person in your church in the next three to six months (not in three to six years). Now, I realize that a model that has room for everyone does not guarantee that everyone will be discipled, but the point is that you’ve created the conditions for that goal to be a legitimate possibility.

2. If you have more than one Sunday service, you do not have the ability to disciple everyone in a single mid-week gathering.

Think about it like this: If your sanctuary holds 400 people, and 800 people attend your two weekend services, you will only have the potential to disciple half the church with a single mid-week gathering. If you use round tables in the sanctuary for the mid-week gathering, you just shrank your space down to a lower than half capacity.

3. If you do not have enough classroom space for every single person in your church, you do not have the ability to disciple everyone in a Sunday school system. If your goal is to plug everyone into a Sunday school class “one day” but you don’t have enough facility space to accommodate that outcome, you might have a discipleship plan that sucks (note: having enough Sunday school space for everyone in your church would include the variable of multiple slots for people to attend classes at different times).

4. If you have enough classroom space for every person in your church, but do not have enough parking for both the Sunday service and Sunday school, you do not have the ability to disciple everyone in a Sunday school system. If you have 400 people in a Sunday service and an additional 400 people in Sunday school classes at the same time, you must have a parking lot big enough for 800 people. If you’re parking lot isn’t big enough for everyone, it won’t matter how much classroom space you have.

5. If everyone in your church cannot give you two to three hours in a single slot, you do not have the ability to disciple everyone in a Sunday school system. Different parts of the country have different social norms. In some cities, not everyone in the church may be able to offer two to three hours at a time. If that’s the case, attending a service and a class in one block of time won’t disciple every person in the church.

6. If you do not have enough ministries for everyone in your church, you cannot disciple everyone through task-oriented ministries. Discipling people as you work together on a kingdom activity (worship, outreach, admin projects, etc.) is a great vehicle for life transformation. If you don’t create enough ministry settings for every single person, you can’t make this your single magic bullet to cross the finish line.

7. If your discipleship model includes Off-Site Groups AND On-Dite Groups, they should both take everyone to the same discipleship destination. A facility/space problem can be remedied with a both/and approach to having on-site discipleship settings and off-site discipleship settings.

With that in mind, there needs to be a unified aim with the strategies or it can create an unintentional competition (see Killing the Competition That’s Killing Your Small Groups by Dean Deguara). People might be confused as to which one they should join or they might think they need to join both.

It’s difficult to travel together with people who are going a different direction. Connection and momentum will be severely diminished unless everyone ends up at the same objective.

8. An on-site and off-site model must have shared values and similar practices to achieve synergy and avoid silos. The way of Jesus is just as important as the what (truth and life; see John 14:6). Parallel discipleship models may have subtle differences, but they should have a large amount of common ground that develops people in a similar (and biblical) way.

This makes a ministry environment easier for people to learn and grow in because they are surrounded by consistent examples that guide them along their journey. This type of positive reinforcement is what I call synergy.

When parallel discipleship models are different, almost to the point of contradiction, it becomes difficult for everyone to work together as a body. Over time, territorial silos, defensiveness and a survival mentality begin to creep in.

9. A church’s discipleship model must be digest-able. Most people have time to be involved in church programming two (in some cases three) times a week. Of course, there are people who will be involved more than that, but that is typically the exception, not the rule. We must offer a discipleship strategy that is digest-able for everyone in the church. If the weekly expectation is attending a Sunday morning service, a small group, a mid-week, an outreach and a men’s or women’s ministry, you will not have the ability to empower each ministry to thrive and grow. People need their church to help them focus on their spiritual growth. Unfortunately, many times a church will offer a myriad of freely-associated options that simply provide another opportunity for A.D.D. to operate in people’s lives. Promotion, leadership gatherings, evaluating effectiveness and celebration will be spread too thin across too many fronts if the discipleship plan isn’t digest-able.

10. The fewer leadership structures a church has, the greater conditions for excellence will there be. Infrastructure and equipping paths are critical processes that must be effective. When there is a shared and practical discipleship plan, everyone can identify and solve the systemic issues together. Everyone’s best ideas and efforts get invested into one harvest field (not three). The outcome results in a greater number of healthier leaders being cultivated, raised up and released.

I believe taking the time to work on a discipleship strategy that is practical and has the potential for everyone to participate in is a discipleship plan that doesn’t suck.

This article originally appeared here.

Four Kinds of Churches on the Attractional Spectrum (Where Does Yours Land?)

Eric McKiddie

September 27, 2017

You may have noticed that there has been a bit of conversation around the web about “attractional” churches. The question is often posed as to whether your church is attractional or missional in regard to its approach to reaching the lost.

Rather than discuss that polarization, I’d like to take a moment to look at the four places churches land with respect to attractionalism. Most articles ask, “Are you attractional, or not?” I’d like to ask, “Since every church is attracting someone, do you know who you’re attracting and why?” I suspect that most churches (in the U.S. at least), fall into one of the following four categories.

Four churches on the attractional spectrum

1. At one end of the spectrum, you have anti-attractional churches. They are explicitly against anything that would smack of production. These churches avoid excellence on principle, arguing that worship is more authentic when there is a homespun feel to it. The irony is that this attracts other anti-attractionally minded people (also known as “grumpy legalists”) to their church.

2. There are two kinds of churches toward the middle. One is the non-attractional church. This could feel like the anti-attractional church if you visited on a Sunday, just without the vitriol behind the scenes. They are not non-attractional on principle, like the first group. It’s unintentional for them.

Small churches that lack resources—budget, musicians, current technology—can fall into this category. But big churches that have lots of resources, but get stuck in a certain decade stylistically, can end up in this category, too.

3. The other church in the middle is the attractive church. This church brings an intentional thought process to its service—sermon, music, production, print materials—with an effort for the service itself to be appealing to believer and unbeliever alike. The production of the service is not the main draw for an unbeliever, but thought goes into making sure the service doesn’t unnecessarily repel an unbeliever.

4. At the other end of the spectrum are attractional churches. In this case, the service itself is the draw, so a lot of energy, time, money and talent go into making Sunday morning as exciting as possible.

The temptations that each of these churches face

It’s probably clear enough that I recommend the third option above. But each of these churches, even those that seek to be attractive while preaching a foolish, stumbling block of a gospel, face temptations.

Anti-attractional churches need to repent of pride and Phariseeism. Indeed, it is legalism that lands them in the anti-attractional camp in the first place.

Non-attractional churches need to beware of contentment with mediocrity. The status quo is working for them for now. But if they are stuck in a certain decade stylistically, the pool of people they are likely to reach is ever shrinking, since most of the world is moving on. Also, perhaps they wish they could be more attractive, but they just don’t have the resources. In this case they need to watch out for envy.

Attractive churches, because of their appreciation for aesthetics and ability to pursue them, can be drawn toward becoming attractional. They have to watch out that they don’t slip down the attractional slope. They also need to watch out for pride (“We’re the balanced ones!”).

Attractional churches—and this not a new insight—are tempted to marginalize the gospel and define success with standards that are according to the flesh.

So what?

Are you self-aware enough to know which category you are in? Have you chosen to be in that category, or have you drifted into it? Are you succumbing to the temptations unique to where you land on the spectrum, or are you fighting against them in order to be as thoroughly biblical a minister of the gospel as you can, for God’s glory?

This article originally appeared here.

Carl Lentz: You Not Liking the Truth Doesn’t Change the Truth

Brian Orme

September 27, 2017

Justin Bieber may be known the world over, but not as many people know about the pastor who has had a significant influence on him. That person is Carl Lentz, who is the leader of Hillsong Church in New York. In the following video, Pastor Lentz exhorts Christians to trust God’s commitment to His people, even when they don’t feel like it.

Lentz acknowledges that we may not always like the truth, but that doesn’t change the truth. Whether you believe it or not, there are a few non-negotiables in God’s kingdom:

God is with you

God is good

God is for you

We need a Shepherd

“Have you ever walked into church and someone has said the right thing to you but it’s at the wrong time and it’s just really annoying?” Lentz asks. It’s hard to hear the truth of God sometimes, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.

As much as we think we can do life on our own and that we can operate by our own wisdom, the truth remains that all of us need a shepherd. The world will try to convince us that we can be our own god and do our own thing, Lentz warns. But the fact remains that we need a shepherd in a world that is at odds with God’s glory. We need a shepherd as we engage in war with the enemy. “Psalm 23 only matters if God is your shepherd,” Lentz says.

Thankfully, we have an ever-present, good, and committed shepherd. Watch the video and be encouraged as you remember the truth that God is a good Shepherd who cares about his people. No matter what we are going through or the battles we face, God has promised to walk with us through those trials and battles. He is a good Shepherd.

The Need for Pastors to Flee from Sexual Immorality

1. A pastorate is a place of power.

2. Ministers are often isolated and unaccountable for their actions.

3. Protection and policies around ministers can be lax.

4. Ministers have few people they can share their deepest struggles with.

Four ways to start memorizing Scripture:

A New Distinction

A New Reason to Exist

The Decline of Christendom

Christendom Is Dead

What the church and the Air Force have in common

The church can learn from the Air Force’s response

1. Look in God’s Word

2. Think Like a Kid

#1 – You have too many ministries.

#2 – You’re not actually equipping people to invite.

Why Should We Care About the English Reformation?

Who Was Thomas Cranmer?

What Do the English Reformation and Thomas Cranmer Have to Do With Reformation Anglicanism?

Individual leadership

Organizational leadership

First, money spent on evangelism is never an “expense,” it’s always an investment.

Second, people give to vision, not to need.

Third, when you spend nickels and dimes on evangelism, you get nickel and dime results.

Fourth, remember that “God’s work done God’s way will not lack God’s support.”

Four churches on the attractional spectrum

The temptations that each of these churches face

So what?

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