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Don’t Forget About the Boy

By
Paul David Tripp
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communicating with the unchurched

Anyone who has been exposed to the Christian tradition will know the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. But just to refresh your memory, I would like you to re-read John 6:1-15 before starting this piece.

SETTING THE SCENE

The fame of Jesus was spreading like wildfire, and understandably so. No one had performed wondrous miracles like this man (v. 2), and no one had spoken with authority like this teacher (Mark 1:22). People everywhere wanted to be in the presence of Jesus, either to reap the physical benefits (like healing), the spiritual benefits (like preaching) or the social benefits (it was the most popular thing to do).

Jesus was tired, physically and emotionally. Remember, he was still only a man—having large and demanding crowds follow you must have been exhausting. To find respite and to spend time with his closest friends, he went to the other side of the Galilee and up a mountain.

That didn’t work—the crowd followed him up the mountain! But Jesus, being the compassionate Savior that he is, didn’t try to escape. He began to make arrangements for the organized chaos that was about to ensue.

THE EYES OF CHRIST

Jesus first saw that the crowd was hungry. Back in this day, there were no shopping mall food courts, service plazas or fast food drive-thrus. These men, women and children had been following Christ for a long time, and they had physical needs.

Jesus also recognized that these people had larger spiritual needs than a one-off meal. Even though they didn’t know it, they were following Jesus because their hearts were empty. Yes, they were physically hungry, but they were spiritually starving to death.

Finally, Jesus knew that the occasion of the crowd’s hunger and the timing of his provision would offer an opportunity to declare who he was. He also knew that this would give him an opportunity to shape his disciples’ faith.

This story is a great reminder for us to have eyes like Christ, always on the lookout for opportunities to care physically and spiritually for those in our path.

A SILLY QUESTION

With the approaching crowd, Jesus turned to Philip and asked, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” (v. 5)

Philip responds, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little” (v. 7). This is what I think Philip meant, because this is how I would have responded: “You have got to be kidding me, Jesus! Do you see the size of the crowd? We don’t have that kind of money. There’s just no way this is going to happen!”

But Jesus knew exactly what he was doing when he asked Philip the question, and right on cue, Andrew located a boy carrying around a basket with five barley loaves and two fish. Just like Philip before him, Andrew analyzed the scenario with great doubt and asked, “But what are they for so many?” (v. 9)

REMEMBER THE BOY

One of the reasons I started this “Stories of Faith” series was to focus on the minor and seemingly insignificant characters in Scripture. Whenever we learn about the feeding of the five thousand, we typically hear about Jesus, the crowd or the disciples, but we neglect this central character. His story teaches us so much.

No one in the crowd would have thought that this boy mattered. No one would have imagined that what he was carrying in his little basket would not only be the provision of the moment, but the basis of one of the most significant sermons Jesus ever preached.

This was one little boy in the crowd, with a little bit of seafood and bread, but he had been chosen by God to be a significant piece of the Messiah’s redemptive plan not only for that day, but for the rest of human history.

Continue

Kurt Warner: Football Hall of Fame Inductee and Lover of Jesus

By
Meredee Berg
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communicating with the unchurched

As former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, he concluded his speech with a final thank-you to the one who “has left the deepest mark and has become the cornerstone of my life.”

He went on to describe a moment early in his career after his Super Bowl XXXIV win when he had the opportunity to stand at a podium in front of millions of people and thank Jesus for everything he had done. “Now many felt I was thanking him for orchestrating a Super Bowl win, or making my passes fly straighter, or causing my opponents to make more mistakes,” he explained.

But Warner made clear that those people were wrong. What he was really thanking God for were the trials that had prepared him for that moment and that platform—for showing him that with God, the impossible becomes possible. He truly believed that God had chosen him for a once-in-a-lifetime role.

Warner accepted Christ at 25 years old and realized that he was meant for more than touchdown passes and winning football games. Since that time, he has been known for his faith in God and good deeds off the field, making him simultaneously beloved and shunned throughout his NFL career. Nevertheless, the athlete made sure to use what might be his final major platform to once again point people to Christ and bring glory to his Savior.

“Now, love it or hate it, that opening scene captured the imagination of the sports world, and the words became the heart of my story. The rest, as they say, is history. Bringing us to this: the famous last words. And the only place this extraordinary journey can end. His final moment was for me, mine is for him. Thank you, Jesus,” Warner concluded.

Warner played 12 seasons in the NFL and was a two-time MVP. Since retiring, he and his wife, Brenda, have continued serving others with the First Things First Foundation, a non-profit public charity dedicated to impacting lives by promoting Christian values.

Watch the full acceptance speech here.

Warner isn’t the only NFL player who loves Jesus. Derek Carr has been vocal about his faith and his desire to follow God. Tony Romo has spoken at his church’s youth group, while rookie Seth DeValve’s faith compels him to take a knee.

10 Characteristics of Generation Z

By
Shane Pruitt
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communicating with the unchurched

There is old saying, “The human race is always one generation away from extinction.” Meaning, if we don’t reproduce, then we die. Of course, we know that God is sovereign and that He has a will, a plan and a purpose that He will see through. However, on a practical level, the same can be said for the local church. We are always one generation away from extinction. If we don’t reproduce, we die. If we don’t reach the next generation, we cease to exist.

With this in mind, it brings us to the generation that churches must turn some attention to—Generation Z.

Who is considered Generation Z? Most researchers say anyone born from the year 2001 on is now currently a part of Generation Z. However, others believe that September 11, 2001, was so profound on the psyche of all who were alive at the time that they believe a new generation should be marked after that date. I personally tend to agree with this view. So, according to this definition, Generation Z would include anyone born from September 12, 2001, to today—roughly those who are currently in high school and younger.

Of course, like any generational assessment, this extremely broad group will be vastly different in a lot of areas. However, after being in front of tens of thousands of these students every year, I want to offer a list of 10 defining characteristics I’ve seen in them. Keep in mind, the jury is still out: while these attributes are on the radar screen now, the students are still young, and change is always a reality.

  1. REALIST – Most students I’ve met are “down-to-earth” and very “self-aware.” They are not as overly idealistic as their older Millennial brothers and sisters. They are aware to the reality of ever-changing threat levels caused by terrorism, the ups and downs of the economy, and they don’t want to carry the same generalized labels of the previous Millennial generation.
  2. VISUAL – For most students, the most preferred communication method has become more and more image-based: emojis, logos, GIFs and memes. The most popular social media platforms for this generation are Snapchat and Instagram—completely image-based. Images break down language barriers. Visuals are also the way in which the brain processes information best.
  3. TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN – Most students are completely reliant on technology. If you thought Millennials were bad, you haven’t seen anything yet! Most students would rather have a digital conversation than a real-life discussion. They’ll respond to text-messages before they return a phone call. Handwritten notes are torture! Because they’re always online, they can find answers to questions in warp speed. These students can multitask across a few different screens or monitors at once. It’s a challenge to put down our phones, even for 10 minutes to eat lunch. Their smart-phone is equivalent to food, water and shelter. They cannot imagine living without being connected all the time. When you pull their phone away, you have just pulled away their complete source of knowledge and connectedness. They have never known a world without a smart-phone or tablet. It is their pacifier.
  4. CREATORS – According to Business Insider, 76 percent of Gen Z members are aiming to create jobs out of their hobbies. For this reason, we may see a lot of entrepreneurs come out of this generation. This generation will be open to established careers, if they have the freedom to invent, customize and feel like their career will help change the world around them. In an EY.com interview, Walsh spoke of the gig economy: “One of the most profound changes for organizations is that most people will not be working for any particular company full time. In the United States last year, some 15.5 million people declared themselves freelance. By 2020, some 40 percentof the U.S. workforce is expected to be freelancers.” This changes the way organizations communicate with their hires, as well as the reliance on external resources.
  5. STRESSED – These students seemed to be more stressed at an earlier age than previous generations. They worry about their online persona, the environment, their education, obligations and hobbies because ultimately that’s how realists operate. However, Generation Z is willing to do something about it. They’d choose stand and do, rather than sit and listen.
  6. SEEK QUALITY – Quality over quantity is the name of Generation Z’s game. Less is more. They’re incredibly selective in the products of choice, making it painstakingly tedious for advertising marketers to get through to them. They’re likely to know ratings of products, restaurants and movies before adults do. They’ve already seen an Amazon add or YouTube video about it, before they ever head to the store.
  7. TRANSPARENT – In the minds of these students, there is no room for a lack of authenticity. They have no patience for slick presentations and false personas. They can usually spot exaggerations, inaccuracies and “holier-than-thou” attitudes. In preaching, the more raw, transparent and vulnerable the communicator is, the more Gen Z will connect. There was a time when preachers were told not to use themselves in personal illustrations; however, this generation wants to hear those personal stories as long as you don’t always make yourself the hero in your stories.
  8. CHALLENGERS – This generation is pushing the boundaries in nearly every area of life. At the same time, they seem to be more respectful than their older Millennial siblings. They want to work hard and see results, but they also want to make a difference. These students are breaking the stereotypes and reacting against the negative generalizations given to Millennials. They care more about the mission of the organization, business or church than they do anything else.
  9. ACCEPTING – Most of these students are growing up in an era where social norms have shifted dramatically. Gay is no longer secret and taboo. Transgender is no longer an urban legend or myth. They’ve seen it, are surrounded by it, and it has become personal. In the eyes of this generation, you’re not talking about issues and agendas, you’re talking about Sarah and John. The playground bully is “uncool” and not tolerated, while the “nerds and geeks” are the “cool kids.” It’s more about how culturally aware you are, how many followers on social media you have, what online celebrities you know, and what social causes you support.
  10. GOSPEL-HUNGRY – This generation is globally minded and want their lives to matter. They are fully aware of their imperfections, evil, hate and injustices. They are an addicted generation, and are looking for solutions, answers and impact. They’re not scared to die young; however, they are terrified to die at a ripe-old-age and have done nothing significant with their lives in their own eyes. As with every generation, the gospel is the answer, and nothing is more impactful than kingdom living!

Generation Z is a hopeful generation. They’re realists, influencers, transparent and hungry for something more than what they have. These have the best of the best at their hands, and they’ve had it their whole life. However, they’re also seeking something more. At the end of the day, Generation Z represents people made in the image of God that desperately need the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be discipled by older brothers and sisters in the faith. Titus 2 can be our guide.

This article originally appeared here.

5 Essential Practices of a 21st Century Small Group Ministry

By
Mark Howell
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communicating with the unchurched

“Hey Mark…you do know it’s 2017, right? It’s been the 21st century for like…17 years.”

Yes, I do know that. I also know that one of the most common reasons small group ministries struggle is that they are using a design that would have been awesome in the 20th century.

That’s right. The single most common reason small group ministries struggle has to do with a 20th-century design.

Want to build a small group ministry for the 21st century? I think there are at least 5 essential practices that must be installed.

5 ESSENTIAL PRACTICES OF A 21ST CENTURY SMALL GROUP MINISTRY

First, prioritize the needs and interests of unconnected people.

Too often we’re spending our energy trying to satisfy the interests of the already connected at the expense of the unconnected. If you want what you’re doing in the 21st century to matter, you must develop an others-first mentality.

How might that be different than what you’re doing now? Several changes come to mind:

  • When you’re choosing topics for church-wide campaigns (or other first steps into community), pay close attention to who it really is designed to interest.
  • Don’t overlook the attendance patterns of unconnected people. Remember, unconnected people are almost always infrequent attenders. This must affect your promotion strategy (its frequency, its placement and its wording).
  • Expand connecting opportunities to strategies that meet needs beyond simply joining a group. Topics like marriage and dating, parenting, and finances are just a few that can be excellent first steps for the crowd and community.

See also Preoccupied With the Needs and Interests of the Right People.

Second, look for leaders who are closer to the edge of your congregation.

If you want to connect beyond the usual suspects, you’ve got to find ways to identify, recruit and develop potential leaders from the outer edges of the congregation and inner edges of the crowd. Why? Two reasons quickly come to mind:

  • The most connected people in your church have the fewest connections outside the core and committed. The least connected people in your church have the most connections in the crowd and community.
  • Standard operating procedure in the 20th century was to look for leaders with small group experience (i.e., people who were already apprentice leaders, current or former members of a group). The truth today is that the largest number of the most qualified potential leaders are not currently in a group.

The small group connection strategy is one example of this kind of strategy. The host strategy coupled with a church-wide campaign is another example. Both strategies implemented correctly are designed to produce unexpected leaders. See also The X Factor Is Near the Edge

Third, characterize connected in community as normal.

If you want to connect way beyond the average adult weekend attendance, you’ll need to leave behind the idea that small group involvement is somehow extracurricular, a menu choice, heroic or sacrificial. Instead, grouplife must be seen as an ordinary part of the Christ-follower pattern.

Clearly, it must be seen as normal for everyone (senior pastors, staff and leadership can’t be exceptions). Telling stories about the benefits of being connected in community must be leveraged.

See also Top 10 Reasons Saddleback Has Connected Over 130% in Small Groups.

Fourth, integrate discipleship into the ordinary grouplife experience.

Not a class or an elective, discipleship must become factory installed. Not an add on. Not an upgrade. Built into the ordinary function of every small group.

Connected in community must lead directly and without exception to growing in Christ. The idea that small groups are about fellowship (connecting) and another experience (a program) would be about discipleship (growing) is a relic of the 20th century (and maybe the 19th century).

See also Diagnosing Your Discipleship Strategy

Finally, design grouplife to function as both next step and first step.

It becomes more likely every day that first steps will happen outside of the weekend service. Come over for dinner is easier than come with me to church. At the same time, since the optimal environment for life-change is a small group (not listening to the pastor’s sermon or Bible teaching in an ABF), next steps must be built into the life of the group I’m already in.

See also Next Steps for Everyone and First Steps for Their Friends.

What do you think? Have a question? Want to argue? You can click here to jump into the conversation.

This article originally appeared here.

This Thing No One Talks About Is Having a Huge Effect on Worship

By
Worship Cohort
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communicating with the unchurched

A couple of years ago, I attended a large, super savvy ministry conference with musical worship led by some of the most influential worship leaders of our day. The quality of production for the conference was top notch. But when it came time to participate in corporate worship, the room in which we gathered was so dark that one could scarcely see anything. I remember one moment at which I was particularly moved by the heartfelt singing that reverberated through the sea of people all around me, but as I looked around me to see others lifting up their sung-praise to the Lord, all I saw was pitch darkness. Were it not for the sound of voices, I would have felt totally alone in the room.

This practice is common among churches today. Corporate worship often takes place in a dark room. When the music gets going, the stage lights come up and the house lights go on black-out mode. But, please permit me to ask, What does this communicate to the congregation? What exactly are we saying about the nature of corporate worship when create environments in which we can’t even see other worshipers? Do blacked out house lights imply that Christian worship is a privatized encounter—just me and Jesus? And if so, could it be that this practice could perpetuate a consumeristic attitude about attending church?

A Horizontal Ministry

Scripture teaches that corporate worship is a ministry with an extremely important, yet commonly under-emphasized, horizontal component; meaning that going to church isn’t just an encounter between me and God, but also an encounter with the assembled people of his covenant. Without diminishing the highly important “me-and-God” dimension of the worship experience, I’d like to accentuate the others-oriented nature of the gathering in order that we might faithfully apply it to the stewardship of lighting among our congregations today.

When considering the concept of worship from a biblical standpoint, we must understand that it can never be divorced from the concept of edification. Edification (or the “building up” of others) is a vital component in any worship gathering. Just consider what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:12: “Strive to excel in building up the church.” And again in verse 26: “Let all things be done for building up.” The apostle is speaking here to the difficulties among the Corinthian church pertaining to their practices of corporate worship. He was admonishing them to adopt an others-oriented approach to their gatherings rather than the self-indulgent practices they had so carelessly and carnally assumed. In Paul’s mind, corporate worship should always serve the greater good of the congregation.

Let’s consider some other New Testament teachings about corporate worship from Paul and the other apostles. Here are just a few more passages that deal with the gathering of the church:

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:5-7)

“… speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16)

“… be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:18-21)

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Hopefully you’re seeing the common theme woven throughout the New Testament’s theology of corporate worship; that it is an extremely others-oriented enterprise. As our attention is being captivated by the glory of the triune God, we are also being given a Gospel-generated incentive to consider what the highest good of those around us might be. Therefore, when we gather for worship on the Lord’s Day, we must simultaneously gather to edify the church in the Gospel of Christ by the power of the Spirit. Apart from a robustly biblical view of edification, the true nature of corporate worship as taught by the apostles is in danger of being obstructed and obscured.

Re-Thinking Our Practices

When we grasp this vital component of Christian worship, the Gospel begins to motivate us to adopt practices that facilitate greater edification among the Body of Christ, which includes our utilization of both stage and house lighting. My purpose in writing this isn’t to tell you what I think you should do with your lighting, but rather to consider what God would have you do with it based on what he has revealed about the nature of corporate worship in his inspired Word.

So, far from harping about some list of guidelines to follow for more careful use of lighting, this is a clarion call to think biblically about the stewardship of your lighting resources. As you go to the Word, allow it to re-frame your line of questioning about ministry practices to be less about having a “cool factor” and more about deeper faithfulness to the things of God. Ask yourself, Does a pitch black room communicate the others-oriented nature of corporate worship? Does worshiping God in the dark isolate people from those whom they have a biblical mandate to edify? Does the stewardship of our lighting resources reflect God’s purposes for corporate worship?

These are difficult questions to wrestle with and, from context to context, the answers aren’t always as obvious as we’d like. But as you consider such questions and their ramifications, appeal to the Scriptures and immerse yourself in the wisdom of God. Drink deeply of his Word and think biblically about your practices of corporate worship. Ask leaders from other churches for their input. Have ongoing dialogue with your lead pastor. If you will do the hard work of humbling yourself before the Lord and submitting your ministry to his wisdom, he will form you to be a leader who honors King Jesus and edifies the church he purchased by his blood.

 This article originally appeared here.

Worshiping a Golden Calf on Sunday Morning Is Deceptively Easy

By
Jared C. Wilson
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communicating with the unchurched

“Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God.”
-1 Chron. 22:19

All sin is idolatry because every sin is an exercise in trust of something or someone other than the one true God to satisfy, fulfill or bless. It is not difficult to see how violations of commandments two through 10 are automatic violations of commandment one. This truth reveals that the hottest “worship war” going is the one taking place daily in the sanctuary of our own hearts. But we must wage this war because none of us is a bystander to idol worship.

In Isaiah 44:12–17, we find a powerful and revelatory description of just how easy it is to slip into idolatry. We see in the passage that ironsmiths are simply working their tools over the coals, fashioning them with their hammers. Carpenters measure out cuts and notches. Artists capture the physical form in sketches and sculpture. Men chop down trees to build houses, then they plant more trees to replace them. They build fire, bake bread. Ah, look at what we’ve created.

The transition is seamless from everyday, workaday living to “he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it” (v. 15). Of the same fire he has used for warmth and cooking, the workman says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” (v. 17).

The move is subtle. The switch from ordinary human achievement to blasphemy requires no explanation. It just flat out happens. Isaiah 44:12–17 demonstrates that there is only one step to becoming an idolater, and it is simply to mind your own business.

The implication for our churches is huge. On Sundays, our sanctuaries fill with people seeking worship, and not one person comes in set to neutral. We must take great care, then, not to assume that even in our religious environments, where we put the Scriptures under so many noses, that it is Jesus the exalted Christ who is being worshiped.

Every weekend in churches everywhere, music is performed to the glory of human skill and artistry. Once upon a time, I sat through a little ditty in a church service in which the congregation was led to sing, “I can change the world with these two hands,” and the question struck me like a lightning bolt: “Who exactly am I worshiping right now?”

Likewise, every weekend men and women file into church buildings in order to exult in the rhetorical skill of their preacher, to admire him and think of their church as his church, not Christ’s church. Many of us file in each week to enjoy the conspicuous spiritual exercises of our brethren. We worship the worship experience; we tithe with expectation of return from heaven’s slot machine; we dress to impress; and we serve and lead to compensate for the inadequacies in our hearts that only Christ can fill. Every weekend, hundreds of preachers extol a therapeutic gospel from the pages of the same Bible where the real gospel lies. We Reformed are not exempt, as too often our affections are poured totally into doctrine with only vague admiration reserved for doctrine’s Author.

A church will become idolatrous in a heartbeat because it’s already there. So, we cannot set our worship on autopilot. We cannot mistake the appearance of busy religiosity for worship in spirit and truth. We see in Exodus 32:5 that even the worshipers of the golden calf ascribed their worship to the covenant Lord Yahweh.

The gospel imperative, then, is to return again and again to the gospel indicative. Our first duty is “gospel obedience” (Rom. 10:16; 2 Thess. 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17), which is to stand at attention to Christ upon the gospel’s “tenhut.” Our hearts and minds flow through the rut of idolatry, but the deliberate proclamation of Jesus at every possible turn will force us off our idolatrous course. Martin Luther advises us:

I must take counsel of the gospel. I must hearken to the gospel, which teacheth me, not what I ought to do (for that is the proper office of the law), but what Jesus Christ the Son of God hath done for me: to wit, that He suffered and died to deliver me from sin and death. The gospel willeth me to receive this, and to believe it. And this is the truth of the gospel. It is also the principal article of all Christian doctrine, wherein the knowledge of all godliness consisteth. Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually.

Tim Keller elaborates: “So Luther says that even after you are converted by the gospel your heart will go back to operating on other principles unless you deliberately, repeatedly set it to gospel-mode.”

The proclamation of the good news of Jesus and the extolling of His eternal excellencies is always an interruption, always a disruption. It alone will bring the sword of division between where even our religious hearts are set and where they ought to be. For this reason, we cannot go about minding our own business any more. We must mind God’s (Col. 3:1–4).

This article originally appeared here.

Why You Should Pray for Your Local Community College

By
Michael Guyer
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communicating with the unchurched

School is back in session. Students are gearing up for a busy Fall schedule complete with class, football games and campus-wide events. They are learning the customs and traditions of their schools. Their parents have raided the campus bookstore for the most recent school apparel and gear. Freshman are getting the hang of dorm life and learning to navigate the campus.

And then there’s the local community college.

Community college is different. The school vibe is not the same. The excitement is not brimming over and clothing options are not as expansive in the campus bookstore. There may be a campus-wide welcome event but it’s an hour after a student’s last class is over, so they have already headed home for the day or are off to work. Many students are just as eager to jump into their classes and pursue their degree as any other college student. However, there are many who are eager to be done because they did not plan on being at community college or at least hope their time there goes by as quickly as possible. Mixed in with these students are non-traditional college students who are coming back to finish an associate’s degree, to get further training for the workforce, or to start a second career.

Community college may be different, but it is no less a place of mission. It has no less potential for seeing a move of God that transforms the lives of students and sees them sent on mission into all of life.

Today I walked around our local community college with this on my mind. This is my prayer for my local community college and for every community college.

Heavenly Father,

You know the needs of every student on this campus. You know those who wish they weren’t here and those who couldn’t be happier to be here. You know those who are getting training to start a job and those who need credits before they transfer. You know the paths they will take and the plans you have for them. Some of them are looking to you and waiting. Others are looking beyond you or have turned away from you. Would you be gracious enough to meet them where they are?

Deepen and define the desires of their hearts and the skills of their hands. Direct their paths and give wisdom for the decisions they face, whether it be what job to take and where to transfer. Keep them from discouragement when they wish they weren’t here. Guard them from despair when their plans don’t work out. Let this season of preparation or waiting be a season in which you show up in their lives. Draw those who don’t know you to saving faith in Jesus Christ and transform their perspective on their education and work. Draw those who do know you closer to yourself, sustaining them by your grace and showing them your purposes for their life—both now and in the future.

Continue

Foreign Missions in Your Own Hometown

By
Dr. Andy Johnson
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communicating with the unchurched

International Missions Might Be Right on Your Doorstep

Many of us don’t have to board international flights to reach people from other religions and cultures. We just need to open our eyes, look around and engage the nations in our own cities and towns. Strangely, gospel work right here at home can seem more daunting than a two-week trip around the globe. Many people just don’t know where to start, where to find unreached populations, or how to engage them with the gospel. But if we are spending good effort to see the gospel taken to places distant from us, it makes sense to notice the people that God has brought to our own doorsteps.

1. Research.

A first step is to find out who from other cultures and ethnic groups live in your area. This is as simple as opening your eyes as you drive around different parts of your city. Are there a lot of “Halal” food markets in a part of town near you? Chances are you have Muslim neighbors. Visiting ethnic grocery stores can be an especially good way to learn about and connect with specific ethnic or religious communities. These markets often have bulletin boards with information about events, festivals and community needs that might provide opportunities to find out more and build relationships. Of course, just doing some straightforward online demographic research about your community can be easy and useful too.

2. Take initiative.

Whatever you discover about your community, it will generally take initiative and encouragement to get your congregation engaged. In my local church we concluded that the main population of internationals in our vicinity was students. So we began to pray occasionally in our public prayer meetings that God would allow us to reach international students with the gospel.

Reliance on God in prayer, however, is not the enemy of human initiative. One of our elders took initiative too. He sat down with a fellow church member who had himself been converted as an international student from Singapore while in London. This young man began hosting a Bible study for international students to model and encourage this outreach. Over time it developed into English-language classes on two local university campuses and a network of church members meeting one-on-one with students interested in studying the Bible in English. Ultimately more than 50 church members were meeting each week to explore the Bible with students from countries where evangelism is severely restricted.

3. Try different things.

What might that look like in your own congregation? It could mean hosting English classes at your church, or members joining local adult soccer clubs dominated by internationals. Or connecting with efforts to resettle refugees, or volunteering to meet newly arriving international students at the airport. Each of these can be a great entry point. But the best way to reach out to internationals may just be your friendliness and openness when you bump into them in shops, on the street or in your neighborhood.

4. Talk to people.

One member of our church met a Muslim woman who’d begun working in the shop where she had her hair styled. During their very first meeting the Christian woman mentioned she was getting her hair done for a friend’s wedding. Then she asked the Muslim woman—clearly new to our country—if she had ever been to a Christian wedding. She had not. So right then and there this Christian invited the woman to join her for the wedding at our church that weekend. The woman came, she heard the gospel and a new friendship was born. It can be as easy as that.

5. Practice international hospitality.

Most visitors and recent immigrants are naturally eager to meet locals and understand the local culture. Sadly, it’s often reported that 80 percent of international students never see the inside of an American home during their stay. Long-term immigrants seem to fare only a little better. This is a great opportunity for Christians to exercise hospitality. Holidays are especially good times to do this. Nearly every major holiday, our family has at least one or two international students join us for a meal. In the process, we are able to share with them our supreme thanks for the grace God has extended to us in Christ, as well as expose them to some pretty amusing food and cultural traditions.

6. Prepare to be patient.

However you go about pursuing relationships with internationals, you should recognize some of the challenges involved. For starters, the time expectations of internationals can sometimes take Americans by surprise. Other cultures often have much greater time expectations for friendships. You need to be prepared and willing to educate your international friends about your culture by kindly setting boundaries that are appropriate for you and your family.

You’ll also need a great deal of patience for long-term investment in relationships. Often a lot of underbrush needs to be cleared away before the gospel begins to take root. North American culture is far from Christian, but it does seem that many North Americans have some passing affinity for the gospel, whether through parents, relatives or friends. And there is at least some cultural fluency with gospel ideas, even if twisted.

But for many of our friends from other cultures, there is none of that. They may have never known a Christian before and may have no affinity for the Bible or the gospel. Persons from Muslim or some Hindu communities may even have been taught to hate Christians and the Bible. Or your international friends may have come from a radically secular culture, as in much of China, where theistic belief is equated with mental deficiency. God can and will do whatever he pleases, but in the normal course of things, it usually takes a good bit of time and patience to work through the questions that these cultural hurdles create. But the fruit is worth the effort.

This article originally appeared here.

Real Christians Know Their Neighbors

By
Jarrid Wilson
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communicating with the unchurched

Do you know your neighbors? Every day we run across people who are working at gas stations, flipping burgers, working at nail salons and wiping down tables. Imagine if we all took a second out of our day to learn their names, ask how we can pray for them, and intentionally make it a point to come back and see them again. Now, you might be thinking, that’s kind of weird and overbearing. But it’s actually reflecting a vibrant image of Jesus Christ. So, yes—it is weird, if by weird you mean different.

As Christ-followers, we are called to be different from the rest of the world and to love people without limits. That’s surely something this world isn’t used to. In the same way we show love to our friends, family and coworkers, we need to be extending that same love and compassion to the people we come across casually in our everyday lives. At one point in time, every friend was a stranger. Love changed that. This type of love will only work if it is intentional, selfless and nontransactional. In order for us to begin a lifestyle of love, we must be intentional about giving it.

“The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” —Mark 12:31

It will blow you away to see how the most unlikely of people can become the closest of friends, all through the act of intentional love. What’s the difference between being the church and simply inviting people to one? It’s showing relentless love. This will let us see every place, from the gas station to the grocery store, with an entirely new set of eyes. Before we love, though, we must get to know people. Knowing your neighbor is slowly becoming a faded concept, perhaps because while many people in this world truly yearn for the love and affection friendship brings, many of us are putting our own agendas before the needs of others.

We are pulling through the drive-through in a hurry to get to work, rather than sharing a kind word. We are brushing by people on our way to somewhere else “urgent,” and maybe even getting too attached to our “me time.” When we put others before ourselves, we are directly telling them that we love and value their lives. This might mean taking time out of your busy schedule to stop and let someone know how much you appreciate his or her hard work, or even paying for the coffee of the person behind you.

For some people, this might be exactly what they needed to keep from giving up, quitting the job they feel unappreciated at, or even endangering their own lives. So next time you have to make a decision between keeping things running smoothly with your day or showing love, try showing and see what a difference it makes.

Real Christians know their neighbors. Real Christians go out of their way to meet people in need, shake their hands and turn strangers into friends.

This was an excerpt from Jarrid Wilson’s book Jesus Swagger—Break Free From Poser Christianity. 

This article originally appeared here.

Snoop Dogg Is Releasing a Gospel Album. This Is Why the Local Church Should Care

By
Megan Briggs
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Snoop Dogg
Source: Wikipedia

The infamous rapper Snoop Dogg may not be the first person you think of when you think about Gospel music. That may change very soon, as the rapper is producing his first gospel album.

“It’s always been on my heart, I just never got around to it ’cause I always be doing gangster business or doin’ this or doin’ that,” the 45-year-old rapper said in a radio interview.

While it’s not clear whether Snoop Dogg’s voice will be on the yet-to-be-released album, it will feature singers like Patti Labelle. In an interview with Beats 1, Snoop mentioned other big names like Faith Evans, Charlie Wilson and Jeffrey Osborne.

Snoop Dogg the Gospel Music Producer (?)

The album (or probably, more likely, its producer) is bound to get some flack from the church. Snoop Dogg is no saint, in fact we don’t recommend looking up his music videos or the rap albums he’s made over the years. However, he is talented at mixing beats and his time in the music industry has allowed him to rub shoulders with some really talented gospel singers.

Snoop Dogg’s mother has a vested interest in the album. Beverly Broads Green is an ordained evangelist whose work focuses on helping at-risk youth succeed in school. Snoop Dogg reached out to his mother to ask for her blessing on the album, which he received via text message. The rapper posted the text on Instagram as a way of announcing his intentions to go forward with the project.

Confirmation 🙏🏾🌹

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on

Why Should the Church Care?

Herein lies the controversy that the church has stumbled over time and again: How do we react to celebrities who thank God for awards or name their children after Bible characters or claim their faith pulled them through a difficult time, and then turn around and live a “Hollywood lifestyle”?

Could it be that this man, who has walked a hard road and has produced some of the most questionable content our culture has seen these last couple decades, is seeking God? I think it’s entirely possible—perhaps even plausible considering he has a mother, active in the faith, who is praying for him and has likely been praying for him from the start.

An Opportunity for the Church

I think it matters how the church responds to the album. There are a few things I hope we can keep in mind as the album releases and people start talking about it. One of which being there are going to be Snoop fans who don’t know Jesus and will listen to the album. Let’s not turn them off to the church by criticizing the album or its producer.

This album may also present an opportunity for the church. While other rappers like Lecrae or Kirk Franklin may have a more Christian audience, Snoop doesn’t necessarily. Which means people who have never heard gospel music may hear it for the first time. They may be moved to find out more about Jesus and his church through this music. They may even come to visit your church.

The question is: What will they find when they come? Judgmental people who care more about what they were smoking in the car than they do about the state of a fellow human being’s soul? Or will they find the compassion of Christ in another person?

I hope we can answer this question correctly, Church. I hope we can hope the best for Snoop and his family. I hope we can get over ourselves and the rules we sometimes care about more than the people who break them. Most of all, I hope Snoop finds the love of Christ in His people and in the words he is producing.

7 Ways to Influence Church Leaders to Partner With Parents

By
Phil Bell
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communicating with the unchurched

You’ve likely heard it said that our time with kids and students is getting shorter in an increasingly busy extra curricular culture. Parents however, still have the greatest influence with their kids, While what we do on a Sunday or midweek program is vital, it’s imperative that we make a shift in our time and resources to help parents to succeed at home. But, it’s not entirely up to us, is it?

Influencing church leadership to embrace a vision of reaching the whole family is critical. After all, your leaders set the direction of the church. And if the church employs you, it’s likely you will have to get them to buy into partnering with parents. But that’s not always easy to do! Team Up! The Family Ministry Playbook for Partnering with Parents.

Here’s the question I get asked a whole lot! How can I get buy-in from my pastor or church leaders to reallocate my time and resources to partner with parents? 

While it can often feel like climbing a mountain alone, there are some practical and tactical steps you can take to gain buy-in from those who lead us: 

  1. Focus on Your Job Description First. It doesn’t matter if you are a volunteer or full-time, the leaders in your church see your primary responsibility to invest in children or students (or both). We have to remember that the idea of partnering with parents, and the titles of “Next Generation” or “Family Life Pastors,” is foreign to many leaders in the church. We also have to consider that there is a certain way children’s and youth ministry has been done over the years. Therefore, it is essential that we gain influence first by doing a great job in the role that we were called to. It can take two or more years to establish a healthy ministry before partnering with parents can truly become a focus. While this might be frustrating, it doesn’t mean you can’t infuse partnering with parents into your role, it just might take a little longer to arrive…
  2. Pursue Healthy Conversations. Part of our role is to constantly find ways to passionately talk up the need and vision to partner with parents. However, in my experience it is crucial to pursue conversations that are positive and filled with great reasons why, as opposed to criticizing what the church is missing out on. In pursuing healthy conversations with the decision makers in your church, keep in mind that they are usually managing multiple people, plans and ideas. Therefore, ensure that you come prepared.
  3. Own the Vision. Can you articulate why it’s essential to partner with parents in a sentence or two? Can you provide a biblical basis along with specific examples of how partnering with parents is more effective? Chapter 4 in my book provides a clear vision for you to articulate. If you need help in this area, consider picking up a copy.
  4. Have a Strategy. One of the greatest shortcomings in my early days was not having a good strategy that other leaders could support. Having a strategy that includes a timeline and specific steps showing a progression of implementation is crucial.
  5. Share Stories. A story of life change is always going to be the most effective way to cast vision with leaders in the local church. We all want to know one thing. Does it work? Providing stories of how partnering with parents is making your ministry more effective and how it is helping parents to be more effective is so crucial. It ultimately serves as a crucial way to cast vision for leaders.
  6. Request “Stage Time.” I am very fortunate in my church when it comes to my senior leaders supporting the vision to partner with parents. It’s not difficult to ask for opportunities to cast the vision in the overall church. However, this has not always been the case. Even though there are always so many events to be promoted and given stage time, it shouldn’t mean that we do not ask. As long as we don’t come across as whiney kids, you and I might be surprised by the opportunities that come our way.
  7. Commit to the Long Haul. One of the greatest ways you and I can influence leadership to capture a vision for partnering with parents is longevity. When you have been around for a while and you have a track record of “getting your job done” as well as having gained trust with key leaders, longevity brings influence.

What would you add to this list? How much “buy-in” do you have with your church leadership to truly partner with parents? Is it just an add on, or is it something that is weaved into your role? Who are the leaders and influencers you need to connect with this week to discuss your vision to reach the whole family?

This article originally appeared here.

7 Subtle Ways Couples Drift Apart

By
Dave Willis
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communicating with the unchurched

I have some good friends who are experiencing ongoing tension in their marriage. They seem stuck in a frustrating cycle of miscommunication, hurt feelings and sadness. More than once they’ve talked seriously about throwing in the towel and going their separate ways. They’ve drifted apart and they don’t know where they went wrong or how to fix it. 

As I’ve interacted with married couples from all over the world, I’ve observed that my friends’ situation isn’t unique. MANY couples experience this same cycle that leads to feelings of hopelessness, and it can make the option of divorce appear like an attractive fresh start instead of a devastating last resort.

I’ve started trying to answer the question: Why Does This Happen? Why do couples who at one time were strong, united and happy flounder into feeling disconnected and more like adversaries than partners? There are many factors that can contribute to this, but below I’ve listed out some of the most common (plus ways to correct the problem and start growing closer together). Before reading the list, please click HERE to get our free ebook that could help you build a stronger marriage.

Here are seven of the most common reasons couples drift apart and what you can do to prevent (or correct) these issues in your own marriage (in no particular order):

1. TOUCHING each other LESS often and not prioritizing sexual intimacy and/or physical affection. 

sad couple in bed

When a couple doesn’t touch often, it can be a big warning sign that dangerous “drift” is taking place. Couples needs to intentionally stay connected on every level (emotionally, physically, etc.). If you’re making love much less than you used to or you don’t hold hands much anymore or don’t have flirtatious affection anymore, please take action before it’s too late. Our 7-Day Marriage Challenge could help reignite the spark if you need a good place to start.

#2 is a huge problem with so many couples and something I’ve struggled with personally…

Continue

How to Help Your Church See KidMin Is NOT Babysitting

By
Missy McKinnon
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communicating with the unchurched

It just really irks me when people call my KidMin a daycare or babysitting.

This just happened last weekend. Thankfully I did not hear it, but another teacher told me about this exchange. A parent was showing their friends who were first-time visitors where our Kids Ministry met. He introduced it by saying, “This is where the daycare is.”

Thankfully, I did not hear him, or I think actual steam might have escaped through my ears. I actually went home and cried a little.

I do so much more than babysit a bunch of kids so that their parents can go and sit in the adult service.

I schedule and train our volunteers, I train up kids in ministry, I pray for every kid that enters into our building, and I study and prepare messages.

So it made me think, I can continue with my pity party crying about how no one believes in my ministry like I do, or I can actually do something about it.

So, how do I transfer my heart for kids to the whole church?

I can think of several ways, in order of awesomeness:

1. Kids Take Over Service.

Now, I have found this to be the most effective. The most bang for your buck, so they say. Ask your pastor for a chance to take over the whole service. If you have a worship team in your KidMin, have them do the worship. If not, you could ask the worship team to learn one or two of the songs that you do in your KidMin. You would be surprized how many adults will enter in with kid’s songs. Puppets, object lesson, drama skit, whatever you do in your KidMin, do it in the sanctuary with all the adults. The whole shebang! This is a great way to show your whole church the vision that you have for your KidMin.

As a plus, this is also a great way to get some more volunteers.

Now, the key to this is that it needs to be quality. So make sure you practice, practice, practice, and when you feel like you’ve done enough, practice some more!

2. Kids song during the offering.

If your pastor is not up for a whole service take over, ask if you could just do the offering song or a small five-minute vision casting. This way you can still bring your ministry in front of the church without taking up a whole service. You could do an object lesson, have the kids sing a song, or just get up and talk about what you envision your KidMin to be.

This is a great way to just get up in front of the church. It is also a great way for people to see you. I know that I have a tendency to stay back in the KidMin room on Sunday mornings. But it is vital that the church people can see you out of the Kids Church as well.

3. Family Service.

If the above ideas do not work. You could do a Family Service. Plan this on a Friday night, or another night where there is not a competing service. You could do a whole service, from beginning to end, showing the parents that you do so much more than just babysit.

4. Parent Open House.

Have one weekend where you host an open house at all your weekend services. So, have a normal service, as usual, but invite the parents to stay in KidMin. This is another great way to:

A) have parents see your ministry without adding another service for you.

B) recruit more volunteers.

5. Coffee talks one-on-one

This could take a while to complete depending on the size of your church, but I love a good cup of coffee, so I am OK with it.

I think I might do this with the parent that made the comment about our KidMin being a daycare.

You can just sit down with them and tell them about your ministry. That it is so much more than just babysitting. This is also another great way to recruit volunteers!

Side note: It has never made sense to me to have a requirement for the parents to serve in KidMin. In my opinion, whatever it is worth, is that I want leaders in my KidMin who want to be there! I don’t just want a parent who is back there because they have to be. We could always use more volunteers, but I want them to want to be there.

When it really comes down to it, focus on your ministry. Don’t allow how people think to impact what your attitude toward them. Do the best you can and trust God will change hearts needing to be changed.

Should what parents think about kids’ ministry affect what I do?

The short answer is no, it shouldn’t because I am doing what God called me to do.

The long answer?

It exposed pride I had in myself and the kids ministry. So, maybe the person who needs a heart transplant is me.

How do you do heart transplants at your church?

This article originally appeared here.

Fake News, the Bible and the Beauty of God

By
Jono Hall
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communicating with the unchurched

“What is truth?” Pilate said enigmatically as he faced one of the most critical decisions of his life. I can’t help but feel Pilate would have a familiar feeling if he experienced the challenges that currently face our society.

The phrase “fake news” is being brandished as a weapon by people of all political persuasions to bash those of alternate views. Into this volatile mix individuals are intentionally posting clickbait throughout social media to get views and confuse, deceive and divide people even further. Now I don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories or political issues over Trump, Hillary or Brexit in this post, but I do think the current challenges are instructive to believers if we will learn the lesson.

The Battle for Truth in the Heavens

In Revelation 12 we are introduced to a heavenly battle that is going on between Michael and his angels and Satan. What is instructive is the nature of the warfare. We are reminded in verse nine that Satan “deceives the whole world,” then in verse 10 we are told that Satan is the “accuser of our brothers, who accused them before our God day and night.”

Now we know from the scene in the Garden of Eden that Satan’s warfare is focused on the nature of who God is and what He says, and we see this same battle continued when Jesus interacts with Satan in the desert. In both cases the deception that Satan uses is a subtle twisting of the words and intentions of God casting doubt about the nature of God. I think it is not a coincidence that the scene in front of the throne of God is a one of angels singing “Holy, holy, holy,” reaffirming the divine transcendence day and night, while at the same time the accuser is accusing day and night.

This affirmation of God’s transcendence is important, for what we are seeing here is not some sort of cosmic dualism—a battle between God and the devil. God is always far above any fight, He is sovereign forever. However, there is a battle for truth in how we trust God. Satan accuses and twists truth while the angels consistently reaffirm the truth in their songs.

The Battle on the Earth

I am convinced the battle for truth before the throne of God is mirrored on the earth. I often think one of the benefits of the house of prayer is the mirroring of the heavenly scene. As the singers and intercessors sing and pray the Scriptures in our little prayer room, they are proclaiming truth against the lies and accusations of the enemy. This is important because we are living in an age when fake news is not simply being spread about politicians. The age-old lies about who God is and what He says are alive and kicking.

It is a sad reality that the most neglected subject amongst the people of God is God Himself. If believers do not know who God is, His emotions, His ways and His story as it is revealed in Scripture, they remain infants in the faith and open to deception from many sources. While the Scriptures are challenged at every turn, most people are almost entirely illiterate when it comes to Christian Scripture.

A recent study in Britain of 1,100 parents showed that nearly half failed to identify Noah’s ark as being in the Bible, while more than one-third thought a Harry Potter plotline might have come from the Bible.1 The United States is in similar straits. In a recent article, George Gallup was quoted as saying:

Americans revere the Bible—but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.2

With such illiteracy concerning the Bible, it is not surprising when accusations come against Scriptures as being out of touch with our modern age, as innately bigoted or as unreliable. These accusations could not be further from the truth, but where are the messengers who know the truth, who live the truth and are not swayed by the latest accusations but rather can present the beautiful redeeming truth of God before others?

We have a conviction at IHOPKC to see such messengers arise, be it as preachers of the gospel, as worship leaders who have more influence than many credit in the ways that they can instruct and lead the people of God, or as filmmakers and media messengers. Deception is arising, it is clear, but we believe that God is raising those who have a forerunner assignment to prepare the people of God for maturity so that they can overcome in the midst of fake news.

There are many other places in the body of Christ in which training can happen, and we love and champion those brothers and sisters who have a similar passion. But if you feel a call to be strengthened in your faith and your ability to help equip the Body of Christ in the beauty of Jesus, check us out.

1. Washington Post, February 7, 2014.
2. albertmohler.com/2016/01/20/the-scandal-of-biblical-illiteracy-its-our-problem-4/

Question: How can you grow in knowledge of the truth?

This article originally appeared here.

9 Reasons Pastors Fail to Equip the Saints for Ministry

By
Eric McKiddie
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communicating with the unchurched

It’s not easy to put your philosophy of ministry into practice. Every seminary student cites Ephesians chapter 4 in their philosophy of ministry papers. Every book written on pastoral ministry exegetes this passage. And for good reason. It lays out the key ministry principle that the body of Christ works together to grow and mature in faith. It’s not just the pastor’s job, it’s everyone’s job.

But when the philosophical rubber meets the road of daily ministry, we spin our wheels. We don’t get traction. There’s water on the road of our church’s mission that prevents us from racing forward with kingdom work. The water is the church who remain unequipped for ministry.

3 reasons pastors fail to equip the saints

1. You don’t equip the saints to do the work, because you do it yourself. There are several reasons why we do this. Some of us have a messiah complex that makes us feel like better pastors if we have too much to do. As for me, I don’t like to invest the time at the front end of the delegating process. Often it’s faster in the short term if I just do the job myself. In the long term, it doesn’t work out so great.

2. You aren’t teaching your people how to join the work of the ministry. The teaching is the equipping. It’s no coincidence that each role listed in 4:11 is a teaching gift. Do you expect them to be able to engage in gospel ministry on their own? Do you think that it should be obvious to them that they need to get involved? Show them how to help and you may be surprised how many people start digging into ministry with you.

3. You are patronizing your people, rather than shepherding them. It’s possible for us to think we are maturing “them” when really we all mature in this process. It’s easy to think that we are the ones that know everything if we are the equippers. But Paul corrects this notion in 4:13, “until we all attain…” How have you grown in the past few months due to your role as an equipper?

3 reasons the saints fail to be equipped

1. They expect the pastors to do all the work instead of joining in. This is the consumer mentality: Their tithes pay the pastors to give them a spiritual product. We have to counteract this attitude. Show them their spiritual gifts, celebrate the priesthood of all believers, and teach them that the lowest person in the body of Christ is indispensable.

2. They don’t see their pastors as gifts from Jesus for their equipping, but rather as nags always asking for volunteers. Every fall, we spend a month or more pleading with our people to join in our children’s ministry. Rarely are we able to open all our classes when the fall kicks off (my daughter’s class won’t open this weekend). For some, the continual announcements and phone calls are more of a dripping faucet than a repeated invitation to receive grace from Christ.

3. They don’t realize they are signing up for work. I’ve been blessed with a number of hard workers in my junior high ministry, but there is the occasional parent or college student that thought they were signing up to be an extra set of eyes. They sit at the back instead of with the students. They don’t come to the leader meetings. They don’t play the games. There’s a reason why Paul calls it the “work” of the ministry.

3 ways we all fail together

1. We lean toward the clergy/layman mindset. I tried to avoid this mistake in #3 under the “pastors” heading, and here, even though I’ve flirted with it by dividing the pastors and people into two categories. Break down the professionalism of the pastor by being vulnerable and highlighting your members who are rocking out gospel ministry.

2. We run out of steam. The process of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry must take place “until” we reach full maturity (4:13). That means we do this until we die or Christ comes back. Get God’s people ready for a marathon. You get ready, too.

3. We forget the cost Jesus paid to deliver these gifts to build up his body: his death. The gifts that Jesus gives in the apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor-teachers (notice, the gifts are people not talents) come through his ascent, which implies the descent Paul mentions in 4:9-10 (i.e., his incarnation and death). You’re probably thinking, “Yeah, my role came at such a high price! My people should value me more!” That may be true, but the point is that pastors and people alike ought to value Jesus more for sacrificing his life so that we can have everything we need to grow up in him.

Get to work

You’ve written about Ephesians 4. You’ve read about Ephesians 4. Now it’s time to do Ephesians 4, for the sake of Christ’s glory in the church as his body matures into him, her head.

This article originally appeared here.

God Uses Big Leaders in Small Churches

By
Dan Reiland
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communicating with the unchurched

Lakeside Wesleyan Church, in Lakeside, California, was the first church I served as a staff member. It was a small church with a big heart, and I learned much from Rich Lauby who was the pastor.

In my eyes, Pastor Rich was a “big leader, ” and his early investment in me made a life changing difference. Under his coaching, I preached my first sermon, did my first hospital visit and led the student ministry.

The significance of a leader and especially the pastor in a small church cannot be overestimated.

Like Pastor Rich, the leader sets the pace for the rest of the pack! He or she sets the vision, takes risks and influences the other leaders and volunteers.

And we all know that next to the favor of God, everything rises and falls on leadership.

In the previous post, I offered Five Helpful Words that focused on the church itself. This post offers Six Helpful Words for the leaders of the church.

Six Helpful Words for Leaders of Small Churches:

1) Courage

When you face a fear or take a risk, it doesn’t matter if you have 50 or 5,000 attending your church. Whether you are at the edge of your budget or need to confront a board member, it feels the same regardless of the size of your congregation. The difference is the size of the leader.

Leaders grow by gaining courage. It may sound strange, but you have to practice courage. You can’t read about it and get it. You can listen to a talk or read something and be inspired to do what you need to do, but you don’t really gain courage until you take action.

What is before you today that requires courage?

2) Investment

Think of pouring into your leaders like consistently depositing money in a bank account and leaving it there. At first, it doesn’t seem like much, but in time the dividends are substantial.

That’s how leadership development works. Starting small is OK. In fact, that’s a good idea. Leadership development is not an event oriented program in which you see how big a crowd you can draw. Here’s how you start. Gather your top five to seven leaders. Pick a good leadership book, like John Maxwell’s Five Levels of Leadership. Meet monthly (for five months) and ask these two questions. 1. What are you learning? 2. How are you applying what you are learning? That’s it! In time you’ll have other groups and add to the learning experience, but simplicity and consistency are essential to the process.

For more depth and detail, see this post.

3) Faith

Good leaders have great faith. This thought has humbled me over the years because I don’t know that I always have such great faith. But God is kind and grants favor for belief even the size of a mustard seed!

I’ve learned it’s not just how big my faith is, though that matters, it’s more about the source of my faith. The fact that I trust God for my daily breath and bread, and for every moment of leadership favor, leads to my own increasing faith. I think that is true for you too.

You have faith in God for your salvation. You know His grace and love. That’s the foundation you build upon to see Him do great things in your church through your leadership!

4) Competence

What are you good at? That’s the question all leaders must grapple with. What is the strength of your leadership?

Are you a good communicator? Perhaps you’re more of a developer? Maybe you are a fantastic administrator, or you are really good with people. Are you a visionary with great ideas?

No leader is good at everything. So figure out what your strength is and lean into it. Improvement is always worthwhile, but don’t try to be great at something that’s not your gifting. Surround yourself with others who can buttress your weaker areas. Let me address one specific area. If you don’t consider yourself to be a great speaker, how do you fix that? First, speak shorter, about 25 minutes is good. Second, let others teach too, perhaps 12-15 times a year.

5) Patience

We all want our people to mature in less time, we want the budget to increase quicker, and our church to grow faster. But it doesn’t work that way. Even for churches that seem to experience explosive growth, I promise some things challenge the patience of the leader.

You can’t “make” your church grow. You can do the right things like pray, encourage, develop leaders, share your faith, invite people and teach God’s Word. It’s important to remain consistent in those things, with passion, but also with patience, because ultimately the harvest is up to God.

6) Love

It’s curious to me that we don’t often talk about leadership and love in the same context. Love is at the core of the gospel and certainly the driving force of our leadership as well. It’s the great source of your (God’s) power for your ministry.

God’s love for you is extraordinary, and the core of your leadership is based on that love. No matter how tough it might get, or how blessed you might be or discouraged you might become, God calls you to love people. Take time to reflect on God’s love for you. It’s surprising how easily we can lose sight of that on a personal level when constantly in the trenches of ministry. Let that love flow through your leadership.

My prayer is that will continue to bless you and your leadership!

This article originally appeared here.

How to Teach Your Children a Biblical View of Gender

By
Brian Orme
-
communicating with the unchurched


There were probably many within past generations who thought that we would never be confused about gender. And yet here we are with possibly the most sexually confused generation ever. The question of what it means to be a man or a woman is now a potentially argument-inducing question. Even the church struggles to know how to address the questions our culture raises about gender in a truthful way that is still loving and merciful.

Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, offers suggestions to parents on how they can teach their children a biblical view of gender in the following video.

First and foremost, it is important for children to know that God made men to be husbands and fathers and he made women to be wives and mothers. This distinction does not mean that there is more or less value inherent in either gender because both genders are made in the image of God. God made our genders and our sexuality to match up with each other. Gender and sexuality should not be customizable to an individual’s choice or preference.

Secondly, it is important for men and women to define their particular gender from the Scripture and not from the culture. There are times, according to Akin, where we impose how culture defines masculinity and femininity onto the Bible instead of letting God’s word to define our gender characteristics. For instance, oftentimes in our western culture we assume men should be hard and strong, and that any other behavior besides this is antithetical to manhood. But in the Bible we see Jesus embodying compassion and tenderness as well as strength and courage at the same time. Jesus having all of these qualities makes Him no less a man.

Watch the full video for more insight from Dr. Akin.

The Sizzle and Steak of Revival

By
Greg Stier
-
communicating with the unchurched

Every great revival has both sizzle and steak. The sizzle is the rally point for the revival, the shock and awe of an event or a moment that captures attention, imaginations and hearts.

In Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost the disciples started speaking in languages they didn’t know (and a massive crowd gathered to hear them chatter). The result of this “sizzle” event? 3,000 were added to their number that day (Acts 2:41)!

Think of Paul passing out his hankerchief, massive amounts of people getting instantaneously healed and everyone in the Province of Asia hearing the Gospel (Acts 19:10-12.) Now that’s some sizzle!

Think of Martin Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the Wittenburg door. This act provided the “sizzle” to the steak of what we now call “The Reformation.”

In the 18th Century, George Whitefield provided the “sizzle” by preaching to crowds that numbered in the tens of thousands. People would flock to hear this bellowing, articulate, cross-eyed preacher of the Gospel.

In 1949 a young Billy Graham preached with sizzle and passion and he attracted 350,000 people over the course of 8 weeks to his Los Angeles revival. 3,000 came to Christ and evangelism captivated national headlines once again.

Whether they be large crowds, defining acts or miraculous activities throughout church history there has always been at least a little “sizzle” to the steak of revival.

But sizzle without steak is just a mouth-watering sound that disappoints.

That’s why every true spiritual awakening has had steak as well. What I mean by that is that there have been thought out, prayer driven, theologically solid strategies that have “gospelized” those who were once institutionalized. Here’s a sermon I preached on this very subject…

“Gospelize Your Life” from Grace Church on Vimeo.

Peter helped disciple the 3,000 who put their faith in Jesus by immersing them into solid teaching, fellowship, communion and prayer (Acts 2:42).

Paul planted churches that helped the new believers he led to Christ grow deep in their newfound faith (Acts 15:41).

Martin Luther followed up the 95 Theses with countless books and sermons that helped the German people (and many more) accelerate the Reformation movement.

John Wesley developed methods (BTW, that’s why his movement is called “The Methodists“) which solidified the new frontier Christians into deep relationships with other believers.

And Billy Graham developed The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association which has countless trainings, tools and resources to help provide some “deep” to the “wide” of their still sizzling evangelistic efforts.

Great awakenings require both sizzle and steak, deep and wide, evangelism and discipleship.

At Dare 2 Share we are praying for both sizzle and steak in our efforts. We are asking God to use Dare 2 Share Live to provide some sizzle (with up to 50,000 teenagers mobilized to evangelize in 69 locations across the nation on September 23rd.)

And we are praying that our philosophy/strategy of Gospel Advancing ministry provides some steak (7 values that youth leaders can implement to experience long-term systemic transformation in their youth ministries.)

Only God can truly bring forth revival. But we want to play our part in his great plan. How can you play your part? Pray for revival on September 23rd (the sizzle) and pray for the steak to follow it.

On a different subject, for some reason I’m really hungry right now.

This article originally appeared here.

Jarrid Wilson: De-Stigmatizing Mental Illness in the Church

By
Jason Daye
-
communicating with the unchurched

Jarrid Wilson is a husband, dad, pastor, author and inspirational blogger. His highly unconventional way of sharing faith takes a fresh look at the way Jesus would call individuals to live out their everyday lives. Unafraid to tackle tough and controversial topics, Jarrid is known for his refreshing perspectives on what others may view as set in black and white. Jarrid and his wife, Juli, live in Nashville, Tennessee with their son, Finch, and dog, Eloise.

[SUBSCRIBE] For more ChurchLeaders podcasts click here!

Key Questions:

Does mental illness disqualify a person from leadership?

What do you say to the person who has heard over and over again that God loves them but it doesn’t help?

What can the church do to help those struggling with mental health?

Key Quotes:

“I don’t think people ignore mental health—and still ignore it, let’s be honest—to be malicious. They’re ignoring it because they don’t know what to do about it, so the easy default is to not talk about it or say it’s bad.”

“The only way for you to de-stigmatize something is for you to talk about it.”

“All throughout Scripture we see that just because Jesus can, just because the Holy Spirit can, doesn’t mean that he will. That’s just fact.”

“Read the book of Job. Some of God’s brightest saints dealt with the darkest of depression. What we have to understand is that just because you’re dealing with depression or suicidal thoughts does not mean you’re any less of a believer or a Christian than anybody else.”

“It’s the tenth leading cause of death in the United States—suicide is. 42,000 people die by suicide a year in the States. One person dies by suicide every 40 seconds somewhere in the world. And over 1 million people die by suicide worldwide each year.”

“I would almost guarantee that in every congregation…there is about 20 to 30 percent of people in the congregation have dealt with some kind of mental health disorder in their life. And I would say about 99 percent of the congregation knows of someone who has.”

“If the local church really wants to be the hope of the world, then the local church needs to step into areas in which the world finds itself hopeless: Mental health.”

Mentioned in the Show:

When Our Beautiful Mess Isn’t

By
Melissa Edgington
-
communicating with the unchurched

I’m not going to lie. The kids and I have spent a lot of time listening to The Beatles lately. As one who was raised on The Beatles by Baby Boomer parents, I take some satisfaction in hearing all three of my kids belt out “She Loves You” at the top of their lungs while we drive home from school.

They are quite concerned about the spiritual well-being of the remaining members of the group, and Adelade and Sawyer are each currently writing letters to Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, inviting them to come to our small town for church. But, if the traveling is too much of a hassle, Sawyer advised Ringo, “You don’t even have to come here for church. You could just go to First Baptist London.”

Yesterday in Sunday school, Emerald’s class was studying Paul’s letters to Timothy. As part of her lesson, she was supposed to write a letter to someone who has taught her something, thanking them. And, here is what she came up with:


Not exactly the “Sunday school answer” her teachers were probably looking for. Thankfully, they all have a great sense of humor and seem to be somewhat delighted when kids (especially the pastor’s kids) are a little weird.

Despite the fact that Emerald is possibly corrupting everyone in her Sunday school class, we really do occasionally listen to Christian music. Just a few days ago, I turned on a Christian radio station in time to hear a soundbyte from one of the DJs: “Just remember, nothing in your past is a mistake…if you learned from it.”

While the electric guitar kicked off the next song, I sat there shaking my head, wondering how it is that this is where mainstream Christianity has landed, in a place where sin is nothing more than “beautiful messiness,” where our pasts have to be declared good in order for us to feel that we can be redeemed from them.

God’s goodness is beautiful. His grace. His redemption. But, our past sin? Our current sin? Ugly. And all a huge, rotten, stinking mistake. If we call it anything else, we are denying our need for a Savior, and we are refusing to live in a posture of repentance and gratefulness for all that God’s love can rescue us from.

Can you imagine David looking at the overwhelming sins of his past and saying that they weren’t mistakes because he learned from them? Instead, he talked about his “broken spirit,” his “broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51). We don’t have to live under the condemnation of past sin, but we do need to have a proper view of what our sin means in the gospel story, and we don’t ever need to forget how depraved we really are. Once we start dismissing our past (or current) sin as nothing more than a good learning opportunity, then we have lost sight of how much we need Jesus and how far He had to go in order to redeem us in our sinful state. It should always grieve us to know that we sinned against God, even if He gave us a happy ending despite our disobedience. Anything we glean from past mistakes is a gift of the Holy Spirit, but it isn’t a means of justifying what we have done.

We are so desperate to call sin anything else that even our Christian radio stations assure us that there is no such thing as a mistake. Don’t be fooled, friends. Sin is waiting at your door, eager and willing to devour you heart and soul. I know a 12-year-old and a 9-year-old who are willing to write letters to two brilliant old rock stars to tell them the truth about the sin that is killing them. Shouldn’t we be able to expect the same of each other? Of our Christian radio stations and books and pastors? Shouldn’t the church be about truth-telling and truth-believing, and not glossing over sin because that’s what seems most pleasant to do?

Don’t try to turn your sin into a show of you pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, of pride and self-satisfaction. There is plenty in your past and mine that is a mistake, no matter what we learned from it. Sin is wicked and wounds God’s heart. Let’s not ever let ourselves be lulled into believing otherwise.

This article originally appeared here.

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