Why Pastors Need Networks

June 13, 2017

Non-Denominational Pastors, Networks and Mentoring Relationships

One of the advantages to being in a denomination or network of churches is the accessibility of mentoring relationships. Unfortunately, there are many pastors who still go it alone even though they have access to others. In doing so, they are missing out on one of the great benefits of pastoral community.

There are also many who are led into ministry outside of a denomination. They still need advice and counsel, but it isn’t naturally in their system. The ones who want peer counsel will have to seek it out. These should seek relationship first and then counsel.

How I Deal With Pastors Seeking Mentoring

That’s where my story comes in. I often get calls and emails from non-denominational pastors who say, “I need your coaching and advice.” My response is usually, “Why don’t you call your denominational leadership? Because what you want is denominational coaching that you aren’t paying for. And I can’t do that because I get a lot of advice calls and things of that sort.”

Of course, I won’t actually say that. Rather, I will graciously say something like, “I think you should probably connect with someone who knows your situation better and who knows you better.” The pastor may say, “Well, I’m not in community relationship with anybody.” I then explain, “I think that’s why you need to be in community relationship with somebody else.” If the person wants to join a network or denomination, I’d be glad to call the leadership and make an introduction.

Ultimately, we all need to be on a team with other people.

Leaders Have a Responsibility

Having this kind of conversation can be difficult because we don’t want to sound like jerks. But as leaders, we have a responsibility to shepherd the people God has placed under our care. And if a pastor has chosen to leave out from under our care, but then comes to us for pastoral counsel, we are making a decision to pastor this person instead of the people that God has given to us.

It isn’t fair to expect someone to speak wisdom into a life you do not know well. The person seeking the counsel can end up getting some really bad advice at an important time in life by someone who is trying to help but doesn’t have all the pertinent details. It is also a lot of undue pressure on a person to try to advise a pastor that he or she doesn’t really know.

God Designs and Blesses Mentoring Relationships

It is a blessing to walk in relationship with people. One of the blessings that comes with it is shared experience and purpose. These are valuable when seeking and giving guidance. The Bible is clear that where two or three are gathered, God is in that relationship. And we all know that the more cords we have woven together, the stronger the bond.

I will take the call from a pastor seeking advice. I don’t mind a call, but I can’t coach/mentor/counsel people with whom I am not in community. This is something that we need to have in our networks.

That’s why we have networks. That’s why we have denominations.

My advice for a pastor seeking cold call advice outside of a nurturing network is, “You need to get yourself into nurturing network relationships.”

So this is where I make the case for connectionalism. The technical term is not denominationalism. It is connectionalism. You have to be connected. You can call it covering if that’s your theological view. People with a bishop structure tend to see that. In my non-denominational tradition, we tend to see two offices: pastor/elder and deacon. But when you have a third, like Anglicans and Pentecostals have, and you see the bishop as another office, this has theological value.

You cannot be responsible for people for whom God has not made you responsible. You should not expect someone to be responsible for you if you aren’t willing to live in accountability with them.

If you aren’t in a network, what are some positive steps you can take toward finding a network? Talk to the leaders in your local church. See if that isn’t a needed resource your church needs. To be sure, the solid networks out there need more solid churches to be of benefit to others as well.

If you are in a network, or denomination, how can you be better connected with other pastors? Are you taking advantage of times to work together, pray for one another, get advice and give it? Don’t neglect the opportunities God has given you in your network.

This article originally appeared here.

Dads, Be Tender With Your Children

Melissa Edgington

June 13, 2017

It was well past midnight, but my dad and I were still up hashing things out. I was a passionate, opinionated, God-fearing teenager who thought she had her faith and this world figured out. He was a well-educated, wise, heart-wounded Christ-follower who had buried both parents and his brother, who was his best friend. I talked and he listened. And, then I talked some more. I told him about how he and mom ought to be. I told him about how our church ought to be. I told him about how we should live and what we should say and what I believed God was doing.

Looking back on it now, I’m embarrassed that I laid so much of my ignorance at his feet, or, rather, shoved it down his throat, while he listened with patience and kindness. Once I finally ran out of things to say, he gently, carefully corrected my thinking. He showed empathy and understanding, even where my lack of life experience gave me the most ridiculous ideas. And, where he had to clearly oppose my awkward and silly notions, he did it without laughing at me or berating me or telling me to be quiet.

I’m sure at times my attitude was hard for him to take. I’m sure he could’ve told me a million different ways that I was getting it all 100 percent wrong. But, he never did that. It was as if he understood that in those moments when I opened up to him, when I came to him to espouse my theories and hear what he had to say about them, I was coming with my little teenaged heart in my hand. He took it, tenderly, and he gently helped to shape and mold it, without the harshness that I probably deserved. He could’ve crushed my heart with rock hard indignation and a pounding with his Bible. But, instead, he led me slowly, with a soft touch and a warmhearted understanding, showing me through scripture why many of my thoughts weren’t in line with what it’s really like to live out a true and lasting faith in Christ.

This was discipleship, in its most Christ-like form. My dad has always had a big, friendly, lovable personality and plenty of opinions of his own. But, in those moments, he was meek and mild, yet filled with godly wisdom. He discerned what I needed to hear and how I needed to hear it. He sought to know me, and he listened when I talked. He was tender with me. Never hard or harsh or impatient.

And, it has made all the difference in the world.

Dads, be tender with your kids. Yes, discipline them. Set boundaries and rules and set up consequences and stick to them. Care enough to hold them to high standards. My dad did all of these things. But, don’t lose your tenderness toward your silly, awkward, messed up, mixed up, attitude-ridden kids. They need to see the love of Christ demonstrated through your tender daddy heart. And, if you aren’t feeling any tenderness, only hardness, pray and ask Jesus to soften you up.

I think my interactions with my dad during those all-important late night discussions helped to form my view of who Jesus really is. I needed to know that He isn’t constantly frowning down on me, that He doesn’t use His word as a weapon against me, but as a loving guide for living an abundant life. I needed to know Jesus’ tender heart and His meek and mild ways, His humility and His majesty. All of these things shone clear on those dark nights, when my dad listened and my dad talked. I am forever grateful for a father who was tender toward a ridiculous teenaged girl. He gave me a clear view of Christ.

Thanks, Dad.

This article originally appeared here.

#1 Thing You Can Do Right Now to Be a Better Youth Pastor

J.C. Thompson

June 13, 2017

I know it seems stupid. How can you boil down being a better youth pastor to one thing? Here’s how, and I’m going to be as honest with you as I possibly can. It’s not cliche and it’s not super spiritual. It’s incredibly practical and almost everyone can do this one thing differently and become a better youth pastor. It’s a tough one.

Brace yourself.

Get up out of your chair. Walk down to the children’s ministry offices, find your children’s pastor and give them a huge hug. Then ask them this one question: “Can you help me?”

Do not ask:

How can I help you?

Are you sure you know what you’re doing?

Have you ever thought about trying this?

Instead, ask them for help. Why?

1. You actually need help.

As a youth pastor, you probably have some people tell you that you need to figure some things out. Heck, you probably have thought numerous times about the things that you need to do better. But have you actually asked anyone for help? Your children’s director/pastor is probably gifted in areas that you are weak. Ask them for help.

2. It’s incredibly humble.

You need help, but reaching out and grabbing that help is difficult. Asking someone that is on a totally different wavelength seems counterintuitive. We must seek to understand before being understood. It’s time to cut your slice of humble pie.

3. You’re on the same team.

You aren’t on team creativity or team systems or even team leadership (gasp). But you should both be on team Jesus, gospel and Bible. Find some common ground and ask for some help.

******Really important note that you probably don’t want to read!!!******

Just in case you are “that” children’s person and you have said Amen to this post 100 times, you should do this as well. Like, right now.

So if you are in for fixing the relationship between the children’s and student departments in your church, share this with the hashtag #fixthegap.

It’s time we ask for help instead of leaning back, filled with pride, thinking of “those children/student ministry people’s issues.”

What Does the Bible Say About Depression?

June 13, 2017

Talking to Christians about mental illness is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get.

Some Christians will tell you that depression and anxiety are purely spiritual battles to be heroically conquered with more faith, more Bible reading and more time spent hunkered down in the proverbial (or literal) prayer closet.

Others will say that it’s only a physical issue and that the only sure solution is going to the doctor and loading up on meds.

And still others will come up with wild theories about demonic attacks and the end times and the Illuminati. Talking to them makes you wonder if something is wrong with them.

But what does the Bible say about depression and anxiety?

It’s the million-dollar question, right? Depending on what you believe, you can end up with wildly different approaches on how to think through mental illness.

It’s important to get this one right.

So let’s take a look. What does the Bible have to say about depression and anxiety?

It Says Absolutely Nothing

In one sense, scripture says nothing about mental illness. At this point, some of you are punching your fist in the air and saying, “Yes, I knew it! All those therapeutic namby-pambies are believing a lie!”

Not so fast.

The Bible doesn’t say anything about mental illness in the same way it doesn’t say anything about the Trinity. In other words, you’re not going to find the words “depression,” “anxiety,” “bipolar” or anything else.

But just because those specific terms aren’t in scripture doesn’t mean that scripture is silent on the issue.

In fact, mental illness is everywhere in the Bible.

We Was Beat When We Was Born

In the movie Newsies, Jack Kelly (played by a super young Christian Bale) says the phrase, “We was beat when we was born.”

He’s referring to the fact that the poor kids of New York were defeated from the moment they were born, and would never have a chance to succeed.

We too were beat when we were born.

The moment sin entered the world, everything went to pieces. The perfect world God created was suddenly, violently shattered. Things that once worked perfectly, like the gears of a Swiss clock, began to shift and grind and groan and shutter.

Bodies began decomposing and everyone’s death clock started ticking. The soil rebelled, spewing out thorns and weeds and poisonous plants. Suddenly, nothing worked as it should and chaos began its reign of terror.

In Reformed circles, we refer to this as total depravity. It simply means that sin has infected the totality of our being. Our bodies and emotions and souls are all under the oppressive dominion of the darkness.

Total depravity means our world is broken. Our bodies are broken. Our brains are broken.

This is why Paul says in Romans 8:22-24:

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Mental illness should not surprise us. When sin entered the world, so did cancer and colds and ebola and Zika and, yes, mental illness. Our bodies (brain included) groan for the redemption that Jesus is bringing.

What does the Bible say about depression and anxiety? Nothing. And everything.

These People Sure Seem Depressed

Not only do we find evidence of mental illness in our total depravity, we see it in action in numerous godly men and women.

When you read the Psalms, it often seems like David has sunk incredibly low. Obviously, we don’t know if David was depressed in the medical sense, but his words indicate that he was often in the depths of despair and darkness.

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
Psalm 13:1-2

These aren’t the words of a guy having a bad day. David isn’t just a bit bummed out or disappointed. He is clearly crushed under the weight of sadness. He has sorrow in his heart all day every day.

This sounds very much like the experience of those who have been leveled by depression.

As we walk through church history, we see numerous other examples of godly men and women who were absolutely crippled by depression.

In a sermon titled “The Christian’s Heaviness and Rejoicing,” Charles Spurgeon said that during an illness:

…my spirits were sunken so low that I could weep by the hour like a child, and yet I knew not what I wept for…a kind friend was telling me of some poor old soul living near, who was suffering very great pain, and yet she was full of joy and rejoicing. I was so distressed by the hearing of that story, and felt so ashamed of myself.

The great hymn writer William Cowper was also afflicted by absolutely crushing depression. When he was 21, he wrote:

(I was struck) with such a dejection of spirits, as none but they who have felt the same, can have the least conception of. Day and night I was upon the rack, lying down in horror, and rising up in despair.

Cowper was so oppressed by the darkness that he even tried to commit suicide and was eventually put into an asylum for his own good.

When we think through the question of “What does the Bible say about depression and anxiety?” we need to look first to the Scriptures and then to the testimony of church history.

What We Think Determines How We Respond

What we think about the Bible and mental illness always determines how we help those are struggling.

From Scripture, we know that depression and anxiety affect the entirety of a person, just like any other physical disease. A person who is dealing with multiple sclerosis will need wise medical help and sweet spiritual counsel. The same goes for a person buried under depression or anxiety. There has to be a holistic, physical and spiritual approach.

When a friend is clearly in the unshakeable grip of physical depression, I recommend that they see a doctor. I don’t make medical recommendations or tell them about this one time that I was feeling sad and took this supplement and it cheered me up. I know that there is something broken in their body that needs to be fixed.

I also gently encourage them with God’s word. I don’t correct them for their lack of faith in God’s promises. I don’t tell them not to worry. I remind them of God’s love, his delight in them. His nearness to the brokenhearted. He refusal to break a bruised reed.

They probably won’t feel any different when I tell them these things, but that’s not the point. I want them to know that I love them and that God does too. Most of the time, presence is more helpful than words.

And I certainly don’t give them a book to read. They can barely get through the day, let alone make their way through a book. A single verse will do. Spiritual medicine must be administered slowly and it often takes weeks to begin working.

This Really Matters

The answer to the question “What does the Bible say about depression and anxiety?” matters because people matter. When you get the answer wrong, people get hurt.

As G.I. Joe was fond of saying, “Knowing is half the battle.” And it’s true. Once we know what Scripture says, then we can fight the other half of the battle and minister effectively.

This article originally appeared here.

Southern Baptist Convention Loses Nearly 78K Members in 2016

Meredee Berg

June 13, 2017

The loss of an additional 77,786 members from the Southern Baptist Convention in 2016 concludes a decade-long decline that has ultimately resulted in a total loss of 1 million members, according to new statistics released in LifeWay Christian Resources’ Annual Church Profile Report.

According to the report, average giving, baptisms and weekly worship attendance also declined in 2016, in addition to memberships. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, which compiles and analyzes historical data, reports that these numbers indicate the “lowest number of baptisms since 1946, the lowest membership since 1990 and the lowest worship attendance since 1996.”

Frank S. Page, SBC Executive Committee president and CEO, told Baptist Press, “Virtually everyone who sees these figures will react negatively and lament the poor state of our churches, our lack of evangelistic fervor and our increasingly irrelevant programs. Indeed, we all should.”

While the overall decline is bad news for the SBC, the report indicated a few bright spots. In 2016, the Convention added 479 churches, increasing the total number of churches to more than 47,000. Additionally, Southern Baptist churches baptized 280,773 people last year. LifeWay president and CEO Thom S. Rainer believes there is reason to celebrate in spite of the declining numbers.

“We would be remiss in not giving thanks for every baptism and every new follower of Christ,” he said. “It’s clear that evangelism and discipleship are waning. I don’t believe it is due to the lack of opportunities, though. Instead, there is a lack of engagement.”

Chuck Kelly, NOBTS president, agrees with the ongoing need for effective evangelism. “We must live distinctively if we are to be fruitful in reaching people for Christ,” Kelly said in a letter regarding the state of the SBC. “Southern Baptists must be intentional in seeking opportunities to have gospel conversations with people outside the walls of the church.”

He added, “The true bad news is that when you put last year in the context of all previous years, it indicates the SBC is in the midst of a decline that shows no signs of slowing down or turning around.”

As leaders and members of the SBC gather in Phoenix this week, the decline in numbers is sure to be on everyone’s mind. Doubtless they will spend time coming up with a solution for what they have labeled ineffective evangelism.

Making Games Work—Without Leaving the Gospel Behind

John Gardner

June 12, 2017

The title of this article may have sent a theological shiver down your spine…games. As a surface-level reaction, that’s completely understandable. The shallow caricature of youth group usually involves about one hour and 15 minutes of dodgeball, 15 to 30 minutes of food (with calories enough for a family of four), and the obligatory five-minute lecture or video having little to do with the Gospel. So I take no offense if the idea of game play as central to youth ministry sounds nearly heretical.

In fact, if you asked me whether or not they are central, I’d tell you they most assuredly are not. In terms of instilling the gospel—God loving sinners through the life, death and resurrection of Christ—into the hearts of our students, I can’t honestly say how games factor in. But they can be a valuable tool in building a kingdom culture in our youth ministries. Allow me to explain.

The differences between a youth ministry that simply tags on games out of necessity, and a youth ministry that builds a culture of discipleship through games, are threefold.

First, an intentional approach to games understands the culture that is, and the culture that ought to be.

Some students hate dodgeball. If you aren’t familiar with this type of person, please know that not only do they exist, but they are more common than you suppose. Others are tired of their school’s preferential treatment of certain types of athletes, so their desire for a place of rest from their everyday competitive culture can be quickly obliterated if you opt to play football or soccer every week.

I am convinced that if you look hard enough, there is a type of game for each and every student in your ministry. The intentional youth pastor will do everything in their power to find games that highlight each of their students’ skills. Occasionally, the intentional youth pastor may even choose a game his or her students may struggle to achieve in, for the purpose of teaching humility and finding a place within the body.

In a culture where teens are supposed to excel at everything, finding ways to teach both excellence as well as the ability to handle failure is a key component of ministry to young people. Few things expose these (excellence and failure) to scrutiny like a well-timed game. If you’re genuinely convinced that students are part of a body, it means that there are certain tasks at which they will thrive, and others at which they may be humorously abysmal. It is your job to build a culture where encouragement can happen without instilling vanity, and where the students who excel in certain ways can help and support those who need it. Team-building games are usually a go-to in these situations, but don’t overlook even the simplest of games to teach the same lessons well.

Secondly, an intentional approach to games is built on seeking the lost, lonely and weak, rather than isolating them further.

It is stunning to me how many camps or conferences I’ve attended where the speaker quotes 1 Corinthians 1:27 (about God choosing the foolish things of the world to shame the wise) or Joel 3:10 (out of context), only to then do a schoolyard “pick ‘em” with athletic team captains…followed by said captains whipping dodgeballs at the weaker students. In the name of “even team distribution,” which never happens anyway, the heart of the message is entirely counteracted and contradicted.

Weaker brothers caring for sisters in the church, adoption into a family that looks out for one another; all of these are simply outmoded doctrines if your methodology of games is built exclusively upon either physical dominance, mental dexterity or acting chops.

In the name of personal care, some youth leaders abandon physical games entirely, leading to a ministry where intellectual students are prized at the expense of athletes, or where dramatically inclined theater students dominate games where improvisation is king.

Rather than abandon games entirely, let me give you a few practical considerations for the future.

NEVER allow for team captains and last picks (unless you want to be the negative object of your student’s future sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:27).
Consider a rotation of physical, intellectual, acting and team building games. It makes scheduling easy on a month-to-month basis, gives you the ability to find a new game within a category based on the given week, and stops you from favoring one type of student over the other.
If your students prefer one type of game, give them time to find their stride in different settings. The high school idea that you can be good at everything is something that youth ministries are more than able to counterculturally expose. Youth pastors can plan intentionally and stand firm in a commitment to variety.

Lastly, even the most intentional approach to games will fail unless it has intentional leadership at every level.

As a leader where the buck stops, you may have embraced the prior two principles, applied them vigorously and long to see their effects fully realized. All of those things are wonderful, but without your co-leaders and volunteers understanding these principles, they’re essentially useless. Here are a few key ways to identify whether or not your ministry leaders are buying in:

Are leaders winning everything, or mobilizing students?
Are your leaders trash-talking students and/or each other, or speaking with
encouragement?
When a student trips, falls or screws up, do your leaders play on, or stop to
check on the student?
If the game requires strategy, are the leaders doing all the strategizing, or do
they encourage students to step into this role?
Note: If this happens, feel free to enact the “leaders can’t talk” rule.

It may take occasional reminders and clear boundary-setting in leader training, but building buy-in with your volunteers during these times will make a colossal difference in building a culture that intentionally extends beyond sermons and Bible studies.

All of these methods take effort, consistency and a firm commitment, even when “unintentional times” are vastly easier and require considerably less thought. Consider the benefits of an intentional, well-executed game time:

Advocates a culture of dependence, trust and unity.
Creates a space where students can build each other up.
Gives opportunity to promote the humble (or humble the arrogant).
Builds memories, traditions and stories that define your group.
Understands students as physical beings possessed of physical gifts and virtues, rather than reducing them to a brain on a stick.
Rids the sermon of a need to have some type of zany antic or physical challenge, and separates time in the Word into a different type of intentional space.
Provides opportunity to see leadership, humility, team-building, guidance and compassion as usable gifts in the life of the larger church.

Make no mistake, the way in which you structure and conduct your non-teaching times may have as much or more of an impact than your teaching times if they’re consistently underwhelming, or thoughtlessly rigged to either highlight or breakdown certain styles of student. So yes, even though games are far from gospel-central, they are anything but unimportant.

Need some great games? Here are a few from the three categories our youth group regularly enjoys (click on the name of the game to see directions on how to play):

Athletic:

Ninja
Gaga Ball (We don’t have a court, we just set up tables as barricades, and it works just fine)
Extreme Rock Paper Scissors
Deathball
Elimination Dodgeball

Intellectual:

Acting:

Skits in a Bag
Fr eeze Frame
First line, Last Line
Random Item Funeral: There are no website directions for this one, because we made it up when we needed to get rid of an old couch for our youth room. Simply place whatever item you’re throwing away on the stage with some spotlights and nice music in the background, and split kids into teams each doing a different part of that item’s funeral. (Eulogy, interpretive dance, biography, song).

What games have worked well in your youth ministry? Tell us in the comments section below!

This article originally appeared here.

Why Every Pastor Doesn’t Need a Platform

Carey Nieuwhof

June 12, 2017

A few years ago I started getting a particular question lobbed my way again and again. It’s usually, but not exclusively, from young leaders.

The question goes something like this:

I’m a full-time pastor at X church. I’m wondering whether I need a platform. Almost everyone seems to have a blog, podcast, book or platform going. Or even a large social media following. Do you think I need one?

At first, I was actually a little surprised by the question. I didn’t really think of building a platform as something that you would specifically set out to build.

I’m not sure you can really build a platform, at least not a lasting one.

So why do some leaders end up with platforms?

Here’s my theory. It just kind of gets built for you as you go about doing other things.

Leaders will often ask me what my platform looked like when I was 30.

The truth is, I didn’t have one and I had no idea what a platform was. I was working hard to turn around three old, dying churches so that we could see a new generation come to faith.

As we started to grow, people started to ask me to come talk to their church. In the ’90s, that meant getting into my car and driving to the next town to talk to 10 leaders in a meeting room. That was about the size of my platform. And often the people I was talking to would tell me I was wrong, that what I was saying wouldn’t work in their context. So I’d finish up, drive home and head back to work.

I kept focusing on what I was called to do: build a local church. As we grew, the inquiries became more frequent and persistent.

It’s only in the last decade I’ve written and spoken about leadership more widely.

Which leads me back to my advice for young leaders.

What do I think young leaders should do?

Focus on doing the work God has called you to do. Pursue it wholeheartedly, passionately and with abandon.

Great platforms arise out of great stories. So focus on the story God is writing.

Sometimes people want platforms more than they want stories. With no story, there’s no sustainable platform. Go write a great story and let the platform take care of itself.

The Apostle Paul didn’t set out to become the greatest church leader of the first century. He became the greatest church leader of the first century because he set out to build churches.

So does every pastor need a platform?

My answer? Every leader should have an online presence, but not every leader needs a platform.

Let me explain.

Presence V. Platform

First, there’s a difference between having an online platform and having an online presence.

I think unless there’s a good reason not to, it’s a best practice for ministry leaders to have an online presence. This is 2017 after all.

Your presence online allows people to get to know you, see behind the scenes and connect with you in a way that they just can’t on a Sunday or mid-week, and allows you to encourage and help people.

I shared a few guidelines to a developing a leader’s online presence here. Bottom line? Let people connect with you, see your heart, see your family. Be playful, be honest, be yourself.

Presence is one thing, and it’s almost always a good thing unless you’re creating a bully pulpit.

But what if you feel like you should build a platform?

Some thoughts.

1. Check Your Motives

Of all the things you will want to check when if you launch a platform, your motives should be first on your list.

Why you do what you do matters more than what you do.

Some of you will no doubt point out that I have a platform. That’s probably why people ask me the question a lot. It’s still surprising to me (OK, shocking to me) that this blog and my podcast get read and listened to so many people.

Are my motives 100 percent pure 100 percent of the time? Absolutely not. I’m a sin-stained human.

But I try to wrestle my motives down, daily. I want to make sure I’m doing what I’m doing for the right reasons.

Ironically, my goal was never to build a platform. It was to help leaders.

After four years of serious blogging and almost three years of podcasting, I’m increasingly convinced that when it comes to keeping your motives pure, your desire to help should always be greater than your desire to be known.

And over the long haul, I think all serious content creators create not because they want to, but because they have to.

If your desire to help is greater than your desire to be known, you’ll stay healthy.

A few other reminders also help.

First, your platform isn’t yours. It’s God’s. It’s not your church or your organization—it’s His.

You don’t have a ministry, but God does (and out of his grace he chooses to use you).

The more I remind myself of these things, the healthier I am.

Second, it’s a platform, not a pedestal. There is a world of difference between a platform and a pedestal.

Pedestals are about ego and adulation.

Platforms are designed to be shared and used for the benefit of others.

I try to keep that in front of me, daily.

2. Practice Being Secure

Platforms can bring out the best in you, and they can bring out the beast in you.

If you struggle with insecurity, platforms can easily plunge you into the quicksand of comparison.

As you find your voice as a writer, speaker or podcaster, you also realize what you’re not. I had to come to terms with the fact that I’ll never be funny like Jon Acuff. I’m not ingeniously creative like Reggie Joiner. And I know I’ll simply fail if I try to mimic Andy Stanley or Jud Wilhite.

A platform eventually reveals who you are.

If you stick with it long enough, go at it regularly enough, you have to push past the spin…and you end up putting the most vulnerable thing you can put out there—you, with all your flaws. People will see you on your good days, on your bad days. They’ll see you every day.

Which means you have to get comfortable with yourself and honest with God and others.

That is the ultimate journey of all leaders anyway, isn’t it?

I love this conversation Josh Gagnon and I had on struggling with insecurity as a leader.

3. Give Your Platform Over to God (Continually)

If you have a platform and find it growing, give it over to God…continually.

You prayed a lot when you were struggling. You need to pray even more when you are successful.

I know in those moments where I experience any level of success, I need to pray. Remember: It came from God, and its deepest purpose is only revealed when it’s used to glorify him.

4. Figure Out How to Help People With It

Pedestals miss the central Christian idea that power and influence are to be used to benefit others, not the person with power or influence.

Ask yourself: How can I use what God has given me to benefit others?

That question applies to position, knowledge and money.

5. Share It

Platforms are shared. Pedestals aren’t.

Push other people into the spotlight. Don’t make it about you. Make it about God and others.

6. Hold It Loosely

What is given can also be taken away. It isn’t yours.

It never was.

One day people will stop calling, stop listening, stop reading and stop messaging you.

And God doesn’t love you any less.

What Do You Think?

Any thoughts on platform and leadership?

This article originally appeared here.

The Passage That Wrecked a Self-Righteous Church Kid

Kevin Halloran

June 12, 2017

I grew up with the reputation of being a squeaky-clean church kid—and I liked it. I had the approval of my parents, peers and teachers. What could be better?

Unfortunately, this approval led to self-righteousness and self-centeredness. I thought life was about me—and I had it good! I didn’t need to think much about seeking or obeying Christ because I assumed I already was doing both. I didn’t use bad words or get in trouble at school—that must mean I’m pretty good, right?

I began to take my faith more seriously in high school when friends in my public school started asking me questions—questions I didn’t have the answers to. In addition, I knew my squeaky-cleanness was only external—secret sins had a grip on my heart in a way Christ didn’t. I knew answers were out there for these questions and my struggles, I just hadn’t found them yet.

A Growing Desperation

I never expected my first semester at a Christian college to thrill me and challenge me like it did. I enjoyed new freedom and new friendships. What I didn’t enjoy was my new identity crisis. Who was I and what was I about? The answers seemed to change daily. “Squeaky-clean church kid” didn’t mean as much in a sea of squeaky-clean church kids.

I learned the hard way that trying to be like someone you’re not is a great way to embarrass yourself. I learned the nasty cycle of sin that leads to isolation that leads to even more sin. I learned what it felt like to cry myself to sleep at night.

One day while getting my hair cut, I came to grips with how bad things were. As chunks of my hair fell to the floor, I realized I couldn’t go on alone. I tried to please people and be someone I wasn’t—and I hated it. I felt like my life had fallen apart.

The passage that changed everything

That January I took an intensive Bible course that required students to read the whole New Testament in a few weeks. As I read the Bible, something happened that had never happened to me before: I was gripped by what I read. I had always respected the Bible and would have verbally said it was true—but this time it was as if someone had unlocked the secrets of the universe for me.

As I tried to absorb the rich truths of Scripture, I stopped in my tracks while reading Jesus’ conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 7.24–27″ data-version=”esv” data-purpose=”bible-reference”>Matthew 7:24–27, CSB):

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.

I was stunned. This was a familiar passage to me, but it was as if I read it the first time. I looked up from my Bible and thought: “I’ve built my life on the sand for my entire life. That’s why things have come crashing down.” I had heard the words of Christ all my life but had never desired to put them into practice. Christ revealed my wickedness to me, and it was like a sledgehammer to my soul.

As I considered the rubble of my life, despair turned to hope as I realized that Christ would put me back together—and put me back together He did.

In the Lord’s grace, I grew in leaps and bounds as I sought to repent of my sin and obey the risen Christ. I finally came to grips with who I was-a beloved child of God; and what I was about, pleasing Him with all I do and think.

The good life came not by keeping God at arm’s length, but by drawing near to the risen Christ and surrendering all of myself to Him. His was the only approval I needed, and this solid truth was something I could build my life upon.

This article originally appeared here.

4 Bad Relationship Transitions in Many Pastors

Chuck Lawless

June 12, 2017

Ministry is about relationships. We relate to lost people, church members, denominational leaders and others in different ways, but we can’t avoid relationships and do ministry well. On the other hand, too many pastors move in the wrong direction in these relationships:

From deep dependence on God to a dependence on self. We start out depending on God with everything we do—every word we speak in a sermon, every meeting we lead, every counseling session we conduct, every baptism we perform. Over time, though, we’ve done the work long enough that it all becomes routine. We get used to doing these tasks, and we then turn to God for help only if we must.
From focusing on nonbelievers to cocooning ourselves among believers. We know from the beginning that evangelism is a central task of ministry, and we long to be used of God to reach a lost world. We want to set the world on fire for Jesus when we start our ministry. The work of ministering to believers, however, consumes our time—so much so that we no longer even know many lost people to reach.
From loving the church to tolerating them. At first, it’s hard for us to believe that a local congregation would trust us to be their spiritual leader. We’re honored, humbled, blessed and grateful to serve. Then, the difficulties of ministry develop. Over the years, our hearts grow heavy and then hardened. Loving others becomes little more than putting up with them.
From adoring spouses as a helpmate and partner to viewing them as an employee. I’ve never heard anyone admit it, but I’ve seen it happen far too often: The spouse once respected and loved now becomes the servant who is expected to do what others won’t do—including at times the things the pastor doesn’t want to do.

If you find yourself in any of these categories, I’m praying that God would help all our readers to overcome these wrong transitions. I ask that you pray for me, too.

This article originally appeared here.

What to Say When They Ask, “Is This a Sin?”

J.A. Medders

June 12, 2017

Is it wrong for me to binge watch Netflix? What about putting my kids on a select soccer team that plays on Sunday mornings? Am I spending too much time at the gym?

The Bible doesn’t have specific answers for these kinds of questions. But this doesn’t mean the Bible doesn’t have something specific to say.

RUN THE RACE

If we are going to run the race of the Christian life with endurance, there are things we must lay aside—if they are hindering us, tripping us, restricting our movement.

Netflix may or may not be tripping you up. It might be enabling you to lust, shirk responsibilities, neglect rest and neglect enjoying God and his word. Or, it might be a proper way to rest and enjoy God’s world. Your hobbies, while good, can get out of control and start to control you—or they can be what God intends.

The writer of Hebrews tells us to act like marathon runners, chucking the items weighing us down so we can plow forward looking to our crucified and risen Jesus.

“Let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus the source and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1–2).

TWO CATEGORIES

I love how the writer of Hebrews gives two categories, sins and hindrances.

Sins is the obvious—from the Bible—category, non-arguable things in our lives we must kill and lay down. Lust, envy, lying, drunkenness, pornography, greed, gluttony, fear, etc.

Hindrances is the non-obvious category. They aren’t blatantly clear in God’s word. Social media usage isn’t lined out by the Apostles. But God gives us the Spirit, his word and his wisdom to assess our running.

Your budget, movies and hobbies may not be sinful, but it’s possible to sin with them. This doesn’t mean we need to pursue modern-monkery. No way. This is about whether we are eating, drinking, reading, playing, working out or Netflixing to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

This is tricky too. These hindrances aren’t universal. Sins are universal; if the Bible says this is sin, it’s true for all of us. There is no, “Oh, maybe for you, but I can do this.” But with the weights/hindrances, these are not standard. What is a hindrance to me may not be one to you. So we have to be honest and assess our own running before the Lord.

IS IT HELPING?

Hebrews is elevating the cost of discipleship. We want to do more than meander through life. We want to run for Christ.

So, the question is: Is this helping or hindering me? Does this help me run the race, living with an unfazed focused on Jesus Christ? Is this hindering me? Is this a good thing that I’ve allowed to distract me? If we are sinning, we cease and desist. If we feel distracted, unsure, restricted, we should ask for example:

Is the way I’m using Twitter helping me run the race with endurance, keeping my eyes on Jesus?
My eating habits, are they helping me run the race with endurance, keeping my eyes on Jesus?
My spending, is it helping me run the race with endurance, keeping my eyes on Jesus?
My downtime at night, is it helping me run the race with endurance, keeping my eyes on Jesus?

We either need to dial back, putting things in their proper orbit—or, we lay it aside altogether so we can run with endurance.

This article originally appeared here.

Why Loving Your Family Is So Hard

Josh Reich

June 12, 2017

Let’s be honest about families. They are incredible. They bring us love, joy and a ton of great memories.

They can also be difficult, painful, hurtful and wreck our lives (at least a portion of them).

We often underestimate the impact that our families have on our lives and the kind of people we become.

Who we become has a lot to do with where we came from, who we grew up with and what that house and family were like. The person we marry has an enormous impact on our lives and what they are like.

As we think about being a follower of Jesus, loving our family doesn’t often come into our thinking. We hear Jesus say we are to love our neighbor, so we look around us to figure out who to love. Yet, our family members are our neighbors, too. This is one of the biggest missed opportunities to show the love of God and impact lives.

In Colossians 3:18–21, the apostle Paul lays out what a family is supposed to be like, what a husband and wife do, and what children are to be like. But before he gets there, he lays the foundation in verses 1–17 of what a family does and what is the environment of a family. While similar to the list in 1 Corinthians 13 (the famous love chapter), this is a little different.

Before getting there, let me ask you a question: Who is the hardest person in your family to love?

As Paul tells us how to love and live, he does so by comparing two kinds of people: those who are dead in their sin (not followers of Jesus) and those who have been brought into new life in Christ.

This takes away our excuse about loving difficult people, because Paul shows us that through Jesus we have been loved. And we are difficult to love. Apart from God’s grace, we are broken and sinful.

In light of that, Paul tells us what should be true of our relationships and what should not be true of our relationships.

First, the negative side (what shouldn’t be true):

Sexual Immorality: He starts with sexual immorality, impurity, lust and evil desires. Sexual desire is hardwired into us as humans, but because we are sinful we distort our sexual desire.

Whenever the phrase sexual immorality is used in the NT, it is a junk drawer word. It means anything outside of God’s design for sex within the confines of marriage.

Why? Is God trying to ruin our fun?

He knows that when we distort sex and sexual desire we end up hurt and broken. In dating relationships that become sexual, the couple simply feels closer than they actually are, and that covers up issues that should be dealt with.

Greed: Greed refers to the belief that everything, including people, exists for your own personal purposes. Do you see how that would be destructive in a family?

We so easily fall into thinking that our family, spouse and kids are there for our benefit, our pleasure, to build us up and to make us feel good.

We look to them to complete us, to fix us. We look to them to complete them, to fix them.

Think about it like this: Most people love that they aren’t alone instead of loving the other person in the relationship. This is a crucial question to ask: Do you love your spouse, kids, parents? Or do you love not being alone?

The answer to that will determine how you treat them.

Don’t believe me? The next one he lists is in so many relationships.

Anger: We reserve so much anger for those who are closest to us. We will say things to them that we wouldn’t even say in the comfort of Facebook. We are brutal to our family sometimes.

Anger refers to a chronic feeling, not simply outbursts of rage.

It is an attitude, a contempt you feel toward someone.

This happens when we feel and act superior to someone close to us. We put them down. We tell them they are too emotional, too stupid, too needy.

This is when we pull away to get our way, to get what we want.

You might say, “But I’m not emotional. I’m a non-feeler.”

Do you know one of the reasons non-feelers get angry? To avoid being vulnerable. This is why we get up from a conversation, slam a door, storm out, fold our arms and shake our heads. We do this so we don’t have to engage a feeling, and it is dangerous.

Here’s a way it shows up in a family: When one person feels like they do all the work and the other person (spouse or child) doesn’t pull their weight. You work so much and they don’t do as much as you think they should.

Being judgmental and critical. We do this with family members more than anyone else. Why? Because they are stuck with us.

How does wrath, malice and anger show up in families? Through resentment and bitterness.

Words: The last thing Paul talks about is our speech, our words.

It is interesting how much the New Testament talks about our words.

We say the worst things to the people closest to us.

Words carry enormous power in our lives.

We don’t normally tell another person we hate them or never want to see them again. We rarely tell our friends, “I’m afraid I’m going to be stuck with you. You’re too emotional. You’re too controlling.”

Yet, we say those things all the time to our kids and our spouse.

He ends with, don’t lie to each other. Be truthful.

Do you see any of these things in your heart? In any relationships you have?

So, what do you do? My next post will unpack how to love your family and those closest to you.

This article originally appeared here.

Church in China Razed, Members Beaten and Imprisoned by Chinese Officials Over Arbitrary Fee

Megan Briggs

June 12, 2017

Members of a Christian church in Henan Province, China, are left traumatized after their new building was razed and several of their members were beaten and imprisoned by Chinese officials.

One witness likened the violence displayed by Chinese officials to the notoriously brutal Japanese invaders during WWII, giving us reason to believe this most recent takeover of a Christian church in China is more severe than the typical oppression Christians experience in that country.

The nonprofit organization China Aid reports 300 police offers and local government officials showed up to the church (which was still under construction) on May 5, 2017, and proceeded to demolish it. Shuangmiao Christian Church is located in the city of Shangqiu, Henan Province, in central China.

Witnesses reporting to China Aid describe officials pushing church members to the ground, twisting their hands and dragging them before placing them under arrest. Some 40 members were arrested, including the church pastor, Zhang Di, and the church’s vice director, Lü Yuexia. As of last week, eight of those arrested are still in custody.

Not only were members beaten, the officials also confiscated their personal items, including cell phones, laptops, jewelry, money and bank cards. Construction workers’ property was also searched and some of it confiscated. When members tried taking pictures of the raid, not only their cell phones were taken, but also their ID cards.

Pastor Li Peng was beaten during the incident when he tried documenting what was happening.

The violence was spurred by the government’s decision that the new church building was “illegal” and that its demolition was punishment for the church’s refusal to pay an annual “road usage fee” (about $588). The fee is an arbitrary one imposed by villagers who are envious of the church’s wealth, according to China Aid.

This is certainly not the first incident of persecution Christians in China have had to endure, and will likely not be the last. Because of the tendency of the Chinese government to try to brush these altercations under the rug, we may not hear of many of the abuses going on to our brothers and sisters there. Please continue to pray for believers in China and that their plight does not go unnoticed.

6 Attitudes That Kill Evangelism in the Church

Thom Rainer

June 11, 2017

Here are my notes from an interview I did with a church member recently.

Question: Do you believe evangelism should be a priority in the church?

“Absolutely.”

Question: Is evangelism a priority in your church?

“Not really. Our pastor doesn’t do much about it. And we get no help from our denomination.”

Question: What are you doing personally to be more evangelistic?

<Silence>

——————-

I won’t bore you with statistics about declining evangelism in our churches. You don’t need me to convince you most churches are not reaching our communities with the gospel. You don’t need me to provide data that shows our churches are reaching fewer people today than just a few years ago.

But why are our churches less evangelistic today?

That question could be answered from a number of perspectives. But one of the key explanations is simply an attitude problem. There are several dangerous and debilitating attitudes in churches that are killing evangelism. Here are six of them:

“That’s what we pay our pastor to do.” The hired-hand attitude toward the Great Commission is debilitating. It emanates from an attitude of comfort and entitlement among church members. And, above all, it is totally unbiblical.
“Our church members are just not evangelistic.” This quote comes from pastors and other church leaders. It is the other side of the coin of the blame game noted in number one above. Pastors who make those comments typically aren’t evangelistic themselves. And the number one correlative factor of an evangelistic church is an evangelistic pastor. If pastors are serious about their churches becoming Great Commission instruments, they must begin by looking in the mirror.
“Our denomination does not help us.” This attitude is a continuation of the blame and deflection issue. Evangelistic churches do not depend on denominations to lead them to share the gospel. They see the Great Commission as primarily an issue of local church responsibility.
“We emphasize evangelism once a year in our church.” If evangelism is just another emphasis in the church, it is dead on arrival. It must be an ongoing priority of the church. The Great Commission is not just another event; it is living the priority of sharing the gospel.
“I don’t know anyone well who is not a Christian.” This attitude is part of the greater issue of the holy huddle in many churches. If the church members are not intentionally developing relationships with people who are not Christians, evangelism just won’t happen. Here is a test to consider. How many of the groups or classes in your church are regularly seeking to connect with unbelievers?
“We don’t have the resources.” The most effective evangelistic churches depend on two key resources: prayer and obedience.

The decline in evangelism in our churches comes down to just a few key issues. Too many believers see evangelism as the responsibility of someone else. Closely related to that issue is the matter of blame. It’s the pastor’s fault. It’s the church members’ fault. It’s the denomination’s fault.

I have seen churches make dramatic turnarounds when just one person decided to be radically obedient to the Great Commission.

The question should not be: “What about them?”

The question should be: “What about me?”

This article originally appeared here.

What’s Driving Your Church?

Rick Warren

June 11, 2017

When I wrote The Purpose Driven Church, I made the bold assertion that every church is driven by something. That’s still true, and you must decide what will drive your congregation.

A lot of churches are driven by tradition. Others will be driven by personalities and politics. Still other churches are driven by debt, by the shape of their buildings, or by a ministry structure so large and so inflexible that fresh growth will be difficult.

Healthy churches, however, are driven by God’s purposes. These churches will focus on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, and they’ll discover that God wants his church to fulfill five purposes:

Worship – Healthy churches will magnify the name of Jesus in all that they do.
Evangelism – Healthy churches will focus on the mission of introducing unchurched people to Jesus.
Fellowship – Healthy churches will bring people into membership in God’s family, the church.
Discipleship – Healthy churches will help people become more like Christ.
Ministry – Healthy churches will help people discover their SHAPE (Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences) for serving others.

Leading your church into health and growth won’t depend on launching a bunch of new programs and ministries. It will depend on designing and working through a process for making fully mature, reproducing disciples so that you can help people move from the local community into your crowd, from the crowd into your congregation, from being part of your congregation to being fully committed to being part of the core of your church.

These are the basic, biblical concepts behind what it means to be a Purpose Driven church. I want to help you and your church discover how to do this in your ministry context so that it will be the greatest year of growth you’ve ever experienced. And growth is far more than numbers. We can grow larger, but we can also grow deeper, broader, warmer and stronger.

As you begin to review this past year of ministry, ask yourself the question: What has driven us this year? If it’s anything other than God’s purposes, right now is the best time to refocus and align your church’s ministry with the heart and the purposes of God!

Join us at HOPE RENEWED, the 2017 Purpose Driven Church event, as we continue the conversation about growing healthy, effective churches together!

Dates:
June 27–29, 2017

Location:
Saddleback Church
1 Saddleback Parkway, Lake Forest, CA 92630 – LEARN MORE

This article originally appeared here.

Do They Leave Service Singing the Songs or Reciting the Sermon?

Alan Wilson

June 11, 2017

You may have noticed at the end of church on a Sunday morning people will tend to go out singing the songs rather than reciting the sermon.

One Sunday a few years ago, the BBC broadcast a service from the famous Keswick Convention in the English Lake District. The music was led by modern hymn-writer Stuart Townend, and the service included several of his songs, including In Christ Alone.

Before leading the congregation in singing that, Stuart spoke for about one minute on the significance of songs in worship, highlighting their teaching function and their capacity to allow us to express our feelings and emotions to God who in turn interacts with us.

He raised a few chuckles when he suggested that people are more likely to leave church singing the songs than reciting the sermon.

The point is not that sermons should be done away with (the Keswick Convention would be an odd place to suggest that); it’s an observation about the power of music.

Here are a few reflections on this—some for preachers and some for music directors and worship leaders.

For preachers:

Let’s face it: He’s got a point. Have you ever heard someone reciting lines from your sermon in the car park after you have preached for 40 minutes? You may get the odd memorable line or two making an appearance on Twitter; and there may be some people leaving with a page or two of notes (what does anyone do with all those notes, by the way?).
But that does not mean that we do away with sermons. However there is a challenge to us to do what we can to make our sermons more memorable.
Which in turn does not mean you have to arrive in the pulpit having parachuted through the ceiling or driven up the aisle in a Formula 1 racing car; nor does it require you to replace the pulpit with a trampoline. All of these would make the occasion memorable, but possibly not for the right reasons.
It may involve a judicious and creative use of some kind of visuals on the screen. If you are going to use Powerpoint or the like, try to make sure that it supports your message rather than distracting from it.
It may involve the use of stories and illustrations. People who struggle to follow a detailed argument may come alive when you tell a good story. As with visuals, make sure it supports your message. (One of the dilemmas a preacher faces is when there is a great story, begging to be told, but it doesn’t quite fit the sermon.)
Why not make use of a catch phrase or a tag line that accurately reflects the message of the passage you are preaching? You can repeat it several times during your message.
Consider using alliteration or parallelism to outline the main sub-points of your message. For example: Preaching sometimes involves pulpits; preaching should never include plagiarism; preaching should always involve power.
Ask the Holy Spirit to use the written word (Bible) to reveal the Incarnate Word (Jesus). Ask him to bring a word for the moment to the listeners’ lives. Ask him to open listeners’ hearts.

For worship leaders and song writers:

Realize the powerful influence you have! Music sticks with people. How many times do you go through a day with a tune buzzing around your head?
Since music is so powerful, make sure you get people to sing songs that are actually worth remembering. It works two ways. Silly, superficial words, set to a catchy tune, stick. Sometimes your dilemma will be that you have to ditch a song whose melody you really like, because its lyrics are not good enough. If some things are worth remembering, others are not.
On the same lines, if you are a song writer, don’t waste your time writing nonsense! Give us things that we need to remember; give us things that will give wings to our spiritual lives.
Remember the difference between songs that work really well at a rock concert, but don’t cut it in corporate worship. Corporate worship means the people sing, not listen.
Writers: You need to write tunes that ordinary, not-terribly-musical people can sing and will remember. Don’t forget that while you can probably pick up a new melody after you have heard it once, some people will need to hear it, be taught it and practice it multiple times before it sticks with them.
Consider working with the preacher to choose songs that will support the theme of what is preached. Even if it doesn’t work for every song in the service, work hard to make sure that the final song will reinforce what has just been preached. For example, if the preaching has focused the grace and love of the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, why not finish with something like “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”?
If you are a writer, why not set yourself the challenge of writing new material to reflect a series that is being preached in your church. It will stretch your writing skills and it will provide a great resource to your church (and possibly the church wider afield).

This article originally appeared here.

How to Develop Student Leaders

Doug Fields

June 11, 2017

I believe one of the elements of a healthy and effective youth ministry is the presence of teenage leaders. In addition to simply having teenage leaders, I’d also say that a sign of health is a plan to develop them. I’ve never found this to be a simple task, but I have discovered that a ministry’s health is within reach when teenagers are empowered to be leaders.

There’s no magic formula and/or pixie dust that a youth worker can use to seek and develop young leaders…sorry. I wish there were! It simply requires intentional actions. I’ve outlined some easy-to-implement ideas below that you can follow and begin to immediately launch teenagers into ministry.

BROADEN THE DEFINITION OF STUDENT LEADERSHIP

An important first and easy step is to broaden the definition of leadership. So often, we fall into and follow the ways of the world when we define a leader in terms synonymous with extrovert, influencer, charismatic, dynamic, good in front of crowds, etc… (you get the point). While I wouldn’t dismiss these as helpful qualities for any leader, I surely wouldn’t use them to limit the potential leaders within your ministry. I think that in youth ministry, leadership should appear different than the cute, fun and popular teenagers who are voted into most leadership positions at school.

When we broaden our definition of leadership and align it more closely to the words of Jesus, our potential audience for finding leaders may dramatically change. Jesus said, “But among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant” (Mt. 20:26). Bottom line: Christ-following leaders are different! These types of leaders serve.

IDENTIFY THE SERVANT-LEADERS

What if you began a student leadership strategy by just looking within your youth ministry setting and asking yourself, “Who are the teenagers who seem to have a more natural leaning toward service, helping and/or humility?” Be on the look out. Who stays after youth group to help clean up? Who isn’t afraid to step up and serve when a need arises? Which teenagers can you depend on when you need some help on a particular day, service or event? The ones who are most likely to say “yes” to helping. Start listing names.

PAINT A VERBAL PICTURE

Never underestimate the power of a well-timed and prophetic verbal challenge. After you identify a potential student leader, speak the future to him/her. Cast vision for who he should/could be. Say something as simple as:

“Kyle, I think God has great plans for you as a leader… I’m not exactly sure what they are, but I see something in you that I’m not sure you see in yourself. I see a lot of leadership qualities that Jesus views as important.”

Your words can become a visual portrait for a teenager to hang onto and strive toward.

Jesus did this type of verbal painting with Simon. Jesus looked past Simon’s big-mouthed misadventures and gave him a new name: Peter, Petros, Rock. I’ve got to imagine that some of the disciples heard Jesus declare that name and think to themselves, “Really? Rock? How about calling him Pebbles or Sandy? That would be more accurate.”

Jesus saw something in Simon that he didn’t see in himself, and that fisherman became a rock-solid leader in the Jerusalem church.

Try it this week. Put a caring arm around one of your students and say…

· “I’ve been watching you. You have an amazing heart! I believe God can use that heart for his purposes.”

· “I love how you treat people. I see you being a man/woman of God who deeply cares for people. That’s an amazing gift you have to offer others.”

· “I’ve noticed how comfortable you are in serving in the small ways. I really appreciate that and believe that God uses that type of servanthood to impact others. He will use you.”

Don’t say it just once; repeat it, rephrase it, return to it by using similar but different words, and let that teenager know you are sincere and excited about their future. Your affirming words may be exactly what a few teenagers in your ministry need to hear.

“BUT SHE’S NOT READY YET…HE’S NOT A LEADER YET”

Every leader can recall a starting point where the little boy sat down, and the man stood up. Leaders need to be called into action. If we waited until everyone was ready, we’d never invite teenagers to participate. That’s what you’re calling teenagers to do—to stand up and lead.

When you paint the future, don’t simply point out the obvious. Highlighting the obvious doesn’t inspire anything new. That’s not the type of ministry we want to be known for as we develop teenage leaders. We want to be leaders who enter into a teenager’s storyline and look for the “could be” in them. We see potential. Potential breeds hope and change and adventure.

When I’m not focused on potential, my youth ministry becomes routine, and I tend to define teenagers in terms of their problems rather than their potential.

• “Oh, that’s the kid who is always late and talks during my teaching time.”

• “That’s my kid with the high-maintenance mom who has the squeaky voice and painted-on eyebrows.”

I want to be the type of leader who sees it, says it, inspires it and then follows up on it. I want you to be that type of leader, too!

PROVIDE THEM WITH SPECIFIC SERVING OPPORTUNITIES

Teenagers need to “taste” serving, they want to do something that is making a difference, and they’re more than capable of succeeding in the service opportunities we identify. A common hurdle keeping them from service is when we don’t take the time to identify service opportunities, or if we do, we assign them all to adults.

I coached my own kids’ sports team until they got into high school. As a coach, I quickly learned that a kid may have thought he was a shortstop, or a parent wanted their kid to be the QB, but the bottom line to figuring out what they were really good at (and enjoyed) was to give them playing time and the freedom to play. That principle transfers to developing student leaders. The kids in your ministry need playing time; they need to experiment, step across the line and move from sitting to serving. That’s it…just get them in the game and give them somewhere to serve.

Why I like the term “service funnel” is because the visual image is helpful for people to grasp (wide opening at the top that narrows toward the bottom). At the top of service funnel are several “entry-level” service opportunities. As you move toward the bottom, the opportunities become more risky, time-consuming and sacrificial. The challenge for youth workers is to identify the opportunities, make them known and then start casting vision for teenagers to “get in the game” and start “playing” with service.

My 19-year-old son is serving in Kenya, Africa, for seven months working with children living on the street and sniffing glue. After his first semester, he abandoned the safety of his college plan because he felt called to do something radical for God. That type of sacrifice, time and risk is bottom of the funnel. He’s serving there because he tasted dozens of entry-level serving opportunities during junior high and high school. Serving was a value that he heard over and over. His volunteer small group leaders cast vision that he was a leader and challenged him to lead through service rather than lead through a microphone and stage time.

Are there “jobs” within your youth ministry that adults are doing that teenagers could be doing instead? Are your other adult leaders on the lookout for opportunities for a teenager to serve? When you discern them, give them to teenagers, and get them in the game and see what God does.

IT’S OK TO GO INFORMAL

Every time I’ve tried to formalize a student leadership “program,” it turns out just “OK.” It’s never been great; it always gets some momentum when I start it and restart it, but it doesn’t deliver what I dreamt up on my office whiteboard. I think it’s because I focused on building a team of players more than getting the team members into the game. Today, I get much more excited about a non-program style of leadership development process. Now I just want to identify servant-leader teenagers, cast vision for them, encourage them to participate and give them opportunities to play.

I want to do the possible and put my faith in God that he’ll do the impossible and change a Simon to Rocky. How about you?

What if I Can’t Find the Perfect Church?

Dr. Josh Buice

June 11, 2017

One of the greatest decisions of your life will be centered upon what church you should join. This will be where you receive the teaching of God’s Word, grow in the knowledge of truth, are blessed through the ordinary means of grace, and where your entire family will engage in worship, discipleship and missions. This is no small decision. Often I run across people at conferences or through email who stop attending church because they can’t find the perfect church. What if you don’t have the perfect church in your community—what should you do?

Nonattendance Is Not an Option

If you’re not presently attending church because you have become disgruntled with your present church and due to the fact that you can’t seem to locate the perfect church in your area—you are in a very dangerous place. God has never intended His people to journey to the Celestial City alone. The journey is long and treacherous and God’s plan has always been centered on the church. We need one another for encouragement, friendship, partnership and accountability.

Consider the words in Hebrews 10:23-25: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 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.

How is it possible to stir up your church to love and good works if you’re not in attendance with the church? How can you encourage your church if you’re not gathering together with your church family for the purpose of worship and service in ministry? The church gathers weekly for worship and service, and regularly sits together at the Lord’s Table remembering the sacrificial death of Jesus. Nonattendance was not an option for the early church and it shouldn’t be an option for the modern church.

Work Hard to Make Your Church Better

Perhaps the reason you’re unhappy is because you’re searching for the perfect church. It’s like the husband who is unhappy with his wife because he’s consistently looking at other marriages and examining them as he searches for the ideal marriage. Perhaps if you stopped shopping around and became focused on your local church things would suddenly improve.

When talking to people about what type of church they’re searching for, words that often surface in such conversations include “authentic,” “missional” and “serious.” Before leaving your church and looking for a better church, have you considered working to improve the deficiencies within your local church? As we consider the reality that all churches will have blemishes and deficiencies, we must not become a “Statler or Waldorf” who sit on the sidelines and criticize. The church needs more, and the Lord deserves much better from us all.

As the church is often described through analogies of the human body, a building and a family—the idea of slacking off and not pulling your weight within your local church based on complaints that you have is simply not biblical. Work hard to love one another (yes, we are called to actually go beyond liking one another), to serve with one another, to promote unity and to engage in the mission of the local church for the glory of God.

Drive, Move or Both

There are times when it’s necessary to leave a church. As you consider leaving your church, you must honestly evaluate your desires from a biblical lens. Are your concerns based on cultural preferences or essential biblical truth? This is a heartbreaking decision and should likewise be approached carefully and biblically. Never leave a church out of emotion, anger or petty complaints.

If sin is not addressed by the church and if unrepentant sinners are allowed to persist in their rebellion—this may be a reason to consider leaving your church. If leaders within the church do not take their responsibility to teach the Bible seriously and if they replace serious exposition with silly sermonettes and puppet shows, this may be an indicator that you can’t stay. If unbiblical doctrines are being taught, you should leave. However, in all cases, it would be wise to confirm the unbiblical doctrines by meeting with the elders of the church to avoid any misunderstanding and to hold the leaders accountable.

If you find yourself searching for a church because you’ve had to leave a church on the basis of heretical teaching or if you’ve recently moved to a new city—don’t be persuaded that your couch and YouTube will be a sufficient substitute for a healthy local church. God has not given us another option in place of the local assembly of the saints. If you need to drive to the next town to attend church—do it. If you can’t drive and be faithful—consider moving. Yes, moving to be closer to your church may prove to be the best decision for your family. It will prove to be much healthier than spotty attendance that keeps you and your family disconnected from the life of the church. It may be that such a move causes you to have a longer drive to work each day, but that too may be the most healthy option.

Whatever you do—don’t choose YouTube and podcasts as a substitute for your local church.

This article originally appeared here.

7 Tips for Parents of Teens in a Technology-Crazed World

Brandon Cox

June 11, 2017

Social media is here. It’s not a trend. It’s not a fad. It’s part of the atmosphere we breathe in, like oxygen. Like it or not. We need tech tips for parents today.

You and I who are parents of teens and preteens grew up in a very different world. I remember the first broadcast day for MTV. Remember the first video? It was “Video Killed the Radio Star.” And it was prophetic.

We also grew up at the advent of the Internet for home users, email and social networking when it wasn’t cool.

Email started out as a kind of inter-office instant messaging system. Now, seven out of 10 people check their email a minimum of six times per day.

In the first Internet generation, we would “dial up” and then “disconnect.” You could hear the modem scream and then hope for a “You’ve got mail” announcement.

Now, it’s always on. We’re absorbed in it.

I have a daughter and, as of this writing, she’s about to turn 15. I couldn’t be more proud of her maturity when it comes to social media and technology. But it’s something I think about every single day. I have two boys—currently seven and four—and I often wonder what else will develop in the world of social media by the time they hit their teen years.

Rather than seeing all of this as negative, I think it’s wise to apply a bit of a SWOT analysis to our current cultural conundrum.

Strengths of a Tech-Ready World

The strengths of our tech-saturated, social media generation include

the ability to connect with people more readily and quickly,
the freedom to communicate with family instantly across great distances, and
the capacity to solve big problems—medical, political, educational, etc.—faster than ever.

Weaknesses of a Tech-Crazy World

The weaknesses have to do with our humanness. We humans tend to be creatures of habit, and some of our habits can become quite destructive.

We tune in online when we should be tuned into the person face-to-face with us.
We get anxious when we’re disconnected for too long.
We produce and access things we shouldn’t—hence the Internet porn epidemic.
We are so inundated with bad news that we disconnect from it emotionally.
We waste a lot of time!

Opportunities of a Tech-Enabled World

I believe the advent of social media affords us a ton of positive opportunities. I even wrote a whole book about how social media can help us share the love of God. We can use technology to our advantage…

to stay tuned in to what is happening in the world,
to be alerted to emergencies and urgent situations,
to lead and influence a generation in ways not possible before, and ultimately,
to meet new people and spread positivity further,
to spread the message of Jesus further and faster than ever before.

Threats of a Tech-Infected World

The threats of tech-everywhere range from the common, everyday annoyances to the Matrix-level conspiratorial stuff. But for most families, the threats are…

Cyber security issues, requiring us all to be aware of hacking and phishing.
Privacy issues related to people stealing and abusing our personal information.
Intrusion into our lives by people with ill-intent.
Porn. All kinds of it. Tons of it.

We need to think of all of this in a balanced way. We need an awareness of the dangers and what I often call the common “social media ism’s.” But we also need to know that social networking is our present reality. It is a reflection of and window to our culture.

And it’s a space where we can make a difference.

So how do you parent teenagers in the rushing rapids of our current technology-driven cultural change? Here are a few tips…

1. Anchor your lives in eternal things.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. No new technological advancement changes the nature of Jesus or of God’s Word. The gospel is and forever shall be the good news that the risen King Jesus saves and redeems.

Be about eternal things, not temporal things.

2. Be aware of the major trends.

You don’t have to sign up for accounts on every new social network that opens up. You do have to keep an eye on the potential threats. You need to know why Snapchat is so popular and how kids are using Instagram and why they don’t share all on Facebook.

You don’t have to be an expert. You do need to be aware.

3. Have intentional and honest conversations.

I know you want to make them feel trusted. But they’re still kids. They need us to ask tough questions and offer solid answers. The last thing they need is our silence. Don’t assume that you’re on the same page when it comes to standards of privacy and decency.

4. Engage with them in their world.

Your kids probably don’t want you joining in on their group conversations with their friends. In fact, it’s a certainty. But separately from those conversations, they’d probably be delighted if you occasionally spoke their language via text or direct message, or funny gifs and memes.

5. Develop an understanding about online privacy.

First, make sure they know that there is no such thing as online privacy. It’s an illusion. Someone is always watching. Someone always knows. That’s not a conspiratorial statement—it’s a fact. If you don’t know what a ping or an IP address is, you’re already in over your head.

6. Establish some standards.

In our home, our kids know that we’re not going to insert ourselves into all of their conversations. They also know that until they’re 18 and out of the house, their devices are our devices and are always subject to and available for inspection at a moment’s notice. It isn’t that we don’t trust their character. It’s that we know their character is still in the testing and development phase.

7. Let grace prevail.

If you parent using fear and intimidation and shame, your kids won’t turn to you when they mess up or encounter something they shouldn’t have. They might, however, open up to you when they know that there is grace available to them.

That doesn’t mean there are never consequences for disobedience or unwise choices. It just means that our love, affirmation and affection are based on grace, not on their performance.

You’re not going to navigate all of this perfectly. Neither am I. But it is possible to be wise, to be loving and to boldly lead our kids when it comes to how they interact with today’s rapidly changing social technologies.

This article originally appeared here.

How to Preach Unforgettable Sermons Like Jesus

Brandon Hilgemann

June 9, 2017

Did you know that most people forget 90 percent of sermons within 24 hours?

That’s depressing.

Your message is too important to be forgotten so fast. So how can you help people remember?

There are a lot of ways that people try to preach unforgettable sermons. Some work; others don’t.

But the best way is to learn from Jesus.

His sermons were so memorable that we still remember them almost 2,000 years later.

Here are just three examples that we can learn from Jesus:

1. BE SIMPLE

Jesus preached in simple and powerful statements. A great example is, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19).

Jesus spoke in simple ways to simple people. For the most part, it doesn’t take a college degree to understand Jesus’ teaching. Most of his concepts can be summarized in a single sentence.

A simple and memorable statement will have some artistic nature to it. They may rhyme, have alliteration or be an interesting play on words.

For example, I preached a sermon where the main idea was, “What would you do if you knew God was with you?”

I emphasized the rhyme of “do,” “knew” and “you.”

Another simple point I have used is: “If you want your kids to follow Jesus every day of their lives, you need to make Jesus part of your everyday life.”

These crafted, simple statements are easy to remember and help your listeners carry the message with them when they leave the building.

If you can’t summarize your message in a single, simple sentence, you aren’t ready to preach it.

2. BE SHOCKING

Jesus often used outrageous examples, exaggerations or shocking statements to get people’s attention. These statements were not all meant to be taken literally, but they got the point across.

For example, Jesus didn’t mean that we literally have to rip out our eyes and amputate our hands for causing us to sin (Matthew 5:29-30). Otherwise, all Christians would be blind amputees.

Another great example from Jesus is when he said, “Blessed are the poor” (Matthew 5:3).

That must have caught his audience by surprise. People don’t associate being poor with being blessed. Most people think, “Blessed are the rich.”

Jesus said unexpected things that shocked people to help us all remember his point.

3. BE A STORYTELLER

Jesus was a master storyteller. “He told them many things in parables” (Matthew 13:3).

Think about all of Jesus’ parables: the prodigal son, the good Samaritan, the lost sheep, the sower and the seeds, and more.

Jesus knew how to weave a story to communicate his message in a memorable and powerful way.

He could have said, “Love everyone like they are your neighbor.” Instead, he told the story of the good Samaritan.
He could have said, “God wants to save all lost people.” Instead, he told the story of the lost sheep.
He could have said, “Not everyone who hears my words will follow me.” Instead, he told the story of the sower.

People don’t always remember my sermons, but I am always surprised by how much they remember my stories.

Years after I told a story and forgot that I ever shared it, people have reminded me of it.

Stories are powerful. The good ones stick with us the rest of our lives. Jesus knew this and used it to help us remember his teaching.

So here’s the bottom line:

If you want to preach unforgettable sermons, preach like Jesus.

Learn from Jesus and be a simple, shocking, storytelling preacher.

You can find these tips and more in my book Preach and Deliver.

This article originally appeared here.

1. You actually need help.

2. It’s incredibly humble.

3. You’re on the same team.

It Says Absolutely Nothing

We Was Beat When We Was Born

These People Sure Seem Depressed

What We Think Determines How We Respond

This Really Matters

Presence V. Platform

1. Check Your Motives

2. Practice Being Secure

3. Give Your Platform Over to God (Continually)

4. Figure Out How to Help People With It

5. Share It

6. Hold It Loosely

What Do You Think?

A Growing Desperation

The passage that changed everything

RUN THE RACE

TWO CATEGORIES

IS IT HELPING?

Nonattendance Is Not an Option

Work Hard to Make Your Church Better

Drive, Move or Both

Strengths of a Tech-Ready World

Weaknesses of a Tech-Crazy World

Opportunities of a Tech-Enabled World

Threats of a Tech-Infected World

1. Anchor your lives in eternal things.

2. Be aware of the major trends.

3. Have intentional and honest conversations.

4. Engage with them in their world.

5. Develop an understanding about online privacy.

6. Establish some standards.

7. Let grace prevail.

1. BE SIMPLE

2. BE SHOCKING

3. BE A STORYTELLER

If you want to preach unforgettable sermons, preach like Jesus.

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