Is Your Approach to Ministry Strategic?

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November 21, 2023

Does your current ministry model seem clear? Strategic? Intentional? A clear, strategic, and intentional approach to ministry isn’t unholy. The opposite, in fact. Contributing to the Great Commission doesn’t happen by accident. The more intentional we are in ministry, the better we position our church and ministry for God to work through it.

Here’s the problem: you might not see your church model for what it is any longer. We typically better understand the things we create. Perhaps your approach to ministry was highly intentional when you launched or took over the church or ministry. Your strategy didn’t grow complex or unruly as your ministry grew and evolved. After all, the additions were small and incremental. One Elder’s requested a pet project. A lady in the church offered to lead something new. A community concern arose, and you met the need with a program.

Sure, you’re doing more now than you did when you launched. The church is more complex today than in the past. But that’s supposed to happen. You’re doing more to accomplish more.

But busy doesn’t mean production. Activity doesn’t equal productivity. Adding more doesn’t mean you’re accomplishing more.

One Key Question About Your Approach to Ministry

Here’s a question you must answer: If an outsider saw your ministry model, would it appear intentionally designed to move people along a discipleship journey? Outside perspectives are invaluable. Outsiders have fresh eyes. They aren’t seeing your ministry model as a creator or through dozens of incremental additions. They see it for what it is, not what you perceive it to be. To better see your approach to ministry accurately, you have two options:

Bring in an outside perspective.
Think like an outsider.

The first option is typically better yet more expensive. Running with the second option means implementing a process to see yourself and your church more accurately.

You can contact some great people and organizations for option 1 (including me, but I’m biased). If you want to see your ministry model anew via option 2, try this:

1. Define your simplified mission.

You can’t evaluate success until you define the target. Full buildings aren’t the goal. Paying bills is not the target. Getting people “back” to your church is not why you’re passionate about your church.

Your mission is your aim, but your mission statement may be too complex to serve as the target. I love challenging my clients to reduce their mission statement to eight words or less.

For example, a friend and client of mine leads a church with this mission statement: We exist to show God’s love in such a way that people would exchange ordinary living for an extraordinary life through the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

That’s a well-crafted statement, but it’s also long and multifaceted. Is success showing God’s love? Is the goal to engage the transforming power of Jesus Christ? Both of those statements represent more strategy than the mission.

When we worked on simplifying their mission to define success, we reduced it to “people exchanging ordinary living for an extraordinary life.” Eight words exactly. Not that God’s love and the transforming power aren’t necessary, but what’s the ultimate measure of success? The exchange of life.

Give it a try. Go through this exercise with your mission statement. What’s the irrefutable minimum of your mission?

2. Put it all on the table.

Or whiteboard. To completely see your church and ministry model, make a list of everything you do. And I mean everything. Grab a whiteboard or flip chart and start writing it down. List it all out as granularly as you can. Don’t just write “Men’s ministry.” Use that as a category and list everything that happens within each category.

Once you are every single thing written down, you are ready to begin evaluating your model (or lack of model).

3. Arrange your list into a discipleship journey.

Your next step is to consider how a person in your community living far from God and church will engage with your church and move through a journey to discover Jesus and grow in Christlikeness. Look at your list and arrange every program by the intended participant. If you’ve never considered this method, use the following people categories:

- Stranger: The people in your community living outside of a faith relationship with Jesus and outside of a church connection are strangers. They may be entirely unchurched or now de-churched.
- Friend: These people in your community know about your church and mostly like what they’ve seen and heard, but they have not engaged in person or online. They wouldn’t claim your church as their church. But they are open to your church. They most likely like a person who attends your church, though.
- Infrequent Attendee: These people claim your church as their church, but you rarely see them in-person or online. They may show up occasionally. They may follow you on Instagram. They might even comment on your Facebook post or listen to your podcast from time to time. But they aren’t involved.
- Frequent Attendee: Now we are getting to your church people. This group makes up your broader church family. They are usually known by someone at your church and know your church. They participate on some level, but they aren’t necessarily all in. However, if stopped at the grocery store, they’d openly claim you as their church home.
- Engaged Attendee: Stepping it up, the Engaged Attendee contributes to the mission. They’re most likely in a group, serving on a team, and/or generous to the mission.
- Evangelist: The last group is your raving fans. They are engaged in the mission and invite everyone they know to experience their church, not your church. They act like owners because they feel ownership. Your church most likely transformed an aspect of their life, and they are grateful enough to share their story within their sphere of influence.

Take this list and place everything you do within one of these target people categories.

4. Ask the hard questions.

You’re probably slightly shocked and saddened if you’ve made it this far. Shocked that your church is doing so much. Saddened that your church has significant gaps along the discipleship journey.

Ask these four critical questions about your approach to ministry:

1. What’s working?
2. What’s not working?
3. What’s missing?
4. What’s confusing?

Answer these questions only against the mission AND the target people categories. It doesn’t matter how many people attended or how many positive comments were received. The simplified mission plus the intended person is your benchmark for success.

5. Make some tough decisions.

Honest answers to the four critical questions will reveal much. You’ll need to remove some programs from your model. Others will require adjustments to best fit the target customer and fulfill the mission. There will no doubt be gaps in your discipleship journey. There will be confusion if steps along the journey aren’t easy, obvious, and intentional.

6. Design a ministry model of movement.

With the first five steps accomplished, you’re ready to devise a new, better ministry model that is intentional and designed with your community in mind. Think of your model as a moving sidewalk. You want a discipleship pathway that allows people to jump on the sidewalk when they are ready, where they are ready, and move in one direction towards Jesus. That is our goal. That’s what our ministry model should accomplish.

Concluding Thoughts on a Strategic Approach to Ministry

Be Intentional: An intentional approach to ministry only happens when we are intentional in our evaluation and design. No church accidentally creates disciples. The act of evangelism and discipleship is a deliberate process that demands an intentional ministry design.

Think Movement: Build your model with movement as the win. Where is each step moving people? How are people entering the step, experiencing it, and exiting it to take their best next step? In a discipleship pathway, movement matters.

Ask or Help: You alone may not see your church model with fresh eyes. This is especially true if you created it or have been in your position for years. It’s hard to see your church with new eyes when we’ve been around a while. You may have other staff or volunteers who can help you better evaluate. You can invite an outside expert into the conversation. Whatever you do, don’t evaluate alone.

This article on a strategic approach to ministry originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Elijah the Prophet: What We Can Learn From His Mental Health

By

Bill Reese

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November 21, 2023

Many spiritual leaders in the Bible struggled to obtain victory while serving faithfully. The story of Elijah the Prophet is just one case study model for ministry. Many pastors and church leaders can learn a valuable lesson on self-care and God’s provision to take care of His own.

We will discover from Elijah’s story that mental health was not uncommon then nor is it uncommon in our day now. We are all called to serve in the capacity of the Father’s will for our lives. Elijah the Prophet was a powerful man of God, and God used him mightily, but ultimately, we find Elijah depleted, mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. I feel that way at times.

Many pastors today suffer in silence with mental health issues. It is crystal clear that the Bible speaks of servants like Elijah the prophet and King David, a man after God’s own heart. And the list goes on of many others who have served the Lord. We can learn and share their transparent stories around mental health-related issues.

The Lord lifted them all up and their stories are recorded to educate us. We don’t have to give up on our ministry; we just need to be ministered to for a season, like God did for the prophet Elijah. Yes, we may be depleted but never disconnected from God and His love for us.

It is necessary for twenty-first-century pastors and church leaders to consider the case study on the life and ministry of Elijah the Prophet. Elijah was overwhelmed by mental health even though he lived in the days of the Old Testament.

In James 5:17, James, a New Testament writer, declares that Elijah the Prophet is just like us. We are no different than he was—we have all experienced similar symptoms, and we all have stress-related issues, even if it is nothing more than member depression or depression over assignments.

Elijah’s story is about his mental health condition while serving God in a Spirit-filled ministry and operating under a great anointing. This is nothing new; the suffering of mental illness has always been present in some form of anxiety or depression from the beginning of time, and even now as we serve God. But God does care and provide for His own.

Now in the twenty-first century in which we live, this commonality with Elijah the Prophet is devastating for us to believe when we encounter the dramatic events of his life story that took place so long ago yet is relevant today. Elijah’s story is found in 1 Kings chapters 17 and 19. The same God who took care of Elijah is still the one who cares today for His pastors and leaders. He still STOPS to hear us, and He is still asking the same question today, “What can I do for you?”

In the New Testament, if we would just follow the STOPS of Jesus, we would learn how Jesus showed compassion and healed those in His presence. He loved them so. Today, like our Master, we should STOP and show a more compassionate spirit toward those suffering mental illness. God stopped to restore Elijah’s health and replenish his spiritual well-being.

Elijah’s story is about the God in him, which made him so powerful in his moments of weakness, and how God provided for His own. The Bible reveals the mighty acts of God in the prophet Elijah’s life; it is a story about how God uses His people for His glory regardless of one’s mental condition or status. With God, no one is disqualified from service. Not even the pastor He calls today will be given a different task—the requirements for ministry have not changed. Pastors and leaders are not exempt from God’s calling, no matter what we are experiencing in life.

The prophet Elijah’s call was not based on ability, but rather his availability. Our inability or insufficiency has never mattered to God; that should be encouraging to us. The Lord told the Apostle Paul in the New Testament that His grace is sufficient in all things. It has always been, and always will be, about God’s greatness and mighty acts done through His people. God is so compassionate to those who serve Him. Jesus truly is a burden lifter, a lover of our souls, and a restorer of failing health.

James says that Elijah was just like us. He suffered from anxiety, despair, unbelief, weakness, loneliness, and lack of human ability. But by living a life of persevering faith and dependence on God’s grace, mercy, power, and presence, God used him to confront the wayward sinful nations while displaying God’s glory and truth.

Assumptions About Introverts in Small Groups

By

Ron Edmondson

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November 21, 2023

People make assumptions about introverts. I know. I am an introvert. Some people can question whether they are or not. I don’t. I’m certified in Myers Briggs, so I know the language well. I’ve studied the concept, but it didn’t require much study or an assessment for me. I know I’m in the club.

As a pastor, it means I am more tired when I go home on Sunday. It means I avoid certain crowds unless I have a clear purpose for being there. Also, it means I usually exercise alone and I’m okay with that. It means I’m probably harder to get to know than some people. I get all that and own it. It’s me.

I realize I have to work harder as a leader to allow my team to know me or what I’m thinking. Introversion can’t be an excuse for poor leadership.

I’ve written before about the assumptions about introverts before and how I adapt with it as a pastor. What surprises me, however, is how misunderstood introverts are sometimes. There are a lot of assumptions about introverts; maybe especially an introverted leader. (And I know lots of pastors – even of very large churches – who are introverted.)

7 Assumptions About Introverts

1. Some think I’m shy.

That may be your word, but it’s not mine. I prefer purposeful for me. Others may call it something else. I talk when there’s a purpose and I’m not afraid to do so. Three year olds are shy when they hide behind their daddy. That’s not me.

2. Some have thought I must need more courage.

This is so inaccurate. Choosing not to speak for me isn’t a fear. It’s just being comfortable.

3. It’s been thought that I must not have anything to say.

Actually, I have lots to say. Have you noticed I blog frequently? I have written a few books. I update Twitter and Facebook frequently. I have a bunch to say. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t express it, but many times how I choose to communicate will be different than how others choose to communicate.

‘Gone to Glory’—Son of Prominent African Pastor Dies Suddenly at Age 32

By

Jessica Mouser

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November 20, 2023

Mwansa Mbewe, son of pastor and author Dr. Conrad Mbewe, has died suddenly at the age of 32. Mwansa served with his father alongside Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr. at African Christian University (ACU) in Zambia.

“Our 32 year old son Mwansa has gone to glory. He breathed his last at 14.40 hours (Zambian time),” said Conrad Mbewe on Sunday, Nov. 19. “Thanks for your prayers and support during his few hours of illness. All who knew him can testify that he exemplified the words of the apostle Paul: ‘For to me, to live is Christ.’”

Our 32 year old son Mwansa has gone to glory. He breathed his last at 14.40 hours (Zambian time). Thanks for your prayers and support during his few hours of illness. All who knew him can testify that he exemplified the words of the apostle Paul: “For to me, to live is Christ.” pic.twitter.com/FNvuVBO5d4

— ConradMbewe (@ConradMbewe) November 19, 2023

The father and pastor did not elaborate on the cause of his son’s death beyond the statement, “his few hours of illness.” Many people responded with their condolences, including Tom Ascol, president of Founders Ministry; Darrell B. Harrison, director of digital platforms at John MacArthur’s Grace to You; and Dr. Owen Strachan, provost and research professor of theology at Grace Bible Theological Seminary.

Mwansa Mbewe’s Sudden Passing

Mwansa Mbewe was director of the Student Labour Program (SLP) at African Christian University, a college founded under the purview of the Reformed Baptist Church Association of Zambia with the purpose of spreading the gospel in Africa through higher education. According to ACU’s website, Dr. Conrad Mbewe was one of several leaders involved with the university’s founding, and he became its first chancellor in 2013. He currently serves at the institution as a lecturer and director of international advancement.

Since 1987, Conrad has pastored Kabwata Baptist Church (KBC), a Reformed Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia. He is an author, editor and itinerant preacher whose work has been featured on The Gospel Coalition (TGC) and Desiring God, and he has also been a speaker at Grace Community Church’s Shepherds Conference.

Mwansa Mbewe’s work is featured on TGC Africa and his personal blog. In September 2022, Mwansa posted on Instagram about a chapel service at ACU. “Today’s chapel at @african_christian_university had @voddieb preaching from Psalm 19,” he said, “@kunda_jeffrey leading us in worship, the Baucham mini orchestra playing for us and I closed things off with a Student Labour Program presentation about why our students will never be unemployed a day in their lives. Just another glorious day at ACU.”

According to an ACU brochure, the Student Labour Program seeks to address the “serious need for Africans to experience and develop an indigenous approach to industrialisation.”

“The relatively young African church is only beginning to live out of a Biblical worldview which transforms culture,” says the brochure. “Discipleship that equips and models fulfilling the Cultural Mandate from a Biblical worldview in African culture is a key purpose for ACU and the whole-life education envisioned. The SLP is the key programme intended to bring that to fruition in a very practical way.”

Pastor Steve Gaines, Former SBC President, Shares Cancer Diagnosis, Requests Prayer

By

Stephanie Martin

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November 20, 2023

In a personal announcement to congregants at the end of worship on Sunday, Nov. 19, Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines revealed he has been diagnosed with kidney cancer. Standing with his wife, Donna, the senior pastor of Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church said he is working with “a great team of doctors.” He added, “We hope that you will just keep us in your prayers.”

Gaines, 65, has served at Bellevue, one of America’s largest Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) congregations, since 2005. Before that, he ministered at other Baptist churches in Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas. From 2016 to 2018, Gaines served as president of the SBC. The graduate of Union University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary also is a former president of the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference.

Gaines faced controversy in 2006 when he remained silent for six months after learning that a leader at his church had previously sexually abused a child. Gaines later admitted he made an error in judgment.

Pastor Steve Gaines: ‘Keep Us in Your Prayers’

Pastor Steve Gaines, who preached the sermon at Bellevue on Sunday, informed worshipers he had received the diagnosis on Friday. He said he’ll be going to MD Anderson Cancer Center, a world-renowned medical facility in Houston.

After the brief announcement from Gaines, Associate Pastor Drew Tucker asked Bellevue elders and staff members to gather around their leader for prayer. “Church, this is a time to rise up,” said Tucker. Then he read James 5:13-16, about praying for and anointing the sick.

Next, Bill Street, Bellevue’s minister of prayer, led congregants in prayer for Gaines. “Their lives are in your hands,” he said, asking God for physical healing. Street noted that Gaines has “told the story countless times about his mom, being scheduled for that second operation, and calling it off because the cancer was gone.”

When Tucker returned to conclude the service, he noted that Gaines “had already planned to be out of the pulpit for the next couple of weeks” and would be undergoing tests. He included a special word of thanks to guests “for giving us a family moment.” An emotional Tucker added, “We’re about the Bible, we’re about Jesus, but we do have a family here. If you’re looking for a church, go find you a family.”

‘Steve Is a Winner,’ Says TN Baptist Leader

With Donna, his wife of 43 years, Gaines has four children and 16 grandchildren. His most recent book is 2016’s “Share Jesus Like It Matters.”

About Gaines’ cancer diagnosis, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board president and executive director Randy C. Davis said, “I speak for our entire Tennessee network of churches when I say that we are praying for our friends, Steve and Donna, their children and grandchildren, and the Bellevue family.” He added, “Pray for their journey battling cancer. Pray for wisdom as [Gaines] shepherds Bellevue while caring for himself.”

SBC President Bart Barber Pays Tribute to Rosalynn Carter

By

Dale Chamberlain

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November 20, 2023

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter is being remembered for her faith and service in the wake of her passing on Sunday. Carter, who was the wife of more than seven decades to former president Jimmy Carter, died at the age of 96 of natural causes.

The 99-year-old Jimmy Carter, who is himself receiving hospice care, expressed love for his late wife in a statement announcing her passing.

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” the former president said. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”

Rosalynn Carter, a lifelong Baptist and Georgia native, will be remembered for her advocacy for mental health care reform and the decades of humanitarian work she undertook alongside her husband.

Following Jimmy’s one-term presidency, the couple moved back to Georgia and founded The Carter Center in 1982. The nonprofit organization’s mission statement says that the center was founded with “a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering” and “seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.”

Carter leaves behind four children, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

A number of Christian leaders have taken to social media to express their admiration of Rosalynn Carter, including Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) president Bart Barber.

“On behalf of millions of Southern Baptists, I send condolences to President Jimmy Carter, to the Carter family, and to the people of the Plains Baptist Church upon the death of First Lady Rosalynn Carter,” wrote Barber.

“Her life of public service spanned nearly a century and revealed her heart of compassion for her fellow citizens,” Barber continued. “For many years, the Carter family worshipped within our family of faith. We grieve with her family and friends at her passing.”

Though the Carters had long been Southern Baptists, in Jimmy’s case for three generations, the couple parted ways with the denomination in 2000 after the SBC updated its statement of faith to explicitly bar women from serving as pastors.

Two Peoples, One Church

By

Bruce Barron

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November 20, 2023

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is coordinating relief work with Christians on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border.

The outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas has produced horrible levels of human tragedy, with no end in sight. Many of the world’s 600 million evangelical Christians have wanted to help, but their response has been complicated by divided loyalties, with many Christians on both sides of the war-ravaged border and intensely held political views on each side.

Amidst this unfolding disaster, the world’s largest evangelical Christian organization has come forward with a balanced, strategic solution that incorporates prayer and action and reflects Christ’s love for all people: send aid to the needy in both Gaza and southern Israel, through their excellent on-the-ground connections in both locations.

The World Evangelical Alliance is best known for unifying the global evangelical community and giving it a voice at the United Nations on religious freedom issues and in relations with other major religious bodies. But WEA also has an impressive track record of aiding war-torn areas effectively. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the WEA raised funds globally and channeled them through local contacts in Ukraine and neighboring nations to which Ukrainians were fleeing. It also gained rare permission to provide humanitarian assistance in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Now the WEA is drawing on its strong global networks and its emergency relief capacities to deliver humanitarian aid through trusted local partners to those who most need it in Gaza and Israel.

Sustaining the Faithful in Gaza

On the Gaza side of the conflict, the WEA is partnering with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional evangelical alliance, which has extensive connections with local relief activities. The main goal is to restore the Baptist Hospital, which was hit by an air strike on Oct. 17, resulting in hundreds of deaths.

The MENA alliance will leverage the on-site relief capacities of the Bethlehem-based Shepherd Society, which has been assisting Palestinians in Gaza since 2007.

“This collaborative approach ensures that aid and support reach the affected communities efficiently and effectively,” said Dirk Gerlach, director of the WEA’s Crisis Response Coordination Center, who developed the plan.

The project aims to rehabilitate the x-ray facility, emergency room, and patient rooms at the Baptist Hospital, as well as to replenish medicines and medical supplies. Gerlach said the WEA and its partners also intend to provide food boxes for 3,000 families. They will also supply spiritual and psychological support through group, individual, and online counseling.

Another key to the WEA’s effectiveness is its political neutrality, which enables it to maintain harmonious relationships with both Israeli and Palestinian governments.

“In our crisis response, we work through local church structures and mobilize local church members,” Gerlach explained. “We can therefore respond immediately and have no problems of access to the victims, unlike foreign aid organizations that are at greater risk of being blocked due to perceived political motives.”

7 Specific Ways for a Leader To Offer Praise

By

Ron Edmondson

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November 20, 2023

Good leaders are appreciative of the people they lead. They learn to offer praise well.

However, I admit, I’m not naturally wired for this. I can be guilty of expecting too much from people. Plus, I don’t always feel the need to acknowledge “normal” work—especially when people are being paid to do it.

Yet, I know all of us enjoy hearing we did a good job. Some people are even fueled by it. So, I’ve learned offering praise is a necessary part of a leader’s job. Therefore, we should all do it whether we are wired to or not.

And there are ways to do it and be the most helpful and appreciated.

7 Ways for a Leader to Offer Praise:

Be Specific

Tell the person in specific rather than general terms what he or she did well. Plus, make sure they know where they are excelling.

Be Honest

Make it genuine. False compliments are easily recognized and seldom appreciated.

Be Intentional

Some of us have to discipline this into our leadership. Yet, that’s okay. It’s worth it. Don’t assume the person receives enough praise. (For example, I try to observe and intentionally praise at least two or three people per week among staff and volunteers.)

Be Timely

People shouldn’t have to wait long after doing a job well to receive recognition for it.

Be Creative

Find unique ways to offer praise. Send a handwritten note. Give an extra day off. Even more, recognize them in front of others. Of course, don’t forget the personal, face-to-face approach.

Be Unique

Don’t say the same thing everyone else is saying or the same thing to every person. Find the thing or aspect to praise that no one else has noted.

Be Helpful

Offer praise which helps the person recognize strengths and encourages them in that area. This is where there will want and should continue to develop.

It does take intentionality to be an appreciative leader. Our staff would probably tell you I have much work to do. I would have to agree with them. But I do recognize the value and keep striving to improve.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

How a Friend’s Stand for Christ Made an Eternal Difference

By

Garrett Kell

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November 20, 2023

stand for Christ — Adobestock #395249364

On Halloween night 1998 I threw a party in my apartment at Virginia Tech. I was 20 years old and was in the wildest season of my life. I had three girl roommates, a live-in girlfriend, and I spent most of my spare time smoking weed, doing lines of cocaine, and drinking.

On that Halloween night, I was geared up for what I expected to be a good time. Because the party was going be so “unforgettable,” I invited an old friend from high school down for the weekend. Dave and I had played hoops and partied together over the years, so I was excited to see him.

When Dave arrived, I greeted him and escorted him back to my room where I proudly unveiled the welcome gifts I’d prepared for him. On my desk was a fat bag of weed, a 6’er of his favorite beer, and I told him I had a girl he could get to know for the weekend.

But Dave didn’t respond like I expected he would. Instead, he gently closed the door and sat on the bed. He looked me in the eyes and told me he didn’t do those things anymore. He said he’d become a Christian and that he loved Jesus now and the reason he came to the party was to tell me that Jesus loved me too.

I laughed him off.

For the rest of the night Dave stayed at the party with people going crazy all around him. Other friends came up and asked me what was up with my buddy and when I told them he was a Christian we’d all sneer and say “Oh, poor guy” like he’d caught a disease or something.

But as the night went on, my heart was uneasy.

In that room, with the music bump’n and laughter roll’n, I was haunted. As I looked at Dave, I saw he had a peace that no drink or high or lover could give. The party eventually ended, but the story was just beginning.

Over the next several days, Dave and I spoke about Jesus and about the Gospel. He gave me Scriptures to read and tried to answer my questions and endured my mocking. We spoke on the phone several times and exchanged emails. What follows is the family friendly version of an email I sent him about a week after his visit.

Dave, dude, we have to talk. Its great and all that you’re Mr. Religious now, but I want you to know I’m worried about you. I want you to be careful that you don’t go overboard and start getting all weird on me. I mean I know that going to church is a good thing and that God is real and all that, but if you don’t watch it you’re going to miss out on what life is really all about.

I know you are just trying to be a good boy and all, but when you came down here and wouldn’t drink, you looked like an idiot. I mean you were just sitting there with a cork in your mouth. What is wrong with you?

The Idolatry of Excellence

By

Alan Danielson

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November 20, 2023

I’ve traveled all over the United States working with churches of all sizes and denominations. Most of the pastors I’ve worked with fit a description by Dallas Willard (just below). This is because of what I call the idolatry of excellence. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that excellence is a good thing. The problem is that it’s just so easy for excellence to become THE thing.

In Churchleaders Dallas Willard wrote about the fact that most pastors experience chronic dissatisfaction:

That is one of the biggest issues for ministers today because of the model of success that comes to us. We get the idea we are supposed to make something happen, and so we need our services to go just right. The concluding benediction has hardly ceased before those in charge are saying to one another, “How did it go?” or “It went really well.” The truth is we don’t know how it went. From God’s point of view, it will be eternity before we know how it went. These folks are not at peace if they are trying to manage outcomes in that way.

This paragraph really got me thinking.

I was filling in for a pastor once and had a video that was a part of my sermon. When it came time for the video to run, I gave the verbal cue and sat on the stool behind me. The video didn’t play. For what felt like an eternity there was silence. Then I said, “And that was the cue for a video to run.” People laughed and the video started.

In the tech booth, the producer had missed my first cue for the video. When I sat down he was wondering why I’d gone silent. When I gave the second cue he had a moment of panic and then hit “play.”

After the service he sought me out and (for lack of a better term) grovelled. “I’m so sorry, Alan. I made a mental error. I went back and watched that part of the service on video and my mistake led to a full 12 seconds of dead air. Please forgive me!”

“Done,” I replied. “There are much more important things to think about than a simple mistake. I’m just glad we got to work together.”

The producer was stunned. He said, “If you were my Senior Pastor I’d probably be fired right now.”

“Well I wouldn’t fire you,” I said. “Seven people made decisions to follow Christ at the end of the service. I call that a win. Thanks for doing your part to lead people to Jesus.”

About a week later I was talking to the senior pastor at that church and he confirmed that he would have fired the producer that night for making such a huge mistake. Thankfully the pastor said, “The next day I would’ve felt bad and I would have apologized and offered him his job back.”

That whole experience shook me. Why do we get so caught up in excellence that we are willing to do emotional damage to the people on our team? Why do we believe that getting things perfect is that important? When we lose sight of what really matters we’ve made excellence a god.

What Matters More Than Excellence?

People.

God loves people. People can never meet God’s perfect expectations but He loves them anyway. If people are going to fail, and God accepts them anyway, who are we to treat people differently? We, as leaders, should never sacrifice a person’s dignity because of a mistake. We should focus our attention on what God is doing in spite of our mistakes, rather than focusing our attention on what we can do when we are mistake free.

Eternity.

Focus on eternal wins not temporal mistakes. Because of Christ’s work on the cross God forgives all of our temporal errors and gives us eternal life. If we have a hard time forgiving someone’s simple mental error, we really need to examine our own hearts!

Jesus.

We are commanded to do all things for his glory, not ours. We are also commanded by Jesus to love our neighbors as ourselves. Abusing people, in the name of excellence, when they fail doesn’t fulfill either of these commands. To honor Jesus we must honor people.

I love the saying, “Excellence honors God and inspires people.” I believe that it’s true. I hate it, though, when excellence becomes the goal rather than a tool helping us achieve the goal of honoring God and reaching people.

American Evangelicals Interpret Israel-Hamas War as a Prelude to End Times

By

Fiona Andre

-

November 20, 2023

(RNS) — The End Times are not a topic Robert Jeffress needs much prompting to talk about. But when war broke out between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dallas, and a national figure among American evangelicals, quickly prepared a sermon series on the Apocalypse, which would be accompanied by a forthcoming book on the subject

On Nov. 5, as the last notes of “Redemption Draweth Nigh,” a hymn about Jesus’ return, resonated in First Baptist’s 3,000-seat sanctuary, Jeffress asked his audience, “Are we actually living in what the Bible calls the End Times?”

The war in Gaza is not the only sign Jeffress submitted as evidence that the period presaging Jesus’ Second Coming, detailed in the Bible’s Book of Revelation and other Scriptures, is coming closer. He noted, too, rising crime rates, the proliferation of nuclear weapons and natural disasters before announcing, “We are on the verge of the beginning of the End Times.”

“Things are falling into place for this great world battle, fought by the super powers of the world, as the Bible said. They will be armed with nuclear weapons,” he said.

Other prominent evangelicals have taken up the theme in their sermons. The day following Hamas’ attack, in which Israeli cities were barraged and some 1,200 people were massacred, Greg Laurie, senior pastor at the Harvest Riverside Fellowship in California, framed the violence in terms of End Times prophecy.

“The Bible tells us in the End Times that Israel will be scattered and regathered,” Laurie said. “The Bible predicted hundreds of thousands of years ago that a large force from the North of Israel will attack her after she (Israel) was regathered and one of the allies with modern Russia, or Magog, will be Iran or Persia.”

Before calling the church to pray for peace in Jerusalem, Laurie added, “If you get up in the morning and read this headline ‘Russia Attacks Israel,’ fasten your seatbelt because you’re seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled in your lifetime.”

While apocalyptic theology is threaded throughout the Bible and came to America with the Puritans, End Time prophecy has gone through cycles of popular acceptance among Christians. It has different strands, but in its most widely known version, known as dispensationalism, Israel is a linchpin to the events of the last days, when, after the Rapture, a coterie of 144,000 Jews are to be converted to Christ before eternity begins.

Evangelical Christian pastors such as Jeffress have long prompted the United States to be an actor in these events. In his second sermon in the End Times series, on Nov. 12, Jeffress quoted the speech he gave at the ceremony dedicating the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem in 2018: “For America to be on the right side of Israel is the same as being on the right side of history, and the right side of God.”

The embassy’s move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was the fulfillment of a promise Donald Trump made in 2016 as he ran for president for the first time, one applauded by pro-Israel evangelicals. In August 2020, as he ran for reelection, then-President Trump told a campaign rally in Wisconsin, “We moved the capital of Israel to Jerusalem. That’s for the evangelicals.”

Also present the day Jeffress spoke in Jerusalem was the televangelist John Hagee, who in 2006 founded Christians United for Israel, now the largest pro-Israel organization in the U.S. On Oct. 22, CUFI hosted a “Night to Honor Israel” rally at Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, with Israeli public figures on hand, as well as U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton.

Catholic Leaders Meet With White House on Climate Change

By

Jack Jenkins

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November 20, 2023

Climate Change WH — Bishop Edward Weisenburger of Tucson, from left, Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, Sister Carol Zinn, Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima and Lonnie Ellis at the White House, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, for a meeting about climate change. (Photo © In Solidarity)

WASHINGTON (RNS) — A small group of Catholic leaders, including three bishops and a nun, met with senior White House officials Friday morning (Nov. 17) to discuss climate change, framing the issue as a moral concern and citing inspiration from Pope Francis.

Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe said the meeting was meant to present the message of Pope Francis’ “Laudate Deum,” a 12-page document published last month that served as a follow-up to his 2015 encyclical on the environment.

“We just wanted to magnify that, amplify it and support it with the leaders here in our country,” Wester told Religion News Service, noting that the idea for the meeting was hatched shortly after “Laudate Deum” was published.

Also in the room were Bishop Edward Weisenburger of Tucson, Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima, Sister Carol Zinn, executive director the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and Lonnie Ellis, who oversees the Catholic group In Solidarity.

Ellis, who helped orchestrate the gathering, said the group met for 45 minutes with John Podesta, President Joe Biden’s senior adviser for clean energy innovation and implementation, John McCarthy, senior adviser for political engagement and Ali Zaidi, the president’s National Climate adviser.

“We started talking about how Pope Francis has really opened this up as a moral issue,” Ellis said. “I think they received that really well.”

Weisenburger agreed, saying he and others stressed that the issue of climate change “is a matter of ethics, spirituality and our faith.”

The bishops had traveled from Baltimore, where the annual fall gathering of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had just ended. At that meeting the nation’s bishops voted to approve materials to be distributed to parishes ahead of the 2024 election that some Catholics criticized for placing a higher priority on abortion than climate change.

The bishops who met with the White House officials noted that they only represented themselves and their diocese at the meeting, although USCCB staff were supportive of their efforts.

According to Weisenburger, the group celebrated the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark climate bill pushed by President Joe Biden’s administration, but also spent time discussing rules being developed by the Environmental Protection Agency. The group was pointedly interested in EPA rules regulating methane, carbon pollution from power plants, emissions standards and soot pollution.

“We were actually pretty much in agreement on these issues, especially the importance of doing all that we can to keep the earth sustainable, reduce the greenhouse gases and do more carbon capture and sequestration from large power plants,” Weisenburger said.

The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment about the meeting.

Art Simon, Founder of Christian Anti-Hunger Group Bread for the World, Dies at 93

By

Bob Smietana and Adelle M. Banks

-

November 20, 2023

(RNS) — The Rev. Arthur “Art” Simon, the founder and first president of the Christian advocacy group Bread for the World, died Tuesday (Nov. 14), the organization announced.

Simon, 93, started Bread for the World in the mid-1970s. The anti-hunger group aimed to reduce poverty, decrease hunger and improve nutrition for people across the globe.

He died at his Maryland home of natural causes, said Bread for the World spokesman Chris Ford.

The Rev. Eugene Cho, Bread’s current president and CEO, summed up Simon’s legacy in a statement: “When I consider the many millions of people around the world whose lives have been changed for the better because of the policies and programs created and improved by anti-hunger activism; when I see the 200,000-strong citizen’s movement that Bread is today; when I hear from individuals about how Art’s message and work led to a new orientation in their life toward justice; I feel an enormous weight of gratitude.”

Simon, a Eugene, Oregon, native, in recent years had continued his advocacy through his 2019 book, “Silence Can Kill: Speaking Up to End Hunger and Make Our Economy Work for Everyone.” In it, he encouraged religious and nonreligious readers to move beyond solely charitable efforts to writing to members of Congress to address hunger.

“Charity is essential and I’m still actively part of charitable efforts in hunger,” he told Religion News Service in an interview at the time of the book’s release. “But charity can only do so much. It’s quite limited in what it can do in the long run.”

Writer and public television travel host Rick Steves said Simon’s work taught him how to put his faith to work in the broader world, not just his own personal life. When Steves was a student, someone gave him a copy of Simon’s 1973 book, “Bread for the World.” The book changed his life, Steves said, showing him that hunger was as much about politics and economics as it was about food.

“We can be accidental accomplices in keeping people poor,” said Steves, whose show holds an annual Christmas fundraiser that raises about a million dollars to support the organization’s work.

Steves said of Simon, who would give him an annual call to thank him for supporting Bread for the World: “He was a dear soul.”

Simon’s father helped run “The Christian Parent” magazine when he was growing up, and his brother was the late Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., with whom he co-authored the book “The Politics of World Hunger.”

“The Institute mourns the passing — and especially celebrates the life — of Reverend Arthur Simon,” reads a statement on the X, or Twitter, account of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. “Art was a deeply admirable man who was a hugely positive figure and force in American life.”

Art Simon began his involvement in anti-hunger advocacy when he responded to urgent needs prompted by poverty and hunger in the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York City’s Trinity Lutheran Church in the 1960s and ’70s. He determined to get to the root of why people were hungry and founded Bread with a committee of seven Protestants and seven Catholics in 1974.

My Superpower? Judgmental ‘Discernment’

By

Ray Hollenbach

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November 20, 2023

I have amazing superpowers, and plenty of them. On the freeway, from inside my own car, I can spot idiots by the way they drive. (And believe me, there are loads of idiots!) On social media, I can discern the tone of voice in a Tweet or a Facebook post or in a text. If I’m watching a video, I can go beyond tone of voice and tell you the exact motivation of the person posting. While reading the New York Times I possess all the insight needed to instantly solve all the world’s problems (even though a reporter from the Times has never called me to ask my opinions). My judgmental abilities are a supernatural gift . . . or are they?

You get the idea: my superpowers are a dazzling combination of mindreading and deep analysis. I’m a mash-up of Megamind and Freud. Of course, the scripture doesn’t use the word superpower. In fact, it doesn’t look like Jesus is impressed by my powers at all:

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

If you’re into being in control, being judgmental is a great idea. Think of a courtroom: judges do not repent, defendants do. The judge sits above the situation. In fact, the judge sits above everyone else in the room! Everyone else in the room wants to win the judge’s attention and approval. Ultimately, the judge gets to decide who gets to say what, and how much they get to say. Argue with the judge you will be met with a contempt of court citation—which you cannot challenge or contest. It is final.

Judgmental “Discernment”

The habitual practice of a judgmental spirit is an enemy of repentance, and every church planter needs to know how to repent–and do so regularly. As soon as I cast myself in the role of judge, I have excused myself of the need to repent, because after all, it’s all about me. Come to think of it, only three kinds of people wear flowing black robes: graduates (who think they know more than they do), judges (who hold all the cards, and wizards (who, admittedly, are pretty cool—but far less common than the first two).

It doesn’t take long to get used to wearing the robe, holding the gavel, and sitting high above other people. But I do so at my own peril: I quietly have given myself permission to be the lord of all I survey. Sure, Jesus may be “Lord of all,” but I am lord of my realm. I may never express it in these terms, but I become the god of my world—and every day is Judgment Day as I scrutinize the actions of others.

A Theology of Creation Care

By

James Emery White

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November 20, 2023

A theology of creation care means have been charged to care for God’s creation, to be stewards of all that God has made and entrusted to us. Since the Industrial Revolution, we have been able to do more care for creation than ever before, as well as more harm.

That harm has ramifications that border on the nightmarish, and no one is more affected than the poorest of the poor. No matter what you may think is behind it all—natural causes, human causes, or both—that creation is suffering in unprecedented ways is without dispute.

Extreme heat.
Drought.
Mudslides.
The rise of intense storms and hurricanes.
Melting of glaciers.
Rising animal extinctions.
Rising plant extinctions.
The freakish amount and scope of wildfires.

A theology of creation care should matter to any follower of Christ.

A Theology of Creation Care

UNICEF just released a report that by 2050, virtually every child on the planet—more than 2 billion children—will experience frequent heat waves as part of their life. Pediatricians say that young children and infants are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, in part because their bodies cannot regulate temperature as effectively as adults. Children also lose fluid more quickly and are at a greater risk of heat stroke because they lack the judgment and maturity needed to taper their physical exertion or know to rehydrate. Extreme heat is also known to trigger symptoms in people with asthma, which affects about 6 million children in the U.S. alone.

So why aren’t more Christians engaged?

It’s because we have approached creation care ideologically instead of theologically.

Politicization has invaded our thinking to such a degree that when it comes to environmental concerns and challenges, responsibilities and commitments, we think about our political moorings before we look to what the Bible actually says. Or more to the point, instead of what the Bible actually says. We carry our political views like they are religious views, and we often make those political views our true religion.

As Sandra Richter observes in her book Stewards of Eden:

… in the United States, if you are an environmentalist, it is assumed that you are a Democrat…. If you are a Republican, it is assumed that you cannot also be pro-environment. In other words, somehow environmental advocacy has been pigeonholed into a particular political profile and has become guilty by association.

She then adds these words: “But of course, Christians are first the citizens of heaven, and therefore our alliances and our value systems are not defined by American politics.”

So how do we think Christianly about creation care? What would a beginning theology entail?

The first and most foundational thing to understand about creation is that it doesn’t belong to us. It isn’t ours to simply do with as we please. It belongs to God. As we read in the 24th psalm, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him” (Psalm 24:1, NLT). You find that very same declaration made throughout Scripture (e.g., Psalm 50:10-11, Colossians 1:15-16).

Second, we have been charged to care for creation. The nature of that stewardship, as outlined in Genesis 1 and 2, is very clear: we are to reflect the image of God toward creation through governing and reigning, tending and watching over. This is dominion, not domination. The directive was truly creation care. As Dorothy Boorse writes in Loving the Least of These: Addressing a Changing Environment: “We don’t worship creation. We worship God by caring for creation.”

Third, this charge didn’t end with the Garden of Eden and the fall of humanity into sin and the world into brokenness. Just as God seeks to redeem us from our sin, and those of us who have been redeemed seek to share that redemptive work with others, God intends to redeem all of creation, and thus we are to continue to take our care of creation seriously. As Paul wrote:

Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Romans 8:20-22, NLT)

What God Wants Pastors and Worship Leaders to Know

By

Bob Kauflin

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November 20, 2023

I once posted on What Pastors Wished Their Worship Leaders Knew and What Worship Leaders Wished Their Pastor Knew. Today I’d like to finish by suggesting a few things I think God wants both pastors and worship leaders to know. These points certainly aren’t everything that can be said, but they might be helpful to keep in mind as we work together to serve our churches and bring glory to the Savior.

What God Wants Pastors and Worship Leaders to Know

1. The church belongs to Jesus, not us. (Mt. 16:18)

Pastors and worship leaders need to know that rivalry and disunity contradicts what Jesus came to do—make us one. If we think the other leader is taking away “our” time, the primary problem is the way we view our role.
Even though we’re on the same team, Jesus has appointed pastors to teach and lead in the church. At the end of the day, the worship leader should follow the pastor’s lead.

2. Our musical leadership and preaching are meant to flow from a life of worship.

No amount of public fruit can make up for a lack of private devotion or the ongoing practice of sin. If your devotional or family life is consistently suffering because of the time you give to public ministry, it’s time to take a break and get help.

God values our lives more than our gifts. He can use us, but he doesn’t need us.

What To Know When You’re Not the Smartest Person in the Room

By

Brian Dodd

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November 19, 2023

Lorne Michaels famously said, “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” I am at a fortunate place in my life where I am constantly surrounded by people who are bigger, faster, stronger, smarter, sharper, and Godlier than I am.

And I have never been happier!

I’ve learned there are people in my circles much more committed to the mission and vision of our organization than I am. In addition, they are more dedicated to perfecting their craft.

I’ve been stretched after watching others have a dedication to detail which far surpasses mine. They simply never seem content with the status quo.

It’s been humbling but I’ve seen others put teammates in positions to be far more successful than positions I would have put them in. They also did a far better job equipping them with the tools and resources necessary for those positions.

I like to think I work hard but I have really been pushed to my limits by others. They were more prepared in every way possible—mentally, physically, and spiritually. This allowed them to take a greater advantage of marginal gains.

When it comes to character, I am currently around people much more generous and humble than I am.

And I’ve never been happier!

This is because I am also keenly aware of how much better I am getting because I am in their presence and gleaning from their wisdom and experience.

Are you the smartest person in the rooms you’re in? If so, for Michaels’ advice and find another room.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

11 Obstacles to Effective Discipleship

By

Chuck Lawless

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November 19, 2023

Leading a church to be a discipling church—especially if that’s never been their focus—is not easy. You might, in fact, be learning that truth the hard way about effective discipleship.

11 Obstacles to Effective Discipleship

Leaders who themselves haven’t been discipled don’t really know how to disciple others. It’s hard to teach what you’ve never experienced—and . . . it’s even harder to admit that you haven’t been discipled.
Many believers assume they’re already discipled. That’s because too many churches have defined discipleship as, “If you attend small groups and worship, you’re discipled.”
Few churches have a clear discipleship pathway. Even if they’re trying to do discipleship, their strategy is disconnected and unclear.
Many discipleship strategies have limited discipleship to “information transfer.” That is, that you’ve gained knowledge matters most, and too little attention is given to what you do with that knowledge.
Good discipleship requires leaders to re-focus much of what they do. Discipleship requires intentional focus—which means leaders must adjust their schedules, typically by giving up something.
Other leaders tried to do discipleship, but gave up too soon. Every previous failure contributes to the church’s “We’ve tried that already” defeated thinking.
Many leaders think only in terms of “bigger is better” and “crowds are greater.” When that’s your philosophy—or, you’ve even been trained that way—one-to-one or one-to-a-few disciplemaking seems to be an inefficient use of time and energy.
Some of us are impatient—and discipleship takes time. Even when we live under the power of the Spirit, our growth into Christlikeness is seldom a quick process. In fact, it doesn’t end this side of heaven.
At least in North America, many of us are independent and self-sufficient. Leaning on other believers (or simply looking to them for guidance) seems to be an expression of weakness.
We don’t want to admit our struggles, and we don’t like to deal with the struggles others have. It’s just easier to have superficial relationships—and that’s not discipleship.
Few churches or church leaders get recognized publicly for being great disciplemaking churches. Their leaders aren’t featured in newsletters, and they’re not typically on the platforms of our denominations. There’s no recognition in the task.

So, do we give up in this work? No, we recognize the obstacles and push around them. Making effective disciples is not optional for us.

This article on effective discipleship originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Why the Church Needs a Greater Sense of Wonder

By

Sam Luce

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November 19, 2023

After twenty-four years of pastoral ministry, I have found the one thing the church in our day loves most is change and innovation, but the one thing we need most is a sense of wonder. This is because modern culture has had more of an effect on the contemporary church than the modern church has had on our present culture. If you have been around church culture long enough, you will have heard pastors talking about Good to Great as if Jim Collins was the replacement for Judas rather than Mattias. You would have heard people say (as I have said myself) the message doesn’t change, but the methods do. This sounds good, but as Marshall McLuhan famously said, “The medium is the message.” What we say is of great importance; how we say what we say is of equal importance. There are few things modern Christian leaders fear more than receiving the moniker irrelevant. But relevance of overrated; a sense of wonder is underrated.

I have come to realize that there is something inside of us that fears the steady truth and ministry that is mundane. We want to be known as innovative. For years my drive was to be known as an innovative leader. I spent more time looking forward than learning from the past. I knew what apps were out, read every leadership book I could get my hands on by all the current whos who in the secular world and church world. It wasn’t until my forties that I read a book by some who lived before. I was guilty of what C.S. Lewis calls chronological snobbery. The arrogant idea that what we know today is all we need to know. That modern problem can not find solutions in ancient answers.

Since graduating from seminary, I can now read books on my list to read that I haven’t read for the past five years. One of those books was from G.K. Chesterton. I don’t see eye to eye with Chesterton on everything but in reading Orthodoxy, my modern mind was challenged by old ideas. Ideas that have stood the test of time, this is why I like reading books by dead people the books that have survived have something to say not only to their generation but to ours as well. Chesterton’s words hit me like a ton of bricks. He was telling me from nearly a hundred years ago how to survive our modern age with our faith intact. He is saying we need a greater capacity for a sense of wonder and the ability to exult in the mundane.

A Greater Sense of Wonder

Chesterton, in his typically Cherstertonian way, says this:

“Everything is in an attitude of mind; and at this moment I am in a comfortable attitude. I will sit still and let the marvels and the adventures settle on me like flies. There are plenty of them, I assure you. The world will never starve you for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder.”

What Chesterton is saying is profound. To put it in economic terms, we do not have a lack of wonder because of a lack of supply but because of a lack of demand. I have found in my life that the relentless desire for innovative thinking and wondering at what is next leaves me, over time, unable to wonder at what is. I find myself working to make ministry exciting and new rather than taking time to observe and pay attention to what God is doing in others around me and in the world he has made. Excessive innovative thinking leads me to have a soul that is unsatisfied with what God says is “Good” to chase what Collins says is great.

Often my drive to do and be the next best thing left my soul impoverished and my imagination limited by what is possible. Wonder doesn’t do that. Instead, wonder sees the world God has made the miracles of healing and salvation in the community I serve as what they are products of God’s miraculous handiwork and my faithful service.

We have to stop with our drive for innovation at all costs. If this pandemic has only taught us to innovate in delivering our religious goods, we have missed the purpose of this trial. We need not think the next frontier in the church is us having church on Zoom. Instead, we need to slow down and wonder. The only way we can expand our capacity to wonder is to begin to wonder and allow God to do his work in our church families and in us. When we “do anything short of sin to reach people,” it is easy to forget the wonder-working power of God, who is the author and finisher of our faith.

We Need A Sense of Wonder to Exult in Monotony.

Growing up Charismatic, one of the things we were implicitly taught was monotony was sinful. For example, written or repeated prayers were insincere, and they can be. But it wired me to believe that monotony was to be avoided at all costs, especially in all things having to do with our creative all-powerful spontaneous God. I have come to learn that monotony is not something that should be shunned but something we should aspire to. I learned this from teaching kids for over twenty years and from reading Orthodoxy by Chesterton. In Orthodoxy, Chesterton makes a powerful observation about children and the nature of God that I have been meditating on for days. He says this:

“The thing I mean (speaking of monotony) can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again,”; and the grow-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony.

But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore.”

What a powerful picture of what Jesus meant when he said unless we become like a little child, we will never see the kingdom of heaven. Because unlike a little child we will not be satisfied with this life’s mundane plainness, we seek to build our own kingdom, one that has better bells and whistles. To exhult in monotony is something that takes strength of mind, not the simplicity of mind as we often think.

We think that the goal of life and ministry is to come up with a better version of a daisy, a daisy 2.0 if you will. God delights in the perfection of his creation so much that he never gets tired of making them. We think that the way forward for the church is for God to do a new thing. What we really need is for him to do an old thing again. We need him to send his spirit again, we need him to transform our hearts again, we need him to change our desires and our affections to match his…again.

Our emergence from the pandemic and our new place as a minority status in culture will not be overcome through innovation but rather through a people of God captivated by a sense of wonder in God able to rejoice in the beauty of monotony just like God.

As the church emerges from the cocoon of this present trial, my prayer is that we do not try to remove our cocoon through artificial means. But allow God to do his work in us, and when he is done, to look with a sense of wonder at what he has done and say, “Do it again.”

This article about the church’s need for a sense of wonder originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Why ‘Train up a Child’ Is Not a Promise

By

Dale Hudson

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November 18, 2023

One of the most quoted verses about raising children is Proverbs 22:6. It says this: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Many people believe this is an ironclad promise. If you raise a child up in God’s ways, then he or she will grow up to be a follower of Jesus.

Along with this is the line of thinking that if a child departs from actively practicing faith in Christ, then dad and mom did something wrong in their parenting. The presumption is that they did not properly train their child to follow Jesus. Somewhere in their parenting they missed something or did something incorrectly.

I disagree with this line of thought. I believe that this verse is a principle, not a promise. Just like many other “promises” in Proverbs, it is not a 100% guarantee.

Why?

Because God will not violate a person’s free will.

Each of us must choose for ourselves whether we are going to follow Jesus or not.

“God only has children not grandchildren.”

Just because parents are following Jesus and doing their best to raise their children to follow Jesus, doesn’t mean the children will automatically follow him.

I have seen children who were raised in a great Christian home and yet turned away from God when they got out on their own.

I have also seen children who were raised without God in their life and received no spiritual guidance from their parents, come to Christ and become active, passionate followers of Jesus.

One Key Question About Your Approach to Ministry

1. Define your simplified mission.

2. Put it all on the table.

3. Arrange your list into a discipleship journey.

4. Ask the hard questions.

5. Make some tough decisions.

6. Design a ministry model of movement.

Concluding Thoughts on a Strategic Approach to Ministry

7 Assumptions About Introverts

1. Some think I’m shy.

2. Some have thought I must need more courage.

3. It’s been thought that I must not have anything to say.

Mwansa Mbewe’s Sudden Passing

Pastor Steve Gaines: ‘Keep Us in Your Prayers’

‘Steve Is a Winner,’ Says TN Baptist Leader

Sustaining the Faithful in Gaza

7 Ways for a Leader to Offer Praise:

Be Specific

Be Honest

Be Intentional

Be Timely

Be Creative

Be Unique

Be Helpful

What Matters More Than Excellence?

People.

Eternity.

Jesus.

Judgmental “Discernment”

A Theology of Creation Care

What God Wants Pastors and Worship Leaders to Know

1. The church belongs to Jesus, not us. (Mt. 16:18)

2. Our musical leadership and preaching are meant to flow from a life of worship.

11 Obstacles to Effective Discipleship

Leaders who themselves haven’t been discipled don’t really know how to disciple others. It’s hard to teach what you’ve never experienced—and . . . it’s even harder to admit that you haven’t been discipled.

Many believers assume they’re already discipled. That’s because too many churches have defined discipleship as, “If you attend small groups and worship, you’re discipled.”

Few churches have a clear discipleship pathway. Even if they’re trying to do discipleship, their strategy is disconnected and unclear.

Many discipleship strategies have limited discipleship to “information transfer.” That is, that you’ve gained knowledge matters most, and too little attention is given to what you do with that knowledge.

Good discipleship requires leaders to re-focus much of what they do. Discipleship requires intentional focus—which means leaders must adjust their schedules, typically by giving up something.

Other leaders tried to do discipleship, but gave up too soon. Every previous failure contributes to the church’s “We’ve tried that already” defeated thinking.

Many leaders think only in terms of “bigger is better” and “crowds are greater.” When that’s your philosophy—or, you’ve even been trained that way—one-to-one or one-to-a-few disciplemaking seems to be an inefficient use of time and energy.

Some of us are impatient—and discipleship takes time. Even when we live under the power of the Spirit, our growth into Christlikeness is seldom a quick process. In fact, it doesn’t end this side of heaven.

At least in North America, many of us are independent and self-sufficient. Leaning on other believers (or simply looking to them for guidance) seems to be an expression of weakness.

We don’t want to admit our struggles, and we don’t like to deal with the struggles others have. It’s just easier to have superficial relationships—and that’s not discipleship.

Few churches or church leaders get recognized publicly for being great disciplemaking churches. Their leaders aren’t featured in newsletters, and they’re not typically on the platforms of our denominations. There’s no recognition in the task.

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