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Finding Jesus in a Taproom—Literally

By
Megan Briggs
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A church in Orlando, Florida, is taking the idea of outreach and fellowship to a whole new level. The Castle Church is part brewery, part hang out area, and all church. An “experiment in Gospel,” Castle Church is the first craft brewery owned by a church.

“We’re a church, yes, but we’re a church that believes God can be found everywhere,” the church’s website states.

Castle Church Is One of a Kind

Castle Church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is led by Pastor Jared Witt and Aaron Schmalzle.

“If you look at the way the church is growing around the world, you see there’s a focus on discipleship rather than membership,” Schmalzle says in a video explaining the vision of the church. Schmalzle and Witt believe that while studies indicate the church—mainline denominations in particular—is declining, the church today is actually starting to look more like the early church we read about in Scripture. That is, while there may be fewer people attending churches these days, the movement of Christianity is still strong and discipleship is still happening, whether it’s happening inside or outside traditional church settings.

Castle Church, according to Witt, engages in “experiments in Gospel” to see how it can help people learn to “fit Jesus into everyday life.” Schmalzle explains it this way: “Why can’t the gospel of Jesus Christ come to people where they’re at, in their everyday lives, even if that’s on a barstool in a taproom?”

Which Came First, the Brewery or the Church?

The church started out as a home beer brewing project and “a quest to develop a recipe of Martin Luther’s favorite beer.” As the group honed its brewing skills, they noticed they had developed a genuine community. “Even though our quickly growing community was a mix of ‘churched’ and ‘unchurched’ types, we noticed that the setting was really conducive to having deeper conversations about life, prayer and religion,” Castle Church’s website explains.

After a capital raising campaign, the group was able to build a new brewery location, which was finished in 2017. The location includes a brewhouse, indoor beer garden and of course, a bar.

What Do Services Look Like at Castle Church?

Every Sunday, Castle Church meets at 11:11 am for “Beer Garden Communion”; on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the church hosts a “low commitment” event called “Bible + Beer” where participants can read and meditate on Scripture. The church also hosts Hymns & Beer nights once a month…where participants drink beer and sing hymns.

In a blog post, Witt explains he is eager to help people grapple with issues of faith without having them feel as if they need to check their brains at the door. Witt’s Tuesday night Bible study is designed to be “part theological exploration, part prayer practice, part spiritual exercise, part Bible study.” 

That spirit of welcoming people—all people—is reflected in the church’s theological beliefs. “For us, God isn’t the ‘thought police,’ constantly making sure that you’re holding the right religious ideas in your head or that you identify with the right denomination,” Witt explains.

Witt and Schmalzle are adamant about reaching people where they are, and where they want to hang out. While church attendance may be declining and traditional churches may struggle to connect with younger generations, Schmalzle says “people have not lost interest in doing the right things in their neighborhood, connecting with others in a meaningful way, and exploring their spirituality in an affirming environment.”

So…What Does Castle Church Brew?

Castle Church is a fully functioning brewery, brewing eight drafts all year round. The names of the brews are very, very Lutheran. Among the names: All Saints Einbecker Ale, Luther Lager, Here I Stand Stout, Means of Grace Brown Ale, and This Little Light German Pilsner.

Stay the Course: Keeping a Church Evangelistically Focused After the Launch

By
Ed Stetzer
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The marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger who was sent from the Battle of Marathon to Athens—26 miles away—to inform the Greeks that the Persians had been defeated. Legend has it that Pheidippides ran the entire 26 miles without stopping, and upon delivering his message, he collapsed and died.

Although there’s debate about the historicity of this occurring, the concept and practice of marathon is real. For instance, according to the 2014 Annual Marathon Report (yes, it’s a real report), 541,000 people were classified as “finishers.” In other words, 541,000 people who started a marathon actually completed it. Here’s a really simple principle when it comes to completing a marathon: anyone wishing to start and finish a marathon must have what it takes to stay the course.

Church planting is similar to running a marathon.

There is much practice and preparation done before the big launch day. For church planters, they cover a lot of groundwork prior to launching—building relationships, sharing the gospel, connecting with community leaders, creating communication pieces, and attempting to engrain themselves in the daily rhythms of the community.

All of their preparation helps prepare them for what is, for many, the official launching of their church.

Stay the Course: Keeping a Church Evangelistically Focused After the Launch

Eventually, for those following the more typical model today, the big launch day comes. And with launch day comes a lot of potential distractions that can take your eyes off some key issues. Many planters find themselves swept up in the current created after launch day. They have to plan this service, order that, pay for this, meet with that person, counsel this couple, meet with those volunteers, fill out denominational/network reports, attend a coaching session, study for the sermon series, follow up with visitors, etc.

Being swept up in the current of the after effects of launch day isn’t necessarily bad, but what happens is the busyness of the church plant becomes detrimental to the planting of the gospel in more people. In short, the busyness and distractions of other important things takes the planter’s focus off one of the primary things—evangelism.

The question becomes: Now that the marathon has officially begun (with the launching of the church), with all the potential distractions, how can planters stay the course (and lead the church to stay the course) of making disciples through evangelism?

Let me list three ways planters can stay the course in keeping evangelistically focused even after the launch.

1. Keep the Mission Before the People.

Every time the church gathers together for corporate worship, you must remind them that gathering together is not the goal. The church doesn’t exist for itself, but for others. Thus, you must remind them that the church exists for mission. As one missiologist put it, “The church was created by mission and for mission.”

If the mission becomes the Sunday gathering, then you’ve created a religious organization—not a church, which is both gathered and scattered. To protect the new church from becoming a cool new religious organization, planters need to keep the mission before the people week in and week out.

To do so, you can create videos of people who have recently come to know the Lord, share personal testimony of members who have recently shared Christ with someone, make baptism a big celebratory deal, create opportunities for the church, corporately, to engage the community in an evangelistic way, and recite your mission statement and emphasize how the church doesn’t exist for itself but for God’s glory and others’ good.

2. Carve Out Time to Engage in Personal Evangelism

If personal evangelism isn’t a priority for the planter, it will not be a public priority for the church. In other words, the planter/pastor must set the tone for the church’s passion to engage others in evangelism. Therefore, planters must personally carve out time—on an ongoing basis—to engage in this endeavor.

I understand how busy planters are. However, carving out time requires discipline and intentionality. One of the ways I encourage church planters to discipline themselves to stay on top of personal evangelism is dividing their time into four blocks.

These four blocks work well for planters who are full time, which is working 50 hours a week. The first block sets aside 10–15 hours for administration; the second block sets aside 10–15 hours for ministry; the third block sets aside 10–15 hours for sermon prep (if you’re a lead pastor); and the fourth block sets aside 10–15 hours of relationship building, outreach, evangelism.

If you don’t purposely manage your time wisely—setting aside time to engage in outreach and evangelism—you may find yourself doing a lot of admin and ministry work, and neglecting other priorities.

Remember: You can’t lead what you don’t live.

3. Raise Up Leaders to Oversee the Church’s Outward Focus

Not only should you continue to talk mission in front of your people, and carve out time to personally engage in evangelism, but you should raise up a group of people in your church who will oversee the church’s outward focus. It is easy for a young church that was birthed by a passion for others to become a church for themselves. Thus, creating a structure that oversees a church and its continued outward focus goes a long way to ensuring that the church never loses sight to why it’s there in the first place.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:11–12). In short, church oversight should be missional oversight—to ensure that the church continues the work of ministry in making disciples of all nations.

Church planting is similar to that of a marathon—and anyone wishing to start and finish well in planting and pastoring a church must have the ability to stay the course evangelistically. It’s been my experience that it’s easy for plants to become inwardly focused. My prayer is that planters will lead their respective churches to run the race of missional endurance as they stay the course of keeping themselves and their churches evangelistically focused.

This article originally appeared here https://edstetzer.com/2019/02/stay-the-course-keeping-a-church-evangelistically-focused-after-the-launch/

Gospel and Religion: Why the Gospel Teaches the Opposite of Religion

By
J.D. Greear
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Religion can turn you into a really bad person. Believe it or not, Bill Maher, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and the Apostle Paul agree on that one thing. Religion caters to the worst parts of us—pride, self-centeredness, condescension, self-righteousness and bigotry—which is why religious people can be (in the words of our generation) the worst.

Why the Gospel Teaches the Opposite of Religion

Soren Kierkegaard, a 19th century Danish philosopher, told a story about a man who dies and goes to hell. He doesn’t think he should be there, so he makes an appeal to the Apostle Peter, who is standing on the edge of hell.

Peter asks him, “Why do you think you don’t belong here?”

“Because I did so many good deeds in my life! One time I gave a carrot to a poor, hungry man.”

“OK,” Peter said. “Let’s see if that’s good enough to get you out of hell,” and he lowered a carrot over into hell by a fishing line.

The man took ahold of the carrot. Well, lots of other people in hell noticed what was happening and grabbed onto the line as well. The man was afraid the line was going to break, so he started kicking and punching other people, screaming, “That’s my carrot!”

This, Kierkegaard said, is a picture of religion.

When you do religious deeds to try to save yourself or exalt yourself, they’re actually done from self-interest. Religion done to distinguish ourselves from others or set us apart inevitably leads us to insecurity and cruelty.

The gospel teaches the opposite of religion. It teaches that God offers salvation not to those who earn it as a reward but to those who are unworthy and receive it as a gift.

And because of that, the Apostle Paul says he is now “a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1 CSB). Here, the Greek word for “servant” is doulous, or “slave.” It means the lowest of the low.

This is the opposite of what Paul had been going for as a Pharisee, before his life was radically changed by an encounter with God. Before, his zeal in religion was aimed to elevate him above people. Now, he sees his relationship to Jesus as the reason to lower himself and serve others.

As a Pharisee, when Paul encountered people who were sinful and had problems, he would say, “Well, you’re just getting what you deserve. If you were awesome like me, you wouldn’t have those problems.” Now, he would say, “Yeah, I had lots of problems, too. Still do. Thank God it didn’t stop Jesus from coming after me.”

As a Pharisee, when people would wrong him or treat him badly, he would respond with vengeance. Now, Paul would say, “I treated Jesus pretty badly, too. Thank God he kept loving me.”

As a Pharisee, when Paul saw someone in need, he’d say, “What I have is mine; I earned it, and I don’t owe it to anybody.” Now, he would say, “Thank God Jesus didn’t keep what was his for himself. If so, I’d be lost.”

The gospel of grace produces in us a fundamentally different spirit than zealousness in religion does. Religion makes you proud and self-centered. The gospel makes you humble and generous.

One of my good friends, Clayton King, has a guy on his pastoral team whose pregnant wife and young child were involved in a terrible accident. An EMT worker fell asleep at the wheel and hit them head on and killed the wife and her unborn child.

At the sentencing of the EMT, who was facing felony charges and harsh time, the pastor showed up and pleaded for a more lenient sentence. That gesture began a friendship between the two men that has lasted eight years. They meet every couple of weeks and have become like family.

I didn’t hear this story from Clayton. The story was carried on the Today show, and the pastor was asked why he did such a thing for a man who was responsible for the death of his wife and child. He said simply, “This is what Jesus did for me. After I wronged him, he brought me close. It just makes sense that I do this for others.”

Religion doesn’t do that to you. The gospel does.

The gospel humbles you. You can even see it in Paul’s name. Before he met Jesus, the name Paul went by was “Saul,” who was the proud, victorious Israelite king who stood head and shoulders above everyone. But now he goes by “Paul,” which in Latin meant “little.” That’s how Paul now sees himself: small, but loved by a great God and a recipient of extravagant grace. The gospel transformed Saul the mighty into Paul the small.

The missionary Jim Elliot once said, “We Christians are just a bunch of nobodies pointing to a great big somebody.”

What do you want people to know about you? How do you want to be set apart?

Are you trying to be Saul the mighty or Paul the small?

This article originally appeared here.

5 Simple Ways to Get Deeper Relationships Out of Small Groups

By
Rick Warren
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5 Simple Ways to Get Deeper Relationships Out of Small Groups

I believe that every church should continue to grow warmer through fellowship and deeper relationships.

We live in an extremely isolated world today. Our culture feeds individualism and lifts it up as a value. But the fruit of rampant individualism is massive loneliness.

Unfortunately, we have lonely people in our churches.

One of God’s purposes for our lives is to learn to love people in our spiritual family—the church. As a leader in your church, one of your responsibilities is to help people grow in their relationship with other believers. As you do, your church will continue to grow warmer.

Relationships are the glue of your church. Sure, some people will spontaneously develop those connections, but you can’t leave relationships to chance. They’re too important.

That’s why you need small groups. People can develop meaningful relationships in small groups, but it’s not an automatic fix. Some people can be in a small group for years and never develop meaningful relationships—and your church never grows warmer in the process.

The truth is, many people have never really learned to love anyone. Small groups are the laboratory where they can learn all the relational skills they haven’t learned yet.

Your small groups won’t teach these principles on autopilot. You and your team must set the expectation of the relationship principles that your small groups are built around. Here are five of the relationship principles I’ve taught to the small groups at Saddleback:

1. Make their small group a priority. If people only attend small groups when they feel like it, they won’t develop meaningful relationships. A habit means you do it consistently. That’s what’s so great about spiritual-growth campaigns. Anyone can commit to being a part of a small group for six weeks. If you can help people develop that habit over a couple of months, they’ll likely continue it afterward.

2. Share their thoughts humbly. Arrogance and pride will destroy fellowship. You can’t simultaneously try to impress others and build meaningful relationships. Small groups should provide your congregation with opportunities to let go of their egos and come together with a desire to share what God is teaching them.

3. Respect the ideas of others. Courtesy matters in small groups, too. If your small groups are going to teach people how to love—and help your church grow warmer—you need to teach people to listen to one another.

People must learn how to do that no matter how much they disagree with each other. In today’s culture, social media has conditioned us to push back hard on whatever we disagree with.

But that’s why I love how Eugene Peterson paraphrases Romans 14:1: “Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently” (The Message).

That’s a great model for the relationships within our small groups.

4. Open up about their faults. This will really take a small group to the next level. When people can talk openly about their faults, stresses, pressures and troubles of life, small groups will grow.

Most people don’t get that opportunity anywhere else. They can’t be open and share their problems at work. They can’t do it at school. Frankly, they often can’t do it at home. People spend lots of time pretending their lives are perfect. But for them to grow, they should be able to be open and honest about their pain.

5. Encourage one another with accountability. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:24 how important this is: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (NIV).

Every person in your church needs to have someone who can spur them on to reach their goals—whether those goals are spiritual, health, career, family, etc. If you surveyed the people visiting your church, my guess is most of them wouldn’t have those kinds of relationships either. Accountable relationships are rare, but your people need them.

Those relationships don’t develop overnight. That’s why consistency is so important for small groups. You need to encourage people to continue making small groups a priority, week after week, month after month, and year after year.

I regularly hear pastors talk about wanting their churches to become warm, friendly places. That’s great. We need to develop friendly churches. But your church will grow warmer as it develops the purpose of fellowship, which will happen primarily in your church’s small groups.

Teaching your people how to love each other is an essential part of the process.

This article originally appeared here.

5 Reasons Jesus Would Be Fired If He Was Your Youth Pastor

By
Greg Stier
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In the crazy “what if” world of impossible scenarios, I am convinced that Jesus would be fired within his first few months of becoming a youth leader at the typical church. Here are five reasons why.

1. Jesus would be fired because He would shrink the group before he grew it.

In the Gospels, Jesus scared away the loud crowds and nestled into the committed core on several occasions. What makes us think he would do anything differently in a modern youth group context as a youth leader?

His large and thriving “youth group” shrunk to next to nothing after his hard-to-understand lesson on communion in John 6:66, “From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”

In Luke 14:25-27, Jesus implemented his crowd-shrinking strategy in a much more direct way, “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Calling for such radical commitment would cause pastors’ kids to complain to their parents. Not to mention how Jesus’ thought-provoking teaching style (that often created more questions than answers) would cause parents and pastors alike to cringe. Their red faces would soon turn into a pink slip.

2. Jesus would be fired because He would do most of his youth ministry outside the four walls of the youth room.

How much time do we see Jesus ministering in the temple or synagogues (the equivalent of a church building in the Jewish context)? He was there some, but more often than not, his pulpit could be found by a fig tree, on a pathway, in a field, on a mountain, or in a boat. He used nature as sermon illustrations and “that just happened” incidents as his teaching curriculum.

Jesus was his own mobile app. He applied truth on the go to the lives of his mostly teenaged disciples in real life situations, and it would get him fired really quickly from most churches.

3. Jesus would be fired because He would bring the “un” ones (dirty, flirty and rejected) into his inner circle.

Jesus reached the dirty…

“A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man.” Mark 1:40-41

Jesus reached the flirty…

“When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.’” Luke 7:36-39

Why You Should Teach God’s Grace as Both a Blessing and a Warning

By
Dave Vance
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When my oldest son, David, was about four years old, Thomas the Tank Engine was a tremendously big deal. From the TV show to the videos, he absolutely loved all things Thomas. One Christmas, my wife and I decided to get him a Thomas the Tank Engine train table—one of those train tables you had to build from scratch and the tracks could be customized to whatever layout you wanted.

So I began to build the train table at about 9:00 p.m. that Christmas Eve. 9:00 easily became 11:00, 11:00 eventually became midnight. Motivated by the overwhelming joy that would be experienced by my son in the morning, I finally finished at 3:30 in the morning. Of course, my son woke up early, running into our bedroom yelling, “Hey Mom and Dad, it’s Christmas morning!” And we ran down the steps with great excitement to see his reaction to the surprise that awaited. As soon as he entered the room and saw the train table, he made his way over to the train table to begin to play with his newfound gift. Of course, I was right by his side. I said, “Hey, buddy…let me show you something,” and I began to demonstrate how the train moved up the mountain and show him how he could guide the train through the tunnel. He looked at me and said, “No, Daddy, it’s mine! Don’t you touch it!” And he pushed my hands away as if I was trespassing on some stranger’s property.

Now I know he’s four years old and I completely understand his excitement, but I couldn’t help but think: “Do you not get it…I was the one who bought this gift for you…I was the one who labored over this…I was the one who built it, stressed over it, prepared it, and gave it to you. And this is what you come back with? ‘It’s mine’? Listen, it’s anything but yours!”

We often take what God has graciously given, and we say, “It’s mine!” The gift becomes greater than the gift-giver. From the very first pages of Scripture, we see this glaring in our face. Look at Genesis 1:27 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Verse 28: “And God blessed them.”

In this statement we see the very first act of the grace of God. God blesses Adam and Eve. God gives them dominion…God prospers them. This tells us that grace was given and demonstrated well before the fall ever happens. Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:20 that God knew before the foundation of the world that Christ would go to the cross. That means that God still gave them life, even though they didn’t deserve it, still gave them dominion even though they would lose it, and still blessed them even though he knew what would happen. If there is grace, this must be it.

All throughout the Bible, whenever you find the idea of grace, it always comes in two forms: God gives and God warns. Remember Noah? He says, “Noah, I want you to build an ark.” God blesses him and says, “I’m going to keep you from the rain, the flood.” Then God says, “Go and warn the people about this flood.” There’s God’s grace in blessing and warning. Remember Israel? He says, “I’m going to give you a land, and this land I promised to Abraham—I’m going to give it to you. I’m going to let you conquer this land, but don’t give in to the pagan cultures, don’t give in to the foreigners that will tempt you in the land. Be careful with them because they’re idol worshippers.” And then we have Jesus. Jesus comes on the scene and says, “I’ve come to give you life, and to give it to you abundantly.” He blesses, but he also warns, “But I warn you, judgment will come.”

As pastors, this is exactly how we must teach and demonstrate grace to our congregations. We reveal God’s blessings of grace, His gifts of salvation and eternal life and encourage them to grow in relationship with Him. We bless them as God has called us to do. But we also warn them… “Hey, you better follow these commands,” or “You should avoid these sinful behaviors.” And sometimes we’re warning them even more than blessing them… “Why do you keep doing this? Don’t you remember what God said about that?”

If all you preach is God’s blessing without the warnings, then your congregation is only hearing half of the truth. Too many spiritual leaders fall prey to this Pollyanna approach (or prosperity gospel), focusing only on the promises God has made, and trying not to “scare people off” by avoiding talking about the consequences of sinful living or pointing out God’s clear warnings throughout Scripture. You can’t have one without the other!

That’s the whole picture of grace. God blessed us…and He warned us, knowing we wouldn’t listen or understand the full meaning of His gifts. It’s undeserved, it’s unmerited and it’s unearned. Let’s help all Christ followers remember this.

This article is an excerpt from The Idol Called Grace by Dave Vance.

Egypt Approves 156 New Churches While Failing to Protect Christians

By
Jessica Lea
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The Egyptian government just announced that it has approved 156 new churches and affiliated buildings for use in the country. This is means there are now 783 church buildings where Christians can legally meet.

Despite this news, many believe that the government is paying lip service to the rights of Christians while doing little to actually defend those rights. According to a recent report from NPR,

In the Egyptian province with the biggest percentage of Christians, the government has refused to grant permits for churches. Tens of thousands of people have nowhere to worship but the street.

The law that regulates whether or not church buildings are approved for Christian worship was passed in 2016, and according to the Human Rights Watch, the law, “allows governors to deny church-building permits with no stated way to appeal, requires that churches be built ‘commensurate with’ the number of Christians in the area, and contains security provisions that risk subjecting decisions on whether to allow church construction to the whims of violent mobs.”

Backdrop of Christian Persecution

The need for Christians to have places to worship has been a hot-button issue in Egypt, where the primary religion is Islam and where there have been numerous incidents of Christian persecution. Proponents of the 2016 law maintained that it would help to protect Christians by putting them under the auspices of the government. But opponents said that the fact the law only addressed Christians was in itself discriminatory.

According to one Coptic Christian, “If they wanted to issue a proper law, they would have drafted a unified law for building houses of worship.” This law would govern how both Muslims and Christians worship, instead of singling Christians out.

Other Christians say that the laws regulating the building of mosques in Egypt are more lenient than those regulating the building of churches. It also seems that the law has not been terribly effective at protecting the rights of Christians or at safeguarding them from violence. In December 2016, 25 people died when a Coptic Cathedral in Cairo was bombed, and in April 2017, 45 died in multiple church bombings that occurred in Alexandria and Tanta. Twenty-six people on their way to worship at a monastery died in Minya, Egypt, in May 2017.  

More recently, early in January 2019, a police officer died while defusing a bomb ahead of the opening of the Cathedral of the Nativity, the largest church in the Middle East. Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi attended the cathedral’s opening, where he said that Egypt’s Muslims and Christians “are one, and we will remain one. This is a historic and important moment, but we still have to protect the tree of love we planted here together today, because seditions never end.”

Not Exactly ‘One’ in Practice

Nevertheless, Christians, particularly in rural areas, remain disadvantaged and vulnerable because of their faith. NPR reporter Jane Arraf visited a church service in the town of Tayeba. There, she spoke to a woman visiting the church service in Tayeba who is from a town where a church built 13 years ago remains unused because it lacks government approval. The woman said,

Our church is small, but they refuse to let us pray. The children know nothing about our religion. We have sick, elderly people who can’t travel this distance. There isn’t always transportation. And when there is, we don’t always have money to pay for it.

And again, it’s not just that Christians have financial difficulties. In the village of Zafarana, which has a church that has not been approved, a mob surrounded and threatened some Christians who were praying in a house there.

Father Gergis Hakeim, whom Arraf spoke to in the city of Samalut says, “There are laws regarding churches. It’s a long process to submit papers for building a new church. But there are urgent cases. And we already have the churches. So why can’t we pray in them? What is the problem? Do we require official permission to pray?”

All the Ways Christians Are Observing Lent This Year

By
Stephanie Martin
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Giving up caffeine or Facebook for Lent is so 2015. These days, a hot trend for the 40-day pre-Easter period of reflection and repentance involves caring for God’s creation.

Following the example of the Church of England, which encouraged members to give up single-use plastics during Lent last year, many American churches now recommend “fasting” from commonly discarded items such as water bottles, straws, plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam. This year, the Church of England is asking congregants to go on walks to pray and pick up trash.

On March 6, as Lent began on Ash Wednesday, the Episcopal Church launched a Creation Care Pledge, asking members to commit to environmentally friendly practices such as consuming less meat and tracking carbon use.

In Washington, D.C., an Episcopal church is holding workshops during Lent on topics such as solar energy and green homes. And a Catholic parish is avoiding disposable plastic and paper items at its Friday soup suppers, opting for washable dishes instead.

Do These Sacrifices Honor the Lenten Intent?

The tradition of giving up something for Lent is based on Jesus’ 40 days of fasting and praying in the wilderness, where Satan tempted him. Author Walter Brueggemann calls fasting “a discipline that gives energy for positive engagement with justice questions,” empowering Christians to act.

Reducing dependence on plastics helps people think about Lenten sacrifices “as more than just a personal thing, like chocolate or alcohol that’s enjoyable,” says the Rev. Sarah Rossing, an Episcopal pastor in Pennsylvania. “This is asking people to give up convenience…and be more intentional with…the earth.”

Some people, however, say giving up plastic for Lent misses the point. Although it makes the world a better place, says professor Stanley Hauerwas, “it’s a confusion of categories.” He says, “Giving up plastic is aimed at a different set of problems than what Lent is about. Lent is about confession of sins.”

Others say the anti-plastic initiative is a liberal crusade. “Forget all that personal sin stuff,” writes Matt Philbin. “Environmental Lent is way easier. … You get to wear the penitent’s sackcloth and ashes without taking responsibility for actual bad stuff.”

The Rev. James Martin, editor of America magazine, says Lent is more about one’s relationship with God than making sacrifices. “If you’re confused about what to do for Lent,” he says, “just be kind. You can give something up, but doing something positive is just as important.”

Other Lenten Trends

During Lent 2019, Pope Francis is encouraging Catholics to give up gossip and the temptation to “criticize and destroy” with the tongue. “If, by the end of Lent, we are able to correct this a bit…I assure you [that celebrating] Jesus’ resurrection will be more beautiful,” he says.

For the traditional imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, more churches are offering the nontraditional drive-through approach, also known as “ash and dash.” If people can’t make it to an Ash Wednesday service or would rather not enter a church, they can receive ashes—and prayer, if desired—from the comfort of their vehicle.

In Chicago, some pastors are distributing ashes at train stations, a university and even a Target store. Receiving ashes “only takes a few seconds,” says Pastor Dwayne Grant, “but it can make a big difference in someone’s day.”

Matt Brown: Speaking Truth Louder Is Not Working

By
Jason Daye
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Matt Brown is an evangelist, author, and founder of Think Eternity. Along with his wife, Michelle, and the staff and volunteers of Think Eternity, millions of people are impacted with the gospel each year online and through live events. Matt and Think Eternity also minister to more than two million followers on social media daily. Matt and Michelle live in Minnesota with their three children.

Key Questions for Matt Brown

– What is your perspective on the voice of the church right now?

– How do you think the church needs to change the way it is speaking to the culture?

– What does the Bible tell us about engaging culture?

Key Quotes from Matt Brown

“Patience and self-control are integral to keep the rest of the fruit of the Spirit in your life.”

“In the noise of culture, we can’t just speak truth louder. We need to love louder, too.”

“The truth of God’s word and the truth of the Gospel has Holy Spirit power.”

“I know I’m not alone in this—I know just about anybody listening to this who’s in ministry in any form has been hurt by somebody.”

“If we’re going to be passionate about truth, we’ve got to remember that love, compassion, kindness, grace, that those are truths of God’s word as well. Those are very biblical commands to us.”

“How is the world supposed to see the grace of God if the people of God aren’t gracious to each other and to those outside the church?”

“Let me add this stipulation: It doesn’t mean we need to agree on everything. Unity doesn’t mean uniformity.”

“We need to be careful about how we disagree with each other, and careful about how we might argue over what we feel is the truth, and careful about how we present the hard truths of God’s word.”

“We’re the first generation of believers to have this online megaphone.”

“I believe God wants to move in our generation, he wants to move in our country, he wants to move in our world, he wants to use all of us who are leaders in the church to set the tone, to set the pace, and to step up to walk in those things.”

“We can’t fully express love to people around us until our love cup is getting filled up by the Lord.”

Mentioned in the Show:

Truth Plus Love: The Jesus Way to Influence by Matt Brown
The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
Matt Brown on Twitter
Matt Brown on Instagram

Matt Brown on ChurchLeaders:

Matt Brown: Are We on the Brink of Revival?
3 Times Jesus Modeled How We Should Treat Sinners
Why Attending Church Is So Important
Don’t Say God Is Silent With Your Bible Closed

Other Ways to Listen to this Podcast:

► Listen on Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-churchleaders-podcast/id988990685?mt=2

► Listen on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/churchleaders/the-churchleaders-podcast

► Listen on GooglePlay: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/churchleaders/the-churchleaders-podcast

► Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NOo1CepdPQog17rmL7DuT

7 Things Bad Leaders Say to Themselves (and to Their Team)

By
Carey Nieuwhof
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Nobody sets out to be a bad leader. You didn’t. I didn’t. Yet according to a Gallup study, only 18 percent of managers have a ‘high degree of talent’ in leading people, which includes the ability to motivate and manage the relationships they have with people around them. So why does the world end up with so many, well, bad leaders?

Often those of us who lead lack the self-awareness to know when we’re leading poorly.

7 Things Bad Leaders Say

Leadership is difficult—you have to overcome obstacles that non-leaders never tackle, AND you have to then lead other people through them.

But your first approach to a problem isn’t usually the right one.

So…has bad thinking clouded your ability to lead effectively?

Here are seven things bad leaders say to themselves and to their teams. I only know this, because, over the years, I’ve caught myself thinking or even saying some of these things.

And I’ve realized that if I’m going to lead more effectively, I need to change my approach.

1. IF I’M GOING TO GET IT DONE RIGHT, I HAVE TO DO IT MYSELF

So we’ve all been frustrated with the work other people do. And it’s very tempting, after trying numerous times and maybe even after working with numerous people, to conclude that no one can do the job but me.

That’s fabulous thinking if you want to keep your organization tiny and never scale it beyond your own personal abilities.

It’s also fabulous thinking if you believe you are the only person God gifted in your organization.

Discipling the Whole Church – Every Age, Same Page

By
Chris Swain
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Discipling the Whole Church
Adobe Stock #581693518

Some churches seem to focus on a specific demographic, believing it is the key to growing a church. For example, some churches focus on reaching the next generation with incredible programming, resources and processes built around kids and students. Some churches put their emphasis on reaching the unchurched. All of the programming and resources in these churches lend themselves to those who haven’t attended yet. These are but a couple of examples of which you are probably familiar. While no church is perfect and I have observed numerous models work effectively (at least in growing attendance and decisions), the challenge is that if we aren’t careful, we will minimize disciplemaking for the groups that are not the emphasis. Regardless of the church’s approach, the mandate to discipling the whole church remains. Every believer needs to be discipled and be making disciples, therefore, whatever process or model a specific church uses, disciplemaking must be at the heart.

Discipling the Whole Church

A healthy church is a disciplemaking church. And the whole church needs to emphasize the Great Commission: Make disciples. Programs, processes, events and budgets ought to result in effective disciplemaking. As we strive to equip those we lead, we find that we can get caught up in ministry initiatives that either don’t matter for the mission or are ineffective at accomplishing the goal. Often, we find ourselves wishing we could change our current paradigm. “If only the people would commit to X,” we think, “then we could grow.”

Where Young Adults Like to Have Spiritual Conversations

By
Alvin Reid
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

This week I stopped in a local coffee shop for a cup of joe (and a red-eye) to get some email work done (side note: there will be no email in heaven). Next to me sat some awesome young adults I know with whom I had a great visit. After that unplanned opportunity, I met that evening at a planned event at another local coffee shop. We had a lot of guests check out our young pros ministry at our church this past Sunday, a particularly high number at the start of the summer. With the help of a young pro named Clay who helps me with this, I gathered the names and info, emailing and texting an invitation to all to meet me at said coffee shop at 8 p.m.

Have you ever gone on visitation and knocked on a door of someone, only to see the look of horror that someone came by unexpectedly? Yea, me too. I don’t mind it, really, but I’ve found that there is a better way to get with young adults today to talk about Christ than unplanned (or even planned) visits at their house. Like the night above, I regularly invite folks to meet me at a coffee shop. Here is what 90 percent of people say when I invite them to meet me there: They either (A) love the idea and come, or (B) send their regrets because they are working that night or have some other conflict. Of those in (B), half or more of them add something like “If you do this again, please let me know!” We had three show up this time, which is more than Clay and I could have gotten to in one evening going to their homes.

Young adults today don’t display an aversion to spiritual conversations; however, they are at times not as easy to connect with using our “tried and true” methods. There was a day when it was normal to show up at someone’s house, to be invited in and to get to know them in that manner. In a day of far more nuclear families, a more monolithic culture more 8-5 work schedules and no wifi, stopping in homes was commonplace. With the rise of gated communities, garage doors and high back fences, increased mobility, security-sensitive apartment living—and wifi—many adults in general and young adults in particular prefer another venue for meetings.

Enter the world of the Third Place, a place we go to beyond our home, work or school to meet others. Epitomized by the coffee shop, third places have become such a dominant part of our culture. Today young people go out of their way, stand in long lines and pay inflated prices for coffee products. That would have been just weird in my day.

I decided some time back that since young adults love third places like coffee shops, since I love them too, and since it’s easy to access them (they are everywhere it seems), I would try to meet there. This week I’ve met with no less than 10 people in a third place, all but two in their 20s. This far surpasses relying on Google maps to find an apartment only to discover no one was home and thus about 45 minutes was shot. Don’t get me wrong, I still visit people in their homes and have led folks to Christ that way in the recent past. But for this generation—the generation we are not reaching—we would do well to meet them where they are comfortable instead of expecting them to be available in ways we are used to using.

For us, this has become an especially effective method for reaching dechurched young adults, those who grew up in church and somewhere around their college years pretty much dropped out. I have this year met more than a few young pros who have found a home at our church in part because we interacted with them in their world, affirming their desire for community, which is why third places thrive.

The third place has become a gospel outpost.

If you don’t do this already, this week try working on a sermon or other work at a third place. Get out of the church building into the community. Note how many young adults show up. Get to know the baristas and regulars. See how the third place functions as a mission station. Pray for ways to reach people there, and see how God can use this venue as a new approach to visitation.

This article originally appeared here.

5 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Modern Worship

By
Glenn Packiam
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

5 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Modern Worship

It seems to be in vogue to predict the impending demise of modern worship, with some even suggesting we “kill megachurch worship.” The subject in question has been variously named “modern worship,” “contemporary worship,” and even the more direct and provocative aforementioned “megachurch worship.” While there have been a plethora of futurists and liturgists rushing to judgment, I am not certain if any of them worship regularly in a church that employs a modern worship style. And I am quite sure none of them are involved in leading either modern worship or megachurches.

So forgive my skepticism.

Before I go further, it’s worth my saying that if you know my writing over the past few years, you know I’ve been strong in challenging the contemporary worship movement (on formation; on reclaiming the mystery of faith through historic practices). You know that I believe in mining the old traditions of Christian worship, asking what they were doing and why and what we’ve changed and why. I believe with all my heart that “the way we worship becomes the way we believe.”

But I don’t believe careless critiques will help us.

The renowned social psychologist Paul Eckman wrote that research from a social scientist is less credible when their fieldwork cleanly validates their hypothesis. This is because the kind of experiments and research social scientists engage in are not easily repeated, and thus their biases are less easily held in check. If this is true of the biases even of researchers, what shall we say of the biases of bloggers (even—or especially—if they are liturgy professors)?

If one wants to prove the shallowness of modern worship, examples abound; but if you want to really understand and assess the subject, you need a more careful eye. And you must account for an insider perspective. What matters is not simply what the outside observer/blogger/professor thinks is going on; what matters is also what the pastor or worship leader says is going on, and what the worshiper is experiencing. (The latter is known as phenomenological perspective—the way people describe their experience of a thing.) If all we get are theoretical assessments from afar, we will evaluate modern worship without knowing if we are actually evaluating modern worship or our impression of it—which is almost always a caricature.

I’m new to the interdisciplinary approach to practical theology, but as a researcher I’m learning that we need more than theology to evaluate our practices. We need the tools of social anthropology to help us look properly at the thing we seek to evaluate. We need the lens of phenomenology to take seriously how people describe their experience of a particular practice. Only then can we engage in robust theological reflection.

What does it mean to take a closer look at modern worship?

It means doing “participant observation” in modern worship service and megachurches, not doing “drive-by” prediction blogs with non-falsifiable claims;

it means looking closely at song lyrics and comparing them with older hymns to test if we are guilty of romanticizing the old songs (Lester Ruth’s work suggests that we are);

it means listening to worship leaders to know how they pray and prepare for a worship service, before assuming that they are all aspiring rock stars trying to be cool;

it means listening to worshipers talk about spiritual experiences and encounters with God, instead of concluding that they are shallow consumers looking for a better religious product.

Some of my friends in vocational ministry may wonder why one would bother listening to someone else’s critique at all. Too many pastors dismiss the opinions of non-practitioners. Practitioners need theoreticians the same way that contractors need architects. The one building a church ought not ignore the one who studies its history and theology. So, I am not suggesting that we only listen to practitioners; but I am suggesting that critiques from non-practitioners be more accurate and nuanced. In short: If you want your theoretical critique of modern worship to be helpful to pastors and worship leaders, make sure you actually know and understand modern worship and/or megachurches. If you want to serve the church, you’ve got to love the church. And in order to love the church, you’ve got to know the church. The most helpful evaluations are from those who love us most and know us best. The most fruitful critiques are about the area of church practice that we know and love the best.

Here’s what you may not know about modern worship:

1. Not all megachurches are alike.
This should go without saying, but unfortunately, the broad assumption is that all large churches are the same. There is no such thing as “the megachurch”; there are megachurches, and each is a little different. Yes, there are broad similarities, but there are also significant differences. One example of undifferentiated study of megachurches is Kate Bowler’s landmark research on the prosperity gospel. In a journal article, she and her co-author fail to distinguish between the theology of Hillsong Church and that of Osteen’s Lakewood. Bloggers’ errors are more egregious. There is no recognition of the difference between the megachurch that adopts a “seeker” approach and therefore plays Top 40 covers in service, and the megachurch that believes in singing vertical worship songs to God to facilitate a genuine spiritual encounter. This is a mistake. We don’t assume all smaller churches are alike, so why the broad brush about ‘megachurches’?

Longevity in Ministry: How to Stay as Long as God Wants!

By
Joe McKeever
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“Certainly, I will be with you” (God to Moses in Exodus 3:12).

Poor Moses. He served the same congregation for 40 years.

During all that time, Moses had no opportunity for advancement. And instead of getting easier as the years came and went, the work seemed to never let up. One challenge after another. It was enough to age a fellow prematurely. Which is why, perhaps, the Lord chose a fellow who was already old—like 80!—at the start.

Think of that. Just at the time most people are getting fitted for a rocking chair and ordering their walk-in bathtub, Moses took on a new assignment. Clearly, the Lord did not ask a committee of Israeli leaders what they wanted in the next shepherd.

Not only was Moses’ congregation the largest one around, it was the only one!

During those 40 years, Moses did not receive a single raise. And not the first award or recognition. Well, other than from God, which as it turned out, was more than enough.

The writer of Hebrews said we should ‘consider Jesus “who endured…” (Hebrews 12:3). True. But we may also want to “consider Moses.” He was a lot like us and demonstrates a hundred lessons on how to hang with a difficult job through good times and bad until you get the people of the Lord to the promised land.

Here are a few of those lessons.

Moses taught every one who would come after him how to persevere and endure. 

One. It starts and ends with one’s relationship with the Living God. Without that, it’s just a job and a difficult and thankless one at that. 

“I will certainly be with you,” said God on the backside of Horeb when He called this elderly shepherd to the greatest task imaginable. Later on, Moses said, “If You don’t go with us, then let’s stop right here. For how will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except you go with us? That’s the only thing that will separate us from the people of the earth around here!” (Exodus 33:15-16, my paraphrase).

The Lord signaled His presence with the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. No one was ever in doubt that the Lord was in this place. (Oh, that His nearness was so obvious today!)

A study you will enjoy is to look at all the people the Lord made this promise to—“I will be with you.” He said it to Joshua, to Gideon, to Jeremiah and others. It was the ultimate difference-maker!

When the Lord warned the church at Ephesus that He might remove their lampstand, whatever else that meant it surely implied that He would withdraw His presence. They would be on their own. There is no worse fate imaginable for someone trying to do the work of the Lord.

Two. Moses knew what the goal was: to get these people out of Egypt, across the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Each segment of that call had its headaches and challenges. 

God said, “I have come down to deliver (my people) out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites…” (Exodus 3:8).

He brought us out that He might bring us in, Moses would say to them. Escaping Egypt was only the first step. Just as leaving your life of sin and bondage is only the first step in the Christian’s life on earth.

What’s your goal, friend? Why did God send you to this place of service? What is His mission here? If your goal is to mark time until God calls you to the next place of service, you need to return to Him and get this straight. You’ll never be able to stand against the Pharaohs of this life without a clear mandate from God as to your call.

Three. Moses kept learning how to do his job better. He was teachable.

In Exodus 18, his father-in-law, Jethro, gave him great counsel on sharing the load of decision-making.

Pity the minister who thinks because he is old or experienced or has held this office for years that he has it all figured out and needs no one to tell him anything. Such pastors are burdens to their staffs and dead weights to the leadership. The man of God must be humble and teachable. Let the servant of the Lord always retain that childlike quality and never lose it.

Four. Moses could not do this alone and neither can we. 

God said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses… And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses… So the people believed” (Exodus 4:27ff).

God gave Moses Aaron and Miriam, his siblings who had been so devoted to him from the first. Later, they each became a headache as they began to assert their rights and insist on prominence, but the Lord took care of that in short order. (See Numbers 12.)

In Exodus 17: Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms when he grew tired, as he gave leadership to the army of Israel.

I know too many pastors with no close friends in the ministry and who treat their staff and lay leadership as underlings. Not good.

Five. Moses was a man of prayer. Without his times of heartfelt, earnest talking with the Lord God, he would have wilted early on.

Rarely, if ever, does Scripture call what Moses did “prayer.” He simply talked to God, as “face to face,” as one put it. (See what God said about this in Numbers 12:8.)

Check out Moses’ prayer in Numbers 14. After Israel refused to believe God and enter Canaan from fear—fear of giants, standing armies, walled cities—the Lord was ready to give them up. That’s when Moses interceded. “Lord, forgive them. After all, You said you were long-suffering and abundant in mercy, that you forgive iniquity and transgression. So, how about doing it!” (My version of Numbers 14:17-19.)

Moses was quoting God’s own words from Exodus 34:6-7. When we pray, we would do well to stand on the Word of God concerning all that we claim and ask and believe.

Six. Moses was a man with a tough hide. They criticized him, persecuted him and tormented him. He kept his focus.

From the first, the people started in on him. No sooner than they had left behind the swirling waters of the Red Sea which swallowed up Pharaoh’s army than they began belly-aching. “The people complained against Moses saying, ‘What shall we drink?’” (Exodus 15:24). “Then, the whole congregation complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, ‘Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt…’” (16:2-3).

Moses said to the people, “The Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord” (16:8). That’s a huge point which every servant of Christ should keep in mind and teach to God’s people. Complaining may be the national pastime of many church members, but the Lord is neither amused by nor does He look with kindliness upon such behavior.

Even so, the servant of the Lord must assume the criticism will come. Some of it may be deserved and he/she must consider it and grow thereby. But criticism that is undeserved is just part of the process and should not be taken to heart.

Knowing what criticism to receive and what to dismiss requires Holy Spirit discernment.

Seven. Moses was human. He cried to the Lord and did his share of belly-aching. But he kept the faith.

In Numbers 11, Moses complains to God. “Why have you afflicted me? Why have I not found favor in Thy sight, that You put such burdens on me? I didn’t birth these people! How can I get enough resources to feed them? For they weep all over me…”

They weep all over me. We smile at that. But ask any longtime servant of the Lord.

Been there, seen that.

How to handle the constant griping and harassment of God’s people? Read Matthew 10:16-42. Read it again and again until its promises, warnings, instructions and cautions are fixed in your mind. You will not find anything in Scripture better or more helpful than this.

So, servant of the Lord, keep your eyes on Him. Keep bringing yourself to the cross. Daily place yourself on His altar.

And one more thing, perhaps the biggest of all. Each day thank God for finding you faithful by allowing you to serve His great people. He has honored you. So, thank Him.

I know, I know. They don’t feel so great most of the time. And it feels more like a burden than an honor. But in your better moments you know He has honored you by the call to shepherd His flock. So, give Him thanks. And give it your best.

This article originally appeared here.

4 Ways Martin Luther Encourages Pastors to Pray

By
Mark Rogers
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As I continue in pastoral ministry, I learn more and more that prayer is my most essential work. Any real, spiritual, eternal fruit from my life and church will come from God. Too often we have not, because we ask not.

And yet, though I’ve learned that prayer is a non-negotiable, I’ve also learned that I must fight to stay faithful in prayer. After all, others won’t know if I’m not praying. Nobody will complain if I give up secret prayer every day. Therefore, I need regular encouragement, instruction and inspiration to keep from sliding into prayerlessness.

Thankfully, I often find the encouragement I need in the writings of Martin Luther. As a fellow pastor, Luther provides a treasure of wisdom and insight on prayer. Here are just a few of the many jewels.

1. Pray as a justified sinner.

Luther warned that we must not think our goodness gains us a hearing with God, or that our prayers merit God’s favor. To the contrary, he writes, “We are worthy of nothing for which we ask, nor have we earned it.”[1] Luther understood he was a sinner, but he was just as convinced that God had declared him righteous in Christ. A justified sinner’s prayer flows from “the spirit of grace, which says: ‘I have lived my best; therefore I implore Thee not to regard my life and my conduct, but Thy mercy and compassion promised me in Christ, and because of this to grant me the fulfillment of my prayer.’”[2]

2. Remember: You are in a fight against the devil and human weakness.

Luther knew that we not only should pray, we must pray:

We who would be Christians must surely expect to have the devil with all his angels and the world as our enemies and must expect that they will inflict every possible misfortune and grief upon us. For where God’s Word is preached, accepted or believed, and bears fruit, there the holy and precious cross will also not be far behind.[3]

We must never think we are strong enough to overcome the devil’s opposition on our own. For “such is life that one stands today and falls tomorrow.”[4] Luther’s purpose in talking about the devil and human weakness was to drive people away from self-reliance and toward God: “We are far too weak against the devil and all his might and forces arrayed against us, trying to trample us underfoot.” Since this is true, “There is nothing for us to do on earth but to pray without ceasing against this archenemy. For if God did not support us, we would not be safe from him for a single hour.”[5] That’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “Deliver us from the evil one.”

3. Don’t despair or try to escape. Instead, lean into your needs.

Pastors are regularly presented with needs we feel helpless to meet, problems we’re inadequate to solve, and weaknesses that won’t go away. If we’re not careful, these challenges can drive us to discouragement and tempt us to escape.

Luther suggested a different approach. Rather than despair or escape, our needs ought to make us prayerful:

We must feel our need, the distress that drives and impels us to cry out. Then prayer will come spontaneously, as it should, and no one will need to be taught how to prepare for it or how to create the proper devotion. … For we are all lacking plenty of things: all that is missing is that we do not feel or see them.[6]

4. Use the Bible as a prayer guide.

Finally, Luther taught people how to pray from and through and based on the Bible. In his little book, A Simple Way to Pray, he encouraged people to use the Ten Commandments as a guide for prayer. He wrote of his own personal prayer time as an example, explaining how he meditated on each commandment, moving from prayerful reflection, to confession, and then to petition for God’s help to obey.

While Luther warned against the rote recitation of memorized prayers, he also frequently taught Christians to use the Lord’s Prayer to prompt and guide their prayers. His goal was a spontaneous and continuous prayer life, shaped by immersive meditation on the Lord’s Prayer, the Psalms, and other Scriptures. “Behold, you could repulse the devil and all his false suggestions by basing your prayer on these three things: God’s command, His promise, and the manner and words Christ Himself taught.”[7]

* * * * *

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Luther, Small Catechism, Lord’s Prayer, Book of Concord, 358.

[2] Luther, “Sermons on the Gospel of St. John,” LW 24:88; WA 45:541.3–9.

[3] Luther, Large Catechism, Lord’s Prayer, Book of Concord, 448–49.

[4] Luther, Large Catechism, Lord’s Prayer, Book of Concord 453, 455.

[5] Ibid., 444, 455–56.

[6] Ibid., 444.

[7] Ibid., LW 24:387, 388; WA 46:79.28ff, 46:81.1-4.

This article originally appeared here.

Why Are People Less Interested in Attending Your Church?

By
Gavin Adams
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

I recently listed 10 areas in our church where we are not satisfied. Nothing is necessarily broken, but there is room for evaluation and improvement.

The law of diminishing astonishment is partially to blame for a few items on the list, like decreasing attendance patterns from regular attendees and lack of enthusiasm within the upper grades of some family ministry departments.

This law reflects the reality of how extraordinary today begins to feel ordinary over time. For example:

  • People who attend our church for the first time can’t believe the musical talent. They are surprised by our excellence. And they are moved by their experience.
  • New guests love how we orchestrate the parking lot with volunteers and egress.
  • First-time families can’t believe how we prioritize their children’s experience—even texting parents during the service with an update if needed.

I could go on, but you get the point. In your church, a similar phenomenon is happening, too. People are walking in for the first time, and their initial experience is extraordinary. The problem is human nature. Because the experiences you are creating week in and week out are equally extraordinary. In many cases, the experience is improving over time as you evaluate and improve. But the rate of new can’t keep up with the human condition.

That’s the law: What’s extraordinary today will feel ordinary over time. The employees at Disney suffer from this law. People who live at the beach suffer from this reality. And so do the people attending our churches. It causes them to attend less frequently. It causes them to engage less prolifically. It causes us to want to quit.

Our initial solution is to create more new, different and improving experiences. We’ve all tried that, and we’ve all failed to one-up ourselves over and over again. It’s impossible. There’s simply no way to move faster than the human condition. So what can we do?

How can we fight the law of diminishing astonishment?

1. Fresh eyes are still astonished.

Do you remember the first time you took your kids to an amusement park? Or the first time you took a friend to your favorite beach or vacation spot. Seeing what’s old to us through their eyes makes it fresh again. The same is true in our churches. When we invite unchurched friends to experience our church, we see it anew through their eyes. This can help fight the law of diminishing astonishment

2. Offer experiences LTO.

Limited time only offers work. Restaurants do this all the time. Summer-only milkshake flavors. Winter-only sandwiches. Menu items that come and go. All of this is a strategy to keep things fresh. In our churches, we can do the same. In our model, we offer short-term small groups on a LTO basis. We are preparing now to launch a marriage enrichment experience. It will fill up within a week of open registration. The demand will be greater that our supply, and when it ends, we’ll shelf it for a year or more. Why? Limited Time Only works.

3. Leverage scarcity.

A scarcity mentality as a leader is destructive. A scarcity of events and experiences can drive interest and attention. In our Middle School ministry (Transit), we leverage scarcity to overwhelm the law of demising astonishment. Boot Camp is a weekend retreat only for 6th-grade students. Frequency is a fall retreat only for 7th and 8th-grade students. Mission trips are reserved only for students entering 8th grade. Sure, there are some things we offer to all three grades, but not everything. And the lack of availability creates a demand. Scarcity scares away the law of diminishing astonishment.

4. Never stop telling stories of life change.

Stories of life change never get old, and therefore they always remain extraordinary. Every time we are able to share a story of change, it rejuvenates our audience to engage again.

We’re still experimenting. The law of diminishing astonishment is strong. It’s a force built into the human condition, but we don’t necessarily have to give in and accept it as our law.

This article originally appeared here.

Bibles Not Harmed in Fire That Destroyed Church Building

By
Jessica Lea
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Early in the morning on Sunday, March 3, a fire consumed the building of Freedom Ministries Church in Grandview, West Virginia. But remarkably, none of the Bibles or crosses in the church were destroyed by the fire.

“Picture this, a building so hot that at one point in time, firefighters had to back out. In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes. Not a single Bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed!! Not a single firefighter was hurt!” wrote the Coal City Fire Department in a Facebook post about the incident.

Several fire departments in the area responded to calls about the fire just after midnight on March 3. When firefighters arrived, flames had entirely enveloped the church building. One man who lives on the same street as the church was alerted about the fire by his smart doorbell around 1:30 a.m. When he looked outside, he saw that the building was surrounded by flames, some of which he says were up to 50 feet in the air. There is an ongoing investigation into how the fire started, but so far the cause is unknown.

Facebook Used for Debate and Support

Freedom Ministries cancelled its service that morning and, on its Facebook page, asked families to pray together in God’s presence. Later, the church posted again on Facebook, saying, “We have a heavy heart this morning, our church had a fire last night. We will have to rebuild but we will be OK. We will fight the enemy and not let him hold us down.” The church cannot begin cleaning and rebuilding, however, until the fire marshals are done with their investigation into the fire’s origin.

In the comments on the Coal City Fire Department’s post, people have been conducting an extensive debate about whether the preservation of the Bibles was truly a miracle. Many have chimed in with their own experiences of witnessing Bibles survive fires and other disasters (such as floods). One woman, who seems to believe in God, observed that books often survive fires when they are closed. Yet others have expressed a committed and aggressive skepticism.

The comments on the church’s Facebook post, however, are overwhelmingly full of people conveying their support and saying that they are praying for the church. On March 5, the church commented on its post, saying, “We are overwhelmed with all the love, prayers, concerns, and offers of help!! God is working, we know. We cant [sic] thank you all enough. Please know we love you and are for ever [sic] grateful.”

Temptation: Helping People Change Their Autopilot

By
Rick Warren
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

We’re all tempted by something. It’s proof of being alive. If you’re not tempted, you’re not breathing.

So the question isn’t, “Are you tempted?” The question is, “What are you doing about it?”

The key to overcoming temptation isn’t to resist it. You need to replace temptation, not resist it. Whatever you resist, persists.

You might be thinking, “Doesn’t the Bible say, ‘resist temptation’?”

It doesn’t.

The Bible tells us to “resist the devil” (James 4:7 NIV). We’re to resist the tempter, not the temptation.

Helping People Change Their Autopilot

When I was a little kid, my mom would make chocolate chip cookies, usually before dinner. When I would go up to the table to look at them, my mom would say, “Don’t you eat those cookies, Ricky.”

“I’m not, Mom. I’m just smelling them.” Of course, right?

But those warm, freshly baked cookies had my attention.

That’s where a lot of people are when they come to Celebrate Recovery®. Something has their attention. Maybe it’s alcohol. Maybe it’s sex. Maybe it’s codependent behaviors. Maybe it’s shopping.

Or maybe it’s chocolate chip cookies.

And here’s the worst part: Whatever gets our attention, gets us. The Bible tells us in James 1 that whatever gets our attention eventually becomes a deep desire—and desire, when it’s conceived, brings sin. And, of course, sin brings death. It’s a destructive cycle—and one many people are looking to escape.

I’ve often described repentance as “changing your autopilot.” I think it’s one of the best ways to describe what Celebrate Recovery is all about.

It goes like this. If I have a boat that’s headed east and I’m using an automatic pilot, the boat will go east. But what if I suddenly want to go west?

I need to make a U-turn.

I can do that one of two ways. One way works, and one way doesn’t. I can physically grab the wheel and force it to turn around. That’s willpower. It’s hard work because I have to use all of my strength to fight against the autopilot.

Many people who walk into your Celebrate Recovery ministry are exhausted because they’ve been doing this for years. They’ve been fighting the autopilot with their own willpower. They’re trying to stop doing something they don’t want to do (or start doing something they want to do), but they’re just relying on their own strength.

When everything in your body is trying to go east, it feels unnatural to go west. Your muscles are tense. You’re under emotional stress. It wears you down.

It may work in the short term. You may be able to turn the wheel for a little bit, but you can’t for long. Willpower has limitations. Eventually, you get tired of the stress.

But there’s another, better way to turn that boat around. Instead of fighting for control of the wheel, you can change the autopilot.

What’s the autopilot in your life?

Finish this sentence 10 times, and I’ll tell you. “It’s just like me to be…”

“It’s just like me to be lazy.”

“It’s just like me to be impulsive.”

“It’s just like me to always give in.”

That’s your autopilot.

It’s something you’ve said to yourself over and over again. Every time you think a thought, a little electrical impulse goes across your brain. When you do it over and over again, it becomes a rut.

That’s what is happening inside the brains of the people who are coming to Celebrate Recovery for help.

They’ve been telling themselves for years they’ll never change. They’ve set themselves up for failure.

Here’s the good news that you and I see every week: We know, without a doubt, that everyone can change.

But people have to change how they think before they can change how they behave. They do that by renewing their minds—they let God’s Word change how they think. The Bible tells us this in Romans 12:2: “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (NLT). 

The New Testament calls this mental shift repentance, and it’s at the heart of Celebrate Recovery.

March 2019 Issue

By
Henny Vallee
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

 

You face daunting technological challenges to equip and resource your church with the best and most affordable media solutions in this digital age. MinistryTech Magazine provides you with insights into the best church software, social media tools, giving management tools, and worship resources to enable your church to advance the gospel of Jesus in these techy times.

 

Or scroll down to read it here, click  to read full screen

[pdf-embedder url=”https://ministrytech.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/201903_MT_mag_final3.pdf”]

MinistryTech Magazine is dedicated to providing resources and information for those who are responsible for keeping their churches updated with the best technology. If you serve as an Administrative / Executive Pastor, Business Administrator, Communications Director, or in any other church media or technology job, you’ll find must-have ministry technology resources and connections to a community of church leaders for greater Kingdom impact worldwide.

Church leaders from every denomination find ideas, encouragement, inspiration, technological resources, and support they are looking for in MinistryTech Magazine and at MinistryTech.com. Join thousands of church leaders who look to us for resources and encouragement for church tech

Guaranteed Way to Get New Families to Visit Your Church

By
Dale Hudson
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

As I travel to churches to minister, I have noticed a trend that is exciting. It’s one of the best ways to get families to visit your church.

What is it?

It’s installing an indoor playground area in your church.

I have personally seen this work. In South Florida, where I served as a children’s pastor, it gets very hot during the summer months. So hot that moms don’t want to expose their children to the heat. We installed an air conditioned, indoor playground and then opened it during the week for kids and their families to come and play. Two days a week we had anywhere from 50 to 100 people come and participate. Many of them had never walked into the doors of our church before. The opportunity to get out of the hot sun and let their kids play in an air conditioned area was a big draw.

Halfway through the playground time, we would stop and have a short devotional where we shared the Gospel. We saw people come to Christ through this and we reached many families who started attending our services as a result.

Think about it. When you do this, you give the families attending your church a great tool to use to invite their unchurched family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Families are looking for places for their children to play indoors during the summer and winter months. When you encourage the families in your church to invite people to come play with their kids at the playground, you will see great results.

McDonald’s knows this. Chuck E. Cheese knows this. Chick-fil-A knows this. Malls know this.

Recently I was with a church in Canada. Obviously, it gets very cold there during the winter months. They installed an indoor playground and now they have lots of families coming to the church during the week. They have seen many families come to the church for the playground and through it are reached and now attend the church.

Another church I visited a few weeks ago had installed an indoor playground. There were dozens of families there using the playground. They had also installed a coffee bar and many parents were having coffee. The children’s pastor told me they had reached lots of families through the playground.

Yes, you will have an upfront expense with purchasing the playground, but trust me, it will pay for itself many times over through the families you reach.

And of course, you can also have the playground open on weekends before and after your church services. On the average, families will stick around an extra 15-30 minutes after the service so their children can play on the playground. During this time, you can mingle with families and get to know them.

An indoor playground will get kids excited about coming to church. I have literally seen parents have to drag their children away from the playground when the time was up. Are parents telling you they have to drag their kids to church? Invest in a playground and you’ll see kids dragging their parents to church.

Your turn. What are your thoughts about indoor playgrounds at church? Share your thoughts and ideas below.

This article originally appeared here.

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