Monday, March 18, 2024

The mission field around your church

 Approximately 100 churches in North America close their doors each week. Many of these are smaller churches. For years, they have watched their congregations grow smaller and grayer. Income dropped as the attendance decreased. It became increasingly more difficult to find pastoral leadership. Often, savings accumulated over the years was depleted in an effort to keep the doors open as long as possible. Eventually, the lights were turned off for the last time.

The question that must be asked is: why? Why did the church have to close? One report I've read is that a minimum of 50 percent of the people in every county in the United States is unchurched, and in some counties it can be as high as 90 percent. We now know that the United States is the largest English-speaking mission field in the world surpassed only by India and China. Churches do not close due to a lack of work that needs to be done; they close because they have lost their vision for ministry.

When a church's primary focus is on survival and not mission it is well on the road towards closing. God never intended His church to be concerned about surviving. The church is called to mission, and if a church has no mission beyond survival it has ceased being a church. It may be an organization that meets weekly to sing songs, pray and hear a message, but it is no longer a church.

Many struggling churches may not have to go more than a mile from their building to find enough unchurched people to double their membership. The problem is that they do not know the people who live within a mile of the church. The larger problem is that those people do not know that church exists.

Back when I first began serving as a regional minister I was scheduled to meet a pastor search team from one of our churches. The small church was located in a rural area. Other than an initial sign on the highway, there were no signs directing anyone to the church. This was before GPS devices were common. I was hopelessly lost and even stopped at two houses to ask if they could direct me to the church. Neither family was familiar with the church. It was now dark, and I was already a half-hour late for the meeting. I decided to turn around the first place I found and try to find my way back home. The place I found to turn around in was the church parking lot. That church was no more than a mile from either of the houses I had stopped for directions!

Your church is in the midst of a growing mission field, but those individuals are not going to come to you. For too long, we've unlocked the doors of our church buildings on Sunday morning and said, "Y'all come." Nobody came. The Great Commission tells the church that we are to GO into the world and tell people about Jesus. In order to do that, we've got to connect with our mission field, build relationships with them, and earn the right to tell them about our Lord.

How can you best do that in 2024? I encourage you to discuss that in your next leadership meetings.


Thursday, March 14, 2024

The challenge of ministry in traditional churches

So much of ministry depends on traditions. Older pastors, like myself, were taught to do ministry a certain way that may have applied to people in previous generations and in previous contexts. I recently blogged about ridding my library of a lot of books. Many of them reflected the thinking of the past and were really outdated for the 21st century. (Some were outdated for the 20th century!) When I told someone I had tossed them into a dumpster I was asked why I didn't give them to a young pastor starting out. I responded that they would be of no value to that young pastor or to the church he or she might lead.

Existing churches struggle to find pastoral leadership, especially smaller and mid-size churches. One reason for this difficulty is that many younger pastors want to serve in more non-traditional settings. They feel led to new church planting to avoid the growth-limiting traditions found in many existing churches. Some are drawn to churches after the planter leaves to start another church. Few desire to go to a 150 year old church with few or no young people. Others are unwilling to deal with the challenges of ministering to three or four generations who have different expectations of their minister. We may not agree with their thinking, but it is the reality that older, existing churches face.

Pipe organs, hymnbooks, liturgies, denominational Sunday school literature still meet a need for some people, but the numbers of those people decrease every year. One church with two services each Sunday, one contemporary and one traditional, see fewer numbers each year in the traditional service. A gentleman I know who attends the traditional service in that church asked me once what they could do to see that service grow in attendance. I responded that no one in that service is having babies, so the only way I knew of was for them to begin inviting their unchurched friends. He was not encouraged because his circle of friendships was growing smaller each year, and the ones who were left all attended churches. I imagine this story could be said of many churches.

I have read one church growth person who suggested that churches should close down after 50 years. I can understand his reasoning, but I don't think it's necessary. What is necessary is that churches, and pastors, may need to reinvent themselves to better reach the younger generations. This will impact how we preach, the music we use in worship, our worship styles, the way we structure the church, its outreach and discipleship ministries, and virtually every system in the church. Traditions that limit our ministry effectiveness need to be abandoned. Other traditions can be used as foundations upon which we can build new ways of doing ministry that will impact people's lives and the Kingdom of God.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

The pastor's prayer life

 The Scottish pastor, Robert Murray McCheyne wrote, “What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and nothing more.” While this is true of all Christians, it is especially true for pastors. Unfortunately, many pastors, myself included, often find it difficult to spend the time in prayer we need.

Young pastors sometimes feel they have been trained and equipped through their education to lead a church. While they may say they are committed to prayer and following God's will for their church, that is not always the case. They may be more committed to following the latest fad they learned from a book or a recently attended conference. Those with a CEO view of ministry may want to focus on management skills they've learned, and these skills can often lead to some success, but they do not necessarily take the church where God is wanting to lead it.

Older pastors may want to depend upon their experiences in ministry. The longer one is in ministry the more one learns, both good and bad. Those experiences can help both the church and the minister, but, again, they may not lead the church to the place God wants it.

It is only when we spend time in prayer seeking God's vision for our churches that we can move in the direction He wants. As I write this I must confess that I struggle here as much as many pastors I've met. Too often my life prayer has been an after thought. I've asked God to bless my plans rather than seeking His will. I've asked Him for guidance, and then went my own way without stopping to listen to His leading. I read about some of the great prayer warriors in ministry and then overload my schedule with things to do without setting aside time to pray and worship.

Anyone who has pursued a doctoral degree knows that there is a lot of reading required. When I was in my doctoral studies I marked time on my calendar for reading. I would set aside an hour or two at least once a week to devote to reading. It was on my schedule. I had an appointment. Why do we not do that with our prayer lives?

I find myself spending more time in prayer these days now that I've gotten older. Life really hasn't slowed down, but I find more time to pray. I'm glad, but I do regret the former years when I didn't pray as much as I should have. I can only imagine the blessings I've missed because of it.

Monday, March 11, 2024

The impact of a long-term pastor

A number of years ago a church went through another major conflict. Denominational people had to be called in to resolve the conflict. When things returned somewhat to normal one of the deacons addressed the congregation and stated, "We can never do this again."

One of the reasons for the problems this church had was they had a series of short-term student pastors from a nearby seminary. These pastors seldom stayed longer than 2-3 years which meant they were never leaders in the church. The real leaders came from the four primary families who made up the majority of that church. A member of each family had to be represented on every board and committee in the church. Unfortunately, these families were often at odds with one another. Sometimes there was turmoil within a family which also spilled out into the church. The pastors were helpless to address any of this and could only watch, and run, when conflicts rose up. To say the church was unhealthy would be an understatement.

The church finally called a pastor who was not a student. He accepted the role of full time pastor of the church. He was able to build relationships with each of the families. The people liked him and trusted him. More importantly, he stayed and eventually became the leader of the church. Each of the families were still actively involved in the church, but with a long-term pastor there was no longer a leadership void to fill. When problems occurred, as they will in any church, they were able to work through them because of the influence of their pastor. He has now served this church for over 30 years, and it is a much healthier church with a good ministry.

George Barna reported years ago that it takes a pastor between 3-11 years to develop an effective ministry in a church. I've stated elsewhere that it took me seven years in my church. It also had a revolving-door of student pastors who stayed for an average of 12 months. There was a huge leadership void in the church which resulted in many problems. After my 7th year as pastor, it began a significant turn-around and begin to enjoy a much more effective ministry. 

Pastors are called to lead churches, but, except in the larger churches, they are not going to be given the authority to lead until the congregation knows they can be trusted. A congregation must first know their pastor loves them, and, secondly, that they can be trusted. Depending on a number of factors, that can happen within a short period of time or a much longer period of time. I can tell you that once a pastor crosses that trust threshold, ministry become much more enjoyable.

The problem is that pastors today stay at a church for an average of only four years. That number can fluctuate a little according to whose studies you read. But, if Barna's findings are correct that means that most pastors never stay long enough to earn the trust they need to lead the church. The pastor moves on, usually to a larger church, and the church is left wondering what is wrong with them that no one wants to stay and lead them.

I can hear someone now saying that some churches won't let a pastor lead, and I agree with that. There are a lot of toxic churches out there that do not deserve a pastor. When I served as a resource minister in our denomination there were a couple of churches in my area that I refused to help find a new pastor. I told them I would work with them to become a healthier church, but I would not sacrifice another good pastor on the altar of their dysfunction. Neither of them took me up on my offer to help them become healthier.

While there are toxic churches out there, there are also a lot of good churches truly seeking someone to come and love them and lead them. Once you earn their trust, you will be amazed at how they will allow you to lead them into the next phase of ministry. Yes, you can go to a larger church that someone else has grown, or you can have the satisfaction of seeing the church you now serve grow to become a larger church.

One of the mantras I've adopted in life is "It's always too soon to quit." I apply this to everything I do. I encourage you to consider this as you consider your next phase of ministry.

 

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

The local church and world missions

 March is the month that American Baptists receive the America for Christ offering. This money helps our denomination support various ministries in the US and Puerto Rico. A percentage also goes to each ABC region to help support their ministries. It is one of four special mission offerings the denomination receives each year. 

In recent years there has been an emphasis on churches having a missional mindset. Such a mindset challenges churches to see their community as a mission field. This is appropriate, and I have challenged churches for years to develop this mindset. I encourage members of the congregation to stop seeing themselves as simply members of the church but to see themselves as missionaries gifted by God to impact their community. I also encourage them to stop seeing their church as merely a church, but to begin to see it as a mission station placed in the midst of a rapidly growing pagan culture.

Unfortunately, some churches, trying to adopt that mindset, no longer see the importance of global missions. Some have stopped giving to their denomination's mission work and diverted that money to local missions. I an aware of one church that had been giving approximately $12,000.00 a year to its denomination's mission work until a new pastor, who was not favorable to that denomination, convinced the church to spend that money to reach local youth. While reaching local youth is certainly a worthwhile vision, both could have been done. Local mission work and global mission support are not an either/or endeavor; it is both/and. Not only did the denomination lose the funding for mission work, the last I knew there was no increase in the number of youth attending the church.

I have long advocated that God honors churches that honor mission. The Great Commission not only challenges us to reach those surrounding our church, it also challenges us to reach persons around the world. God calls certain individuals to go to far-off places to share the gospel, but He calls each of us to help support that work financially. Some churches do that by supporting specific missionaries while others do it by giving to their denomination's mission offerings. Either way is acceptable.

American Baptists have four special mission offerings each year. These go towards different ministry objectives of the denomination, and each of them should be supported by ABC churches. Let's not tie the hands of those God has called to serve in a mission field by failing to support them with our prayers and our financial gifts.

Monday, March 4, 2024

The pain of a library purge

 This past Saturday I endured one of the most painful experiences of my life. I began to purge my library. I'm far from complete, but the pain became almost overwhelming, and I had to put off any further removal of books for a later date. I could not bear trying to count the books, but I would estimate I eliminated between 150-200 in this initial effort.

What books did I eliminate? Some were simply outdated, and any attempt to use material from them would have been useless. Some were books from my college and seminary days that no one would ever use in the real world. A few books were purchased when I was doing regional ministry, and they were more appropriate as denominational and regional resources, but they were no longer needed by me. Several were books that sounded good, but when I got them I found out they were not really what I was looking for. That's one of the problems with Christian bookstores such as Lifeway going out of business. I could go in there and check out the books to see if they were something I actually wanted. Now, we order the books from CBD or Amazon based upon someone's recommendation or a review we read, buy it, and only then learn it isn't at all what we wanted.

You may be asking why I started getting rid of some of my books? A couple of reasons. One, I'm double-stacking books on my shelves, and my study is already filled with bookshelves. When you start double-stacking, there's a good chance you'll never see the ones in the back ever again. A second reason is I'm 75 years-old. I've got plenty of books left my wife might have to deal with when I'm gone. There's no sense in her having to deal with books I haven't used in 40 years

My reasons for disposing of books makes sense, but it doesn't make it any less painful for someone who loves books and loves to read. I have more books on Kindle and NOOK, but I seldom buy books for those devices anymore. I like to hold a book in my hands, highlight passages and write in the margins. I enjoy walking into my study and seeing shelves of books surrounding my desk.

My wife walked by a few minutes ago and asked what I was going to do with the empty selves. I responded I guess I'll have to fill them up again. She was not amused!

I'll wait a few days, gather some more boxes and start emptying some more shelves. By then, the pain should have subsided!

Friday, March 1, 2024

The challenge facing Christian conservatives

 Os Guiness points out in The Global Public Square that "In 2010, for the first time, the United States moved into the top sixteen countries of the world where there was a rise in both government restrictions and social hostility toward religion." That is a staggering announcement that shows how far we have come in America as a nation that was founded on Christian values and teaching to where we are today. Conservatives, both political and religious, are under increased attack by many of our political leaders and the "woke" crowd in Hollywood and throughout the nation. The Cancel Culture is doing all it can to silence conservatives in the public square, and the courts often support their efforts.

Maybe this is one reason we see fewer and fewer people attending our worship services. When so many in the media focus on negative happenings in the church world, and so many are arguing against the core values of the Christian faith, and so many are working to promote their progressive agenda and the courts are making legal the very activities the Bible teaches us is wrong, it become easy to understand why people fail to see the importance of faith and the church in their lives.

Recently, I was watching a documentary of Nazi Germany and saw the Jews forced to wear a yellow star on their back so everyone would know they were Jews. At the time, I wondered if the time would come when Christians would be forced to wear a cross on their backs to make it easy to identify them. Perhaps that is far-fetched. Perhaps not. We live in a society that is growing in its dislike for Christianity. I see things happening in our world that I never dreamed would ever happen. So maybe my thoughts are no so far-fetched after all.

We have yielded too much ground to the woke progressive crowd. We have allowed them to have a much louder voice than they deserve, and it's time we answer back. If we are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we need to make sure people know that. It's not enough to just proclaim it within our churches to those who already believe what we believe. The public square is as much ours as it is theirs, and it's time we reclaim our part of it.