One challenge facing today's church

In 2006 The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World by Alan Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk was published. As a Resource Minister in our region at the time, I read it hoping to find some tools I could use to help some of our churches. Frankly, I didn't really understand much of what the book was saying. This week I began re-reading it, and it is hitting home. They are saying some of the same things I've been saying to churches for the past few years. (Maybe I understood the book better than I thought!) For instance, they write

People are no longer willing to learn the internal language of the congregation. They are not shaped by loyalty to institutions and have little interest in joining groups or programs. No amount of rearranging of programs will change this. The reality is that the organizational cultures, the environments, created in congregations over several generations are no longer able to engage the changed context and its emerging generations,

Unfortunately, many of our churches fail to realize this is happening or they refuse to do anything differently to minister to a new generation. Instead, they spend time putting down new carpet, painting walls and rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic while whistling a happy tune as the ship is sinking.

Pastors and lay leaders need to stop talking about what's happening in the church and discover what is happening in people's lives. Rather than simply offering programs that we used in the 1950s we need to discern what current needs are and how we can best address them. Such discovery is unlikely to happen within the walls of the church. I once met with a church board and pastor to discuss this very issue. I asked how many people in the immediate community attended their church, the answer was virtually none. I then asked what were the needs of the people in the community? The pastor looked at me and asked, "How do we find that out?" After recovering from my immediate shock I answered, "By going outside the church and asking them." He had never thought about that.

But, what happens once the church better understands the culture of the surrounding community? Here is where it really starts getting tricky. Chances are likely that what is discovered in that culture is unlike anything the church has addressed before. Pastors are trained in seminary to manage institutions, counsel, exegete Scripture, preach and do the things often associated with pastoral ministry. Most congregations have simply been taught to let the pastor lead them in the things he or she has been trained to do.

A bivocational pastor who was a school teacher once told me that the young people in his school that did not fit in any of the cliques (jock, nerd, farmer, etc.) were assuming they were gay and began to identify that way. He was at a loss of what to do. How many churches and pastors are equipped to address the growing trend of gender dysphoria that we hear so much about these days? There is not space in this post to mention the many other challenges found in today's society that the church must address if it wants to reach this generation for Jesus Christ.

I hope as I continue to read this book that I will find some answers because I too must admit that I do not have the answers to the questions I've raised. But, if we don't find some answers we will not reach this generation for the Kingdom of God and our churches will continue to become more irrelevant.

Leaders see further than others

One of the characteristics of leadership is that leaders see further than others see. Jesus cautioned people to count the cost before before beginning a project (Luke 14: 28). How can you count the cost if you cannot see the end from the beginning? Many people can't, but leaders can. Leaders can see into the future and spot potential problems that might keep their plans from coming to pass.

When I served on region staff we were asked to develop some goals for the upcoming year. The goal-setting tool I used then, and still do, includes a section that asks what challenges might keep me from achieving this goal. Before I begin a project, I want to know what might come up that will threaten my success in reaching the goal. If I can spot potential problems in advance, I can work to alleviate them  before they occur.

This same principle holds true when communicating potential change to a group of people. It's not enough to know the what and why of the change, a leader must also know what potential challenges he or she might encounter. If the leader can address people's concerns before they even express them, he or she will avoid a lot of arguments of why the change won't work.

I read recently that the vision a pastor should have for a church should exceed his time there. At my first church I had a vison for a new fellowship hall that would offer expanded ministry opportunities. I further challenged the church to build the facility without borrowing any money. They agreed to build it without incurring any debt.  Little did I know that when the subfloor was laid I would be called to another ministry position. The good news is that the church completed the building, and it was built debt-free. I was delighted when I was invited to  speak at the dedication service for the new fellowship hall.

Will the leader identify every potential twist and turn when communicating vision to others? No, but if he or she cannot identify at least a few potential challenges it's probably not a good idea to move forward. They don't understand the vision well enough to lead it, and there is too much risk they will lead the organization into trouble.

Never take worship for granted

 I am currently reading The Worship Architect by Constance M. Cherry. When our region was offering Church Alive to our churches as a process to help them grow and become healthier, Dr. Cherry was one of our presenters. She is professor emeritus of worship and pastoral ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University and an authority on Christian worship. She shares an incredible story in the book which I want to share with you. It is a story of a house church in China. She writes

Because of the necessity of worshiping in secret, the pastor left his home at 11:00 p.m. on the nights the church held worship services and walked a few hours by the light of the moon up to the mountains, where the villagers would gather in a cave with only a dim candle. They would "lip-synch" hymns that they knew from memory without uttering a sound for fear the Chinese government might discover them. After worshiping together, they would go back to their village to reach their homes before 5:00 a.m., when they would go to the field to start another day of work.

Several years ago I was part of a group of American Baptist men who went on a mission trip to Haiti. On Sunday we attended one of the Haitian churches for worship. The service began at 7:00 AM. People were asked to move from the front row so we could have their seats. The building was full with people actually sitting on the pulpit platform and others sitting in the rafters above us. About 9:00 the service ended, and as we were leaving, people were already coming in for the 10:00 service, many carrying their own chairs.

I have often thought about the difference in the approach many American Christians have towards worship and what I experienced in Haiti. As I read the account of the house church in China and how they had to worship due to fear they would be found out, it again reminded me of how nonchalantly many American Christians approach worship.

Our Constitution gives us the freedom to worship, a freedom many throughout the world do not have. This is not a freedom from worship, but a freedom to worship. According to Dr. Cherry's book, there is evidence that the early church gathered every day to worship. Some today feel they are doing God a favor if they attend church once a month. Those Christians in China literally risk their lives by gathering for worship; some of us have to decide each week if we are going to attend church services or if there is something else we want to do.

This is not intended to be a rant. I simply want us to examine our hearts. We should never take worship for granted. People risk their lives to worship God in other parts of the world. Our attitude every Sunday should be "I get to go to church and worship God today," not "I've got to go to church today and then we can do the other things we want to do."  

I want to encourage you make worship a priority in your life. This not only means attending church services each week, but also to worship God in your personal life as well. Spend time in prayer and in reading the Bible. Many of us are reading through the Bible this year as an act of worship and discipleship. I invite you to join us on this journey.

When only the best will do

Former President Jimmy Carter was a Lieutenant in the Navy when he decided to apply to the nuclear submarine program. He was required to meet with Admiral Hyman Rickover who was in charge of that program. During the interview Carter was asked about his grades at the US Navy Academy. Carter proclaimed he was in the top 10 percent of his class. Rickover then asked Carter, "Did you do your best?" Carter truthfully answered no, to which Rickover responded "Why not?" and then turned back to his desk. The interview was over, and Carter, shaken, left the room. He was selected for the nuclear submarine program, but he never forgot that question and the impact it made on him. 

I doubt that few, if any, of us could truthfully say we've always done our best at anything. I can see many times in my own life when I've been satisfied to just complete the task. Forget about doing my best, I just want to get it over. Good enough is good enough.

The problem with that is that good is often the enemy of the best. We sometimes think that we have to choose between the good and the bad, but that's not the case. The real option is often between the good and the best. We settle for good when we should be striving for the best.

In what I consider the best leadership book, Good to Great, Jim Collins writes in the first chapter

We don't have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don't have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely, because the vast majority become quite good - and that is their main problem.

In the margin beside that paragraph I wrote, "The same is true of churches." The vast majority of churches I've worked with over the years are satisfied with being good. They are content to offer the same ministries they've always offered without giving any thought about doing something different. Preparing the budget is easy because they only have to add a little to the line items to reflect projected utility increases and any increase in the pastor's salary. Little thought is often given to budgeting for new ministries that might reach new people. Most self-identified highly evangelistic churches do not reflect that mindset in their budget.

Most churches are satisfied with doing good things without ever reflecting on if they are doing the best things. Without a fresh, clear vision of God concerning their ministry, they have no way of identifying the best things they should be doing, and most churches lack such a vision. Without a roadmap taking the church to a new place, they remain content to repeat what they've done for the past few generations. As Dr. Phil might ask, "How's that working out for you?"

I do not challenge churches to be perfect, but to do their best. Do everything with excellence. If you want to do something, but it cannot be done at this time with excellence, then don't do it. The timing is not right. You cannot build a church on mediocrity. 1 Corinthians 10: 31 tells us, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." God asks us for our best in all we do.

Let's refuse to settle for the good. Pursue the best in everything. Maybe, in an attempt to do everything with excellence, you will find you have to do fewer things. That's OK. Just do what you do with excellence. If you do, in time you will be able to do more.

The joy of ministry

 The title of this post may have caught some of you off-guard. So much has been written lately about the struggles many pastors have and how many are leaving the ministry because of these struggles. I get that. For years now we've known that about 50 percent of pastors leave the ministry within five years of graduating from seminary. Studies have found that many pastors believe that going into the ministry has been a hardship on their families and on their own health. I have met many of those pastors, and I understand their pain and frustration. I've been involved in ministry since 1981, and I've had my share of difficult situations as well. That does not change my opinion that there is joy to be found in ministry.

Regular readers of this blog know my story. I began in 1981 serving a small, rural church as its bivocational pastor. I served that church for 20 years until being called to be a Region Minister with our region. I served that role for 14 years before retiring. After retirement I served three churches as Transitional Pastor, and last year, at the age of 76, accepted the call to be the pastor of the last church I  served as Transitional Pastor. As a Region Minister, I saw it all. Before retiring I was responsible for 133 churches so I saw the good, the bad and the ugly. I've often said that if you like churches, do not look behind the curtain. You may see some things you don't like.

I've seen pastors afraid to speak out on things they knew were wrong because of threats from powerful lay leaders in their churches. I've seen church leaders fire pastors who then offered them severance pay if they never told anyone they had been fired. They were just supposed to announce they felt led to seek another place to serve. I do not talk about the joy of ministry wearing rose-colored glasses and having a Pollyanna view of the church.

Maybe it's my age. After all, what can a church do to a 76-year-old man? Maybe it's because I've always been bivocational with income from other sources of work. Like I told my first church, if you fire me today, tomorrow morning I'll go into the factory, clock in, and on Friday come home with my paycheck. Being bivocational did give me some freedom that fully-funded pastors do not always enjoy. The same is true of being older. I have rods and reels hanging in the garage; I can always return to retirement. And, I'm still bivocational with my auctioneer business.

Actually, it's not either of those things. I have been blessed beyond measure by serving in wonderful churches, without exception, and serving in a region that appreciates bivocational ministers. Yes, there have been the occasional problem in the churches I've served, but we've always been able to rise above those issues and move forward. My family and I have felt loved and appreciated by everyone involved in every ministry I've had.

However, this is still not why I talk about the joy of ministry. God has called me to this work. God, the creator of heaven and earth, the Almighty, saw fit to call me, with all my flaws, to serve Him in this work. Those who focus on the negatives of ministry have lost sight of their calling from God, or they were never called by God in the first place. Some were called by Momma and sent by Daddy. God had nothing to do with it. But, when God calls you, it touches something deep inside of you. You realize that you have been given a privilege not given to most.

What else can you do that gives you such access into people's lives? We are with them in their mountain-top experiences and in their deepest times of despair and hurt. We have the opportunity to touch people in their deepest needs and speak words of encouragement and healing to them. As a pastor, I have the privilege of sharing with a congregation the words of Almighty god, and I have an even greater privilege of seeing persons make life-changing decisions when they invite Jesus Christ into their lives as their Lord and Savior.

Yes, ministry can be messy and sometimes tough. But, the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. What God calls us to do, He equips and enables us to do. He walks with us and refuses to abandon us. I have always known God was with me as I served Him in this work He gave me, and that knowledge alone is enough to bring me joy.

The beauty of small churches

Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY is a large multi-site church that provides exceptional ministry to that community. When I was pastor of Hebron Baptist Church I went to several area minister gatherings there. I always took one of our lay leaders with me so they could see what a mega-church was like. My wife and I attended their Easter pageant one year. It was a magnificent portrayal of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. I have great appreciation for that church and the wonderful ways it ministers to the Louisville area.

At the same time, I have tremendous respect and love for the smaller churches. I have spent much of my life attending, pastoring and serving these churches. I have seen some struggle and close their doors, and I have seen others struggle and continue to serve their communities. Those who serve as pastors of these churches, many of them bivocational, are my heroes. Having been bivocational my entire ministry, I know the price these men and women have paid. Their faithfulness to the calling God has on their lives is an inspiration.

The theme song for the television show Cheers had a line that said it was a place where everyone knew your name. We all need places like that, and the smaller church often provides that. When I was pastor at Hebron I knew the people, many of their family members and much of their history, both good and bad. We knew one another, and we deeply cared for one another.

Many larger churches do that as well, but they have to form small groups for that to happen. Nothing is wrong with small groups, in fact, much is good about such groups. However, smaller churches do not necessarily have to form small groups because they are already a small group! In such churches, everybody knows your name.

I am currently serving as pastor of another smaller church. I can remember when this church was much larger, but after Covid and some issues that arose in the church, it is much smaller today. There is much work to do to bring this church back to where it needs to be, but I love this church. We laugh, we tease one another, but we also pray for one another when folks are going through rough times. Our worship service may not always go as smoothly as I would prefer, but the worship is genuine and, I believe, pleasing to God.

Smaller churches have fewer resources for ministry than larger churches, but it seems God always provides what is needed when it is needed. There is a certain beauty in that as these churches have learned to trust God as their provider and not some endowment that has been left them by previous generations.

Smaller churches rely on volunteers and not paid professionals to lead their ministries. None of the churches in which I was raised had paid staff except for the pastor. Everything else was led by volunteers, and these men and women richly blessed my life through their service.

I have nothing but respect for the mega-churches God has raised up, but I also continue to love the smaller church. Some predict the end of the smaller church. I do not believe that for a minute. There is a beauty found in smaller churches that cannot be duplicated in any other church. Those smaller churches that follow the will of God will continue to flourish, and I will always be in their corner cheering them on. 

Ministry in a changing time

 I accepted my first pastoral position in 1981. As I've written elsewhere, I went to that church with no education beyond high school and no pastoral experience. It was truly on-the-job training, and I'm thankful for the patience of that church. That ministry lasted 20 years until I accepted a call to become a Resource Minister with our judicatory. That ministry lasted 14 years before I retired. This past summer I accepted the call to serve as pastor of another church. Man, have things changed!

Last week I began to clean out file cabinets, something I should have done years ago. One drawer had my sermons for those 20 years of pastoral ministry. I looked at some of the earlier ones and realized just how bad I was. They all went to the trash can. On New Year's Eve I sat in front of my bookshelves and realized how dated some of my books are. They will also need to be pitched. I'm a firm believer that you cannot fix today's problems with yesterday's solutions.

Of course, many churches attempt to do just that. Many congregations remember when their sanctuaries were filled every week, and, despite their dwindling numbers, they believe they can recapture those glory years by doing the same things they've always done. Their order of worship never changes, they continue to sing the same songs and repeat the same prayers, and wonder why people don't rush in to fill the pews each week.

We are repeatedly told that while many Americans have little faith in the church, they continue to have great interest in God and Jesus Christ. Numerous studies have found many hunger for spiritual truth, and just as many studies show that a majority do not believe that hunger will be met in the traditional church. This should create a wake-up call for the church, but that doesn't seem to be happening.

As a pastor, I know I have to approach ministry differently than I did in 1981. That model doesn't work any more. As churches, we have to do the same thing. People are not looking for religious social clubs. If they are interested in a church at all, they will look for churches that have doctrinal integrity rather than one that tries to appease the politically correct crowd. They do not want a watered-down gospel; they want a faith upon which they can build their lives. They want a church that is actively ministering to the real needs that people have. It's OK for churches to support missionaries overseas, but they also want to see a church that is also meeting the needs that exist in their own communities. They want to have real relationships with real people and not feel they have to wear a "happy Christian" mask all the time.

We are beginning a new year, and for some of us in church leadership, we need to take this time to reflect on beginning a new way to approach ministry.