Top 10 Books for 2019 1-5

Yesterday I listed the first half of my favorite reads for 2019 6-10. Today I'll give you my top five.

5. In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton. As a Navy veteran and a resident of Indiana I thought this would be an interesting read, especially since I picked it up for a couple of dollars at an auction. It turned out to be an incredible read. The ship was returning from dropping off Little Boy, the first atomic bomb used in warfare, when it was sank by a submarine. Because of the secrecy of its mission few people knew where it was supposed to be and that it was sunk. It is an extraordinary tale of courage on the part of those who survived.

4. DARK AGENDA: The War to Destroy Christian America by David Horowitz. I enjoy everything I read written by Horowitz, a Jewish agnostic. He takes on the new Atheists and all those who want to remove Christianity from the American landscape. He exposes their hatred and intolerance for Christianity and points out the shallowness of their arguments. He is one of the leading conservative writers in America today and deserves to be read by all who are concerned about the direction of our nation.

3. Saving Truth: Finding Meaning and Clarity in a Post-Truth World by Abdu Murray.  The author points out that in our post-truth world people prefer their preferences to objective truth. Logic and evidence mean nothing to such people if they contradict their preferences. If you wonder if post-truth is actually a word or a mindset, Oxford Dictionary selected post-truth as its word of the year in 2016. With such a mindset it is no wonder that we have such confusion around sexual issues, ethics, freedom and human dignity. Not only does this book sound a warning about the post-truth mindset it offers practical ways to respond. It was a very good read.

2. Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology by J. P. Moreland. The author is a respected professor of philosophy at Biola University, a Christian and the author of a number of books. He defines scientism as "the view that the hard sciences alone have the intellectual authority to give us knowledge of reality." He writes that scientism in fact distorts science. Science has never claimed to be the only way to understand reality. Throughout the book he shows how scientism is impacting the church, harming our children, and making it difficult to share our faith. I really enjoyed this book.

1. The Global Public Square: Religious Freedom and the Making of a World Safe for Diversity by Os Guinness. This was actually the last book I read in 2019 but easily became my top book of the year. Guinness points out how divided our world is today and rightly points out the way to overcome this division is to practice soul freedom for all people. He writes that "Soul freedom is the inviolable freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief that alone does full justice to the dictates of our humanity...It best expresses human dignity and agency; it promotes freedom and justice for all; it fosters healthy giving, caring, peaceful and stable societies; and it acts as a bulwark against the countless current abuses of power and the equally countless brutal oppressions of human dignity." This was on page 14, and the remainder of the book fleshes out his thoughts on religious freedom for all. I couldn't help but think that it should be required reading for every college student and should be on everyone's reading list who are concerned about the divisions affecting our nation today.

These are my top 10 books for 2019. In my next post I'll share with you what I'm currently reading.

Happy New Year everyone!

Top 10 Books for 2019 6-10

Each year I share the best 10 books I read the previous year. As we begin a new year it's time to give you my top books for 2019. Today I'll share 6-10, and tomorrow we'll look at 1-5.

10. How to Lead in a World of Distraction: Four Simple Habits for Turning Down the Noise by Clay Scroggins. The author tackles a problem common to anyone in a leadership position in any organization, including churches. He is the lead pastor of one of the largest campuses of North Point Ministries in Atlanta so you know he has plenty of distractions.  In the book he shares four habits to help leaders overcome the distractions they face: the habit of finding simplicity, the habit of speaking to yourself, the habit of getting away and the habit of pressing pause. I found it to be a very practical book that most leaders would find helpful.

9. God Attachment: Why You Believe, Act, and Feel the Way You Do About God by Tim Clinton and Joshua Straub. Clinton was one of my professors when I earned my doctoral degree so I was familiar with some of the material before reading the book. Actually, this was a re-read as I first read it a few years ago. The book looks at how our relationships with others, especially family, affects our relationship with God. The authors list four attachment styles: avoidant, anxious, fearful and secure. They help the reader understand better how to improve the way they relate to God regardless of which attachment style they may currently have. I found myself in the book which triggered a lot of self-reflection on my part.

8. Thinking for a Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life andWork by John Maxwell. This is another re-read. Actually, I've read this book a couple of times before reading it again this year. Most of us, at least me, could learn to think better, to think deeper and to think more creatively. As Maxwell writes, "Good thinkers are never at a loss to solve problems, they never lack ideas that can build an organization, and they always have hope for a better future....A person who knows how may always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be his boss." If you want to have tools to help you think better you'll want to read this book.

7. The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy by Tim Keller. If you've followed my top 10 book lists in the past you might remember there is always at least one book by Keller on the list. In this book he looks at the story of Jonah and then relates him to both the prodigal son and to Jesus. More importantly, he points out how this Old Testament prophet points us to the grace of God. I'll also add that if you are looking for some great sermon material, this book will preach!

6. Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World by Paul Gould. We live in a time when the Christian message is often muted, ignored and mocked. The author asks the question, How does the gospel get a fair hearing in this day and age?" He believes the answer lies in practicing cultural apologetics which he defines as "the work of establishing the Christian voice, conscience, and imagination within a culture so that Christianity is seen as true and satisfying." Cultural apologetics seeks to understand the culture we want to reach, how it thinks and what it is seeking from life. The believer is then ready to show how Christianity speaks to those deepest needs. This is a very good book for anyone wanting to better relate the Gospel to his or her community.

Tomorrow we'll look at the final five books on the list.

Political divisions in the church

Few people would doubt that America is going through a very difficult time right now politically. Since the last presidential election we have seen our nation become more and more divided politically. Civil discourse is hard to find. Even before President Trump was sworn into office congressional Democrats were demanding his impeachment. Mobs took to the streets protesting his election. For the better part of three years his enemies have investigated every rumor, leaking information and rumors to the press to be proclaimed as absolute truth to the masses in hopes of causing his followers to lose faith in him and question his legitimacy to the office he holds. The House finally did vote to impeach the president only because the Democrats held the majority, but now for reasons only known to the Speaker, she refuses to send that impeachment to the Senate for a vote.

The president has hardly done himself any favors. He is often crass, rude and obnoxious in his statements, both spoken and published on social media. He has shown himself to be thin-skinned and unable to take criticism. No doubt, many of his supporters wishes he would be a little more presidential in his actions and words.

One thing is certain: it will take years for the divisions that now exist in our nation to heal, and they may never heal completely. Some have suggested that because of the impeachment of this president that every president in the future is likely to be impeached, especially if the opposite party controls the House. If this happens it will be a sad day for our nation.

What is even sadder is that the divisions we see in our nation are also seen in our churches and between people of faith. Christian leaders have spoken strongly against President Trump and even questioned the faith of those who support him while other Christian leaders have proclaimed him to be God's man for our time. Christians have gone on social media attacking one another for their political views.

The recent article in Christianity Today is just one example of the divisions affecting the church. The article listed many reasons why the president should be removed from office. It was written by an editor who was just days away from retiring from his position. It kind of reminded me of the pastor who preaches his last sermon at the church he is leaving with his car engine running in the parking lot. He can say what he wants to say and get out of town fast without having to worry about any consequences.

Of course, the secular media ran with the story as proof that the president should be removed from office. I doubt that anyone in the secular press had ever given much credence to anything Christianity Today published before, but since it fit their agenda they gave it plenty of press. The article further divided Christians with leaders on both sides of the issues taking to social media to make their claims.

Who really benefits from this division? The only one who benefits from such division among Christians is Satan himself. While we continue to fight among ourselves and attack each other over our political beliefs we are distracted from the work God has given the church. Furthermore, the unchurched community looks at us and sees us as nothing more than another bitterly divided political entity. We have one message to give to the world, and it is not the Democratic message or the Republican message; it is the message of the Gospel. Our political divisions are creating stumbling blocks that can prevent people from coming to Jesus Christ.

Does that mean that we cannot have political beliefs and opinions? Of course not. One of the problems today is that the church stayed out of the political arena for too many years. Christians should be involved in the political process, but we must tone down the rhetoric and stop attacking one another. Support and vote for the candidates of your choice, but don't hate those who vote for that person's opponent and don't question their faith or their values because they don't vote or believe as you do. I long ago gave up the hope that our political office holders (I don't call them leaders any more.) would unify for the good of the nation. I still pray that our religious leaders can unify for the good of the Kingdom of God. That, my friends, is far more important than promoting any political agenda.

What will your church DO in 2020?

I've been away from posting on this site for a couple of weeks. There was a lot going on before Christmas so I took a little break. My wife and I did travel to Austin, TX to visit our son and his family for Christmas and then returned home to host our daughter and her family Christmas day at our house. It was great spending those days with family.

This was the 53rd Christmas Faye and I have been together. I spent some time reminiscing previous Christmases. As a young married couple our first Christmas was interesting and a lot of fun. The next four Christmases I was in the Navy. We were fortunate that we were able to be together for each of those. Little ones came along and that changed our Christmas activities a little, and over the years family members left us which made future Christmases different as well. As different as each Christmas was, each were special in their own way. We are a very blessed couple and give God all the praise!

Many of my friends have posted stories and pictures of Christmas activities in their churches. A lot of work went into many of them, and I'm sure each of them were a blessing to their congregations and others in the communities.

But, now it's time to think about 2020 if you haven't already. For me, the most important question at this time is what will your church DO in 2020? I believe the world is looking for the church to be actively involved in impacting the world for good. We have a message of hope to give to the world and that message must not only proclaimed but demonstrated as well. It is not enough to stand behind a pulpit and preach the Gospel; we must be out in the streets living the Gospel. Jesus never invited people to come to a building for an hour each week to sing a couple of songs and hear a three-part sermon. He challenged His disciples to be engaged in people's lives. That hour each week can be important if it allows us to worship and be equipped for the week of ministry before us, but it must not be seen as the totality of our Christian experience.

What needs exist in your community that your church can address? Once again this year I've read where churches paid off thousands of dollars of medical bills for people in their communities. I've never pastored a church that had the financial ability to do something like that, and chances are your church could not do that either. But, it can do something.

The church spends too much time talking about the problems that exist in our society today and too little time doing something about them. I want to challenge every church to prayerfully consider what it might DO to make a difference in people's lives. Let's be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ throughout this new year. Let us find ways to show people the love of God for them, and in so doing, earn the right to tell them about Jesus Christ. If we will do this, when we come to this time next year I bet things will look different both in our churches and in our communities.

Our worst enemy

I am currently enjoying reading Os Guinness' book The Global Public Square: Religious Freedom and the Making of a World Safe for Diversity  This book is about religious freedom and how it is being challenged throughout the Western world. We've heard of the atrocities that occur in other places of the world where religious minorities have suffered much from religious majorities and atheistic governments, and while the attacks in America on religious freedoms pale in comparison to what others experience, it is real nonetheless. In fact, Guinness quotes a Pew Forum study that found that in 2010 "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."

Normally, I do not write about books I'm reading until I am finished with the book, but in this post I am making an exception. This book is not a quick read! It is filled with a lot of information that causes one to think. In a section I read earlier today he writes about some of the voices that attempt to drive religion from the public square, and one of those voices is "the rising disgust at the crude unwisdom of religious voices in public life."

A few years ago a pastor in Florida advocated the burning of the Quran sparking widespread protests. Ministers on TV promise miracle healings if you send them money for specially anointed cloths while others promote a "health and wealth" message to all who follow their teachings. Another church often protests at funerals of US service people and others claiming that these deaths are God's judgment on America for its acceptance of homosexuality. White evangelical and fundamentalist leaders were noticeably absent in the early days of the Civil Rights movement, and in some cases joined the efforts to promote segregation. The list of unwise and unnecessary voices goes on.

With the widespread use of social media these types of views and statements can go viral in a matter of days. Today when everyone has a camera and recording device unwise comments can live on forever. Many a politician wishes they had not spoken the words they did or took the stand they did to appease their current audience. It often comes back to haunt them when they are in front of a different audience. Religious leaders need to exercise caution as well.

In the past presidential election I was deeply troubled by some of the unwise things religious leaders were saying about the candidates running for office in both the primary and in the general election. Some of the things that were being said went far beyond the pale of supporting a particular candidate. I'm referring to hateful and virulent comments that people of faith were making about candidates and those who voiced support of them. In a few cases I simply unfriended them so I would not be subjected to any more of their hateful thoughts. In other cases, I cautioned people to consider how their comments were being received by others, especially those outside the faith.

Since the election we've seen the rhetoric continue between the political parties, the media and among individuals. While this is all troublesome and not healthy for our nation, it is especially sad when Christians question the faith of other Christians because of the political views they hold.

The church has a mandate to be salt and light to the world. We must speak out on the moral issues of the day, but we must do so with grace and compassion, not with malice and hatred. Our nation faces many challenging issues, and it must not exclude the voice of the church in its efforts to address these issues. Government can pass laws, but only the church has a message that can change hearts. But, if the church wants to be included in the public square it must learn to speak with wisdom. It must be committed to lifting up Jesus Christ, not its denomination or individual church or personal preferences.

What will your church do differently in 2020?

As I've written here many times before I love the start of a new year. When January 1st rolls around I feel like I have a brand new, clean sheet to work with. As a pastor I always loved planning for the new year and thinking about the possibilities that were available.

It's so easy for a church to fall into ruts in its thinking and ministries. One year just flows into the next, and nothing ever changes. We keep doing the same things, getting the same results, and complaining that nothing is improving. Why not spend some time leading up to the new year thinking about what could be done differently that might produce different results? Let me offer some suggestions to consider.

• What will your church do in 2020 to improve its evangelistic outreach? If we believe the Bible as many of us claim, people without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are lost. The Great Commission tells the church that we are to go into all the world and share the good news about Christ and encourage people to trust in Him. How many people did your church see trust Christ for their salvation in 2019? Are you satisfied with that number? If not, what are you going to do intentionally to change that in 2020?
• The second part of the Great Commission has to do with discipling those who come to faith in Christ. How effective is the disciple-making ministries in your church? How many of your people are involved in Sunday school classes or small groups? How many people showed spiritual growth in the past year? Does your church need to improve this aspect of its ministry, and if so, how will you do that?
• What can your church do to strengthen families in 2020? So many families are struggling with problems related to addictions, finances, single-parent homes, abuse, and a host of other issues. I see no organization other than the church and para-church groups offering to help families address these challenges. Because many of these problems have a spiritual element to them, I don't believe any other organization can help families overcome these problems. Every church needs to have some ministries that specifically address family issues if we want to see families remain healthy. Does your church have such ministries?
• How will your church deal with justice issues in your community? There is so much injustice in our world today it can seem to be overwhelming. Everywhere we look we see poverty, homelessness, racism, sexism, ageism, crime, violence and the list goes on. Government cannot solve these problems. They can pass laws, and they have, but these laws do nothing to change human hearts, and injustice occurs when people's hearts are hardened to the point that they don't care about the fate of other people. The church must address these issues by not only talking about them but also by doing something to effect change. I ask the question again, what will your church do in 2020 to address the injustices that exist in your community?

This should be enough for your church leaders to think about between now and the start of the new year. If your church does nothing new in 2020 your church will look a lot like it does now when 2020 ends. But, if you are willing to dream and pray I believe God will show you some new things that will make the new year an exciting time of ministry and growth for your church.

The loss of a mentor

Many bivocational pastors feel they receive little to no support from their denomination or judicatory leaders. That was never my experience. My first Area Minister was very supportive. We talked about issues in the church, he preached several times in our church, and was always available to me. My second Area Minister was Riley Walker who was just as supportive and became an important mentor to me. Riley passed away this past weekend.

Riley and I talked often, and I got to know his heart for ministry and for life. He was a very gracious individual, but he was also not afraid to confront problems head-on. No one ever had to wonder what he thought because he would tell them, and that was one of the things I appreciated about him.

After I had been pastor of my church for a number of years I knew it was about time for me to leave. I felt God was leading me away, but I wasn't sure to where. I called Riley and asked if we could talk about that. He came down to play a round of golf and to discuss my future in the ministry. He suggested there were six different options for me including one I had never considered: serving as an Area Minister. At that time I did not have a seminary degree which I believed was a prerequisite for that role. Riley assured me that things were changing, and in some of our regions a seminary degree might not be required.

About a year or so later Riley accepted the call to serve as the Executive Minister in another region, and our Executive Minister called to ask if I would serve as the interim Area Minister. After my wife and I spent a weekend praying and discussing it, I agreed. I continued to pastor my church and served as the interim Area Minister in the same area Riley had left. Several months later I was offered the position full-time.

When I picked up Riley's files and papers I asked him what he thought my greatest asset would be in this new role. He quickly responded that it would be that I had never pastored a large church. He explained that the majority of the churches in my area were small, many of them bivocational, and I would have access to those churches that he did not have as a former pastor of a large church. I then asked him what my greatest challenge would be, and his answer was the same, that I had never pastored a large church! Some would question whether I had the experience to serve in this role. He turned out to be right on both counts.

For 14 years I served as an Area Minister. It was a great time of ministry, but it would never have happened without Riley's encouragement and the faith and confidence my Executive Minister, Larry Mason, had in me. I owe both men much, and although I did not see Riley very often in recent years I will miss him.

Riley was a mentor not only to me, but to many others as well. What a wonderful legacy! It's one that each of us in church leadership should strive to achieve. I would ask who are you mentoring today? What young leader can you come alongside to encourage and to pass on your experiences and life lessons to? I meet many bivocational, and fully-funded, pastors who want and need a mentor to help them navigate the challenges of ministry. I pray that I have been that mentor to some, and I encourage you to serve as a mentor to others as well.

When you don't learn from your mistakes

One of the things I noticed as an Area Minister serving over 100 churches in my area was that the ones that had the most problems were repeat offenders. They seemed incapable of learning from their past mistakes and were determined to keep making them. One church called me with a number of issues in their church which they blamed on their pastor. When I met with some of their leaders one person complained their pastor didn't do things "the way Baptists do." I explained that was because he wasn't a Baptist, and they knew that when they called him as their pastor. I also reminded them that he was not anyone I had recommended! When he left they called another pastor from outside their denomination who created additional problems in the church. Today this once strong, small church is struggling, and many of their members have left.

I could easily write a book containing nothing but stories of churches who repeat the same mistakes over and over again and wonder why they are always having the same problems. However, no one would read it because healthy churches don't repeat their mistakes, and the unhealthy churches wouldn't read it because they would think it doesn't apply to them.

Every church will make mistakes at times. They will call the wrong person as pastor or select immature people to serve as lay leaders in their churches. They will make policies that do not advance the Kingdom of God. There are dozens of ways a church can get sidetracked. A healthy church will realize its mistakes and correct them; unhealthy churches refuse to admit they are doing anything wrong and will continue to repeat their mistakes over and over again until the spiritual life is sapped out of the congregation.

I once read that 100 churches in America close their doors every week. Why? It surely isn't because there is nothing for them to do. If we are to believe the statistics, every county in America is at least 80 percent unchurched. It seems to me that there is much work that the church needs to do. The reason many of these churches close their doors is that sometime in the past they began to make a series of mistakes, poor decisions, that they kept repeating over and over again until there were not enough people or reason for them to remain open. While there are likely other reasons some of these churches close, I'm convinced this is the reason for many of these closures.

My bestselling book has been The Healthy Small Church: Diagnosis and Treatment for the Big Issues. Judicatory leaders have purchased this book to pass out to each of the pastors in their districts. Churches have bought copies for each family and used it as a mid-week study. Other churches have provided copies for their leadership teams and studied a chapter at each of their meetings until they completed the book. I have been asked to lead conferences and seminars on the material found in this book for numerous denominational groups. A Christian university invited me to teach an online course on this material one semester. I have been honored and humbled by the number of pastors who have told me the difference this book made in their churches.

Any church can be healthier than it is today if it takes intentional steps to pursue health. The first step is to identify any unhealthy tendencies that might currently exist in the church. Only when a good diagnosis is made can a doctor prescribe treatment. The same is true of a church or other organization. This book helps church leaders diagnose any potential problems that might exist in the church and then offers ways to address them. At the conclusion of the book I offer a chapter of diagnostic questions that church leaders can use annually to study the health of their congregation. Like physical problems, the earlier a problem can be discovered the easier it is to treat.

A church does not have to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. It can take steps to become healthier again but only if it chooses to do so.

New decade arriving soon

Before you know it we will enter 2020, a new decade that will be filled with opportunities and challenges for our churches and those who lead them. No one knows what the new decade, and those following it, will bring, but I think it is safe to say that we will see challenges that our churches in the West have not seen before.

It is no secret that many people do not like the church very much. Like one book in my library reminds us, They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations. The church does not find many fans today, especially among young people. Many traditional churches find themselves getting grayer and smaller every year, and I'm not sure that will change for many of them.

We see tighter restrictions placed upon churches and freedom of worship imposed by courts and local governments, and that is likely to increase in the days ahead. Some churches find it difficult to get building permits to relocate or expand their buildings. Christian values are increasingly rejected by school boards, courts, local governments and other organizations as preference is regularly given to those who hold different values. I don't see this improving as a new decade emerges either. In fact, it is likely to get worse.

I believe there will also be tremendous opportunities for churches in the coming decade, however. More and more people are going to realize that the lifestyles they are living and the worldviews they have been holding are not, and cannot, provide them with the quality of life they seek. Many of these individuals are going to be seeking a different path than the one they have been on, and some of them will find out that path leads them to Jesus Christ. Those churches that are living out the Great Commission will find the fields are truly white unto harvest.

The question for every church is are they prepared for both the challenges and the opportunities that will be before them in this new decade? One way to answer that is to ask yourself how is your church different as we close out this current decade from what it was in 2010? Has your church grown in the past 10 years, or is still talking about how great it was in 1950? What did your church specifically do to fulfill the Great Commission in the past 10 years, and what was the results of those efforts? As you look at your current members would you say that the majority of them grew in their faith in the past 10 years? What new ministries were begun in the past decade that brought positive change to your church? How many new leaders rose up from within your church in the past 10 years? What new vision for ministry has triggered excitement among your church in the past decade?

Sometimes the greatest predictor of the future is what has happened in the past. If a church has drifted along for the past 10 years it is likely to drift through the next decade as well, doing nothing but complaining about how difficult things are. If a church has actively been engaged in ministry during the current decade it is more likely they will do the same in the next one.

Your church is what it is today because of decisions it made ten and even twenty years ago, and your church will be ten and twenty years from now what it decides today it will be. Choices have consequences. You can be defeated by the challenges or you can be energized by the opportunities. You can drift along hoping nothing really bad happens or you can proactively have a positive impact on the people in your community. The choice is yours.

A new decade is coming. You might as well get ready for it.

Rules of thumb for the church

Bivocational pastors need all the helpful resources they can find. I want to share one with you that I wish I had owned when I served as a bivocational pastor. It is What Every Pastor Should Know: 101 Indispensable Rules of Thumb for Leading Your Church by Gary McIntosh and Charles Arn. These individuals have written several books addressing administrative tasks every minister faces and both serve as professors at their respective seminaries. I had the opportunity to talk with Gary at a conference where we were both speaking about this book and told him how helpful I thought it would be for any pastor and especially for those who serve bivocationally.

As the subtitle suggests, the book includes 101 rules of thumb that pastors should consider when leading their churches. Let me share a couple that I believe would be beneficial for a bivocational pastor to consider. Number 6 says that "churches that are effective in reaching their community train at least 10 percent of their people in friendship evangelism each year."

This speaks to at least two concerns I find in every smaller church. One is the need to fulfill the Great Commission, and the second is the concern about the small number of people who attend the church services. Obviously, if we were doing a better job of obeying the Great Commission it's likely we would have more people in our services! Since the most effective evangelism is done through friendships it stands to reason that we need to intentionally teach our members how to do friendship evangelism.

One sermon every year or two isn't going to cut it. A class on friendship evangelism also isn't going to be effective. We need to be more intentional about training people, and we need to begin slowly.  One mistake I often made as a pastor was to begin something new with great expectations and then become discouraged when those expectations were not met. Start slowly.

The book suggests training 10 percent a year. That may seem too slow to some, but it is doable given the time constraints many bivocational ministers have. If you do this for five years you now have one-half of your congregation trained in friendship evangelism. That should make a difference in most churches. The authors give some tips on how to conduct this training.

A second tip mentioned in the book is number 35, "One of every five adult education classes should have been started within the last two years." I know what some of you are thinking: It's hard enough to get teachers for our existing classes, and they've been around forever! That may be the problem. I've read elsewhere that an adult class will stop growing after about 18 months. New people are reluctant to go into a class where everyone already has relationships with each other. New classes need to be started to reach new people.

Early in my Christian journey the pastor of the church we attended asked if I would help start a new class for young adults. Our present class had about 40 people attending, and it had stopped growing. We did start that new class and almost immediately had 15-20 people enrolled without taking anyone from the existing class. To grow an adult Sunday school program you add classes. Again, the authors provide advice how to begin these new classes.

This book addresses many of the administrative tasks a pastor has and provides targets to consider when facing these tasks. Again, I wish this book was available when I pastored. It would have saved me a lot of time. I think it will be a help to you as well.

Is your church's best days behind or ahead of you?

As I have worked with smaller churches over the years I have noticed that many of them have old pictures hanging in their foyers or in hallways showing large crowds of people posing for the picture outside the church building. Some churches have had three or four such pictures lined up in a row.  Many of these churches now have maybe 30 people attending on a good Sunday. One had the sense after talking to folks about these pictures that they represented a reminder of when people felt good about the church. Maybe things aren't so good now, but as they looked at these pictures they could think about a time when their church was something special.

Before I go any further let me state that I have nothing against such pictures being displayed in the church. They represent an important part of a church's history, and people need to be reminded of what God has done in the past. What is tragic is when people look at the pictures and walk away shaking their heads believing the best days are behind their church. Such beliefs do nothing but create a defeated mindset in people's minds.

One of the few questions the pastor search committee asked me in 1981 when I interviewed for the pastoral position of that little church was, "Do you think there is any hope for our church?" Only later I was told that there had been a vote as to whether to call one more pastor or lock the doors. A picture such as I described above hung in the entrance area of the church, and I am sure many of the members believed that their best days were behind them.

What such thinking forgets is that what God has done in the past He can do again. I am convinced that He has a plan for every church, and the church that catches His vision and begins to live into that vision will enjoy a fruitful ministry. However, a church that believes it's best days are behind them and the only thing they can do is to try to survive isn't likely to see things improve much.

The apostle Paul wrote that he forgot those things that were behind him and pushed forward for the prize that was set before him. That is good advice for churches trapped in the mindset that their best days are behind them. Forget the past - the good, the bad and the ugly - and look to the future that God has set before you. The fields are white unto harvest and more workers are needed.

I've read that at least 80 percent of every county in the US is unchurched, and in some counties the percentage is higher. That is an incredible number of people who need Christ in your community. That is your Jerusalem! Will your congregation rise to the challenge of reaching out to these individuals, or will it just walk past pictures of bygone days and wish things could be like that again?

Our nation and the world desperately needs the church to rise up once again and be the church God intended. We need to speak up and point the world to Jesus Christ as the answer to the pain and confusion they are experiencing. The solutions to our nation's problems will not come from the White House, the Courthouse or the state house. They will come from God's house as we boldly proclaim the truth of God's Word and humble ourselves as we pray and seek His face. When we do that we can be sure that the best days of the church will always be before us!

Public opinion vs moral truth

In a democratic society everyone has a voice. Many states just held elections to select those who would serve in office for the next four years. Some who won election did so by the slimmest of margins proving that it is important that people vote for the candidates of their choice. Cases taken before the Supreme Court are often decided by a 5-4 majority giving these justices enormous power to set the direction of our nation, but the Founding Fathers set up our system of government to function in just this way.

The real problem comes when we make decisions about moral issues and truth based on popular vote. Some politicians do not form an opinion on any issue without finding out what the polls tell them their opinion should be.

For my devotional reading right now I am re-reading Renaissance: The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times by Os Guinness. Anytime I read something he has written I am blown away by his scholarship and his understanding of our culture and the church's role in it. On this subject he writes

"In America," Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in the 1830s, "the majority builds an impregnable wall around the process of thinking." Novelist James Fennimore Cooper, an American himself, wrote, "It is a besetting vice of democracies to substitute public opinion for law." The philosopher John Stuart Mill warned that "the price paid for this sort of intellectual pacification is the sacrifice of the entire moral courage of the human mind." Kierkegaard wrote in his journal, "The trend today is in the direction of mathematical equality."...For the Hebrew prophets, "Thus says the Lord" was decisive, not the opinions of the people. And in fact, the pursuit of truth, beauty, excellence, whether in art, science or spiritual growth, has rarely taken its cue from John Q. Public or from Mr. and Mrs. Average."

As we have seen our nation slide further and further away from the teachings of Scripture it has happened as we have allowed personal opinions and preferences replace those teachings. Laws have been enacted to legalize behaviors and lifestyles that a few generations ago were rightly seen as immoral and harmful to individuals and society. When lawmakers refused to pass such laws, judges were found who would find a Constitutional right to such activities. End of discussion, and anyone who objected were immediately vilified as bigoted, ignorant and worse.

Unfortunately, we have seen the same thing happen in too many of our churches. Scriptural truth has been replaced by church councils, denominational leaders who are trying to keep the peace until they can retire, deep-pocketed parishioners, liberal seminaries, and others who have more opinions than biblical knowledge. Weak pastors yield to these loud voices in an effort to keep their jobs. They forget that they don't have a job; they have a calling, and that calling is to proclaim the Word of God and do the work God has called them to do.

Guinness later wrote, "'Thus says the Lord' should always trump '51 percent now believe,' but the current idolatry of metrics renders Christians vulnerable to the mob-masters of the virtual age, the high-tech wizards who can corral the opinions of millions within minutes. (This is a crucial factor in the cataclysmic suddenness of the triumph of the sexual revolution over the Jewish and Christian faiths that have shaped Western civilization for two thousand years.) The result is a church befuddled over the difference between success and faithfulness, hesitant to buck the going trends, fearful to stick her neck out and find herself in the minority, and reluctant to risk the loneliness of pursuing the true and excellent regardless of all outcomes - in short, a church fatally weakened because worldly."

The church in America is at a pivotal point. It is truly at a crossroads and must decide whether it will stand for biblical truth, however unpopular, or follow public opinion. Sadly, many have already chosen public opinion and are merrily skipping along with the "in-crowd." The Bible tells us that there is a wide path that many follow that ultimately leads to their destruction. The narrow path is one that is often challenging, but it leads to eternal life. Which path will your church choose?

Men and the church

It's no secret that many men do not like going to church. As I've traveled to various churches throughout my ministry, especially when doing denominational work, I often found many more women and children than men in those churches. I always found that odd because when Promise Keeper's was going strong they would pack out entire stadiums with men. Obviously, it's not that men do not care about spiritual things or want to be with other Christian men, but many of them are not that interested in attending a regular church service. According to Pew Research only 20 percent of men attend church services weekly while women make up 61 percent of churchgoing adults. The question churches need to answer is why is this the case?

It's not an easy thing to answer. Some theorize that it's because churches have become feminized with the decor, messages about humility and introspection and a satisfaction with the status quo. In one article a man was quoted as saying that when he visited a new church the first thing he did was to look at the curtains. That told him all he needed to know about the church. Others insist that men avoid church because they tend to be risk takers and adventurers and the modern church often is highly risk-adverse. Many more reasons are given, but everyone agrees that men are largely absent from the church, and if they are there many of them don't seem too pleased about it.

Sitting on the platform in many churches I've seen the comparison between the women singing the hymns and praise songs while their husbands stood there with their arms folded staring straight ahead. I've noticed that men tend to fall asleep during the message at a higher rate than the women, and many that are awake are more apt to be looking at their phones than paying attention to the message.

Today's church needs to do a better job of reaching men. We need to talk about the problem instead of ignoring it like the elephant in the room. We need to rethink our sermons to make sure they are relevant to today's issues and challenges. We need to ensure that we offer ministry opportunities and events that appeal to men.

Any time there is an event such as a hurricane, or tornado or significant flooding you will see church groups go the affected area to help people rebuild their lives. This type of ministry appeals to many men. They are far more likely to grow as disciples of Christ doing something like this than they would sitting in a small group for ten weeks studying about discipleship.

The church's calendar should include events that will be appealing to men. While on vacation in Florida I recently attended a church's "Beast Feast." They had a large cookout that featured alligator, venison meat loaf, wild boar and a number of sides. There was a car show in the parking lot of the church. After the meal we went inside where a number of prizes were given away that included camping equipment, fishing equipment, guns, knives, several other items and a 4X4. A speaker shared how he had given his life to Jesus Christ after surviving an attack by a mountain lion. He had been featured on Oprah Winfrey and in several publications. It was a powerful message. I estimate there may have been close to 1,000 men and boys in attendance.

Maybe your church couldn't offer something that big, but there are similar things any church can do that will attract men. One associational men's group held a turkey shoot a few years ago I attended. We had a great time. What's important is that we show men that they don't have to give up their masculinity to become a Christian or become active in a church.

Men need the church, and the church needs men. Most of all, men need Jesus Christ. Let's find ways to help men once again find both Christ and the church.

What are the side doors in your church?

Smaller churches spend a lot of time worrying about why people are not coming through the front doors of their churches each week. In the past these churches saw a number of visitors attend their church each year. Some of these visitors may have moved into the community while others were looking for a new church to attend. Regardless of the reasons for their visit, they came and some stayed. For at least the past two decades many churches have seen a steep drop-off in the number of visitors who show up at their front door on Sunday morning, and with the way many people feel about churches today that is unlikely to change.

What churches can do is to begin to open up the side doors into their church. In one of my favorite books on church leadership, What Every Pastor Should Know: 101 Indispensable Rules of Thumb for Leading Your Church, Gary McIntosh defines a side door as "A church-sponsored program, group, or activity in which a nonmember can become comfortably involved on a regular basis. It is an ongoing function in which a nonmember can develop meaningful and valued relationships with people in the church." These relationships are built around common interests that people have, and they can lead to effective evangelism and provide a safe way to introduce people to your church.

Almost any interest can provide a side-door into your church. There may be a group that enjoys bass fishing. Another group may enjoy quilting while a third group may be focused on recent widows or widowers. There could be groups of single moms or dads. Another group may ride motorcycles. Virtually anything can become a side-door into your church.

A few years ago I heard of a megachurch that had over 200 side-door groups meeting in their church building every week during the summer months. These groups led to amazing growth in the church, and much of that growth came from people who committed their lives to Christ as a result of the relationships they had with others in their group.

McIntosh suggests a good rule of thumb is that a church should create at least two side doors per year. To begin a side door find someone in your church that is passionate about something. Perhaps your church has someone who is passionate about quilting and would be willing to lead such a group. Bring a group together to brainstorm the idea to see if there is interest in such a group. I always suggest that churches make sure other churches in the area are not already doing what you are considering.  McIntosh says that if there are three persons willing to help begin a specific group then it's time to schedule when it will begin and to publicize it.

There are many people who have no interest in attending a worship service, but they are willing to be involved in some activity that happens to meet in your church. As they get to know some of the church members who are part of the group they find out that they are not such bad people after all (hopefully!). If they decide to attend a worship service they will now have someone there that they know and can sit with. In time, they may become a part of your congregation.

As the subtitle of this book says, it includes 101 rules of thumb that church leaders need to know. It is one of the most practical books on church ministry I have in my library, and I highly recommend you add it to yours.

Bivocational ministry training

Last week I attended two events hosted by local funeral homes for the ministers in our area. One of the amazing things I noticed was that six of the ministers attending were either graduates of our region's Church Leadership Institute or were about to complete that program. The Church Leadership Institute (CLI) is a program that our region developed around 2002 to train lay leaders, but we found that several of our bivocational ministers also enrolled in the program. In fact, we added an additional year (five courses) specifically designed for persons serving in bivocational roles to the original two-year program. Today, we have a number of our churches being served by graduates of our CLI program. One of the things I am most pleased about of my time as a Resource Minister in our region was that I had the opportunity to lead the team that designed this program and served as the director of CLI until my retirement.

CLI was never designed to replace seminary training, but it does provide some of our bivocational ministers with basic ministerial training to enable them to better serve their churches. A number of lay people in our churches have also completed CLI helping them to more effectively serve their churches as well.

For many years bivocational ministers have struggled to find training opportunities designed to speak to their specific needs. That's why I began writing books that addressed those needs and began to lead workshops and seminars built around the information in those books. I was very blessed to have an Executive Minister, Larry Mason and later Soozi Ford, who allowed me to lead these events across the US and Canada for various denominational groups.

The need to train our bivocational ministers is still needed. Their numbers are growing in almost every denomination. While some have seminary training, many of them do not. They desire training, but it has to fit within their already tight schedules and it has to speak specifically to their needs.

While I was serving in my judicatory role I had to limit the seminars and workshops I could do, but now that I am retired I am free to lead more training opportunities for these bivocational leaders. There are several topics that have been well received by past groups. These would include my most requested seminar "The Healthy Small Church," "Bivocational Ministry for the 21st Century" and others. I've also developed specific topics that were requested by the host denomination to better train their small church leaders in those areas.

If you are a denominational or judicatory leader I would love to work with you to help equip your bivocational ministers and small church leaders. Just contact me and we can discuss how I might be able to do that. If you are a bivocational minister or a lay leader in your church and would be interested in having me speak in your judicatory ask your denominational leadership to contact me. I know that now is when many denominations are making plans for their 2020 annual meetings and scheduling other training events so this is the time to get me on your schedule. I would love to work with your churches and their leadership.

Good leaders produce other good leaders

Leaders are responsible for many tasks within their organizations, but one of the most important things they do is to develop other leaders. As a judicatory leader I would often hear pastors complain that their churches lacked sufficient leaders with the maturity and spirituality they needed to properly serve as leaders in the churches. Unfortunately, such a complaint is actually an admission that the pastor had not done his or her job. Good leaders will produce other good leaders. Weak leaders produce only followers who are often unable or unwilling to become leaders.

Every church should have a leadership pipeline that is training and equipping future leaders for the church. Even a small, bivocational church can have a leadership pipeline. There may not be a large number of people going through that pipeline, but it will be a sufficient number to assure the church of strong, spiritual leadership in the future.

Pastors should constantly be on the lookout for potential leaders in their congregations. These may be new believers. They may be people who have moved into the neighborhood and began attending the church. They may be people who have renewed their commitment to God after years of being lukewarm in service. As these people are discovered it's important to give them responsibilities in line with their abilities and giftedness. Coach them as they begin serving in the church. In time elevate their responsibilities. Invest in these people. This means you give them extra time and training.

Within a few months after I rededicated my life to Christ as an adult our pastor asked if I would be the substitute Sunday school teacher for a new young adult class he was starting. Three months later I became the teacher of that class. I accepted other responsibilities in the church. One day as the pastor and I were driving to a training event he asked if I had ever felt that God might be calling me into the ministry. The answer was yes. We talked about that during the drive to the event and back home. The next Sunday he gave me a key to his study so I could use his library to study. A few months later he left the church, and shortly after that I requested the church grant me a license to preach which they did. As they say...the rest is history.

When I think of the many opportunities I've had in ministry I have to remember that it all began with a conversation on the way to a training event. My pastor had seen something in me that no one else had. He planted a seed in my mind which the Holy Spirit used to help me understand His will for my life. Now it is my responsibility to identify and raise up future leaders for the church, and I've tried to do that. In my 35 plus years of serving as a bivocational minister and working with others I can see a number of people who are serving in leadership roles in their churches at least partially due to my relationship with them.

If you are a leader in the church, how many other leaders have you produced? This seldom happens by accident. You normally have to be very intentional about identifying and developing these leaders. It requires a lot of prayer and a commitment of your time, but I can tell you that it is a very rewarding feeling when you see someone with whom you've invested your life step into a leadership role in the church.

Open, honest communication

Almost every troubled church I've been asked to help address their problems had one issue that was at the foundation of their problems. As I would talk with various groups and individuals within the church many of them would point to this problem: There was poor communication throughout the church. People didn't know what was going on within the leadership groups, and, as a result, they didn't trust their leaders. Never forget: When people do not know the facts they will make up their own facts which are often worse than the real ones.

In one church the trustees refused to share anything they were doing with the deacons. There was a major turf war going on in that church with the congregation caught in the middle. The pastor was being bounced around between the two groups like a ping-pong ball and lacked the leadership ability to resolve the problem.

Another church had a series of short-term pastorates. One finally admitted to me before leaving that the leadership had asked him to resign, and if he didn't tell the congregation they would give him a severance package. He followed their wishes. When I confronted one of the leaders about it he admitted the church had a lot of secrets. The church also lost a significant number of their membership. People aren't stupid. They know when things aren't right. So do church guests. Some churches wonder why their guests never return. It's because when they were there the first time they could sense there were problems.

While some churches intentionally withhold information or give out false information, many others simply do a poor job of communicating within the congregation. There's nothing intentional or diabolical. It's just poor leadership, but it will eventually lead to problems.

When working with churches in which people feel information is being withheld I always tell them that it is now impossible to over-communicate. If  leaders in such churches are not getting sick of giving out the same information over and over they probably are not communicating enough. To regain the trust of the congregation it is imperative that information be given out continuously through as many avenues as possible.

Not only is it essential that information be given out, there must be an environment within the church that allows such communication to be given without fear of reprisal. Not all information that should be shared with the larger church body is going to be well-received. An environment that encourages open communication and open conversation and discussion must exist or such communication will create more problems. Creating such an environment is the work of the leadership within the church.

Let me close this post with an example from outside the church world. As many of you know, I am also an auctioneer. Right now the prices that most furniture is bringing is very soft as are the prices for a number of items. When I explain that to potential clients some become frustrated, and even angry, with me. The sentimental value they have for some of their personal belongings is often much higher than the prices they will realize if they sell those items at auction. I have lost a number of auctions this year because I've communicated honestly with these people. Sometimes, they decide to donate their items to a charity, but most of the time they find another auctioneer to have their auction. I always tell these folks that I would rather they be disappointed in me now than after the auction when I give them a check for much less than they expected.

The same is true in the church. Sometimes the information we need to share with our congregations is not well received. I would rather the people be upset with the information than with me for withholding information from them. At least now, we can begin to discuss how to address the information that's been shared.

A church is only as healthy as the secrets it keeps. Open, honest communication is an essential element in a healthy church. Keep those lines of communication open and the trust factor in the church will remain high.

Unique challenges for bivocational ministers

In my book The Art and Practice of Bivocational Ministry: A Pastor's Guide I discuss some of the unique challenges many bivocational ministers face. The number one challenge is that of time constraints. While every minister struggles with finding the time to do everything he or she needs to accomplish, bivocational ministers face the added problem of working another job. This may be a full-time or part-time job, but for those hours worked he or she cannot do any of the other things that may need to be done. It is always a challenge for a bivocational minister to balance the five primary areas of life we must address: our time with God, our time with family, our ministry, our other job and our own personal self-care.

A second common problem has to do with self-esteem issues. I can still remember when some people would look at me as a second-class minister since I wasn't fully-funded. It's very easy to allow yourself to start questioning yourself when others are questioning your commitment to God and to ministry. It's easy to repeat the mantra that we are only called to be faithful where we are, but it's also human to wonder why we are where we are. I still remember the day someone asked if I was full-time or part-time and I responded that I was a full-time bivocational minister.

One of the issues I often hear from bivocational ministers is the lack of support they feel from their denominations. I was coaching a bivocational pastor who voiced this complaint. We were discussing a problem in the church when I asked if he had contacted his denomination for help with it. He said no one from the denominational office was willing to work with his church because it was too small. I challenged him to call to confirm that, and at our next coaching session he said their judicatory representative was meeting with him and the church the following week. I never felt that I was not supported by our judicatory leaders as the bivocational pastor of a small, rural church, but I also know that many do feel that way, and in fact, are not well supported.

In a survey I conducted a few years ago with bivocational ministers in my denomination I found that their educational level ran the gamut from high school to holding a PhD. However, for the majority of them, their college and post-graduate degrees were not related to ministry but were in other fields of study. Many of them lacked basic ministerial and theological training. Those of you who know my story know that I began my pastoral ministry with only a high school education. It's tough to do quality ministry like that, but it's also difficult to pursue theological education while working, supporting a family and leading a church.

To compound the problem, it's also difficult to attend any type of continuing education opportunities. Most of them, unfortunately, are still held during the day when many bivocational ministers are working. Many of things that are presented in these training sessions apply more to larger churches than the traditional bivocational church so the pastors of these churches are reluctant to give up a vacation day in order to attend them. This makes it difficult for bivocational ministers to be aware of recent trends in ministry.

In the book I try to respond to these challenges. The book contains the stories of ten ministers I coached who faced most of these challenges and how they addressed them. If you are struggling with any of these challenges in your own ministry, you might find these stories helpful.

What is your church's myth?

One of the books I read on my recent vacation was Beyond the Ordinary: Spirituality for Church Leaders by Ben Campbell Johnson. In one chapter in this book he writes about the myths that every church has about itself and the power of those myths. He wrote, "Every church has a myth and lives and ministers in the power of it. The congregation interprets events in its life through this myth, this narrative it has constructed, and make strategic decisions according to the values of this mythic account of its corporate life." He later explains, "A church's myth is a narrative created by a congregation through its interpretation of the things that have happened to it. It is the story, based on its perception and interpretive imagination, out of which a particular church lives and ministers."

As a judicatory leader for fourteen years working with hundreds of churches I saw the truth of this played out in so many of these churches. While assisting one church in vision discernment a good discussion was occurring about one aspect of that vision when a member said, "Well, that sounds good, but you KNOW we can't do that." She went on to remind the group of something that had happened in the church years past that, to her at least, ruled out any possibility of doing what was being discussed. Amazingly, the others dropped the original discussion. The myth ruled over present opportunities in that church.

When I began as pastor of a small, rural church the average pastoral tenure of that church for many years was 12 months. I had been there for about six months when in a Sunday school class one of the deacons said that I would soon be leaving for a BETTER church. I was in the room and almost fell out of my chair. Part of the myth this church believed about itself was that it wasn't good enough to keep a pastor for more than a year, and it had become a self-fulfilling prophecy. They literally didn't know what to do when I passed the two-year mark. When I finished Bible school they were sure I would leave. I didn't. Probably when I finally did leave after 20 years in that church some were wondering if they would ever get rid of me!

I could give dozens of stories of how the myths churches hold about themselves hinder their current ministries and future ones.  It is important for a pastor to understand and appreciate the myths a church has before attempting to make any changes or he or she will find themselves trapped in the middle of a minefield. Spend some time with long-time members of the church and ask questions about past events. Know how they have got to where they are today and what they think is possible for the future.

Johnson writes that it is not only important for the pastor to know the stories that created the myths, it's important that the pastor embraces the myth even if it is not attractive. This is who they are so embrace it. Don't talk about their story; talk about "our" story. While recently serving as a transitional pastor I intentionally kept talking about "our" church. Everyone knew I would be leaving when a new pastor was called, but I wanted people to understand that while I was there it was "our" church, not just "your" church. I was part of that congregation, and as a result their stories were my stories. Especially in a smaller church, this is an important step into being seen as a part of the church.

Johnson goes on to suggest ways to help transform the myths that are not healthy for a church to continue to cling to. You'll need to read that for yourself and see what might work in your situation.

 Just remember, every church has stories that has led them to hold certain beliefs about who they are and what they are capable of doing. Effective leadership will understand those stories and the myths they produced within the congregation. Now, what is your church's myths?

Wonderful vacation

I've been off the grid for the past couple of weeks while my wife and I vacationed in Panama City Beach. Unlike some folks, I don't publish when I'm away from my house for extended times. I figure thieves get a lot of information from social media so I don't write anything about being away until I return home. However, I can now report that this vacation was great!

For one thing, we were away a full two weeks. We've had many one week vacations and a couple of 10 days, but this is the first time we spent an entire two weeks on vacation. It turned out to be very restful. Secondly, the weather was amazing. Not a drop of rain until the day we returned home (yesterday). Sunny skies and every day in the 80s and 90s.  It felt great until we got home yesterday evening in 50 degree weather.

Every day we either swam in the ocean or in one of the 11 pools in the condo complex in which we stayed. Most days we swam in both. The ocean was about a 3 minute golf cart ride from the condo so we went down there early many mornings just to watch the waves and the dolphins and then returned several evenings to watch the sunset.

We've made several trips to PCB, but this is the first time we've seen eagles flying over head. We saw two. A story in the local paper told about one man who took a picture of five of them flying over his home. Speaking of seeing things fly over, on two nights we watched the space station fly over. One night it was in view for six minutes and the next night we could see it for four minutes. I'm always fascinated watching it fly over knowing how high it is above the earth and how fast it is moving.

Although we ate several of our meals in the condo we had our fair share of fresh seafood meals in some of our favorite restaurants at PCB. Blackened grouper continues to be my favorite.

I did manage to get in some reading while there. I either finished reading or read Beyond the Ordinary: Spirituality for Church Leaders, Cash: The Autobiography of Johnny Cash, Crashing without Burning: Life After Failure, Merle Haggard: An Autobiography, and Winning with People by John Maxwell.

The condo we stayed in is being rented by our daughter and her family for a couple of months which means we spent time with her and three of our grandkids. That meant everything we did got to be shared with them which further means we got to make some great memories as a family.

Of course, the absolute best part of our time there was that we celebrated our 53rd anniversary. For many years we've gone to PCB to celebrate our anniversary, and every year it's better than before. I consider myself a very fortunate individual that Faye chose to say yes when I asked her to marry me.

I hope you found time to get away this year. If not, please set aside time on your calendar to do so next year. I've found that if you don't schedule such times, they often won't happen. You need time away from your church and/or your job. You'll find you'll return more energized and excited about what you do, and you'll make great memories that will last a lifetime.

Does anyone know your church exists?

A number of years ago I was scheduled to meet with the pastor search committee of a small church. This was before GPS was available. The chair of the search team had given me directions to the church, but they weren't the best directions I've ever had. It was my first time to be at this church so I was very dependent on the directions to find the church. Once I got off the main highway I realized how poor the directions were. As I drove around the country roads trying to find the markers the church had given me it started to grow dark. I had no cell phone service so I stopped at two houses to ask for directions to the church, but the people at these houses had never heard of the church. It was now about 15 minutes after our meeting was scheduled. I decided to turn around at the next drive way and return home. The next driveway was into the church's parking lot. It was within a mile of the two houses where the people said they had never heard of the church!

It's very hard to grow a church or have an effective ministry if people within a mile of your church has never heard of you. Unfortunately, this is true of many churches. These churches may think their long history and the fact that they "are the friendliest church in the area," should make them well-known, but the reality is that people near them may not even know they exist.

Even larger churches can have this problem. Several people told me to let them know if I was scheduled to preach in their community so they could come to hear me. A larger church in their community did invite me to preach there a few weeks later so I let the folks know that. Even though this was one of the largest churches in their community, none of them knew where it was located. These folks lived within blocks of this large active church, but did not know where it was.

This was a problem for the church I pastored when I first went there. This small, rural church was nearing its 150th anniversary when I became its pastor, but many people had never heard of the church and many others did not know where it was. A few years after I went there we began to intentionally address that problem.

One of our men put up a sign at the highway with the name of the church and an arrow showing where to turn. At the end of that road he put up another sign with another directional arrow that would lead people to the church.

We bought a number of professionally prepared videos that promoted some aspect of ministry featuring our church's name and service times. These video ads were ran for free on our local cable company on select channels. We also purchased a quarterly newspaper that featured positive stories and insights into family living that included one-and-half pages highlighting information about our church that was sent to the homes in our county. Both the videos and the paper gave us an opportunity to minister to people and allowed us to get our church name out into the community.

Today, if I was pastor of a church, we would be active on social media. We would have a web site and a Facebook page promoting the church. Someone has said if your church isn't on social media it doesn't exist. I believe there is a lot of truth in that. A Facebook page is free, and web sites can be very inexpensive so both are possible for even the smallest churches.

When people are interested in knowing about a business the first thing most will do is to check out that business online. If they do not have a web page it's likely the person will be less interested in the business. The same is true when people are wanting information about churches. Not only does your church need to be on social media, your content must be fresh and current. When I'm looking at a web site or a FB site and I see that the last posting was two or three years ago I lose interest. Your social media pages should be updated at least weekly to keep them fresh and appealing to those who are looking at them.

So, do people know your church exists? Are you sure? Can you prove it? How will new people get information about your church? If people cannot get information about your church before they visit, why should they bother visiting? Tough questions, but they need to be asked and answered.

Confessing sins to plants

You may have read about a recent chapel service at Union Theology Seminary at which the students prayed to a group of plants confessing how they had sinned against the plants. As people heard about this the seminary posted on their Twitter account "Today in chapel, we confessed to plants. Together, we held our grief, joy, regret, hope, guilt and sorrow in prayer; offering them to the beings who sustain us but whose gift we too often fail to honor. What do you confess to the plants in your life?"

I ate a salad for lunch on Wednesday so I guess I could have confessed to them that I might have eaten some of their cousins. But, if I did that I would probably have had to confess to some cows about the hamburger I had for lunch yesterday. There is no telling how much penance I would have to do to appease the hogs with all the bacon I eat!

Scripture is clear that if one does not worship the Creator one will worship creation. The apostle Paul in Romans 1 writes that "although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things."

John wrote that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)." He goes on to write, "If anyone sins we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Our Advocate is not some oak tree in the middle of a forest or a dandelion growing in our back yard. Our Advocate is the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and it is God alone who can forgive sins. Praying to and worshiping anything other than God is paganism.

If we want to know what is wrong with many of our churches we need to look no further than this example. Churches across our nation are being led by individuals who have seminary degrees from institutions that have forsaken the Scriptures for man-made philosophies and secular worldviews. They stand in the pulpits denying the truths of the Bible and spreading the fables they have been taught to unsuspecting listeners.

This is not a recent problem. Dietrich Bonhoeffer taught at Union for a short time in 1939. Even then he was shocked at the liberalism of the students and wrote they "are completely clueless with respect to what dogmatics is really about. They are not familiar with even the most basic questions. They become intoxicated with liberal and humanist phrases, are amused at the fundamentalists, and yet basically are not even up to their level." He remembered the students laughing at a lecture about sin and forgiveness. Bonhoeffer decided to leave Union to return to Germany to resist the Nazis where he would later be executed for his role in the plot to assassinate Hitler. One can only wonder what he would have thought about this recent chapel service.

As I was listening to a radio program this morning this chapel service was discussed. The hosts spent a good while making fun of this seminary and pointing out, as laymen, how wrong it was to seek forgiveness from plants. I had to laugh at some of their comments, but this really is no laughing matter. At least, it shouldn't be to anyone who cares about the church and the Kingdom of God. If the men and women who are preparing to lead the church are not taught to worship the one true God and to respect the authority of the Scriptures, what hope is there for the church and for those people for whom Christ died to save?

The rural church is often forgotten

Last night I finished re-reading another great book, The Forgotten Church: Why Rural Ministry Matters for Every Church in America by Glenn Daman. I was privileged to have been asked to write a recommendation for the book before it was published. It was an honor to write that because the book was very good and because Glenn is a champion for the small, rural churches. He grew up in rural communities and currently pastors a rural church in Washington. He has written a number of other books specifically for smaller churches and their leaders and serves as an adjunct professor at Western Seminary. I would suggest this book should be required reading for anyone serving in a rural church,

The title of the book says it all: the rural church has been largely forgotten by seminaries, denominations, church historians and pastors on the fast-track to their "dream" church. Most resources are spent on the urban and suburban communities. That is where you find denominations targeting their new church planting efforts. Seminaries teach ministry practices best suited for the large churches normally found in the cities. Much has been written by many people, including myself, on the difficulty of smaller churches finding pastors willing to serve them.

Attend denominational gatherings and you will usually find their speakers and workshop leaders come from large urban churches. Try to find a course offered by seminaries that focus on rural ministry. Check out any Christian bookstore and compare the number of books on the shelves written by pastors of larger churches and those written by pastors of smaller churches. Yes, the rural church is largely forgotten by just about everybody, except those who go there.

Like Glenn, I have spent my entire life in small, rural churches. It was in such churches that I first came to faith in Jesus Christ. It was in the Sunday school classes, Vacation Bible School and Baptist Youth Fellowship that I learned about the Bible and the Christian life. It was while attending such churches as a young boy that I first felt God's call on my life to enter the ministry. It was in small, rural churches that I saw how people came together to support one another. It was a small, rural church that allowed me to serve them as pastor for twenty years even though I did not have the seminary training or experience to do so.

I remember when I was licensed to the ministry that I contacted a leader in my denomination at the time. I told him the church had licensed me and I was willing to fill the pulpit or preach any time he needed my help. I got a letter back telling me if I wanted to be a minister I needed to go to college and seminary, and in seven years when I completed my education to contact him again. That little rural church didn't ask about my educational credentials. They were glad I was willing to serve them and voted me in as their pastor. Maybe some people today have forgotten the rural church, but me and millions of others whose lives have been impacted by such churches will never forget them.

Reading this book, and especially the stories Glenn tells, reminded me again of how much I loved that church I pastored and how much I miss pastoring such churches today. The relationships one has with the congregation in a rural church is amazing. I've sat in the barn while one of our members was greasing his equipment as we talked about church matters. I went coon hunting with one member and spent countless hours with another one fishing. I prayed with many a member when they were in the hospital and sat around the table talking to family members who had just lost a loved one. In the rural church you don't spend much time sitting in your office, not if you want to spend time with those you serve.

If you pastor a rural church you need to read this book. It will help remind you of why you do what you do, especially during those times when you get frustrated by some aspect of ministry. If you are a denominational leader, you need to read this book. Maybe you won't be so quick to write off your churches located in rural communities. Seminary leaders need to read this book and begin to think of ways you can better serve those who will be going to rural ministries. If you are a lay leader in a rural church and often find yourself frustrated at the on-going challenges of rural ministry, you should read this book as well. Maybe it will remind you that in God's economy it's not just the large churches that are important. Christ came to save individual people, both in urban and rural communities. Every church has a role to play in that effort, and historically and currently the rural church has performed amazing work for the Kingdom of God.

Leaders under attack

I have voted in every election since becoming eligible to vote. That includes every primary and general election. When I was overseas in the Navy I made sure to have an absentee ballot so I could vote in the election. Even before becoming eligible to vote I was interested in politics and elections. I still remember watching Dwight Eisenhower being sworn into office on our black and white television and watching the national conventions as they selected the person they supported in the presidential race. At one time I owned and had read every book written by the main people involved in Watergate as I found that episode in our nation's history fascinating. I've read a number of books about various presidents to better understand what made them tick and some of the things that happened while they were in office that doesn't make it to the news. I have seen and read a lot about our nation's political system, but I have never seen anything resembling the past two years.

Many people don't like President Trump. I get that. He's unlike any president we've ever had. He says things that previous presidents would never have said publicly. He does not take criticism well and isn't able to refrain from lashing out at his critics. He has many faults. Even some of his supporters wish he would stop saying some of the things he says. I understand why many do not like him.

Never in my lifetime have I seen a political party spend every waking moment trying to drive out of office a duly elected president. Even before taking office Democrats were talking about impeaching him. They had no charges against him since he wasn't even president yet, but they were determined to force out of office the individual the American people had elected to the position. In effect, they were saying the vote of the people does not matter; they would decide who would sit in the Oval Office. They rigged the primary to ensure Clinton would win, and they were convinced she could beat Trump. When that didn't happen, despite the best efforts of most of the news media, they began to plot how to drive him from office. Two years of investigations found nothing impeachable, but that has not satisfied those determined to force him out of office. Facts don't matter. Only feelings matter in today's culture.

Forget the needs of the nation. Forget the rotting infrastructure. Forget the issues related to undocumented aliens crossing the borders in record numbers. Forget the wars that are being fought by our brave military. Forget the rampant drug use and violence sweeping across our nation. Forget serving the people who elected you to office to represent them. The only thing that matters is that they find some means, legal or illegal, to force Trump out of office. Not only have they failed to lead our nation forward, they have made fools of themselves trying to accomplish the only thing they want to do. Impeachment will never happen. Everything they are doing, the millions of taxpayer dollars they are spending in the effort, is all for political show. The Republicans control the Senate so even if the House votes for impeachment it will not happen. They know that, and if they don't they are not smart enough to be in the House. It's all childish grandstanding.

There is another election in 2020. If the Democrats seriously want Trump out of office they need to select someone who can win the 2020 election. They need someone with a vision for America who is a statesman that can convince voters his or her vision is better than the one Trump will offer. Currently, they do not have such a person. Watching the debates is like watching people trying to outdo one another in explaining why they should not be elected. It is amazing to me that a political party that produced such great leaders as John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hubert Humphrey and others have nothing better to offer American votes than the ones currently running for the office.
It's time real leaders in the Democrat party step up, tell these wannabes to go home and nominate someone who can run a legitimate campaign against Trump. That is, if they are serious about winning the next election.

Unfortunately, I've seen similar things happen in churches. The pastor does something that some lay leaders don't like or does something that seems to threaten their position in the church and they become obsessed with getting rid of the pastor. Forget evangelism. Forget discipleship. Forget missions. Everything in the church is focused on driving out the pastor. I've seen people withhold their giving so the church would be unable to pay the pastor's salary. I've seen pastors threatened with immediate termination if they didn't resign. One church reported that they had requested additional police patrols around the parsonage because someone had threatened to burn it down. I've heard wild accusations made against pastors with no evidence to back them up. More than once I've counseled pastors they needed to leave their churches because they could not win. Some moved on to healthier churches and enjoyed good ministry there. Some left the ministry altogether, their health and nerves shot.

We have created an attack culture in our nation that does not respect the office or the person who holds it. In our entitlement-minded society we want immediate satisfaction or we go on the attack. Too many of us are convinced that we deserve to have everything our way, and if that doesn't happen we will destroy anyone who prevented us from having it. This is currently true in our nation, and it's true in many of our churches.

Our nation needs God. We need to return to biblical values in the way we treat one another and work with one another. Rather than seeking an office for personal enrichment and power we need to seek leadership positions in order to better serve others. We need people, both in government and in our churches, who are more interested in improving the lives of others than they are in personal gain. We need to pray that God will send us such leaders. We need to pray that He will grant them wisdom to lead. We need to pray for revival to sweep through our nation. We need to pray that it's not too late for either our nation or our churches.

Leading with Integrity

Anyone who knows me is aware that I spend a lot of time studying leadership and advocate for strong leadership from pastors and lay leaders. I've just finished a book that was published in 2010, but I just got around to reading it. Actually, it's been in my to-read stack for over a year, but I kept ignoring it to read books I thought might be better. I wish I had not done that. Leading with Integrity: The 28 Essential Leadership Strategies of Solomon by Pat Williams is an excellent book that studies leadership through the life and writings of Solomon.

Williams is Senior Vice President of the Orlando Magic, author and motivational speaker. He has spent his adult life involved in professional sports and uses many examples from his experiences and those of well-known athletes to illustrate how Solomon's insights apply to the things leaders face today. Since I am such a sports fan, I really enjoyed reading the stories of some of these players and coaches.

The book of Proverbs contains a lot of wisdom, but for me it has not been the easiest book to understand. During my pastoral ministry I did not preach many sermons out of Proverbs. I wish I had. The author made some of the passages in that book come alive for me in a way they had not before.

Everything rises and falls on leadership. No organization can rise any higher than the lid of its leadership. This is why I am convinced that pastors must be strong leaders of their churches. Strong leadership allows the church to rise higher and accomplish more for the Kingdom of God. However, some mistake strong leadership with dictatorial leadership. Adolf Hitler was a strong leader. So was Joseph Stalin and Jim Jones. None of these three led with integrity. They led through intimidation destroying anything and anyone who dared stand in their way.

The type of strong leadership the church needs is one marked with integrity in everything the leader does. Leaders with integrity love those they lead. They speak the truth in every situation. They don't cut corners or compromise their ethical values to accomplish their goals. They control their emotions and build moral firewalls into their life to protect them from temptations. They are focused on victory, not for their glory but for the glory of God, and they are focused on transforming the lives of the people they serve.

Williams addresses each of the things I listed, and more, in this book. He gives a biblical basis for each one as well, all from the book of Proverbs.

This would make a great book for the leaders of a church to study together. It would also be an excellent book for a small group to explore. There are follow-up questions at the end of each of the 28 chapters that would enable a good discussion of the book in such groups.