What is a disciple?

The Great Commission commands churches to go into the world reaching people for Jesus Christ and leading them into a life of discipleship. Today, many churches are not reaching many people for Christ and even fewer are successfully developing disciples. Churches are full of baptized persons who have remained baby Christians years after their baptism. As a judicatory minister for 14 years I was involved in numerous church problems, none of which were caused by spiritually mature people.

One of the problems we have with discipleship is few churches have determined exactly what a disciple of Jesus Christ should be like. What is it we are to help produce in people? We often substitute education for discipleship. We offer Sunday school classes, mid-week studies, small groups, men's breakfast Bible studies, etc. thinking that educating people about the Bible will automatically produce a disciple. I remember hearing John Maxwell say once that the average Christian is educated far beyond his level of obedience. 

Perhaps what we need to do is to first identify what a disciple should look like, and then develop a discipleship program that would help produce that in a person's life. How should a disciple treat his or her spouse? How should a disciple raise his or her children? What kind of employee would a Christian disciple look like? What kind of employer? How should a disciple handle his or her finances? What did Jesus teach about morality and ethical behavior?

I am not advocating legalism with a long list of dos and don'ts. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their legalism that looked down at those who didn't live like them. I am advocating that churches need to be more intentional about how they go about helping people become disciples of Christ.

Going back to what I said earlier, more education is not the answer. While we need to teach what the Bible says about the issues, and more, that I raised above, we also need to provide opportunities for people to put those teachings into practice. Discipleship = education + action. I learned more about what it meant to be a disciple in a one-week mission trip to Haiti than I would have learned in two years of studying mission work in Haiti. Spending a day with an associational work team preparing a house for winter in eastern Kentucky was a growing experience as well. We need to provide such opportunities to the people in our churches if we want them to develop as disciples.

Let's be intentional about what we are trying to produce when we talk about discipleship and remember the formula: Discipleship = education + action.

Changing how we count what matters in church

 Every year denominations ask their churches to send in an annual report that will show how the church is doing. Questions usually revolve around average church attendance, Sunday school attendance, financial information and other things that are easy to count. The report will also ask for information on the pastor and other staff in the church. One year our church clerk came to me frustrated because there wasn't a place on the report for a bivocational pastor. She asked if she should put down that I was part-time, full-time or just what did I consider myself to be. I responded that I was a full-time bivocational pastor. She said there isn't an option for that on the report so I told her to put down anything she wanted. The fact is, most denominations do not have a good way to know how many bivocational pastors they have.

One of the problems with these reports is that they ask the wrong questions. Counting noses and nickels is not always the best way to identify the health of a church. With that mentality, the more noses and nickels you have to report the better the church is, and that is not always the case. This doesn't mean noses and nickels are not important. The noses represent people for whom Christ died, and more nickels often opens up more ministry opportunities.

What if the questions focused more on the development of people than questions about the institution? What if they asked how God was at work in the church the past year? What if they asked how many people felt like they had grown spiritually in the past year? What if they asked how many people were involved in ministry the past year, not serving on committees and boards, but actually involved in doing ministry in the community? Yes, these types of questions are harder to quantify than the others, but would they not better reflect the ministry of the church? Would they not better reflect the health of the church?

I have to admit that I am not hopeful that many denominations will change their annual reports to reflect these types of questions. It's easier to produce spreadsheets that just reflect numbers than to do the difficult work of interpreting the questions I suggested. But, pastors and church leaders can ask these questions of the churches they serve and make changes in their ministries that will increase the spiritual growth and development of those they serve. I suspect that growth will also result in the church seeing numerical growth as well.

Read through the Bible in 2024

 Although I do not do this every year, part of my devotional reading is often reading through the entire Bible in a year. This is a great discipline, especially if you've never done it before. I have never once read through the entire Bible without learning something new.

When I first recommend this discipline to others I'm often told that they see no way to read through the Bible in a year. They are surprised when I tell them it can be done simply by reading just three chapters a day. Three chapters a day often doesn't take more than 15-20 minutes to read, but think of the difference it could make in your life.

I will admit that there are some rough chapters to read. The books of Numbers and Leviticus are not exciting books to read, but even those books can teach us more about God. Some of the historical books can also get a little boring, but even they contain nuggets of helpful information. You will be surprised at some of the insights God will reveal to you when you commit to reading the Bible in a year.

There's no single right way to do this. What I do when I commit to reading through the Bible that year is to buy a version of the Bible I haven't read before. This helps keep the reading fresh. It also opens up new understandings as I am reading a translation for the first time. I typically read only translations, not paraphrases although one year I chose to read The Message Bible for my devotions. As long as one knows it is a paraphrase and not a translation I see no problem reading it for devotional purposes. 

Regardless of the version you decide to read, make sure it is readable. Some print in Bibles is too small or too faint to be comfortable to read. If it's not comfortable to read you are less likely to read it. Spend a little more to buy a Bible you will enjoy reading. It will be a great investment.

I place my Bible in my study with my other devotional materials. When I get up in the morning I fix a pot of coffee and go to the study. There I can do my devotional reading with no distractions. Once I complete my devotions I'm ready to face the world.

Many times I've invited people to read through the Bible in a year, and many have responded that doing so was one of the best decisions they had ever made. Some did it as a family while most did it individually. Some people struggle with reading due to eyesight issues, and they have downloaded a version that someone read to them. This works well, too. The important thing is to spend time in God's Word to learn more about Him and His will for your life.

One of the most important decisions you will ever make

 This Sunday at North Madison Baptist Church I will be sharing a message about one of the most important decisions you will make in this lifetime. Our entire lives are impacted by this decision, and yet I fear that many people, including Christians, seldom give it much thought. I encourage you to join us for our worship service starting at 10:30 Sunday to hear this important message.

The following week will begin the season of Advent. This is the season on the Christian calendar that leads up to Christmas. Each Sunday during December I will bring a message that points to the birth of Jesus Christ and how His birth affects each person today. I encourage you to plan on joining us for these important messages.

It's time to come home

 The biblical story of the Prodigal Son is one of my favorite Bible stories. Like many of us, this individual decided to try everything the world had to offer, and he found it wasn't enough. It wasn't long until he had spent his entire inheritance, lost all his friends, and found himself in a pigpen. Not a good place for a good Jewish boy. Many of us have found ourselves in life's pigpens because of choices we have made. We thought we were enjoying the good life until we learned the good life promised more than it could deliver. At the end of the day we were in the pigpen of life. We looked in the mirror and didn't like what we saw. We laid down at night trying to sleep, but all we could do was replay the bad decisions over and over again we had made. Some, seeing no way out, sink into deep depression, and a few may even consider taking their lives to make the pain go away. There is a better way.

In the story of the Prodigal Son we read that "he came to himself." He remembered that in his father's house the servants had plenty to eat. Maybe he no longer deserved to be considered his father's son, but perhaps his father would take him back as one of the servants. He began to return home, and when he was close enough for his father to recognize him, the father ran to him, embraced him and welcomed him back as his son.

You can also return home. Maybe you have wandered far from God in the choices you have made, and wonder if God would ever accept you. The answer is yes! Just as the father in our biblical story was looking for his son, God is always looking for anyone who wants to come to Him. Contrary to what some might tell you, God does not hate you for the choices you've made in life. He loves you. He wants you to come to Him, and when you do He will welcome you with open arms. If you will but ask, God will forgive you of all your sins and receive you into His forever family.

For anyone who might be reading my blog for the first time, I recently started as the Transitional Pastor of North Madison Baptist Church in Madison, Indiana. Individuals who are ready to return home to God are exactly the persons we want to reach. We could care less about your past. We are only interested in helping you move into a growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We don't care about your background, the choices you made in the past or the struggles you may be facing now. We are interested in you. God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to leave you there. We feel the same way.

If you are ready to come home, but aren't sure how, please contact me through this blog. If you live in the area and want to attend our worship service, it begins at 10:30 on Sunday morning. I would love to know you and answer any questions you might have about how to experience God in a fresh, new way. You are loved, by God and by me.

Pointing the way to Christ

Every year our community hosts a two-day blues festival that brings in both area talent and some national names as well. I've attended many of these events as I enjoy good blues music. I've had the privilege of hearing some of the most respected blues performers over the years at this event. One of my favorites was Guy Davis who was here several years ago. After his performance I purchased the CD he was promoting at the time. One of my favorites on the CD was Can Anyone Tell Me Where the Road Is? I don't know if the song is his personal story, but he sings it in the first-person.

The song tells a number of mistakes he has made in his life, all of which has had a negative impact on his life. The chorus keeps asking the question, "Can anyone tell me where the road is?" He is wanting to a better place in his life, but he's uncertain how to get there.

This song powerfully touches me in a couple of ways. One, it describes my life and the lives of many people I know. I was raised in church and accepted Christ at an early age, but when I entered my teen years I strayed far from the path I had once known. It wasn't until my late-twenties that a situation in my life caused me to want to find my way back home. The positive thing in my life was that I knew where the road was that would lead me back to the place I wanted to be. Because of my childhood in the church I knew that it was only through God I could return to a healthier place. At that point, God brought people into my life to help me find that path.

Today, many in two generations have not been privileged to have been raised in the church. They've not been exposed to biblical teaching nor have they been exposed to the person of Jesus Christ. When they realize that the path they are on is not taking them to a place they want to be, they do not know where to turn. Some will pursue false religions. Others will seek spiritual experiences in New Age thinking, witchcraft, or other religious pursuits that eventually lead to dead ends. For some, these dead ends will convince them that there is no path that will take them where they want to be.

It is here that the song touches me so powerfully. I want to be part of a church that can show them that the path to Jesus Christ is the one that will lead them to the life they are seeking. I want to see the church to recognize that it is meant to be a lighthouse to point struggling people to Christ, a hospital for sinners who can receive healing for their sins through Christ. I hurt for hurting people because I know what it means to hurt. I also know what it means when others care about hurting people and are willing to help them find the healing they need. More than anything else, I want to be part of a church like that. 

The life I knew

Last week I published a blog about being thankful. The night the blog came out I came across an old Jackie Gleason/Crazy Guggenheim sketch. I doubt that many people today are familiar with Crazy Guggenheim (played by Frank Fontaine), and it's possible that some may even not be familiar with Jackie Gleason. Both were master comedians when I was growing up in the 1960s, and they were representatives of the many other entertainers of that period. I have to add that I am thankful that I grew up in a time when entertainers didn't feel the need to be vulgar in order to make people laugh. The Jackie Gleason Show, The Honeymooners (actually a 1950s show), The Red Skelton Hour and countless other television programs found audiences and entertained people without nudity or vulgarity.

There were few nights I missed the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. Yes, there could be some blue humor from some of the guests, but no one was ever vulgar. If a four-letter word slipped out it was quickly bleeped by the network. I watched the Carson show because he was a master at what he did, and he had the best guests. Not only was the show funny; it was also often informational. The same thing is true of the Tonight Show when Jay Leno took over the first time. After he retired and then returned when the show began to bomb it wasn't the same. I felt Leno was telephoning his work. There was little entertainment value in the show when he returned, and I realized I was losing a lot of sleep hoping things would return to normal. I finally quit watching the show entirely as I found Jimmy Fallon quite boring.

I'm thankful to have grown up in a time when television programs were truly entertaining without being offensive. Young people growing up today don't know what it's like to watch a comedian who isn't vulgar. I realize in their private lives these individuals could be quite vulgar, but this never carried itself to the television set. They provided wholesome entertainment that the whole family could watch without anyone being offended or without the need to explain to the children what they just saw and/or heard.

My early childhood years were spent in the 1950s, but my teen years were in the 1960s. That was when entertainment began to stretch the boundaries. Comedy and music became a little bluer, Nudity became expected from the movie-going public. Pornography came from behind the counter and began to show up in the public "Adult" section of the bookstores and magazine shops. The language used in movies and by many entertainers became more vulgar. Parents had to review programs on the TV before allowing the family to watch. In the 2020s it has done nothing but get worse.

I'll end this post by just saying I'm thankful for growing up when I did. I'm thankful for cutting my comedy teeth on Jackie Gleason, Red Skelton, Dick van Dike, and others of that era. I'm thankful for a childhood of watching the old westerns that had a moral story behind the action. I'm thankful for learning to be entertained without being embarrassed. 

Thanksgiving

Since we are approaching the Thanksgiving season I felt it was appropriate to preach this Sunday on Thanksgiving. Many people move straight from Halloween to Christmas and give little thought to Thanksgiving except for the turkey and watching football games. This mindset comes from an entitlement mentality. Since we are entitled to everything we have we feel no reason to be thankful for anything.

Growing up my parents hammered into my mind that "Society doesn't owe you anything." I must have heard it a hundred times, and I didn't want to hear it even once. Of course society owed me many things since, after all, the world revolved around me. That kind of thinking is bad enough in a child, but it's a horrible way to live as an adult. Yet, many do. Just this week I read about the pain felt by Gen-Z college graduates who struggle with the demands of working a 40-hour week. Several years ago I owned a business and was trying to hire a high school graduate for the summer to help answer the phone and do some filing. She expressed a concern about having to work every day because she really wanted to spend time at the pool with her friends. I told her to go swimming and I'd hire someone else.

Every single day I spend time giving God thanks for the blessings I enjoy in life. I thank Him for my wife of 56 years, our children and grandchildren. I thank Him for our good health when so many of my high school classmates have passed away or struggle with major health issues. I thank Him that my life has purpose and meaning. I thank Him for the success of our auction business. I thank Him for the church He has recently called me to serve. I thank Him for the financial security we enjoy. No, we're not rich, but it wasn't that long ago we struggled to pay our bills. I thank Him that He allows me to have a clear mind that is able to read and absorb information. I thank Him that there is not a moment in my life where He is not present and watching over me. And, yes, I thank Him for the tough times we've had that drew me closer to Him.

I want to live my life grateful for all that God has done in my life and continues to do. I also want to be grateful for the people God has brought into my life who have encouraged me and blessed me. Zig Ziglar used to say that if you see a turtle on a fencepost you can be sure he didn't get there by himself. Believe me when I say that I could not have accomplished anything worthwhile without the people God brought into my life at the right time. I couldn't begin to list them all.

There's nothing wrong with family dinners this holiday season, and there's nothing wrong with watching the football games. But, I do hope you'll take a few minutes, at least, and think about the things for which you are are thankful. And, if you need help in living a thankful life, I invite you to our worship service at North Madison Baptist Church this Sunday. Our service begins at 10:30, and we will have a place for you. 

The gray zone

A few years ago I was leading a seminar for Church of the Nazarene pastors in Michigan. When I finished my presentation I opened the floor for questions. One young pastor asked what I thought the future of the church might look like. I admitted that I didn't know because we are going through a time of transition in the church today. There is no doubt that God is doing a new thing in the church, but no one really knows all this might entail right now. After sharing some of the new things happening in the church I admitted to this young pastor that I envied him and his age group because they would see what the church would look like on the other side of the transition. I probably would not.

A book I'm currently re-reading is A Non-Anxious Presence by Mark Sayers. He describes this time of transition as living in the gray zone. He writes, "Gray zones exist in the overlap between the passing era and the era to come. One can be fooled that the old era is still dominant." While the gray zone contains the influence of more than one era, the fact is that the new era will eventually break through the gray zone. The old era is gradually losing ground even if we don't see it right away.

The pandemic was a good example of this. Everything changed overnight. Suddenly, churches were closed, businesses shut down, we were asked to stay in place and not travel. Masks were required if one did venture out. Stores controlled the number of people allowed in the store at one time. One of the constant questions often heard was when would everything get back to normal. While some things may have returned to some sense of normalcy, the truth is that we will never return exactly to the way things were before the pandemic. We know now that much of what we were being told during the pandemic simply was not true. Whether that was intentional or because we truly didn't know enough about Covid-19 and how to respond to it is beside the point. Distrust of governmental agencies and those in authority is part of the new normal after the pandemic.

Many, especially our older members, have not returned to church services since the pandemic and are unlikely to do so. During the pandemic many pastors became televangelists overnight! Churches scrambled to broadcast their services online through Facebook or YouTube. Others hurried to get a website to keep their members connected with one another and to provide a means for people to contribute financially. It will be important for churches to maintain their Internet connection to their members and to use it to reach out to unchurched people. I am convinced that connection will be vital to churches as we continue through the gray zone.

For several years we have seen an upsurge in the number of new churches. We are likely to see even more in the future. The reason for this is simple: new churches reach new people. Many, if not most, of our traditional churches are stagnant and/or dying. The population is growing much faster than these churches are reaching people. God is in the business of transforming lives, and if the current churches are not engaged in that, He will raise up new churches who will be. According to Lifeway, in 2019 3,000 new churches were started while 4,500 existing churches closed. I think it's safe to predict that we will see even more new churches in the future.

Many other changes will be seen on the other side of the gray zone. Some will not like many of them, and some churches will resist them. Such churches are not likely to survive. When God is doing a new thing it is not wise to resist Him. 

What can existing churches do during this gray zone? There are really only two choices. They can keep doing the same thing they've always done until the last person turns off the lights or they can open themselves up to what God is doing. This will require a new vision, a lot of courage, and a willingness to replant themselves as a new church for a new era.

The Power of a dream

 Martin Luther King, Jr. touched the soul of America with his "I have a dream" speech in which he talked about a time when racial differences would be set aside, and all people could come together. We are a long away from seeing that dream fulfilled, but as a nation we have come a long way since Dr. King shared his dream.

Dreams have power to touch people's hearts. They can show us the ways things could be, the way things ought to be. They give us a vision of a preferred future. Although dreams by themselves cannot change anything, nothing much worthwhile happens without a dream.

How long has it been since you had a dream? I'm not talking about the dreams that cause you to wake up at night. I'm referring to the kind of dreams that point toward a different future, a better future. Isn't it funny that as children we spent a lot of time dreaming. We dreamed about what we wanted to do when we were grown up, the kind of work we would do, the person we would marry, where we would live and many more dreams. For some reason, as adults we quit dreaming. We settle. We accept mediocrity. We lose the ability to dream which also means we lose the ability to grow.

This can be true of our careers. I think of the Dolly Parton movie "Nine to Five." Most of the workers settled to live mundane lives committed to mundane careers. Not Dolly and her friends. They had a dream. They were determined to advance their careers, and through a series of comedic events they did just that.

It can be true of marriage. I've never known a young couple getting married who were excited about settling down for a boring life together. Yet, it happens all too often. A marriage filled with dreams about the future often falls into a rut and ends with two people sharing an address but not a life.

Finally, it can be true of a church. Every church began because someone or a group of people had a dream for a church in their community. Over time, the original dreams are forgotten and everyone settles in to become part of an organization. They keep the rules. They follow the church constitution. They refer to the past years of the church as "the good old days" when the building was full and people's lives were being changed, but they do nothing to recapture that excitement. If they do try to do something, quite often they simply repeat what worked back them rather than seeking God's dreams for the church today.

I encourage you to begin to dream. Dream about what your marriage could be like. Dream about what your career could look like. Dream about what your church could become once again. Then, begin to put together a plan for how to make that dream a reality.

My first Sunday

 Yesterday was my first Sunday as the Transitional Pastor of North Madison Baptist Church, and it felt so good being back in the pulpit. After all, it had been a whole 4 months or so since I had preached! It just felt good sharing God's Word with the people and having the opportunity to speak an encouraging word to them. I found out I picked a busy week to start...we are the host church for the American Baptist Men's meeting tonight and there is a leadership meeting on Tuesday. Nothing like hitting ground running.

At the American Baptist Men's meeting I am going to share a video and the story of a pilot who was scheduled to fly the plane that was flown into the Pentagon building on 9/11. He was bumped off that flight the morning of 9/11 by a more senior pilot. It is a powerful and moving story. I heard this pilot speak at a meeting I attended while on vacation in Florida. I had to buy his DVD and will be showing that tonight. I encourage all men living in the Madison, Indiana area to attend this meeting. It will be at 7:00 at North Madison Baptist Church starting at 7:00. There will be pie and coffee after the meeting, and you do not have to be an American Baptist to attend. I would love to have every man in the Madison community to come and hear this story.

Secrets and church health

While serving as a regional minister in our judicatory one of my churches had a series of pastoral changes in a short period of time. I found out from the second pastor that the leadership had fired him but told him to announce he was resigning, and they would provide him with a severance package. I heard the story and called the pastor to confirm it. He admitted it was true but begged me to not say anything because he and his family were able to live in the parsonage while he sought another church. I had previously heard similar stories about this church and its board.

To protect this pastor I waited until he moved to another church and left the parsonage before calling the head of the lay leadership. I asked if what I had been told was true, and he admitted it was. I then said that I felt this church had a lot of secrets that were being kept from the membership. After a long pause he admitted this was also true. He had just assumed his leadership position and assured me he was going to address it.

One of the problems in keeping secrets is that they really do not remain secrets for very long. People know when things are not right. I retired soon after this event occurred in this church and do not know how the church is doing today, but at the time they had lost over half of their congregation. I told that lay leader something I've told many congregations: A CHURCH IS ONLY AS HEALTHY AS THE SECRETS IT KEEPS.

How many churches have covered up pastoral affairs "for the sake of the ministry?" How many have covered up financial irregularities for the same supposed reason? How many church boards have fired the pastor and bribed him or her with financial incentives to announce to the congregation that they felt "led by the Lord to take another church?"

I repeat that a church will only be as healthy as the secrets it keeps. Some churches have a lot of bodies buried, and I'm not referring to the graveyard that surrounds the church. Board meetings are filled with anger, tension and fear that people will learn the secrets that are being maintained. 

When I was first saved I was a member of a church where the leaders wanted the pastor out. It was not uncommon to see the deacons and the pastor go into a room after a Sunday morning service for a meeting. After a few months, the pastor left. Sometime later I was chosen to be a deacon in that church and was elected secretary. When I received the secretary's record book I thought I would finally find out what went on in those meetings. However, when I opened the book I found that all the pages from that time period had been torn out. The church was not a healthy church, and it still wasn't when I left a couple of years later.

An unhealthy church can never be a growing church, and if it did grow, it would grow to be even more unhealthy. When people walk into an unhealthy church, they can feel the tension. While they may not know what's going on, they know something is not right in this church. 

It's never easy to publicly announce misconduct when it occurs, but it's necessary. Like a doctor telling patient he or she has cancer, it's not easy for the doctor but the patient must know there's a problem, and there's a treatment plan. As painful as it might be for a congregation to hear there's a problem, it's far better to announce it and offer a plan to address it. I will repeat: A church is only as healthy as the secrets it keeps. 

Back in the pulpit

 Last week I announced that I was asked to serve as the Transitional Pastor of North Madison Baptist Church. I just want to remind everyone that my first Sunday in the pulpit will be this Sunday, November, 5. If you do not have a church home and live in the Madison, IN area we would love to have you join us for worship. The service begins at 10:30.

The message for this Sunday is entitled "The Waymaker." So often we find ourselves in a place where we think we are stuck, all alone with no way out. We feel hopeless and fearful. I've been there, and it's not a good feeling. The good news is God can make a way when we can't see a way. I believe you will find this message to be an encouragement.

Some have asked me what it means to be a Transitional Pastor. The church is seeking a pastor, and in Baptist life the person who served the church during their time of seeking new pastoral leadership was usually referred to as an interim pastor. I prefer the term Transitional Pastor. For me, the word interim suggests you are just killing time, holding ground until the church finds a new pastor. During this time many churches seem to go into neutral, merely coasting along until a new pastor arrives. I see no reason, and certainly no biblical reason, this should be the case.

The word transition suggests that things are moving. The church is moving from one stage of its life to the next stage, but in the process it remains actively involved in ministering to one another and to the community. During this transition time it seeks a fresh vision from God and begins to live into that vision. This is my third church to serve as the Transitional Pastor since my "retirement." I admit that I am excited to begin.

Someone asked if I was ever going to actually retire. The way I look at it is that God has blessed me with good health, He called me 44 years ago to serve Him as a minister, and so far, He hasn't told me I'm done. Rather than retire I prefer to re-fire, and I am fired up and ready to begin a new challenge.

Again, if you do not currently have a church home and would like to be part of this challenge, I encourage you to join us this Sunday at 10:30.