Read through the Bible in 2025

 I want to invite you to read through the Bible with me in 2025. Some years I do this as part of my devotional reading each morning. Most Christians have never read through the Bible in a year and don't believe it is possible. I've done it dozens of times. All a person has to do is read three chapters a day, and by the end of the year you will have read through the entire Bible. I realize that some chapters are rather lengthy, such as Psalm 119, and you may not even read through that chapter in one sitting. But, others Psalms are short, and I will read more than three chapters when I get to them.

One thing I do is to buy a new version of the Bible when I read through the Bible in a year. This has resulted in me having quite a few versions of the Bible in my library, but it gives me a fresh perspective on the Bible as I read through it. I just ordered my new Bible this morning to be sure I have it when January 1 rolls around.

The version I ordered is the ESV which is one of the few newer translations I do not already have in my library. It comes highly recommended by pastors and scholars. Some years I have chosen to not read a translation but a paraphrase simply to read the Scriptures in a different format. One time I chose The Message which was an interesting read that year. I do not study from paraphrases, that is done with translations of the Bible, but occasionally reading paraphrases will give the reader new insights into what the passage is saying.

Some find reading difficult. For those individuals I recommend getting an audio version of the Bible you can listen to. There are many Bible apps available at no cost for your smartphone or iPad you can get and listen to the Scriptures.

This does not take the place of Bible study. You are not engaging in an in-depth study of the Bible; you are reading it. Chances are, you will read passages you've never read before. God may be disturbing. One lady who accepted the challenge told me she wasn't sure she could finish it because of God's actions in some sections of the Old Testament. I encouraged her to continue reading. Other passages you may have read before will give you new insights as you read them again. God will begin to show you things you had never seen before in your previous readings.

I hope you will join me in reading through the Bible in 2025. I believe doing so will help anyone grow in their faith.

 

Are we wasting our time?

 I recently read a blot post written by someone I respect as a Christian leader. He has challenged me for years to think differently about the church. I've quoted him in some of my books. In his blog he stated his belief that 60-70 percent of pastors are wasting their time serving churches that have no chance of long-term survival. He correctly noted that 80-85 percent of churches in America are plateaued or dying, and many of them will not survive. I personally believe that the majority of those churches are dying, not plateaued. He does not believe that most of those churches will survive long term. Unfortunately, I've come to agree with him.

Several years ago when I served on regional staff in our denomination I would not have agreed with him. I was convinced that with the right pastoral leadership almost any church could be turned around. I now realize that, short of a miracle from God, some of these churches had no chance of survival. They had gone too far down the decline side of the bell curve. They had zero interest in outreach or discipleship. Their only goal was survival. Since then, some of those churches have closed their doors while others continue to hang on by a fingernail waiting for the miracle pastor who can save their church.

It hurts me to say this, but perhaps this church leader is right. Maybe a lot of pastors are wasting their time trying to save something that died a long time ago. While pastors spend their days putting out fires and seeking ways to serve their shrinking congregations, multitudes are dying without Christ. The Great Commission and the Great Commandment are ignored while we try to soothe the ruffled feathers of a patriarch in the church. Too many churches are trying to find the funds to remodel their kitchen while they have nothing in the budget for evangelism and discipleship.

My DMin project was coaching bivocational ministers for greater ministry effectiveness. In one coaching session with a pastor he had questions about an upcoming baptism. Since he seemed so concerned about the details I commented that he seemed very nervous about the baptism and asked why. He responded he wanted it to go well because it was the first baptism in that church in 50 years. I had to wonder what the previous pastors had done while serving that church. Perhaps they had wasted their time and the opportunities to present Jesus Christ to their community.

But, here was a young pastor who was not wasting his time. In our next coaching session he reported the baptism went well. After the service, the congregation marched down to a river bordering their town and baptized the person there. The parade of the congregation was noticed by some people in the community who followed them. They were able to hear the pastor explain the purpose and symbolism of baptism and witness the baptism itself. Several people heard the gospel that day without ever attending the church service. I do not know the long-term outcome of that baptism, but this young pastor sowed some powerful evangelistic seeds that day.

The church leader I quoted earlier would have probably looked at that small church that had gone 50 years without a baptism and determined the church had no chance of survival and any pastor who went there was wasting his or her time. Maybe we should not be so quick to judge that, and maybe that's not our call to make. After all, if God calls a person to serve a church He must have a purpose in doing so.

I realize there are some churches that will not survive. Churches close their doors every week. At some point, denominations and church leaders need to allow them to end their ministries and stop artificially propping them up. At the same time, there are some struggling churches who only need a pastor with a God-given vision to turn them around. Such pastors will not be wasting their time serving in that church. It will take time to pass that vision on to the congregation, and it will take time to implement the vision, but it will be time well spent. It will not be wasted.

Bringing a nation back together

 I think most of us will be glad when this election is over. Each election cycle I think it can't get much worse, but then the next election comes, and I realize I was wrong. Neither candidate has taken the high road. Their comments have enflamed a nation already more divided than we have been since the Civil War. After 9-11 it seemed we came together, but that was short-lived. This election has brought out the worst in many of us. Some of the things that have been said on social media about supporters on both sides are unfair and insulting.

In a few days (hopefully) we will know who our next president will be. Both sides are claiming that if the other party loses there will be widespread rioting by its supporters. I hope not, but past events may support those accusations. America is living in a dangerous time. What can the church do? I think at least two things.

One, we need to remind people that regardless of who sits in the White House, God is still on the throne. It is not the elephant or the donkey that will determine the future of this country but the Lamb. I remind people all the time that our nation's salvation will not come from the White House, the State House, or the courthouse but will come from God's house. As citizens of this nation, Christians have a duty to vote for the candidates that best reflect their values and beliefs, but our focus must always be on God. He has the power to turn the hearts of the kings (Pr. 21: 1).

Secondly, the church must begin to work to bring this nation back together. I realize that some churches have done much to enflame the divisions that exist in this country, but that must cease. It's time the church comes together to preach a message of unity and reconciliation. That begins with people being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and then to be reconciled with one another. This does not mean that people cannot hold different opinions on issues, but it's past time that we stop screaming at one another and begin to debate our differences seeking guidance from God

For this to happen, the church must admit its own sins that have led to the divisions in our nation. Until the church leads the way in this, our nation will never be healed from its divisions (2 Chr. 7: 14). As this verse says, this will require humility on the part of the church, and such humility can be a rare commodity in some churches. Our nation needs to repent, and such repentance must begin in God's house.

The evangelistic church

 Last night I finished reading I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. It is, by far, the best book I've read this year. It was fairly heavy reading, and I wanted something perhaps a little lighter. I pulled out a book from my library I had not read in many years titled The Evangelistic Church by John Havlik. It was published in 1976 so I imagine it would not be easy to find a copy. Havlick is a Southern Baptist, and while he expresses his joy in what the churches in his denomination was doing regarding evanglism, he also recognized there were problems. I want to share a paragraph from the introduction. If it was true in 1976, it is even more true today. He wrote

"Some of our churches have settled into a dull routine that is unexciting and unappealing. The joy and celebration over evangelistic victories have been lost in the flat sameness of service after service. Some of our churches (especially in the cities) have not learned how to communicate with a secular society. Some of our churches exist as a well-insulated little pocket of spirituality in the midst of a sea of indifference. The world does not hate us. They do not love us. They do not know we are here."

WOW! I can't say if his words were true in 1976, but they are certainly true in 2024. A few years ago I served as the Transitional Pastor of a church that had served its community for well over 200 years. It had one of the largest buildings in the community. I was amazed at how many people who lived in that community had no idea where the church was located.

I am currently serving a church that will soon celebrate its 175th anniversary. Again, it is one of the largest church buildings in the community and sits just off a major highway in that community. Numerous times I've been asked where the church was located. The community does not know we are here.

I fear that many churches could close their doors tomorrow, and no one in the community could tell the difference. One of the things church leaders should ask is: Is there anything we do that our community could not live without? If the answer is no, that community sees your church as irrelevant, if they even know you exist.

The people in the first century certainly knew the church was there, and this was without large buildings, seminary-trained pastors, professionally-designed ministries, or any of the other things we think are needed today. They saw the church in action, and the Bible tells us the Lord added daily to the church those who were being saved. I don't know about you, but I want to see God add persons being saved daily to the church I serve.

That will require that we take seriously the Great Commission and adopt the attitude that we will do anything except sin to reach unsaved persons for Jesus Christ. This is the mission God has given the church, and if we fail in this mission we will have failed as a church.

The faith that is required to be an atheist

 I don't usually do this, but I have to promote a book I recently promoted:  I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. When I wrote about it before I was only on the first chapter, but it was so good I had to encourage you to read it. I'm now half-way through the book, and it keeps getting better. It is the best book on apologetics I have read, and I have a number of them in my shelf.

Books on apologetics are sometimes written for academics and can be difficult for the average person to follow. This book is not like that. It's not a simple, quick read, but it is highly readable. The authors, Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, have written a book that is readable for almost any person. Both are highly respected Christian philosophers who have debated numerous atheists during their careers. The arguments they present in this book are sound and will help anyone defend their faith against the most strident nonbeliever. They also will help answer any questions Christians may have about their faith.

The chapter I am currently reading is discussing miracles. They are specifically addressing David Humes' arguments against the possibility of miracles. With simple logic they are able to shoot holes in his argument and prove the existence of miracles and how those miracles point to the existence of God.

Throughout the book they correctly point out that the arguments nonbelievers have against the existence of God is not based on sound reasoning or logic but on the determination to discount His existence so they can live their lives without any moral restraints. They have to reject all the obvious evidence that God does exist in order to hold on to their belief (hope?) that He does not. There will come a time when they will realize how wrong they were. Of course, the saddest part of their of their refusal to believe in the existence of God will be the multitudes of people they were able to convince their worldview was right.

I plan to do a series of messages in 2025 that will speak to the evidences of the existence of God. This book will be one of my resources for these messages. I wish I had read this book earlier in my ministry, but I'm thankful I found it now. I will say again, I cannot recommend this book more highly.

Church 2024

For decades now some have predicted the end of the church. Such people have evidently never read Jesus' words that the gates of hell will not destroy the church. The church will never die, but we will admit that the church is struggling right now. It is going through a transition that is bringing about changes that many find frightening. These changes threaten how people view the church and have understood it for many years. It is a transition that the church needs and will weed out the pretenders from the true believers.

The Baptist preacher, Vance Havner, once said that many churches start at 11:00 sharp and end at 12:00 dull. Truer words have never been spoken. Worship in too many churches consist of singing a few songs to our hymnbooks and following an order that precludes the Holy Spirit from doing anything. Songs, a couple of prayers and listening to a talking head is not worship. There is little recognition of Almighty God in many of our services. Everything is designed to get everyone out in an hour so as not to interfere with their plans for the remainder of the day. For many church members, attending the service allows them to mark that off their to-do list so they can get on with the important things on their schedules.

Worship is changing in many churches. Hymnbooks are being replaced by more modern music. Organs are being replaced by guitars, drums and other instruments. Worship is becoming more lively. Even traditional Baptists are sometimes seen with their hands in the air worshiping God. (Shocking, I know!) The Holy Spirit is given time and space to move in people's lives, and, as a result, people's lives are being changed. 

Sermons are changing as well. As a younger person I sat in services where a red-faced, sweating preacher stomped and snorted from one side of the pulpit area to the other. I don't remember that he ever said anything especially worthwhile, but he was sincere. Today, as I preach, I tell stories that illustrate what the Bible text is teaching. I'm more of a teacher in the pulpit. I want my listeners to have a better understanding of what the Bible teaches is the way to a rewarding life now and eternal life in the future.

The church is changing in the way it does discipleship as well. While Sunday school classes can still be found, many churches offer small groups and short-term Bible studies in addition to their traditional Sunday school classes. People who attend these additional studies tend to grow more as disciples than those who simply attend whatever is offered on Sunday morning.

I have to admit that I do not know how these changes will eventually impact the church. I wish I was a younger person because I doubt that I will live long enough to see the final result of these changes, but I am excited about the future of the church. The changes will drive out many of the make-believers sitting in our pews today, or it will convert them to true Christianity. Rather than the church dying out, these changes will strengthen it and make it a much more formidable force in the world drawing people into the Kingdom of God.

To those who love the Lord, I say to you, hold on. You're about to have quite a ride, but when you get to the other side you are going to realize it was worth it!

Being in the wrong place

 I can remember as a child watching the Republican national convention when Eisenhower was nominated as their candidate for president. I've been interested in politics ever since. In high school I entertained the idea of going to college to be an attorney which may well have led me into politics. Of course, I never pursued either becoming an attorney or a politician, but I remain interested in the political process. Over the years I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans. I am much more interested in what the person stands for than I am what political party he or she may belong to. With this background, I believe I have earned the right to say that neither of the candidates for president in this election cycle impress me. Both have an amazing capacity to say really stupid things. It's hard for me to believe that neither party has anyone better to represent them, and our country, than these two.

While both have made comments that bother me, no statement concerns me more than Kamala Harris' comment to the individual who shouted out at her meeting, "Jesus is Lord." She responded that they were at the wrong rally in a very flippant manner. She has been under a great deal of criticism for her comment, and some suggest it indicates what her attitude towards Christianity will be if she is elected president.

On the one hand, it is one of the stupidest comments I've ever heard from a candidate of either party. To tell Christians they should not be at a political rally is saying that they and their Christians views are not welcome there. On the other hand, it is possible that this shows the potential attitude that they will have towards Christians if elected to the highest political office in the land. Either way, it sends a message to a large voting block that their beliefs and values do not matter. This is not the way to win election

Of course, she may feel safe in insulting Christians. We are told that a majority of Christians will not vote in this election. If that is true, then insulting Christians may not bother either candidate. But if it is true, this shows a serious disconnect between our responsibilities as citizens of this country. We have a responsibility to vote for those who best reflect our moral values and beliefs.

I will never tell anyone who to vote for in any political race. As a pastor I will only say that we should vote for the persons who best reflect our Christian values and beliefs. As I said earlier, I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans in the past, and I will split my ballot again this year. If you are legally registered to vote, I encourage you to vote this year.  Much depends on it.

Anniversary

 Last week my wife, Faye, and I celebrated our 58th wedding anniversary. Normally, we go to Florida for about 10 days for our anniversary, but with all the problems there this year we decided to stay home. I did miss the ocean and the wonderful, fresh seafood, but we had a good anniversary anyway.

In 58 years you sure get to experience a lot of life. There have been peaks and valleys like all couples have, but the peaks have far outnumbered the valleys. The good news is that during both the peaks and valleys, we were there for each other. There were times we stood alone, but we stood together.

I recently read that the average age for males today who get married is around 30 years of age. For women it is 28. I was 18 and Faye was 19 when we married. By the time we reached today's average age of marriage we had two kids, I had served a tour of duty in the Navy, and we had a decade of marriage behind us. Some said we were too young to get married, and maybe we were, but we loved each other and were committed to each other, so why wait? I'm glad we didn't.

There is no woman I would have wanted for my wife besides Faye. I cannot say enough good things about her, but she has been a constant source of encouragement, support, and dedication throughout our marriage. The crowns she has earned in heaven will lay heavy on her head. I can almost hear God saying to her, "I don't know how you put up with him!"

Our walk with God didn't begin until we had been married for a few years, but it strengthened our marriage even more. I truly do not understand how marriages survive without God at the center of that relationship. I thank God every night for bringing her into my life and for the years we've been together.

We've been blessed with a daughter and a son and several grandchildren. The grandchildren are getting older now which makes me feel even older! What a blessing our children and grandchildren have been! We love them more every day.

We both are looking forward to more years together.

Holding onto things loosely

The Bible does not condemn having material possessions nor does it speak against having wealth. It's OK to possess things as long as we do not allow them to possess us. In Matthew 6 Jesus warns against having all our treasures here on earth where moth, rust and thieves can take them away. It is much better, He tells us, that our treasures are found in heaven where they can never be taken from us. This tells me that, while it's OK to possess things, we need to hold onto them loosely.

As most of you know, I have an auction business. There are few things worse that having an estate auction where family members are fighting over the things that their loved ones left behind. I have witnessed some very ugly behavior between family members over items that two or more of them wanted. At a time when family should be coming together, they are bitterly divided over who should get Mom's cakepan.

Sometimes, problems do not arise between family members but occur because someone has a sentimental value attached to something that is far above market value. An individual once asked me about conducting an auction for her as she was moving to a smaller place in another state after the death of her husband. She took me on a tour of the home and told me the history of every item that would be sold. I knew she felt that each piece was worth far more than what she would get at auction. Finally, after telling me that a chest had belonged to her husband's grandmother, I knew I needed to speak up. I explained that it was a beautiful antique chest, but the fact is that the antique market for furniture is severely depressed. While she had sentimental value to that chest, it did not belong to anyone's else's grandmother and would be sold for a fraction of what she believed it's value was. She decided to use another auctioneer. I was told by someone who attended that auction that her items brought good money, but that she was very upset at the prices.

I tell people that what they sell at auction  may be treasures to them, but to those attending the auction, most of it is simply "stuff." Those attending the auction are looking for bargains. Pieces that are truly valuable will bring good money, but common pieces will not. If I am attending someone's auction and an item goes for more than I think it is worth, I don't buy it because there's a good chance that a similar piece will likely be found at the next auction I attend.

Don't let "stuff" destroy your relationships with family members. Don't hold on too tightly to "stuff." Don't allow "stuff" to come between you and God. I like nice things as much as anyone, but it's all "stuff." I won't take any of it with me when I enter eternity. It's far better to have laid up our true treasures in heaven where we can enjoy them forever.

Do you have enough faith to be an atheist?

 I seldom recommend books before I read the entire book, but I'm going to make an exception. I have started reading I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. If you enjoy apologetics as much as I do, you need to read this book! The information found in this book makes it a must read for anyone who wants to be able to defend their faith when challenged or who have their own doubts about some aspects of Christianity.

The authors begin the book by examining the importance of truth and how absolute truth has taken a hit in our postmodern world. They address some of the early writings of skeptics who deny that absolute truth exists and show why their  beliefs were wrong. In our pluralistic society the demand of many is that we be tolerant of everyone's beliefs. The authors point out how intolerant these people are, especially towards anyone expressing Christian beliefs. For me, that one chapter was worth the cost of the book.

As they go into the next chapter, the authors begin to look at the beginning of our universe. The material they present here is incredible. I have many apologetical books in my library, but this is adding to my knowledge of the cosmological argument for the existence of God more than I would have imagined. The book points out that even many agnostic scientists now acknowledge that the beginning of the universe is more closely related to the biblical account than any other theory that has been advanced.

This is as far as I have read. Future chapters will examine the reality of miracles, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the problem of evil in the world and much more. I am excited to read what the authors say about these things.

One of the things I appreciate about this book is that, while it covers very important subjects, it is written so that anyone can follow along. Some books written by philosophers and theologians are so academic that they are not very readable to the average person. This book is not like that. At the same time, it is not so simplistic that it offers no meat to the reader. 

If you want a book that will help you defend your faith when challenged, I can not recommend a better book. If you want a book that may help answer some questions you have, this may be the book for you. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm pretty excited about this book! I think it should be in every Christian's library.

Has God let you down?

 Some of the saddest people I've met in life believe that God let them down in their time of need. Perhaps they prayed for a loved one to be healed, but no healing took place. Maybe a child of theirs fought addictions, and, despite many prayers, never overcame that addiction. Some who felt they were in a wonderful relationship suddenly learned their spouse was involved in an affair and planning on leaving. How could God let that happen? Others suffered financial reverses making it difficult to enjoy their old age. They had done nothing wrong, but their finances were lost due to the misdeeds of others. In all of these cases it's easy to question God. Where was He? Didn't He care? Why didn't He answer my prayers? It's not fair. The end result of all this is that these people believe God, if He even exists, cannot be trusted.

I've never got that far in my thinking, but there have been times I wondered why God didn't seem to respond as quickly or in the way I thought He should. What I've learned is that God never fails us. Sometimes we are unable to see His working in our lives. Certainly, there are many times He does things differently than we might have preferred. It's easy to forget that in His perfect wisdom He sees things in our future we are unable to see, He doesn't always give us the answer we might want right now because He knows of a better way to respond that will serve us better in the future.

While God will never fail us, others will. The church has failed many people. The church fails us, and we want to blame God. It's not God who failed us; it's the imperfect people who make up the church. I hate to admit that people have left the church because I failed to serve them as I should have. Sometimes I didn't meet their expectations, whether fair or not, and they chose to walk away. Sometimes the church lets people fall through the cracks. We become so busy with "church" things that we fail to see people when they are hurting. Failing to have their hurts recognized, some will decide the church has nothing for them and leave. And, let's admit it, the church doesn't always respond well to folks who don't meet their expectations. I'll never forget the church that fired their pastor, while he was in a hospital bed, because his unwed daughter became pregnant. Yes, churches can be that insensitive, and then they wonder why people leave.

Pastors can also fail you. It seems there have been so many pastors this year removed from ministry because of sexual misconduct. Others fail their congregations by their emotional immaturity or by failing to preach sound doctrine, Some fail due to pure laziness. The list goes on.

God will never fail you, but His church and His church leaders sometimes will. The good news is that for every toxic church and minister there are many who are faithful to serve and to preach the Good News. If a church or minister hurts you, don't lump all churches and ministers together. Find a good one and serve and worship God there.

Pete Rose and the MLB Hall of Fame

 "Charley Hustle" was one of the most exciting players to watch in baseball. He played with a passion not often seen today. He ran out every hit. His head first slides were legendary. It was amazing to see him watch every pitch into the catcher's mitt. He was an integral part of the Cincinnati Reds Big Red Machine. It is unlikely that his record of 4,256 hits will ever be matched. Despite his record achievements in baseball he was banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame for betting on baseball while a player and manager.

He accepted a permanent ban from the Hall in a plea agreement with MLB probably thinking that in time they would reverse the ban. He was wrong. He died without his name being included with the other great baseball players. Since it was a lifetime ban, and he passed away this week, perhaps it is time that he is inducted into the Hall. After all, a lifetime ban should end when a person's life ends, shouldn't it? Perhaps Pete Rose as a person doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, but his accomplishments certainly do. I doubt there are many saints in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I would imagine that at least a few included in that hall lived questionable personal lives. They are there because of their accomplishments in baseball, not because of their moral purity. Few achieved more than Pete Rose.

I am not for one minute condoning or approving his betting on baseball. I am saying I wish the MLB had seen fit to allow him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while he was still alive. He gave so much to baseball as a player and manager. He holds so many records and won so many awards, and yet his accomplishments are not recognized in the HOF. I hope MLB will see fit to rectify that now that Pete is gone. How long do you punish a person for a mistake?

Actually, this post is not really about Pete Rose. It's about loving people while they are alive. Having conducted many funerals over the years I am always amazed at the number of people who send flowers to a funeral. How much better might it have been if they had given their flowers to their loved ones while they were still living. People say so many kind and loving words about the deceased; I'm sure they would have loved to have heard those comments while they were living.

I want to kiss my wife every morning and before we go to bed at night. I want to tell her I love her every time I leave the house and many times during the day. I want to tell my children and grandchildren how much I love them. I want to give them special memories that will outlast me. I want those people who are special to me to know how special they are while we both are alive. I want to give my flowers while we are alive.

Do you need to give some flowers this week to someone special in your life? Is there someone you need to show how much you appreciate them? Give those flowers. Speak those words of appreciation, Show them how much you love them.

Worship leader needed

North Madison Baptist Church in Madison, IN is in need of a worship leader. This person needs to be familiar with both traditional and contemporary music, be able to plan and lead worship and have a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. This person will also need to be able to play a musical instrument such as piano or guitar. Due to health reasons we do not have a regular pianist.

The church will celebrate its 175th anniversary in November of this year, but we are basically in a restart mode. Like many churches, our attendance has not recovered since Covid. I served as the Transitional Pastor of the church for about a year before accepting the position as pastor about two months ago. I am convinced that God has great things in store for this church so this is an opportunity for someone to be part of building something great for the Kingdom of God.

If you believe God is leading you to serve as our worship leader, please respond to this post. I would be glad to meet you and share my dreams and thoughts about the future of this church. 

Dealing with doubt

 Even the strongest of Christians may have times of doubt. Billy Graham tells the story of a period in his life when he began to question some things he was preaching. At a conference he was asked to lead early in his ministry he walked into the woods near the conference center and began to ask God if the Bible was really true. After a period of time he rose to his feet absolutely convinced that the Bible was true, his faith was true and his calling was to preach the truth. Perhaps his most famous line after that experience was "The Bible says...."

Studies find that nearly 60 percent of young people leave the Christian faith after their 15th birthday. A number of reasons have been identified, but one of the major ones is that no one is willing to answer their questions. They may have serious questions and doubts about Christianity, but they find their church is not a safe place to ask those questions or express their doubts. One 17-year-old girl told me that was the case in her youth group. She asks a lot of tough questions and spends much time reading her Bible, but she said when she asks questions in the youth group she is either ignored or given simplistic answers that really do not answer her questions. Unfortunately, this is too often the case.

Churches must be a safe place for people to ask their questions. No person should be made to feel ashamed for expressing doubts about their faith or for asking questions. In fact, questions should be encouraged for they show the person is thinking critically about Christianity, and answering the questions may help them solidify their faith.

There are two warnings when we attempt to answer people's questions or address their doubts. One, we don't want to make up answers when we don't know the answer. Young people are especially tuned to such answers and can see through them. It's far better to admit that we don't know and we will attempt to find the answer and respond to them at that time. There will also be some questions we will never be able to answer, and we need to honestly admit that. Here is where the faith factor of Christianity comes into play. But, we don't want to fall back on that response too often. There may well be an answer to the question that we can find with a little research.

The other warning is that we need to understand the purpose of the question. As someone has said, behind every question is a questioner. We need to know the questioner so we can understand what is behind the question. If a six-year-old child asks, "Who made God?" that is a much different question than if it is asked by a university biology professor. In the first case, the child is probably asking out of genuine interest. In the second case, the question may well be asked as a challenge to Christianity or being asked because the professor is honestly seeking God and needs answers to some of his questions. Our answer would be the same in both cases but would need to be framed differently. It's important to know the questioner and the reason behind the question before answering.

Jesus asked a lot of questions, and He was not afraid of questions. We need to be like Him. Don't be afraid of questions but respond to them truthfully, biblically and with grace.

Ministry challenges today

In 2021 I published an e-book titled Is Your Church Ready for Ministry in the Coming Decade? It had been a few years since I had published a book, and I didn't realize how much the publishing world had changed. It was nearly impossible to find a publisher willing to look at any book that did not come to them from an agent, and it seemed many agents were more interested in the author's social media followers than in the content of a book. I finally gave up and released it as an e-book with Amazon. Of course, the problem with that is that same year 2.3 million self-published e-books hit the market. It's easy for these books to get lost in the shear volume of available books.

I wrote this book because pastors and churches are facing new challenges as our society continues to change. Ministry today is much different than when I first began as pastor in 1981. While there is nothing new under the sun, the issues people now face are much more in the open than they were in the recent past. The church is constantly being challenged to address issues that previous generations of pastors never had to face. If we are to speak a word of hope to our culture we must understand these challenges and think about how to best address them.

The book contains chapters on several of the bigger challenges facing today's church. Issues such as racial reconciliation, mental illness, poverty, addictions, suicide, sexual issues and many more are included in the book. I tried to bring some of the latest studies into the discussion of each topic and show how the church can speak to the issues lovingly and, at the same time, be true to what Scripture teaches.

I seldom promote my books on this blog because that is not the purpose of this site. However, like I said earlier, so many e-books are published each year they can easily get lost in the crowd. This book sells for only $6.95 and is available on your Kindle devices. If you think it might be helpful to your ministry you can find it here. Thank you.

Why do people attend a church for the first time?

 Sam Rainer recently shared on his Facebook page research done by Church Answers to determine what would be a reason someone would begin to attend church regularly. It mostly goes along with previous studies done over the past few years.

    To grow spiritually                    32%

    Someone invited me                  22%

    God told me to go                      20%

    Spouse wants me to go              17%

    Other                                          16%

    Life crisis                                    16%

    Family connection                      15%

    To meet new friends                    13%

    Preaching quality                        10%

    Good music I like                        10%

    Programming for children            7%

Notice that the bottom three are often the things churches think will draw in new people. What their study found was that these things may cause transfer growth from other churches, but are not the primary attractions for unchurched people.

Another question asked in the research was why people attended the church they currently attend, and the number one response was because someone invited them (41%). Other studies consistently find that the ones most effective in inviting others to attend church is not the pastor, but friends and family of the one being invited.

When I served as a Resource Minister I often heard complaints that the church wasn't growing, and the pastor was usually the one blamed. I heard it so often that I finally began to push back and ask the one complaining how many people he or she had brought into the church. The answer I usually received was...none. As I pointed out to one person, their pastor had been at the church for two years; they had been members there for three decades and yet not one person attended that church because they had invited them. Our meeting ended rather quickly at that point!

Church growth is the responsibility of every member. I am not familiar with a single study that does not find that a large proportion of people would attend a church if someone they knew and trusted invited them. We can, and should, do everything we can to make the church attractive to first-time guests, but if we expect them to show up we have to invite them. There's nothing wrong with having a first-rate youth and children's ministry. There's nothing wrong with having a worship service that will allow people to experience God. Certainly, our preaching should be theologically sound and relevant to the needs of people, always pointing them to Jesus Christ. But, if we are not inviting people to our churches, none of these things will matter.

Who will you invite to your next service?

Questions from yesterday's blog

There were some good questions raised after yesterday's blog appeared about my meeting with a church to help them transition from having a fully-funded pastor to a bivocational one. Let me try to respond to a couple of those questions.

One person asked if a current fully-funded pastor can remain as pastor if the church does transition to having a bivocational pastor. This is the plan of the church I met with Monday evening. Much of this depends on the pastor and the congregation. In some ways, this pastor will have an advantage as he has been at the church for some time and has developed a lot of trust with the congregation. If the church called a new pastor, it would take some time for this trust to develop. I have found that trust is a key element in a church that is required to make anything change possible. This pastor is willing to go bivocational, and I believe has already found another job. From his comments he also seems aware of some of the challenges he will face. I am hopeful that it works out well for him, his family and the church.

There are other times when such a transition will require calling a new person. I have met with fully-funded pastors who resented being asked by the church if they would consider going bivocational. Such people will not transition into that role well. Some felt bivocational ministry was beneath them. Others believed they did not go through seminary to become a part-time pastor (their words). With such negative attitudes, it's unlikely that they will transition into a bivocational role. In such cases, it's probably best if they move on and the church seek a bivocational minister to lead them.

A second question asked was about some of the hardest changes the church should expect. Two immediately come to mind. One is that the church may feel like they have failed and develop a poor self-image of themselves. Many smaller churches, especially those that were once larger ones, can develop serious self-esteem issues. They may feel God has abandoned them, wonder what they have done wrong, begin to blame pastors or others for the decline and struggle to see anything in their future. It's important that pastors of smaller churches address self-esteem issues with their congregations and help them get some wins under their best so they can begin to feel better about themselves.

A second challenge will be managing the expectations of the congregation. There will be some in the congregation who will still expect the same level of ministry from the pastor as he or she provided when they were fully-funded. That's why I emphasized to the church I met with that they would have to communicate over and over again to the congregation what the church now expected from their bivocational pastor and to protect him if persons began to demand more. As I told them, my experience has been that if those expectations are not controlled that the transition to bivocational ministry failed in every situation in which it was tried.

The transition to bivocational ministry

Last night I was privileged to meet with a church and pastor who are transitioning to bivocational ministry. To my knowledge, this church has always been served by a fully-funded pastor so this is a major transition for them. The pastor is agreeable to the change, and, I believe, has already found other employment. I was asked to come in and discuss what the transition will look like and what problems to avoid. I was very impressed with the questions people asked and the desire of the church to be fair to the pastor and his family.

One of the things I explained to them is that bivocational ministry was the norm for most Baptist and Methodist churches until the 1950s. As people moved west their pastors were typically store keepers, teachers, farmers and others who were not usually trained in theology or ministry but who had a heart for ministry and felt a calling to serve their community. In the 1950s denominations began to move towards a more professional ministry, and churches began to seek a fully-funded, seminary educated pastor to serve their churches.

For the past several years we have seen this shift back to a renewed interest in finding bivocational ministers. There are several reasons for this. There are fewer fully-funded pastors available who are willing to serve in traditional churches. Many churches have shrunk in size since Covid. More and more people find the church irrelevant to their lives and simply no longer attend. A growing number of people claim to be spiritual but are not interested in Christianity. The list goes on, but the bottom line is that many churches are seeing fewer people which also translates into reduced financial support, and this often drives the move towards bivocational ministers.

I explained to this church that the transition will not be an easy one as some people will continue to have expectations of the pastor that he or she can no longer meet with a second job. The pastor relations committee will have to have his back when these complaints arise. There will need to be many conversations with the congregation about what his new responsibilities will look like, and lay leaders will need to fill the gap in the things he can no longer do. This can be a time of growth for this congregation, or any who makes this transition, but only if everyone steps up and uses their gifts to serve the congregation and the community.

Everyone present understood there will be growing pains during this change. It appears there is good trust between the pastor and congregation which will help, but all the planning in the world won't eliminate every problem. There will be times when it's necessary to renegotiate the expectations for both the church and the pastor, but I believe this church has the maturity to do that well. I pray this will be a successful transition.

Fallen ministers

 This morning I read about another ministry leader who had resigned from ministry due to immoral behavior. It seems that few weeks go by that we do not read of a similar instance, many of them pastors and ministry leaders of megachurches. However, the problem is not limited to the leadership of large churches. I have known several pastors of smaller churches, some of them friends of mine, who have experienced similar failures.

I write this blog not to condemn these leaders, but to remind each of us that anytime a person goes into the ministry he or she has a target on their backs. Satan knows if he can ruin the reputation of a ministry leader he can do great damage to the church, to the family of the fallen leader and to the unchurched world who concludes that such leaders cannot be trusted.

Several years ago the Catholic church was under attack for the actions of some of its church leaders. I remember at the time a Protestant leader warning against believing it was only the Catholic church that had such problems with their leaders. He predicted we would soon hear of similar failures within the Protestant churches as well. His prophecy has proven true.

It is a mistake for anyone to think they are above moral failure. Such failures usually do not happen overnight. They are the result of a series of actions on our part and those of others. No doubt some in ministry would be considered sexual predators using their position to lure people into sexual activities. However, I believe that most immoral behavior occurs over a period of time as pastors become more isolated from others and have little accountability in their lives. 

Ministry leaders must protect themselves from such failures in their lives. Mike Pence was criticized as Vice President because he would not be along with a woman who was not his wife. He was following a rule Billy Graham followed many years ago. That rule protected both men from even the hint of sexual scandal, and is a rule I have followed for much of my ministry. Isn't it interesting that those who issued such criticisms against both men have not found it necessary to criticize entertainers, politicians and others who have multiple affairs?

Social media is an area where we must be very careful. I once read that Facebook was the number one cause of divorce today as old flames met each other online and began communicating. It's very important that we are careful about what we say in a text message as it is easy to  be misunderstood even if we didn't mean anything inappropriate. My phone is always available for my wife to look at, and I often just leave it on the counter even when I go out.

As important as it is for ministry leaders to have guidelines in place for their relationships with others, it is equally important that persons in the church pray for their leaders. Remember that Satan would like nothing more than to destroy your pastor. Keep him or her in your prayers that they will be recognize any attack he might send against them and that they will be able to resist every attack.

Using volunteers in ministry

Some pastors struggle giving away ministry. That struggle may come because people in his or her church don't want the responsibility. They believe that ministry belongs to the pastor. He or she is the one "hired" to do the ministry. Their only responsibility is to sit back, support the church with their tithes and evaluate how well the pastor is doing what he or she is supposed to do. If this describes your church, you are in a very dysfunctional church. Unfortunately, this mindset probably exists because former pastors taught the church to think this way. Dr. Phil reminds us that we teach people how to treat us.

Many pastors struggle to give away ministry because they want to be needed. In fact, they need to be needed. Their ego requires it. It's what they've been trained to do, and some believe that no one can do ministry better then they can, at least not a volunteer. This is a very short-sighted, and unbiblical, approach to ministry.

In the Bible we see Jesus consistently giving away ministry to His disciples. I'm sure you would agree that He certainly could have done it better, but He also knew that to deprive the disciples of the opportunity to minister would have also deprived them of opportunities to grow. Sometimes they got it wrong, but even those were growing opportunities. As they served others with His guidance, they grew in their ability to minister. Later, when Jesus was gone, they became known as the people who turned the world upside down.

Isn't it interesting that in Acts 6 we find the disciples following Jesus' example. They gave away part of their ministry to those we often now refer to as deacons in the church. The apostles recognized that they could not do it all so they chose others to be responsible for some aspects of the ministry. Later, as the church grew they appointed pastors and elders to serve the churches in various locations. As more and more people were involved in hands-on ministry, the church continued to grow.

John Maxwell has said that one is too small a number for greatness. If you want your church to have a great ministry in your community, it takes more than the pastor doing ministry. His or her role is to equip the saints to do the work of ministry. The more people in a congregation who recognize their responsibility to do ministry, the more the church can grow and influence their community.

Don't be afraid to give away ministry. It's not your ministry anyway; it's God's. Jesus wasn't afraid to give God's ministry to volunteers. Be like Jesus! 

Life-Long learning

 In a survey I did in 2004 among bivocational pastors in the American Baptist Churches, USA I learned that there were a variety of educational backgrounds. Some had a college education, usually in the secular field in which they worked, a few had master's degrees and even fewer had doctorates. Many had no education beyond high school. That was my category when I began as a bivocational pastor.

Every so often in this blog I have an article about life-long learning because I believe it is essential for bivocational and fully-funded pastors as well. Even though I now have a masters degree and a doctorate, I do not necessarily believe they are required for ministry. But, even with such degrees I am convinced that every minister must be committed to life-long ministry.

Our world is constantly changing, and if a minister does not keep up with those changes he or she will soon find themselves irrelevant to the culture they are trying to reach. Exegeting Scripture is important, but so is exegeting our culture. I began my pastoral ministry in 1981, but if I was to try to repeat what I did then now my ministry would be mostly ineffective. Our world has changed, and our ministries must change as well if we hope to reach this current culture.

Please don't misunderstand. Our message does not change, but our methods must change. Some churches and denominations have decided they must become "woke" if they are going to be relevant to our culture. These churches and denominations are rapidly shrinking in size because they have abandoned the Word of God and substitutes the accepted politically correct views found in today's culture. I predict they will continue to decline until they no longer exist. God will write "Ichabod" (the glory of God has departed), and they will one day fade from existence.

Our methods of sharing the gospel must change. There was a time in my ministry when it was acceptable to go door to door inviting people to church. People today consider that an interruption. Quite honestly, so do I. I don't like people I don't know ringing my doorbell trying to sell me something I don't want. There was a time when churches held one or two revivals every year. The problem was few people after the 1960s ever got "revived." Churches still had their revival meetings because that was all they knew to do. Today, most churches understand such meetings are largely ineffective.

I could go on about the changes that have taken place since I began my ministry, but if we don't learn what doesn't work we will keep doing things that are not productive. Life-long learning is essential if we are to understand our generation.

I urge each reader to commit to being a life-long learner. Attend conferences. Read books. Find a mentor or coach who can help challenge you and answer your questions. Believe me, it will make a difference in your ministry.

Leadership is key

I written repeatedly in this blog that everything rises and falls on leadership. It's true in the business world, it's true in families, it's true in personal achievements and it is certainty true in churches. Every success can be traced back to good leadership; every failure is the result of poor leadership. I wrote an e-book  a few several years ago called Mistakes: Avoiding the Wrong Decisions that Will Close Your Small Business. A friend who read it said I was too hard on myself, but I don't think so. I was solely responsible for the decisions that caused our business to fail.

Success in any endeavor is directly related to the ability of the leader. That small business I managed failed due to many reasons, but the primary one was my failure as a leader. Churches succeed or fail as a direct result of the leadership of the pastor and lay leaders the church has selected. That may sound harsh, but it is true. If the leadership does not possess a fresh vision from God about the future ministry of the church and lead the church to fulfill that vision, the church will fail.

As a regional minister in our denomination I saw too many pastors simply going through the motions hoping to survive to retirement. It's not that they were doing anything wrong; they simply were not doing enough things right. Some were in difficult churches that refused to move forward, and they had grown weary in trying to move them. I compare such churches to a rope, and everyone knows how difficult it is to try to push a rope. These pastors have given up and just want to hang on until they can retire. I can understand their frustration, but it's a shame regardless.

When I retired I was responsible for 133 churches. A few of those pastors simply had little leadership ability, and didn't want any. They had been trained to manage churches and were quite content to do so. They possessed little vision for ministry and had no idea where God wanted to lead their churches. They simply followed what they had been taught in seminary. Manage the system, keep everyone happy and be willing to move every 3-4 years. If it sounds like I'm being harsh, perhaps I am, but I am sharing what I've seen in many pastors.

I have three degrees. I am not against education as some claim, but I am against the management of churches instruction that is taught in too many seminaries. Pastors are not called to manage churches; we are called to lead them in ministry. The fact that the majority of our churches are declining should point out that failure of our educational system for pastors. We need leaders; not managers. We need men and women who are not interested in climbing the ministerial ladder to bigger churches but are interested in pursuing God's will for their churches.

Let me say this as kindly as possible. If your church is stuck, it is because your church is being led by managers, not leaders. You need someone who will help you get unstuck. You need a leader who has a vision from God about where your church is to go and the courage to help you go there. Without such a leader, you will remain stuck and of limited use to the kingdom of God. 

Knowing God

 How well do you know God? Can you describe His attributes? Perhaps more importantly, do you know what His attributes mean to you? On September 8 we will begin a new series of messages at North Madison Baptist Church to help answer some of those questions.

Numerous studies over the past several years has shown that many Christians have a very incomplete understanding of God. Many Christians cannot answer even basic questions related to biblical teaching, and many struggle to explain the nature of God to others. As a result, many Christians have a very shallow faith and are unwilling to attempt to share their faith with others.

In this six-week series starting September 8 we will explore some of the attributes of God. Obviously, we cannot cover all His attributes in only six weeks, but this will be a start. Not only will we explain particular attributes, we will show what those attributes mean to us. For example, one of His attributes we will examine is his omniscience. This means He knows all things, but what does that mean for us? Actually, as I will point out in the message, it offers us hope and comfort, but it also serves as a warning.

We are making the start of this series a Big Event and asking our members to invite their unchurched friends to attend our worship service during this series. Each person or family who attends on September 8 will receive a copy of the excellent book In Search of Christ by Lee Strobel. Strobel wrote this book after his wife became a Christian. As an atheist he wanted to find evidence that Christianity was not true. He was an award-winning journalist at the time and felt his skills in journalism would lead him to the truth. It did, but it wasn't the truth he sought. After interviewing people about the claims of Christianity he discovered that the evidence was overwhelming that Christianity was true and became a Christian. He is now a teaching pastor at Saddleback Church. It is an excellent book for anyone wanting to honestly explore the claims of Christianity.

We want to help people want to help people experience a meaningful, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. We want to help people grow in this faith, and this series of messages on the attributes of God is just one step in this process. Please mark your calendars for the six weeks starting with September 8 and plan on joining us for these special messages. Our worship service begins at 10:30.

When Life Knocks You Down

 Nobody goes through life without getting knocked down a few times. Financial reversals hit. A simple medical test reveals some potential problems that require further testing. Relationships fail when someone you loved walks out. Companies downsize and you're no longer needed. Sometimes it seems like we get knocked down by one thing, and by the time we get back up, something else knocks us off our feet. I know I've been knocked down more than once. But, there is something else I know.

God has always been there to help pick me up. Sometimes I stayed down longer than necessary, but that was a choice I made. There's been times I was ready to give up, but He wouldn't let me. I'm thankful for that. A passage of Scripture has become my personal mantra. Jesus said, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you." I have repeated that to myself many, many times when I've been going through difficult times. Believing that to be true has been the one thing that has brought me through some tough times.

I recently read about a one-legged skier competing in the Paralympics. She was competing against another one-legged skier who fell down during her run. The second skier was confident she would win until she also fell. The other person took the gold. When the silver medalist was told the other person was a faster skier she responded, "No. She just got up faster than I did."

Victory in life comes to those who get up quickly when they get knocked down. It's easy to have a pity party when life knocks you down, but that doesn't gain a person anything. Few people want to come to your pity party, but when you get back up and continue to live life to the fullest, people will cheer.

Three things have helped me when I've been knocked down. One, is the promise I mentioned earlier. I know God will never abandon me. The second thing is the church. Some people today think the church is irrelevant, but I have found in my seven decades of life that it is one of the most relevant things I've ever known. The third is my wife of almost 58 years. She has been my greatest cheerleader.

I would love to tell you how God can help when life knocks you down. Contact me.

Evangelicals on the decline

 There have been several reports lately about the decline in numbers of evangelicals. This should not be a surprise! Mainline Christians and denominations have been in decline for many years, and now this decline is impacting evangelical churches. The Southern Baptist Convention has been reporting fewer baptisms for a few years now, and I'm not aware of any evangelical denomination that has seen an increase in baptisms or church growth.

What we are seeing is an increase in new churches, many of which are not connected to any denomination. Just yesterday I saw a new church that was meeting in a rented facility just a few blocks from my home. Another newer church in our community has just completed a very nice worship facility just outside the city. In the building where I have my auction center there are currently two churches meeting on Sundays on opposite ends of the building. There have been several new churches started in our small community in the past few years, and I know of only one affiliated with any national organization. It is a Calvary Chapel church. I doubt that many of the persons attending these churches identity as evangelical Christians. If someone asked, they would probably just say they are Christians.

There are numerous reasons why such churches are being started, but one of the reasons goes back to my post of yesterday. Most traditional churches do a poor job of reaching out or appealing to young adults, and these are the ones these newer churches seem to be reaching. Lately, I've been watching a lot of praise and worship videos on YouTube. The venues are filled with young adults worshiping God. Many of them have uplifted hands, they are dancing and jumping, laughing as they worship. Where are they on Sunday mornings? Most are not in our more traditional churches. These young people will pay $50.00-$200.00 a ticket to attend one of these praise events, but many will not be found in our traditional, evangelical churches on Sunday morning. It might be easy to criticize them or question their faith, but it might be time to question ourselves. What is it that keeps them from our churches? Why do many of them find the newer churches so attractive?

I know these are difficult questions, but how long will we continue to kick this can down the road? As I've written before, if our traditional churches are not going to do what it requires to reach our current generation, God will raise up churches that will. It appears He is doing just that.

Six religious types

 I recently mentioned a book I was reading called Souls in Transition by Christian Smith and Patricia Snell. It is not a fast read as it describes an ongoing study of teens and young adults and their religious beliefs and practices. There are a lot of statistics, but there are also numerous stories that bring life to those figures. It is an excellent book for anyone working with young adults or churches wanting to reach persons 18-23.

The authors have identified six different types of young adults when it comes to religion and spiritualty. I believe they describe people of all age groups and found the chapter very interesting. You'll have to read the descriptions for yourself, but the types are

• Committed Traditionalists
• Selective Adherents
• Spiritually Open
• Religiously Indifferent
• Religiously Disconnected 
• Irreligious

There is no majority type in this list. The two largest minority types are the Selective Adherent and the Religiously Indifferent. Except for the first group, the remaining groups simply give little, if any, thought to Christianity or religion. This is one reason it is so hard to reach this age group. Christianity and the church is seldom even on their radar screen. There is too much else to do that seems more pressing. Some admit when they get married or older they may give more thought to faith issues and the church. However, by then their secular worldviews may prevent that from happening.

Why have persons in this age group developed such a disinterest in religion? There are many reasons, but I think one is that many were never exposed to religious teaching when they were younger. My parents took me to church almost every Sunday. I attended Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, morning worship service, and, often, the evening services. We went to revival meetings. As a teen I began to drift away from that, and as a young adult the age of this study had mostly abandoned the church and the teachings I had learned as a child. However, those teachings didn't leave me. In my later 20s I came to realize how much I needed God in my life and returned to Him and my earlier faith.

Unfortunately, many Boomer parents (my cohort) didn't take their children to church. They were not exposed to the teachings I learned as a child. Most haven't walked away from their faith; they never had a faith to begin with. I knew what I needed to return to; they don't know where to go when life starts crushing them.

It will take very intentional actions on the part of a church to reach this age group. Simply doing what the church has always done in the past probably won't get the job accomplished. I'm not sure many churches will be willing to give up their traditional practices in hopes of reaching an age group that shows little interest in God or Christianity. Perhaps that is why God is raising up so many new churches. They don't have to worry about traditions. They can simply do whatever they need to do to reach an age group that most of our churches are not reaching. If your church wants to reach this age group it will have to decide what it is willing to do to make that happen. As one pastor has said, their church will do anything except sin to reach new people for Jesus Christ.

A Committed Church

 Rick Warren once wrote "A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will grow a great church." I agree with his comment 100 percent. He proved it to be true in his own ministry as he led Saddleback Church from a Bible study group of less than 10 people to a megachurch with nearly 20,000 attending each weekend.

Churches spend a lot of time trying to figure out their mission. They're not sure exactly what they are supposed to do. Should they focus on justice issues? Should they be involved in social change? Should they be advocates for political change? Unfortunately, since many of them can't decide what they should do, they do nothing. They simply repeat what they've done each Sunday for years.

As I've spoken to many pastor groups over the years from a variety of denominations, I've explained that the mission of the church is very simple. They don't have to spend months in committee meetings to determine a mission statement. They don't have to bring in outside consultants to lead them in determining their mission. Jesus has given every church its mission. It's the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. That mission does not change whether the church is a megachurch or one that has an average attendance of 12 people each week. That mission does not change for churches of different denominations. Any church that is not committed to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment has ceased being a New Testament church. BTW - A commitment to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment will, by their nature, also address the other questions posed in the paragraph above.

Every decision a church makes should be filtered through the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Regardless of the size of church, we all have financial and manpower limitations. Some may have more resources at their disposal, but we all have our limits. Anything that we might do that takes away our ability to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment should be removed from consideration.

Most, if not all, communities have population growth that far exceeds church growth in those communities. That means we are reaching fewer and fewer people for Christ. Even if our church is growing, it probably isn't growing as fast as the population around us. That is why a greater commitment to the Great Commission is so important. We are told a minimum of 50 percent of every county in the US is unchurched. That means our small county of 32,000 people has a mission field of 16,000 souls minimum to be reached. What about the county in which you live? What mission field exists right outside your church doors? Does your church have the commitment to the Great Commission necessary to reach that mission field?

Understanding the Life Cycle of a Church

In many of the conferences I've led for pastors I address the life cycle experienced by churches. Using a standard bell curve, I explain how churches go from birth to maturity to plateau to decline to death. I show how each of us personally are on a similar life cycle, and there isn't anything we can do about it. It's a natural process of life. However, churches can do something if they find themselves on the declining side of the life cycle. They can begin a new life cycle. 

The best place to begin a new life cycle is when it's still on the left side of the bell curve during the maturing or growth stage. However, many churches are not eager to change anything at that stage because things are going so well. The church is growing, new people are attending, baptisms are strong, the giving is up and people are excited about the church. Why change anything at that stage is a question often asked.

Well, for one thing, churches don't stay at that stage forever. It's great while it lasts, but at some point the church will begin to plateau or feel stuck. From that point the church enters a decline period which can soon lead to a survival mindset. When that happens the church becomes very risk-averse. They are protective of their finances. They circle the wagons fearful that they may be forced to close. Too often, that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

One of the problems is that many churches enter the decline side of the life cycle and never realize it until they are far down that right side of the bell curve. Drastic action may have to be taken if the church is to survive, and that doesn't include circling the wagons. It involves becoming more aggressive about outreach and discipleship. It requires the church to become much more intentional about its ministries and forces them to eliminate those ministries that no longer produce results (which they should have done much sooner). It also forces people out of the mindset that if they just doing the same things that used to be effective, and do them harder, everything will be OK.

How do you start a new life cycle? You do it by starting new ministries. You seek God's vision for your church and begin to live into that vision. Your church may be 100 or even 200 years old, but essentially you are starting over again. You identify the persons God wants your church to reach, eliminate anything that will keep you from that and begin new ministries that will reach those individuals.

I live in a county of only about 32,000 people, but I keep seeing new churches pop up in rented spaces and business centers. While many of the churches in my community are dying, these new churches are thriving. God is still interested in seeking and saving those that are lost, and if the existing churches are not going to do that, He will raise up new churches that will.

Your church leadership should look at a bell curve. Start at the left side and write birth on the bottom. As you move up the left side write growth. When you get to the top write plateau. As the curve begins to move downward, write the word decline, and at the bottom write the word death. Where is your church on that bell curve? Where is it in it's life cycle? Be honest. What are your next steps?

When ego gets in the way of ministry

Several years ago I submitted my name for a ministry position that had become available. Prior to doing so I spoke with a couple of people familiar with the position to ask if this was something I could do and if it was wise for me to consider it. Both gave me a green light, so I sent in my resume. I never got an interview. Later, I spoke with someone involved in the search process and asked why I was not at least interviewed for the position. Those are the only three people who even know I was interested, and I explained to each of them that I had absolutely no ego involved in my application. 

Ego is something that can do great damage to a minister. We have seen ego destroy CEOs of great organizations. One book in my library addressed the downfall of some CEOs of major companies, and in most of those cases the person's ego was at least partly responsible. Ego has also destroyed the ministries of more than one pastor, especially those who were serving in megachurches, although small church pastors are not exempt. Their ego convinces them they are entitled to things or take actions that eventually lead to their downfall.

Those with ego problems are people who believe their press clippings. They listen to others tell them how special they are and indispensable to the company or the church. I'm often reminded that the cemeteries are filled with indispensable people. When ego becomes a problem for a leader he or she needs someone to burst their bubble. I heard about a pastor who was feeling really good about a sermon he had just delivered. On the way home he asked his wife, "How many really great preachers do you think there are?" She responded, "Probably one less than you're thinking." 

Ego becomes a problem when it gets in the way of ministry, and this is not limited to just pastors. People who have held roles in a church for some time may be convinced that no one can do it better than they can. Sometimes, that role becomes unnecessary, but the person fights to keep it because their value as a person is wrapped up in that role. Their ego causes them to fight any change that would eliminate their role or the ministry in which it exists.

Don't let ego damage your ministry. If you are the pastor of a church, unless you are the founding pastor, that church had many pastors before you and, if the Lord tarries, will have many more after you. Don't think more highly of yourself than you should. You are just the person God has called to serve that church at this time. Take pleasure in that fact, but do not allow ego to creep in and tell you that you are more than you are. God should get all glory and honor for anything accomplished during your time there. If you will give Him that, you will not have a problem with ego.

Clarity in preaching

 I'm currently reading Souls in Transition by Christian Smith and Patricia Snell. The book describes their findings about the religious and spiritual lives of young American adults 18-23. The book is filled with statistics from their research, which makes for slow reading, but it also includes comments from personal interviews conducted with many of the ones they studied. Among the many interesting findings is that many of the young people struggle to know what they believe about religion, Christianity and their faith, if they profess having faith. Among the more common statements is that it's probably important to believe something, but it doesn't matter much what a person believes since all the major religions essentially teach the same thing. I couldn't help but think of a popular phrase among people in that age group: whatever.

Of course, anyone who has done even a brief study of the various religions know that all religions do not teach the same thing. They hold doctrinal beliefs that differ in many ways from other religious groups. What these young people are doing is simply parroting things they have heard from their peers, college professors, liberal pastors and entertainers without taking the time to study the issue for themselves.

This is also a reflection on the preaching they may have heard as children growing up in church. Too many churches focus more on entertaining young people in an effort to keep them coming and not enough time teaching them biblical truths. As these young people grow older they enter young adulthood without a clear understanding of God, Jesus Christ, the plan of salvation and other doctrinal truths. This makes they an easy prey for anyone interested in undermining their faith.

Like many young people, I was raised in the church but became less involved in my teen years. As a nineteen year old I went away to the Navy and became even less involved in church. It wasn't until my mid-20s when a crisis hit my life that I became more interested in returning to the faith of my childhood. Fortunately, I had a childhood faith to return to. Many young adults today don't which accounts for their spiritual confusion.

Churches need to make discipling children and young people a priority. Pastors need to be unafraid to preach clear, biblical, doctrinally-sound sermons. What I'm reading about young adults is equally true for many of our older members as well. Many who have sat in our pews for years struggle to articulate an understanding of biblical truth. They also need clarity from the pulpit about the Christian faith and its beliefs.

If we don't want our young people growing up with a "whatever" belief about God and His teachings for our lives we must commit to preaching clear messages each week that helps our people better understand God and what He has to say about our lives, both here and in eternity.

Friends invite friends to church

 When a sports team is doing poorly one of the first things owner's often do is to replace the manager. It costs too much to replace all the players who are doing poorly, so they replace the manager hoping to shake things up and improve the team's performance. Some churches take the same approach. If the church isn't growing, the obvious solution to some is to replace the pastor.

I once sat in a meeting with the deacons and pastor of a church. Some people wanted the pastor fired because the church had not grown during the two years he had been there. After listening for some time I asked one of the church members how long they had attended that church. I forget his exact number, but it was over two decades. I then asked how many people he had led to Christ during that time and brought to the church. He dropped his head and admitted he had never led anyone to Christ nor had he ever even led someone to be a member of that church. I then asked why he was upset the pastor had not done in two years what he had not done in two decades. The meeting ended soon after.

Studies find that the pastor is responsible for about six percent of the growth of a church. When the pastor invites someone to the church people believe he is just doing his job. They typically are not impressed. One church that tracks the reasons first-time guests attend their worship services found that 87 percent of them were invited by a friend. This is in line with national studies that tracked the same thing. The people in the pew are the ones who determine whether a church grows or not.

The pastor's responsibility is to equip the members to share their faith and guide them in the process of inviting others to faith in Christ and to the church. This is in line with Eph. 4: 11-12.

If your church is not growing first look at the number of first-time guests you have. If that number is low, the problem is not the pastor. It is that the members are not inviting their friends and family members to visit the church. Growing a church is not a solo game for the pastor. It is the responsibility of every member in the church.

Transformation of the church

Did you know God is in the transformation business? One of my favorite passages in the Bible is 2 Cor. 5: 17 -"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." When we give our lives to Jesus Christ, our old nature is gone, and we become a brand new creation. You and I can rejoice that the persons we were before we invited Christ into our lives no longer exists. The Spirit of God has entered our lives which enables us to become brand new people. The last verse in that chapter, v. 21, explains how this happens. Paul writes, "For he made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." God provided everything necessary for our transformation. We only have to receive it.

But, God doesn't stop there. There is still more transformation He wants to do in our lives. In Romans 8: 28 we find these words, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." In other words, God wants us to become like Jesus. Talk about transformation! First, God takes us from our old lifestyles and makes us brand new creatures, and then He wants to continue that transformation process by shaping us into the image of Jesus Christ. The first transformation happens the moment we invite Christ into our lives to be our Lord and Savior. The second transformation is a life-long process that will never be fully completed this side of eternity. But, the more we yield to God's desire to shape our lives the more we will become like Christ.

What God wants to do in our personal lives He also wants to do in our churches. Unfortunately, many churches are uninterested in transformation. They are content to drift along keeping the stakeholders happy. While they may voice a desire to grow or to see changes occur in their church, many of them will resist any real change that is proposed. The ones eager to see transformation begin to drift away to other churches tired of fighting a losing battle. The church continues its decline until one day someone realizes there is no one left, and another church closes. When I served as a denominational minister I once worked with a church that had three members left. I don't they ever understood what happened.

Max Depree is considered a leadership guru, and I find great value in much of what he writes. He reminds us that "We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are." You might want to read that again. That is a powerful statement for churches, families, businesses and individuals. Unless we are willing to be transformed we will never be able to move up.

God has been challenging His church to allow Him to transform them into something new. This has been going on for several years now. There is a shaking going on in the church in North America. I believe he is pouring new wine into the church. Old wineskins are bursting because they are inflexible. Those churches that are flexible are able to receive that new wine and experience the transformation He is bringing. These are the churches that will experience a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in these last days.

Pastors, church leaders, are your churches ready to experience the transformation God is bringing to the church?

Ministry change

 For most of the past year I have served as the Transitional Pastor of North Madison Baptist Church in my hometown of Madison, IN. Yesterday, at a specially called business meeting, the church voted to call me as their pastor. This is a great church that will celebrate it's 175th anniversary in November, and we are already working on that celebration. It is a church with a rich history, but I truly believe its best days are still ahead. I am excited to be a part of that future.

I will remain as a bivocational pastor as I will continue to operate my auctioneering business. We offer an online auction every two weeks with an occasional live auction. This alone keeps my wife and me busy, but it has not interfered with my pastoral ministry.

These past few months at the church have been exciting. Our mission offerings have increased substantially over past years. Our offerings have remained strong. We have introduced some videos for our specials that are not found in traditional Baptist hymnals, and these have been well received. We have a new website that will be released online any day now that will give us the opportunity to post our services and keep the community informed of special events at the church. We held a "Big Event" on Mother's Day that was well attended. At that event we passed out copies of The Case for Christ to every family present. We are installing new carpet for the steps coming into the church with plans to replace those steps perhaps next year and add a new ramp at the same time. A number of people have returned to the church who have not been attending since Covid. Our Leadership Team and I have been discussing some new ministries that will allow us to minister to more people in the Madison and Jefferson Country community. As you can see, this transitional time has been productive. We give God praise for this!

We want to invite all our members to join us for worship each Sunday at 10:30. Some have not been back since Covid. Others have left for other reasons. It's a new day at North Madison Baptist Church! God is leading us forward, and we want you to be a part of it.

We also want to invite everyone who does not have a church home to check us out. I think you'll like what you'll see. We are still growing in some areas, but you can help us with that growth.

Finally, I have been in the office most Tuesday mornings from 9:00 - 12:00. I plan to continue that and to add Friday mornings to that schedule as well. If you want to meet me at those times, please call me at 812-599-5599  to make sure I'll be there.

The enemy of success

One day while I was serving as a Regional Minister in our denomination I was attending our monthly staff meeting. We began to discuss how ministry was changing and the problems many of our pastors were having with those changes. I commented that I felt that I had enjoyed a good 20 year ministry in my previous church, but I was certain that if I returned to pastoral ministry, I could not repeat doing what I had been doing and have a successful ministry. I also shared that I wasn't certain I could make the changes necessary to have an effective ministry in today's climate.

John Maxwell reminds us that "the greatest enemy of tomorrow's success is sometimes today's success." We think we can just keep repeating what has worked in the past or is working now, and it will work in the future. That's not always the case. Ford no longer only offers its cars in black. Families no longer watch television programs in black and white. Things change. People's expectations change. New and better ways of doing things are constantly being developed, and, yes, this even includes the church.

There is nothing especially wrong with traditions unless they block progress. Many churches are driven by their traditions, and any attempt to circumvent the traditions is often met with great resistance. What we forget is that many of our traditions today were challenges to the traditions of the past. Those older traditions had to be replaced by new ways of thinking and acting for the church to move forward in its culture. The same is true for today's church.

One of the great needs of today's church are people who are willing to think outside the box. Instead of just learning what the traditions of a church are we need people who will ask why those traditions exist and do they continue to serve any purpose. Do they help or hinder the church in fulfilling its purpose in today's world? When we find traditions that hinder we then need to have the courage to replace them with new ways of doing things.

I realize how scary that sounds to some people, even leaders. Many pastors like church traditions because they know what's expected of them and they don't have to learn new ways of doing ministry. But, this is not a mindset that leads to successful ministry. This kind of thinking does not lead to changed lives.

Someone once said the seven last words of a dying church are "We've never done it that way before." In 14 years of regional ministry I have seen those words played out in too many churches who would prefer to die than change. We used to hear people say that if something wasn't broken, don't break it. A better saying might be "If it isn't broken, break it, because it will soon be obsolete anyway." Not all traditions need to be discarded, but most churches would be well served to take a look at their traditions and determine if they are helping or hindering your ministry. Boldly replace the ones that hinder ministry and prepare for a greater harvest than your church has perhaps seen in years. 

Thinking bigger

 The median size church in America is 75 people. This is the size church I've spent most of my life attending and leading. Don't be fooled; these smaller churches can accomplish much if the people have a mind to minister. Unfortunately, many of them have been stuck in ruts of their own making. In fact, many of them may have been larger churches at one time but have now been reduced in size because of faulty thinking and systems. In talking to many of the churches of this size, most of them claim they want to grow larger and are frustrated they are unable to do so. What can a smaller church do to grow?

While there are many things such churches can do, one thing is critical. They have to stop thinking like a small church. As long as they think like a 75-member church they will remain a 75-member church. They need to start thinking like a 200-member church, What might this look like?

A church might consider starting new Sunday school classes or small groups. In one church I attended the young adult SS class had about 40 people in it. The pastor and I started a new young adult class and within a short period of time had about 20 people attending it without taking anyone from the other class. Church growth people say a church should add a new adult Sunday school class every 18 months if they want to grow.

Another way to think larger is to add staff. The mindset of many small churches is that they will add a youth minister, children's minister, or some other staff person when there are enough people to make it feasible. Guess what? It will never happen. Without the right leadership the youth ministry, children's ministry, etc. will never grow to make adding a staff person necessary. Find the right person for the position, and the desired growth is more likely to happen. (Yes, I know. You don't think you have the finances to do this. I assume you think God is broke.)

Program for the people you want to reach. This one is tough. We keep programming for the people we already have, and every year that number gets smaller and smaller. If we do nothing to reach the next generation we will eventually have so few people left that the church closes. Depending on whose figures you read, that happens to about 100 churches in the US every week. We don't ignore or neglect the ones we have now, but we also have to do ministry that will impact new people for the Kingdom of God as well. Yes, this also includes our worship and the music we use in worship. Like I said, it's tough to minister effectively to 4-5 generations of people at the same time.

Thinking larger requires that we think about technology. Regardless of the size church, it needs a website. As one church growth person said, if your church does not have a website you do not have a church. When people start looking for a church, they begin that search on the computer. Quality video and sound systems are a must, and even more important is training people to use them properly. Larger churches use computer systems to do everything from tracking finances to sending church newsletters to sending out mass messages to their members to uploading their worship services to their webpages, to virtually everything else they do. If you are going to start thinking like a larger church, you need to do the same thing. Invest in good computer systems.

One final thought: consider the decor of the church. Just like homeowners may remodel every few years to modernize, churches need to look at the decor of their church. If nothing in the church has been changed since it was built in 1895 it probably is not very appealing to younger people. If no one remembers when the sanctuary carpet was installed, or even the last time it was cleaned, it probably needs replaced. If you're still parking on gravel you may want to consider blacktop. Fresh flowers and brighter colors can do much to make attending church more pleasurable. And, please, take a long, hard look at your restroom facilities.