The purpose of the church

 In 1995 Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Church, was released. It immediately became a best-selling book, and it remains one that should be required reading for all pastors and church leaders. The reason is simple: most of our churches are drifting with no real sense of direction and purpose. Warren's book shows us how to turn that around.

We are wrapping up another year. If your church is like most churches, you may look back and wonder what you actually accomplished for the Kingdom of God. You may have had a lot of programs and activities, but at the end of the year, what did they accomplish? One primary reason for the lack of achievement in most churches is that they had no sense of vision and purpose behind the things they did. Until we identify the purpose of our church and begin to have a vision for how we can accomplish that purpose, we will continue to drift and achieve little.

The mission of the church is quite simple: it is to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. This mission is the same for every church regardless of location or size. The vision of the church, however, will be different for each church because it will address how a particular church will fulfill that mission. Your community will be different with different needs, and the people in your church will have differing gifts and passions. What will enable one church to fulfill its mission will be different than what will work in another church. Therefore, the vision must be different. But, once your purpose and vision is clear you can then focus on doing the things that will produce results.

The challenge then will be to make the changes necessary in the church that will allow you to focus on that purpose and vision. Nobody likes change except a small baby. Most of our members are not comfortable with change, and in all honesty, neither do many pastors. We like the familiar, the known, the life that doesn't create problems. Once you begin to refocus the direction of the church you will encounter problems.

Church members who view their pastor as the church chaplain won't like it when he or she begins to focus more attention on unchurched people. Years ago I coached my son's Parks Department baseball team. A friend who pastored another church was also a coach in a different league. His church told him they didn't pay him to coach baseball, they paid him to be their pastor. He finished out the season and soon left the church. They could not see the ministry value in him being involved in the community.

What is the purpose of your church? Can your members clearly express that purpose? Does your church budget and calendar reflect that purpose? As we begin a new year, what needs to change to make that purpose a reality in your church?

Living into God's Dream For Your Life

 I'm currently reading TrueFaced by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and John Lynch. This evening I came across this in the book.

"God dreams that you would discover your destiny and walk into the reasons he placed you on this earth. God has a ticket of destiny with your name written on it - no matter how old, how broken, how tired, or how frightened you are. No matter how many times you may have failed, God dearly longs for the day when he gets to hand you that ticket, smile, and whisper into your ear, 'You have no idea how long I've waited to hand this to you. Have a blast! I've already seen what you get to do. It's better than you could have dreamed. Now hurry up and get on that train. A whole lot of folk are waiting for you to walk into your destiny and into their lives.'"

Isn't that powerful? So many have given up on their dreams, and even worse, they've given up on God's dreams for them. At various times we may have a sense of what God wants for our lives, but we convince ourselves that couldn't be for us. We're not worthy. We're not capable. We've failed too many times in the past. Besides, even if this was God's will for our lives at some earlier point in time, it's too late now.

The authors insist that it's never too late to live into God's dream for your life. I once knew a minister who had some personal failures in his life. Many gave up on him. He lost his current place of ministry. When I saw him he was one of the most defeated individuals I've met. I reminded him that his failures did not exclude him from ministry, and that the Bible reminds us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Although some individuals had turned their back on him, God had not, and His call on my friend was just as valid as it ever was. He did find his way back into the ministry and enjoyed a very fruitful season as the pastor of a church.

Of course, the above statement doesn't just apply to those in ministry positions. They apply to all who follow Christ. Each of us has a God-given task to perform. God has a plan for each individual, and our greatest fulfillment comes when we understand what that task is and begin to walk in it. This is also where we have the greatest opportunity to bless others.

For over 40 years I have served as a minister of churches and with our denomination. Yes, there have been challenges and difficult times, but I can say with complete honesty that I've enjoyed the journey, and still do! There is nothing more rewarding than knowing God's will for your life and living into that will. My prayer for you is that you are living into God's dream for your life as well.

Seeking God's direction

 Since August of last year I have been serving as the Transitional Pastor of a wonderful church. It's been an interesting challenge trying to serve a church during a pandemic, but things have gone very well. It is a great congregation that met the various challenges presented by the pandemic and has continued serving its membership and the community. Like many churches, we are seeing things begin to open up. This past Sunday a number of members returned for the first time since the Covid hit.

Now, the church is ready to face another challenge...the calling of a new pastor. At our last business meeting a search team was created who will soon meet with a representative of our region and begin the process of seeking new pastoral leadership. This is always an exciting time in the life of a congregation and also a challenging, and even a little scary time.

One of the ways I will help the church during this period is leading them through a vision discernment process. It's a mistake for a church to wait until they get a pastor who will "give them a vision for ministry." It's far better for a church to understand God's vision for their church and then explain that to prospective candidates and ask them how they will be able to help them achieve that vision.

Our first congregation-wide session is scheduled and will focus on the Core Values of the church. The second session will identify the Bedrock Beliefs of the congregation. It's important to begin with these two as God's vision for the church will always be congruent with its Core Values and Bedrock Beliefs. Once we've identified these two elements we will be ready to spend a day attempting to discern what God has been saying to us through the process. We pray that we will identify a clear vision from God for the future ministry of the church.

Sometimes that happens and sometimes it doesn't. In either case, going through the process is helpful to a church. It gives them an opportunity to examine things about their church that perhaps they've not discussed in years, if ever. It gives them some new common language. Sometimes it resurrects old issues that still simmer beneath the surface and occasionally create problems. These can then be addressed.

After working with hundreds of churches over the years as a regional leader and conference speaker I'm convinced that few churches have a clear sense of vision. They repeat what they've done for decades hoping that eventually something good will happen. They go through the motions of doing ministry without any real sense of purpose. As I often say in my conferences, a church without a clear, unifying vision is like an octopus on roller skates - you might have a lot of movement, but you're not going anywhere.

Does your church have a common vision that is understood by everyone who attends there? Does it influence the decision making in your congregation? Is it clearly reflected in your budget and ministries? When was the last time it was reviewed? How often is it communicated to the congregation? Some believe that it should be shared with the congregation about once a month to help remind everyone and to make sure the church is on track to accomplish that vision. That seems like a good idea because it's easy to forget the vision while dealing with all the daily needs. It's important to always keep the big picture in front of the congregation to ensure everyone is focused on what God wants to do in and through the life of the church.

Majoring on the minors

It seems the House of Representatives first priority is to obtain the tax records of President Trump when the Democrats take over in January. What a waste of time! In the first place, any bill they pass to accomplish that will not pass the Republican controlled Senate, and if it did it would be vetoed by the President. Once again, our elected leaders are willing to waste time and money to accomplish nothing.

In the second place, are there not far more important challenges facing America than the president's tax records? Frankly, I could care less what the president made, and I don't know anyone who does except for a few people who are still bitter that Clinton was defeated. I am much more concerned about the ongoing wars and their cost in human lives, the violence that is rampant across our nation, the epidemic of drug abuse that is destroying families, the increased numbers of suicide, our crumbling infrastructure, the plight of the American farmer, the problems we have due to the large numbers of illegal aliens coming into our country and a host of other problems. It seems to me that the House has far more important things to do than to waste their time trying to get President Trump's tax records.

Third, it seems if it is so crucial to American democracy to know how much the president filed on his taxes it should be just as important to know how much each member of Congress filed, their finances before they were elected to office, their finances today and the sources of that money. When I read reports of the wealth of certain members of Congress, many of whom are demanding this inquiry into the president's tax records, I have to wonder how one can earn that amount of money they've accumulated since entering office. Maybe Congress would like to do an inquiry on its own members just to assure the American people that everything is on the up-and-up in Congress.

While there are many reasons behind this action from the House, it is another example of how people supposedly in places of leadership waste time majoring on the minors instead of focusing on what should be priorities. It happens in government, it happens in the business world, and it happens in churches.

The Great Commission is very clear about the mission of the church. Evangelism and discipleship should be the focus of every congregation regardless of size. This is what we are called to do. Yet, look at any church budget and see how much of that budget is set aside for evangelism and discipleship. Look at any church calendar and determine for yourself how much time is spent on evangelism and discipleship. The church today is focused on many things while evangelism and discipleship is often set aside, and we wonder why our churches continue to decline and our member's lives are little different than the lives of those who are not Christians.

Until the church recaptures its biblical mission it will continue its decline into irrelevancy. A lot of organizations provide social services. There are a lot of places people can go for entertainment. What many churches think is important to offer people can be obtained elsewhere, but there is no place that offers the life-changing message of the Gospel but the church. It is the preaching of the Word of God that brings people to a relationship with Jesus Christ, and it is the teaching of that Word that helps people grow as disciples. There is nothing wrong with the church offering these other things I've mentioned, but its primary focus must be on the mission God gave it. Let's not lose sight of what should be our primary purpose.

I also hope our political leaders will return to what should be their primary focus which is addressing the real challenges facing our country. I'm growing quite weary of watching them act like spoiled children and wasting their time and our tax dollars focusing on minor issues while our nation continues to suffer real problems.

Questions we must answer

A couple of weeks ago I discussed a seminar I had attended based upon the book Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church. In that seminar Kara Powell, one of the authors of the book, talked about the three questions that young people ask.

1. Who am I? (Identity)
2. Where do I fit? (Belonging)
3. What difference do I make? (Purpose)

These are critical questions that churches need to help young people answer if we are serious about wanting to impact their lives with the gospel. Actually, these are the same questions that all of us ask, often at various times in our lives. In fact, I would say that every time we go through a life transition we ask these same questions.

One of the things I found interesting is how many young people answer the identity question. For many, they find their identity

• By the number of likes they have on social media.
• In their selfies.
• By the number of followers they have on social media.
• In their daily contacts on Snapchat.
• By the types of phones they have.

Before you think these responses to the question about identity are shallow I encourage you to think back to your teen and young adult stages. Where did you seek your identity? For many of us it was

• In the cars we drove.
• By our hairstyles.
• In the groups we associated with in school.
• By the colleges or universities we attended.
• By the people we dated.
• By the music we listened to.

It's easy to judge and stereotype today's young people, but doing so will not help us point them to the answers they find in a relationship with Jesus Christ. They don't need people judging them, any more than we did when we were going through those life stages. They need people to walk with them in their journey who will help them find the answers they are seeking.

The authors of the book suggest that their answers to the identity question is found in God's grace. Their belonging question is answered through the love of community, and the purpose question is answered as they become involved in God's mission in the world.

I wonder...how long has it been since your church addressed these three life challenges?

When things don't go as planned

Last week our plans were to travel to the Philadelphia area where our son and his family lives. My wife and I left home at the time we had planned. As we were leaving a light snow was falling. A couple of hours later the snow was getting heavier. We saw a number of vehicles off the road including one semi that was laying on its side. It had caught fire. We were almost involved in two accidents ourselves. I kept slowing down due to the amount of traffic and the dangerous conditions. When we got to Wheeling, WV we decided to spend the night.

I called our son and told him of the weather. He advised me that he would have turned around and went back home and suggested we do the same. Later that night he sent me a text saying their weather was going to be just as bad or worse later in the week, and we would be driving back in that when we returned home. I started watching the weather reports and didn't like what I was hearing. The next morning we made the decision that for once we would be smart and head back home before more bad weather arrived.

 As we started back the next morning I wasn't feeling very well. By the time we got back home I was sick with a bad head cold. As I write this I'm still not feeling well, but I think I have improved. It was definitely not the week we had planned.

We were looking forward to spending time with family last week, but that didn't happen. To say we are disappointed would be a major understatement!

I sometimes wonder how often God is disappointed when I fail to live up to His plans for my life. Scripture is clear that even before we were born God knew the plans He had for us. However, He also created us with a free will that allows us to make choices, and sometimes those choices go counter to the plans He has for us.

He could have eliminated that by making us robots, but He didn't do that. He created us as free moral agents with the ability to choose for ourselves the paths we will travel. I have often chosen a path for myself that was not in line with His purpose for my life. I have made choices that have brought pain and problems in my life and the lives of others I care for. We all have.

The good news is that our God is a God of grace, and when we repent of those wrong choices He is willing to forgive us and help us get back on the right path. Very often that means that we can still fulfill the purposes for which we were created. Failure doesn't have to be final.

Although we didn't get to see our son and his family before Christmas, we will go back soon after Christmas and spend a few days with them. When we do, this failed trip will be all but forgotten and we'll enjoy the time we do spend with them. Of course, we'll check the weather a little closer before we start out again!

5 questions the church must answer

Yesterday marked my first Sunday as the Transitional Pastor of Madison FBC. As a church seeks new pastoral leadership it is important that it spends time reflecting on its history and even more on its future. In my message I challenged the church to begin asking five questions to prepare them as they move forward. These questions need to be asked periodically by every congregation as it seeks to minister.

1. Why are we here? This goes to purpose and mission. Many churches struggle with their purpose for being. They don't understand the mission they've been given. Actually, the mission for every church is the same: The Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Churches that do not understand that fulfilling this mission will find themselves struggling to enjoy a productive ministry.
2. How will we accomplish our purpose? This goes to vision. While the mission of every church is the same, the vision will be different for every church. Churches are made up of different people with various gifts and ministry interests, plus each church serves in different areas that have different needs. The challenge for each church is to understand God's vision for their ministry.
3. What will hinder us from achieving our purpose? This goes to leadership. As John Maxwell reminds us, "Everything rises and falls on leadership." No organization, including a church, will rise any higher than its leadership. This includes both pastoral and lay leadership. Churches need strong leadership, and we need to develop leadership pipelines that are developing future leaders so when time comes they will be ready to provide the leadership the church needs.
4. Who are we here for? When a church answers that question it is ready to begin preparing its budget for the upcoming year and to develop its programming. The church should be the one organization that exists for its non-members. While we do need to minister to one another and enjoy times of fellowship, we always need to remember that our primary focus must be on those who do not yet have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
5. Is what we are doing here today worth the life of the Son of God? This may be the most powerful question we must answer. When I think of some of the things churches have focused on, fought over, and divided because of, I have to ask this question. Did Jesus really leave the glory of heaven to die on a cross just so churches could do some of the things they do?

These are not easy questions to answer, and no congregation that seeks to answer them should expect every answer to be pleasant. However, answering these questions will prepare us for the future ministry God wants to do in and through us.

Living on purpose

In 1995 Rick Warren published his best selling book The Purpose-driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message And Mission. In 2007 he followed that book with The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Yet, after all these years, churches and individuals are still drifting through life with no sense of purpose or direction. It's no wonder many of our churches make little to no impact on their communities.

The church is called to be a transforming agent in our communities. As we see the social and moral climate of our nation today we have to admit that the church is doing little in the area of transformation. The salt has lost its savor.

One writer summed up our problem very well when he described the church in this way. "The Church is like a ship on whose deck festivities are still kept up and glorious music is heard, while deep below the waterline a leak has been sprung and masses of water are pouring in, so that the vessel is settling hourly lower though the pumps are manned day and night." Few observers of the church would disagree with this assessment, but what makes it so frightening is that these words were written in 1957! In the past 59 years the band has continued to play while the ship has continued to sink even deeper into the depths, and little is being done about it.

Church leaders have chased one fad after another trying to find ways to fill their congregations with new members. Denominations are seeking ways to become more inclusive to appeal to a broader mass of people. In some situations our theological teachings have become so watered-down and dumbed-down that they are hardly recognizable as Christian. In our efforts to become all things to all people we forget to be the one thing God has called the church to be: an agent of transformation.

The mission of the church is simple. It exists to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. This is the mission of the church regardless of its size. How each church goes about doing these two things will differ, but each church shares the same purpose. In fulfilling this purpose we become transforming agents in our communities.

Is your community different because your church exists? That's a fair question for every church to ask. If your church was to close its doors tomorrow, how would that impact your community? Another fair question. If you can't identify a good answer to these two questions then you need to take a long, hard look at what your church is doing.

The church needs to stop complaining about the state of our society and begin to do something about it. We will begin to change our nation one person, one family, one neighborhood, one community at a time. The time to start living our purpose is right now.

Questions the church must answer

If a church finds itself stuck in a rut it needs to begin asking some questions about how it got there and what it needs to do to get out of the rut. Asking questions is also a good thing to do when a church is going through a transition such as seeking a new pastor. Unfortunately, many churches never stop long enough to ask questions, or if they do, many of them ask the wrong questions. Here are five questions I often recommend churches ask.

1. Why are we here? This has to do with the church's purpose or mission. The correct answer is actually rather simple. The mission of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. The mission of the church is the same for every church regardless of size. However, if they are honest some churches would have to give some other answer. They would be hard pressed to prove that they take either one seriously.
2. How will we accomplish our purpose? This goes to vision. While the mission of the church is the same for all churches, the vision will be different for each church. The vision will be how will this church fulfill its mission today in this community. A church without a unifying vision will be a church that is drifting along accomplishing very little. Be very careful about how you answer this question because your checkbook and your planning calendar will demonstrate what your church's vision really is.
3. What will hinder us from achieving our purpose? This goes to leadership. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Virtually every church seeking a pastor that I have worked with have told me they want a pastor who will grow their church. When I have explained that if their church could grow by what it's been doing it would already be growing so I'm assuming they want a pastor who will change everything they are doing they usually back off that answer. Church controllers and traditions are often the main culprits that keep churches from achieving their purpose.
4. Who are we here for? The church should be the one organization that exists for the life of its non-members. If the church just exists to take care of its members then it really doesn't matter what they do. Such churches don't really want a pastor anyway. They want a chaplain.
5. Is what we are doing here today worth the life of the Son of God? I often rephrase this question and ask it this way, "Did Jesus really die for this?" You may want to ask this question at the start of every meeting and ask the congregation once a month.

These are not easy questions for many churches to answer, but they are critical if the church wants to fulfill its God-given purpose. Of course, a church doesn't have to wait until it is going through a transition. It wouldn't hurt for the leadership to ask these questions annually. Once they've answered these questions they could ask them of the congregation to see how aligned their answers are compared to the entire congregation.

Making a re-commitment to church membership

Louisville megachurch, Southeast Christian, recently deleted everyone from their membership rolls at all four of their area campuses. Following five weeks of sermons that focused on core beliefs they asked people to recommit to being a member of the church and to the mission of "connecting people to Jesus and one another by loving where you are." Thousands of people signed colored tiles making a renewed commitment to church membership and to the mission. Hundreds of baptisms also occurred during this emphasis.

At a time when many question the value of church membership this church has emphasized its importance to its congregation and to those they are seeking to reach. But, it's not just signing on to be a member of a church. It's also asking for a commitment to being involved in their mission of reaching people for Jesus Christ.

Too often we are content to "dip 'em and drop 'em" as one writer put it. There is often little discipleship done with these new members nor are they challenged to be involved in the mission of their new church. If they prove to be somewhat faithful in attending services they may eventually be asked to serve on a committee or teach a class.

Growing churches, and Southeast Christian is certainly growing, are not afraid to challenge people to engage in ministry. In fact, I would say that there is a culture of expectation in growing churches that its members will engage in ministry.

There is one element here that does not exist in every church. Southeast Christian has a clear mission to which they can challenge people to engage. If a church has no sense of purpose, no vision for ministry, and is not actively involved in doing intentional ministry, what can they challenge people to do? Mostly, serve on a committee, and that's not very appealing to people who want their lives to make a difference.

What would happen in your church if you removed every member from the church roll? How many would recommit to membership in your church? More importantly, how many would commit to being engaged in the mission of your church? Final question...exactly what is the mission of your church?

How to manage your time wisely

A few years ago I heard someone say that we can either spend time or invest time. I had never heard that comparison before, but it made an impression on me. Because time is an expendable commodity it is important that we invest our time wisely.

Last night I was reading How to Get to the Top: Business Lessons Learned at the Dinner Table (Fox Business Library) by Jeffrey Fox. He was writing about bad ROT which is bad return on time. While the book focuses on business the principle is true for those of us in ministry. There are some things that we in church leadership should avoid doing as much as possible because the return we get from that activity will be low.

Fox explains that bad ROT is squandering time solving minor problems. Sometimes it seems as if that is how we spend much of our time, and we need to stop and ask if it is worth it. How long are you willing to stay on hold waiting to talk to a person about a $5.00 charge that you think is excessive? Is it important to respond to every perceived slight or criticism, or might it be better to simply walk away knowing that you'll never please some people.

Another way we get a bad ROT is doing things we're not very good at doing. I can change the spark plugs on a car, but because I am not very mechanical it will take me three times longer, and there is no guarantee the car will run when I'm finished. I get a much better ROT taking my car to the garage and reading a book in the waiting room or getting a loaner car to continue my planned activities while trained mechanics work on my car

Learning to delegate is one important way we will get a better return on our time. Spend more time working in the areas of your strengths and gifts, and you'll accomplish a lot more than if you try to do everything yourself. Pastors are not always good at delegating, but this is something we need to learn if we want to better manage our time.

It's also important to invest your time in the things that will help you achieve your goals and the vision of the church. This is why it is so important to understand your priorities and to set annual goals that will help you achieve those priorities. This helps you stay focused on the most important tasks. Time you spend on these tasks will be an investment of your time on truly important things, but this will not happen if you spend too much time dealing with lesser things.

The power of intentionality in ministry

In some of my workshops I tell the story of fishing one day when my boat motor became stuck on an underwater rock. I had been drifting down the river fishing the banks when my boat went over this rock and became stuck. The boat did not have tilt-and-trim so I had to find a way to get off the rock. To make a long story much shorter, before I got the boat unstuck I broke about eight fishing rods and had three treble hooks stuck in my arms. If you attend one of my seminars one day you may hear the longer, more entertaining version of this story!

So, how did I end up in this predicament? Remember, I said I was drifting down the river. The key word here is drifting. In fact, as I look back, every time I got into trouble in a boat it was when I was drifting. As long as the engine or the trolling motor was running I was going somewhere on purpose, and I never had problems as long as the motors were running.

The same is true in life and in church work. The times we get into the most trouble is when we are content to drift. When we are living a purposeful life we are much less likely to get into trouble, and we are much more likely to be more successful. When a church is ministering with intentionality the same thing is true. The problem is that it's much easier to drift along and hope something good will happen.

After working in and with churches for the past three plus decades I have to say that many of them are just drifting along. They open their doors each week hoping something good will happen and wondering why things aren't better than they are. They lack a clear sense of having a God-given vision. They seem to have little purpose for much of what they do except it's what they've always done in the past.

These churches need to fire up their motors and begin to go somewhere on purpose. They need to invest the time to discern a fresh vision from God for what he wants to do in and through their church today and then identify the steps they need to take to make that happen. We must become much more intentional about what we're doing than many of our churches have been in the past.

If I may use another analogy, let's stop taking a shotgun approach to ministry and begin to take a rifle approach. A rifle approach requires you to be much more focused on your target and more deliberate in what you're doing. As churches, let's begin to focus in on the one or two things we can do with excellence that will make a difference in the communities in which we serve. With that kind of focus and intentionality we will begin to see more fruits from our labor.

If I can help you become more focused on knowing and doing God's vision for your church, please contact me. You may also find my book Intentional Ministry in a Not-So-Mega Church: Becoming a Missional Community to be a help as you get started.

Drowning in the shallows

Last week in something I read I came across the phrase "drowning in the shallows." The writer used these words to describe people who spend much of their time concerned about smaller issues while ignoring the larger ones. As a denominational minister I occasionally receive calls from such people. They are upset over something trivial and oblivious to the bigger picture.

A few years ago a group of people in one church confronted me about money that had been recently spent on a youth outing. The amount was a very small fraction of their total budget, but this group was out for blood. They had tried to get petitions signed, had met with church leaders, but they had received no support for their position. While I was at a meeting in their church they came to me with their grievances.

I listened to them until they asked my opinion. I responded that I received their church newsletter every week and in almost every edition there was mention of someone who had been saved in that church during the preceding week. These were often young people or members of their family. I then asked the group, "What do you think is the value of a soul? Do you think a soul is worth the amount of money you seem to be so upset about?" I went on to tell them that if this expense bothered them so much they might be happier in another church that wouldn't spend that amount on their youth during an entire year. At that, they walked away. This group was drowning in the shallows and couldn't see the greater good their church was doing.

I know churches that spend enormous sums of money painting everything there is to paint and remodeling everything that hasn't been remodeled in the last five years. At the same time these churches are not reaching anyone with the Gospel and wondering why they grow smaller every year. They are doing the only thing they know to do, but they are drowning in the shallows.

Other churches are so focused on keeping every jot and tittle of their pet doctrines while ignoring the community around them. Some of our churches have so many Bible studies going on every week it's no wonder that they are not involved in community ministry. All their time is spent in their holy huddle. As I heard John Maxwell say one time, the average church member is educated far beyond his level of obedience.

Am I against remodeling the church and making it a nice place in which to worship? Absolutely not. I love a beautiful church facility. Am I against Bible study and being faithful to the Scriptures? Of course not. But if all we're doing is giving everything a fresh coat of paint and trying to understand who the antichrist will be because it's all we know, we are drowning in the shallows. God has called us to do much more.

As one auctioneer friend of mine puts it, we chase nickles while letting dollars slip away. By that he is saying that he's not going to spend a lot of time trying to sell inexpensive items while he's got valuable items sitting on the side. That's a good way to lose an audience. It's another way of drowning in the shallows.

The Great Commission and the Great Commandment are the marching orders for the church. Faithfully doing these things are the deeper things of God. We must not ignore them or refuse to do them while we focus on lesser things or we will drown in the shallows.

Are you content with being average?

Not every person is going to be a rock star in his or her chosen field, but I meet too many people who are satisfied with being average. I can tell they are content with average because they do nothing to grow. They refuse to read a book or attend a conference that might stretch them and help them grow. They do the minimum that is required of them. They live average lives, have an average career, and reach the end of their lives and wonder why they never accomplished more than they did.

John Maxwell addresses this kind of thinking in his book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential. I've mentioned before how important this book is for leaders. I'm currently re-reading it for the third time and continue to find new thoughts that I missed the first two times I read it. In the book Maxwell quotes from an article written by Edmund Gaudet who described average this way:

"Average" is what the failures claim to be when their family and friends ask them why they are not more successful.

"Average" is the top of the bottom, the best of the worst, the bottom of the top, the worst of the best. Which of these are you?

"Average" means being run-of-the-mill, mediocre, insignificant, and also-ran, a nonentity.

Being "average" is the lazy person's cop-out; it's lacking the guts to take a stand in life; it's living by default.

Being "average" is to take up space for no purpose; to take the trip through life, but never to pay the fare; to return no interest for God's investment in you.

Being "average" is to pass one's life away with time, rather than to pass one's time away with life; it's to kill time, rather than to work it to death.

To be "average" is to be forgotten once you pass from this life. The successful are remembered for their contributions; the failures are remembered because they tried; but the "average," the silent majority, is just forgotten.

To be "average" is to commit the great crime one can against one's self, humanity, and one's God. The saddest epitaph is this: "Here lies Mr. and Mrs. Average - here lies the remains of what might have been, except for their belief that they were only "average."

Most people have been given the ability to rise above average, and to refuse to do so is to deny who God created you to be. The Bible says that we are a royal Priesthood, a chosen people. That doesn't sound average to me. The Bible tells us that every believer in Jesus Christ has been given spiritual gifts that are to be used to minister to others. That doesn't sound average to me either.

No pastor, no Christian, no church should be willing to be average. We are children of the King of Kings. We serve the Lord of Lords. We must now "press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14)." Let each of us refuse to settle for being average but instead let us strive to become the persons God has created us to be and fulfill the purposes he has for our lives. Believe me, that won't be average!

Transitioning into bivocational ministry

This week I received a question from a reader of this blog who senses that he will soon transition into bivocational ministry after spending years as a fully-funded pastor.  One of his primary concerns is what he will do to supplement his ministerial salary.  It is a question I receive with increasing regularity.

The concern goes something like this.  An individual graduated from college and seminary and went directly into pastoral ministry.  Other than summer jobs he or she has never really done anything except ministry.  Now it appears that he or she will need to become bivocational or find another church to serve.  The minister really doesn't want to change churches, but at the same time isn't certain what kind of skills he or she has that will be marketable outside the church.  

When this issue is raised there are some questions I like to ask as I coach them through this transitional challenge.

• What kinds of jobs have you had outside of ministry?  Maybe these were summer jobs, but they gave you work experience in the secular world.  Did you find these jobs enjoyable, and is this something you can do again as a bivocational minister?
• Did you always know you were called into the ministry or did your sense of purpose change as you were going through college?  One pastor replied to this question that he actually planned on going into teaching after college, but before graduating realized that God was calling him into pastoral ministry.  As we discussed this he became excited that he could fulfill his earlier desire to teach while serving as a bivocational minister.
• What was your major in college?  This is a close cousin to the previous question in that it reveals a previous interest in a potential career.  It also shows the minister that he or she has some education in a career other than ministry.  It opens up possible options for them.
• What pastoral gifts do you have that might be transferable into other careers?  A pastor who is naturally gifted in counseling may consider pursuing a career in counseling alongside his or her pastoral ministry.  One who is gifted in the area of administration might find work as a leader in an organization.  I know one bivocational pastor who was asked to head up a local organization that works with families and youth.  It is a perfect match for his gifts and passion.  You may have to take some courses before being certified in some field, but this could be a great investment in yourself as you transition into bivocational ministry.

As you begin to answer these questions it will quickly become apparent that you have many marketable skills that are needed in the secular workplace.  It then becomes a matter of seeking out the right position that will be a good match for those gifts and that will be a good match for your ministry.

Transitioning from being fully-funded to becoming a bivocational minister is often difficult, but it's not impossible.  Spend some time with a good coach, work through these questions, pray, discuss things with your spouse and church leadership, and then begin looking for the right opportunities.  If God is calling you to make this transition you can trust him to open doors that will make it possible.

Descaling our lives

Most evenings my wife and I enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, and sometimes my wife will fix a drink with honey and cinnamon.  Our daughter gave us a Keurig as gift which we use for these single serving drinks.  It works great until it needs to be descaled.  Calcium deposits from the water build up inside the machine which prevents the water from flowing properly.  Even though I use filtered water, these calcium deposits still develop over time.  As I was preparing myself a cup of coffee yesterday evening only a few drops of coffee came through and the machine started flashing a warning saying that it needed to be descaled.  This morning I began the process of descaling so we should be good for our evening cups tonight.

As I was working on the Keurig I thought of how often we need to be descaled ourselves.  Even when we try to live our lives according to the Scriptures, outside influences can begin to build up inside us.  We may find that we begin to carry resentment towards some person or group.  Time demands begin to impact the time we give to our devotional life.  Our thoughts begin to wander into dangerous territories.  We become critical of others.  Ministry becomes a burden rather than a blessing.  The list can go on and on, but as these things begin to build up inside us it reduces our ability to live our lives in way that is pleasing to God and to those around us.  Even we can reach the place where we don't like what we are becoming.

In Psalm 139: 23-24 David prays, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  David understood that we can become blind to the little things that can build up inside a person so he asked God to search his heart and shine a light on those things that were an offense to his life and spiritual development.

Of course, this is a dangerous prayer because it is one that God is likely to answer, and we may not always like the answer.  When God does reveal something to us we then become responsible to address it.  What we are most tempted to do is to repent and move on without really dealing with the underlying causes of the sin.

As I was reflecting on this need for us to descale I begin my devotional reading which is currently Tim Keller's book Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God.  In today's reading I came across this paragraph.

It is possible to merely assent that something is a sin without getting the new perspective on it and experiencing the new inward aversion to it that gives you the power and freedom to change.  Put another way, there is a false kind of repentance that is really self-pity.  You may admit your sin, but you are really not sorry for the sin itself.  You are sorry about the painful consequences to you.  You want that pain to stop, so you end the behavior.  It may be, however, that there hasn't been any real inward alteration of the false beliefs and hopes, the inordinate desires, and the mistaken self-perceptions that caused the sin.

Keller goes on and shows through some of the writings of John Owen how we should approach repentance in a way that will help us see how our sin grieves God.  Such repentance makes the sin more hateful in our sight and weakens its hold on us.  This brings about transformation in our lives and deepens our walk with God.

Descaling isn't just for coffee makers.  It's for Christians as well.  Just as it enables the coffee maker to fulfill the purpose for which it was built, it will enable us to better fulfill the purposes God has for each of us.

Many churches need revitalization

I've been thinking about the situation many of our churches are in today.  We are told that 75-80 percent of our churches are plateaued or declining.  In my opinion, the majority of those churches are in decline.  On a life-cycle, the plateau area is a very small section so I believe most of these churches would be on the decline side of that life-cycle.  Depending on who you read, between 4,000-5,000 churches close their doors each year in the United States.  Most, but not all, of these troubled churches are smaller churches.

Each of these churches began as a vision someone had of starting a church in that location.  That vision was shared with others until a church was formed.  People's lives in those communities were changed because of the ministries these churches offered.  Perhaps those ministries are no longer needed in some of those communities as people have left, but in the vast majority of cases there is still a need for these churches.

That need is compounded even more when one looks at the spiritual condition of our nation.  We are a nation that has turned its back on biblical values and the historic teaching of the church.  We are a nation that values diversity over truth.  Every philosophy and religious belief is given equal status and respect...except Christianity.  The moral teachings of Scripture are ridiculed and ignored, and the result has been tragic to our nation and to our families.  We are in desperate need of a spiritual revival in America, and that revival cannot happen unless it first happens in our churches.

Revitalization cannot occur in a church until it first sees its need for such revitalization, and that begins with the church understanding why it is there in the first place.  Church leaders must capture a fresh vision from God for its future purpose and how it can begin to impact its community again.  It doesn't matter what the original vision was 50 years ago or 200 years ago when the church began.  What matters is what is God wanting to do in and through your church in 2014 and beyond.  If you can discern that you can then determine if you are willing to make whatever changes will be required to fulfill that purpose.

Do not be naive at this point...changes will have to be made.  If your church has been in a plateaued or declining state changes will have to occur if your church is to be revitalized.  If what you've been doing hasn't been working, what makes you think it will work in the future?  Change will have to occur.  You may not like some of those changes, but it's not about you...is it?  If any needed changes has to pass your litmus test before you can approve them then accept the fact that your church will continue to decline as long as you live or until it decides that it would rather please God than you.

Revitalization will require courage and sacrifice from both the pastoral and lay leadership.  It will force the church to go into uncharted territory and begin to live out a new story, but it will be a story of God at work in new ways through the ministries of your church.  It may require changes in how your church is structured.  It may require new alliances between your church and other churches and/or organizations.  It may require changes that cannot even be contemplated right now, but if they bring us into the place where God can begin to use us once again, those changes will be worth it.

A number of denominations and judicatories have persons on staff to assist their churches with revitalization efforts.  You may want to contact them to ask for their assistance.  Other organizations such as Acts 29 are working with churches as they begin to look at renewing themselves.  There is help out there for your church so you do not have to do this by yourself.

If your church is one of the 75-80 percent, it's time to stop hoping things will turn around and get better.  Hope is not a strategy.  It's time to become intentional about revitalizing your church.  Pray about what God would have you to do.  Invite a partner to help you through the process.  Begin to take the hard steps to bring renewal to your church, and when such renewal comes you will then be able to bring renewal to your community.

What should smaller churches look for in a new pastor?

For the past 14 years I have served as a Resource Minister with the American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky.  One primary responsibility I have is to assist our churches when they seek new pastors.  Over the years I have worked with dozens of churches during their search, many of them smaller churches. A question I always ask these committees is what they are seeking in their new pastor.  After they give me their answers I then ask them what the vision of their church is.  Despite having worked with many churches, not one has ever been able to tell me the vision that drives the ministry of their church.  I explain that until they have a sense of where God is leading their church it will be difficult for them to call the right pastor.

I know many smaller churches believe that they need a pastor who can grow their church or one who can attract young people to their church, but that is not always the case.  What is God's vision for your church?  It may not be to have a great youth group or even to grow numerically into a large church.  God's vision may be for your church to offer a specific ministry to your community that no other church offers, but that ministry may not lead to great numbers of people attending your church.

One small church is located in a small community that enjoyed a country music hall that attracted some of the top names in country music.  A church was started in the community with a specific ministry to the people who visited the community each weekend to hear the entertainers who came to that hall to perform.  Services were held at a time that permitted visitors to the community to attend church and have time to return to their hotel room before check-out time.  The music in the worship services reflected the same style of music the people had heard the night before.  Over the years thousands of visitors from all over the world attended that little church and signed their visitor book.  Some of them found Christ while visiting that small church and returned to their homes changed people with a message that could change the lives of others.  This church may never grow to be a big church, but that doesn't appear to be God's vision for the church.  His vision is for this little church to have a world-wide ministry by reaching out to a specific group of people.

This church needs a pastor who can buy into this vision and minister within it.  They probably don't need a pastor who can reach youth because that is not the audience they are serving.  They don't need a pastor who feels called to pastor a megachurch because this church will never be a megachurch.  They minister in a small community primarily to people who are visiting their community for a short period of time for a specific purpose.  They don't need a pastor with great gifts in administration as there is not a lot of administration needed in the church.  They need a pastor who can relate to country music fans, who can share the Gospel with unchurched people from various cultures, and who has an appreciation for small communities.  Now, if God's vision for the church changes then what they will need in a pastor will change as well.

If your church is looking for a pastor you need to begin by understanding God's vision for your church and then looking for a pastor who have the gifts and a passion for that vision.  If you are a pastor looking for a church you should begin by seeing if your gifts and ministry passions match what the church has identified as God's vision for their future.

Focus your ministry efforts for greater effectiveness

One of the things I've been telling those who attend my workshops and conferences is that the smaller church will often accomplish more by doing less.  Sometimes a smaller church feels it must compete with the larger churches in the community to attract people.  This is always a mistake because the smaller church simply does not have the resources to offer the same ministries as a larger church.  Such a shotgun approach to ministry also misses another fact: God has a unique vision for your church.  Our churches are not called to duplicate the ministries of other churches but to discern the vision God has for each church and begin to fulfill that vision.

Several years ago a leader of a smaller church called saying their church was going to launch a youth ministry and wanted my advice on how best to do that.  My advice was to not do it.  The reason was that in that community there were several much larger churches with youth ministries that attracted hundreds of young people every week.  As I said to the caller, "Your church has three kids.  How will you compete with what the other churches are doing?"  He understood and clarified my comments by asking, "So you are saying we should look for another ministry to offer the community?"  Yes.

There is certainly nothing wrong with a church having a youth ministry, but in many cases the reason smaller churches want a youth ministry is they see it as the way to preserve the future of their church.  Trying to start a youth ministry is a problem if the church has no youth for a base group and no one in the church is gifted and passionate about doing youth ministry.  It is much better to build a ministry in your church by identifying and using the gifts of your members, helping them find what ministries they are passionate about doing, and seeing if that will meet a need in the community.

This takes us back to the vision discernment comment.  God will not give your church a vision for ministry if there is no one in your church with the spiritual gifts to make that happen; he will not give your church a vision for ministry if no one in the church is passionate about doing that ministry; and he will not give your church a vision for ministry if it does not meet needs in your community.  Where these three things come together is where you will find your God-given vision.

In most churches there is usually a lot of activity, but at the end of the year what advancements have actually been made?  I think back to my own pastoral ministry.  There were some years we could look back over the preceding months and see positive things that had been accomplished.  Other years we were just as busy but had no real results at the end of the year.  We had done a lot in those years but accomplished very little of lasting value to the Kingdom of God.  Just staying busy is no guarantee of a successful ministry.  We need to focus on the things that will really make a difference in people's lives and on fulfilling what we believe to be God's vision for our church.

I often say to church leaders that if their churches stopped doing 80 percent of what they are now doing, no one would ever know the difference.  That percentage may vary between churches, but the fact is that much of what we do really matters very little.  Let's begin to focus our resources and efforts on the things that really will make a difference to the people in our communities, and in December, when we look back over the year, I think you'll see a big difference in what you accomplished.

Tough questions the church must ask

In the movie Sister Act the character played by Whoopi Goldberg wanted the nuns to leave the safety of their convent to go into the dangerous neighborhood that surrounded them.  The Mother Superior forbade it saying that is was much too dangerous.  When the priest overruled her ban the nuns went into the neighborhood where they found numerous ways to minister to those who lived there.  As the weeks went by the church sanctuary, which had been nearly empty, began to fill with those folks whose lives had been touched.

The world is a dangerous place, but it is in exactly that dangerous place where we are called to serve.  Too many churches want to sit in the safety of their "sanctuaries" and wonder why the people are not coming to them.  Jesus taught that we are to go into all the world and make disciples, not sit around and hope people will come to us.

I was involved in conversations with some folks yesterday about the situation facing many of our churches, especially our smaller ones.  Some of them were amazed when I told them that approximately 100 churches in the US close their doors every week.  I explained to them that the size of the church had nothing to do with that although the majority of those churches were smaller churches.  The primary reason they closed their doors was that they had forgotten why they existed.  At some point in history people had a vision that involved a church in that location, but over the years succeeding generations lost that vision.  They no longer had a purpose for existing other than ensuring that the existing members had their spiritual and other needs met.  While this is important, it is not a vision that can sustain a ministry nor should it be the primary focus of the church.  Eventually, a church with such a tunnel vision will cease to exist.

Scripture clearly gives each church its mission.  It's found in the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, and neither can be fulfilled unless the church is in the world touching people's lives.  Unfortunately, the reality is that too many churches have abandoned this God-given mission.  Such churches need to ask some really tough questions.

• Who are we here for?  If a church exists for those who do not yet know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior it should be reflected in their budget and in their programming.  You might want to check out those before answering this first question because it could change the way you answer it.
• Is what we're doing worth the life of the Son of God?  Think back to your last board meeting or business meeting.  How much of the time in those meetings were spent discussing vital issues that will impact the lives of people and how much of it was spent discussing trivial things that won't matter five years from now?
• Who is Jesus to you?  How the church answers this question will determine what kind of church it will be.  Any church that calls itself a conservative or evangelical church that is not reaching unchurched people for Christ has some serious problems.
• Do you love people as much as Jesus does?  On the night he was betrayed Jesus took a basin of water and washed the feet of his disciples, including the one he knew would later betray him.  Many churches claim to be the friendliest church in town, but from my experience of being a different church nearly every week I would say that many of them are only friendly to one another, not necessarily to the stranger in their midst.  People matter to God.  Do they matter to your church?
• What price are you willing to pay?  Many of the churches I work with claim they want to reach new people until they learn they will probably have to change some things to do so.  After all, if you could reach people by doing what you're doing, you would already be reaching them!  What preferences, what traditions, what sacred cows would your church give up to reach people with the gospel?

These are tough questions which I believe every church is going to be forced to ask at numerous times in its life.  Based upon your answers your church will be set on a path that will lead you to a destination.  The right answers will result in transformed lives and the advancement of the Kingdom of God.  The wrong answers will lead to the church becoming irrelevant and useless to the purposes of God.  Is it time to begin asking these questions of your leadership?

For more on this issue I recommend you read my book The Healthy Community: Moving Your Church Beyond Tunnel Vision.