Ministry in a changing time

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

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

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

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

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

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

Side doors into the church

 A few years ago I heard about the ways some churches were using side-door ministries to reach out to unchurched people. Although I have shared that with some church leaders, I've recently become more interested in the opportunities side-door ministries offer the church. A few weeks ago I read Side Door: How to Open Your Church to Reach More People by Charles Arn. The book was filled with helpful ideas on how to create side-door opportunities for churches.

Let me try to explain the concept of side-door ministries before proceeding. For decades the church has focused on front-door evangelism. We tried to find ways to get people into our churches through the front door. We invited them to worship services, revivals and other special events. While that was an effective form of outreach for a time, the continual decline of church attendance proves it's not an effective means of reaching people outside the church today.

Arn writes that "A side door is a church-sponsored program, group or activity in which a nonmember can become comfortably involved with the church on a regular basis. It is a group that provides an ongoing opportunity for a nonmember to develop meaningful and valued relationships with people in the congregation." These side-door events can be built around virtually any activity or life event. Some examples might be a group that enjoys quilting or bass fishing or camping. It might be a group of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren or a group of single moms. A side-door ministry can be built around almost anything in which a group of people share a common interest. As people come together with common interests they begin to build relationships with one another. Some of these relationships will turn into friendships, and these friendships will lead to conversations about spiritual things. We know that more people are open to attending church services when invited by a friend.

The book gives some great tips on how to create side-door ministries, but the one thing I want to focus on in this post is the importance of a ministry coach. The author writes that "A ministry coach is your church's 'contractor' for overseeing the construction of successful side doors." This is a key person who will oversee the overall strategy of side-door ministries in the church. Any church serious about using this approach to outreach needs to add this position to their leadership team.

As churches are being forced to adapt to new ministry challenges due to the pandemic, perhaps this is a good time to consider side-door ministries as part of your ministry strategy. As I wrote in yesterday's post, it is unlikely we will ever return to "normal" in the ways we minister in the future. Since we need to reinvent ourselves and our approach to ministry we may want to explore this as an option.

Watch what you say

Last week I posted an article on this site about Christians using social media in ways that bring damage to their testimony and the Christian faith. Specifically, I wrote about how Christians are as guilty of posting inaccurate information and slandering those who disagree with us as non-christians. Today I want to address another issue that concerns me about Christians and social media.

The next day I unfriended two Christians on Facebook because of vile language that was contained on a post they shared. This was not their writing, but it was a post they had seen somewhere and felt the need to share it with their friends. The post contained a word that has no place in Christian dialogue. This was not the first time these two individuals had shared questionable material, but this one went over the line of acceptability. I had been uncomfortable with some of their posts before, but this one was the final straw for me. I immediately unfriended them.

Some Christians have no problem with using profane language. I do. It's not that I am shocked by it. As a young man I cursed a lot before becoming a Christian. I've had unbelievers intentionally curse in front of me looking for a reaction. They never got one. But, when Christians are unable to express themselves without using profanity it does bother me. I also do not want it on my social media pages because I don't want anyone thinking that I condone it.

As Christians we are to reflect the person of Jesus Christ in all we say and do. I realize that we all fail to do this as we should. I am certainly not pretending to be perfect in this endeavor either. But, it seems that it should be a simple thing to control the words that come out of our mouths or the ones we write for all the world to see.

Non-christians judge the gospel we proclaim based in large part on the lives of those who claim to believe it. They are quick to point out any inconsistencies they think they find. It may not always be fair, but it is a fact. It should be noted that this is not only true for Christians but for anyone in the public eye. In recent weeks there have been numerous social media posts made by entertainers and politicians that have been removed but not before someone got a screen shot. Critics of these entertainers and politicians used these posts to attack them and their views. Non-christians do the same with the things we post, and just because we remove the post doesn't mean that it goes away. There's always a chance that someone has taken a screen shot of something we post before we can remove it.

Is it really that difficult for Christians to communicate without using profane language? The answer is no, if we care what others think about the things we say and write. I encourage you to think about who will read what you post on social media and what they will think about you after they read it. If you still want to use profane language I guess you're free to do so. Just don't send it to me. If you do I'll feel the same freedom to not receive anything else from you.

Top 10 books of 2017 I

One of my goals for every year is to read 50 books. This year I missed it by three. Each year at this time I like to share my 10 favorite books from that year's reading. Today and tomorrow I will share that list. You will note that several of them are books on apologetics. That has been a focus of mine for the past few years, and 2017 was no exception. In today's post I'll mention five of the books and share the other five tomorrow. They are in no particular order.

Moral Apologetics for Contemporary Christians by Mark Coppenger. The author is a professor of Christian Apologetics at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Christianity has no shortage of critics in today's times. This book pushes back at those critics to demonstrate the moral superiority of Christian belief.

Goliath Must Fall by Louis Giglio. We all face giants in our lives that rob us of the life God desires for us to enjoy. Giglio reminds us that defeating those giants requires us to keep our eyes on Jesus.

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albon. I seldom read novels, but two of them made my top 10 list this year. I found this book told a fascinating tale of a man condemned to spend his time in a cave for centuries listening to voices asking for more time. His involvement with two individuals led to him saving their lives and his as well.

The Noticer by Andy Andrews. This is the other novel I found fascinating. It involves the story of an old drifter who notices things that others do not. As he shares his "perspective" on what is going on in people's lives they find the hope they need to turn their lives around.

Deep and Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend by Andy Stanley. Personally, I'm not comfortable with everything Stanley writes in this book, but that's the problem isn't it? We think it's all about us, and it's not. Perhaps one reason more of our churches are not reaching the unchurched is that we are not willing to give up our comfort level. This book will challenge you.

The problem of suffering

Last week someone on Facebook posted a picture of a well-known televangelist holding a healing service. Below that picture he had another picture showing children in a third-world hospital obviously ill. The person posting asked another individual why these pastors didn't go to such hospitals to heal these innocent children.

His comments were obviously reflecting his feelings toward this individual (who is definitely not a pastor) as well as his feelings towards God. Another person chimed in stating her strongly atheistic beliefs. I wanted to respond, but I made a decision a long time ago to avoid Facebook discussions on the existence of God and most theological questions. It's simply not the best medium for such discussions.

But, his question and the lady's response did point out what is probably the greatest difficulty many people have in believing in the existence of God. They insist that if God exists, and if he is all-loving as Christians teach, then he could not allow innocent people to suffer. Their argument is that since people do suffer either God doesn't exist or is incapable of doing anything about their suffering or that he doesn't care that they suffer. Therefore, either he does not exist or, if he does, he is not worthy of worship.

Answering this question is one of the biggest challenges facing the church today as we attempt to reach out to the unchurched. It is also a topic that is seldom addressed in our pulpits simply because it is so difficult to answer.

Ravi Zacharias wrote Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense to respond to this very issue. Zacharias is a great Christian apologist who isn't afraid to tackle the tough issues that non-theists often raise. I would recommend that every pastor and anyone serious about reaching people for Christ to begin to study this issue of suffering, and this book is a great place to begin.

Zacharias begins by responding with a question of his own. He asks, "Why is it that we finite, self-serving, time-constrained, so-often-wrong human beings think we have all the wisdom needed in which to castigate God and hold Him before the bar of our wisdom within our timetable?" Great question, but fortunately he doesn't stop at asking questions. He goes on to demonstrate how other religions and worldviews have addressed the issue of suffering and points out how the Christian response is actually a more satisfying answer.

We are far removed from the time when a preacher could read something from the Bible and expect people to accept it simply because it came from the Bible. We now have to be able to defend not only our words but the Word as well.

In 1 Peter 3:15 the apostle commands us to "always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you...." What is your answer to the one who asks how an all-powerful, all-loving God can allow innocent people to suffer? How do you answer the person who insists that all religions are basically the same and lead to God? How do you defend the existence of hell? What is your response to those who claim that morality is determined by each person for himself or herself?

We cannot avoid these hard challenges to the Christian faith that are raised by so many people today if we are serious about reaching people for Christ. These are serious questions that require serious answers.Let each of us study to show ourselves approved so that we will be prepared to respond to the challenges people have to the Christian faith.

Reaching our mission field

Too many churches consider themselves mission-minded because they send money to support people they probably will never meet to do ministry in places they will never go to. I am a big believer in supporting mission work around the world. As a pastor I led our church to increase our giving to our denomination's mission work from ten percent to fifteen percent of our offerings. However, just sending money to denominational headquarters is not enough.

Our primary mission field lies outside our church property. (In fact, it might actually be within our churches. Billy Graham once estimated that half of church members were not Christians, but that is for another post!) I have read that a minimum of 50 percent of every county in the United States is unchurched. In some counties it is as high as 80-90 percent. This is a huge mission field that we are obviously not touching. How do we change that and begin impacting this huge percentage of our population for the Kingdom of God?

Many of the things that churches did in the past are not very effective today. Churches used to hold revival meetings each year to reach out to the unchurched. Most of the revivals I've seen churches hold in recent years have not been very effective in reaching unchurched people. In some cases, they didn't do a great job of attracting even their own members.

Early in my pastoral ministry we did a lot of door-to-door visitation. That is also not very effective today. It's very hard to find people home, and if they are home they are often preparing to go back out. People today are not as accepting of strangers knocking on their doors at night as they once were.

Another mindset of the past was that if we could reach children their parents would start coming to church with them. Many churches began bus ministries to pick up these kids each week. The cost of gas and the fact that this strategy was often not very effective in reaching the adults ended many of these bus ministries.

So how can the church become more effective in reaching out to this mission field in their communities? Here are some quick suggestions.

• Identify as many side-doors into your church as possible. This may be church sponsored sports activities that invites the community to participate. It may include leadership development programs to which you can invite local business and government leaders. You may want to sponsor something like Financial Peace University that would be open to both church members and unchurched people alike.
• Begin to reach out to the police and fire fighters through recognizing their importance to the community. I know one church that adopted a fire station near their church building. This allowed them to know these individuals better and gave them opportunities to minister to them and their families.
• Determine if there are people groups in your community that no other church is serving. Your church may want to target those groups with specific ministries that meet actual needs they have.
• Become involved in programs that make your community better. For instance, you may have people who would enjoy working with Habitat for Humanity. This would allow them to work side-by-side with the people who will one day own that house, and it may give them opportunities to share their faith with these families.

The possibilities are endless depending on where you live. Your church will be limited on how many different things you can do by the resources you have available, but if you could only do one thing your church will begin to impact your community by that much. The key is to become intentional about reaching out to the unchurched in your community by finding out how your church can best do that and then doing it.

Lessons from the formerly unchurched

Several years ago Thom Rainer wrote a book that examined the things his research discovered about new Christians. He called these people the formerly unchurched. The title of the book is Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them. When I first read the book I felt it should be a must read for pastors, and I still do. Rainer's research team wanted to learn what factors influenced, and did not influence, a person's decision to attend church and come to faith in Jesus Christ.

There's always a lot of speculation about this, and most church leaders will have an opinion, but this was a study of 353 formerly unchurched persons to learn what actually impacted their decision to go to church and commit their lives to Jesus Christ. As such, it offers a great deal of practical insights into what churches need to do in order to reach unchurched people. Here are just a few of things learned in this study.

1. Over 80 percent of the people surveyed said that the name of the church had little or no influence on their decision to join a particular church. For the past several years some churches have debated removing the name of their denomination from their church name, but this seems to have had little impact one way or the other on the decision to join a church.
2. The pastor did not need to be a dynamic and charismatic leader, but he or she did need to be authentic and a person who spoke with conviction.
3. It is not necessary to dilute biblical teachings to reach unchurched people. In fact, 91 percent of those studied indicated that doctrine was an important factor that attracted them to the church. They were looking for conservative churches that would not compromise their beliefs.
4. Many people claim that Sunday school is nearly dead, but almost 70 percent of the people in this study reported being active in a Sunday school class. They believe Sunday school is a great place to learn about their new-found faith.
5. The unchurched want to be challenged. They want to be involved in activities that will make a difference in people's lives. The church does not need to water down its expectations of these people.

The book covers more than just these five things, but it also goes in detail about how a church can best address each of them. Much of what we've believed about unchurched people may be wrong, and until we correct those myths we will continue to struggle to reach them with the gospel. Many are receptive to hearing the gospel and becoming involved with a good church. This book continues to be a good resource to help us do that.

Preach the word

2 Timothy is the last letter Paul wrote before he was martyred for his faith. We often assume the last words a person speaks are important and deserves special consideration. It's safe to assume that Paul wanted to convey his deepest desires in his final letter to young Timothy.

One of the things he exhorts Timothy to do is to preach the word. He goes on to explain that the time will come when people will not want to hear sound doctrine but will prefer to hear sermons that are pleasing to hear and not challenging to their sinful lifestyles. Paul's warning was not only for Timothy in his time but also should challenge those of us called to preach the Gospel today.

We live in a very diverse, pluralistic society that has rejected absolute truth and absolute morals. All religions are considered equal, and morality is left up to each individual to decide for himself or herself what's right and wrong. Of course, we can only decide right and wrong for ourselves. It would be intolerant for us to presume to tell others what's right and wrong for them. The last thing people want today is to hear sound doctrine that begins with "The Bible says...." And yet, this is exactly what we've been called to preach.

This rejection of sound doctrine isn't limited to just those outside the church. Many sitting in our churches don't want to hear sound doctrine either.

Several years ago a retired pastor and his wife began visiting our church. They lived about an hour away so they only came 3-4 times a year. One Sunday he seemed a little upset after the service but didn't say anything. After he walked out, his wife explained that he didn't like sermons about the blood of Christ. He didn't feel it was necessary to talk about such things in church!

• Hebrews 5:9 tells us that we have been justified by His blood.
• Ephesians 1: 7 - "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."
• 1 Peter 1: 18-19 reminds us that we were not redeemed with corruptible things but with the precious blood of Christ.

I could go on, but there are numerous verses that tell us that we have forgiveness of our sins because of the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross. How do we preach the Gospel and leave out that important part? Even more, why would we want to? To appease people who find such talk uncomfortable? People need to know the price that was paid that would make it possible for them to have a relationship with God. They need to know just how horrible their sins are that such a price was necessary.

Our job as preachers is not to preach a watered-down Gospel that will make people feel good. Our responsibility is to preach the word, not to beat people up, but to give them hope and to point them to a God who loves them.

I came to Christ because I had people who loved me enough to point out the poor choices I was making in my life and who showed me what God had done to offer me forgiveness and a new life. They didn't sugarcoat the Gospel but spoke the truth in love. Because of them I came to understand that God loved me just as I was but loved me too much to leave me there. But, the choice was mine as to whether or not to accept his offer of a new life. This is the message that our world needs to hear today, and they will only hear it if we are not afraid to preach the word.

Maybe what smaller churches are doing is OK after all

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin is not a new book but is one I'm just now reading for the first time. Godin is considered a marketing guru and has written several bestselling books. I've heard him on various podcasts and found him interesting, but I've never been a big fan of his writing. I bought this book after reading a recommendation, and I'm glad I did. Last night I read a paragraph that really jumped off the page.

"So great leaders don't try to please everyone. Great leaders don't water down their message in order to make the tribe a bit bigger. Instead, they realize that a motivated, connected tribe in the midst of a movement is far more powerful than a larger group ever could be."

So often smaller churches are told they have to change this thing or that thing in order to appeal to more people. "You'll never reach young people if you keep singing from the hymnal." "If you don't offer this program your church will never attract certain people to your church." "You better not preach on that subject or you'll run people off." And the list of warnings goes on.

One of my favorite passage of Scripture is John 6. Jesus has done many miracles including the feeding of the 5,000. The masses want to be with him, but they also want him to continue to do miraculous things for them. Instead, Jesus begins to teach some hard truths which alienates the vast majority of the people. In verse 66 we read that many of them turned away and walked with Jesus no more.

What did Jesus do? He didn't run after them pleading with them to return. He didn't beg for their forgiveness. He didn't offer to water down his message to make it more acceptable to them. He didn't promise to be more politically correct in the future. No! What he did was turn to the twelve and ask if they also wanted to leave.

Jesus understood that he could not please everyone. He also knew that a small, committed, motivated few could accomplish a lot more than a large group of people who are just hanging around waiting for the next show or the next serving of fish sandwiches.

A consistent theme in books about reaching out to the unchurched is that churches need not, and must not, water down their message or lower their expectations of what it means to be a Christian and a church member if they want to reach today's unchurched population. This is a generation that is hungry for truth and wants to be involved in something that has high expectations of them.

Does this mean that smaller churches should refuse to make changes that are needed? NO! Anything that hinders our mission must be addressed. Any walls we've created that keep people from God must be identified and torn down. We have to find ways to build bridges into the communities we are called to serve.

This does mean that much of what we're doing is OK. We will never be able to appeal to everyone, and that's OK too. We will advance our part of the Kingdom of God by continuing to be the people God has called us to be, and that's all any church is asked to do.

How will the world know?

Several years ago I read of a new pastor in a community who began to make friends with some of the people in that community who did not attend church. As his relationship with these folks developed he asked each of them why they didn't attend church. He invited four of them to share their stories with the congregation he served. For four weeks each of them in turn shared their story of why they did not attend church.

One was the local sheriff who told the congregation that his department was called to the homes of as many Christians as non-Christians. He felt that if what they believed was true it should change the way they behaved.

The next week the speaker was a lesbian social worker who grew up in a pastor's home. As a child she had witnessed the difference between what church people said they believed and how they acted.

The third person was an official from the local school system. He could not understand why Christians were known more for what they opposed than for what they supported. His experiences with Christians had been mostly negative.

On the final Sunday a local waitress spoke. She told the congregation how everyone at her work hated to work on Sundays. They found church people to be rude and demanding, their children out of control, and to be very poor tippers. As she explained, she can't raise her children on Gospel tracts.

As you might expect, not everyone in the congregation was pleased with this series of messages. Some walked out never to return. What this pastor wanted to do was to show the congregation how unchurched people often saw those who did go to church, and how this influenced their thoughts about both the church and, more importantly, about Christ.

I developed a sermon using this story called "How will the world know?" Scripture is clear that people will know we are Christians by our love. The way we treat one another as well as those outside the church has an impact on how others view the church and Jesus Christ. The way we live our lives will often be the first gospel message some people will hear, and in some cases they will not be interested in hearing a second.

More of us needs to have the courage of the pastor in the above story. I'm sure it pained him to hear the stories of those who were not involved in church. Yet, if we do not ask to hear those stories how will we know what we need to change in order to reach more people? What stories might you hear if you began to ask people in your community why they are not involved in a church? How might you use that information to improve your church's outreach?

Is atheism winning?

While traveling to a meeting yesterday I listened to a podcast from William Lane Craig, the well-known Christian philosopher and apologist. He was reviewing an article from a Christian publication that claimed that atheism is winning in today's culture. The reasons for that writer's conclusion was that many young people are leaving Christianity and that a large number of Christians are unable to effectively share their faith.

Craig did an excellent job of showing that the claim that atheism is winning is not correct. While he agreed that both of the writer's statements were true, Craig pointed to the growing number of Christians in China and elsewhere in the world. While it is true that many young people are abandoning their faith, it is also true that many others are coming to faith in Christ at the same time.  Despite the best efforts of "new age" atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and others, atheism is not winning.  Christianity is growing around the world.

One of the reasons for this growth is the excellent material now available in the area of Christian apologetics. The old method of evangelism, what I call the "Turn or burn!" method, simply does not work today. People are asking questions and demanding answers before making a faith commitment. Many struggle with Christianity because they have questions that no one has attempted to answer or failed to answer to their satisfaction. I recently spoke to a woman whose husband cannot believe in God due to the widespread evil in the world, and this is a major stumbling block for many.

When I began pastoring in 1981 there was very little material available in apologetics, or at least I wasn't aware of them. Today, there are many such resources, and pastors and other church leaders should take advantage of them.

William Lane Craig has written several such books, but I have to admit that some of them are over my head academically.  However, he recently published an excellent book, On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision, that he wrote for the non-scholar. I read it earlier this year and found it to be a wonderful resource.  I'm currently reading The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller. This is another excellent resource that addresses the questions and concerns people have about Christianity. Anything by Ravi Zacharias is also a great resource for the person who wants to effectively share his or her faith with others. I especially recommend his books Why Jesus?: Rediscovering His Truth in an Age of Mass Marketed Spirituality, Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message, and Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn't Make Sense.

I encourage pastors to study these resources and teach the material to your congregations. We must be able to respond to the questions people have about Christianity if we want to do effective evangelism in the 21st century, and this material will help you do that. Atheism isn't winning, and it won't win because it is not based on truth. We have the truth, and it is our responsibility to learn how to most effectively share that truth with others.

Is the church not paying attention or does it just not care?

For decades we have witnessed a decline in the number of people attending worship services in the United States.  The membership roles of most denominational churches continue to shrink as does their revenue.  We have long noticed the "graying" of our congregations as growing numbers of young people have turned away from the church or have sought out churches that are not part of the denominations in which they were raised.  Recent reports indicate the fastest growing group in America today are the "nones."  These are the people who indicate "none" as their religious preference.  This is the reality facing many of our denominational churches today, and the question has to be asked, "What are they doing to address this reality?"  The answer must be "Not much" since the problems have only gotten worse.  The next question that must be asked is, "Is the church not paying attention or does it just not care?"

Part of what makes this so sad is that many young people today are drawn to the person of Jesus Christ.  It is the church that they don't trust and don't like.  Many younger people do not believe the church represents the real Jesus so they have turned away from the church and sought out other means to practice their spirituality.  A number of books address this problem, but none does it better than They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations by Dan Kimball.

At a church leadership conference Kimball challenged the approximately 500 pastors in attendance to leave the confines of their church offices for part of each week to spend time with persons not involved in a church.  Their response amazed him.  Many believed their congregations would not approve as they were expected to be at the church office in case they were needed by one of the members.  Some felt that it was not their responsibility to go to the people; they should come to us.  Few seemed to be willing to spend time building relationships with unchurched folk and discussing with them the reasons they are turned away from the church.

Kimball is willing, and this book contains some of the conversations he's had with numbers of the emerging generation.  I will warn you...some of those comments people have made to Kimball about the church are not comfortable to read.  The folks he talked to had some harsh things to say about church leaders, about some of the teachings of many churches, some of its practices, and its political agenda.  Some of their accusations seem a little unfair, but much of it is accurate, and whether we agree with their comments or not, they are the perceptions held by many unchurched people today.  If we are not willing to build relationships with these folks and earn the right to discuss their perceptions, how do we ever expect to be able to reach them?  Perhaps just as important...if we are not willing to listen to these folks how will we know which of their perceptions are actually valid and need addressing by those of us in church leadership?

Those of us who have been Christians for some time often live in a bubble.  We speak a secret language only known by other Christians.  We listen to Christian music, buy Christian books, attend Christian events, watch Christian programming on television, listen to Christian radio, and the majority, if not all, of our friends are Christians.  Our churches have conducted their activities in the same manner for years (decades?) so we assume that everything we do is normal and should appeal to people today just as it did to our grandparents.  If we want to learn how others see us, we have to get out of the bubble and enter the world we've been called to impact with the Gospel.

Isn't that what missionaries do?  If they spent 24/7/365 with their fellow missionaries they would never make an impact on the people they are trying to reach.  America today is just as much of a mission field as any other nation, and the church needs to learn that it must treat it as a mission field if we are going to have any influence on it today.   For a missionary to be effective he or she must understand the people they are trying to reach, their beliefs, their practices, their thinking.

For us to effectively reach our mission field we must do the same thing.  This book is a great place to get an overview of the people God has given us to reach.  Then, we must be willing to go out among the people and engage them, develop relationships with unchurched people to help them see that their perceptions of Christians are not valid of all of us, and then earn the right to share our faith.  It would be a shame to lose a generation of people because we weren't paying attention to the reasons why they didn't like the church.  It would be a greater shame if we lost that generation because we simply didn't care.

Easter brings tremendous opportunities to a church

It won't surprise too many pastors and Christian leaders to be told that this Sunday is Easter.  This Sunday will probably be the largest worship attendance your church will have this year, especially if you serve in a smaller church.  Families will come home for Easter and many of them will want to attend services in the churches in which they were raised.  Some of your absentee members will find their way back to church this Sunday, and some folks from the community are likely to drop in as well.  This provides your church with a tremendous ministry opportunity if you do some things well.

Be prepared for your guests.  Print extra programs.  Have extra greeters at the entrance and even in the parking lot.  Make sure the grounds and building are spotless.  If it's bad weather have people available with umbrellas to meet people at their cars.  You may even want to consider offering valet parking especially if the weather is bad or your parking is limited.  A visitor is someone who shows up unexpectedly like a vacuum salesman.  A guest is someone you are expecting, and you should be expecting to see new people on Easter Sunday so be prepared for them.

Don't insult your guests by mentioning how you haven't seen them since Christmas.  Don't embarrass them by asking that they introduce themselves or wear name badges or ribbons or do anything that will make them stand out.  Do welcome your guests and thank them for coming to the service.  If your church has pew Bibles do print the page number of any Scriptures you will be reading in the program to make it easier for them to read along with you if they choose.  Do try to capture their names and addresses so you can do follow-up with them afterwards.  A great way to do that is to ask everyone in the congregation to fill out a name and address card so you will have a record of their attendance.  This doesn't make the guest feel conspicuous while filling out their card.

This is a Sunday to present a very simple and clear gospel message.  Easter is a time of celebration, and your message should capture that.  Jesus Christ is alive!  He wants to be Lord and Savior of every person who sits in your congregation.  He wants to provide them with forgiveness for their sins and transform them into new persons.  You should have no problem preaching a dynamic message that offers hope and salvation to all who hear it.  It is likely that some sitting in your sanctuary this Easter Sunday have never heard such a message, and you have an opportunity to plant seeds in their minds and hearts that could lead to a transformation of their lives.

Close your service with excitement and anticipation that God has spoken to people through the music, the prayers, and the message.  Send them out with God's blessings upon them.

Do not fail to follow-up with every guest in the week following Easter.  This is critical if you have any hope of them returning.  Depending on how many guests you had that Sunday you may need to ask other mature, spiritual leaders in your church to assist you in this follow-up.  You may want to physically visit some guests depending on the level of communication you've had with them, but a letter and a phone call will often suffice after their first time at your church.  Send the letter out on Monday following the service and then call them later in the week asking if they've received the letter and if they have any questions about the church.  In both contacts be sure to invite them to return the next Sunday.

Easter Sunday is often the one Sunday in the year that provides a smaller church with the greatest opportunity to touch people's lives.  If you will treat people as you would like to be treated if you visited a church for the first time you are much more likely to see them return.  This is even more likely if you have shared with them a message of hope and grace that is only available through a living Savior.

Remembering the past but not living there

Last night while I was working at my computer I turned on the radio feature for I-Tunes and clicked on Classic Country.  This is not normally my first music choice these days, but for some reason I wanted to listen to some of the old country songs I listened to growing up.  It only took about three songs, and my mind was back in our old milking barn.  We lived on several dairy farms when I grew up, but for some reason when I think back to those days I go back to the same farm.  There we still put milk in the milk cans and then placed the cans in a tank of cooling water until the truck came to pick them up.  During school I usually didn't have to help milk in the morning, but during the summer I was in the barn early in the morning and back again most evenings to help.  I can still see the set-up of that barn, I can still remember the names of some of our cows, and I certainly remember the smells.  I also remember an old radio that set on a ledge high up on the wall that was turned to a country music station that we listened to while we milked.  Many of the songs I heard last night were the same ones that we listened to in the barn, and that is why my mind went back to those days so long ago.

Of course, all my time wasn't spent in the barn.  We had a lake that was about one acre big filled with fish and frogs.  I caught many fish out of that lake with an old rod and reel my grandfather gave me, and I caught lots of frogs that provided some good frog leg dinners.  A basketball hoop was nailed on the side of the barn that offered me plenty of time to work on my jump shot.  Even as young as I was I was often driving a tractor plowing a field or raking hay.  I learned how to drive when most kids my age were still trying to learn how to ride a bicycle.  Our TV got three channels, sometimes four, if we got the antenna turned just right.  Sunday afternoons were often spent visiting family.

It was a simple time.  No cell phones, no computers, no being available 24-7-365.  A big event for me was going to the feed mill with Dad and getting a nickle for the coke machine.  The good old days.  Or was it?  Living on a dairy farm meant that we never went far from home.  There was a lot of hard work that is easily forgotten now thanks to our selective memories.  Sometimes I think it would be nice to return to those simpler days, but the fact is the world has changed.  Most of us will never recapture those days, and maybe we shouldn't even try.

A lot of churches would like to return to a time when it was easier to be a church.  All a church had to do in those days was open its doors and the people would come in.  The Baptist church took care of the Baptists in town, the Methodist church met the needs of the Methodists, and each denominational church cared for its own.  As I said, we moved several times when I was growing up, but finding a church was easy.  We just attended the closest Baptist church.  They all used the same literature and pretty much followed the same worship format.

Well, those days are over.  As much as some churches would like to return to those days, it's never going to happen.  People come to church with different expectations, and fewer people go to church at all.  A few years ago studies came out explaining why the unchurched were staying away from the church.  Now, those studies are finding that even many believers are avoiding traditional churches as they feel such churches are hazardous to their spiritual health.  Many question if today's church is even relevant to the needs of our society.

The answer to that question is yes.  The church will always be relevant because we proclaim a message that continues to address the deepest needs of mankind.  We offer a message of hope, of forgiveness, of justice, of mercy, and an opportunity to reconnect with our Creator.  However, if that message is packaged in programs and ministries that fails to connect with people we will continue to be seen as irrelevant.  Let's stop trying to recapture the good old days and look for ways to share the great message of Jesus Christ that will capture the minds and hearts of people today.

The importance of church hospitality

"We are the friendliest church in town."  I can't tell you how many times I have heard that from church leaders.  In fact, it is safe to say that I have yet to be in the second most friendliest church in any community in which I've been.  At least, that the case if I believe these church leaders are telling me the truth.  But, my experience has been that really isn't the case.  Most of these churches may be friendly, but they are often only friendly to one another, not necessarily to visitors.

As a judicatory leader for our denomination I am in a different church almost every week.  It is seldom I will be in the same church more than two times in a given year, and usually it will be only once.  From my experience many churches need some serious training in the area of hospitality.  They do not know how to welcome and receive guests to their church.  These people are often ignored on the one hand or embarrassed on the other.  Either no one speaks to them at all while they are at the church or they are asked to stand up and tell everyone who they are and where they're from.  Both scenarios are terrible violations of hospitality.

Few people want to be ignored when they go somewhere new.  They want to meet the people and see if they have anything in common with them.  They want to feel welcomed.  At the same time, they want people to respect their privacy.  Few people enjoy standing up in a room of people and introducing themselves.  Many people today want to be able to attend a church service and remain somewhat private.  While they don't mind meeting people individually they are not prepared to give a public statement about their reasons for being in attendance.  Churches often complain to me that visitors seldom return to their churches, and one primary reason for that may be the way they were treated when they were there.

Being treated as a visitor is not very welcoming.  Visitors are people who are unexpected.  They drop by, but nothing was planned for them.  Everyone ends up feeling somewhat awkward.  On the other hand, guests are expected and preparations have been made for them.  People are excited to see the guests because they had invited them and made sure things would be ready for them when they came.  A leader once asked if one reason some churches didn't have more first-time guests than they do is because God knows they are not prepared to receive guests.  If a time comes when these people decide to visit a church God directs them to those churches that is prepared.  I tend to think that leader is correct.

Some of the churches I serve have recognized they need training in church hospitality so I developed a workshop on that topic which I've led for several churches and one association.  I believe hospitality is a key to reaching and keeping new people, and it's too important to not be intentional about ensuring that the church offers good hospitality to everyone who comes there for worship.

Surprisingly, I've not found a lot of books or other resources on this topic.  By far the best book I've found is Fusion: Turning First-Time Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of Your Church by Nelson Searcy.  I believe every church leader should read every book Searcy has written, but this is the first of his books I read and it remains my favorite.  The subtitle should be enough to make you want to read this book.  Isn't that what every church claims it wants to do?  We want to reach new unchurched people and lead them into a personal relationship with God, help them grow as disciples, and become active members of our churches.  This book explains step-by-step how to effectively reach out to the unchurched people in your community and how to treat them when they do come to your church as well as how to follow-up with them after they've been there.  You will be hard pressed to find any book on ministry with more practical information than you'll find in this book.   One of the things that makes the book exciting for me is that the recommendations Searcy gives can be done by churches of every size.  Your church does not have to be Willow Creek to be able to do the things he recommends.

Most people decide whether they will return to a church within a very few minutes after arriving on your church property.  It happens long before the choir ever sings or the pastor preaches.   Their decision is based on what they see and what they experience in those first few minutes.  If a church is serious about wanting to reach new people it is critical that they become very intentional about providing great hospitality to every person who comes on their property.  This book will be a valuable resource for those churches that want to improve in this area of ministry, and it can be ordered by clicking on the above title.

Where is the grace?

Many years ago, before I began preaching, I served as a deacon in our church.  One year during Vacation Bible School a young girl came forward during the invitation.  Because she did not attend our church the pastor wanted to visit her family before baptizing her and asked me to go with him.  The girl lived with her mother in a nearby apartment complex.  When we visited with the mother the pastor explained why we were there and asked if she had any problems with her daughter being baptized.  The mother hesitantly asked if that would mean her daughter would be a member of our church.  Our pastor explained that normally one became a member of the church when they were baptized but that did not have to be the case if the mother had any objections.  She then told us her story.

A few years earlier she had been an active member of another church in our community.  Against her wishes her husband filed for divorce and left her.  The next Sunday she felt like a stranger in her church.  People would not talk with her and most acted as if she wasn't even in the service.  At a time when she needed her church it turned its back on her.  After a few weeks of such treatment she stopped attending and never returned to a church.  Although she was happy her daughter wanted to become a Christian she did not want her daughter to be hurt by a church as she had been.

 It's a story that could be repeated endless times.  A few years ago I coached a pastor in another state and one of the questions I asked her was if she could do anything she wanted to in ministry what would it be.  She immediately responded that she always wanted to start a ministry to people who had been hurt by the church.  I laughed a little and told her if she was successful with such a ministry her church would not be small for long because in every community there are many people who have been hurt by their churches.

The working title for my book The Healthy Community: Moving Your Church Beyond Tunnel Vision was Heart Disease in the Body of Christ.  One of the diseases I address in the book is the lack of grace that exists in so many churches.  We are known as people who shoot their wounded for good reason.  Too many people in church seem to think that the church is a hotel for saints when in reality it is to be a hospital for sinners.  It is a place where imperfect people should be able to come to when they need to find forgiveness, cleansing, hope, and salvation.  Instead, it is often a place where they encounter condemnation and shame.  When unchurched people see how we treat our brothers and sisters when they encounter failures in their lives it is no wonder they do not believe that they will be treated any better.

Even worse is the way we respond to people whose views are different than ours.  I'm not talking about compromising the integrity of the Word of God or denying its fundamental teachings; I'm talking about such things as the length of a man's hair or whether or not a woman wears jewelry and which version of the Bible is the right one.  I'm talking about being critical of the type of car a fellow believer drives, the size of his or her house, or the clothes he or she wears.  I once had a church member tell me she hoped she never saw me own a Cadillac as she didn't believe a minister should drive such a car.  I assured her she didn't have to worry; if I could afford a Cadillac I would probably buy a Mercedes.  She was not amused!

The apostle Paul warned, "But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!"  That is what is happening today in many of our churches.  Our lack of grace towards one another is tearing our churches apart and running unbelievers away from God because of what they see in us.   It is driving good people out of the ministry and doing great harm to their families.

Some will argue that if we extend too much grace people might take advantage of it.  No doubt some will.  In fact, I've seen people claim that because they are under grace they are free to do some things that are contrary to biblical teaching.  At such times it becomes important to explain the difference between cheap grace and true grace.  Cheap grace justifies the sin rather than the sinner while true grace justifies the sinner, not the sin.  Some of the greatest heroes in the Bible failed greatly.  Moses, Paul, and David are just a few whose names immediately pop into one's mind.  God never justified their sins, but He did justify them and used them mightily for His purposes.

We must never forget that we have been the recipients of God's grace.  I cannot imagine where I might be today without such grace.  Having received grace can we refuse to extend grace to others?  I think not.  I believe it is time for churches to once again become places where hurting people can experience God's grace through His people. For more on this subject be sure to read my book.

Do not be afraid of the truth

How does the church minister in a world in which many no longer believe in absolute truth?   It is one of the great challenges of our time.  Our Lord Jesus Christ taught that He is the truth, the life, and the only way to God, but many find His words to be unacceptable.  They argue that other great religious leaders also taught paths to God so who is able to say which one is true.  Many prefer to take bits of teaching from one religion and mix it with teachings from other religions to develop their own religious system which satisfies their spiritual longings and yet does not crimp their personal moral behavior.

Some churches have been willing to compromise their doctrine in order to accommodate this postmodern view of truth and reach today's spiritual seekers, but numerous studies tell us this is not necessary.  Tom Rainer's studies led him to insist that the church should never dilute the Gospel in an effort to reach the unchurched as many formerly unchurched report that the church's doctrine was one of the elements that attracted them to the church they eventually joined.  Colleen Carroll's year long study of young adults who turned to orthodox Christianity found that this was also a major reason for their decision.  They wanted a belief system that actually believed something.

In one of their books, Elmer Towns and Ed Stetzer said that if we "Take away the authority of the Bible, or the essential content of the Bible, [we] no longer have Christianity."  We may still have a belief system or a religion, but it will not be Christian, and it will not have the power to change people's lives.

We do not have to be afraid to present the Gospel as true even at a time when truth is being questioned and Christian doctrine and values are under attack.  I believe that just as God has protected the truth of His word for all these centuries, He is still able to protect it as it comes under attack today.  Let those who reject biblical truth challenge it with their man-made philosophies and see how effective such arguments are against the truth of Scripture.  Their mocking may last for a season, but in the end truth will prevail.

While God is certainly capable of protecting His word, the church has a role to play in this as well.  Today, it is essential that we develop an apologetic that will respond to the critics and provide answers to the sincere seekers.  We must not only know what we believe but why we believe it, and be ready at all times to give an answer for the hope that is within us.

Our society is searching for spiritual answers to their deepest questions.  The church has the responsibility to provide those answers from the Scriptures.  Such answers will not always make some people happy, but it is not our job to make them happy; it is our responsibility to give them the truth.  When we plant the seed of truth in them God then has something to work with to help them experience the transformation they need.

For more on this topic be sure to read my newest book The Healthy Community: Moving Your Church Beyond Tunnel Vision.

Sharing the faith

In my lifetime I've seen many ways the church has been taught to share the Christian message. As a child I remember one week and two week long revivals often with red-faced evangelists challenging their listeners to get right with God while there was still time.  Early in my pastorate I taught our church members the techniques of Evangelism Explosion before we went into nearby neighborhoods and asked the five questions that would allow us to witness to unsaved people.  In Bible college we were taught that evangelism was one of the primary purposes of Sunday school and we should expect to see many converts come through that important ministry of the church.  Throughout my lifetime I've watched the Billy Graham crusades on television, and a couple of years before beginning my pastoral ministry had the privilege of attending a Billy Graham School of Evangelism.  Despite the various methods that have been used and taught over the years many Christians still find it very difficult to share their faith.  A large percentage of believers have never led anyone to Christ, and many of them haven't even tried.  Most of them would probably admit to feeling very inadequate if they tried to witness to someone.

There are people who have the gift of evangelism, and it seems they can lead someone to Christ as easily as you or I might order a cheeseburger through a drive-through.  You and I might not have that gift (I don't), but that doesn't mean that we are exempt from the Great Commission.  Every Christian has the responsibility of sharing our faith with others, and the good news is we don't have to memorize a canned approach to be able to do that nor do we have to have complete knowledge of everything written in the Scriptures.  Many times we just need to walk across the room.

If you didn't recognize it, Just Walk Across the Room is the title of a book written by Bill Hybels designed to help every Christian point people to faith.  This is not a new book.  It was published in 2006, but I just read it this week.  In the book Hybels makes evangelism seem so simple that anyone can do it.  It begins by believers developing relationships with non-believers.  That may seem rather elementary, but the fact is that the longer a person is a Christian the fewer non-Christian friends that person has.  (Question - How many non-Christian friends do you have?)  The second thing we do is to develop stories that will point people to God and then begin to look for opportunities to share those stories with them.  For example, what were the events in your life that led you to invite Jesus Christ into your life?  Your exact situation may not be the same as those of your friends, but it's likely the emotions you felt at the time will be similar to what they are feeling: fear, shame, guilt, confusion, helplessness, hopelessness, discouragement, etc.  Since I gave my life to Christ I have probably told my story to hundreds of people, and some element of that story connected with the vast majority of them at some point.  Not everyone I've told my story to invited Christ into their lives at that moment, but the results are not up to me.  I'm only responsible to tell the story.

A couple of weeks ago I preached a revival meeting in one of our bivocational churches.  During one of the final messages I challenged the congregation that the church needs to make a decision.  If we truly believe the Bible is true and is the Word of God then we have to accept what it says about eternity and the final destination of mankind.  Those who are saved through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will spend eternity with God, and those who do not will be eternally separated from God.  If we really believe the Scriptures are true then we should feel compelled to share our faith as God provides opportunities so all will have the opportunity to invite Christ into their lives. 

I believe two things need to happen before we can expect our churches to take seriously the Great Commission.  The first is they must see their pastors and other leaders sharing their faith with people.  Remember - Everything rises and falls on leadership.  If the leadership isn't sharing their faith with people then they cannot expect the rest of the congregation to do so.  The second thing that needs to happen is we need to help people become more comfortable in sharing their faith.  I really believe this book by Hybels can be a good tool to do that.  It needs to be studied in your small groups, in your adult and youth Sunday school classes, and be included in your leadership development ministry. What he describes is not dependent upon the size of a church or their resources.  It is only dependent upon the willingness of God's people to be obedient to the Great Commission in their lives.

One thing killing our small churches

Over the past couple of weeks I've had some challenging posts on this blog.  Yesterday I wrote about how churches need to address the problem of controllers.  A few days earlier my blog post was about the desire of smaller churches to develop a youth group even when there are no youth in the church.  The post about youth has been the most read and circulated post I've had in a long time.  Today, I'm sorry to say that I'm going to have yet another post that may upset some people.  I want to briefly touch on one thing that is killing many of our smaller churches, and that one thing is their buildings.

Churches have become fascinated with buildings.  Many believe "If they build it they willl come," and don't realize that isn't reality until it becomes difficult to meet the mortgage payment each month.  In recent years I've seen numerous churches build facilities they didn't need and couldn't afford, and these facilities have often had a very negative impact on the church's ability to do ministry.  They have also been an issue when the church needs to seek a new pastor or staff person.  The building consumes so much of the church's income that there is little money left for ministry or for salaries.

It has become popular for churches to build family life centers which are often little more than glorified basketball courts.  These churches are often strapped for years trying to pay off the mortgage on that FLC.  When I was pastor we could rent a local armory for a Sunday afternoon of basketball for $20.00 a day.  We didn't have to worry about utilities, insurance, upkeep, or a big mortgage payment.  We paid our $20.00 and enjoyed an afternoon playing basketball.  Some churches are able to use their FLCs for outreach programs such as Upwards Basketball, but many other churches see both their sanctuaries and FLCs sit unused five or six days a week.

I cannot remember where, but recently I read a comment that said many new church starts do very well until someone gets the idea they need a building.  At that point efforts to reach new people cease and all the focus and energy are directed to finding property.  For some reason it stops being acceptable to rent worship space from some organization once someone suggests the new church needs to own property. 

This problem is not limited to churches building facilities they cannot afford or new churches wanting to own property and have a "proper" church building.  It also involves churches that have older facilities it struggles to maintain and churches that have large facilities from a time when the congregation was much larger that it no longer needs since the congregation has declined.  In some cases the upkeep and fixed expenses of these properties consume whatever ministry money a church may have almost ensuring the church will never effectively reach the unchurched in their communities.

An organic church planter once told me that he believed a church of 30 people could do anything in a home they could do in a church building.  He's absolutely right.  I believe it is time to make this a stewardship question and ask if spending so much money on buildings is really the best way to utilize the resources God makes available to us. 

I know this will be difficult for some people to handle, but many of our smaller churches would be much better off to sell their properties, begin to meet in homes or rented facilities, and use the money they gained from the sale of their property to do ministry in their communities.  Schools, clubs, motels, and various other organizations would be delighted to offer your congregation a place to meet on Sundays for much less money than what many churches are paying to maintain their properties.  A church that made this change would then be able to be more missional as it focuses on serving the community in which Christ has placed it, and it would have the financial resources to be better able to do this.

This post does not mean that I am against church buildings or even churches building new facilities to enable it to provide better ministry.  There is certainly a place for church buildings, but that does not mean that every church must have its own building.  Many churches would find great freedom in no longer owning property and find it much easier to begin offering new ministries to people who need Christ in their lives.

Does your church exhibit grace?

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A young man recently visited a church for the first time.  He sat near the front and took copious notes of the message.  He brought with him a can of soda.  After the service a woman in the church went to him and told him he was never to bring a drink into their sanctuary again.

At the end of a message a guest speaker was told that the church consititution required that the minister preach from the King James Version.  I was the guest speaker and had used the NKJV.  I never returned to speak at that church again.  Another minister was asked to lead a revival in yet another church.  He did use the KJV, but his Bible had a burgundy cover.  At the end of the first service he was told by the deacons that their church only permitted black covered Bibles and he did not need to return for the remaining services.

A pastor was laying in a hospital room recovering from an illness that he had fought for several days.  A representative from the church visited to tell him that he was being asked to resign immediately.  It had been learned a few weeks earlier that his unmarried daughter was pregnant, and since he did not have control of his household he could not lead their congregation.

Another pastor became angry during a business meeting because one of his proposals was rejected by the membership.  He stormed out of the church as soon as the vote on the matter was taken leaving a stunned congregation.  The next Sunday he called in "sick."  A member told me that was not the first time this had happened when he didn't get his way.

I could go on and on with similar stories.  The bottom line is that while our churches like to sing about grace, teach about grace, and experience grace for our failures, we often do a very poor job of giving grace to others, both inside and outside the church.  The world looks at our lack of grace and quickly determines that it's not interested in anything we have to offer.

Graceless churches often do not understand why they always have the problems they have.  The apostle Paul explained the situation this way, "But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another."  That is exactly what is happening.  Graceless churches are being consumed internally by their own lack of grace.  We attack this and that and soon become much better known for what we oppose than what we support, and our ability to present Jesus Christ to an unbelieving world is forfeited.

I realize that grace can be risky.  Some will want to take advantage of it and turn grace into license.  Nothing I've written here says that we can ignore the clear teachings of Scripture and appear soft on sin.  Jesus confronted sin whereever He encountered it, but He did so in a manner than demonstrated His love for the person.  Churck Swindoll once wrote, "'Cheap grace' justifies the sin rather than the sinner.  True grace, on the other hand, justifies the sinner, not the sin."  There's a huge difference.  We do not have to be afraid of extending true grace to others.

It has been well said that the church is to be a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints.  At various times in our lives we all need forgiveness for our sins.  Let's be as quick to extend grace to others as we are to receive it for ourselves.  You can learn more about this problem in my book The Healthy Community.