This was my most popular blog post of 2019 according to the number of people who read it. I thought it might deserve repeating.
A major challenge faced by bivocational ministers is trying to meet the expectations of the congregation. Most churches have a job description for the pastor, and most pastors do not get into trouble because they do not meet fulfill that job description. They get in trouble when they do not meet the unwritten job descriptions that exist in every church. If a church has 50 people there may be 50 different expectations placed on the pastor. (I often say that in many churches there is at least one person with schizophrenic tendencies so there may be 51 different expectations. I'm only partially joking when I say that!)
Many churches are now transitioning from having a fully-funded pastor to a bivocational pastor. Such transitions often fail because of unrealistic expectations placed on the pastor. While the church may be paying a bivocational salary some within the congregation still have the expectations they had when their pastor was fully-funded, which may not have been realistic even then.
Some unrealistic expectations that some churches have for their bivocational pastor may include expecting him or her to run to the hospital or home every time someone gets sick. If the pastor has an outside job he or she may not be available to dash to the hospital. When I was pastoring our church we used an SBC program called the Deacon Family Ministry plan which assigned every family in our church to one of our deacons. That deacon became the primary contact person for those families. I was called in more critical situations, but often our deacons would be called and would visit people long before I was able to due to my work schedule.
This is in line with something I've long advocated. We have to get away from a pastoral care model to a congregational care model in our churches. This is a more biblical understanding of how we are to care for one another (Eph. 4). It requires training of both the leaders and the congregation, but when it is done right it works very well, and even more so in bivocational churches.
A second unrealistic expectation is requiring the pastor to speak two or three times a week. Many bivocational churches still expect their pastor to preach Sunday morning, Sunday evening and at a mid-week service. Those evening services may not have but 4-5 people show up, but because they were well attended in the 1950s the church still expects it. That is seldom a good use of the pastor's time. Not only does he or she have to speak each of those times, but each of those messages requires preparation time which may be 5-10 hours each. If lay people cannot lead the Sunday evening and mid-week service then it may be time to give them a proper burial. Again, when I was pastoring I preached Sunday morning and evening but refused a mid-week service.
A third unrealistic expectation is refusing to give the pastor more than a week or two of vacation each year. I served as a bivocational pastor for 20 years. It's hard work that takes a lot out of the minister and his or her family. I always advocated that a church should give their pastor four weeks vacation right from the beginning. Most churches will give two weeks and pay a supply preacher $150.00 or less while the pastor is gone. Giving the pastor two more weeks will cost the church $300.00 or less. That is a minimal cost to the church but provides the pastor and family a huge blessing. Most churches budget X amount of dollars a year for the pastor's salary, so does it really matter whether that includes the pastor being there 48 weeks or 50 weeks? If a church cannot afford $300.00 to bless their pastor in this way it probably needs to decide if it is viable that it remains open.
While I'm upsetting people I might as well go all the way! Give your bivocational pastor a three-month paid sabbatical every seven years. (I just heard jaws hit the floor.) I made this statement in a workshop I was leading a few years ago and an older woman spoke up and said that they all worked for a living and didn't get three months off with pay. I responded that none of them were on-call 24/7/365 and responsible for the eternal souls of those they served either. (She left the workshop.)
That paid sabbatical may be the best investment you will make in your church. I am convinced many pastors leave after 5-7 years, not because they feel led to, but because they are just tired. They resign from the church, rest for awhile, and then begin to look for another place in which to serve. If they had that sabbatical they could refresh themselves and their families and then return back to a church that had loved on them in this way. Virtually every study shows that growing, healthy churches are led by long-term pastors, and this may be a way to keep your pastor for a long time. I can assure you, if you expect your bivocational pastor to just keep plugging away he or she will eventually wear out and have to leave just to protect themselves.
I encourage bivocational churches to invite someone such as a DS, a judicatory leader or a consultant to lead a discussion on how a congregation and bivocational pastor can set some realistic expectation for each other. It may be one of the healthiest things your church can do.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Theology and discipleship
Yesterday's post brought a good question from a reader who wanted to know if one can have theological depth and not make and multiply disciple makers. I started to respond to his question and realized the answer would be too much for a FB response.
It is possible for one to have theological depth and not make disciples. For too long we have confused education with discipleship. Some of our churches offer numerous learning opportunities throughout the week with mid-week Bible studies, men's Bible studies, women's Bible studies, Sunday school classes, small groups, etc. Each of these may be faithful in teaching sound theology. But, discipleship occurs when we combine what we are learning with ministry opportunities. Knowledge alone does not produce disciples. It is when people combine their learning with service that discipleship occurs.
John Maxwell has said that the average Christian is educated far beyond his level of obedience. I believe that is true in many cases. If our churches are to produce disciples we must provide our congregations with solid theological teaching and give them opportunities to serve others.
In my devotions this morning I read in the book of Mark where Jesus sent His disciples out to minister to the surrounding area. He had spent time with them, teaching them, and now He was sending them out to do ministry, to put into practice what He had taught and shown them. This is a good model for creating disciples.
It is possible for one to have theological depth and not make disciples. For too long we have confused education with discipleship. Some of our churches offer numerous learning opportunities throughout the week with mid-week Bible studies, men's Bible studies, women's Bible studies, Sunday school classes, small groups, etc. Each of these may be faithful in teaching sound theology. But, discipleship occurs when we combine what we are learning with ministry opportunities. Knowledge alone does not produce disciples. It is when people combine their learning with service that discipleship occurs.
John Maxwell has said that the average Christian is educated far beyond his level of obedience. I believe that is true in many cases. If our churches are to produce disciples we must provide our congregations with solid theological teaching and give them opportunities to serve others.
In my devotions this morning I read in the book of Mark where Jesus sent His disciples out to minister to the surrounding area. He had spent time with them, teaching them, and now He was sending them out to do ministry, to put into practice what He had taught and shown them. This is a good model for creating disciples.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Spiritually immature Christians
This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to a gathering of Church of the Nazarene pastors and staff in Indianapolis on bivocational ministry. This was a continuing education event for them, and I was honored to have been invited to be one of the speakers.
Although my focus was on bivocational ministry, during the seminar I veered off into another issue. Those who know me understand that is not unusual! I can chase rabbits with the best of them! I just believe that if something comes into my mind while I'm addressing something it may be that it is a word someone present needs to hear. In this case it was around the issue of spiritually immaturity and the biblical illiteracy that affects so many believers today.
Throughout my ministry I've heard pastors complain about the lack of biblical understanding found in so many of the members of their congregations. What I said to this gathering of pastors is that if they have been in their church for more than three years, and they are complaining about how their people do not know the Scriptures, that is their fault. John Maxwell often says that for the first three years you can blame your predecessor for all the church's problems, but after three years they belong to you. I think there is a lot of truth in that.
As a Resource Minister for 14 years I was in a different church almost every week. My wife and I would leave some services talking about how shallow the message was. There was no meat. There was very little Scripture and even less application to how the Scripture spoke to today's world. The people were being given milk and not meat, and in some cases it was 2% milk, watered down so much that it barely qualified as milk.
Perhaps one reason I spoke about this at the pastor's gathering was because of a book I am reading now, The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision by Kevin Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan. The authors point out how in the past the pastor's primary role was to be a theological teacher to the church and community, but now with all the expectations that people place upon the pastor that role has diminished in many churches. Too often, theological depth has been replaced with a feel-good message that may tickle the ears but has no power to change lives. We have given theological teaching over to the academic world and to the "experts" and given pastors the task of doing "practical" ministry. With this kind of separation it is no wonder that many believers are so weak in their faith.
Pastors are to proclaim the "whole counsel of God," and that requires that we take our listeners into the depths of Scripture. Of course, in order to do that we have to set aside time to study the Scriptures ourselves and prepare messages that are theologically sound and address real needs of people. We have to help them develop a Christian worldview, think biblically about the issues and challenges they are facing, and be ready to defend their faith against the critics and unbelievers they will face throughout their lives. We are losing our young people because we have not done that. Multitudes of others see nothing in Christianity that appeals to them because they cannot see any difference in the lives of Christians than what they are experiencing in their own lives.
I'm only half-way through this book so I don't know what advice the authors will offer, but I would encourage pastors to review the past six months of their sermons. Were they messages that challenged your people to go deeper in their faith? Did they challenge your people to think more theologically about some issue? Did they contain the meat necessary to promote genuine growth in the lives of your people? If not, what do you need to do differently in 2020?
Although my focus was on bivocational ministry, during the seminar I veered off into another issue. Those who know me understand that is not unusual! I can chase rabbits with the best of them! I just believe that if something comes into my mind while I'm addressing something it may be that it is a word someone present needs to hear. In this case it was around the issue of spiritually immaturity and the biblical illiteracy that affects so many believers today.
Throughout my ministry I've heard pastors complain about the lack of biblical understanding found in so many of the members of their congregations. What I said to this gathering of pastors is that if they have been in their church for more than three years, and they are complaining about how their people do not know the Scriptures, that is their fault. John Maxwell often says that for the first three years you can blame your predecessor for all the church's problems, but after three years they belong to you. I think there is a lot of truth in that.
As a Resource Minister for 14 years I was in a different church almost every week. My wife and I would leave some services talking about how shallow the message was. There was no meat. There was very little Scripture and even less application to how the Scripture spoke to today's world. The people were being given milk and not meat, and in some cases it was 2% milk, watered down so much that it barely qualified as milk.
Perhaps one reason I spoke about this at the pastor's gathering was because of a book I am reading now, The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision by Kevin Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan. The authors point out how in the past the pastor's primary role was to be a theological teacher to the church and community, but now with all the expectations that people place upon the pastor that role has diminished in many churches. Too often, theological depth has been replaced with a feel-good message that may tickle the ears but has no power to change lives. We have given theological teaching over to the academic world and to the "experts" and given pastors the task of doing "practical" ministry. With this kind of separation it is no wonder that many believers are so weak in their faith.
Pastors are to proclaim the "whole counsel of God," and that requires that we take our listeners into the depths of Scripture. Of course, in order to do that we have to set aside time to study the Scriptures ourselves and prepare messages that are theologically sound and address real needs of people. We have to help them develop a Christian worldview, think biblically about the issues and challenges they are facing, and be ready to defend their faith against the critics and unbelievers they will face throughout their lives. We are losing our young people because we have not done that. Multitudes of others see nothing in Christianity that appeals to them because they cannot see any difference in the lives of Christians than what they are experiencing in their own lives.
I'm only half-way through this book so I don't know what advice the authors will offer, but I would encourage pastors to review the past six months of their sermons. Were they messages that challenged your people to go deeper in their faith? Did they challenge your people to think more theologically about some issue? Did they contain the meat necessary to promote genuine growth in the lives of your people? If not, what do you need to do differently in 2020?
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Growing numbers of seminary students going into bivocational ministry
An article in Christianity Today reports that the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) says that one-third of 2017 seminary graduates plan to enter bivocational ministry. This includes 57% of black/non-Hispanic and 41% of Hispanic/Latino graduates. This is a significant number of people who view bivocational ministry as a viable option for ministry and offers hope to thousands of smaller churches who may struggle to find seminary-trained leadership to serve their churches. In addition to those attending seminary, many planning to enter bivocational ministry are being trained in denominational programs such as the Church Leadership Institute offered by the American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky. While never designed to replace seminary this program does provide basic ministerial training for those serving as bivocational ministers or lay leaders in their churches.
Many denominations report that roughly one-third of their churches now have bivocational pastors. Some state conventions report that 50-75 percent of their churches are bivocational. In a sabbatical project I did a few years ago I interviewed a number of denominational leaders from various denominations who all told me they expected the number of bivocational leaders in their denominations to continue to grow. This report from ATS is good news for the churches in these denominations, and it is good news for the future of smaller churches.
For a long time the trend was to build larger and larger churches. Growth was seen as an indication of health. However, recent events have suggested that is not always the case. Well-known megachurch leaders have fallen hard in recent times. Some have been removed for moral reasons while others have burned-out and resigned the ministry. At the same time, other megachurches are serving their communities quite well and continue to grow. It's too early to predict the future of the larger churches, but I can predict the future of smaller churches. They are survivors and will be around until the Lord returns.
Of course, some won't survive. Churches close their doors every week, and many of them are smaller churches. A lack of good leadership, a lack of resources and too few people force some of these churches to close. However, at the same time these churches are closing other churches start. They begin with a fresh vision for ministry and a desire to make a difference in people's lives. They don't bring a lot of baggage from the past into their ministry. Some of these will be home churches. Some will rent space in malls or buy the buildings abandoned by the churches that closed.
All smaller churches, whether new church starts or existing churches, will benefit from this desire of seminary-trained graduates to enter bivocational ministry. As one who has long advocated for bivocational ministry I couldn't be more pleased.
Many denominations report that roughly one-third of their churches now have bivocational pastors. Some state conventions report that 50-75 percent of their churches are bivocational. In a sabbatical project I did a few years ago I interviewed a number of denominational leaders from various denominations who all told me they expected the number of bivocational leaders in their denominations to continue to grow. This report from ATS is good news for the churches in these denominations, and it is good news for the future of smaller churches.
For a long time the trend was to build larger and larger churches. Growth was seen as an indication of health. However, recent events have suggested that is not always the case. Well-known megachurch leaders have fallen hard in recent times. Some have been removed for moral reasons while others have burned-out and resigned the ministry. At the same time, other megachurches are serving their communities quite well and continue to grow. It's too early to predict the future of the larger churches, but I can predict the future of smaller churches. They are survivors and will be around until the Lord returns.
Of course, some won't survive. Churches close their doors every week, and many of them are smaller churches. A lack of good leadership, a lack of resources and too few people force some of these churches to close. However, at the same time these churches are closing other churches start. They begin with a fresh vision for ministry and a desire to make a difference in people's lives. They don't bring a lot of baggage from the past into their ministry. Some of these will be home churches. Some will rent space in malls or buy the buildings abandoned by the churches that closed.
All smaller churches, whether new church starts or existing churches, will benefit from this desire of seminary-trained graduates to enter bivocational ministry. As one who has long advocated for bivocational ministry I couldn't be more pleased.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Don't overlook the older minister in your search for a pastor
With the holidays behind us some pastors will begin to think about moving to other churches. Those with children is school often want to make that move during the summer months so their children can start the new school year out in their new school, so they will begin looking late winter and early spring. Because of the holidays many pastor search teams slowed down or even halted their search until the new year began. That means they are now ready to resume their search.
As a judicatory minister I worked with many search teams over the years. In my first meeting with them I always asked what they wanted in their next pastor. I usually knew the answer because it was pretty much the same regardless of the church. They wanted a pastor who could preach well, would visit the congregation, be involved in the community and grow the church or youth group. That may not have been what the church needed, but it was what most of them wanted. It was also often said, or at least implied, that they would like a younger pastor (with a spouse and children of course) who could bring in new ideas. I KNEW most of them did not want any new ideas being brought into the church. Often, that was why their previous pastor was no longer there, but it was the politically correct thing to say to the denominational representative.
A few times I asked the search team if they believed that younger pastors were the only ones who might have some fresh ideas for ministry. They often seemed confused by the question especially when I told them that some of the sharpest pastors I knew were older ones who had been in the ministry for years. They had been there and done that. Yes, some of them were trapped in the mindset they had been taught in seminary in the 1960s, but some of the younger ones had been taught by the same seminaries and held to that same mindset. At least some of the older ones had been around long enough to know that some things they had been taught no longer worked.
Churches do themselves a disservice when they automatically reject a minister because he or she is older or has even retired. I know some older pastors who retired to get away from the stress of being in a dysfunctional church and couldn't find another place to serve. As one told me, his doctor said he could either retire or die from the stress his church was causing him. After he retired I was able to help him find a smaller church that he served very well as their pastor.
Smaller churches especially need to consider calling older pastors. As many of them are finding out, the pool of candidates is not a large one for them. If they are insistent on finding a young pastor whose wife can play the piano they are likely to be without a pastor for a long time.
Several years ago I was having lunch with one of my pastors when he asked me to guess how old he was. I made my guess and was stunned to learn that he was almost 20 years older than I had thought. He had more energy than some pastors I knew half his age. His mind and wit was keen and his passion for ministry was obvious. He loved his church and served them faithfully for many years after our lunch. I always enjoyed the times we met to talk about ministry
As your church looks at potential candidates do not automatically discard those who you think might be too old. When you meet with them you might be surprised to find they are exactly what your church needs for its next phase of ministry.
As a judicatory minister I worked with many search teams over the years. In my first meeting with them I always asked what they wanted in their next pastor. I usually knew the answer because it was pretty much the same regardless of the church. They wanted a pastor who could preach well, would visit the congregation, be involved in the community and grow the church or youth group. That may not have been what the church needed, but it was what most of them wanted. It was also often said, or at least implied, that they would like a younger pastor (with a spouse and children of course) who could bring in new ideas. I KNEW most of them did not want any new ideas being brought into the church. Often, that was why their previous pastor was no longer there, but it was the politically correct thing to say to the denominational representative.
A few times I asked the search team if they believed that younger pastors were the only ones who might have some fresh ideas for ministry. They often seemed confused by the question especially when I told them that some of the sharpest pastors I knew were older ones who had been in the ministry for years. They had been there and done that. Yes, some of them were trapped in the mindset they had been taught in seminary in the 1960s, but some of the younger ones had been taught by the same seminaries and held to that same mindset. At least some of the older ones had been around long enough to know that some things they had been taught no longer worked.
Churches do themselves a disservice when they automatically reject a minister because he or she is older or has even retired. I know some older pastors who retired to get away from the stress of being in a dysfunctional church and couldn't find another place to serve. As one told me, his doctor said he could either retire or die from the stress his church was causing him. After he retired I was able to help him find a smaller church that he served very well as their pastor.
Smaller churches especially need to consider calling older pastors. As many of them are finding out, the pool of candidates is not a large one for them. If they are insistent on finding a young pastor whose wife can play the piano they are likely to be without a pastor for a long time.
Several years ago I was having lunch with one of my pastors when he asked me to guess how old he was. I made my guess and was stunned to learn that he was almost 20 years older than I had thought. He had more energy than some pastors I knew half his age. His mind and wit was keen and his passion for ministry was obvious. He loved his church and served them faithfully for many years after our lunch. I always enjoyed the times we met to talk about ministry
As your church looks at potential candidates do not automatically discard those who you think might be too old. When you meet with them you might be surprised to find they are exactly what your church needs for its next phase of ministry.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Sharing the work
A pastor friend of mine recently wrote of the challenges he has in trying to balance the various things he needs to do. This is especially a problem felt by bivocational ministers, but it's one that affects all ministers. As he wrote, trying to serve the church, be an active presence in the community and be present with his family makes it hard to maintain a sense of balance.
We will never find a balance in life and ministry if we never learn to share the work with other people. For too many years we have emphasized a pastoral care model of ministry that isn't biblical, expects too much of our clergy and ignores the gifts God has given others in our congregations.
God has given gifts to every believer which are to be used to serve others. When the pastor reserves ministry for himself or herself that pastor is robbing others of the joy of service. Such a pastor keeps the church from being the church and deprives individuals from using the gifts God has given them.
A more biblical model of ministry has the pastor and other ordained persons in the church equipping the saints for the work of ministry. Our role as pastors is not to try to figure out how to get everything done. Our role is to help equip all those in our churches to be engaged in ministry using the gifts they have been given.
In my pastoral seminars I often tell people that no matter how talented and gifted their pastor might be, he or she can only be in one place at a time doing one thing at a time. However, if there are 50 people in the congregation who see themselves as ministers and who have been equipped to use their gifts you now have 50 people in 50 places doing ministry. Which is going to be most effective for the Kingdom of God? The answer is a mathematical one. Do you prefer 1X1 or 50X1? I'll give you a hint: the most effective will be the one with the most people involved.
As we enter a new year let's take a look at how ministry is being done in our churches. Are we expecting the pastor to take the lead in doing ministry, or are we expecting the pastor to help equip us to do ministry? Your answer will tell a lot about what the future holds for your church.
We will never find a balance in life and ministry if we never learn to share the work with other people. For too many years we have emphasized a pastoral care model of ministry that isn't biblical, expects too much of our clergy and ignores the gifts God has given others in our congregations.
God has given gifts to every believer which are to be used to serve others. When the pastor reserves ministry for himself or herself that pastor is robbing others of the joy of service. Such a pastor keeps the church from being the church and deprives individuals from using the gifts God has given them.
A more biblical model of ministry has the pastor and other ordained persons in the church equipping the saints for the work of ministry. Our role as pastors is not to try to figure out how to get everything done. Our role is to help equip all those in our churches to be engaged in ministry using the gifts they have been given.
In my pastoral seminars I often tell people that no matter how talented and gifted their pastor might be, he or she can only be in one place at a time doing one thing at a time. However, if there are 50 people in the congregation who see themselves as ministers and who have been equipped to use their gifts you now have 50 people in 50 places doing ministry. Which is going to be most effective for the Kingdom of God? The answer is a mathematical one. Do you prefer 1X1 or 50X1? I'll give you a hint: the most effective will be the one with the most people involved.
As we enter a new year let's take a look at how ministry is being done in our churches. Are we expecting the pastor to take the lead in doing ministry, or are we expecting the pastor to help equip us to do ministry? Your answer will tell a lot about what the future holds for your church.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Space station and God
My wife and I enjoy watching the international space station fly over. Every few weeks we'll check the Internet to find out when it will be visible in our zip code so we can watch it. It normally is so bright and large in the sky it's hard to believe that it maintains an average of 250 miles in altitude and travels 17,500 miles per hour enabling it to orbit the earth 15.5 times per day. Recently we were able to do something for the first time: we saw it twice in one evening. The first viewing lasted four minutes while the second viewing was only for one minute.
No doubt the space station is one of the greatest scientific and engineering feats man has ever accomplished. No matter where in the world one lives, they can go online and know exactly when and where it will be visible. Space shuttles are able to fly to the station and dock there while transferring supplies and personnel. Spacewalks are done to perform maintenance and repairs to the station.
For me, the operation of the international space station is one more evidence of God's existence. Non-theists would point out the fact that man's knowledge and abilities built the station and keep it functioning. While that is true, it is only due to the fine tuning of the universe that the station is able to operate as it does. If our universe was not fine-tuned as it is science and engineering alone could not predict the exact location of the space station at any moment.
The fine-tuning of the universe is one of the strongest evidences of God we have. Right now the planet earth is rotating about 1,000 miles an hour at the equator. It is also flying around the sun at over 67,000 miles per hour. In addition, we are part of the Milky Way that is flying through the universe at over 1.3 million miles per hour. Are you starting to get dizzy, yet?
What keeps us from being flung out into space? Gravity. Gravity keeps our atmosphere in place and keeps us at just the right distance from the sun. How fine-tuned is gravity. Theoretical physicist Brandon Carter, who worked with Stephen Hawking, claims that if gravity was weaker or stronger by 1 part in 10 to the 40th power life would not be possible. There are many more evidences of fine-tuning that permits life than this, but are we to believe that all of this just happened? Or does it point to a Creator? It seems to me that it would require much more faith to believe that this universe is so fine-tuned by accident than it does to believe in a Creator.
Now, go back to the figures I gave you concerning how the earth is moving through our universe and consider that the space station travels 17,500 miles per hour and yet its travels can be pinpointed exactly as to where it will be at any second, how long it will be visible at any given time at any location throughout the world. That is only possible because of the fine-tuning of our universe.
Psalm 19:1 tells us "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Romans 1:20 reminds us "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
No doubt the space station is one of the greatest scientific and engineering feats man has ever accomplished. No matter where in the world one lives, they can go online and know exactly when and where it will be visible. Space shuttles are able to fly to the station and dock there while transferring supplies and personnel. Spacewalks are done to perform maintenance and repairs to the station.
For me, the operation of the international space station is one more evidence of God's existence. Non-theists would point out the fact that man's knowledge and abilities built the station and keep it functioning. While that is true, it is only due to the fine tuning of the universe that the station is able to operate as it does. If our universe was not fine-tuned as it is science and engineering alone could not predict the exact location of the space station at any moment.
The fine-tuning of the universe is one of the strongest evidences of God we have. Right now the planet earth is rotating about 1,000 miles an hour at the equator. It is also flying around the sun at over 67,000 miles per hour. In addition, we are part of the Milky Way that is flying through the universe at over 1.3 million miles per hour. Are you starting to get dizzy, yet?
What keeps us from being flung out into space? Gravity. Gravity keeps our atmosphere in place and keeps us at just the right distance from the sun. How fine-tuned is gravity. Theoretical physicist Brandon Carter, who worked with Stephen Hawking, claims that if gravity was weaker or stronger by 1 part in 10 to the 40th power life would not be possible. There are many more evidences of fine-tuning that permits life than this, but are we to believe that all of this just happened? Or does it point to a Creator? It seems to me that it would require much more faith to believe that this universe is so fine-tuned by accident than it does to believe in a Creator.
Now, go back to the figures I gave you concerning how the earth is moving through our universe and consider that the space station travels 17,500 miles per hour and yet its travels can be pinpointed exactly as to where it will be at any second, how long it will be visible at any given time at any location throughout the world. That is only possible because of the fine-tuning of our universe.
Psalm 19:1 tells us "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Romans 1:20 reminds us "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
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