Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. Although there have been different interpretations of what Jesus meant when He spoke these words, most scholars are in agreement that regardless of any attacks or resistance from any quarter, the church will emerge victorious. If this is true, and I believe it is, then why are so many churches struggling today and why are church leaders offering so many excuses for these struggles?
The church has always faced challenges, and Jesus never said that it wouldn't; He said those challenges would not prevail. Historically, the church has faced many difficulties, and it emerged from every one of them. Why is it today that so many churches and church leaders are giving up? Instead of boldly proclaiming the Gospel and reaching out to people, many churches have circled the wagons hoping to survive until Jesus comes. The church isn't called to try to survive. It's not called to try to hang on. It's called to be the Body of Christ, an army filled with the Holy Spirit, tearing down the strongholds that hold people captive.
We don't need excuses. We need men and women to preach the infallible Word of God and
willing to withstand every attack from the enemy that would silence them. I once recommended a person to serve a church as their interim pastor. This was a church with a history of conflict. Someone asked if I believed this individual could stand up to the pressure a group within the church would bring. I smiled at the questioner and said, "This person would charge hell with a water pistol." This is the kind of leader the church needs today.
We don't need a dozen reasons why something won't work. We need leaders who have captured God's vision for the church and are determined to make it happen. A certain percentage of pastors do not feel called to leadership. May I be bold enough to suggest that perhaps they shouldn't be pastors? Too many pastors are more concerned about the fellowship of the church than they are about the mission of the church. Yes, shepherding is part of a pastor's job, but so is leading, and without strong leadership the flock will wander aimlessly with no real purpose.
Instead of offering excuses for why the church is struggling it might be better to spend more time in prayer seeking God's power to overcome the struggles. The largest church in the world, located in South Korea, is well-known for its Prayer Mountain where hundreds of thousands of persons pray each year. The founding pastor and members of the church quickly point to the power of prayer for the church's amazing growth and ministries.
It's time the church quits offering excuses and starts offering solutions to the challenges it is facing. It's time we become determined to be the church Jesus envisioned when He said nothing could stand against it. In New Testament times the church became known as the people who turned the world upside-down. It's time to do it again.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Monday, January 27, 2020
New life cycles in churches
I often show the life cycle of a church as a bell curve. At the base on the left side you have the birth of the church. As one goes up that side is the growth phase, and at the top is the plateau phase. As you begin to move down the right side of the curve you enter the decline phase until you eventually get to the bottom which represents death. In my pastor seminars I point out that this curve is just like the one each of us experience in our personal lives. We are born, we grow, we reach maturity, we begin to decline until we die. There is nothing you and I can do about our life cycle, but there is something a church can do about its cycle. It can begin to grow a new life cycle.
This new life cycle can begin anywhere on the curve, but the best place is on the left side (the growing side), but it's also the most difficult place to try to begin a new life cycle. On that side things are going well, the church is growing, so why begin changing things? The reason is that eventually, if things do not change, the church will find itself on the decline side. At this point many churches become very risk-averse They may be in a survival mode unwilling to try anything that might deplete whatever resources they have.
A new life cycle may start with a new ministry that comes as God gives the church a fresh vision for ministry. It may begin with renewed leadership, both pastoral and lay. It certainly won't happen unless there is a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the congregation. The good news is that new life cycles can come from any of these and can be repeated as often as necessary to prevent the church from ever entering the decline side.
When I began my pastoral ministry in 1981 the church was in trouble. It was certainly far down the decline side. God was very gracious to a young, inexperienced pastor and the church he had been called to lead. We began to see new life cycles form in the life of the church. Positive things were happening. After a few years of growth we began to find ourselves stuck again. About that time I read a book that basically said that if the church was stuck it needed new pastoral leadership. That bothered me because if it was true then I might need to leave the church, and I felt no guidance that it was God's will for me to do that. After much prayer I decided if the church needed a new pastor, then I would become that new pastor. I would have to reinvent myself as the pastor of the church which I began to do. I realized the church was stuck because I had become stuck. In time, we got unstuck and began to do new things once again. We enjoyed exciting ministries during my remaining years as pastor of that church.
In my post last week I wrote about the benefits of planting new churches. There is also great value in replanting existing churches. In a sense, that is what we did in the church I pastored even though that language was not in use at the time. At least I wasn't aware of it. Since then I came across a book that was not available when I pastored that I wish I had. It is Replant: How a Dying Church Can Grow Again by Mark DeVine and Darrin Patrick. I believe it can be a great resource for church leaders who recognize that their churches need to experience new life.
If your church is stuck or even dying, it's time to consider a replant. Your church can start a new life cycle. It may not be easy, but it can be done. It has been done in many churches across the country, and there's no reason it can't be done in your church.
This new life cycle can begin anywhere on the curve, but the best place is on the left side (the growing side), but it's also the most difficult place to try to begin a new life cycle. On that side things are going well, the church is growing, so why begin changing things? The reason is that eventually, if things do not change, the church will find itself on the decline side. At this point many churches become very risk-averse They may be in a survival mode unwilling to try anything that might deplete whatever resources they have.
A new life cycle may start with a new ministry that comes as God gives the church a fresh vision for ministry. It may begin with renewed leadership, both pastoral and lay. It certainly won't happen unless there is a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the congregation. The good news is that new life cycles can come from any of these and can be repeated as often as necessary to prevent the church from ever entering the decline side.
When I began my pastoral ministry in 1981 the church was in trouble. It was certainly far down the decline side. God was very gracious to a young, inexperienced pastor and the church he had been called to lead. We began to see new life cycles form in the life of the church. Positive things were happening. After a few years of growth we began to find ourselves stuck again. About that time I read a book that basically said that if the church was stuck it needed new pastoral leadership. That bothered me because if it was true then I might need to leave the church, and I felt no guidance that it was God's will for me to do that. After much prayer I decided if the church needed a new pastor, then I would become that new pastor. I would have to reinvent myself as the pastor of the church which I began to do. I realized the church was stuck because I had become stuck. In time, we got unstuck and began to do new things once again. We enjoyed exciting ministries during my remaining years as pastor of that church.
In my post last week I wrote about the benefits of planting new churches. There is also great value in replanting existing churches. In a sense, that is what we did in the church I pastored even though that language was not in use at the time. At least I wasn't aware of it. Since then I came across a book that was not available when I pastored that I wish I had. It is Replant: How a Dying Church Can Grow Again by Mark DeVine and Darrin Patrick. I believe it can be a great resource for church leaders who recognize that their churches need to experience new life.
If your church is stuck or even dying, it's time to consider a replant. Your church can start a new life cycle. It may not be easy, but it can be done. It has been done in many churches across the country, and there's no reason it can't be done in your church.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Seminaries and bivocational ministers
Check out my article in today's EthicsDaily.com on the increase in seminary students planning to enter bivocational ministry. You can find it here.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Why do we need to plant churches?
Most Protestant denominations have a strategy for planting new churches. With about 300,000 existing churches in the US some argue that we don't need new churches. Existing churches, especially those that are struggling, often resent the money being spent on starting new churches, especially in the geographic area where they are located. They wonder why the denomination doesn't give them that money since they've already been there. Their reasoning is that with those additional resources they would be able to do better ministry.
One primary reason for starting new churches is that new churches reach new people for Christ. The people in a new church often have a passion for evangelism that is not found in many existing churches. They attend this new church because they are excited about its ministry, and they want others to experience what they experience. The result is that they invite their friends and family to go to church with them.
There's another reason, and that is the lack of sacred cows in new churches. In my pastor conferences I'm often asked why so many of the denominational churches are barely hanging on while new non-denominational churches in the same community is constantly outgrowing its facilities. I explain that these newer churches are often structured much differently than many traditional denominational churches.
In so many of our churches a person cannot buy a roll of toilet paper without approval in a business meeting. If someone suggests changing the color of the toilet paper being used it must be referred to a committee to discuss it for 6-8 months before bringing a recommendation to the next business meeting where it will then be discussed for another two hours. In the new non-denominational church someone goes out and buys toilet paper. Yes...I'm being facetious, a little. But, the fact is many of our existing churches are structured for maintenance, not growth. We spend so much time focusing on administrative details that there is no time to look at growth.
Smaller churches are often greatly overstructured. They still operate as if they were the larger church they once were. People are serving on three or four committees and a couple of boards, teaching a Sunday school class and singing in the choir, and we wonder why they are not out inviting people to church.
Growing churches, whether new church plants or existing churches, are structured for growth, not maintenance. A maintenance church expects the pastor to grow the church while they keep score and make all the decisions, many of which will limit the pastor's ability to grow the church. In a missional church the members see themselves as responsible to grow the church, and the pastor's role is to equip them and provide leadership. Trying to change the paradigm that many maintenance churches hold to is attacking a sacred cow and often leads to problems for the pastor.
So... denominations focus on planting new churches to avoid that sacred cow, and many pastors and seminary graduates now prefer to serve in these new church plants for the same reason.
Before anyone thinks I've suddenly turned against existing churches, I haven't. Existing churches can begin to function like new churches by starting new life cycles. I'll write about that tomorrow.
One primary reason for starting new churches is that new churches reach new people for Christ. The people in a new church often have a passion for evangelism that is not found in many existing churches. They attend this new church because they are excited about its ministry, and they want others to experience what they experience. The result is that they invite their friends and family to go to church with them.
There's another reason, and that is the lack of sacred cows in new churches. In my pastor conferences I'm often asked why so many of the denominational churches are barely hanging on while new non-denominational churches in the same community is constantly outgrowing its facilities. I explain that these newer churches are often structured much differently than many traditional denominational churches.
In so many of our churches a person cannot buy a roll of toilet paper without approval in a business meeting. If someone suggests changing the color of the toilet paper being used it must be referred to a committee to discuss it for 6-8 months before bringing a recommendation to the next business meeting where it will then be discussed for another two hours. In the new non-denominational church someone goes out and buys toilet paper. Yes...I'm being facetious, a little. But, the fact is many of our existing churches are structured for maintenance, not growth. We spend so much time focusing on administrative details that there is no time to look at growth.
Smaller churches are often greatly overstructured. They still operate as if they were the larger church they once were. People are serving on three or four committees and a couple of boards, teaching a Sunday school class and singing in the choir, and we wonder why they are not out inviting people to church.
Growing churches, whether new church plants or existing churches, are structured for growth, not maintenance. A maintenance church expects the pastor to grow the church while they keep score and make all the decisions, many of which will limit the pastor's ability to grow the church. In a missional church the members see themselves as responsible to grow the church, and the pastor's role is to equip them and provide leadership. Trying to change the paradigm that many maintenance churches hold to is attacking a sacred cow and often leads to problems for the pastor.
So... denominations focus on planting new churches to avoid that sacred cow, and many pastors and seminary graduates now prefer to serve in these new church plants for the same reason.
Before anyone thinks I've suddenly turned against existing churches, I haven't. Existing churches can begin to function like new churches by starting new life cycles. I'll write about that tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Missional vs maintenance-minded churches
Every author hopes that his or her book will sell a million copies. The reality is that most will sell far fewer than that. Way fewer! Occasionally, someone will call me asking how to get a book published. I explain how I did it, but I also explain to them that writing books, especially for the Christian market is not the most profitable endeavor, unless you're writing about end-times or are a well-known pastor of a megachurch. I always tell the caller to not plan on quitting their day job any time soon!
The one book I wrote whose sales have most disappointed me is Intentional Ministry in a Not-So-Mega Church: Becoming a Missional Community This book explores the differences between maintenance-minded churches and missional churches and discusses how to transform from a maintenance-minded mindset to one that is more missional.
For much of my ministry I have heard small churches complain about their lack of growth and the limited impact they've had on their communities. Much of the reason for this is they are stuck in a maintenance mindset. They continue to do the same things over and over that they've done since the 1950s, and they wonder why it's not working any more. They remain stuck in their ruts because these ruts are comfortable, everyone knows their role, and no one has to do anything differently.
As I point out in the book, a rut is just a grave with both ends kicked out. There's not much life around a grave, and there's not much life around a rut either. God is doing new things today, and the church that signs up to be on mission with God will have to do new things as well.
In order to do new things, some old things will have to change. Some will have to be eliminated. Churches don't like eliminating their sacred cows, and they certainly don't enjoy change. In the book I try to help church leaders lead their churches through the changes they might need to take. I try not to identify what those changes are because they might differ among churches, but I can almost guarantee that some things will have to change to develop a more missional mindset.
If your church is stuck I encourage you to consider buying this book. it may help jump-start your way out of your ruts. I think it's a book that can help a lot of churches.
Various denominational groups have invited me to present seminars based on this book, and these seminars have been well received by those attending. If you think this material might be helpful to your church, association, or judicatory please contact me so we can discuss my sharing it with them.
The one book I wrote whose sales have most disappointed me is Intentional Ministry in a Not-So-Mega Church: Becoming a Missional Community This book explores the differences between maintenance-minded churches and missional churches and discusses how to transform from a maintenance-minded mindset to one that is more missional.
For much of my ministry I have heard small churches complain about their lack of growth and the limited impact they've had on their communities. Much of the reason for this is they are stuck in a maintenance mindset. They continue to do the same things over and over that they've done since the 1950s, and they wonder why it's not working any more. They remain stuck in their ruts because these ruts are comfortable, everyone knows their role, and no one has to do anything differently.
As I point out in the book, a rut is just a grave with both ends kicked out. There's not much life around a grave, and there's not much life around a rut either. God is doing new things today, and the church that signs up to be on mission with God will have to do new things as well.
In order to do new things, some old things will have to change. Some will have to be eliminated. Churches don't like eliminating their sacred cows, and they certainly don't enjoy change. In the book I try to help church leaders lead their churches through the changes they might need to take. I try not to identify what those changes are because they might differ among churches, but I can almost guarantee that some things will have to change to develop a more missional mindset.
If your church is stuck I encourage you to consider buying this book. it may help jump-start your way out of your ruts. I think it's a book that can help a lot of churches.
Various denominational groups have invited me to present seminars based on this book, and these seminars have been well received by those attending. If you think this material might be helpful to your church, association, or judicatory please contact me so we can discuss my sharing it with them.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Caring for the caregivers
So often churches duplicate the ministries they offer their communities. Almost every church has a children's ministry, and many of them offer preschool programs. Many have food and clothing banks. More and more churches each year provide back packs for children returning to school and fill these back packs with some of the supplies the students will need. The list of ministries churches provide goes on and on, and each of these are wonderful ways to impact communities. However, there is one ministry need that often goes unfulfilled in many communities and that is providing assistance to caregivers.
In the small community in which I live I know several people who are caring for spouses who suffer from dementia, Alzheimer, or another debilitating illness or accident. My father provided such care for my mother after she suffered a major stroke. Others provide around-the-clock care for children who have been injured in accidents or suffered other types of problems making it impossible for them to care for themselves. With the numbers of people suffering from Alzheimer rising we are going to see more of these caregivers, and yet, in many communities there is no one in private industry or the church providing any type of respite care or assistance to them. What a wonderful opportunity for a church to make a difference in people's lives.
These caregivers often find it difficult to leave the person they are caring for in order to go to the store or work. In some situations the person simply cannot be left alone so the caregiver has to find someone who can stay with the individual while they leave the house. Churches could provide such people. This could allow the caregiver to not only go to the store or work but also give them an opportunity to go to the movies or do something else relaxing to help them relieve some of the stress associated with providing constant care for someone.
This could be a wonderful ministry for someone with the gifts of healing, mercy, and helps. It would also show the community that your church cares for those who are struggling in life. In my community many noticed this winter that no plans had made been made to help the homeless survive the cold weather. On social media there was a lot of chatter that none of the churches cared about these people. Personally, I know that isn't true, but that was the perception some had, and they were very vocal about it. Having a ministry to come alongside caregivers sends a message to the community that your church does care about people's real-life struggles.
No church can do everything, but every church can do something. Perhaps this is a ministry that your church could provide. I encourage you to pray about it and talk about it with others in your congregation.
In the small community in which I live I know several people who are caring for spouses who suffer from dementia, Alzheimer, or another debilitating illness or accident. My father provided such care for my mother after she suffered a major stroke. Others provide around-the-clock care for children who have been injured in accidents or suffered other types of problems making it impossible for them to care for themselves. With the numbers of people suffering from Alzheimer rising we are going to see more of these caregivers, and yet, in many communities there is no one in private industry or the church providing any type of respite care or assistance to them. What a wonderful opportunity for a church to make a difference in people's lives.
These caregivers often find it difficult to leave the person they are caring for in order to go to the store or work. In some situations the person simply cannot be left alone so the caregiver has to find someone who can stay with the individual while they leave the house. Churches could provide such people. This could allow the caregiver to not only go to the store or work but also give them an opportunity to go to the movies or do something else relaxing to help them relieve some of the stress associated with providing constant care for someone.
This could be a wonderful ministry for someone with the gifts of healing, mercy, and helps. It would also show the community that your church cares for those who are struggling in life. In my community many noticed this winter that no plans had made been made to help the homeless survive the cold weather. On social media there was a lot of chatter that none of the churches cared about these people. Personally, I know that isn't true, but that was the perception some had, and they were very vocal about it. Having a ministry to come alongside caregivers sends a message to the community that your church does care about people's real-life struggles.
No church can do everything, but every church can do something. Perhaps this is a ministry that your church could provide. I encourage you to pray about it and talk about it with others in your congregation.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
The absence of Scripture in today's church
During my pastorate we had two Scripture readings during the worship service. One was the sermon text which I would normally read as I began my message. The other was another Scripture that seemed appropriate for the day. It might be a responsive reading that contained a number of Scriptures from the back of our hymnal, it might have been a responsive reading that I put together for that day or it may have simply been a passage from the Bible. Regardless, we always had two readings from the Scriptures. On Communion Sundays we had a third reading as I would begin our Lord's Supper with the passage from 1 Corinthians 11 in which the apostle Paul discusses the Lord's Supper.
Unfortunately, I find little Scripture reading in many of today's worship services. The sermon text might be read, but that is often all you hear read from the Bible. I'm not sure I understand why it is this way.
We spend a lot of energy defending the Bible as the infallible Word of God. We talk about how it does not return void but accomplishes its purposes. Many conservative Christians complain about Bible reading being removed from schools, but we don't read it in our worship services.
Billy Graham was well-known for his frequent references to the Bible when he preached. "The Bible says..." he would thunder to his audiences. He was not ashamed of the Scriptures because he knew they pointed to Christ and therefore had the power to change people's lives. He sowed the Word and trusted God to bring in a harvest, and hundreds of thousands of people turned to Christ because of his faithfulness to the Word of God.
Could our barren alters be the result of our largely ignoring the Word of God in our worship services? In the book of Mark we read that the disciples went out to preach and God confirmed his word with signs and miracles. We do not read anywhere that God confirmed the opinions of individuals or the latest polls with signs and miracles. Perhaps the reason we do not see more people saved and transformed is because we have ignored the Scriptures in an effort to be relevant.
Not only do we need to be reading the Scriptures in our worship services, we need to take our people deeper in understanding what the Scriptures teach. As a pastor I began preaching through books of the Bible during the summer months and into the fall. I would begin the Sunday after Father's Day and continue until the book was completed. I never had to wonder what I would preach the next Sunday because I would just start up where I left off. It forced me, and those hearing the messages, to confront passages I might have preferred to ignore. These expository messages helped me and our congregation to grow in our faith and understanding.
Let's bring Scripture reading back into our worship services. Let our congregations be exposed to as much of the Word of God as possible that it might richly impact their lives.
Unfortunately, I find little Scripture reading in many of today's worship services. The sermon text might be read, but that is often all you hear read from the Bible. I'm not sure I understand why it is this way.
We spend a lot of energy defending the Bible as the infallible Word of God. We talk about how it does not return void but accomplishes its purposes. Many conservative Christians complain about Bible reading being removed from schools, but we don't read it in our worship services.
Billy Graham was well-known for his frequent references to the Bible when he preached. "The Bible says..." he would thunder to his audiences. He was not ashamed of the Scriptures because he knew they pointed to Christ and therefore had the power to change people's lives. He sowed the Word and trusted God to bring in a harvest, and hundreds of thousands of people turned to Christ because of his faithfulness to the Word of God.
Could our barren alters be the result of our largely ignoring the Word of God in our worship services? In the book of Mark we read that the disciples went out to preach and God confirmed his word with signs and miracles. We do not read anywhere that God confirmed the opinions of individuals or the latest polls with signs and miracles. Perhaps the reason we do not see more people saved and transformed is because we have ignored the Scriptures in an effort to be relevant.
Not only do we need to be reading the Scriptures in our worship services, we need to take our people deeper in understanding what the Scriptures teach. As a pastor I began preaching through books of the Bible during the summer months and into the fall. I would begin the Sunday after Father's Day and continue until the book was completed. I never had to wonder what I would preach the next Sunday because I would just start up where I left off. It forced me, and those hearing the messages, to confront passages I might have preferred to ignore. These expository messages helped me and our congregation to grow in our faith and understanding.
Let's bring Scripture reading back into our worship services. Let our congregations be exposed to as much of the Word of God as possible that it might richly impact their lives.
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