Knowing God

People sit in our churches every week hearing messages about God, singing songs about or to God, and praying to God. But, how many of them really know God? I'm not talking about their salvation. I'm asking how many of them really know God. How many can describe the nature of God to another person? I'm afraid that number might be rather low.

A few weeks ago I began a focused study on the attributes of God. I already have pages of notes I've copied from various books and other resources. It has been a growing experience. The more I learn about God the more I realize there is so much more to learn. No one can ever explore the depths of God's nature, but it's important that we learn as much as we can as Christian people.

Many of the fears and doubts we have are the result of not knowing God as we should. I look back at my own life and some of the worries I've had during times when I've gone through the valleys of life, and I realize that my faith was weak because my knowledge of God wasn't what it should have been. That same lack of knowledge also results in many of us living far below what God wants for us. Jesus said that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Many Christian people are not living an abundant life but are living lives of defeat and discouragement. Again, it comes from not knowing God as He truly is.

The lack of knowledge about God also impacts our witness to others. The apostle Paul prayed that the Christians in Rome would be filled with joy, peace and hope, and not only filled but filled to overflowing. I've often said that the reason we need to be overflowing with joy, peace and hope is so some of it can splash onto others who need that in their lives. A joyful Christian filled with peace and hope is going to be an effective witness to others who need to know Jesus Christ. Too many times my own life has not been filed with joy, peace and hope, and I believe the same could be said about many believers today.

We in ministry need to do a better job of teaching our congregations about the attributes and character of God. Too many sermons are filled with fluff meant to tickle the ears of our listeners. Many of the ones sitting in our pews need to be fed the meat of the Word. We need to help them grow deeper in their knowledge of God.

Every Christian also needs to take responsibility for their own growth in that area. I would encourage the reader to begin to do some serious study on the person and nature of God. As you learn more about Him you will find yourself growing closer to Him, and your faith will grow even more. 

When churches attack

My doctoral project was to coach six bivocational pastors for three months and write a thesis on how coaching can benefit bivocational ministers. I asked for volunteers who would benefit from the coaching experience and received several responses from interested persons. I'm happy to report that my paper has been downloaded about 3,500 times since it was written. My last book, The Art and Practice of Bivocational Ministry: A Pastor's Guide, details what was included in my thesis in a more readable format. 

One of the pastors I coached was a woman serving a small church in the northern plains. In one of our sessions I asked her what she most wished she could do in ministry. She responded that she would like to minister to people who have been hurt by the church. I laughed at her answer and explained that if she could do that she would not be in a small church very long. She would find that there were likely a large number of people even in her small community who had been hurt by a church at some time in their lives. We spent the remainder of that coaching session discussing what such a ministry might look like.

It is a sad reality that those who claim to follow Jesus Christ who taught us to love one another can be so mean-spirited and hurtful towards others. Only God knows how many have walked away from the church, and sometimes abandoned Him, because of the pain caused by persons within the church. I have heard countless stories during my ministry. I have good friends that left the church for a season because of hurtful things that were said to them from people within their own congregations. One pastor's son admitted he once contemplated suicide because of the way the church was treating his father and their family. I have known churches who had members who saw it as their spiritual gift to point out perceived mistakes others were making in their lives driving these people away from the church and God. This has to end.

Some will argue that sin must be confronted, and I would agree, but not in the manner in which such confrontation often occurs. Too often such confrontation appears to back people into a corner waving a 97-pound Scofield Reference Bible over their heads and screaming, "Turn or burn." Doesn't Jesus model for us a much better way to confront people with their sins? I think of Him speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well or with the woman caught in adultery. I'm reminded of His words to Zacchaeus, and His willingness to eat with this despised tax collector. The only time Jesus spoke harshly to those involved in sin is when He spoke to the religious leaders.

Jesus invites us to come to Him just as we are. Once we do that He will begin the transformation process we need. If you'll stop and think about it, He did the same thing with you. I'm not suggesting that there is never a time when we should challenge people about the choices they are making. Sometimes we need to be very honest with people that some choices do not honor God, but then we will be much better off letting God take over at that point. Let His Spirit begin the convicting work in their lives which will lead to transformation. One last note...don't expect overnight changes. After all, God is still working on you as well.

Bivocational ministry

 I have spent my life serving in bivocational ministries and supporting bivocational ministry. Many of my books focused on bivocational ministry. I served as a bivocational pastor of one church for 20 years. Even as a Regional Minister I also owned and managed a small business and led conferences and seminars for numerous denominations across the US and Canada. I was blessed to have an Executive Minister who supported what I did. I love bivocational ministry and those who serve in such ministries. I can truly say that bivocational ministers are my heroes.

There was a time when bivocational ministry was seen as a "less-than" ministry. After all, if God had called you into ministry that meant that you have to have an MDiv. degree and serve full-time in ministry. Really? In Baptist and Methodist life bivocational ministers were the norm until around the 1950s when ministry became professionalized. For three decades I have been advocating that we will see a major increase in the number of bivocational ministers, and it appears I was right. Many denominations are reporting their numbers of bivocational ministers are growing. Many do not have actual numbers because their church reporting forms do not provide space to identify bivocational leadership, so the reported numbers may not show what is actually happening. However, when you talk to denominational and judicatory leadership you find that those numbers are increasing.

It's not just smaller churches that are calling bivocational leadership. Mid-side churches are also calling bivocational pastors and bivocational staff. These churches are less concerned about degrees and more concerned with what individuals can do. Many are being wonderfully served by these bivocational ministers.

Too many churches call a "fully-funded" pastor and expect him or her to do all the ministry the church needs. Members of the congregation become spectators and score keepers making sure the minister makes the appropriate number of visits, attends the important meetings, and grows the church to acceptable numbers. Meanwhile, they sit in the pews waiting to "be fed" never realizing that Scripture is clear that all believers are called to do ministry. Eph. 4 teaches that God provides ministers to the church so they can equip the saints to do the work of ministry. One advantage of bivocational ministry is that people understand that the pastor cannot do it all, and more of the congregation are involved in ministry. When that happens, it's a wonderful thing that produces good results for everyone.

Long pastorates

 About 20 years ago I got to meet one of my heroes, H. B. London, Jr. H. B. had retired from pastoral ministry. He was a brother-in-lay to James Dobson and was serving as the Director of the Pastoral Ministry Department of Focus on the Family. We were both invited to serve as plenary speakers at a leadership conference. He spoke three times that week, and I spoke twice and led three workshops. One day the conference director asked if I would take H. B. to lunch. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him and learned much from him that week.

All of his books impacted my life, but one thing he wrote in one of them impacted me the most. He said that if you are currently serving as pastor in a strong, healthy church it is because someone stayed there long enough to make it such a church. If you are not serving in such a church, perhaps God has called you there for this time to make it that kind of church. I'll never forget those words.

When I became pastor at Hebron Baptist Church in 1981 they had experienced a revolving-door pastorate. The average pastoral tenure at that time was 12 months. That was the average! Veteran pastors in the association told me I wouldn't last that long. I stayed there 20 years as their bivocational pastor. That small, country church accomplished much during that time, and part of the reason for that was that I simply hung around. You can read some of those accomplishments in some of the books I've written.

While larger churches may accept leadership from a new pastor, that is not usually the case in a smaller church. George Barna writes that the average pastor will see his or her greatest ministries between their third and eleventh year of ministry. I am convinced that in the smaller church that will be greatly impacted by the pastoral tenure of the previous pastors. It takes time to earn the trust of a church to lead it, and the shorter the previous pastoral tenures have been, the longer it will take to earn that trust. In my case, it took seven years. Looking back I realize it was in my seventh year as the pastor of that church that two members of leading families in the church shared with me personal information from their lives. In both cases, after sharing this with me, they told me they had never told another pastor about this. Both came to me in the same week. I realized later that positive things began to happen in the church after that.

Depending on whose figures you read, the average pastoral tenure today in the US is less than four years. If Barna's findings are correct, most pastors never really lead their churches. They don't stay long enough to earn the trust and the right to lead. Maybe the pastor is climbing the pastoral ladder of success, but it is so unfair to the church.

Yes, serving in a smaller church can be a challenge. Many of them have been deeply wounded in the past and may not trust pastoral leadership. It can take years to earn that trust, and these will not always be easy years. But, maybe H. B. London, Jr. was right. Maybe God has called you to this place for such a time as this. May each of us be faithful in the place where God has placed us.

Fine tuning of the universe

For the past three nights we've watched the International Space Station fly past our house. Last night was the best viewing as it lasted for 6 minutes. Since it was a nice evening we went out a little early and was able to watch three satellites pass over as well. I never watch the space station fly over without thinking about how much this is evidence of the existence of God.

Apologists provide several such evidences, but for me the strongest is the fine-tuning of the universe. At any time of the day, scientists can tell where the space station will be, where the various planets and stars will appear in the sky, when an eclipse will occur and how long it will last, and even more. The fact they can so precise with their information is because God created our universe with such precision and order.

Scientists also tell us that everything necessary to sustain life on planet earth is in exact proportion to what is needed. Without going into detail, if any of these elements was off by very little, life could not exist as we know it. Does anyone truly believe that a Big Bang could have created a universe so perfectly ordered? While the fine-tuning of the universe does not provide absolute proof that God exists, it does strongly suggest that this universe is the work of a Divine Creator who most of us know as God. I would think that it would require much more faith to believe that all that exists in our universe was created by chance than by a God.

I recently read an interesting question. If the first travelers to Mars were to arrive and find a house in a bubbled environment perfectly suited to their living needs, would anyone believe that such accommodations simply occurred by accident? Or, would it be more likely that someone had gone before and created a place for them that would be ready for them when they arrived? I think most people would accept the latter explanation. Why, then, are so many people wanting to reject the belief that God created this universe perfectly designed for us?

Change!

 Several years ago when I served as a Resource Minister for our Region I was meeting with a Pastor Search Committee. My first question in the initial meeting was always the same, "What do you want in your new pastor?" I asked the question even though I knew the answer would be one of two responses. They either wanted a pastor who would grow the church or a pastor who would grow their youth group. In the case of this church it was the first response. They wanted a pastor who would grow their church. I had never said this before, but this night I was a little bolder and responded, "So, you are telling me you want a pastor who will come here and change everything you are doing." The chairperson quickly said that was not what they wanted. I then told the committee, "You do know if you could grow your church by doing what you're already doing, you would already be growing. Since you are not growing, something has to change." The chairperson smiled at me and said, "Maybe we need to talk about this some more." I don't remember, but I don't think I was invited back to their future meetings.

Nearly every church wants to grow, but most of them want to do so without changing anything they are already doing. Church growth doesn't happen that way. Another church called me saying they had formed a church growth committee (a creature almost certain to not grow a church), and they wanted me to come and explain how they could grow without upsetting anyone in the church. I actually laughed on the phone and told the caller, "I'll save me a trip and you a meeting: You can't." They asked me to meet with them anyway, and we did have an honest discussion on the cost of growth.

Nobody enjoys change except small babies. Church leaders, including pastors, often dislike change because it disrupts what they are already doing. Change makes many members of the congregation uncomfortable because no one is sure what their role will be in the church system, or if they will even have a role. Others worry about what will change next. Sometimes church members will leave a church because they strongly dislike changes, and no one wants to lose members of the church. In yet a third church that asked me to speak to them about growth I mentioned that changes would have to be made, and one of the costs of change is the possibility that you might lose some people. Later, in a Q&A session, one older member of the church said she didn't know anyone in the church she was willing to give up. Others agreed with her, and nothing changed and the church continues to struggle.

The question is sometimes asked what needs to change. That depends on the church and its situation. It may be attitudes within the church. Perhaps the church needs to shift its focus from inward-looking to outward. The church may need to take steps to become a healthier congregation. It might take new leadership, both pastoral and lay. There are too many variables to say this needs to change and that needs to change. Each church must look at itself and determine what obstacles exist that are keeping people out. You may need to invite your denominational representative or another outside consultant to help you look at your current system. Remember...your system is perfectly designed for the results you are getting.

Starting new groups

 In our late 20s my wife and I gave our lives to Jesus Christ and began attending a church our neighbor attended. I still remember the first time we went into the Young Adult Sunday school class. There were about 40 people in the class, all who had been together for years. We felt like outsiders...because we were. It was an uncomfortable feeling, and it took several months before we felt we fit in.

After a couple of years the pastor asked if I would help him start a new class for that age group. It had stopped growing, and he felt a new class might appeal to new people who would visit the church. For the first quarter he taught the class, and I was his substitute. After that three months I became the teacher. We did not divide the existing class but did let anyone interested in the new class know they could transfer into it. When new young adults attended the church they were invited into the new class. In a very short while we had grown to a couple of dozen people, most of them new to the church. 

We have known for a long time that new churches reach new people. That is why so many denominations seek to plant new churches. What we often fail to consider is that new small groups also attract new people. Go into many smaller churches and you will find the same people sitting in the same classes they have been in for years. Now, consider what it would be like for a new person or couple to begin attending that class. They will feel like my wife and I did when we first attended the Sunday school class. Most small groups do not intentionally try to make new people feel uncomfortable, but they often do. New people are surrounded by conversations being held by people who have known each other for years (decades). It can be very intimidating.

Church growth experts recommend that a new adult Sunday school class should be started every 18 months. This allows new people to connect with other new people. That will be difficult to do in many smaller churches. There may be space limitations, leadership limitations and other issues that make this difficult. But, small groups include more than just Sunday school classes.

A small group might include a church choir, a book study group, a group focused on more in-depth theological study, a sports group, a quilting group, a fishing group, or any other groups that might attract people to the church. Many of these groups would not meet on Sundays and often will not meet at the church. But, they do provide opportunities for people to build relationships with people from the church and to be exposed to the Gospel. People such as Gary McIntosh suggests that one of every five groups in the church should be less than two years old. This provides a comfortable place for new people to become connected to the church.

Many small churches will argue that they are already a small group so they don't need to start one. I suppose that's true if they are only interested in the persons already in their small group, but if they are interested in reaching new people they may find it easier to do in additional small groups.