I have had the privilege this year of visiting a lot of churches, and I’ve found many of them are dominated by people my age and older. Sometimes people from the church want to share with me about their church. Often I’ve heard them say, “Our church needs young people. I just don’t know why we don’t have very many any more.” Many of them have noticed that the attendance of their churches is not growing. Some are even willing to admit, at least to themselves, that the congregation is dwindling. Long-term members remember past glory days and wish for a return to those exciting times. I think there is good news and bad news for congregations in this situation.
The bad news is that the old days will not return. You can’t turn the clock back in the church any more than you can turn it back in your family. We may long for the days when our grown children were small, but wishing will not make it so. In the same way, we may want the church we had in the 1960s or 70s, but that church is gone. It’s the same place your son’s little league team is: in the past.
The good news is that God’s church is not in the past; His message and His love are the same, and your church can once again be vital and alive. Just like new children are playing on the old ball diamond your kids played on, there is a new generation of adults that the church can reach for the Lord. When you drive by the kids’ ball field on a summer evening, you’ll see and hear the excitement of the children and their parents and realize that they’re experiencing the same fun and joy you did. I believe it can be the same way at church. When young families find the Lord, they fill the church with the enthusiasm that many churches filled with senior citizens are missing.
It can happen! The church can again be an exciting place, but seniors have to want it to happen. Seniors hold the control. Whether they are “in office” or not, they hold lots of power. They’re usually major contributors financially, and they’re in position to make or break new proposals by vote, by their complaining, or by withholding their giving. You see, if the next generation is to be reached, the older generation must understand that the priority of the church must be to reach people for Christ—as Jesus put it, make disciples. To do that, seniors have to realize that changes will be required to attract and hold a new generation. And there is the problem: older people hate to change. It comes down to deciding this question: Do we want this church to grow and see people the age of our children and grandchildren find God’s hope, love and salvation, or is it more important for the church to be like we have always known it?
Looking at surveys and reports, we find that many of our churches have become a kind of club that caters to the needs and whims of its members, instead of the church Jesus commissioned. The church that takes the Great Commission seriously puts the needs of people in the community to find salvation ahead of the need of church people to be comfortable with doing things the way they are used to.
I issue a challenge to gray-haired church members like me to ask God to give them an extreme love for the unchurched next generation, and let Him have His way in you to welcome and encourage them to find what you found in Christ long ago. Then, your church will once again ring with excitement and be the lively place you remember and long for. The music probably won’t be the same. The schedule might be different. The decorations will change. But, you will once again feel the same Spirit moving that moved the church long ago and you’ll know that young lives are being changed.
(I suggest a specific way churches can reach the next generation in my post of 2/21/11 titled "A Winning Strategy")
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Loving Like Jesus
Christ-followers talk a lot about love, and well we should. Love was the main thing Jesus talked about. It was the hallmark of His life, as well as His death and resurrection. If you know any Greek words you probably know the word Jesus used for love: agape. Agape was an interesting choice because there are at least three ancient Greek words that are translated into the English word love. Eros is the word for love between a man and a woman from which we get the word erotic. Eros shows itself in the desire to possess the love object. Phileo is what we call brotherly love. Phileo loves the love object because of the given relationship, like brother to brother. It shows itself in loyalty. Agape is God’s unselfish kind of love. This word is seldom found in other ancient Greek writings, but it is by far the most used word to be translated love in the New Testament. Agape is love that shows itself in the desire to help the love object. It gives whether or not the giving is returned. Agape is shown in the way God loved the rebellious Israelites and the sinful you and I. It is “the love that will not let me go.” Agape says “I love you.” There is no “if”, “and”, “until”, “unless”, “or”, “as long as” added on … simply, “I love you.”
Jesus’ command to follow Him includes loving as He loves. The incarnation of Jesus and His death on the cross are examples of God’s agape for us. We can’t die on the cross as a sacrifice for mankind, but we can love people the way He loved others. Agape must become the hallmark of our lives as we imitate Him. We can put the needs of others ahead of our own wants and preferences. How did Jesus do it? How did He live out His own commandment to love one another?
First of all Jesus took initiative to make friends, often with unlikely people.
He still chooses to love people, not because He needs them, but because they need Him. When He chose His disciples, He didn’t choose the intellectuals or the most religious people. Instead, He chose simple working men (Peter, Andrew, James and John), a radical (Simon Zelotes), and an outcast (Matthew, the tax collector). If we are going to love like Jesus, we must think of prospective friends the same way. The friends that God wants to give you to influence for Him may not have the right looks, wear the right clothes, or use the right language.
I learned this lesson when we started a congregation several years ago. Our son was a little leaguer and I was a coach. My wife and I saw his baseball team as a great opportunity for us to meet unchurched people who could become prospective members of our new church. Little league baseball parents are notorious for getting into heated arguments. I don’t remember what exactly happened, but one of the mothers on the other team and a grandmother from our team got into a profane shouting match in front of the kids. My wife and I had a habit of speculating about which team families might wind up as part of our church. We were sure that that cussing grandma would not be one of them. She didn’t seem too interested anyway. The next Sunday, to my surprise, as people were arriving before church, I saw that grandma crushing out her cigarette with her foot to bring her grandson to worship. She was a rough one, but she had a tender heart and within a few months I had the privilege of baptizing her. I had written her off as a prospect, but God had not. This showed me that I needed to go beyond being friendly and take the challenge of being a friend even to those who I don’t think would be interested in the church or knowing Jesus.
Jesus demonstrated His love in tangible ways.
How do your friends know you care deeply for them? If you are going to love like Jesus your must be willing to do more than what is expected. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to help your friend? Jesus talked about going the second mile and He washed the disciple’s feet as an example of how they (and we) should treat each other.
One Sunday I preached loudly that, in the light of Jesus’ teaching on footwashing, we must be willing to do anything, for each other and for the world. I pounded the pulpit and challenged the church. The very next day the Lord required me to practice what I had ranted about. The police dispatcher called me (I was a volunteer police chaplain.) and asked me to go to the scene of a teen suicide. I joined several of the officers there a few minutes later. The coroner was in the boy’s bedroom to pronounce him dead. Apparently, one of our high school football players had skipped practice that day, gone home, put a pistol in his mouth and pulled the trigger. I called the family together, had prayer with them and did my best to comfort them. Since they were Catholic, I called their priest who came a few minutes later. A suicide, especially when it is one so young, is tough for the cops too, so I milled around with them until the body was taken out. The police began leaving and I was ready to go back to the church when Sgt. Thornberry walked up to me. He was one of the department tough guys. He said to me. “Rev., I hate to see that mother have to clean up that mess.” I said, “Me too.” I thought he was talking hypothetically. The next thing I knew, he had found a bucket, some liquid soap, a few towels and some sponges and recruited a neighbor lady to help “us” clean the boy’s bedroom floor. I wasn’t sure how bad I wanted to be part of “us”, but I couldn’t refuse. The tough cop had taken initiative to do a loving act, because the chaplain (me) was oblivious. Not only did I not want to wienie out on Thornberry, more importantly, I had my own words from my sermon pounding in my head, “You have to be willing to do anything.” As I scrubbed that poor boy’s blood and brains off the floor, it was like God way saying to me, “Now you know what you were preaching about and what Jesus meant when he told His followers to wash one another’s feet.”
How about you? Are you willing to do what needs to be done for others to God’s glory? Do you really want to serve others, or do you just want to talk about it? God had to force me to find out what it means to say yes to serving others in His love.
Jesus backed up His words with actions. His friends knew He loved them because of the way He treated them. Words by themselves are hollow, but Jesus preceded and surrounded His words with actions. To love like Jesus we must both live love and speak love. Love must become the thing for which the church is known. For too many people the church is known for making people feel guilty. The church gets a reputation of love only when her members learn to love like Jesus
John 15:9-17 (NIV)
Jesus’ command to follow Him includes loving as He loves. The incarnation of Jesus and His death on the cross are examples of God’s agape for us. We can’t die on the cross as a sacrifice for mankind, but we can love people the way He loved others. Agape must become the hallmark of our lives as we imitate Him. We can put the needs of others ahead of our own wants and preferences. How did Jesus do it? How did He live out His own commandment to love one another?
First of all Jesus took initiative to make friends, often with unlikely people.
He still chooses to love people, not because He needs them, but because they need Him. When He chose His disciples, He didn’t choose the intellectuals or the most religious people. Instead, He chose simple working men (Peter, Andrew, James and John), a radical (Simon Zelotes), and an outcast (Matthew, the tax collector). If we are going to love like Jesus, we must think of prospective friends the same way. The friends that God wants to give you to influence for Him may not have the right looks, wear the right clothes, or use the right language.
I learned this lesson when we started a congregation several years ago. Our son was a little leaguer and I was a coach. My wife and I saw his baseball team as a great opportunity for us to meet unchurched people who could become prospective members of our new church. Little league baseball parents are notorious for getting into heated arguments. I don’t remember what exactly happened, but one of the mothers on the other team and a grandmother from our team got into a profane shouting match in front of the kids. My wife and I had a habit of speculating about which team families might wind up as part of our church. We were sure that that cussing grandma would not be one of them. She didn’t seem too interested anyway. The next Sunday, to my surprise, as people were arriving before church, I saw that grandma crushing out her cigarette with her foot to bring her grandson to worship. She was a rough one, but she had a tender heart and within a few months I had the privilege of baptizing her. I had written her off as a prospect, but God had not. This showed me that I needed to go beyond being friendly and take the challenge of being a friend even to those who I don’t think would be interested in the church or knowing Jesus.
Jesus demonstrated His love in tangible ways.
How do your friends know you care deeply for them? If you are going to love like Jesus your must be willing to do more than what is expected. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to help your friend? Jesus talked about going the second mile and He washed the disciple’s feet as an example of how they (and we) should treat each other.
One Sunday I preached loudly that, in the light of Jesus’ teaching on footwashing, we must be willing to do anything, for each other and for the world. I pounded the pulpit and challenged the church. The very next day the Lord required me to practice what I had ranted about. The police dispatcher called me (I was a volunteer police chaplain.) and asked me to go to the scene of a teen suicide. I joined several of the officers there a few minutes later. The coroner was in the boy’s bedroom to pronounce him dead. Apparently, one of our high school football players had skipped practice that day, gone home, put a pistol in his mouth and pulled the trigger. I called the family together, had prayer with them and did my best to comfort them. Since they were Catholic, I called their priest who came a few minutes later. A suicide, especially when it is one so young, is tough for the cops too, so I milled around with them until the body was taken out. The police began leaving and I was ready to go back to the church when Sgt. Thornberry walked up to me. He was one of the department tough guys. He said to me. “Rev., I hate to see that mother have to clean up that mess.” I said, “Me too.” I thought he was talking hypothetically. The next thing I knew, he had found a bucket, some liquid soap, a few towels and some sponges and recruited a neighbor lady to help “us” clean the boy’s bedroom floor. I wasn’t sure how bad I wanted to be part of “us”, but I couldn’t refuse. The tough cop had taken initiative to do a loving act, because the chaplain (me) was oblivious. Not only did I not want to wienie out on Thornberry, more importantly, I had my own words from my sermon pounding in my head, “You have to be willing to do anything.” As I scrubbed that poor boy’s blood and brains off the floor, it was like God way saying to me, “Now you know what you were preaching about and what Jesus meant when he told His followers to wash one another’s feet.”
How about you? Are you willing to do what needs to be done for others to God’s glory? Do you really want to serve others, or do you just want to talk about it? God had to force me to find out what it means to say yes to serving others in His love.
Jesus backed up His words with actions. His friends knew He loved them because of the way He treated them. Words by themselves are hollow, but Jesus preceded and surrounded His words with actions. To love like Jesus we must both live love and speak love. Love must become the thing for which the church is known. For too many people the church is known for making people feel guilty. The church gets a reputation of love only when her members learn to love like Jesus
John 15:9-17 (NIV)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
My Talents, Time, and All
The other night I was awakened by a dream. That happens from time to time, but always before, it was when I had a nightmare. Usually, I wake up just as I am falling off a high cliff or a ladder (or stage), but this time it was different. The dream woke me up, not because it was scary; in fact, it made me feel good … kind of puzzled, but good.
Here’s what happened in my dream.
I was with a group of people who had been in my youth group when I first started in the ministry. We were all the age we are now. One of the women had brought us all together for some kind of reunion and it was a lot of fun. We gathered round a fire at the close of the celebration to sing some songs we sang in church and youth group in the old days. I awoke when we sang,
My life, O Lord, I give to Thee,
My talents, time, and all;
I’ll serve Thee, Lord, and faithful be,
I’ll hear Thy faintest call.
I lay there for several minutes thinking about the dream and the song in particular. The words were familiar, but at first I couldn’t remember which song they were from. As I thought about it, I began to remember the words to the verses and recalled the song as one of the songs often used at the close of worship. It was part of the invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. It went along with the theme of much of what Pastor Jones talked about. Over and over he told us, “God has something He wants you to do, and you have to find out what it is.” He was all about total commitment to following Christ. That little chorus brought back the times when I decided to accept Christ as Savior, to invite Him to guide me, and to use my life for His purposes. In other words, this was one of the songs that the church was singing when I fell in love with Jesus. I hadn’t heard it or thought of it for years. I love contemporary music, but some of the old songs like this one, also hold deep meaning for my life.
I spent the day thinking of the dream, the song, and what it might mean. I had never before had a dream that I thought meant anything. (Except, perhaps, that I should keep myself from falling.) Was the Lord trying to tell me something through a dream? I know He sometimes speaks to people that way, but not me, at least not before now. When I sang those words as a youth, I meant them. I heard His call—to go to a private Christian college and seminary, to youth ministry, then pastoral ministry, later to church planting, then back to pastoral ministry. This last year and a half I have been trying to figure out what God wants me to do with the next chapter of my life. I have applied for several jobs that I thought fit my gifts and calling, and I turned down some that didn’t. I was disappointed when the position I really thought I wanted, and for which I was best suited, was given to someone else. Let me admit that I have been confused, frustrated, and sometimes felt sorry for myself. Through this dream God reminded me of the commitment I made to Him as a teenager. I think He is asking me if I still have that same trust in Him. So now I am renewing my commitment to do whatever He wants me to do. I’m not going to try to make something happen on my own, but I am going to be open to whatever He brings my way. Right now, I am enjoying my work as the administrator for Tina Houser Ministries. Basically, my role is to make it easier for her to do her workshops, be her traveling companion, sell her books, and take care of her website. In addition, I am speaking wherever I am invited, and writing this blog. I remain open to whatever else God lays across my path to do. Will it be a full-time ministry position of some kind? Part-time? I don’t know, but I will do what is set before me. Also, I am listening for His further call, if He has something else, or something additional He wants me to do. “I shall be wholly Thine.”
By the way the little chorus comes from the song “Consecration” by Andrew L. Byers and Mildred E. Howard. Below are the lyrics for the entire song. They move me still.
Since Jesus gave His life for me,
Should I not give Him mine?
I’m consecrated Lord, to Thee,
I shall be wholly Thine.
Chorus:
My life, O Lord, I give to Thee,
My talents, time, and all;
I’ll serve Thee, Lord, and faithful be,
I’ll hear Thy faintest call.
I care not where my Lord directs,
His purpose I’ll fulfill;
I know He ev’ry one protects
Who does His holy will.
My home and friends are dear to me,
Yet He is dearer still;
In my affection first He’ll be,
And first His righteous will.
My all, O Lord, to Thee I give,
Accept it as Thine own;
For Thee alone I’ll ever live,
My heart shall be Thy throne.
Here’s what happened in my dream.
I was with a group of people who had been in my youth group when I first started in the ministry. We were all the age we are now. One of the women had brought us all together for some kind of reunion and it was a lot of fun. We gathered round a fire at the close of the celebration to sing some songs we sang in church and youth group in the old days. I awoke when we sang,
My life, O Lord, I give to Thee,
My talents, time, and all;
I’ll serve Thee, Lord, and faithful be,
I’ll hear Thy faintest call.
I lay there for several minutes thinking about the dream and the song in particular. The words were familiar, but at first I couldn’t remember which song they were from. As I thought about it, I began to remember the words to the verses and recalled the song as one of the songs often used at the close of worship. It was part of the invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. It went along with the theme of much of what Pastor Jones talked about. Over and over he told us, “God has something He wants you to do, and you have to find out what it is.” He was all about total commitment to following Christ. That little chorus brought back the times when I decided to accept Christ as Savior, to invite Him to guide me, and to use my life for His purposes. In other words, this was one of the songs that the church was singing when I fell in love with Jesus. I hadn’t heard it or thought of it for years. I love contemporary music, but some of the old songs like this one, also hold deep meaning for my life.
I spent the day thinking of the dream, the song, and what it might mean. I had never before had a dream that I thought meant anything. (Except, perhaps, that I should keep myself from falling.) Was the Lord trying to tell me something through a dream? I know He sometimes speaks to people that way, but not me, at least not before now. When I sang those words as a youth, I meant them. I heard His call—to go to a private Christian college and seminary, to youth ministry, then pastoral ministry, later to church planting, then back to pastoral ministry. This last year and a half I have been trying to figure out what God wants me to do with the next chapter of my life. I have applied for several jobs that I thought fit my gifts and calling, and I turned down some that didn’t. I was disappointed when the position I really thought I wanted, and for which I was best suited, was given to someone else. Let me admit that I have been confused, frustrated, and sometimes felt sorry for myself. Through this dream God reminded me of the commitment I made to Him as a teenager. I think He is asking me if I still have that same trust in Him. So now I am renewing my commitment to do whatever He wants me to do. I’m not going to try to make something happen on my own, but I am going to be open to whatever He brings my way. Right now, I am enjoying my work as the administrator for Tina Houser Ministries. Basically, my role is to make it easier for her to do her workshops, be her traveling companion, sell her books, and take care of her website. In addition, I am speaking wherever I am invited, and writing this blog. I remain open to whatever else God lays across my path to do. Will it be a full-time ministry position of some kind? Part-time? I don’t know, but I will do what is set before me. Also, I am listening for His further call, if He has something else, or something additional He wants me to do. “I shall be wholly Thine.”
By the way the little chorus comes from the song “Consecration” by Andrew L. Byers and Mildred E. Howard. Below are the lyrics for the entire song. They move me still.
Since Jesus gave His life for me,
Should I not give Him mine?
I’m consecrated Lord, to Thee,
I shall be wholly Thine.
Chorus:
My life, O Lord, I give to Thee,
My talents, time, and all;
I’ll serve Thee, Lord, and faithful be,
I’ll hear Thy faintest call.
I care not where my Lord directs,
His purpose I’ll fulfill;
I know He ev’ry one protects
Who does His holy will.
My home and friends are dear to me,
Yet He is dearer still;
In my affection first He’ll be,
And first His righteous will.
My all, O Lord, to Thee I give,
Accept it as Thine own;
For Thee alone I’ll ever live,
My heart shall be Thy throne.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Hope for the Church (Part 6): The Church must show Christ to the World
More than anything else, if there is to be hope for the plateaued or declining church, it must clearly show Christ to the world. That sounds like a no-brainer, but surveys are finding that, while Jesus is very popular, the church isn’t. It seems people want to know Jesus, but don’t want to know the people who represent Him. We have to find out what we’re doing that turns people off. What do we do that blocks, rather than magnifies the love and hope of Jesus? People crave love. They desperately desire hope. They want relief from the guilt and pain they carry, and they want to know that their lives have purpose. Jesus offers all of these things to everyone, but the church is often the last place people go to find them. What is it that congregations are doing wrong? Why don’t people realize that we want to share what we have found? Here are four common reasons that must be overcome for the church to turn around or get unstuck from a plateau.
1. Churches often seem irrelevant to people living in the 21st century.
The message of Christ is for every generation and every kind of person, but many people don’t believe that. To tell you the truth, in many cases I don’t blame them. Many congregations and some denominations are stuck in another century. For some it’s the 18th or 19th century; even if a church is still acting like it’s living in the 20th century, it’s passé. Congregations get hung up on traditions and appearances. These are things that only the members care about. A world that needs love, hope and salvation, doesn’t give one wit about worship or music style, and can’t figure out why it’s such a big deal to the church. If and when they show up to worship, they simply need to be able to understand the message. A congregation that puts its preferences for any kind of style over its desire to communicate the Gospel is asking to be considered irrelevant.
2. Congregations keep to themselves.
Declining churches talk about being a family, and perhaps they are, but not the kind of family Jesus envisioned. He declared that we would be an open family, always welcoming the new brothers and sisters that our Father adopts. Declining and plateaued churches are often great families to each other, but they are closed families. If you ask them if their church is friendly, they would say, “Oh yes.” More often than not, they are very friendly … to each other. They don’t realize how hard it is for a new person to become more than a guest. They aren’t prepared for new people. They don’t think about new people joining them. In the abstract they say they would like new members, but in reality they fear that new people would upset the way things are. New people can make the old-timers feel uncomfortable, and perhaps, dilute the old-timers’ position of power within the congregation.
3. Too many congregations present an angry face.
Unchurched people are repelled by congregations that show anger at people. God hates sin, but he loves sinners so much He sent His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for their sin. Some pastors and congregations seem to have forgotten that. They’re always against “this” or up in arms about “that.” It’s scary for people who aren’t part of their group and it doesn’t attract people to join. Don’t get me wrong. Sin is abhorrent, and Satan’s schemes should make us angry; however, we must not repel the very people who God loves and wants to save from sin. We do that every time we are perceived as hateful people. The face of the church should be God’s love. His judgment and wrath should not be hidden; they are parts of the story, but it was God’s love that drew Him down from heaven to bring the lost to Him. Love was the hallmark of Jesus’ earthly life. Churches that are plateaued or declining need to find ways to be seen as places where His love is shared.
4. Internal dissension turns unchurched people and new Christians off to the church.
Finally, the people God wants to reach often resist becoming involved in a congregation because of church fights and disagreements. Some people who have called themselves “Christian” for a long time seem to think (and some say it openly) that their role in the church is to be the “devil’s advocate.” Folks, the devil needs no advocate, particularly in the church. He does just fine advocating for himself. I have actually heard people say they wanted to make sure that someone kept the pastor in check. In other words, they thought that someone in the church should make sure the pastor didn’t get his way. If the pastor’s intention is to make disciples, and he is not proposing anything heretical, why does the church need someone to get in his way? If, in fact, the pastor’s way is the way God wants the church to act, these people are in God’s way. The Apostle Paul had an opinion of those who cause dissension in the church, “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy” Romans 13:13 (NIV). Look at that! In Paul’s opinion, dissension is a sin on par with orgies. I think many church dissenters would be offended to be lumped in with orgy participants. If that is the case, they should quit dissenting and get with the program. The earthly consequence of this sin is not merely frustrating the pastor, it also turns prospective Christians away from becoming part of the Lord’s work in your congregation.
There is hope for the church! Even for churches that are plateaued or declining. That hope comes from the Lord and will become reality when pastors and congregations are willing to pay the emotional and financial prices, choose making disciples as their top priority, become willing to adopt new methods, organize for agility and growth, and become known as communities of God’s love that both want and expect newcomers to join with them.
(If you are interested in having Ray present the "Hope for the Church" series, or any other blog topics as a conference or sermon, you can contact me at ray.houser@gmail.com for scheduling information. If you are interested in seeing Ray speak, go to Vimeo.com and put Ray Houser in the search box. You will find several of my sermons there.)
1. Churches often seem irrelevant to people living in the 21st century.
The message of Christ is for every generation and every kind of person, but many people don’t believe that. To tell you the truth, in many cases I don’t blame them. Many congregations and some denominations are stuck in another century. For some it’s the 18th or 19th century; even if a church is still acting like it’s living in the 20th century, it’s passé. Congregations get hung up on traditions and appearances. These are things that only the members care about. A world that needs love, hope and salvation, doesn’t give one wit about worship or music style, and can’t figure out why it’s such a big deal to the church. If and when they show up to worship, they simply need to be able to understand the message. A congregation that puts its preferences for any kind of style over its desire to communicate the Gospel is asking to be considered irrelevant.
2. Congregations keep to themselves.
Declining churches talk about being a family, and perhaps they are, but not the kind of family Jesus envisioned. He declared that we would be an open family, always welcoming the new brothers and sisters that our Father adopts. Declining and plateaued churches are often great families to each other, but they are closed families. If you ask them if their church is friendly, they would say, “Oh yes.” More often than not, they are very friendly … to each other. They don’t realize how hard it is for a new person to become more than a guest. They aren’t prepared for new people. They don’t think about new people joining them. In the abstract they say they would like new members, but in reality they fear that new people would upset the way things are. New people can make the old-timers feel uncomfortable, and perhaps, dilute the old-timers’ position of power within the congregation.
3. Too many congregations present an angry face.
Unchurched people are repelled by congregations that show anger at people. God hates sin, but he loves sinners so much He sent His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for their sin. Some pastors and congregations seem to have forgotten that. They’re always against “this” or up in arms about “that.” It’s scary for people who aren’t part of their group and it doesn’t attract people to join. Don’t get me wrong. Sin is abhorrent, and Satan’s schemes should make us angry; however, we must not repel the very people who God loves and wants to save from sin. We do that every time we are perceived as hateful people. The face of the church should be God’s love. His judgment and wrath should not be hidden; they are parts of the story, but it was God’s love that drew Him down from heaven to bring the lost to Him. Love was the hallmark of Jesus’ earthly life. Churches that are plateaued or declining need to find ways to be seen as places where His love is shared.
4. Internal dissension turns unchurched people and new Christians off to the church.
Finally, the people God wants to reach often resist becoming involved in a congregation because of church fights and disagreements. Some people who have called themselves “Christian” for a long time seem to think (and some say it openly) that their role in the church is to be the “devil’s advocate.” Folks, the devil needs no advocate, particularly in the church. He does just fine advocating for himself. I have actually heard people say they wanted to make sure that someone kept the pastor in check. In other words, they thought that someone in the church should make sure the pastor didn’t get his way. If the pastor’s intention is to make disciples, and he is not proposing anything heretical, why does the church need someone to get in his way? If, in fact, the pastor’s way is the way God wants the church to act, these people are in God’s way. The Apostle Paul had an opinion of those who cause dissension in the church, “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy” Romans 13:13 (NIV). Look at that! In Paul’s opinion, dissension is a sin on par with orgies. I think many church dissenters would be offended to be lumped in with orgy participants. If that is the case, they should quit dissenting and get with the program. The earthly consequence of this sin is not merely frustrating the pastor, it also turns prospective Christians away from becoming part of the Lord’s work in your congregation.
There is hope for the church! Even for churches that are plateaued or declining. That hope comes from the Lord and will become reality when pastors and congregations are willing to pay the emotional and financial prices, choose making disciples as their top priority, become willing to adopt new methods, organize for agility and growth, and become known as communities of God’s love that both want and expect newcomers to join with them.
(If you are interested in having Ray present the "Hope for the Church" series, or any other blog topics as a conference or sermon, you can contact me at ray.houser@gmail.com for scheduling information. If you are interested in seeing Ray speak, go to Vimeo.com and put Ray Houser in the search box. You will find several of my sermons there.)
Monday, August 8, 2011
Hope For the Church (Part 5) The Church Must Organize Itself for Growth
If there is to be hope for a plateaued or declining church to get back on track and become a place where people find Christ, it needs to be organized for growth. To get a church going and growing the congregation’s decision-making process needs to be nimble and able to make adjustments quickly to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. Here are six questions for the congregation to ask itself about its structure:
1. Is the church over- or under-organized?
Many churches are over-organized. The decision-making process takes so long and goes through so many steps that a new idea doesn’t have a chance. If it makes it through the bureaucracy, approval often comes so late enthusiasm has waned. Sometimes the opposite is true. Some congregations are so unorganized that no one feels they have authority to make a decision. Everyone is waiting for someone else to get the ball rolling; consequently, nothing happens. Because no one knows who is in charge, things just keep going as they have been, until they are stopped by inertia. There is no vehicle for change. For a church to do its mission of making disciples, it needs to be organized in a way that encourages new ideas and finds ways for ministry to take place. Some congregations seem to be organized to prevent ministry instead of facilitate ministry.
2. Do the committee meetings enable ministry to happen?
In many established churches members think that sitting on a committee and going to meetings is doing ministry. Committees, task forces, teams, or whatever they are called at your church should be seen as necessary to make the ministry in their charge happen. For example: the meetings of the Christian Education Committee are not the ministry of the Christian Ed. Committee. Its ministry is Sunday school, small groups, teacher training, etc. Team members should meet to find ways to organize, fund, and publicize ministry. They should work together to remove obstacles so the ministry can be more effective. There is no need to have a meeting for the sake of having a meeting. Meetings should be about receiving exciting reports about what is happening in the ministry and making plans for more great things.
3. Is the pastor a leader?
Another leadership problem in a lot of declining and plateaued churches is that the pastor doesn’t lead. This usually happens for one of two reasons. 1.) The pastor doesn’t know how to lead. He doesn’t have leadership gifts, has not been trained to lead, or is lazy and doesn’t want the responsibility of leadership. 2.) The pastor does not have the freedom to lead because he is constrained by the by-laws, the traditional way of doing things at the congregation, or someone or some family has control issues. If church is going to get unstuck from a plateau or turn around from decline, it is imperative that the pastor be a leader and has the freedom to lead the congregation. In some denominations leadership has not been a gift that was considered important in pastors, nor has it been rewarded. However, the word “pastor” means shepherd. Many churches see their pastor (shepherd) as a caretaker of the sheep (church members). Actually the biblical shepherd, (pastor) was first and foremost the leader of the flock. He also protected and cared for the sheep, but the main emphasis of his job was to lead them to pasture and water; and away from danger. See Psalm 23 for a description of the shepherd’s job. It was not by accident that this word was applied to the God-called leader of a congregation in the New Testament church.
4. Is the pastor doing everything?
In some churches one of the things that holds a congregation back from doing the mission God gave it is that the pastor does everything, either because he hasn’t learned to delegate and doesn’t trust others to do ministry; or because the people either don’t understand that each of them have a ministry to perform, or they refuse to perform it. The pastor can’t do it all. If he tries, the church’s growth is limited by his capacity. Besides, that is not the way God intended for the church to function. For a congregation to become what God intends it to be, the members must see themselves as workers, not spectators, ministers, not consumers.
5. Do the pastor, the board, the staff, and the members know their jobs?
A congregation should be organized so that the pastor can cast a God-inspired vision that the board endorses. The pastor, with the counsel of the church’s leadership, then sets measurable goals and objectives that will enable the church to fulfill the vision. In other words, the pastor’s job is to lead. Then board’s job is to hold him accountable to meet the goals in a Christ-like way. The staff’s (paid or unpaid) job is to manage the ministries that are necessary to meet the goals and objectives. And the job of church members is to do the ministry of the church. This is an accountable and measurable way of doing God’s work (often referred to as the governance model).
6. Are newcomers intentionally asked to get involved?
Finally, a church that expects to grow by bringing people to Christ must be intentional in getting new people involved in ministry. Declining and plateaued churches often make it difficult, or have no path to help people get involved. Leaders need to find out what new people are interested in doing and match them up with things that fit their gift mix. If there is nothing for new people to do, then the church needs to try some new things. New people may well also be the source of new ministry ideas. Encouraging them to discover and use their spiritual gifts and talents is the first, and possibly the most important step. The most exciting thing in the world is to discover and do the work that God equipped and called you to do. All church members must be challenged, encouraged and expected to somehow be involved in ministry.
Is your church’s structure helping or hindering your work of making disciples?
1. Is the church over- or under-organized?
Many churches are over-organized. The decision-making process takes so long and goes through so many steps that a new idea doesn’t have a chance. If it makes it through the bureaucracy, approval often comes so late enthusiasm has waned. Sometimes the opposite is true. Some congregations are so unorganized that no one feels they have authority to make a decision. Everyone is waiting for someone else to get the ball rolling; consequently, nothing happens. Because no one knows who is in charge, things just keep going as they have been, until they are stopped by inertia. There is no vehicle for change. For a church to do its mission of making disciples, it needs to be organized in a way that encourages new ideas and finds ways for ministry to take place. Some congregations seem to be organized to prevent ministry instead of facilitate ministry.
2. Do the committee meetings enable ministry to happen?
In many established churches members think that sitting on a committee and going to meetings is doing ministry. Committees, task forces, teams, or whatever they are called at your church should be seen as necessary to make the ministry in their charge happen. For example: the meetings of the Christian Education Committee are not the ministry of the Christian Ed. Committee. Its ministry is Sunday school, small groups, teacher training, etc. Team members should meet to find ways to organize, fund, and publicize ministry. They should work together to remove obstacles so the ministry can be more effective. There is no need to have a meeting for the sake of having a meeting. Meetings should be about receiving exciting reports about what is happening in the ministry and making plans for more great things.
3. Is the pastor a leader?
Another leadership problem in a lot of declining and plateaued churches is that the pastor doesn’t lead. This usually happens for one of two reasons. 1.) The pastor doesn’t know how to lead. He doesn’t have leadership gifts, has not been trained to lead, or is lazy and doesn’t want the responsibility of leadership. 2.) The pastor does not have the freedom to lead because he is constrained by the by-laws, the traditional way of doing things at the congregation, or someone or some family has control issues. If church is going to get unstuck from a plateau or turn around from decline, it is imperative that the pastor be a leader and has the freedom to lead the congregation. In some denominations leadership has not been a gift that was considered important in pastors, nor has it been rewarded. However, the word “pastor” means shepherd. Many churches see their pastor (shepherd) as a caretaker of the sheep (church members). Actually the biblical shepherd, (pastor) was first and foremost the leader of the flock. He also protected and cared for the sheep, but the main emphasis of his job was to lead them to pasture and water; and away from danger. See Psalm 23 for a description of the shepherd’s job. It was not by accident that this word was applied to the God-called leader of a congregation in the New Testament church.
4. Is the pastor doing everything?
In some churches one of the things that holds a congregation back from doing the mission God gave it is that the pastor does everything, either because he hasn’t learned to delegate and doesn’t trust others to do ministry; or because the people either don’t understand that each of them have a ministry to perform, or they refuse to perform it. The pastor can’t do it all. If he tries, the church’s growth is limited by his capacity. Besides, that is not the way God intended for the church to function. For a congregation to become what God intends it to be, the members must see themselves as workers, not spectators, ministers, not consumers.
5. Do the pastor, the board, the staff, and the members know their jobs?
A congregation should be organized so that the pastor can cast a God-inspired vision that the board endorses. The pastor, with the counsel of the church’s leadership, then sets measurable goals and objectives that will enable the church to fulfill the vision. In other words, the pastor’s job is to lead. Then board’s job is to hold him accountable to meet the goals in a Christ-like way. The staff’s (paid or unpaid) job is to manage the ministries that are necessary to meet the goals and objectives. And the job of church members is to do the ministry of the church. This is an accountable and measurable way of doing God’s work (often referred to as the governance model).
6. Are newcomers intentionally asked to get involved?
Finally, a church that expects to grow by bringing people to Christ must be intentional in getting new people involved in ministry. Declining and plateaued churches often make it difficult, or have no path to help people get involved. Leaders need to find out what new people are interested in doing and match them up with things that fit their gift mix. If there is nothing for new people to do, then the church needs to try some new things. New people may well also be the source of new ministry ideas. Encouraging them to discover and use their spiritual gifts and talents is the first, and possibly the most important step. The most exciting thing in the world is to discover and do the work that God equipped and called you to do. All church members must be challenged, encouraged and expected to somehow be involved in ministry.
Is your church’s structure helping or hindering your work of making disciples?
Friday, July 15, 2011
Hope for the Church (Part 4): The Church must be Willing to Choose the Right Methods
So many congregations these days are plagued by stagnant attendance figures, or find their attendance dwindling, that the church is in crisis. Some churches realize the danger and are afraid of the future; others are as oblivious as the band that played on the deck as the Titanic sank. However, there is hope for plateaued and declining churches if they realize the danger and do what needs to be done to once again become places where people find the love, hope and salvation Jesus offers. In this series, we have looked at the price the pastor and the congregation must pay, and the priorities that the church must adhere to. The next avenue of hope for churches to fulfill God’s mission of making disciples is to discover and/or choose appropriate methods of sharing the Good News of Jesus.
Let me point out four assumptions which are both frequent and problematic, that congregations make when choosing the methods it uses for building God’s Kingdom.
It worked for Grandpa.
When a congregation, particularly one that has had past greatness, realizes that it must do something to regain its old vitality, it often decides to start doing the things that worked years ago. Tactics that were effective in days gone by seldom bring the same results today. So much of life has changed. Means of communication have changed. People have a higher degree of expectation for quality in preaching, teaching, and music. Also, most Americans these days know much less about the Bible and the claims of Christ than did the unchurched of a few decades ago. As much as it hurts some folks to realize it, Grandpa’s methods will likely fall flat these days.
It worked in another place.
The location of a congregation is unique. The fact that a method works well in one area does not guarantee its success elsewhere. A lot depends on the demographics of the community in which the church finds itself. Still more depends on the make-up of your church. The first thing a church must do is figure out who it is and who it has the best chance of reaching. Many churches balk at the idea of targeting a group because they like to say they want to reach everyone. But the truth is there is a segment of your community that you have the best chance of reaching. I would go so far as to say those folks are the people God has called you to reach. Now, hear exactly what I am saying, and don’t read any underlying meaning into that. A church should never be exclusive; in fact, I think God calls us to be inclusive. However, reality shows that there are some people that some churches can reach with greater ease, likely because that is who God has in mind for them to reach first. And as a practical matter if a church has no target, it will get what it aims at, nothing.
An idea that has worked at another church might work if that church works hard to tailor it to fit their situation. Very few methods or programs are “one-size-fits-all.” Assuming you can plug a program that worked in another location into your church is a mistake that many churches have made over the last 40 years. A better way might be to allow a borrowed concept to inspire an idea that is made for your church’s very special situation. Borrow ideas. Don’t transplant programs.
It worked for so-and-so
Methods that have worked for big name churches or leaders are a blessing to the Kingdom of God. Don’t expect those methods to work the same for you. You are not that other guy. You don’t have his personality, his resources, or his situation. Don’t assume someone else’s methods will work for you. Robert Schuller and his Crystal Cathedral inspired Bill Hybels as he developed Willow Creek Church near Chicago, and also Rick Warren in Orange County at Saddleback Community. Neither of those churches resembles the Crystal Cathedral, nor are they anything like each other. Hybels and Warren skillfully adapted Schuller’s principles to each of their unique situations. Learn principles and apply them … don’t copy. If you copy you will likely be disappointed when you don’t get the same results as so and so.
We never did it that way before
Congregations sometimes resist trying new methods simply because they are new. They fear doing something they haven’t tried before. Some will even keep doing things that haven’t worked in a long time because that is all they know to do. To discover the methods a particular church should use in a particular time and place takes study of both the community and the congregation; wisdom to choose the things that have the best chance of working, and, most of all, the courage to take a risk and try different things. Many churches are paralyzed because they fear that if they try something new it will fail. The truth is some things will fail, but the church and its leaders must have the freedom to fail and learn from the failures. You can learn a lot by failing. You can learn what not to do, and/or what needs to be changed to reverse a failure.
God gave the church the mission to make disciples. He won’t leave us without a way to do that assignment. To reach this generation congregations must get creative and be willing to take risks. This could well be the dawning of the finest hour for the church in America, if she takes the challenge and refuses to retreat. First of all, open your heart to those who need to know Jesus, then open your head to the ideas God wants to give you for reaching them, and finally, do the life-giving work.
Comments?
Next time: Part 5: “The Church Must be Organized so that it Can Fulfill Her Mission”
Let me point out four assumptions which are both frequent and problematic, that congregations make when choosing the methods it uses for building God’s Kingdom.
It worked for Grandpa.
When a congregation, particularly one that has had past greatness, realizes that it must do something to regain its old vitality, it often decides to start doing the things that worked years ago. Tactics that were effective in days gone by seldom bring the same results today. So much of life has changed. Means of communication have changed. People have a higher degree of expectation for quality in preaching, teaching, and music. Also, most Americans these days know much less about the Bible and the claims of Christ than did the unchurched of a few decades ago. As much as it hurts some folks to realize it, Grandpa’s methods will likely fall flat these days.
It worked in another place.
The location of a congregation is unique. The fact that a method works well in one area does not guarantee its success elsewhere. A lot depends on the demographics of the community in which the church finds itself. Still more depends on the make-up of your church. The first thing a church must do is figure out who it is and who it has the best chance of reaching. Many churches balk at the idea of targeting a group because they like to say they want to reach everyone. But the truth is there is a segment of your community that you have the best chance of reaching. I would go so far as to say those folks are the people God has called you to reach. Now, hear exactly what I am saying, and don’t read any underlying meaning into that. A church should never be exclusive; in fact, I think God calls us to be inclusive. However, reality shows that there are some people that some churches can reach with greater ease, likely because that is who God has in mind for them to reach first. And as a practical matter if a church has no target, it will get what it aims at, nothing.
An idea that has worked at another church might work if that church works hard to tailor it to fit their situation. Very few methods or programs are “one-size-fits-all.” Assuming you can plug a program that worked in another location into your church is a mistake that many churches have made over the last 40 years. A better way might be to allow a borrowed concept to inspire an idea that is made for your church’s very special situation. Borrow ideas. Don’t transplant programs.
It worked for so-and-so
Methods that have worked for big name churches or leaders are a blessing to the Kingdom of God. Don’t expect those methods to work the same for you. You are not that other guy. You don’t have his personality, his resources, or his situation. Don’t assume someone else’s methods will work for you. Robert Schuller and his Crystal Cathedral inspired Bill Hybels as he developed Willow Creek Church near Chicago, and also Rick Warren in Orange County at Saddleback Community. Neither of those churches resembles the Crystal Cathedral, nor are they anything like each other. Hybels and Warren skillfully adapted Schuller’s principles to each of their unique situations. Learn principles and apply them … don’t copy. If you copy you will likely be disappointed when you don’t get the same results as so and so.
We never did it that way before
Congregations sometimes resist trying new methods simply because they are new. They fear doing something they haven’t tried before. Some will even keep doing things that haven’t worked in a long time because that is all they know to do. To discover the methods a particular church should use in a particular time and place takes study of both the community and the congregation; wisdom to choose the things that have the best chance of working, and, most of all, the courage to take a risk and try different things. Many churches are paralyzed because they fear that if they try something new it will fail. The truth is some things will fail, but the church and its leaders must have the freedom to fail and learn from the failures. You can learn a lot by failing. You can learn what not to do, and/or what needs to be changed to reverse a failure.
God gave the church the mission to make disciples. He won’t leave us without a way to do that assignment. To reach this generation congregations must get creative and be willing to take risks. This could well be the dawning of the finest hour for the church in America, if she takes the challenge and refuses to retreat. First of all, open your heart to those who need to know Jesus, then open your head to the ideas God wants to give you for reaching them, and finally, do the life-giving work.
Comments?
Next time: Part 5: “The Church Must be Organized so that it Can Fulfill Her Mission”
Monday, July 11, 2011
Hope for the Church (Part 3) The Church Must be willing to Change Priorities to Make Disciples
This is my third post in a series that is intended to give some reasons for hope in plateaued and declining churches. Not only must the pastor be willing to pay the price (part 1), and the congregation must be willing to pay the price (part 2), but it also needs to examine its priorities and adopt ones that will enable it to accomplish the mission God gave it.
Let’s look at some priorities that congregations need to change to accomplish its mission:
1. Congregations need to quit choosing neatness over usefulness. Some churches are so afraid that children or youth, or families will make a mess in their building that they prevent many programs designed to reach the very people they say they most want to reach. These churches may be in pristine condition, but if they’re not careful, they may find that they are also empty.
2. Many declining and plateaued churches hold the convenience of members as more important that attracting the lost. One example is the church that decides it wants to attract young families by starting a contemporary service. Then it schedules the contemporary service at 8 a.m., leaving the traditional service in the 11 a.m. time slot. Anyone who ever had children knows that’s not the best time to attract either young families that have to get little ones up and dressed, or the college age/twenty-something age range.
3. Churches that aren’t attracting people who don’t know the Lord tend to forget how to be good hosts. A good host/hostess does whatever he/she can to make the guest feel comfortable. All regular attenders should see themselves as hosts and go out of their way to make guests feel accepted, comfortable, and loved from the moment they come on the church campus until they go home. Some of these things are obvious, like not taking a seat away from a visitor because “I always sit there” or long time members taking up all the parking spaces close to the building. It could also mean doing some things that take organization and work, like valet parking and coordinated greeting. There are many ways to help guests feel welcome, if you are willing.
(If you are interested in more stuff I have to say about this, take a look at four blog postings I did titled “The Winsome Church” in the spring of 2010.)
4. A congregation will not get unstuck from the plateau, or turn around from declining, if it finds its traditions to be more important than doing what needs to be done to share the Gospel in a relevant way. Many times the schedule of the church is pretty much the same year after year, and if something new is added and is successful, the church feels it has to do that event every year. Consequently, the schedule is ruled by stuff that may no longer be helpful in reaching new people. One example is the evening service. A half century ago the evening service was often the “evangelistic service.” It was well attended, people brought friends, and folks found the Lord, but, in most congregations, that ended many years ago. Consequently, church staffs spend time to prepare a worship service that few people attend. Also, Sunday evening might be a good time to have small group studies or fellowship events that could help make new disciples and/or train church members. Why do churches keep having an evening service? “Because we have always had one.” It is an example of tradition taking precedence over effectiveness.
5. This leads to a broader “must” for a congregation that hopes to return to effectively expanding God’s Kingdom by making disciples: Churches need to get their priorities right. If making disciples is the top priority for the congregation, all other priorities must fall in behind that one, and be in support of it. Here are some observable wrong priority mistakes that declining or plateaued churches often make:
a. Some choose neatness over usefulness. (ex. The church that gets a new carpet in the fellowship hall then bans eating or drinking in there)
b. Others choose the convenience of the members over attracting the lost. (as in #2 above)
c. Many congregations choose to satisfy the preferences of the members over making changes designed to communicate in a way that is relevant to people who don’t know Christ. (classic example: traditional vs contemporary music)
d. The overall mistake concerning priorities that declining and plateaued churches make is choosing to focus inward on those who are already members (and should be part of the process of making disciples), over focusing outward on attracting, converting, and assimilating new disciples.
Turning a declining church around is tough, and so is getting a plateaued congregation unstuck, but if a church is to do God’s assignment of making disciples, it must get serious about doing the difficult work. Being committed to God’s priorities is the place to start.
Reactions?
Next time: Part 4 - “The Church must be willing to Choose Appropriate Methods” to hope to accomplish God’s assignment for her.
Let’s look at some priorities that congregations need to change to accomplish its mission:
1. Congregations need to quit choosing neatness over usefulness. Some churches are so afraid that children or youth, or families will make a mess in their building that they prevent many programs designed to reach the very people they say they most want to reach. These churches may be in pristine condition, but if they’re not careful, they may find that they are also empty.
2. Many declining and plateaued churches hold the convenience of members as more important that attracting the lost. One example is the church that decides it wants to attract young families by starting a contemporary service. Then it schedules the contemporary service at 8 a.m., leaving the traditional service in the 11 a.m. time slot. Anyone who ever had children knows that’s not the best time to attract either young families that have to get little ones up and dressed, or the college age/twenty-something age range.
3. Churches that aren’t attracting people who don’t know the Lord tend to forget how to be good hosts. A good host/hostess does whatever he/she can to make the guest feel comfortable. All regular attenders should see themselves as hosts and go out of their way to make guests feel accepted, comfortable, and loved from the moment they come on the church campus until they go home. Some of these things are obvious, like not taking a seat away from a visitor because “I always sit there” or long time members taking up all the parking spaces close to the building. It could also mean doing some things that take organization and work, like valet parking and coordinated greeting. There are many ways to help guests feel welcome, if you are willing.
(If you are interested in more stuff I have to say about this, take a look at four blog postings I did titled “The Winsome Church” in the spring of 2010.)
4. A congregation will not get unstuck from the plateau, or turn around from declining, if it finds its traditions to be more important than doing what needs to be done to share the Gospel in a relevant way. Many times the schedule of the church is pretty much the same year after year, and if something new is added and is successful, the church feels it has to do that event every year. Consequently, the schedule is ruled by stuff that may no longer be helpful in reaching new people. One example is the evening service. A half century ago the evening service was often the “evangelistic service.” It was well attended, people brought friends, and folks found the Lord, but, in most congregations, that ended many years ago. Consequently, church staffs spend time to prepare a worship service that few people attend. Also, Sunday evening might be a good time to have small group studies or fellowship events that could help make new disciples and/or train church members. Why do churches keep having an evening service? “Because we have always had one.” It is an example of tradition taking precedence over effectiveness.
5. This leads to a broader “must” for a congregation that hopes to return to effectively expanding God’s Kingdom by making disciples: Churches need to get their priorities right. If making disciples is the top priority for the congregation, all other priorities must fall in behind that one, and be in support of it. Here are some observable wrong priority mistakes that declining or plateaued churches often make:
a. Some choose neatness over usefulness. (ex. The church that gets a new carpet in the fellowship hall then bans eating or drinking in there)
b. Others choose the convenience of the members over attracting the lost. (as in #2 above)
c. Many congregations choose to satisfy the preferences of the members over making changes designed to communicate in a way that is relevant to people who don’t know Christ. (classic example: traditional vs contemporary music)
d. The overall mistake concerning priorities that declining and plateaued churches make is choosing to focus inward on those who are already members (and should be part of the process of making disciples), over focusing outward on attracting, converting, and assimilating new disciples.
Turning a declining church around is tough, and so is getting a plateaued congregation unstuck, but if a church is to do God’s assignment of making disciples, it must get serious about doing the difficult work. Being committed to God’s priorities is the place to start.
Reactions?
Next time: Part 4 - “The Church must be willing to Choose Appropriate Methods” to hope to accomplish God’s assignment for her.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)