Category: Church

The Best Is Yet To Come

future.jpgI wish that I could stand on tiptoe and see into the future.  

I can’t do this, but I don’t mind telling you what I think I would see.  If I could look into the future and see the future of the church, I think I would see that the best is yet to come.  No, I’m not referring to the end-times.  Rather, I am talking about the existence and ministry of the church on the earth, embodying the presence of Christ.

I have been a Christian for a number of years.  I have been a minister for several decades.  I have seen trends, fads, dog and pony shows, etc.  I have also seen church quarrels, church splits, immature and sinful church leaders, etc.  Yet, in spite of these realities, I am so encouraged.  I am delighted to be alive in 2009.

Today, I continue to follow Christ, and serve as a minister in a church, with an optimistic spirit regarding the future.  I know that many people long ago gave up on the church.  I am not writing these lines to argue or defend.  Yes, I have discouraging days and difficult seasons.  I have seen much that is disappointing and even discouraging.  Yet, I can honestly say that I see more that encourages me than discourages me.

When I think about the future, I don’t mean to leave the impression that the church will not struggle or even suffer.  Nor do I mean that the future church will not have problems — even serious problems at times.  Yet, I do not take the view that the best years are behind us.  (I am not speaking of a specific group of people or a particular denomination.)  Rather, I am simply voicing my confidence in the work of God’s Spirit through the living Jesus who dwells in his people.

Specifically:

  • I am thinking of a people who take Jesus seriously and whose lives are being changed by him. 
  • I am thinking of a people who have a kingdom vision and a passion for that vision. 
  • I am thinking of a people who value the church whether they meet as a small group of five in a home or as a large group of five thousand in a rented facility. 
  • I am thinking of a people who live obedient to Jesus and who are serious about holy living. 
  • I am thinking of a people whose gracious demeanor allows others to experience authentic Christian community. 
  • I am thinking of a people who have a world vision and who care about the world.  This world vision begins one person at a time. 

 

What do you see that encourages you?  What do you see in your own church or in another church that causes you to feel encouraged about the future?

What Does a Healthy Church Look Like?

heartinchurch.jpgWill you help me with this one? 

What does a healthy church look like?  I am thinking about this as I read Anne Jackson’s book Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic.  (I have just started the book.  Will say more later.)  For now, I would like to ask you to think about some of the characteristics of a healthy church.  

I enjoy talking to people who are a part of a healthy church.  I love to hear the way these people talk about their church.  Often they will focus on how Jesus is changing lives through that church.  Or, they might talk about the authenticity they see in their church.  Even when these communities experience difficulties, they have a very healthy way of dealing with them.

On the other hand there are some churches that appear almost toxic.  People in these churches seem demoralized and discouraged.  Quite often, they participate in discouraging and even destroying people, including their leaders.

Have you experienced being a part of a healthy church?  Have you ever been in an unhealthy church?  What was the difference?

What are the characteristics that make one church healthy while another church remains unhealthy or even toxic? 

When Ministry Becomes a Breath of Fresh Air (Part 1)

Prayer_Lookout2.jpgMany people read this blog.  People who serve in a variety of vocations read these words.  If you are a Christ-follower, there is a sense in which you are a minister (servant) no matter where you are and no matter what your vocation.  Such ministries are important — very important.

There are others who serve churches in very public roles.  Sometimes you may be referred to as preacher, pastor, minister, etc.  I was thinking today about what I want to remember in this particular role.  Much of what I will suggest is applicable regardless of your role or occupation.

God can use ministers to be a breath of fresh air in a church.  The enabling power for this kind of presence is the Spirit of God.  The challenge, however, is for us to make godly choices regarding our ministry. 

1.  Choose to be gracious.  I spoke with a couple visiting our church about a month ago.  They were from out of town.  They told me a little about their congregation and their minister.  They didn’t say they liked him or didn’t like him.  They simply said, "He’s a bit cocky, you know."  There was not much I could say. 

2.  Teach/preach from the overflow.  Do you preach each Sunday?  Do you deliver a message?  Do you teach a Bible class?  There is absolutely no substitute for reading and studying the Bible.  There is no substitute for being prepared.  This teaching/preaching is a sacred calling worthy of time, effort, and prayer.  Yes, I read widely.  However, in this role I must always be reading something that will help me think about what I will be preaching.  Some shortcuts may come with time and experience.  Other shortcuts (i.e., copying sermons from the Internet and preaching them as my own, etc.) will in fact shortchange the congregation and will be a detriment to the integrity of my ministry.

3.  Love the people in your congregation and community.  If you love these people, they will usually be forbearing and forgiving.  If they sense you don’t love them, then it really won’t matter what else you do.  For a couple of years, a young minister worked with a good church in a smaller community.  His last year there, he berated them publicly and talked down to them.  He made it known to the others on the staff with him that he was frustrated with this church and their backward thinking.  He then resigned and abruptly moved on to a larger church in a large city.  Many people in his former congregation feel like he used them.  Right or wrong, they believe that he came to that church so that he could posture himself to move to something bigger and better.  What struck me as especially sad is that these people felt used by him instead of loved by him.

4.  Be God-conscious instead of self-conscious.  It is so easy to get consumed by ego.  If we are not careful, we will believe that what really counts is to be well-known, to be in much demand as a speaker, and to preach for a church that many people are paying attention to.  As a result of this focus, it is easy to compare, to become jealous, to "keep score," and to crave recognition.  It is tempting to want to become "Christian" celebrities, hoping that people will clamor for our attention.  Far better to remember our calling and aim to please God, trusting that he is enough.

5.  Focus on your own walk with God.  Far too many ministers treat congregations as if they were science experiments.  "Let’s do this to them and see what happens."   Others become far too focused on trying to will the church to do this or that.  Do you know that the very best thing I can do for the congregation I serve is to simply be who God has called me to be.  I do far more good by focusing on my own love for God and for others.  I do far more good by being a godly person who loves his wife and children.

(Again, I think these are useful for those who are not "ministers" as well.)

What else would you add to this list?

What Do You Long For?

coffee45.jpgAfter a few hours of restless sleep, I finally got up for awhile and read a portion of Conformed to His Image by Kenneth Boa.  I was reading through a chapter on motivation and came across this wonderful quote, written by Julian of Norwich in her Revelations of Divine Love.  She speaks of the importance of having an intense longing for God.  The following was written six hundred years ago:

At the same moment the Trinity filled me full of heartfelt joy, and I knew that all eternity was like this for those who attain heaven.  For the Trinity is God, and God the Trinity; the Trinity is our maker and keeper, our eternal lover, joy and bliss–all through our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . We have got to realize the littleness of creation and to see it for the nothing that it is before we can love and possess God who is uncreated.  This is the reason why we have no ease of heart or soul, for we are seeking our rest in trivial things which cannot satisfy, and not seeking to know God, almighty, all-wise, all-good.  He is true rest.  It is His will that we should know Him, and His pleasure that we should rest in Him.  Nothing less will satisfy us. . . . We shall never cease wanting and longing until we possess Him in fullness and joy.  Then we shall have no further wants.  Meanwhile His will is that we go on knowing and loving until we are perfected in heaven. . . . The more clearly the soul sees the blessed face by grace and love, the more it longs to see it in its fullness.  (cited in Boa, Conformed to His Image, p. 148)

 

What a wonderful quote!  I read these lines several times.  I came away from this paragraph thinking, "May I not seek satisfaction in trivial things which cannot satisfy."  Perhaps you connect with these thoughts as well.

What Would Jesus Say? (Part 1)

coffee39.jpgI wonder what Jesus might say if he preached at our church one Sunday?

 
What would he say?

 
He would be walking into our cultural context.  He would walk to our podium, I suppose.  Perhaps he would use the wireless mic that I normally wear.  He might hear the baptistery occasionally gurgle behind him.  He might hear the air conditioning come on as he speaks (yesterday the temperature got up to 107 degrees here).  Hopefully, one of those crows outside would not come to the window and caw.

 
I just wonder what he might say to our church?  What would be the tone and substance of his message?  

 
I just wonder:

 
1.  Would the subject of his message be similar to what I have been preaching to this church?  Or, would it be very different?   Is there an aspect of the Gospel that he would emphasize that I really haven’t been emphasizing?

 
2.  What about his style, tone, etc.?  Is there anything about either the style or tone that might be "different"?

 
3.  How would the people in this church receive his message?  Would his message be surprising or shocking, or would it be something they expected?  Would there be a real appreciation for what he said?

 
4.  What about the application of his teaching to our church and to our lives personally?  How would we respond?

 
Do I know the answers to these questions?  No.  But it is interesting to think about this in the context of the congregation of people with whom I am most familiar.

 
As you think about Jesus preaching to your own faith community, whether small or large, are there other questions that surface? 

(Question) What Are You Looking For?

coffee28.jpgHave you ever found it difficult to find a church?

 
I have talked with many, many people who have found this to be very difficult.  Single.  Married.  With kids.  Without kids.  Young.  Not so young.

 
Yes, I do realize that some people look for a church with a consumer mentality.  There are some people who seem to approach this issue like they would any other consumer need.

 
Yet, I am convinced that there are many, many sincere Christ-followers who, for a variety of reasons, have found it difficult to find a church in the town or city where they live.  Perhaps you have had such an experience.  Or, you may have been in conversation with a friend who has wrestled with this.

 
Let me add one more concern here.  Here is a recent college graduate who moves to a new city because of a new job.  She thinks she has found a church, but her parents don’t feel comfortable with that church.  Or, her friends can’t figure out why she would consider being a part of that church. 

 
The question(s):  Why is it so often very difficult to find a church?  What are some of the factors at work here?

 

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Did you know that you can subscribe to get updates of this blog by e-mail?  You can subscribe here.

 
Have you been to God-Hungry Live?  You can see a fine interview with Eugene Peterson here. 

Only God

coffee11.jpgOnly God can work through situations that seem impossible to human beings.  

 
Like yesterday.

 
OK — maybe I am exaggerating.  Maybe it was not an impossible Sunday.  Still it was an unusual Sunday.  

 

Yesterday, while I was attempting to preach, the following happened:
 

  • The air conditioning stopped working.  (Remember that I live in Texas and it is late May.)  Fortunately, our very fine volunteer who takes care of many of our maintenance issues was dealing with it.  At various times, I could see him walking around at the back.  I could see another person walking around at the same time.  Wasn’t sure if he was trying to help him or not.
  • At one point, there was a loud noise behind me as the air conditioning attempted to turn on.  (I just remember that this noise seemed to happen twice.)
  • Somewhere in all of this there was a loud boom at the back.  It happened twice.  It seemed to come from behind a wall near one of our back rows.  (I later learned that it came from the nursery where one of our toddlers kicked the wall.)

Finally, the message was over.  Someone led a prayer during which three cell phones went off.  Again, all of this is in one Sunday morning.

 
The morning ended and people stood around for a while talking.  Just as Charlotte and I were getting ready to go home, a man stopped me near the stairs and said, "I want to tell you about a conversation that I just had."  He went on to say that the message had deeply touched a woman he had been talking with and as a result she was planning to deal with a situation in her life in a very Christlike manner.

 
I know that God was at work.  Only God could take that morning and redeem it for good.  🙂 

The Living Church

Last week, I read John Stott’s new book, The Living Church.  He has served the All Souls Church in London for sixty years.  The inside of the jacket of the book reads as follows:

At the 150th anniversary of the dedication of his church, John Stott gave voice to his dream for All Souls, London, and all souls everywhere: "I have a dream of . . . a biblical church . . . a worshiping church . . . a caring church . . . a serving church . . . an expectant church."

I read this book not necessarily looking for something innovative or even unique.  I read this book because I have such a deep respect for Stott who has served with integrity and has given ministers across the globe an example worth imitating.  Stott has modeled what it means to do ministry with a keen mind and a tender heart. 

 
Given Stott’s reputation and his example, I read with respect his dream for the church everywhere.  The book is Stott’s clear reminder of what the church has been called to be.

 
The following are a few quotes which I liked in particular:

"Mission" arises, then, not from the biblical doctrine of the church in the world.  If we are not "the church," the holy and distinct people of God, we have nothing to say because we are compromised.  If, on the other hand, we are not "in the world," deeply involved in its life and suffering, we have no one to serve because we are insulated.  Our calling is to be "holy" and "worldly" at the same time.  Without this balanced biblical ecclesiology we will never recover or fulfill our mission.  (p. 54)

 
We cannot proclaim the gospel of God’s love with any degree of integrity if we do not exhibit it in our love for others.  Perhaps nothing is so damaging to the cause of Christ as a church which is either torn apart by jealousy, rivalry, slander and malice, or preoccupied with its own selfish concerns.  Such churches urgently need to be radically renewed in love. . . .  (p. 69)

 
In order to build bridges that are solid, we have to study on both sides of the canyon.  It goes without saying that we must study Scripture until we are really familiar with it.  But we must also study the world in which we live.  Nothing has helped me do this more than belonging to a reading group which began in 1972.  We met every few weeks, having read an agreed non-Christian book, to discuss its challenge to our Christian world-view.  I call this "double listening,"  listening to the word of God and listening to the voices of the modern world, its cries of anger, pain and despair.  (p. 100) 

If I Could Start Over (part one)

coffee19.jpgThere are some realities about ministry with and to a church that I wish I had known thirty years ago.  Much of what I have learned about congregational ministry came through study, reflection, and thinking.  Yet, on another level, I have learned so much through the daily experience of this work.  

 
The following are some truths that I have learned about this kind of pastoral ministry after thirty years of working with churches.  If I could start over with what I know now:

 
1.  I would know that it is critical that I love the congregation.  There is no substitute for loving these people.

 
2.  I would know that all ministry is service.  It is first service to God on behalf of people.  Today, ministry is often reduced to a career in which the language of the marketplace has become more pronounced while far too often the notion of a calling has become diminished.

 
3.  I would know that my prayer life and daily time in Scripture are critical to my ministry.  In fact, these and other spiritual disciplines are incredibly important for anyone who wants to remain fresh for the long haul.

 
4.  I would know that reading thoughtful, challenging books, articles, etc. is extremely helpful to ministry.  Reading that helps me understand Scripture and the church and broadens and deepens my thinking is invaluable.

 
5.  I would know that the evil one wishes to destroy every good thing that happens in the life of the church.  It seems that his work is generally focused on corrupting our hearts and consequently diminishing our love for Jesus and other believers in the body of Christ.  

 
6.  I would know that dealing with the negative emotional baggage in my life can be an incredible blessing to my family and to the church.  Far too many churches suffer from leaders who have never dealt with their anger, their loss, and their sense of inadequacy.

 
(more later…) 

Question: What do your friends say?

coffee17_1.jpgI’m curious.  What do your friends say about their church?  Specifically I am wondering what stands out in your mind as you reflect upon conversations that you have had with friends regarding their church.  

 
Do you have friends who express much satisfaction with their church?  What is present in the life of that church that has created so much satisfaction?

 
Do you have other friends who express much dissatisfaction with their church?  What seems to be the issue?  Why do they remain with that church?