Happy New Year! Resolved!

New Year’s resolutions…hate ‘em.  Why?  Because good intentions don’t mean much if you can’t follow through.  When it comes to most resolutions I’ve basically failed them.  I don’t like feeling like a loser so it’s easier not to make New Year’s resolutions…except this one, “I resolve not to make any other resolutions!”  Who’s joining me?

Top 10 Posts from 2008 (as determined by me)

Yesterday I gave you the links to the top 10 posts on this blog in terms of “hits.”  Today I’ll be a little subjective and give you the ones that I think were the best.  In no specific order, because they are all like children to me.

10. Life without Mom: my melancholy post using what I wrote in my journal a few years ago on the death of my mother.

9. Dear Dad: My post addressed to my dad on Father’s Day.

8. Softball Champions: How could I not include this post about our church softball domination!

7. RIP: Capt. Eric Terhune: I wish I could dedicate a post a day to all the American heroes.

6. Why I am pro-life: One of my first posts…and this blog took off.

5. Cardboard testimonies: This video makes me cry every time I watch it.

4. Are you rich?: Had to include at least one convicting post.  Make sure you click on the link to the “global rich list.”

3. What About those who have never heard?: This post got a lot of comments and is an answer to a common question I get.

2. Kingdom Kids’ Video: Check out the video that my wife made for our children’s ministry.

1. Jesus is a friend of mine: That’s not actually what the post is titled, but I still go back to this one almost weekly…for when I’m down, this video makes me laugh!  Make sure you play it 2 minutes into it so you can hear “zap.”

Top 10 Posts from 2008 (as determined by you)

I always like the year-end countdowns for top songs, news articles, etc.  So I thought I would post my top 10 posts from the year determined by the amount of hits they rec’d.  Here they are:

10. Church is a team sport (part 5): I was surprised to see this one make the list but with the beauty of “tags” and web-searches, many people found this line of posts.

9. Costa Rica Wednesday: The first of many Costa Rican mission trip posts.

8. Quest Community Church Visit: While on sabbatical I visited several churches and wrote “reviews” about my experience.  This one was tops because many people have found this through goggling it.

7. Costa Rica or bust!: An easy one because Jennifer wrote it while I was en route to Costa Rica on a mission trip.

6. Costa Rica Tuesday

5. Costa Rica guest blogger: My favorite post of the year because of the pics and because I didn’t actually have to write it!  Thanks Dawn!

4. Costa Rica day 1: the last of many posts made in Costa Rica this summer during a mission trip.  It was great to see the comments from friends and family of various team members.

3. Pastors’ Wives’ Hilarous video: Another video that created traffic for my blog.

2. Book List: Technically not a post, but an ongoing page about the last 15 books I’ve read and mini-reviews on them.

1. The Maria Chapman Funeral Video: apparently people were finding this video through my blog.

Tomorrow I’ll run the top 10 posts that I personally enjoyed the most.

Seek to Understand Before Being Understood

That’s a Steven Covey principle, I think.  Seek to understand before being understood.  I was reading through the Proverbs today and one caught my eye that fits perfectly with that principle.  Proverbs 18:2, “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions.”

Why this today?  On my Aren’t They Humans? post I got a couple comments from Joshua who obviously disagrees with me.  But I appreciate his straight-forwardness without attacking.  I hope he has taken my responses in the same light.  I have strong opinion about a lot of things.  But I don’t think I’m a complete close-minded caveman.  I don’t expect to change my mind but I have to listen with respect if I expect to be heard with respect.  More often I need to listen before I speak my mind. 

Comeback Churches (part V)

I want to finish this topic today.  There are some miscellaneous topics today.  Any of these create questions for you?  Are we doing well in any of this?  Picking off where I left off…

Getting people involved in ministry rated 3rd after leadership and vibrant faith as a strategic factor in comeback churches.  A transition took place in these churches that engaged more laypeople in meaningful ministry.  For churches to be able to grow most effectively and reach their full potential , a change has to take place in the role of the pastor, and the people have to step up and use their spiritual gifts (132-33).

In many comeback churches, the people were taught that they were responsible for the ministry of the church.  In comeback churches, both pastor and people realize that the pastor cannot do everything that needs to be done in ministry.  Sometimes people expect too much from their pastor.  Sometimes the pastor does not expect enough from the people and is guilty of trying to do too many things himself (139).

Comeback churches utilize a strategy, or process, to identify and equip people for ministry as servant leaders.  Part of that equipping strategy is the discovery of gifts.  Moving members into ministry requires a ministry placement strategy, face-to-face recruiting, entry-level ministry positions, and recognition and affirmation (140-41).

We tend to overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what can happen in 3 years (142).

George Gallup found that 70% of Americans have said that the church is not meeting their needs.  When asked what these needs were, there were 6 common responses: 1) To believe life is meaningful and has purpose; 2) To have a sense of community and deeper relationships; 3) To be appreciated and respected; 4) To be listened to and heard; 5) To grow in faith; 6) To receive practical help in developing a mature faith.  These needs can be met in a variety of ways but are best met in a nurturing small group (150).

Comeback leaders understood that change is hard.  According to a fascinating article in Fast Company magazine, 90% of heart patients who are told to change their lifestyle or die, choose death over change.  Our churches and leaders seem to be no different.  Changed leaders lead changing churches.  Yet, the vast majority of time people and churches choose death over change (182).

Comeback leaders created a climate in which change is expected–and welcomed.  Comeback leaders often took it slower with older congregations.  Comeback leaders helped people to see the reality of the situation.  If people won’t change until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change, your job is to inflict some pain.  Churches need to experience the pain of the fact that they are not living up to their potential.  They need to feel the hurt that their children no longer come to the church of their parents (183-84).

Comeback pastors and their best leaders needed to focus their time on 2 groups: leaders and the lost (216).

Tell Me Which Article/Book Idea You Like Best

Every year I have a great brainstorm of book and article ideas that I’d like to write, even though I have no idea when I could possibly find time to do that.  Anyways…I can’t get the wordpress polls to work right so to vote you’ll have to comment.  I hope you will do that.  Which idea do you like best and least?

Operation: Santa (Novel about the kidnapping of Santa Claus and the subsequent search & rescue by a team of covert Elves)

Breathe (a devotional article about the first breath of my son, Aidan, compared to the last breath of Jesus before death and then our breath when Jesus returns)

Facebook Evangelism (book or article on how to share our faith in a postmodern, transparent, techno-crazy world)

Yes, that’s quite the eclectic list above.  What do you think?

Obedience

Is it possible to seek obedience without falling into the trap of meriting salvation?  We have to differentiate between obedience of earning from obedience of trusting.  The first is legalistic and ultimately impossible because it depends on our own strength.  The latter depends on God’s empowering and aims to obtain life by faith in His promises.

Comeback Churches (part IV)

It’s been a while now since I started this thread.  If you want to read parts I-III, then go here, here, and here.  You can also check out the author’s site at Comeback Churches if you want to know more about how they came up with the churches, etc.  But here are some more principles that “Comeback Churches” used in order to go from a dying or stagnant church to one that was “coming back” in its growth.

Comeback pastors are able to cast a compelling vision for outreach that is shared by the leadership and then the congregation (100).

In order to train people to “go and tell,” we will need to teach them to live like Jesus (101).

Comeback churches have learned that it takes a whole church to win a community, but it takes a leader to help them do so (103).

Comeback churches know that the whole church has to embrace the mandate for evangelism.  Everyone can be involved as a prayer, bringer, and/or teller (104).

Comeback churches said that creating an environment in which spontaneous and planned evangelism can take place is key.  The main reason a church does not grow is that it doesn’t wantto grow.  Most people who regularly attend smaller churches have their concerns about the “church getting too big.”  “Besides,” someone will say, “if the church grows, my family and I will get lost in the numbers, and we won’t have as much say in the future direction of hte church.” (105-06)

Start with intentional prayer.  Help people bring friends.  Members and regular attenders were encouraged to follow a prayer strategy for inviting F.R.A.N.s (Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors).  Plan outreach events.  The most effective long-term strategy, providing the best results, is personal invitation.  Train key leaders to employ the “3-minute rule”–for 3 minutes after the service, they should focus only on making sure that guests are properly welcomed (111-114).

Comeback churches used strategies that help people stay and grow.  Most worship services are not designed for true connection to take place.  To connect people, you have to move them from the worship service to the small group or Sunday school.  Help small group/Sunday school leader make contacts with new people (118-119).

Friendliness is not enough–People are not looking for a friendly church, they are looking for friends (130). 

Church members need to develop in at least 8 ways: 1) Worship regularly; 2) Guide friends and family to follow Christ; 3) identify with church goals; 4) Tithe regularly; 5) Identify 7 new friends in the church; 6) Identify their own spiritual gifts; 7) Participate in at least one ministry in the church; Participate in a small group (130).

Comeback Churches (Part III)

So far we’ve looked at Comeback Churches and saw what churches should be and how churches get stuck.  Let’s look at what the Comeback Churches did to become growing, healthy churches.

Comeback churches were always led by strong leaders.  Lyle Shaller asserts, “The final thing leaders will need is courage…the willingness to tell the truth, to say what is not politely or politically acceptable….  The most common expression of the courage to tell the truth is to say, ‘It ain’t workin’.” (37)

Comeback leaders took the initiative for change.  Pray Matthew 9:37-38 regularly and passionately.  “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (40)

Comeback leaders shared the ministry.  They emphasized the importance of intentionally training and empowering God’s people to fulfill their ministry purpose in serving the body of Christ and reaching out to the lost (42).

Comeback leaders quickly gave away nonministry tasks.  Delegation was a consistent theme from comeback pastors.  These leaders freed themselves up for more study, more leadership training, and more evangelism.  You can’t change a church without changing your schedule.  Leadership is more about what you can get done through others than what you can do yourself (43-45).

A comeback requires at least 3 elements.  1st, there is spiritual energy in the lives of individual believers and the church family as a whole, brought about by revival.  2nd, the church is restructured around its missional purpose.  3rd, there’s a long-term commitment to change (54-55).

We believe these 3 faith factorshelp a church regain a missional focus and are always necessary to lead a comeback church:

1. Renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church.  Missional leaders and churches are one that are thinking and acting like missionaries (56).  Comeback leaders helped their churches grow to love the lost.  Most churches love their traditions more than they love the lost (61).

2. Renewed attitude for servanthood.  Comeback churches led people to care more about their communities than their preferences (65).

3. More strategic prayer effort.  Comeback churches are praying churches (68).  Comeback leaders lead their churches to pray (70).

Comeback churches valued worship.  Almost all comeback churches identified their mood of worship as celebrative and orderly (96% and 95%, respectively) with a significant emphasis on being informal and contemporary (81% and 69%).  Churches often rediscovered their passion for God and His mission by examining their worship.  When we create a God-centered and culturally appropriate worship service, it helps us begin the process of seeking God for other changes that need to take place (78-79).  The vast majority of American churches are not contemporary; the majority in this study would seem to be, and that should make us take notice.  Few pastors survive a worship change, but many comeback churches made changes in worship (84).

I’ll have to finish this in another 1 or 2 parts when I get back from Costa Rica.  Any thoughts so far? 

 

 

Christmas Day: I Miss Michigan but…

Anyone who knows me know that my heart belongs in Michigan…but I’m starting to wonder.  This Christmas I’m quite content being a Kentuckian, especially one living in Versailles, Woodford County.  I love the church I serve with.  I love the community…where our food bank is overflowing and people serve sacrficially.  It’s not perfect that’s for sure.  But this Christmas as I celebrate the incarnation of God as Jesus, I see how the Gospel has changed this community in many ways.  Still a long way to go and perhaps we’re losing ground.  But I know with the power of God, I (and my church family) can change the world.